Tegra Stone Nuess

Meeting photos

2012-02-08T10:24:00.000-08:00

This week I photographed another Children's Alliance meeting. This one was a round table discussion with Under Secretary Concannon about Washington's food programs. There was a great vibe in the room and although our state is ahead of many others, we still have a lot of work to do to protect kids and families. Here are my favorite shots:

Frosted

2011-12-29T17:36:00.000-08:00

On my drive home to Spokane for Christmas the entire state east of the Snoqualmie pass was covered in frost. It made up for the lack of snow and was very beautiful. Here are some shots taken near George, Washington.

A Special Have A Heart for Kids Day

2011-12-12T16:34:00.000-08:00

This year The Children's Alliance's Have a Heart for Kids Day came early because of the special session in Olympia. Hundreds of kids, parents and advocates rallied on the capitol steps and delivered a Proclamation by the Children of Washington to legislators. This years slogan was 'Protect my Future". I was there to document it and here are my favorite shots:

Girls Rock(!) Camp

2011-11-28T13:45:00.000-08:00

I recently volunteered to photograph a day at Rain City Rock Camp for Girls and it was a lot of fun. The week long camp is the only music these high school kids get exposed to due to cutting back on music programs. In one week girls who've never played an instrument before, pick one, learn to play it, form a band and perform a song. They were all amazing and it was really fun to observe. Here are my favorite shots:

http://www.raincityrockcamp.org/

I ♥ Edison, Washington

2011-10-31T17:38:00.000-07:00

Last weekend my mom and I spent the weekend up on Samish Island which is West of the Skagit Valley. On our way we stopped in Edison and I fell in love. Edison is the cutest one block town with multiple art galleries, unique shops, the local Breadfarm, a wine and cheese shop called Slough food and Tweets, a local organic cafe. This adorable but authentic town is just off of Chuckanut drive so after getting fresh crab from Taylor Shellfish on the Sound and grabbing some veggies from a farm stand we headed into Edison for the rest of our meal. We found a bottle of red wine and some local goat cheese as well as some yummy crackers and cookies. It made for the perfect meal to eat next to the fire that rainy October night. The next morning we couldn't wait to get brunch at Tweets. The verde frittata was delicious and I loved the bowl of hazelnuts on the table available for anyone willing to crack them open. The staff was very friendly and we really enjoyed our leisurely morning. I can't wait to go back!

Flying over Spokane

2011-09-26T12:24:00.000-07:00

My uncle Joe owns a photography company in Spokane (www.nuessphotography.com) and does aerial photography. Last time I was home he kindly offered to take me up on a flight. So we took off and flew all around the Spokane area for about an hour. It was pretty awesome and here are my shots:

Alaska!

2011-09-26T12:13:00.000-07:00

To view the full photo album of my trip to Southeast Alaska please go to: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tegra-Stone-Nuess-Photography/108401829200235

Doe Bay Fest Fashion

2011-08-25T12:03:00.000-07:00

There are many ways to try and capture the magic of Doe Bay Fest. In an effort to narrow it down to one aspect of the weekend I took inspiration from the Sartorialist blog and photographed some of the amazing 'fest' fashion. At one point I questioned this documentation- was it not really what Doe Bay is about? Doe Bay is about celebrating music and enjoying each other, not about fashion. But then I realized that Doe Bay is also about self expression and clothing is one of the biggest ways we express ourselves. So here are just a few of the creative looks I noticed over the incredible weekend. Let me know if you're featured and want a copy. :)

Photos of Antique Cameras

2011-07-11T20:27:00.000-07:00

What do photographers do with a studio set up for shooting stilllifes and extra time? Photograph cameras of course. I set up a table and some lighting to photograph some artwork today and instead of just packing it all away I thought I'd take advantage and shoot something:

Sara's headshots

2011-06-30T10:40:00.000-07:00

This week I got to take headshots of the beautiful Sara who is opening up a private practice in therapy called Sara Nied Counseling. We met at her new office on the lush Mercer slough in Bellevue and took lots of great shots. We wanted the photos to convey her personality as well as give the feeling that she is a good counselor and I think we succeeded. The images match her earthy, natural beauty and her confident sweet self. Here are my favorites:

Cabo

2011-06-28T13:36:00.000-07:00

Just recently I got to go to Los Cabos, Mexico for work. It was a quick trip and of course a work trip, but I did get a walk on the beach and a little pool time in. Here are my favs:

The natural desert juxtaposed against a resort.

Crabs sunning themselves on the rocks.

Where we stayed.

Memorial Weekend Camping

2011-06-02T17:03:00.000-07:00

It wouldn't be Memorial Day Weekend without the first camping trip of the year. My friends and I headed East to the Tieton River, just West of Yakima, Washington. It was a beautiful spot that I hope to go back to. It was a weekend of firsts- the first we'd been there and climbed on the Tieton cliffs, the first camping trip in the vanagon and first time rock climbing in hail! Here are my favorites:

Heading to the climbing spot through a burnt forest.

Gary

Turkey Huntin'

2011-05-02T18:43:00.000-07:00

Last weekend while in Wenatchee my friend harvested (the proper term) a wild turkey. Excited to congratulate him we met at the local burger joint and celebrated with ice cream cones. This was Kevin's first wild turkey catch. Being a vegetarian second and a photographer first, I jumped at the chance to photograph the de-plucking of the feathers. Here are my favorite shots from the event:

Kevin and Nick, hunting buddies.

Nick and his ice cream.

A happy hunter.

Mexico 2011!

2011-04-11T14:27:00.000-07:00

Sometime in February when the rain started to become unbearable, my girlfriends and I decided we needed a girls trip somewhere tropical. We chose Playa del Carmen, Mexico and had a wonderful time. We rented a condo in town giving us a beautiful rooftop deck as our home base. We snorkeled in a cenote, drove a buggy and a scooter around Cozumel island, sailed to the Tulum ruins on an 80 ft catamaran and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. There's nothing like relaxing and adventuring with your best girls. Here are my favorite shots from the trip, because I still had to do some work ;).

Home Brewing

2011-03-01T13:24:00.000-08:00

What to do on a sunny, cold Sunday in February? Learn to home brew beer of course! My friend Jesse Thomsen invited us over to watch the process and I naturally stuck my camera in his face. Here are my favorite shots:

After the grains cook and are filtered out, the beer boils and brews and protein must be filtered off the top.

Hops are added and stirred in.

The beer must be cooled quickly which is done by a copper coil of cold running water.

Beer! This will be stored for 2-4 months before drinking.

The brew master Jesse.

Checking the temperature of the water for the next batch.

The Adorable Charlotte

2011-02-24T18:37:00.001-08:00

Forgot to post these adorable pictures of Charlotte. Her mother has portraits of her grandmother, mom and herself in pink dresses so we had to continue the tradition. She's such a cutie and these are my favorites:

Have A Heart For Kids Day 2010

2011-02-24T18:14:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite yearly events, Have A Heart for Kids Day, happened this week. The Children's Alliance's big march on the capitol steps and rally is always an inspiration. This year the Pacific Northwest Drum Line led our grand entrance to the steps. Half way through the rally the bright sunny skies were taken over by clouds and snow began dumping down on us. It didn't stop the crowd from cheering and the kids from smiling. Here are my favorite shots:

Stand Strong for kids was this year's theme.

Jen leading the cheers.

The snow sweeps in!

Winter Wonderland

2011-01-03T21:08:00.001-08:00

So I got to spend New Years weekend up at my Dad's Dome cabin in Northeastern Washington and we couldn't have gotten better weather. About 6 inches of powdery snow fell before 4 bluebird days. Our last day I was very excited to see perfect snowflakes falling with the sun shining through. Here are my favorites:

Maternity Photos

2010-12-20T11:16:00.000-08:00

After photographing their wedding two summers ago, I was honored that Sarah and Will asked me to take maternity photos for them. Sarah is 8 months pregnant and looks beautiful. Here are my favs:

Portrait of Liz

2010-12-20T11:05:00.001-08:00

I've been wanting to take more portraits so I asked my friend Liz to sit for me. Here are my favorite shots!

Winter Adventures

2010-12-10T11:01:00.000-08:00

So the latest adventure was driving around the state of Washington over Thanksgiving weekend in an '83 Vanagon. The weather was dicey, but we got lucky for most of the 900 miles. The freezing rain on I-84 along the Columbia River Gorge was the hairiest. Ice built up on the windshield as we puttered along at 30 mph. The van was cozy and fun though and here are my favorite shots:

Food Cart Fun

2010-11-24T14:25:00.000-08:00

In an attempt to find inspiration and give myself an assignment, I decided to head down to one of Seattle's food carts and snap some shots off. It was a freezing cold day and the sun was right overhead making it difficult, but I'm happy with these shots. Plus my shrimp Po Boy was delicious! I'll have to go back for more. My favorites from visiting Where Ya At Matt food cart:

Event Shoot

2010-11-02T14:47:00.000-07:00

Here are some shots I took for the Children's Alliance's 2010 Powerful Partners Summit. After a panel of speakers, groups gathered to discuss ways to end childhood hunger in Washington. I wanted to shoot in a way to show the collaboration and discussion structure of the event.

Victoria, British Columbia

2010-10-05T13:34:00.000-07:00

An easy and wonderful weekend trip from Seattle is Victoria, BC. Just three hours up the Puget Sound via the Victoria Clipper will get you to this historic British Columbia capitol city. We even lucked out and arrived on a beautiful sunny October day. The harbor, historic buildings and friendly people make this little city a great place to explore.

The grande Fairmont Empress Hotel acts as a beautiful landmark in the heart of town. Fall colored ivy covers her front and will take you back in time.

The old towne is full of little restaurants and shops lining the streets. The cutest of which line the Fan Tan alley. As you pass through the alley you leave old England and enter Chinatown.
Tea, whether it's English or Oriental is very popular here.
After visiting the impressive Maritime Museum, we wondered along the harbor and were surprised to see one of the old steamer boats from museum pictures docked in front of us. Nestled in the corner of the dock, the boat and a salmon colored European building make for a great backdrop as people eat fish and chips from the Red Fish Blue Fish stand.

Around 5pm as our feet were tired from wondering through museums, we passed a sunny oyster bar offering 'a buck a shuck' happy hour that we couldn't resist. A local brew and a couple oysters were perfect for this cool, sunny evening.

