Half a decade, 12/31/2012

It didnt really cross my mind before, until a message from my mom wishing me happy new years said it out loud, but these are my last hours in Asia for the foreseeable near to long term future.  August 1st 2007 I left for Thailand, a month of boxing before heading to Shanghai to meet the people that I would be living and working with for the upcoming year.  For the next 5 years and 5 months I have been abroad.  I think I have returned to the states 2 or 3 times, Australia the same, but I have spent more days in Thailand over the last 5 years (about 120) than I have in the US and AU combined.
My last trip to California in August was a odd experience of reverse culture shock. I felt like a tourist experiencing an alien culture all the more odd because I kept telling myself that it should be normal.  But over the years my definition of normal has changed quite a bit.  In many ways I think that its good that Hawaiian culture is so different from the mainland US (I have been reading about it), it makes me think that at least the experience will be different and not like the reverse culture shock I felt in the states.  Although there will be elements of that as well.
I remember, I think my last trip to AU, I was at the supermarket with my dad buying things for lunch and I went to get cheese.  After a few minutes he came over to get me and I was still standing there looking at all the different kinds. I couldnt choose, I didnt know which one I wanted.  I had become so used to being happy when I found cheese that being given the option to choose between so many different kinds was overwhelming.  How could you only pick one?  Moments like that stand out.  I also remember being in CA and looking at all the different types of cereal and thinking why the fuck do we need so many different kinds of marshmellows in our cereal, there all the same, how can there be a market for that many different brands of the same thing?
In that respect I expect Hawaii to be similar to time in other western places. But at least there will be things distinct to the region to explore and experience.  I have now spent 18.5% of my life living outside the US.  With a strange and wonderful collection of people from around the world. I have realized during this trip that I am horribly out of touch with current pop-culture (something I am actually rather grateful for) and have had to look up slang to check the meaning when reading things online.  Its unsettling to feel disconnected from your own culture.
Now its time for a new adventure.  At least this feeling is something I know well.

The death of a cell phone, 12/31/2012

This trip has tested the durability of the electronics that I have brought with me.  Today I regret that my cell phone has finally succumb to age and wear.  After valiantly sending a final new years greeting to my mother, at 11:45am Bangkok time the power button on my phone ceased to function.  As the screen dimmed there was no way to revive the phone and finally after the 30 second dimmer function expired the phone has lapsed into an unwakeable coma.  While it may be possible through the advances of modern technology available in the US to bring a few more short weeks or months of life to the phone, my htc made it known to me before passing that it did not wish to be brought back.  And so I salute this brave phone, making it all the way from China to its final resting place in Phuket.  My only regret is that it did not make for the lunch in Seoul, the last new country on this trip that I am planning for tomorrow.
This trip has seen several of my electronics, pass.  My dual USB charger blew out in Koh Rong.  At the same time I fear my Ipod nano started its slow decent into mental illness.  First presenting symptoms of voices in its head (at random intervals two different voices will speak over the music to tell me song and track information, they often cut in on each other and then either advance to the next track, play the current track in fast forward or jump randomly through the library) and then moving on to symptoms of catonics states.  For days not being able to play a song, only to come back.  In recent days the voices have not been heard, but the on/off button is a crap shoot as to what will happen when you press it.  Advance to the next track, stop playing, nothing, it has taken a lot of compassion to work with my nano and resist the urge to smash it agains the wall.
And finally three days ago my bike computer was assisted in its jump over board on the ferry from Koh Lanta to Phuket.  After months of tirelessley recording the mileage and speed of my journey and knowing that its pivotal role was coming to end it decided to take its own life rather be forgetten as some extra bike accessory.
I salute my fallen electronics and I hope that through this blog entry you will be remembered.
Any have a recommendation on a new smart phone?

Old Town Phuket, 12/30/2012

From reading the online reviews it seems that most people have a pretty low view of the old town Phuket, and I can see why.  Yet, I am enjoying staying here far more than I think I would from what I remember of Patong 5 years ago.  The old town comes across as a far more normal slow paced Thai city.  It doesnt have a lot of special sites to go see, but then it is not overrun with Swedish families, packs of Germans or drunk Americans.  After all the months of travel I have found that there are times for going out and having a crazy night, but I have no desire to be out every night.  Patong from my memory is a terrible mixture of so many clashing cultures that it comes across as fake or slapped together and dirty.  Boxing stadiums next to starbucks, beautiful beaches but covered in people trying to sell you crap so that they are always blocking the sun.  Seemingly more tourists than locals on the streets.  An almost all white customer base with an almost all Thai set of staff.
Two days ago in old town I was able to go for a run and found a really cool hilltop track.  Just north of where I am staying there is a hill with a set of TV antenna's.  From the maps it looked like a good run so i set off.  Clearly it has been set up for recreation because there were a good number of locals running/walking the trail to the top.  After passing a small temple/altar near the bottom I realized there were dogs everywhere.  Dozens.  I am used to strays in Asia, but the density was impressive.  Then about a third of the way up the dogs gave way to pigs.  One or two dozen.  Mostly small but a few giants among them.  Just chillin on the side of the road. As I continued up the hill the pigs gave way to a troop of monkeys.  Seemed to be about 30 I could see and more in the trees.  Finally as I neared the top there was an amazing viewpoint looking out over the city and a little further right at the top was a small outdoor weight facility.  Now I use the term facility lossely but there were benches with bars and cement blocks on the ends for weight of different sizes.  An ab bench, dip setup and stretching area.  I am not sure if it is paid or open to the public, but I used it for a while and no one said anything to me.  It was a really pleasant place to work out before starting the somewhat uncomfortable steep downhill run to the bottom.  I understand why most people seemed to run up and walk down.
I really like running uphill, the extra work and sense of achievement when you get to the top, but hate the downhill.  Feels like a waste, too easy ruining my hard work on the run.  And hard on the knees to maintain any real speed.  still working on how to only run uphill, it will be great when i can have my driverless car drop me at the bottom and pick me up at the top... hope i can still run then.

Phuket, 12/29/2012

I have been back and forth on my luck lately and had a stroke of good luck today that makes up for the rest over the last couple days.
First I was holidng out at the boxing camp for a package that had been sent a few weeks back.  In the package was a mouth piece that i wanted for my Muay Thai match.  It did not arrive in time for the match. In fact it did not arrive until after I left.  Instead it came 2 hours after I left to catch the ferry to Phuket.  Waiting a few extra days wasnt the worst thing.  The camp was really busy and short trainers so they offered me free stay and some pay to help hold pads for the other students at the camp.  So staying the extra days saved some money as I would have had to pay for lodging somewhere.  but it would have been nice to have the gear I ordered for the match.  (the gym has offered to mail the package on for free for helping out at the gym).
It was also nice to be asked to hold pads at the gym because the day before they yelled at another student who took it on himself to hold pads "because he was licensed".  Now techincally I do have an assistant instructor cert from the US Thai Boxing Association, but they didnt ask about that.  So it was gratifying to be asked to help out and be told that i "was one of the better fighters they have had in a while".  Which means i need to be going to better camps.
Second bit of bad luck was loading on the ferry.  The first thing the boat hand did while loading my bike was knock the bike computer off over board.  I have been having some problems with it, but it seemed to be better and instead of chucking it overboard I would have liked to have finished the trip with all the gear I started with. Otherwise there have been almost nothing lost (spare key and my pocket knife on a bus) on the trip.
But finally I caught a bit of good luck this afternoon.  I went by the bike shop to ensure that we understood each other and check the times they were open tomorrow.  The woman looked at me and said, no closed sunday for 3 days for new years.  I was dead set on coming Sunday afternoon so that I would have an extra day with the bike and had a i missed the shop I would have no way to get my bike boxed for the flight.  So i was able to everything taken care of and my bike is now boxed and ready to go... to Hawaii.
Which as some of you may already know, I have a slight change in plans from AU to Hawaii.  Both islands, more or less, and both kind of in the Pacific.  But i have a chance to pursue a relationship that has eluded me for too long.  So Oahu it is.  I still need a place to stay and a job so if anyone has any ideas, feel free to let me know.