Another must-see spot in Victoria is the fisherman's wharf. You can take a little harbor ferry from many docks in town and go explore the wharf. Fish & chips and lemonade stands line the dock as well as adorable floating houses. Home to these waters (at least during tourist season) are a few harbor seals who are quite well fed. Buy $5 worth of fish and you can hand feed these cuties.

It's a great little trip that could definitely be extended. So close to home, yet a country- and in some ways a century- away.

Kelsey & Dann's Wedding

2010-09-23T15:02:00.000-07:00

Kelsey and Dan's wedding had the beautiful backdrop of her father's farm outside The Dalles, Oregon. They both looked amazing and despite the rain, we got some great shots. You could really see the love and joy on their faces. Here are my favorites:

Backyard fun

2010-09-15T13:14:00.000-07:00

So what do you do when you want to be creative but no ideas come to mind? Goof around in the backyard of course. Well, my friend Dylan's backyard. Here are some fun pics from yesterday afternoon:

My favorite

Labor Day Weekend

2010-09-07T13:38:00.001-07:00

What constitutes a good Labor Day Weekend? A lake, boats, camping, BBQing, drinking and exploring of course. Here's a series from an all American weekend:

Lake Chelan, Wa

Circa 1910

Old orchard and irrigation in Stehekin

Plus a little social commentary on the apparently real American past time...

Summer taster

2010-08-23T12:36:00.000-07:00

Well, it seems summer has whisked me away. Here's a medley of photos taken over the past two months. (not sure why there's food theme here)

Thomas & Hannah get hitched!

2010-07-01T19:32:00.000-07:00

My 'little brother' Thomas got married last weekend. It was a hard concept to grasp until the day of. Seeing how happy he and Hannah are with their new baby Willomina made the day a real celebration. Plus there's nothing like a back yard party at the Thomsen's! Here are my favorite picks.

Beautiful dad and daughter shot

Beautiful mother daughter shot

Girl with the Pearl Earring anyone?

The groom with his coffee

Gotta love their humor

Honduras & Guatemala

2010-06-28T13:11:00.000-07:00

I recently got to treat my travel bug in Honduras and Guatemala. On our quick 2 week trip south we started on Utila island off the Caribbean side of Honduras. Utila is known for scuba diving so much of my time was spent under water. When on dry land we soaked in the sun, the clear water and local vibe. Here are my favorite shots from the island:

Our next adventure was at Lago Atitlan in Guatemala. This huge beautiful lake is rimmed by three sleeping volcanoes. The temperature was perfect and the people were kind and welcoming. We spent a night in San Pedro la Laguna, one of the small Mayan towns on the edge of the lake. Great light and nice people made it our favorite spot.

Taken in Antigua on the way to the lago.

When I asked this sweet lady if I could take her picture she took off her apron, laid it on the step and took a poised seat. Smiling her toothless grin, she talked our ears off while I shot away. I still have no idea what she was saying, but she was fabulous.

My time in Honduras and Guatemala was way too short- just a taste of two delicious countries. I hope to return and spend more time exploring. For now I suppose I'm satisfied...

Stuck in LA

2010-06-28T13:06:00.001-07:00

On my way to Guatemala last month a volcano erupted, leaving me stranded in Los Angeles. But as with all good accidents, I got some good shots out of it. Just another sunny day at Venice Beach soaking up the skateboard culture:

Sailing Update

2010-05-27T10:48:00.000-07:00

Boat life has been an adventure. Last week was our first Duck Dodge. Duck Dodge is a sailing race around Lake Union that happens every Tuesday evening in the summer. Out came the sun as did a lot of boats. Ty was on the jib sheet and I was the photographer. We sailed around the lake, barely missing other boats, watching collisions and having fun. After the race we 'rafted up' in the middle of the lake. It was a party like I'd never experienced floating out there in the dark. Here are my favorite pics.

Lucille

2010-05-11T13:43:00.000-07:00

While home for a visit I took my nanny's portrait. Grandma Lucille Stone turned 91 in March and is the sweetest southern belle in Spokane. Although she has dementia and is often confused, she always knows who I am. I think you can see her dementia in this series of photos - one minute she's right there with you and the next she's not. You can also see her kindness.

Her loyal cat Sheba.

Sailboat Adventure Begins

2010-04-22T14:32:00.000-07:00

For the next 3 months my boyfriend Ty and I will be renting a live-abord sailboat. It's our chance to find out if we're 'boat people'. So far we've spent 2 nights on the 30 ft boat, both completely different from each other. The first was stormy. The wind howled, things creaked, groaned, flapped, swayed and the rain pounded louder than I've ever heard. I felt like I was camping- not wanting to get out of the 'tent' to head down the dock to the washroom. It was a rocky night, not full of sleep, but full of adventure. The next night the water was glassy and the only sound was the snoring dog. We got to go out sailing on Lake Union with the captain and crew that evening. We circled the lake enjoying the weather and being on the water. So aside from some mold problems reeking havoc on my allergies, it's been smooth sailing. I'm going to try to document it as we go along so stay tuned.

The curious boat dog

Ty and the boat

Captain Jenny

It's not sailing without beer!

Check out my new stamp logo!

2010-03-26T18:15:00.000-07:00

I'm really excited about my new logo. Old travel stamps were my inspiration so I had a custom stamp made. Check out this stop motion video of it in action!

Spring Fun

2010-03-09T17:55:00.000-08:00

A street lined with cherry blossoms inspired me to get out and shoot. So I grabbed my friend Dylan and dressed him up. A newsy clicking his heels was the story and we took it from there. He was great at the 'right ol' chap!' expressions, which were classic.

If anyone out there wants to be a model and have fun with the camera let me know!

Have A Heart for Kids Day 2010

2010-02-22T17:52:00.000-08:00

Every year The Children's Alliance has a march to the capitol steps where they rally for kids. This year they joined forces with other groups to send the message that revenue is critical for Washington State. Thousands of people gathered on the steps. Bob Marley blasted from the speakers pumping everyone up to speak out to their legislators. An impact was surely made. Check out the good work the Alliance does: www.childrensalliance.org.

Ballard Slide Show

2010-02-13T12:51:00.001-08:00

A Walk Down Ballard Ave from Tegra Nuess on Vimeo.

I've been wanting to experiment with sound and photographs for a while. So I gave myself an assignment and took a walk up Ballard Ave documenting what I saw. Just using my iPhone to record sound, I started to hear in a different way. The hums and beeps separated from each other and I could really hear what was happening around me. It was a fun project and hopefully resulted in a nice little snapshot of one of the best streets in Seattle.

Snowshoe Fun

2010-02-08T12:30:00.001-08:00

Some friends and I went snowshoeing yesterday. Despite the lack of snow this year, we found some deep, soft, wet snow to play around in. I want to thank them for being models and jumping off tree stumps at my request. Here are my favs:

Night Time Collaboration

2010-02-01T16:34:00.000-08:00

What's better than getting together with fellow photogs and playing around in the dark with some lights and some cameras? Last week my friends Dylan and Milana and I did just that. With three flashes, a tripod and a camera we managed to come up with some fun shots.

Snowshoeing

2009-12-15T15:44:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I discovered a beautiful snowshoeing hike. Just across from Stevens Pass Ski Resort a cat track leads up to a cell tower. That wasn't the beautiful part. From the tower we followed fellow snowshoer tracks up to a frozen lake and from there continued up to a rocky peak. I could see the jutting rocks topped with snow from below, but it wasn't until we got up there that the grander of the view was revealed. Below us lay the ski slopes and highway, and all around us a sea of peaks making up the Cascade Mountain Range. Blue sky and fast moving clouds made for a dramatic backdrop as we couldn't believe our eyes.

The drive back to the city wasn't boring either. The swimming hole near Gold Bar, Washington was iced over. Light snowflakes started to fall as we were chilled by just the sight of the river flowing under huge icicles. The rope swing hung with a seat of ice on the surface, making it hard to imagine this place in summer. It did feel like a winter playground however.

Cityscape

2009-12-11T10:28:00.000-08:00

A little while ago I was asked to photograph the Seattle skyline at night. But I had to wait for the clouds to clear. They finally did as the temperature dropped to 20 degrees! There are a lot of good views of Seattle and I wasn't sure which one was best. So the other day I grabbed my hat and gloves and took the first shot from Gas Works Park looking South at downtown. I love the reflection in Lake Union, but it didn't wow me.

So the next night I ran out to West Seattle at dusk. As luck would have it it was a beautiful, clear (cold!) day. As the sun retreated over the horizon the light reflected back in the skyscraper glass and lit up the city.

Maybe I'll start a collection of views...

Country Fun

2009-10-28T12:45:00.000-07:00

I recently made a trip over the mountains to Wenatchee, one of my favorite places in Washington. The desert landscape, big skies and wineries make it a very beautiful place. This first shot was taken on a hike right in the town. I love the rolling hills covered in shrubs and grasses leading to the lone tree at the top. On the way down we got caught in a downpour that sent us sliding down the hill in the mud.

The other highlight of the trip was going to a local winery's tomato festival. Beautiful heirloom varieties, delicious food, good wine and live music made for a very fun evening.

The White Heron Cellars Winery looks out over fields of vines with the Columbia River Gorge as the backdrop. Just as the sun was low in the sky, I captured this shot that to me really represented the feel of place. The country in the old truck, the majestic beauty in the landscape and the wine in the cup!

Following People Around

2009-10-23T17:06:00.000-07:00

My friend Andrea realized that she didn't have any photos of herself or her and her husband that she really liked. So she and Bryan took the train up from Portland and I followed them around for an afternoon taking pictures of them. I took the standard cute poses, but the fun ones were of them walking down the street, drinking coffee or admiring koi fish. The Sculpture Park made for a great background, especially since Bryan is a landscape architect. I really enjoyed just having a bit of a tour around town with them- my camera attached to my eye.

Carmel by the Sea

2009-09-22T13:44:00.000-07:00

Where better to go in September than central California. I got to go to Carmel for my good friends' wedding. It was so nice to walk on the beach and breath in the salty air. The day of the wedding huge swells crashed on the beach and a heavy fog rolled in. The waves even came about a foot from the ceremony, which made it even more exciting. It was beautiful and I secretly thanked the photo gods for the fog. Here are some of my favorites:

Running from the waves!

The other highlight of the trip was visiting the Monterey Bay Aquarium. So fun!