Phuket, 12/27/2012

Its funny how things work out.  I decided to not cut the mohawk for the boxing match because my hair is longer than it has been in a long time.  Because I am going to be interviewing for jobs and want to have hair for that.  Because I finally grew it past the point where the callick fucks everything up.  And it was getting massive, the back was going from ok to mullet.  and the volume was getting a little ridiculous. So I when for a minor trim... and got butchered.  I asked for a haircut and got the back and sides of my head shaved higher than I have ever seen before.  But I couldnt see this till I got home and checked in the mirror because it felt a little strange.  I thought she was going higher than usually, but then i figured it had been so long since my last haircut and the hair was so long that it needed to be taken up.
Now I have to decide what to do.  The only real fix I can think of is to shave everything back to even.  And for that I could have rocked the mohawk for a little while before shaving my head.  Fortunately it is the back of the head and I cant see the barren wasteland that is the back of my head.  Maybe if I can wait someone can fix this.
I asked some people in Koh Lanta where to get a hair cut.  They told me Krabi, the town on the mainland.  So I thought I would wait till hitting the tourist hell hole that is Phuket.  Instead of getting a shit haircut in Koh Lanta, I got one in Phuket.  What luck.

Last night in Koh Lanta, 12/27/2012

Its the last night in Koh Lanta.  Tomorrow I will be heading out to Phuket for a couple of days before taking a flight to Honolulu, with a chance at lunch in Seoul.  One of the few countries that I have wanted to visit, but not had the chance so lunch would be kinda cool.  I have 8 hours to kill, just not sure if it is worth it.  Anyway, I should be asleep right now, but have been worrying about how I am going to get all my stuff with me tomorrow on the ferry.  I seem to have picked up quite a bit in my time here between clothes and gifts.  It doesnt quite fit.
I only have to make it like 10-15k, but there is going to be shit just hanging of everyside of my bike, I just hope that it doesnt rain.  Once I get in to Phuket I dont have to worry, just need to check the baggage allotments for the third time, because either korean air is really generous with baggage or the people who answer the phones dont know shit.  And unfortunately I am leaning toward the latter since the two answers I have gotten so far have been completely different.
The only real lagging injury from the fight is my left thumb.  The only two real injuries I got were from hitting my opponent, not from getting hit by him, which seems odd.  But I dont think it is going to affect my riding (I did 20+k today).
Looking back on this trip it has been a lot more than I was expecting.  I always like looking at the stats on things and when I have some time and the trip is really done I will work out the whole numbers (maybe while at lunch in Seoul) but a quick peek is something like this:
6 countries, ¬105 Days
1700+ km in the saddle
59 in the Penang Bridge Half Marathon, time 1:46
1-0 Professional Muay Thai record
Completed my rescue diver course
Read 18 books
Saw the worlds biggest not flower and not biggest fungus
2 cooking classes

A more complete list to follow once the actual trip is deemed, by me, to be over.

Brian the brian, 12/27/2012

For those of you who watched the boxing match and are wondering about the Brian the brain fight name, it was not entirely by choice.  As I have unfortunately grown accustom, many people tend to spell my name wrong.  Even the west, spell check does not catch the Brian mispelled as brain.  In the east its even worse. So all the fight materials, posters, and flyers given out before the match have a nice photo of me (taken about 5 minutes after I woke up with no knowledge ahead of time) and the name Brain prominently underneath.  So the fight announcer thought it would be better to just run with it and announce me as Brian "the brain" Long.  What can you do?

Something I wrote before the match, 12/23/2012

I wrote this in my travel journal while at dinner before the match.  It is interesting looking back on it the day after.  All the anxiety gone replaced with contentment, a little pride and satisfaction that I actually learned something over these years of training.

Sitting at dinner before the fight, how do I feel?  Anxious, nervous, proud...  What is anxious to me?  In the center of my chest there is a ball, a sphere of unpleasantness.   Like a pressure on my heart and stomach in a way it feels external, unnatural, like it shouldn't be there but is.  It is not nausea, although it could be.  It is not painful.  It is wrong.  It should not be there.  It is a weight, a heaviness, that lean's on the heart making it work a little harder, a little faster.  My hands and muscles are tense despite the almost 2 days of no real exercise, the first time in more than a month.  Breathing is slower, deeper, but slightly strained.  As if to counter the sphere in my chest I have to concentrate more on my breathing to balance out.  The ball in my chest leaning on my lungs.  Not pushing, that to me denotes presence or intent, this is just there existing in a place it shouldn't   Tension across the whole of my body as it prepares for what is coming.  Yet the time has not arrived yet.  There is no need, it should be gone.  Often on the night of my matches in the past a happy calm and a smile come over me.  The tension is gone for a fleeting window before the match starts and then... blank.  I always seem to need to get hit once in the face before I can let go of the tension, forget the fear and just let the training and my body take over for me.  I only hope that happens before my leg gets chopped out. Then again, maybe that will be all I need.  All the hours of training, distilled down into 15 minutes or less  The heart thumbing in bed the night before as endless scenarios go through my head.  Absent through the day only to manifest right when I need the mind to be at ease to drift off.  The ability, the need to control the fear that the fight brings with it, that's one of the main reasons I fight.  To be able to face the anxiety, control it, put it away and know that I can what needs to be done.

VIctory, 12/24/12

Victory.   3rd round knockout by way of elbows to the head.  Fight was a lot different than i was expecting.  All those thoughts go through your head before the fight.  What could happen? all the things that could be hurt or go wrong?  a couple hours before the fight everything cleared and i felt so much better.  it seems after each fight the time before the fight that i start having fun gets longer, from a couple minutes to a couple hours.  It would be nice if it could start from when I accept the fight.
Right now the two most painful things are my thumb from a punch and my elbow from when I bashed against my opponents head a couple times.  I am happy, I should be able to run tomorrow.  Not that im going to, but that the body parts needed are able to function should i wish to do so.
I feel great, but at some level it would have been nice to have a more challenging match.  I felt in control from the start and other than a few moments I felt in control and not worried about what he would do, but thinking about how i wanted to move and how to react to his movements.
Also my first knockout.  a couple in sparring, but usually by way of the body.  All my fights before have either gone the distance or ended by way of submission.  I was starting to wonder if i had it in me to knockout someone.  This is fight number 8.  With a combined MMA and kickboxing record of 5-2 with one exibition that I dont want to talk about.  Now I am looking forward to getting back into the ground game and the MMA game.
I feel great.

Koh Lanta, 12/19/2012

Not much has changed over the last week.  I am still training twice a day, usually.  Last week I was pulled down a bit by what appears to be over-training and fatigue.  I took a day off and tried to get some rest.  But I still dont feel 100%.  I cant shake the sore throat, a result from swollen lymph nodes, or the mild headache.  I think a solid 3 days of rest would do the trick, but I am supposed to fight on Sunday, in 4 days.  So the hope now is that training and skill can overcome a little fatigue.  I know that you never get to fight one hundred percent, the nature of the training guarantees that you will have some injury nagging you when you step into the ring.  Still doesnt make it less frustrating.  This time physically I feell pretty good.  Few bumps and bruises, some stiffness here and there but overall my body is good.  Just my immune system trying to keep up with the pace of the training schedule.

I am still debating whether I want to cut the mohawk back for the fight.  It treated me well through my matches in China.  But this is the first time I have let my hair grow out and would mostly likely have to cut it off if I want to find a job...  With the fatigue from training, it has kind of  put a damper on my enthusiasm to do much else.

After the fight on Sunday I am hoping to be able to put down one more day of diving, but that will be dependent on how I am feeling.  I am pretty sure that my legs are going to be fairly battered after the match, just have to see how much.   My only real concern is my feet.  I have a tendency to kick short and have my foot contact the knee or shin, doing damage to the toes.  Never very severe, but will make riding my bike very unpleasant.  And now that I have  been in one place for almost a month, I have aquired more stuff that I am pretty sure I can fit on the bike, but would be a real pain to have to carry everything including the bike.  The tuk-tuks are very obliging, but i just dont have that many hands.