Orcas Ferry

2009-08-20T14:45:00.000-07:00

On a recent trip to Orcas Island in the San Juans, I photographed the ferry's journey through the fog. It was late morning and the fog was slow to move from the islands. The ferry was late and since I couldn't see it anywhere I was worried I wouldn't make it to Orcas in time. But then it emerged from the fog like a ghost.
It's approach was slow unlike the rush of bikers, walkers and drivers to get off.
Once we were reloaded and got out in the sound, it became very eerie as the ship entered the fog. Nothing could be seen through the white blanket.

My favorite shot is of this ferry worker peering through the fog just as lost as the passengers.

Sara & Will's Big Day

2009-08-13T16:25:00.000-07:00

On Friday July 24th, 2009 Sarah and Will tied the knot and I got to be there to document it. 11 hours and 2,000 photos later, I was very pleased with the results. Everyone was all smiles and made my job easy. And now I can say I've shot a wedding at the Edgewater Hotel! Here are my favorites:

My favorite one of all!:

And this one is more from an artists perspective- I just love everything that is going on here!

Hood River

2009-07-23T15:09:00.000-07:00

My last stop on my summer train of travels was Hood River, Oregon. I wanted to spend my birthday weekend outside adventuring and couldn't think of a better place than the Hood. Camping, kite sailing, hiking, kayaking, swimming, wine tasting and more went down. I think the overall theme for the weekend other than fun was the WIND.

On location in Wallace, Idaho

2009-07-07T16:07:00.000-07:00

I was recently hired to photograph the lovely little town of Wallace, Idaho. The timing was perfect as I was already in Spokane, so on a beautiful sunny day I drove over and spent the day documenting the 'vibe' of Wallace. I couldn't of asked for a better day. The weather was perfect, the locals were extremely friendly and the place was hoppin' (for a small town at least). It was really fun to talk to everyone and discover the cutest stores and best restaurants. It was tough sampling the local huckleberry pancakes and a Wallace brew, but I endured. Here are my favorites:

The locals ride these around town.

The smokehouse owner and his famous ribs.

The Red Light Garage is a popular place.

Can't forget the Oasis Bordello Museum that shows Wallace's mining and brothel history.

A woman and her pouch just after biking the Hiawatha Trail.

And the pancakes at Brooks Hotel, mmm.

Sarah and Will

2009-06-24T15:20:00.000-07:00

I recently shot engagement photos of Sarah and Will. They are lovely people and I can't wait to shoot their wedding! I just wanted to share some of favorite shots from our day. We first took a few with their dog Mia before heading to the beautiful Kubota Gardens.

I love this shot. I can't wait to shoot Sarah here in her wedding dress!

Then we headed to West Seattle for some city beach shots. So cute.

Wenatchee Wonders

2009-06-18T09:44:00.000-07:00

For me a weekend in Wenatchee usually means I'll be getting back to my Eastern Washington roots. This time I definitely went exploring. Blaring the country music, my friends and I piled in the truck and drove up some mountains. We ended at Sugarloaf lookout- an incredible 360 degree view surrounded by burnt trees.

While we were there a ranger was one the phone with firefighters preparing to distinguish a fire caused by lightning. It was an eerie place full of majestic beauty.

Next we hiked to a small alpine lake and went fishin'. Nick caught 3 cutthroats in 10 minutes (once he got the right fly on)! The water was a beautiful green and the fish a bright red.

Naturally, the next thing to do in the country is shoot guns. A 12 gage in hand, we aimed at clay pigeons hurling over the view of the Wenatchee valley. Shells flew, people hollered and pigeons exploded.

So after a weekend of being hicks, we headed back to the city. But not before seeing this:

The Big Apple

2009-06-05T12:45:00.000-07:00

... The big city was fabulous as always. I was there for my friend Lizzie's wedding. It was fun to shoot a wedding within the bustle of the city crossing town in a limo and hurrying through Central Park. It was a beautiful day and she looked amazing!

When I wasn't partaking in the festivities I enjoyed walking the city with my camera...

(amazing Cuban restaurant in SoHo)

... And bouldering in Central Park with my friend Joel...

The city with it's lights, late nights, art and people are always inspiring and I can't wait to go back!

Squamish, BC

2009-06-03T15:55:00.000-07:00

What's better than stressing about the economy? Traveling of course! I've gotten to take two little trips lately that were both wonderful. They couldn't have been more different. First I spent three days climbing in beautiful Canada before flying out to New York City for a week. It was my first time to Squamish and it was very nice of Phil to show me around and take me climbing. Here is 'The Chief', one of the largest granite rocks in Canada (surrounded by kite boarders taking advantage of a town named 'mother of wind') :

We hiked to top of him for an incredible view of the area:

Then naturally, we climbed him. All 700 meters of him. In 15 pitches. It was amazing. I learned how to slab climb, multi-pitch, wrap down and much more. I now want a t-shirt saying, 'I heart slab'. My last climb of the trip I anchored myself at the top so I could photograph Phil climbing it.

The weather was perfect and I highly enjoyed relaxing and pushing my body while soaking up the wilderness. Then I jumped on a plane to soak up the concrete jungle...

Cheese Festival!

2009-05-17T19:17:00.001-07:00

If there was ever a festival for me it would be a cheese festival. So when I heard of the very thing happening at Pike Place Market this weekend, I was very excited. I was in heaven as I sampled as many of the 200 kinds of cheeses that I could. There were soft, stinky cheeses as well as hard, salty ones. And I think for the first time in my life I was 'cheesed-out'. And at that moment, there was the wine garden beckoning me inside. I tasted delicious wines from around the world and soaked in a rare sunny day in Seattle. A perfect Sunday if you ask me.

Tulips

2009-05-05T16:49:00.000-07:00

So last year on one of those sunny free weekdays I got in the car by myself and drove up north to Skagit Valley to see the tulips. I was too late. Fields of cut or dead tulips just didn't have much magic to them. So when my friend Sahar asked if I wanted to go up this year, I was over it. I'm glad I went however, because this time I had a great model to add to the beauty of the tulips. And it is an amazing sight- it's like the landscape has been swathed with rich red and pink paints creating a sea of shocking color. The school bus is my favorite. Sahar thinks it was put there just to make photographers flock to it. :)

First Fashion Shoot

2009-04-21T13:36:00.000-07:00

When a friend called this week looking for photos of her clothing designs and needed them asap, I was excited to help out. We packed the truck with outfits and accessories and headed to Georgetown for our first location. The old brick buildings and train tracks made for some great backdrops. The next location was unknown, but we knew we wanted a sleek, modern look so we headed downtown. At the random corner of 3rd and Spring we found it- a dark marble wall with stark birch trees. After causing some heads to turn, we headed to our last location- Discovery Park. The light was perfect and I'm very happy with the results. Who knew editorial fashion could be so much fun?!

Bored photographers

2009-04-15T13:27:00.000-07:00

So what do three young photographers do on a lazy Friday afternoon when the economy is slow and we all have the day off? Take silly portraits of each other of course! Mars, Dylan and I set up three flashes in Dylan's dining room and went to town with props and crazy hair. It definitely got the creative juices flowing... as well as our real passion for modeling. Check out my favs:

Have a Heart for Kids Day

2009-04-04T16:54:00.000-07:00

I'm late in posting this, but better late than never. Every year I get to photograph the Children's Alliance's Have A Heart For Kids Day. It's a march on the capital and a rally for kids. This year was especially wonderful because it didn't rain on us! It was a beautiful, cold and sunny day. More than 300 hundred people came out to rally and to deliver the message to lawmakers that kids are counting on them. It's a great opportunity to get cute kid shots and the event really makes a difference here in Washington. Check out my favorite pix and the good work that the Children's Alliance does. www.childrensalliance.org

Put on your hard hat

2009-04-01T13:27:00.000-07:00

So I dont' think I can claim 'still adjusting after Thailand' anymore. It's time to move on. Things have definitely been slow since my return, as I'm sure we're all experiencing. So I encourage you to push me to shoot and get creative.

Recently I went to shoot my friend Nick's job site. I love job sites. The smell of sawdust and the sound of drilling and pounding remind me of my childhood spent on my dad's sites. Nick is managing the entire construction of a beautiful home on Lake Washington. It has everything: heated floors, a pool, infinity hot tub and much more. The house is in the middle stage and the insulation was being installed the day I went. Here are my favorite shots:

Stay tuned for shots of the finished house in Sept. And if anyone you know needs an incredible project manager Nick is your man!

Last Night in Bangkok

2009-02-12T06:51:00.000-08:00

Sounds like the title of a bad movie. Yes, I’m in the big city now. It was really, really hard to leave Ton Sai. My second to last day was a beach day. All I wanted to do was play volleyball so I headed to Rai Lei beach. The net was down however and no one was playing. I wasn’t about to spend a nights lodging on a ball so I just swam and worked on my tan. It was low tide when I walked back and I saw an older woman beating at the exposed rock. She showed me she was breaking the mussel shells to get at the flesh.

Crabs make these beautiful spirals all over the beach:When I got back to Ton Sai I went for a massage. Dha was recommended and she was incredible! It was the best massage of my trip and not only felt like a massage but also a yoga class and a trip to the chiropractor. She could tell I was sore from climbing and she hit spots I had no idea were sore. I only wish I’d known about her earlier. That night I had a cheap dinner at the chicken lady. There are two street food stands that they call the chicken ladies. Apparently they make the best chicken, but I love the som tom- papaya salad.

My last day was amazing. In the morning I met Canadian Phil, American Scott and Agnes from Cypress to go climbing. We took a boat over to Eagle rock for some great climbs. I did four routes. The last one was a challenge, but everyone gave me words of encouragement and I eventually made it up. It was great to end with my best day of climbing.
Time flew by and we had to get back to the beach for a yoga class. It was low tide so we just walked. It was also full moon and I’d never seen the tide so low. The one channel the boats usually use to get to shore in was dried up.

We made it in time for the acrobatic yoga class taught by a couple Americans. I’d never heard of it before. Two people pair up and do a combination of therapeutic stretching and acrobatic moves. It was awesome! One of the instructors “flew” me (check out photo) and it was incredible. I can’t wait to check it out back in Seattle.

So after stretching on the beach at sunset, we showered up for dinner. I wanted a certain dish for my last meal- panang curry fish. Yum. And a mango shake. Dinner conversation was of course about climbing routes around the world. Agnes and I lamented the fact that the group hadn’t formed earlier. After dinner Ton Sai threw me a party. That and it was full moon ;). We headed to Sawadee bar. The slack line was hopping and everyone was out. Tha from the bar spun fire sticks on the slack line and blew everyone away. The water was blue from the bright, bright moon. It was a great night. The next morning I got on the long tail boat one last time. I haven't wanted to leave a lot of my destinations, but this time was particularly hard. I will definitely return to Ton Sai.