On another note, some of my job responses are starting to come in.  Since the idea was raised that I might be qualified to take a job in an international affiars type role at a university I have applied for a variety of roles at different schools in the AU and US.  I dont really have much energy after training, sitting around and filling out job applications seemed like a good use of time requiring minimal energy.  Anyway, a few that I was fairly sure were outside my qualifications have born that out.  A few others are now just starting to close their application acceptance period and start the review process.  It seems that universities are not able  to move fast on much.  Its very frustrating considering that my time frame for a decision is very limited.  It would be a real kick in the nuts to get a realy good offer just after have to make a decision that makes acceptance impossible.

Koh Lanta, 12/12/2012

Still boxing...tired but making my way through. I went to help corner one of the fighters from the gym last sunday and it was a good fight.  Jesse won in the 2nd round by knockout.  Nothing real clean, just kind of overwhelmed his opponent and landed a good series of shots that brought him down.
I think one of the trainers was asking me today if I want to go to Bangkok to fight for 20,000 baht.  While tempting, I am still trying to overcome my fear of stepping in the ring with someone local for a basically no money fight.  Going to Bangkok to fight for real money would mean fighting real opponents.  I dont know if I am ready for that or if my legs would be able to take it. I am going to wait for Oscar, the one person who speaks enough Thai and English, to come this afternoon and help me understand a little better what I am being asked.  I really would like to do a professional fight, but I was thinking more in the MMA area, not pro Muay Thai in Bangkok, it just looks painful.  They fight almost every week.  And there legs just take a beating.  Jesse recovered from his 2nd round win and still couldnt walk well for a couple days after the match, and he won.
I think I am going to stay on track to fight locally on the 23rd.  Then I can spend xmas recovery in a hammock on the beach before moving on from Thailand.  There have been some new opportunities presented.  Talk of jobs in various places that I hadnt thought of before.  Seems whatever plan I make it is bound to change.  I keep thinking that it has been a waste of time to plan so much.  The planning always seems to change anyway.
It has been good practice at least to get my resume and job applications together.  It has been a while since I have actually applied for a job.  The last two at Tengda and Study Group were basically handed to me by recommendations from other people.  My first meeting in both cases was with the boss and it felt more like I was deciding if I wanted the job, not so much about whether they wanted me, of course they wanted me (that might be a little arrogant).  Now applying for jobs in places where I dont have any guanxi, its a little strange.  How do you get jobs without someone you now recommending you?  As much as the Chinese way is unfair for those without connections, I seemed to have connections, so it was great for me.  Now that I have sent out a good half dozen to dozen resumes I just hope I can get some interviews.  I like interviews and tend to do well.  I am only concerned that they will want to interview around the fight dates since I am pretty sent on brining back the mohawk for the fight.  Not sure how well that will do on skype.  Maybe voice only calling for a while.

Koh Lanta, 12/06/2012

I dont have the most to update since the last time I wrote.  Things here in Koh Lanta have fallen in the a pattern with training being most of my day.  Between the 2-5 hours a day of training and the resulting drain on my energy, I dont have a lot left for anything else.
Training here has been easier than other places that I have been in the past.  Both good and bad.  I feel a lot better, I have managed to stave off shin splints so far.  They have always plagued my training in the past.  I think now that I am starting to know the trainers a little more my training is going to pick up a little.  I have been "ïnvited" to join some of the others on a jog in the morning. While I appreciate the invite I have had trouble falling asleep and subsequently getting up in the morning.  I am hoping that having others to motivate will at least help me to get up, not sure how it will go with the falling asleep.
Other than training I have been making the most of the hammock that I picked up here.  It has been a great purchase and will continue to travel with me any time I am outside of a city.  Not sure how useful it will be in the city, but on the beaches it has been great.  The island here has trees running most of the beach and with a tiny bit of effort I have been able to stake out a couple of prime spots depending on where I want to go that can support the hammock.  It would be nice if the beach had longer stretches not interrupted by streams and I could run for some real time, but I guess I shouldnt be complaining about where I am.  I was able to find some nice trails that go through the inside of the islands.  Not really trails but dirt roads that service what appear to be giant rubber plantations across the inside of the island.  I will be exploring those a little more for my longer runs (45min+).  They take a little time to get to, but provide a nice surface and good shade.
The only real issue I have been having is staying hydrated.  On days that I train both sessions, I can easily consume 6-8 liters of water, maybe more in a day.  Its hard to find things to drink, the monotany gets kinda boring.   Other than that I cant decide whether to cut my hair.  Mohawk for the fight?  Grow it long for the first time since...maybe ever?  These are the kind of tough decisions that fill parts of my day. That and what kind of curry do I want today?  Threre are a lot of different restaurants, but the local Thai ones are so much cheaper.  Its hard for me to justify spending 300 on Greek or Indian when I can spend 70 on Thai.
I am nervously looking forward to the fight I am taking onthe 23rd.  I am worried that I might have showed to well during my initial assessment and will draw someone really good.  I dont want a stoog.  Some of the opponents I have seen the other foreigners fighting here are pretty pathetic.  It has always struck me that it is really hard to find good match-ups here.  The foreign fighters are training fairly hard and therefore in really good cardio shape, maybe not much ring experience, many doing their first fight, but in good shape. But also big, by Thai standards.  Any Thai fighter in comparable shape has a fight record of something 267-125.  All the trainers here all have over 200 fights a piece.  12 year-olds put down 30-50 fights a year.  Which means the only people that are somewhat of an even match for many foreigners are guys who trained young but never really made it and now are out of the game.  Their out of shape, technically they can be pretty good, but the conditioning really plays a huge factor.  Or the Thai fighter is really good and then you have a real fight.  The main difference I see between active Thai fighters and the foriegners is their hardness.  Its hard to explain, but the more you get hit every day, you grow callus to it.  Leg kicks dont hurt unless right on the nerve cluster.  Going shin to shin is nothing because your shins dont have feeling left.  I was getting close to that point, but 6-8 months of not really training brings the softness back.  I feel my cardio is at a great level.  The race training has really brought me up in that respect.  But I need another couple months kicking bags and being kicked to harden up my shins, thighs and ribs.
Last nights sparring was encouraging.  I scored a minor TKO with a straight kick to the solar plexus, but this morning my left thigh showed the damage.  And we were wearing shin pads.  I dont want to think what color my thigh will be after the match.  And in order to make my flights I might have to do a couple dozen km on the bike to make it the closest bus station.  Doing that the day after a match does not sound appealing.

Koh Lanta, 12/02/2012

This week I have settled into training at the Muay Thai gym.  Training so far has been a little easier than the last gym in Ubon.  However, that could be due to being in better shape (training up for the half-mara before couldnt hurt).  I also have eased myself into to training a little more to try and avoid the almost inevitable shin splints that have plagued me at every camp I have been to so far.  So far so good, but the shin splints dont usually present till week 2 or 3 so still have to wait and see what happens.
Other than training I have not been doing a whole lot.  Trying to make to the beach, seem to be spending a ridiculous amount of time on skype.  I think part of that is the group here is a little more fun-loving than the more serious training crowd I have run into at other camps.  I am not really looking to blow all my money at the bars here.  I am sure my next destination will be expensive enough.
It looks like there are two boxing stadiums on the island, one connected to my gym and another that I dont know who provides the fighters for.  My gym holds fights every Sunday, so I am going to watch some fights tonight and get an idea of what I have gotten myself into.  I am set to step into the ring on Dec 23rd, so marry xmas to me.  Tonight one of the trainers and at least one of the foreigners at the camp are going to be fighting. Last week another foreigner fought and won, and from watching his practice I would say that I am better, but the opponent draw would make a huge difference on the outcome.  Have to see how they match people up.  The trainers so far have been encouraging about my skill level, but I can see that the mish-mash of styles I have put together is at times annoying.  Every school does everything just a little different and getting told to change something and do it this way not that way after spending a few years getting one way down is a litlte frustrating.  It would be nice to find a place where I can train consistently.  Or a gym with a philosphy like my old school in Denver that was very accepting of the different styles as long as they worked well together.
todays my half-day, running in the afternoon and some light stretching and maybe some shadow.  and maybe some more hammock beach time...

Koh Lanta, 11/28/2012

After a short stint in the Cameron Highlands, I am back in Koh Lanta for 4 weeks of Muay Thai before heading to Melbourne.  Training has started well.  Getting into the two-a-days is going to take a little time.  I am starting slowly this week and planning to ramp up.
I have always wanted to fight in Thailand, one of my goals is to do one or more professional level fights before I can not compete anymore.  But at the same time I have always been a little nervous to step in the ring with someone who has been boxing since they were 6. Every time in Thailand before I had a reason not to box.  Going straight backto work or more travel was usually enough to convince me that I shouldnt fight.  Wouldnt want to be injured back at work.  Or not be able to enjoy the rest of my trip.
But this time it appears that my trainers have found my weakness.  Instead of asking if I want to fight, as they did on day one, yesterday they simply asked, "when are you going to fight?".  Since it was a different question, I had to give a different answer.  So know I am looking to set a fight for the last weekend that I will be training, I think the 23rd of December.  A nice pre-xmas bash.  Now I have something to focus on and will not really be able to skip on training days.  I wanted to get back into fighting shape for my arrival in Melbourne, I cant really see a better way than this.
Still a little nervous though, and I think I am going to have to ride my bike like 20k a day or two after the match to get to the Krabi bus station.  So I really hope that I dont have to do that with a broken foot.  then there is also the tough mudder Jan 14th.  But I think its more in my head than anything else.  Who knows, maybe I can finally get my nose straightened out.
Other than training I have not been up to much since arriving in Koh Lanta.  I am trying to work through the online Melbouren Uni website, but so far have been thwarted at every turn.  The website is not compatible with my tablet so I can only log in from the internet cafe.  I had trouble with my login so they gave me an email address to contact to sort the problem.  Email was returned as an invalid address.  Going to head back and try again today.
The other good thing I have found a good tree for my hammock not far from where I am staying.  I am trying to make a point to get to the beach at least every other day for a swim and some hammock reading time while still on a beautiful tropical beach.  Melbourne will be nice, but I dont think the water is going to be quite the same from what I remember on my last trip through.
Brief sidenote, fucking flies are eating my ankles, why cant the hair that protects the rest of my legs cover my feet.  I would gladly trade the freakishness of super hairy feet to relief this itchy. anyway...
Finally I think I am set to do a triathlon in Melbourne in either late march or early april.  Both pretty short courses overall, 500-800m swim, 20-26k bike, 5-8k run.  I think they would both be ideal ways to start working toward the more grueling olympic distance of 2k swim, 60 or 80k bike, and 20k run.  might need some time to work up to that.  At least my boxing cardio should be through the roof.

Cameron Highlands, 11/23/2012

The last couple of days have been spent in the Cameron Highlands. A highland area east of Penang.  It is a complete change from the coastal areas that I have been traveling through up to this point.  It is cool, incredibly wet, and mountainous.  Much more like Northern Vietnam than anywhere recent.  The rains come on the regular in the early afternoon and tend to wrap up by 5.  But once you figure that out and prepare it is a welcome chnage from the humid heat of the coast.   The area is littered with strawberry farms and the fresh produce is amazing.  So much to choose from, all so fresh and good.  Excellent dried mango as well.
Yesterday, we hiked through the jungle to one of the highest points in the area.  The view was in constant flux.  The clouds would roll in and out so quickly a vista would reveal itself and instantly disappear.  On one bluff we stared out into the mist wondering how far the drop was, how far the view was if unobstructed.  As the mist cleared the view was for miles clear and a massive drop off the cliff.  Near the top of the trail is the mossy forest.  An old growth forest with a slightly raised walkway through the trees.  After the hike we went down the hill through a massive tea plantation and on to a bee farm.  Quite a bit of hiking but the landscape was beautiful.
Today we went to see the Rafflesia "flowers".  Billed as the largest flower in the world.  As I learned today, they are not a flower, but a fungus.  And as a fungus, they are not the largest.  But still, quite impressive.  Also because it is not a flower it does not need sunlight to bloom and therefore a can "bloom" on the forest floor.  They are massive.  Almost a meter across and the center section larger than a basketball.  To attract insects they have as slight odor of rotting meat.  It wasnt very strong, but it wasnt pleasant either.  A fair amount of flies can attest to the accuracy of the small.  As I learned today, they only bloom for about 7-10 at a time.  Guides walk through the forest marking the bulbs so they can track which flowers will be in bloom and when.  Today there were two flowers in full bloom.  And a variety of bulbs from golf ball to soft ball size.
The flower blooms kind of like a cabbage.  Leaves wrap around in a ball and slowly expand over 9 months.  Eventually it falls open revealing a large central cavity with a spiky pistil like center.
the hike also included a lot of wonderful flowers and insects that were around every turn.  After the hike we had a brief blowgun demonstration and target practice.  I was the only person able to bullseye the target.  So if school doesnt work out I might have a career chance in the monkey hunting business.
Tomorrow is the bus to Butterworth and time to head back to Thailand for a month of boxing camp.  Then time for Australia.  

Aroung Georgetown. 11/15-11/20

This last week has been really busy.  Jayci and Kristin both flew in on the 15th.  Pablo and Manuel (not sure how to spell his name) arrived by bus the same day.  With a group there is a lot more time spent thinking about what to do, but a lot less actual doing.  Still it  is nice to have people to travel with for a while to break the solo adventure.
The Penang butterfly farm was really cool.  There are thousands of butterflies flying about in the enclosure.  Had to try really hard not swat at things flying into my face or landing on the back of my neck.  But once over that feeling it was a beautiful place.  On the way out they have several small reptile and insect exhibits and a large collection of mounted butterflies for purchase (I got a small one).
Just outside of Georgetown in Air Itam is one of the largest buddhist monestaries or temples in south-asia or Malaysia (not sure which).  It is a massive site with a giant stature of Guan Yin.  Even here the Chinese are everywhere.  All the obligatory buddhist things are there.  Turtle pond.  Pagoda.  Dozens of alters with golden statues.  But it still had a few things to make it different from the stock temples you see in most places.  Along with the snake temple there are some nice sites around Penang.
11/20 marked the opening of the second annual battle of the food hawkers, curry mee challenge.  The opening round is open to the public to try the various curries and vote for a favorite to narrow the crowd down to the top three.  During the week there are a variety of foods prepared and at the end of the week the best of the best battle for a cash prize.  11 curry stalls each handing out a decend size portion made it impossible for us to eat through all the stalls.  I think I made it through 5 or 6, but the last two was a tasting bite only.  They really should limit the portions if they want everyone to be able to try all the different stalls.  Pablo may have made it through a few more, Jayci only made it through 3 or 4. All in all I dont think our votes were very well informed, but oh well.  It made for a great lunch.
Jayci flew out this morning (11/21) and I will be heading inland to the Cameron Highlands for a coule days with Pablo, Kristin and Manuel before making my way back to Koh Lanta for my month of boxing...

Penang International Bridge Marathon, 11/18/2012

The Penang Bridge International Marathong (for me the half-marathon) was my second event that I have taken part in.  It was a pretty big affair and much better coordinated than the event in China.
The marathon started at 2am, the half at 3 and the 10k at 6 and 7.  Despite the odd times, it felt pretty good and was the only way to beat the heat.  I was concerned that running at 3am would throw me off, but it didnt really seem to have a noticeable affect.  My official time for the race was 1:46.28.  4 minutes slower than my first.  However, I stopped to stretch for a minute and also suffered a rough abdominal crap that forced me to slow down and walk through a water station or two.  On top of that when I finished I felt much better.  My calfs was strained, but am already to be up and running on it, as long as I take it easy.  All in all a vast improvement over my original performance.  Also to my surprise, I placed 59 out of 5,705.
The race itself was a hugge event.  There must have been something like 15-20,000 people either running or coming in for support.  It was nice to see how a proper event can be managed and makes me look forward to taking part in more in the future.  Maybe a tri once I land in Australia.  But first the Melbourne, Philips island Tough Mudder in January.  I am looking forward to that race. A few people I have met while traveling who have done them in the past have all had good things to say.
After the race, and a nap, and a large lunch.  Jayci and I headed out to the national park.  Originally the ideas was to hike through the park to a beach on the west side of the island.  But pre-race planning may have been a little overly ambitious.  We decided to take  the boat instead.  On the beach I was finally able to try out my new hammock.  It is fantastic. Although it did ruin the plan of walking around looking at things.  Once we were able to settle into the position I dont think we moved for an hour or two.  After sunset and the boat ride back, the early race and lack of sleep finally caught up and it was time to crash for a solid 10-hour recovery sleep.
2 half-marathons down.  102 and 106 minutes. If I can find a proper support for my calf, I think I could push for a 90 min time.  Time to start checking the race calendar for AU.  Plus racing should help a lot with my cardio for getting back into the ring.