The trip to Bangkok was made easy because two Canadians were on my flight. We shared taxis and I landed right on Khao San Road- the famous backpacker street. Bangkok is huge and noisy, but I like it.

So great:Famous Khao San Road:
The next day I had the privilege of being shown around town by a local. The sister of my friend Yok from high school was very kind to meet me for the day. We met at the Royal Palace and Wat Phra Kaew. Lha looks just like Yok and has a beautiful smile. The palace is huge and very impressive. We saw the emerald Buddha and the many golden stupas. The weapons museum was amazing.

After wondering the grounds for a few hours we took a taxi to her family’s house and restaurant. It was great to meet Yok’s family and they fed me delicious shrimp fried rice and soup. Yok called from Vermont to make sure we’d met up.
After lunch Lha and I went to Wat Po with the huge gold reclining Buddha. It was very impressive. I asked to go to a market and we certainly did. It was never-ending and packed with people. Fabrics, beads, clothes, food etc lined the small alleyway. It was fun. View of market from above:
We also hit up the mall before heading back to her house. They fed me peanuts and water and I got to meet Yok’s adorable 7 year-old sister. Lha walked me to the bus through the flower market and didn’t leave until I was on the right bus. They were all so sweet and it was really nice to have their hospitality in this big city. Thanks Yok!
This evening I did some more shopping, got some street food and will shortly head for a massage. I can’t believe I get back on a plane tomorrow. Back to reality. Thanks for tagging along.

Monkey Attack!

2009-02-08T20:20:00.000-08:00

So one day of diving was not enough. The next day I went again because we went off of Ko Phi Phi where the visibility is even better. This time we had a big boat with more people. The trip out took about 1.5 hours and the ride was beautiful as we passed the different islands. This time I wasn’t nervous and couldn’t wait to get in the water.
There were four of us this time led again by Marie. We descended 18m and saw beautiful corral and fish. We saw a huge manta shrimp, a big lobster, lots of Nemos (so cute with dad, mom and baby to each anemone), trigger fish, lion fish, a sting ray, sea cucumbers, nudibranchs and much more. Nudibranch: We didn’t see any turtles or sharks unfortunately. We went through a swim through, which was really cool and followed the corral gardens around and around. The visibility was around 15m. After an hour we resurfaced for lunch. The next dive wasn’t around an island, but just a rock that’s only visible in low tide: It was a sandier dive with less corral, but more chances of seeing a shark. We circled around the rock checking out eels and worms. I was finding this dive a little less exciting than the others… until we found the shark! Towards the end of the dive we came upon a leopard shark lying in the sand. He was pretty big and had his little symbiotic fish friend on his left fin. He just sat there as we took turns getting within a meter or so and taking a photo. I didn’t want to leave him, but we had to hurry since our air was getting low. The boat ride back was perfect as we sat on the bow in the sun eating pineapple.

Some people rightly call this place fat camp. The trails are steep and most spend their days diving and climbing. My bungalow is way up the hill and is often exhausting at the end of the day, but it’s good for me. That evening after diving I hiked up the hill feeling tired and happy. But when I got to my bungalow it had obviously been raided. The mosquito net was down, my tripod was tipped over and stuff was everywhere. The only logical answer was monkeys. Damn monkeys! They trashed my place looking for food or perhaps just for fun. There was no food for them to find and after looking around I don’t think they took anything. I’d heard about them chewing passports and spitting them out or stealing cell phones so I guess I got lucky. But sand was in my bed and bigger holes had been ripped in the mosquito net. All apart of the Ton Sai experience I guess.

That night was Akem’s last night so we all headed to Sawadee Bar. He requested Sublime and the usual slack-lining and drinking followed. The crew from the dive showed up and it was a great time. I got the impulse to share the tricks I’d learned in the Akha village so I borrowed a pool cue. It was really fun teaching everyone the tricks and people added to them as well. I have no idea how late I was up, but I didn’t leave until the electricity went out at the bar.
The next day ended up being a beach day. I followed a group heading to Phra Nang beach. It’s at the tip of the peninsula past Rai Lei. It has beautiful white sand and a huge rock protruding from the sea just off shore.
It also has lots of tourists- resort tourists. It’s odd to see fancy resorts in Rai Lei, just around the corner from Ton Sai. I much prefer the atmosphere at Ton Sai with no resorts or people trying to sell you things. The swimming was nice and I ordered some phad thai from a long tail boat.
I felt like I was burning in the sun so I headed back to read my book in the quiet shade. That night I met up with Marie and ended up eating dinner with a bunch of Frenchies. Well, two French and two Swiss. It was wonderful to speak French. After good food and then a game of Shithead (cards) at the Experience Bar (Jimmy Hendricks inspired) with my diving buddy, I headed for bed.

The following two days I did get to climb. The first time with Michel my neighbor from Montreal. In the afternoon we headed to Cobra wall. You can only dryly walk there during low tide and the start of the climbs are up on a narrow shelf. Seeing as falling would be painful, I didn’t lead climb, but ascended three 6a’s. I didn’t feel super strong and now see why people say climbing in Thailand is harder than other places. The next day I couldn’t find anyone to partner with. So I did some yoga on the beach. The beach is the perfect place for yoga with the waves rolling in and the breeze keeping you cool. Afterwards I wondered back to the wall to see if I could find someone. The Frenchies were going to rest, but introduced me to Sebastian from Finland. We headed to The Nest. The first climb was good, but I couldn’t’ get the second one. Maybe it’s the heat that makes me weak ;).

My plan was to venture out from this place and see more of Southern Thailand. Now that it’s Monday and I have to fly to Bangkok on Weds, I don’t’ think that’s going to happen. Every time I thought about leaving I couldn’t think of a reason why I would. Besides everyone tells me this is the best place anyway. I will miss it. Even the monkeys.

Where the f* am I?

2009-02-04T03:44:00.000-08:00

That's what I had to ask myself when I arrived in Ton Sai. Because it's paradise! I flew from Udon Thani to Bangkok and then to Krabi on Sunday. From Krabi I took a long tail boat to Ton Sai beach.

As the boat approached the beach only accessible by boat or a steep hike, I was speechless. It goes from a perfect little beach to jungle to mountains. Huge limestone cliffs jut up all around.

Ton Sai: This little town is packed with climbers. You can sit in a restaurant on the beach and watch people climb. Reggae music is playing everywhere and chill bars line the beach. I followed my hand-written map that Ashley made me up the hill to Jungle Hut guesthouse. The only bungalows available were way up the steep hill. As I lugged my huge bag up a group of folks sitting on their porch made me promise to come by when I was checked in. Turned out to be 4 Americans and one Canadian. I was shocked to see so many Americans. They were a rowdy bunch who river guide back home. So instead of checking out the town or going swimming that first night, I sat on the porch socializing. At Sawadee Bar later I met Akem from Germany who mentioned he and friends were climbing a certain route for some good photos ops the next day. I asked if I could tag along and take pics and we said we'd meet at noon. The bar played great music, people were attempting the slack line, a guy through fire on the beach, the waves rolled in and breeze was steady. That's when I had to ask myself where the f* I was.

My first night in my bungalow I slept really well because I was so tired. I woke to this:

I also woke up to a huge spider bite, a swollen eye lid and holes in my underwear undoubtedly chewed by a rat. But I slept through it all. I'd been warned about the monkeys breaking in, making a mess and stealing things, but not the rats. I headed for breakfast down by the beach and got to see some monkeys. They were the nice non-stealing kind and were jumping around eating in the trees above me. So cute! There are also many adorable kittens here- monkeys, kittens and climbers, what else could I ask for?
I checked out the climbing on the beach and spent an hour just laying in the sand and going for a swim. I met Akem for lunch and went with him and a Bulgarian couple to take photos of them climbing. Someone was already on the route so we did some other climbs first. They were really nice and did some easy stuff so I could partake. I climbed Groove Tube, which was awesome! You climb up a rounded half-tube in the rock and then look down at the incredible view. I got to do another great climb there before we headed for the cave. The cave has a 7a+ (=hard) route along the top of it that makes for great silhouettes. I was very excited to be shooting and watching these great climbers. Then they said I had to try it. So I did it:
Ha I wish! That's as far as I got. But it did make for a great pic and at least I got a hand on it. I also had a fun swing when I fell off. We headed for a sunset beer and later got some great BBQ fish for dinner.

The next day Akem was extremely nice and took me climbing. He taught me how to lead climb so that I can lead my own routes instead of having to have someone else put the rope up for me. That means you clip into bolts along the way. It's a bit scarier because if you fall above the last bolt you'll fall at least that far. Akem was a great teacher and I started on really easy routes. We hiked over the mountain to the other side to a wall called Diamond Cave. It was packed with climbing school folks, but we found a spot. I led three routes no problem. It was scary at parts when you think you just can't fall, but it felt amazing to finish successfully. The fourth route was a bit harder and I only got half way up. I know I could have done the move, but I was too afraid of falling at that spot. I can't wait to go again! Today I went scuba diving. It's half moon and the conditions are great. So I just did a local dive. It'd been three years since I dove in Oz so I needed a refresher. Maria my Swiss dive master was awesome! She made me feel very assured and calm. We took a long boat out to a small rock island and after going over everything jumped in. She made me do some skills just 2 meters deep and I was able to remember how to clear my mask and regulator. We dove for about a hour only going 12 meters deep. We saw lots of beautiful fish and coral. We saw a lion fish, shrimp fish and large barracuda. It was great! I felt very comfortable back in the water. After lunch on the boat we did a second dive at another little island. This time was even better. We swam through schools and schools of fish. They were all around me moving different directions. It was incredible to look up and watch them move like one big fish. We saw two Morea eels. I spotted the second one and he was huge! We saw beautiful nudibranchs as well. I think I'm hooked. I might go again tomorrow to Phi Phi island where it's even better visibility and you see reef sharks and more fish. Wish I had pics to show.

This place really is paradise. There's hiking, climbing, diving, swimming and relaxing. Everyone I meet has been coming back for years and I can see why.

Le Capital

2009-01-30T17:58:00.000-08:00

Bonjour. I'm in Vientiane- the capital of Laos. I took the cheapest mode of transportation from Vang Vieng- a pickup. A covered pickup with two benches on the side. It was crammed with locals and bags of rice and stopped frequently. But it was only 3.5 hours and was actually nice because of the steady breeze.