And its official...

This morning I got the email from the University of Melbourne with my acceptance to the Graduate Diploma program in Psychology.  So it looks like I will be spending the next year in Melbourne.  From what I have seen looking around, after that year I am going to be piss broke and move back to the cheap paradise that is South (east) Asia.

Georgetown, 11/13/2012

Georgetown is the main city area on Penang Island.  It is a pretty cool place.  The cultural mix provides a wonderful blend of food, architecture, and visuals.  Areas are as developed and first world as any place I have been.  The malls look like they could be anywhere in the US, except for somes of the brands.  Today there was line out the door and around the corner for Starbucks.  Something I can not understand given that there was another only a couple hundred meters away and a Coffee Bean around the corner.  But regardless, Starbucks is live and well here.  I had lunch at TGI Fridays and bought a new pair of running shoes at the Nike outlet and paid a US price for them.
Yet earlier today I was at the snake temple.  So named because of the resident pit vipers that reside in the trees in the court yard.  Highly poisoness, although I dont think fatal, there are a lot of them on the property.  There several stories as to why they are there, but now its seems more like tourist draw than anything else.  There was also speculation as to whether they are still venomed or not.  I dont think thats a verb but it is now.  I would like to think so, makes it more fun. The whole time I think I only saw one more, it was the more display one inside, not in the trees in the courtyard.  It was nice to see a temple with something different.  Also the temples here are mostly pretty small and still in daily use, unlike most of the temples I visited in China.
In Cambodia it was hard to tell if the temples were in real use or not.  They were all pretty busy, but most people seemed to be there paying respects to the recently deceased king.  So I am not sure if that is what normal turnout would be like or not.  In Thailand there are many monks in the temples/wats/etc but not a lot of regular foot traffic coming through.  And I am not sure how many of the monks want to be there or are there for education and a bed.
I need to find something to do tomorrow, I am trying to leave some things to do with the group when they arrive.  So its time to search for the more obscure things to do in Penang.  Flea market anyone?

Fucking Florida Cranberry Juice, Penang, 11/12/2012

Penang for the most part has been great.  The food is amazing.  The city has found a way to belnd Malay, Chinese and Indian culture with a little of the old European influence left over from when it was first settled by the British way back.
Last night I went to see a movie and before hand walked through the Carefour looking for snacks.  They had cranberry juice.  I havent seen cranberry juice in months and although a bit pricey I had to have some.  Immediately after purchasing I headed back toward the theatre and cracked open my new bottle of juice.  So excited I took a giant swig on the escalator and damn near spit it all over the person in front of me.  I do not see how anyone could call that beverage cranberry juice.  To achieve that flavor the only thing I could think of was robotussin cut with grenadine.  It was syruppy, sickly sweet, warm (which only made things worse), and only suitable for mixing in small amounts with vodka.  It has been the only downside so far to my time in Penang.  I should have realized that cranberry juice does not come from Florida, thats oranges, but after a while when you see something you miss one can overlook those things. Anyway, at least the movie was decent.
Otherwise Penang is pretty cool.  Although, you have to get away from the city it would appear for the beaches to be any good.  Tomorrow is Dwali, an Indian festial, and a lot of services might be closed for the day so I might rent a motorbike and head to the national park which is supposed to have some of the nicer beaches on the island.  Yesterday I did my last long run before the race.  I felt really good, but now my legs are really worn.  I think I did about 13-14k.  Today I just want to run enough to get warm and stretch.
Dwali tomorrow, friends arriving in 3 days, race in 5 and and interview with the residence hall tomorrow.  Its nice to have a few, but not many things to do.

Trat, 11/4/2012

I have now arrived in Thailand.  It is interesting to note the changes that come up between countries.  Being on a bike gives a unique perspective to some of the immediate differences from one place to another.  For instance, on crossing into Thailand on of the first things that jumped out (at) to me was the size of the dogs.  From Vietnam to Cambodia there are plenty of loose dogs roaming about, and on a bike you get an occasional chase.  But there were always of the size that I thought, "if you catch me I can kick the shit out of you with my bike shoes, no problem."  The first couple dogs I have seen in Thailand make me think "if you catch me with angry intent, im fucked."  Things like rotweilers and german shepards, dogs that can do some damage and not just look hungry.  Maybe being more affluent and off the menu allows people to keep bigger dogs around.  Either way when cycling through villages you notice how big and plentiful the loose dogs are.

       Another thing that stands out is the amount of road-kill I passed between the border and Trat (such an attractive sounding place).  When you are tired and eyes down, you notice a lot of things imprinted into the asphalt.  It can be a fun game to guess what it was, you get bored on the bike.  Anyway on crossing into Thailand, the amount of road-kill seemed to increase dramatically, lots of snakes and frogs.  The occasional rodent or bird, a dog.  I thought of 3 factors  that could contribute to that.  One, the roads on the Thai side of the border are really nice, and therefore people drive a lot faster.  Two, people are not so poor so they may not be trying to eat anything and everything that they can catch.  And three, it may be a lot more bio-diverse.  I am leaning toward number two.

      The third difference that stands out right away are the number of police and military checkpoints.  Other than borders I cant remember police in any of the three countries I passed through.  A couple police vehicles passed me in northern Cambodia, but they may have been emergency response, like an ambulance.  Since crossing into Thailand I have already gone through 3 checkpoints.  One police and the other two appeared to be military.  And it is the first country to remotely check my bags (granted the guard pressed on my backpack for about 2 seconds before waiving me through, but its still more than all the other borders combined).

       I am sure if you crossed on a bus you might notice other differences first.  Most people on the bus are not actively trying to avoid running over the already run-over road-kill, but I am trying to keep my bike at least a little clean. 

Koh Lanta, 11/9/2012

Yesterday I went on my first wreck and third night dive.  While a little pricey, the diving here is fantastic.  The wreck was nothing special, a car and passenger ferry that hit a reef and sank in 1997.  Still it is pretty cool to see a boat sitting on the bottom of the ocean.  And because of the habitat that it provides, there is a ton of aquatic life all over the boat.  At one point I lost my group because the fish were so thick you couldnt see more than a couple meters.  

The other issue that was a slight detraction from the trip was the size of the group...34.  The dive leaders kept saying wait till the high season (starting december) and the boat will be taking groups of 44, the boat max.  I have never been with more than 10 or 12.  Having this many people made it hard at times to keep with your group and when there was something cool there was almost a line of people waiting to have a look, and fish are not always the most accomodating in waiting for everyone to have a look.  that being said, it also meant there were a lot more eyes checking the reek and finding some cool things. Like a zebra eel, all black with white stripes.  Pretty cool.

The second dive was the reef that the ferry crashed through.  Finally the night dive.  Visability was great, there was the same group so there were a lot of lights under the water.  I enjoyed the trip and am glad that I had the chance, but if I go again it is going to have to be with a smaller group.  Even if that means going on a crappier boat.  

Tomorrow I will be heading to Penang to settle in and get ready for the race.  I think I am pretty ready.  I have been running quite a bit and think my legs should hold up pretty well.  Although I am a little concerned about shin splints coming back. They always seem to come in when I start Muay Thai training.  The change in routine, frequency of workouts, and intensity is hard to prepare for.  I am hoping that the race training will help but I also will be taking advantage of the nice rooming arrangements and the in room fridge to ice my legs.

Anyway, 9 days till the race, a week to rest, a month of boxing and then a flight to Melbourne.  I am looking forward to staying in one place for a while.  Boxing will be a nize change of pace and then of course Melbourne (assuming I get in, have to wait till the end of the month to hear from them) will be very different as well. I finally got myself a hammock today, although I am still looking for a place to hang it.  I hope i can find a place in Melbourne to put it up as well.

Ko Lanta, 11/7/2012

A few notes regarding previous posts.  I would have loved to have been able to write about how awesome it was diving with the phlorescent (cant spell that) plankton.  But the dive was called on account of rain.  Didnt really think that would happen.  But apparently the with the already low visability in that region (south Cambodia) diving in the rain just adds to much sediment to the water.  And with a night dive they likened to driving in a blizzard with your lights on, it just reflects everything and makes visability even worse.  So they called the dive.  Was able to swim at night a few times and when you make it out into the deeper water you can still stir up the water enough to get the plankton to glow around you.  Its not a mass amount, more like tiny green spects in the water, only there for a couple of seconds and then they fade back into the darkness, but still pretty cool.  Something to look foward to on another trip.
Second, the dogs seem to keep getting bigger.  Today, I met the tallest and possible biggest dog I have ever seen/touched.  The gym here, not sure who, has a great dane.  It could make a pony feel small.  I knew someone in Denver with a GD, but it was still only a couple months.  This thing is a horse.  Standing normal on all fours, his shoulders are above my hips, his head about the middle of my chest.  Thin, but the presence that dog has is impressive.

I took the bus (well two buses and two ferries) from Trat to Ko Lanta yesterday.  ABout 28 hours.  The real kicker was the ferry.  Everything online said that the ferry starts running in the beginning of November, but on arrival I found that this year the boat does not start until the 12th.  It was suggested that I could ride to the island (theres a bridge), only 150k.  It did not sound appealing.  I was also told that I could take a boat to Ko Phiphi and then make a connection to Lanta.  The only problem is the added time.  There was also a minivan running from the pier to lanta, sounded good.  Then, no roof rack, no way to take the bike.  Fucking bicycle.  So two ferries it was.
At this point my sense of time is totally fucked.  As I just wrote I was thinking that I took the ferry yesterday, but it was this afternoon around 1 that I arrived here.  28 hours on the bus screws with my sense of time.  Anyway, I made it the gym where I will spend December.  Small but should good to focus and with only a few people here it will be nice to have a good trainer to student ratio.  I do hope a few more students come in as the high season approaches though so there are more sparring partners.
Tomorrow, I am going diving.  Hopefully I will get my night dive.  I found a shop offering a wreck/reef/night dive combo.  I have wanted to do a wreck dive for a while, and I really like night dives. Tomorrow should be cool.  And since its afternoon and night diving, I can sleep in and dont need to be there until 11.  And can get my morning run in on the beach.
It is really beautiful here.  The water is fairly clear, the beaches are kilometers long and white sand, and there are Mantas and shark schools in the dive sites.  I might want to find a way to get back and stay for a while.  There is an animal rescue that would provide free accommodation for month volunteers or more, but working 6 days a week doesnt leave much time to enjoy the island.  I am thinking about going by some of the schools and seeing if I can set up some part-time teaching for the month I will be here when I get back.  Maybe can pick up some private students for a couple nights/hours a week.  Cant hurt to ask around, although I dont really have the clothes to make myself look respectable...

Ramble on (1) (fully updated)

This was written some time back, but have not been able to get it from my tablet to online until now...

People on the road continue to be solid and enjoyable companions.  But somehow it is hard for me to truly engage and connect with people I know will be gone so soon.  As much as I want to be open and flow with the experience I have trouble changing the mental box of short encounter why bother to possible future encounter, engage fully.  Additionally the short term nature of the relationships in positive environments creates perceptions that often, over time are not in line with the more "real" version or personality.  Most people are happy, more outgoing, accepting of less desirable situations, tolerant, etc when on vacation in a beautiful place with a group of road seasoned situationally induced friends.  It is hard to be a demanding bitch with a group of newly met travellers.  But over time comfort leads to changes, or reversion, in behaviour that is not always positive.  Quirks become annoyances, habits that are rarely performed become know, biases and beliefs can be voiced at odds with your own, unknown before because the situation has not had a chance to present itself while on the road in rural Laos. 

         At this point in the trip I am finding myself pulled in two directions.  Part enjoys the freedom of the road, novel experiences, and beautiful new places.  The chance of meeting the rare traveller whom with which you can truly connect.  Yet another side knows the chance to meet and establish   close relationships is far better when you stop moving.  A rolling stone gathers no moss and rolls alone.  China was a great and powerful experience for which I am grateful.  But I know that the last year in Wuhan I precluded relationships with people not because they were bad but because I had already decided I would be moving on to somewhere new.  Why risk the hurt and challenge?  It is so much easier to just cut it now. 

        Looking back I have done the same before in the US before I left for China.  Deciding to cut off or not allow a relationship to grow because the decision to go was already made.  How could the two exist at the same time?  And moving on to a new place has always seemed to win out.  Read the bumper sticker "live without regret", how?  With time so limited and the world so big its not possible to live a life in one place and not think of the chances one had to live a life in another.  I am grateful the choices I have made, good and bad, have brought me to where I am. But how can you not think of the other roads not taken?  I have been lucky to have the chances and choices to get me here. But everyone means something else has to be foregone.  Obviously to complain while in the midst of a 4-6 month vacation about the quality of my life and the outcomes of my choices is not the way to go.  Complain is not the right word... Wax philosophical maybe   better.  Where is this going?  I dont know.  Where I am I going?  I dont know either.  Well tomorrow I have a bus ticket to Phonsavan, friends to meet in Pakse, a race in Malaysia in Nov and another in January and some thoughts about a month boxing and diving in Thailand.  But thats not what I meant.  I thought writing this out would help to clear my head so i could get some sleep, but it has only raised more thoughts.  I want to find a way to slow down time so i can reconcile my two halves.  Or maybe i want to speed up time so that i can arrive at the destination.  Course that would require knowing what the destination is.  Or maybe "the destination is the journey" to quote someone, but thats just confusing to think about.  Now I guess its time to stare at the ceiling and think about my destination/journey and maybe find and answer or a question first and then an answer.  So annoying to get the answer before the question.  I hope I dont snore and wake the other 7 people in the hostel room, they're all so quiet.  Some thing I dont miss about China. 

100km from Cambodia, A world away

Sitting in the Trat night market is a culinary and olfactory delight.  Pad thai and fried rice all around.  A street of all kinds of fresh, fried, steamed, and any other method of cooking.  The fruit is ripe and sweet.  The cashews are cheap and giant.  Two large fried chicken drumsticks for $.30 each.  A bowl of noodles cooked next to you for $1.  I had forgotten why everyone likes Thailand.
Laos was pretty good for food.  But outside the big cities it can be hard to find.  Cambodia was very hit or miss.  If there were tourists, there was food. If not,then you had to get lucky.  Trat is not a tourist city.  It is a way-point to either Cambodia or Koh Chang.  Yet, here there is a vibrant night market with tons of cheap delicious eats.
The difference between Thailand and the other countries are in some sense so mior and yet already after 2 days it feels entirely different.  The biggest and immediate sense you get is that the people (for the most part) are not struggling to survive.  The prosperity of peace has done amazing things to uplieft Thailand way beyond the level of its neighbors to the west, north and east.
I hope to be able to return to Laos in time and see the changes following the path as some of its more fortunate neighbors.