Vientiane is an interesting capital. It's very small and quiet. The French colonization is evident with the large governmental buildings and the signs in French. French restaurants line the streets. All of this means that Tegra loves it. Reading and speaking French feeds my soul. I met a French guy and he insisted that my French is perfect. I know this isn't so, but it feels so good that I haven't lost it completely.

The plan once here was to meet up with Carter- the guy I flew over with after meeting in the Seattle airport. He's heading into Laos as I'm heading out and we decided to meet up. Just as I was about to go find his hostel I ran into him on the street. We later ran into Owain and the three of us got a beer in a British pub. This really is a small town.

The next day Carter and I ventured out to see the city. We saw quite a bit of it on foot as we searched for the Thai embassy for Carter to get a visa. We passed the Arch- a large monument with a funny story. Apparently in the 60's the US gave Laos cement to build a new airport. They took that cement and built a monument modeled after the Arch de Triomphe in Paris. Some call it the vertical runway, I call it the f*ck you monument. Genius.
Anyway, once we reached the Thai embassy they told us to go to the Thai consulate a good distance away (typical French bureaucracy ;). We gave up because by this point we were starving. Finding food was not easy. You'd think that this huge tourist attraction (the Arch) and the "Champs d'Elysee of Southeast Asia" would be crawling with food stands and restaurants. There was nothing in sight. Once on a side street all we could find were expensive hotel restaurants or little Lao places with no menu. I understood that they pretty much just served traditional noodle soup, but there was no way to communicate that I didn't want meat in my soup. So we kept walking. After what must have almost been an hour we found a place with an English menu. After eating we headed to the large market- Talat Sao. It turned out to be a huge indoor, three story market mostly selling appliances, electronics, jewelry and trinkets.
Most of the shoppers where Lao and the place was bustling. We did find some really stuff including a old wood and stone compass. Not sure if it works, but it's beautiful. We bargained for two- which I've found works well. After seeing the same jewelry in every case, we'd had enough. Outside the market I saw this sign that reads, "Good people don't ruin their country and have manners not to litter thoughtlessly". So at least not everyone is okay with trash EVERYWHERE.
At this point we needed a refreshment. We wondered toward the Mekong River and found a little place with fruit shakes. It was the best pineapple fruit shake I've had yet. We watched some old men play boules (bocci ball) for hours while we read our books. Then we wandered some more. Around sunset we walked along the river and watched the locals play their version of volleyball. I'm not sure of the name of it, but they use a light bamboo ball and kick it or headbutt it over the net. It looks very difficult. A fair amount of people came down to sit and watch the sunset. Some girls blowing bubbles on the river bank:

The water level was really low and barely flowing, but a couple men were still out fishing with their nets. We found a bar right on the water (well, where there's water in wet season) and had a beerlao. (He's tall but also standing higher up than me!)

For dinner I considered splurging for French food. The menus looked delicious, but pricey. I tried to think about it in dollars, which meant $7 or 8 for a meal, but couldn't. I just couldn't pay 3 times as much as I would for Lao or Thai food. It was hard to walk away, but I told myself that there's good French food in Seattle. We tried the Vietnamese place that I'd eaten at the day before because it was so delicious, but it was closed. So we decided on pizza. It was still a splurge, costing a lot more than rice and veggies, but it was so good! And I got red wine! Such a luxury ;). We ran into Owain again at the restaurant and the three of us went in search of a bar. It wasn't easy. Everything closes at 11pm. We finally found "Martini" with outrageous prices, but good music. It's somewhat annoying that everything closes so early, but I'm also proud of Laos for not compromising their culture for tourists.

Today I cross back into Thailand. It will be hard to switch currencies and languages again. I'd just gotten used to kip. But tomorrow I'll fly South to Krabi to explore the beaches and "climber heaven". See you there!

Rocks, Lao Lao and BBQ Fish

2009-01-27T21:53:00.001-08:00

So I did go climbing, eventually. The plan was to meet Ashley’s two Kiwi climbing friends in the morning. Of course the day before they’d gone tubbing so waking up was a challenge. Luckily they eventually made it and after getting food, renting a harness and dilly dallying, we headed to the rock. Finding it was another story. We walked across the river to the other side of town and realized we’d been on the wrong side of the river. This side was quiet and beautiful with little bungalows where people were chilling out and swimming. Now I know where to stay next time.

We had hand written directions that said to follow the fence next to the bungalows, walk through town, through the rice patties, take a left and find the trail to the wall. Right. We followed the white flags through the rice patties, the mountain jutting up in front of us.

When we reached the brush the trail was guarded by a few Lao demanding money to pass. We explained that we were going climbing and not seeing the cave. They still wanted 5,000 kip each. We asked why and they didn’t understand. The climbing guide said nothing of a fee and we didn’t feel we had to pay. If it was their land I wanted to pay, but we had no way of knowing. They could just sit here and scam tourists all day. So we tried to just keep walking. They got angry and kept on us. So we paid half and walked away. One of the guys who’d been sitting and eating gets up with his knife and says something mean in Lao. The kids laughed loudly and we understood he was threatening us. We weren’t scared of him, but didn’t want to deal with it anymore since we couldn’t speak the language. 5,000 kip is less than a dollar, but it was the principle. We would have been happy to pay money that went to re-bolting the wall, but not to unofficial guards. The other thing is that you have to start thinking in the currency you’re in if you want to budget. I mean, I won’t haggle a poor old lady for .50 cents, but when 3 dollars is a nights lodging you can’t just throw dollars away. Anyway, we then tried to find the trail and could not. After going back and forth wondering which way it was we asked the girl working near the cave. She lead us back the way we came and went through a closed gate to the trail that we never would have found. She lead us all the way up the steep hill to the rock wall and asked for some money. We were happy to pay her and when we gave her what we had she was grateful and didn’t ask for more. Just goes to show you there are people of both sides everywhere.

The rock was awesome and the view of the valley below was beautiful! Huge stalactites hung down the wall above us and were incorporated in some of the routes. Joe had one rope so he lead the first pitch and we all took turns. The rock was smooth and there were plenty of holds. It was really fun climbing. We did two pitches and I made it to the top of both- my arms killing me. The view from the top was incredible! Sweaty, dirty and tired we headed back to town as the sun was setting.

The four of us met for dinner after hot showers. We went to one of the Friends bars- oh Vang Vieng is full of restaurants where they play TV shows all the time. You lay on cushions, order food and drink and watch Friends, Simpsons or Family Guy. Those are the three options pretty much. I can see that it would be nice when you’re hung over and don’t want to do anything, but why would anyone come to Laos to watch American TV? Plenty of backpackers party at night and then sit and watch TV all day. Personally I prefer climbing, tubbing, biking and caving. Anyway, the only BBQ place we saw was playing Friends so we faced away from the TV and ignored it. We ordered a whole BBQ fish from the grill, some curry and phad thai. The fish came first with some sticky rice and we just attacked it eating with our fingers and sucking the flesh from the bone. It was delicious! We also ordered coconut shakes and mixed in our Lao Lao whisky that we’d bought in the whisky village. And right as we were about to eat the power went off. Friends was stopped and candles were brought out to the tables. It was perfect!

After dinner we decided we’d actually go out one night and check out of the many bars. We had to finish our whisky anyway. We ran into Owain and Ashley and the six of us headed to Smile Bar across the bamboo bridge. A DJ played loud music while people danced around fire pits. We did the limbo and secretly mixed our Lao Lao with soda. I ran into Kelly who I’d met in Chiang Mai and another guy from Portland, OR. It was fun, but I was glad when the place closed at midnight (I’m getting old). The street back to our place was lined with carts selling sandwiches and pancakes and the westerners slowly dispersed with their food.

Today I’m taking a chill day to read and do email. I also have to book my flights south. Tomorrow I’m heading to the capital- Vientiane and then down to the Thai beaches. Ciao ciao!

I'm a millionaire!!! (1 million kip):

More pics from Slow Boat

2009-01-26T06:20:00.000-08:00

Cards on boat

Kids on shore

Boarding

Kids boarding with soda and snacks to sell

Front of boat group(90210 group)

Oh my Buddha

2009-01-26T05:06:00.000-08:00

Hi all. Well, first off I’ve extended my trip one week. I would have had to really rush through Laos and there was no way I was ready to leave by the 6th. So I’m now flying back on the 13th. It still doesn’t feel like enough time, but I’m glad I was able to do it.

So the bowling alley was interesting. Luang Prabang is peaceful because they close the bars at 11:30pm. The bowling alley is out of town so they cart all the foreigners out there. It was an interesting scene. Luckily, we ran into the Opera singer from NYC who took us to a disco tech. It’s where the Lao people go. It was great…except it closed after three songs. So we had to go back to the bowling alley. We actually got to bowl and it was a good time. I just found it so funny that no matter where westerners go we need to party, and the locals found a solution to keep us from waking everyone up.

Ashley and I got about 3 hours of sleep that night because we caught an early bus to Phonsavan to see the Plain of Jars. The bus was 8 hours of windy roads, but it was beautiful! We drove along ridge tops winding through little villages perched on the mountains. There were mountains as far as you could see. I think the road was new and I can't imagine doing that drive on dirt roads.
Once in Phonsavan we were bombarded by people selling their guesthouses. One really nice guy drove us into town and showed us a couple places to choose from. Since we split the room and this town was cheaper, we got a really nice place with a hot shower (normally you’re lucky if it’s warm) and a TV. It was luxurious.

The next day we went on a group tour of the Plain of Jars. There are thousands of these 2,500 year old stone jars strew over the landscape. They were once carved for an unknown reason by unknown people. There are many theories such as they were used to make wine or spirits or they were coffins but no one really knows. They were very impressive and eerie.

This area of Laos was also riddled with bombs during the Vietnam war and you could see large craters everywhere (see above photo). We went to the three main sites of the jars, went to a small whisky village where we learned how they make Lao whisky, saw an old Russian tank that’s been striped of usable metal by the people, and got noodle soup in a little village where kids were playing soccer. It was a great day.

When we got back to town we went to the MAG gallery to watch a film on the bombing of Laos. MAG is a worldwide organization that deals with unexploded bombs. There are millions of unexploded bombies (small dispersed bombs air dropped by America) in Laos, killing farmers and children when they come upon them. During the Vietnam War America held an illegal secret war on Laos making it the most bombed country in the world. The damage is horrific and it’s the aftermath of that war that keeps Laos one of the poorest countries in the world. America has never taken responsibility for this. MAG is doing great work trying to rid villages of deadly bombies and needs as much help as they can get. Traveling as an American can make one feel very guilty.