9k North of Khlong Yai, 11/3

I decided to get back on the bike today and try to find a nice beach to spend a day or two.  After a few hitches, I have success.  I am staying in a beach side resort, there doesnt seem to be any other people here.  A little pricey at $20 a night, which is after I asked if they could make it cheaper (and they did by about 15%).  But it is the nicest room I have had since ... well its been a while since AC, hot water, wifi, TV and a mini fridge were all in one place.
I have found that crossing the border on the bike is quite nice.  Unless you have already arranged transport, dealing with tuk-tuks a the border is a real pain in the ass.  They know your stuck and take advantage.  The border security also seem to allow bikes to pass with checking bags (taking it all apart would be a real pain in the ass).  However, I keep forgetting things like, "ïs there a holiday in XXX today?", or "did the king of Cambodia just die and so all the shops are closed", "what day is it because all the banks and currency exchanges are closed on the weekend", its the little things I keep forgetting to check.
In Koh Kong I tried to change my yuan to dollars or baht, but the rate was terrible.  A few places suggested that I go to Pnom Phen.  At least they have a sense of humor.  So I decided to wait, change in Thailand, save myself from going yuan to dollars to baht.  This morning I got on the bike, crossed the border and headed to Khlong Yai.  Some websites said it was a true untouched paradise in southern thailand. I dont know what the fuck they have been smoking, but its not the happy shakes, truffles or mashed potatoes from Cambodia.  There is no beach in Khlong Yai.  However, one site said the beaches to north were best, so I kept heading north.  Finally I found it.
An empty beachside resort, so empty there were only 3 cleaning ladies and no one spoke English. After a few minutes a young boy rode a bicyle in to tell me that they were all booked.  All booked? There are no people here... Tour group was the response.  So back on the road.  Next place, also empty, yet all rooms full.  Next place 1200 baht a night, $40 and it wasnt that nice.  Keep heading on down the road.  Pull in and ask, assuming it to be like 2000 since it was really nice.  Only 700.  Really?  Can you make it a little cheaper, like 600, I dont have much money... OK.  Now came the interesting part, I only had about $15.  Do you take credit cards?  No.  Can you change chinese yuan?  No.  Is there an ATM? Yes, 9k back in Khlong Yai.  So I dropped my bags in my wonderful room and pedaled my ass back to the bank I passed earlier and remembered thinking on the way past the first time, I should get some money, no there will be another one down the road... oh well.
Now I sit about 5 meters from the beach, gorged on good Thai, debating if I should swim now or wait till sunset.  Decisions, decisions.  I think it might take an extra day here to really decide.  And now that I know its the weekend, tomorrow has thai boxing on TV all day.  Now all I have to do is find way to get my TV down to the beach.

Koh Rong, Halloween

I am starting to see how people can get stuck on this island for some extended stays. Everything is slower here.  Without things like internet and electricity it really slows down the pace of things.  There is no rush because you cant respond to that email.  Now, they do have power, but its limited.  I have been having trouble keeping my devices powered, which makes the kindle reader not so great.  2 places seem to have wifi.  and that is limited to when they are running their generators,  the rest are early evening to 10:30 or so, just when you want to be using things. So you can charge or use, tonight ill be charging , since they are all going to be dead.
Tonight, on all hallows eve, I think I will be joining Pablo for his first and my 3rd night dive.  I am really looking forward to it, here they have the phoseflurecent, spelled?, plankton.  When swimming at night you can see it a little, if you swim out, but on the night dive it should be pretty cool.  especially with all the other divers stirring up the water.
Last night was really cool as well.  While sitting on the beach, there was a full moon, patchy clouds showing some of the brighter stars and lots of cloud to cloud lightening flasshing in the sky.  It was a pretty cool sight, and a great thing to watch while eating my whole bbq'd fish.
Between the diving, white sand beaches, warm clean water, and comfortably slow pace to life here, it is going to be hard to leave tomorrow.  Or maybe the day after.

Koh Rong 10/28/2012

After leaving Siem Reap I took a bus overnight to Sihanoukville and transferred out to Koh Rong to start my EFR (emergency first responder) and Rescue diver course.  The EFR course went pretty fast, a review from life guarding and something good to take with me to Australia.  The rescue diver course and search patterns started today with another 2 days of practical skills to go.  The course is pretty easy, but it should make diving in AU pretty fun and hopefully there will be a dive club at UQ I can join in.

Koh rong is a beautitful island.  almost all the accomodation and restuarants are located within 2km of the two piers, but the island itself is rather massive.  The sunset last night was amazing, with the white sand beaches, warm water and wonderful fish dinners I could stay for a while.  There are also some chances to explore, a 7k beach on the west side of the island, a few islands near by that should be swimmable and some trekking options.  Its not the cheapest place, but it is a beautiful island.

Unfortunately this means that there are several guesthouses under construction and seemingly more in the planning stage.  There are also plans to build an airport on the island, although delayed, that would most likely ruin the feel it has now.  Most of the foreigners who are working here think it would be the worst thing to happen to the island.  For those seeking a getaway, I would agree.  It is becoming harder and harder to find those relaxed getaways, without spending thousands on private boats or other transport.  All these damn rich foreigners keep inspiring the locals to build more hotels and spas.  And backpackers keep opening their own bars to draw more people in.

The diving in Thailand is supposed to be much better as far as wildlife and visability, but also more expensive.  It will be interesting to compare.  I will also have to finally get up to the great barrier reef after I arrive in AU.

I think I am going to spend a little more time on the bike.  There is a narrow strip of Thailand, about 2k wide that runs along the coast for almost 80k, pinched between the Gulf of Thailand and Cambodia.  There are also several towns with resorts listed on the maps, hoping for some cheap places as well, at least every 25-50k.  So unlike the flat hot wasteland of northern cambodia, i might actually be able to find some food and a place to stay, without having to do 150k a day.  Worst case, trat the destination, is only 120+k from the border, an unpleasant but doable ride.  From there I need to move with some purpose to Koh lanta to drop the bike and then get down to Penang to be there in time to meet Jayci from the states and prep for the race. Koh rong has been great for running, although it seems there is only one real track.

There are several trails that lead into the jungle across the island.  I have been advised to only take the one to 7k beach (heavily marked).  But I have already come across several others that look interesting.  So if i dont write for a while, I might have disappeared into the jungle...lets hope that doesnt happen.

S-ville 10/26/2012

After finishing my third day at the temples and a full day cooking course it was time to leave Siem Reap.  The temples, as great as they are, do all start to look the same after a couple days.  I am glad that I saved the biggest for last, because otherwise it would have been pretty disappointing to go to the smaller ones after Thom and Wat.   But still, big stone,  1000 year old buildings tend to all look the same to my untrained eyes.  Maybe some study of stone carving and base reliefs ahead of time would make it a little more interesting.

Last night I took an overnight bus and have arrived in Sihanokville, I think thats right, but S-ville for all intensive purposes.  Its definetly a beach resort for the tourist crowd.  I am going to be tranfer this afternoon to Koh Rong, or monkey island.  Although I am told there are no monkeys on the island, but 3 kinds of poisonous snake.  From there I will be able to do my Rscue diver course, which looks like it will be a nice one-on-one course.  And a lot cheaper than the places I saw in Thailand.  

I think I am mostly done with the bike, which is also a nice feeling.  I will be keeping it around for day trips.  The month in Thailand will be nice to have a bike and not need to rent anything while I am there.  Crap internet has wiped the rest of this paragraph and I am too frustrated to retype so this post ends here.

Siem Reap 10/22/2012

I have been in Siem Reap for a couple days now and it has been a different place than the rest.  The contrast you see between the plaes that have been on my trail has been amazing.  From northern Cambodia, which has nothing to Siem Reap which a lot of was seems like a cross between Phuket and Luang Prabang with temples.  It has ice cream, draught beer, all the foods from home but move a few feet from the center and all the poverty is still there.
Unlike Stung Treng near the border which is just poor and dirty.  But in some ways I liked the relaxed atmosphere a lot more.  There is not much to do, but you can make your own plans and there is no rush.  Here in SR I bought the 3 temple pass and feel I need to pack in as much as possible to get my moneys worth before it runs out.
Today I went and explored my first set of temples.  I am starting with the small peripheral ones and working my way toward the bigger ones.  I know that if I do Angor Wat first the rest are just going to suck and not be worth the trouble. I cycled my way to some of the more out lying ones today, ended up doing about 60 on the bike.  Now the odometer is at 972, only another 30k to hit the 1000k mark.  Which is good, because that is where I told myself I could finish and after SR I dont think I am going to be biking much.  I have a half-marathon to get ready for.  Biking and running do not go together like crickets and beer (not cricket and beer, crickets, fried, and beer).  It is just to tiring.
After finishing the temples in SR and maybe a cooking class it is going to be south to Koh Rong to complete my rescue diver and EFR.  Maybe a week on a secluded island will do the trick and I can get some running on the beach done.  Hopefully we (Pable Kristin and I) will be able to rent a small boat and put a couple day camping trip together on the island.  But that may take more planning and purchasing than wanted.