That night we caught the night bus to Vang Vieng where we arrived at 1am. Luckily a tuk tuk took us to town and found a us a room. Vang Vieng is a huge backpacker destination so the first couple places were full. This is a crazy place. It’s full of backpackers because there’s a lot of adventuring around such as climbing, kayaking, caving and tubbing. It’s therefore of course a big party town. We ran into Owain (Wales) and Ashley (Ile of White) and did what everyone does- go tubbing down the river. We knew that there were bars along the river and it involves a lot more drinking than tubbing, but we had no idea. We got dropped off 3km up river where we had a drink before even getting wet. Then as we floated down we saw huge bars crammed with people, the techno music blaring. It was like "spring break". A rope was thrown out to us and we were pulled into the first bar. We ordered a gin and tonic… in a bucket and joined the party in the sun. There was a zip line into the river that we of course had to do. Ashley and I climbed up to the platform and went on the zip line together. At the end of the line was a spring that snapped you back sending you flipping into the water. We planned on letting go before the spring… the nice thing was you didn’t have to let go because the spring hit you so hard you were thrown off, but it also snaps your neck and you land in the water on your head. It was a blast, but my neck is feeling it today. We floated to the next bar where there was a water slide and a fire pit. The water slide was also fun until I hit the water and felt like I got punched in the face. So far I’m not sure their big on safely here ;). We had to get our tubes back by 6pm or else pay more so we hurried down. We’d only gone ¼ of the way and had a long, chilly float. We got our deposits back just in time. On the float we met Bjorn from Norway and he joined us for dinner. We all had big plans to hit one of the many bars, but after eating we were all ready for bed.

Today I tried to sleep in because my tummy felt a little funny. I’ve been lucky not to get sick so far and didn’t want that luck to end. Waking up to the view of big karst mountains over the river wasn’t so bad.

Bjorn, Owain, Ashley and I then met at noon to rent motorbikes and drive around (sorry parentals). We got two bikes (4 helmets) and set out to look for caves. The bikes were fun and I was relieved that Bjorn knew what how to drive a manual. Ashley and Owain:

We went 20 or 30 km and found a dirt road to the river. We had to pay to park, pay to cross the bamboo bridge and pay to enter the cave, but we went for it. We started down the trail into the dried rice patties and would have gone the wrong way if it weren’t for three little boys leading us. We weren’t sure where they were leading us, but followed anyway. We followed through rice fields under the rising peaks to what looked like a small cave. Right inside was a large Buddha.
Thinking that was it, I walked further in to the cave and got out my headlamp. Turns out it kept going. Our little guide was still in front of us so we followed for what seemed like forever. The cave was beautiful. The cavern was pretty big most of the time with a couple spots where you had to crawl through. There were beautiful sparkly stalagmites and stalagtites and rounded river rocks that show that in the wet season a river runs through. We must have gone at least a mile in when we heard water. We got to the river and waded as far as we could (it reminded me of Fern Gully). Our journey ended when we reached a deep pool and our guide stopped. So naturally we went swimming. A mile deep in a cave! It was incredible! The water was perfect and we were hot with sweat after the clammy walk. It was hard to tell how deep parts were and I scraped my toe on a sharp rock. I swam with my headlamp on to the next pool and it looked like the cave continued on. It would have been fun to keep going and see the end (or start). The swim was perfect and we all turned out our lamps for second and sat in total darkness. We definitely didn’t expect this much of an adventure and it was awesome.

We hiked out and wanted to give our little guide a tip. When we offered it to him he wanted more. He’d never told us it would cost anything and we never asked for the help. It’s frustrating to feel like he deserved a good tip, but to also feel cheated into something we didn’t ask for (a feeling I have a lot here). It worked out though and we headed back to the river for lunch. Then I learned to drive the motorbike. It was tricky to figure out the gears and the hardest part was stopping. The breaks were weak so down shifting was your better bet. I practiced on the dirt road for a bit and managed to only run into the bushes once. Bjorn was terrified to get on with me, but I did just fine. It was fun- even when I had to honk at the cows to get out of my way and maneuver through them. We biked for a little longer and then headed back for a beer. We laid on cushions at a deck restaurant by the river and watched the sunset. It was a great day. Tomorrow I’m going climbing! Cheers.

Slow Boat to Laos

2009-01-22T03:22:00.000-08:00

The border town of Huay Xui didn’t have much to offer. I did some well needed laudry, got some Indian food and read my book. It was fantastic. From there the next day I took a large slow boat down the Mekong to Luang Prabang stopping for a night since the ride takes 14 hours. Parentals: you’ll be proud to know that I did not take the speedboat down because deadly accidents happen quite often. The slow boat turned out to be fun anyway. A bunch of farangs piled into this long narrow wooden boat. I got there early to get a good seat and sat there for 3 hours. The boat was half full and we all thought we’d be on our way soon, when bus loads of people come walking on. Once the boat was packed and it was now noon, we took off.(more pics to come)
The ride was beautiful. We passed water buffalo on the banks and fishermen casting their nets. Kids waved from shore as we leisurely motored down. The group of us sitting in the front started to make friends. A guy from Miami got everyone to introduce themselves and eventually entertained us with his opera singing. Amazing stuff. This energetic laughable American was traveling with his grumpy cynical Italian friend and they made a hilarious pair. I met a photographer from Argentina, a girl from Hawaii, a guy from Wales and many more. The ride was long and my butt hurt after hours on the wood seat, but it was a great experience. Getting off the boat with my bag was another story. Once we arrived at our overnight stay in a tiny village called Pak Beng, it was a free for all to get your bag. I scrambled on and off to trying not to get pushed into the water from the precarious wood planks. Once off, I was bombarded by people selling their guesthouses. Ashley (from Hawaii) and I decided on a place and split a room. We were exhausted after the long boat ride and went to bed after dinner. Not that there would have been much to do- the whole town runs on a generator which turns off at midnight, leaving it pitch black.

In the morning we tried to get our same seats. The same group met at the front of the boat, but it was a different boat with more hard benches and less leg room. They squeezed two boat loads of people onto one boat for the second day. We managed to get a corner spot with a guy from Wales and another from the Ile of White. The four of us talked and played cards and watched the scenery go by. A group of Argentineans sang songs in the back and another group got drunk in the front. At one point the guy from Miami convinced Ashley and I to help him sing the American national anthem since other nationalities were singing theirs. I felt a little silly, but seeing as it was January 20th, I did have something to be proud of. Too bad there wasn’t a TV for miles to watch the inauguration. The boat was an amazing experience and Laos is a beautiful country!
We arrived in Luang Prabang in the evening and the four of us went in search for a guesthouse. Splitting a room makes things more affordable and we found a nice place along the river. Luang Prabang is a peaceful and beautiful city. It’s an old French colonial town with beautiful architecture and brightly painted shutters. It’s a bit touristy and resorty, but nice. The four of us had a great dinner with wine (!) -I’d been craving wine since you can’t find it Thailand. Then we walked through the market and tried to find a bar. The town is so quiet that there are only a couple bars and they close at midnight. We got a drink, but were happy to go to bed without loud music, crowing roosters or noisy traffic. It was a great night’s sleep.

Today Ashley and I had a cup of coffee and a croissant and then walked around. We climbed the Phousi Mt to a temple that overlooks the city. It was a beautiful view of the river and mountains beyond.
Then we got spicy papaya salad at a street stand and headed for a massage. Luang Prabang is known for good massages and I needed one after trekking and sitting on a boat for 14 hours. Tonight we’re hitting up the only (literally) late night place, which is a bowling alley. First I want a street vendor veggie buffet for dinner and a crepe for dessert. The best part about this town is the French food!!! Baguettes sandwiches, mmmm good. I’m enjoying this sleepy town and my new travel partner. Tomorrow we’re heading south. Sabadi.

Jungle Paradise

2009-01-21T03:52:00.000-08:00

As you might have guessed by my lack of posts, I’m having a brilliant time (picked brilliant up from the Brits). So prepare for a long read. Lets see, I left you in Chiang Mai. From there I took a bus north to Tha Ton. It was a public bus and took about 4 hours. The young Thai girl next to me fell asleep on my shoulder. I didn’t feel the need to wake her and all the other Thai people laughed and smiled. When we arrived the bus driver shook my hand wished me luck. Standing in the dusty parking lot reading my Lonely Planet (everyone calls it the Holy Bible) looking for a hostel, I met an older Australian couple doing the same thing. We wandered down the street together and I was relieved to see that Tha Ton is beautiful and quite small. After finding a couple rooms, the three of us did the only thing there is to do in Tha Ton. We climbed the hill to Wat Tha Ton. You start along the Mae Nam Kok River and can go to higher and higher levels of Chinese temples. The first was a man-made rock covered in Chinese Buddhas. You walk up steps through fake little caves and up to the Wat at the top. Further up the road is another fake rock area with more caves, fake stone tigers and a large white Buddha. A huge gold sitting Buddha is next up the road. The last one we went to was a large gold Buddha with 6 snake heads surrounding it. Jim and Judy (the Aussies) thought that the snakes were protectors of Buddha. The view from here was incredible. We could see the whole valley with the s-curves in the river and rice patties around it.

It was getting towards sunset and Judy was dying for a cup-a (cup of tea). We headed down to the first level where we found free food! The temple provides not only for the monks, but for anyone who comes. So we made a donation, grabbed some rice and veggies and sat on the deck over looking the town just as the sun went down. Turns out Jim and Judy have a WWOOF farm near Brisbane probably not far from where I wwoofed 3 years ago. We had a lovely time chatting about travels and politics.

The next day I met them again for breakfast and for another walk. We continued up the steep road to the next temple. This one was at the very top and is brand new. It’s large, ornate and shiny. From inside you walk in a spiral up to the top. Workers were still painting and putting shiny metal dragon scales on the ceiling. A blinding white terrace on top gave extraordinary views. It was awe-inspiring and will bring a lot of people to Tha Ton. It wasn’t the end though. Further down the road along the ridge was the last temple. It was older and had a large gold standing Buddha holding a bowl or cup. People attempted to throw coins up into the bowl, which reminded me of how we throw coins in a pond, except harder. From there we had to hurry down the mountain to catch our boat.

From Tha Ton I boarded a long tail boat down the river to Chiang Rai. I was sick of buses and although this was only for tourists, it seemed like a nice way to travel. They crammed 12 of us and our bags (and a bike) on the boat and we were perhaps too close to the water level, but we motored down.

Water splashed in a couple times and we had to get out once and walk because of some rapids. When we left shore again, the propeller hit a rock and broke. We all thought that was it, we’d be stuck there overnight or something, but after paddling back to shore the driver pulled a new one out and replaced it. It must happen a lot. On the boat I met a very nice couple from Denmark. Thor and Kristina were getting off half way and staying in a mountain village. A guy from Akha Village Hill House was going to pick them up and take them into the jungle. It sounded so nice I decided to follow them. I had paid for the whole boat ride, but this place would drive me to Chiang Rai for free in the next day or two. I figured if I went to Chiang Rai and paid for a trek, they would we bring me back to this area. So when they got off the boat at a lonely looking dock, I followed. When the guy wasn’t there to pick us up, I hoped I wasn’t going to be stranded in the middle of nowhere since only one boat goes down the river each day. But, he showed up shortly after and we headed into the jungle. It was good we had 4 wheel drive since the road was steep and rutted. We passed a green tea plantation and headed up a very steep hill to the Akha village. There at the Hill House were lovely mud houses, bungalows and an open restaurant perched over the hill. It was an incredibly beautiful spot and I was really glad I came. To find a place like this is rare. It was nearing the end of the day when the light is golden so I went for a little hike. I climbed the hill to the top of the village (no more than 20 houses) and saw a trail on the other ridge. I wandered through town again looking for a trail. A little boy motioned for me to follow him and pointed me to the trail. Not far down it I looked back for a great view of the village.

I came to the end of the trail and realized I’d missed the trail leading up to the ridge. I found it on my way back and followed it straight up the hillside. The view was incredible- I could see over the other side to the endless ridges and valleys. I quickly headed down before the sun could. Back at the restaurant I found everyone sitting around a fire. I ordered some food, grabbed a Leo beer and met the other folks. There was guy from Portland, OR, a Dutchman, some Germans, a Scot, a Norwegian, a couple Brits, an Australian family and my Danish friends. At one point Portland, an Aussie and a Thai boy were all playing guitar. Puppies ran in and out of the group and eventually fell asleep in people’s laps. A friendly cat fell asleep in mine ;). It was perfect. Later in the evening a couple of the Akha men came in for a sort of show. The first “game” was the challenge of bending down on one foot and picking up a beer can with your mouth. A 3 year boy demonstrated and made it look easy. None of the farangs could do it. I of course tried and couldn’t make it. The next trick involved a bamboo stick and flexibility. That one I was able to do. Harder and harder tricks ensued proving that these two Akha men were very, very strong. I of course tried everything. My favorite involved a stick about 6 inches long that you pushed against a board on the floor and twisted your body upside down and back around without touching the floor (if that made any sense). I came really close to doing it and somewhat impressed them I think. We all compared games of strength and flexibility and I loved it (big surprise to you all I’m sure)!

The next day I went on a trek with Thor and Kristina and a girl from New York who’s been teaching in Chiang Mai. Our guide was Ame, one of the stong Akha guys. He led us into the jungle and taught us about the plants. We saw jungle tea, jungle apples, jungle beans etc. We hiked over the mountains crossing streams on bamboo bridges.
Thailand has many kinds of bamboo and the people use them all. Some are for houses, some for floors, some for cooking, some for chopsticks, some for weaving etc. We stopped at a stream to catch some fish for lunch. The tactic was to build a dam on half of the stream so there was less water and the fish could be caught. We couldn’t see any fish, but we followed Ame and moved rocks and dirt to build a dam. It took a while and we finally stopped the water on one side. We got down and felt around. Can you picture me hunting for fish? We found little tiny crawdad things and a couple tiny fish. It seemed like a lot of work for such a small catch, but it was fun. Then we hiked to the lunch spot. Ame cut down some bamboo and chopped it with his machete. He cut 4 little cups and 6 long tubes. He also cut chopsticks for us. We filled the bamboo tubes with water from the river.
We then sat back and watched him cook us lunch using traditional bamboo cooking. In one tube he put vegetables and water. He used a large leaf as a lid and put it in the fire. In another he cracked the eggs and added tomato and onion and put that in the fire. In another he put banana flowers, the fish and water. Once they were cooking he put large leaves inside a hole in the ground. He cracked more eggs in and added ramen noodles. When the vegetables were done he poured them and the boiling water onto the hole and covered it with a leaf to cook the noodles. The egg tube he cut in half revealing the cooked omelet. We ate out of our bamboo cups and it was delicious! The fish was boney but tasty. I was very impressed and felt like I’d learned some survival skills. After lunch we headed straight up the mountain to a Yao village. It was hard hiking and Ame waited for us patiently. The village was at the very top of the ridge and had an incredible view. I could see the tea plantation many ridges away. The village was mostly deserted since everyone was in town for work. There were a couple old ladies sitting in the street sewing. They were adorable. One had a needle stuck in her head wrap with string tied to it and her double thick glasses. I think it held the glasses on her nose as she sewed. They smiled at us with toothless grins as we rested for a moment.
The village was not an old ‘traditional’ village- it had power lines and satellite dishes- and I was a little disappointed with the lack of interaction. It was still nice to be that far out there and hear the Yao language. On the hike back Ame made all sorts of things out of bamboo. He made an air gun that shot balled leaves pretty far and made a loud bang. We shot fruit out of a tree with his slingshot. We finished our long hike with an amazing waterfall. By that time of day it wasn’t warm enough to swim, but it was beautiful and Ame and I climbed on a rock for a photo. We got back to the village dirty and exhausted wearing jungle hats made out of leaves. I felt like I got a unique experience that I couldn’t have found in Chiang Rai. That night we sat around the fire again. The cat feel asleep on me again and the guitars were played again. I tried the tricks again and learned that rumors about me being a dancer or a gymnast were circling the guesthouse. An elderly woman from the village came and silently sat by the fire. The 3 year old and one of the young Australian girls were best friends. Ame walked on beer cans while the farangs just crushed them. We compared travel stories late into the night.
I hated leaving the Akha village. I loved the community and knew there was more to see. I could have stayed to help build a mud house or gone down to the hot springs. But, I knew I had to move on to see Laos. A lot of people were leaving so we piled into the back of a pickup. Standing, we held on tight as the truck went down the bumpy road. I can’t imagine the amount of waivers you’d have to sign in the US, but it was fun. At the bus station I said goodbye to Thor and Kristina and thanked them for leading me astray. Then I took the bus to Chiang Khong and headed straight for the border- the Mekong River. There weren’t very many signs for the ferry across. I paid 30 baht and boarded a sketchy long boat. Within minutes I was in Laos. I got a visa at immigration and a new stamp in my passport.

Chiang Mai Lovely

2009-01-15T10:02:00.000-08:00

Chiang Mai was a change from Nan. It's a wonderful city and I love it now, but at first it was hard to adjust after a quiet town. It's crawling with farangs. They're everywhere and everything is in English. I'd forgotten how touristy this country is. When I first got here I decided to walk around. I got lost trying to find a certain market and the exhaust fumes where horrible. I walked and walked and eventually realized I was starving so I ducked into a nice vegetarian place. Then I got a back massage and felt much better. I wandered to the night bazaar which is full of stands selling goods from wood carvings to bootleg dvds. I wanted to buy everything, but didn't want to stuff it in my bag for the next 3 weeks. So i just wandered. I did buy a scarf because it's quite cold at night and Laos will be even colder. Then after getting lost trying to find an Indian restaurant, I just went back to my hostel. I'm staying in a great little place called Ginny's Place. The room is simple, but there's a nice restaurant, free wireless, travel advice- all for $3 a night. When I sat down to eat, an older man came over. He said, "dont' eat the burger lovely, and join us". Us consisted of him, two young brits, an Italian and the owner of the hostel. Turns out this owner is from Seattle so we started talking neighborhoods and hiking trails. The older chap spoke in an English accent, then an Australian one, then a German one... turns out he's Canadian. Quite a character. It was great to meet people and get advice on what to see and do.

One thing that was recommended was to take a Thai cooking class so that's what I did today. They picked a group of us up and took us to a Thai market where we learned about and smelled typical ingredients.
After the market we went to the school where we chose 6 dishes to make. I made phad thai, tom yum soup, papaya salad, holy basil stir fry, red curry and sweet sticky rice with mango. It was awesome! They had all the ingredients ready for us so we chopped them all up on our wood blocks with big knifes. We made the curry paste with a mortar and pestal and coughed when we breathed in the chilies.

We cooked two dishes at a time and then ate them. It was delicious! And a lot of food. I was stuffed! The group consisted of 3 Americans and 3 Brits so we had a cook off at the end. I finished my curry first, but I had the advantage of tofu taking less long to cook than chicken. We also learned how to carve pretty things out of vegetables. Here's my leaf cucumber:We also asked for beers and drank our large size Changs out of the bottle while cooking. The hosts said we were the first group to do so :). It was a blast and I'm bringing all the recipes back home. Group Red (curry):
Red Curry:

Tonight I went out with folks from the hostel. The same brits, an American girl and the Seattle owner. We went to a big restaurant on the river called Good View. The food was good... I can't believe I ate again after the class... until I bit into a chili pepper. It was green and looked like a green bean. It was NOT a green bean. I promptly spit it out, but it was too late. Tears started streaming down my face and my mouth was on fire. People handed me water, rice and even tequila swearing they all worked. Nothing worked. The burning didn't last too long, but my lips were on fire for ages. It was so intense. I had eaten many of those chilies chopped up in dishes that day, but biting into one whole one was brutal. I suppose everyone's got to experience that at some point in their life.

The bar had a great live band playing all English songs so naturally we were all dancing. Every Thai person looked at us like we were crazy, but it was great. I hate to leave these folks and Chiang Mai, but I've got to head on. I wish I had more time to travel! Everyone I meet is traveling for months and there's just so much to see. I'll be back.

I heart Nan

2009-01-14T00:02:00.000-08:00

(Motorbike with cage)

I decided to join Chrys to Nan- a small town in the North, East of Chiang Mai. I was planning on heading straight to Chiang Mai, but I was told that Nan is beautiful and not many tourists go there. So we caught the 5 hour bus. After two bus changes and long windy roads, I was hoping I didn’t make a wrong decision. I was going two days out of the way and hoped it would be worth it. As soon as we climbed into the mountains and the jungle got thicker, I knew it would be. We arrived at the bus station just before dark and figured we could walk to our guesthouse. We got lost. The street we were on wasn’t on our map. Tourists aren’t common here so everyone stared (and smiled). We tried asking for direction but couldn’t communicate. Chrys speaks a little Thai but the dialect was different. Eventually we called the guesthouse and asked them to help us find them. The woman said she would come get us on her motorbike. I wasn’t sure how the two of us and our bags could fit. We tried to ask for directions again and this time they at least knew which direction. We were headed down the road when a motorbike honked and pulled in front of us. Chrys got on first and I continued to walk since I had a roller bag (by the way I loath my bag choice! A bag with wheels is no good when the streets aren't smooth and you’re getting on and off of ferries, tuk-tuks and motorbikes). Anyway, she came back for me and managed to get the bag on my back for the quick ride. I’m really starting to like the Thai people. They are very friendly and welcoming. A woman helped me carry by bag off a ferry, this woman came to get us and many people have offered help when I look lost. I also love Nan. It’s a very clean city with sidewalks, street lights, street signs and the best part… the dogs are pets! No strays around and they all look healthy. Petting the guesthouse’s new puppy fed my soul.
That night Chrys and I headed to the Night Market. There wasn’t very much for a vegetarian to eat, but I found fried rice, corn and coconut balls for dessert. The corn was incredible! It looked like he put two spoons of salt in, but when I tasted it I realized he’d put sugar and salt. Most of you know how much I like salty-sweet. It melted in my mouth and I can’t wait to get more. The coconut balls weren’t what I expected, but yummy. Toasted, crunchy sweet coconut was wrapped in dough and dipped in shredded coconut. I tried Chrys’ jelly in coconut milk, which was disgusting.

Yesterday we visited the Nan National Museum and learned about the history of Nan Province. The mountains hold many villages of Hmong, Tsin, Lu and Mlabri tribes. It was a good museum and I learned a lot. There were also many different Buddhas from different periods and areas. We could have taken a guided trek through the jungle to a village and stayed the night, but I decided to wait and possibly do it further north. I still haven’t decided whether I want to contribute to possible negative impacts on the tribes either. So we went for an elephant ride! The travel agency drove us 20 km East into the forest. We drove into the mountains through teak planted forest, which they harvest every 30-40 years. At the side of the road were two elephants waiting for us. We were told that these elephants are work elephants- they haul timber down steep hills where trucks can’t get to. There aren’t enough tourists in this area to have purely tour elephants so they call the timber workers to see if the elephants are available. I mounted the elephant from a platform onto a cushioned seat. The guide sat on the elephant’s neck and lightly kicked his ears and yelled commands. We went for a 1.5 hour walk through the jungle. It was amazing! The forest was beautiful and we climbed up to a ridge line with a great view. When we went down a hill the seatbelt kept me from falling off. The guide cut branches out of the way and the elephants ate the whole time. It was magical. I had pangs of guilt when I focused on the chains, but hoped that it was better for them than hauling timber.

I was sad to leave Nan, but am excited to explore Chiang Mai.

Ruins, dominoes and a crash

2009-01-11T17:51:00.000-08:00

Today I explored the Sukhothai Historical Park, which is what everyone comes for. Sukhothai was the original capital of the first Thai Kingdom in the 12th century. The park is full of moats and Wat ruins. I rented a bicycle and toodled around. It was absolutely beautiful. Bus ride to the park:

Soymilk offerings:
At my second Wat, I ran into Chris again. We paired up and rode our bikes to every Wat. At one point three girls asked if they could interview me for a school project. Giggling they asked where I was from, if I like Thailand, if I like the food etc. I’m assuming it was for English class- it was adorable.
For lunch we found a café and I had my first phad thai… yum. The owner’s little girl came up to our table and handed us a domino set. She and I taught Chris how to play. It’s a very universal game with no words necessary. When I had to draw many, many pieces the girl laughed and laughed. When I won, she said “you win. Play more”. We played and stacked dominos while being utterly entertained by this girl with a large imagination. Some day we’ll see her on a Thai soap opera I’m sure.

After lunch we ventured outside of the gated park to another ruin. Directly behind us on one of the turns in the road, two motorcycles crashed into each other. We heard the bang and saw two guys lying in the street. I turned around not knowing what the hell to do. One guy stumbled up and helped the other. I felt utterly helpless. I couldn’t ask them if they were ok or tell them not to move and I didn’t know whom to call. They were both conscious, but not okay. I waved down the next truck and they stopped. After I figured they had help, Chris and I left. It was extremely frustrating and unnerving to feel like I couldn’t help because of my language. Neither of them was wearing a helmet.

We stayed in the park until sunset to get that magical light on the ruins. I told Chris about America and she educated me on Malaysia. We stayed after dark hoping the ruins would get lit up, but after a while we gave up. Well, the stray dogs started to freak us out. We were the last to leave and had to jump the gate to get out. I think the hardest thing for me so far is seeing the stray dogs and cats. The dogs appear to have no energy and just sleep curled up in the street. The cats are skinny and howl louder than my old Siamese cat back home. Today at the ruins a tiny kitten with a corkscrew tail came looking for food. It nearly broke my heart not to pet her. I know I need to get over it and I know these animals aren’t pets, that it’s culturally different here, but it kills me. Anyone have any enlightening thoughts?

Trains, buses, tuk-tuks and motorbikes with cages on front.

2009-01-11T17:40:00.000-08:00

After sleeping well my second night, I woke up feeling much better. And just in time for another day of travel. The 3rd class train from Ayuthaya to Phitsanokop took 7 hours. It stopped in every town and was an hour late. The first hour was fun, the next 6 were rough on the sitting bones. I eventually made conversation with the guy next to me. He was on his way home from work in Bangkok. We spoke a lot with our hands. We passed many rice fields and he explained that it takes 3 months to grow rice and that they can replant the land three times a year. My new friend Wasan, disembarked the train about half way and I was left to twiddle my thumbs since I can’t read on moving vehicles for fear of getting sick.

I finally arrived in Phitsanokop after dark and caught a tuk-tuk to the bus station. Tuk-tuks are three-wheeled “cars” with bench seating behind the cab. He took me right to the Sukhothai bus just in time to take the one-hour trip west. My butt was relieved to find a cushioned seat, but I was just about done with transportation. I did get to meet Christabell from Singapore though. We compared travel notes, said we might meet again and then headed to our different hostels in Sukhothai. Not before discovering a new mode of transportation however. The tuk-tuk from the bus station was a motorbike with a cage-like passenger area on front. That’s the best way I can describe it. You literally sit in front of the driver. The ride was also freezing. I guess the weather at night is unusually cold right now and it was quite cold in the wind. Transportation is odd here. The one hour air-conditioned greyhound style bus cost 30 Baht ($1) and the 10 min tuk-tuk ride in the cold cost 50. I arrived to my very nice French owned hotel around 8pm starving. My two options were to eat at the nice looking restaurant full of farangs (foreigners) or wander down to the night market and take my chances. I decided on the later. Most of the street carts had unappetizing balls of meet, whole chickens or dried fish. On the main drag I found a sidewalk “restaurant” consisting of a kart kitchen, little tables and a TV playing a Thai soap opera. The menu was in both Thai and English and the tables were packed so I gave it a shot. I ordered fried glass noodles with vegetables, egg and shrimp. It was delicious! I was so hungry and it totally hit the spot. It was great to sit on the sidewalk, watch the people go by, listen to the TV and the Thai families. On my way back I bought some cut papaya at a fruit stand for dessert. It was the perfect ending to a long day and I fell asleep to the sound of crickets, frogs, birds and dogs.

Ayuthaya photos

2009-01-09T19:08:00.000-08:00

Monk at one Wat talking on cell phone.

School girls who thought I was hilarious. They spoke a few words and when I spoke Thai they just died of laughter.
Wat Phra Si Sanphet.

There are stray dogs everywhere. Most have collars but they still roam free. They're very sad looking and mangey, but don't bark or approach you.
Famous buddha head entangled in tree roots at Wat Mahathat.

Jet lag's a...

2009-01-09T04:38:00.000-08:00

Sawadee from Thailand. I made it! After a grueling 24+ hour trip. The flights were all on time, but holy crap I'm glad I dont' have to do that again for a month! The Hong Kong airport was enormous. Check out photo of never ending hall (almost looks like a dome dad). I met a fellow Washingtonian heading this way so we wandered the airport. I particularly enjoyed the "Automated People Mover".
I arrived in Bangkok at midnight (9am in Seattle). I managed to not sleep at all on the flights in hopes I would sleep the night through once I got there. As the plane landed my body was done- I was falling asleep mid gum chew. The cab took forever because the driver had no idea where my hotel was. We had to stop for directions and of course the language barrier didn't help. But I made it. This morning I had breakfast and then got my first Thai massage! I managed to tell her it was good in Thai. So far I'm struck by how much the people cater to tourists. The cab played American music, BBC was on the TV at breakfast and Moby played as I got my massage. I partly appreciate it since the Thai language baffles me at this point, but it's also strange.

From my hotel I grabbed a taxi to the train station. I thought the station was close which was why I stayed near the airport, but the ride took an hour. Turns out the station is near the old airport. Damn out dated guidebook. Oh well. The 3rd class train was fun. I was the only foreigner on it and provided the other passengers with some entertainment. The trip to Ayuthaya was quick. Sleeping girl on train:
Auythaya is the ancient capital and is full of ruins and wats (temples). I rented a bicycle for a dollar and road around checking out the wats. I guess it will be the first time I risked my life (sorry parentals). The roads were busy with scooters and cars and I have no idea how the intersections work. Seems like you just go whenever you can. And they drive on the left. It was scary. But worth it. The ruins were incredible. I must have seen hundreds of buddha statues without heads. Photos to come.

I just had some hot soup and I think I'll head to bed because... jet lag's a bitch.

T minus 36 hours to Thailand!

2009-01-05T18:41:00.000-08:00

Packing is a process. I think I can fit it all. Guide book, sarong, malaria pills... Unfortunately, the adorable cat featured in the photo will not accompany me on my trip.

I will be gone for one month: Jan 7- Feb 6 and will be traveling through Thailand, Laos and possibly Cambodia. I'm adventuring by myself- yes, a young, blonde girl alone with a big camera. I can't wait! ;)

Check in periodically to see photos and stories from my trip. Ciao!

I'm a blogger now.

2009-01-04T13:29:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my blog. It'll be here when you're bored at work or want to stalk me. Hopefully I'll keep you entertained.

Merci, gracias, danke, grazie, arigato, khob khun, thank you.