Stung Treng to Kratie, 10/19/2012

Last time I wrote I waxed on about how great my luck has been on the trip and wonderful experiences chance has brought my way.  Well chance is a fickle bitch.  I decided to try the Mekong Trail from Stung Treng (ST) to Kratie.  190k, was going to be attempted over a lazy 3 or 4 days.  Instead I ended up going the whole way in a day...
From ST to Kratie the Mekong Trail covers 190 kilometers along the river with ferry crossings and home stays.  It sounded like a lot of fun and a different cycling experience.  Highway 7 from Laos to ST was dreadfully boring, flat and hot.  Information about the trail was hard to come by. Big picture maps and locations where easy to find, but there was no detail information.  Night one was supposed to be an island homestay, but there was no info about where to find a boat to get to the island.  Most the trails seemed to be arranged around a day trip from the city with the riders doing a loop to return at night.  As such there appeared to be a 60-80 dead spot between the two cities without much infrastucture.  I was hoping that either there would be more (most info is 2 years old) or there would be a small town I could stop in, my hope was poorly placed.
The ride started great.  The road was better than expected, tracking along the river the views were nice and there was shade over the trail.  A few small wats and lots of kids shouting hello made the ride pleasant and was able to make good time.  Before leaving I asked about finding a boat and was suggested the large village near the island should be able to help, no problem, just need to arrive there.  Arriving at what I  thought might be the main village, I was greeted by someone who spoke English and informed me 5k down the road would be something akin to a pier or ferry.  5k passed.  Maybe his distance was off.  10k, another small village with a group of people building something, at this point I was almost past the end of the island, this had to be the place.  Armed with a map, a tablet Khmer English dictionary and hope I started asking for a boat.
Koh Preah (the island's name) I said and pointed to the island.  Yes, thats Koh Preah was the response I interpreted.  I want to go to there.  Boat, I displayed on my tablet.  Yes, you need a boat to get there I think they said.  This went on for a couple of minutes.  They used the map to show me where I was, I already knew my GPS works great.  Where Koh Preah was, I knew, I was looking at it.  But no boat appeared.  A bust.
So I kept going.  And the trail started to narrow.  First wide enough for two lanes, now it was one.  Then a narrow one lane.  Then two people could walk side by side, a nice motorbike track.  The path started to deteriate (thats spelled wrong).  Ruts got larger, mud and stagnant water started to appear.  And finally from foot path to disappearing completely into the bush.  At that point a few locals were around.  Using the map I showed the track and the next Southern village, does it connect?  No.  That exchange was pretty clear, I was at the end of the road.  Only choice, turn back.  Now already 50k into my trip, it was return to ST (a 100k day that achieved nothing) or push on.  Forward ho.
After back tracking and taking a small path back to highway 7 I was finally back on the main road.  After checking the GPS I found that although I had already covered about 70k, I was only 35k south of ST.  Kratie was another 110+k down the road.  My only hope was a hotel in a small town.  Pushing on.  Oh I should mention that at this point I was having trouble finding food.  Not a lot of restaurants in the Cambodian back country, go figure.  I was able to find some stale bread.  It had been fortified with a small ant colony for extra protien, was pretty good.
And so the push south continued... for almost 7 hours.  I was able to get some noodles and around dusk I started asking people if there was a hotel around.  No.  About 7pm, its pitch black.  Most homes dont have electricty, those that do appear to be running off car batteries I say being delivered, it was the only thing that distracted kids from saying hello to me the entire way.
At this point I was starting to think that I would be pushing all the way to Kratie (only another 60k remaining).  After doing the math on my speed though I realized that one I would be out of water and all "shops" would be closed (I stocked up at the next one) and two I would most likely arrived after 11.  Everything including hotels start to close around 10:30.  I might have trouble finding a decent place to sleep.  Throughout the day I had been passed by minibuses and the last hour several had gone by empty.  I decided it was time to say fuck this pedaling shit, I need a bus.  20 minutes later I was delivered an empty bus and nice driver who I think kept asking me if I spoke Korean (when I said hello in Korean he was very amused, but thats all I know).  He took me the rest of the way, got a nice hotel, meal right at closing time, two beers and a showers.  I think this ride is the death knell of my trans-city cycling.  Buses and day trips from now on.  Oh and a lot more planning before leaving town.

Ramble on (2, Chance)

The more time on the road the more I have come to realize the power and luck of Chance.  Everything on the road is left open for chance to come and stir things up.  Meet someone traveling the same direction, decide to skip a stop and follow them because they have a timetable.  Go for a walk and run across a group of Germans (and an Austrian) teaching in Northern Cambodia and get invited to join them for dinner.  In so many cases the sheer randomness and the results are almost unnerving.  Roaming the area and choosing Guest Houses from their signs, picking buses or taxis by the drivers facial expressions, all leads to one set of possible outcomes.
The last couple days the conversation was often about time travel (Pablo and his odd self-love time travel book found in a random restaurant).  Now I am thinking about what if I stayed in one place but could live out each of the different choices?  How much different would things be?  or overall would you end up with the same expereinces and simply different names on your Facebook page?  Knowing there is only one path I can take it makes me wonder about what is going into each decision I make (I have been reading a lot of decision theory lately).  Should I put in more effort to each choice? less and just go with it?
I know today I would not have met the Germans and not have been invited to dinner if I stayed at the first Guest house that I saw, but would have saved $2.  Who knows who I would have met instead.  I think I am spending too much time planning, as chance has taken me pretty far this trip.  Then again maybe chance+planning is the key to the wealth of positive experiences I have put together on this trip.  If only I had my time machine to go back and try the other paths as well, then again if I did that I would miss the path where I never had my time machine.

Don Det to Stung Treng 10/16/2012

Finally decided to get back on the bike and try to see if riding in the hot and flat is better than in the moderate and mountainous.  I flew.  My bike computer crapped out this morning, so I didnt have speed or distance on the road.  But I was able to use kilometer markers and my wrist watch to find that I was making just under 20 kph.
Distance today: 81km
Total time: 5.5 hours
Average speed: maybe 19.5 kph
Total Distance so far: about 785 km

I am going to spend two nights here while I look into the Mekong Discovery trail, if the daily rides are kept short, then I think it will be a fun couple of days.  It has to be better than what I went through today.  Northern Cambodia, off the river, is a boring place.  Flat, hot, mostly scrub bush and low trees.  Stung Treng is the first real town and the first place with more than a couple shacks on the side of the road.  Hopefully I will be able to take the trail and get some scenery and maybe a local village to stay in for a night or two.

Don Det Local news, 10/13/2012

Sitting at the restaurant in Don Det I was able to overhear the owner, an Australian expat who has been living here for 10 years and another European expat (Belgian I think) living in the community discuss the local issues.  The conversation went something like this...

You know xx, he invested in a lot of money in this place nearby and has these monkeys that were going to be involved in the business.  He was going to take them there, but something happened and it fell apart.  Now he's got 6 adult monkeys.  Yea, nobday wants 6 adult monkeys, that really didnt work out for him.

I was not able to clearly hear the whole story, but from what I could make out, it sounded like an interesting problem to have. There are at least 2 foreign expats that have set up shop on the island, I believe there are a few more.  It is hard to put myself in their shoes and try and see the place how they do.  I can not imagine here as being the place could choose to disappear to.  But then maybe thats the idea.  Its a very interesting place.

The rate of construction seems to suggest its only going to grow.  A hotel owner said in a few weeks every room on the island wil be full.  Now it feels like 25-50%.  The change would be rather dramatic.  Our kayak guide yesterday said there are 900 locals on the island and during the high season (or dry season), there would be more tourists than locals.  One thing I can not understand is how they will feed everyone.  Restaurants are slow, 45min to an hour somtimes, and they only have like 2-3 tables.  If they are full, how would they serve? 3 hours for dinner?  with a curfew at 12 I think people would be going home hungry.

I am thinking about a final cycling run from here into Cambodia.  I wan to get off the bike, but I also realy want to hit 1000k first.  At least I need to take a little bragging rights with me and 1000k sounds like a nice round number to go with.  Plus the trail in northern Cambodia sounds fun and may make having a bike with me finally worth some of the hastles and extra costs.  After I think I can get it to Koh Lanta and store it at the boxing camp till I return after the race.  I think it would be nice to have my own transport if I stay for a month of boxing and diving.  But then I have decided when and where to go next?  Christmas in Australia? 3 months teaching in Cambodia?  Volunteer in an animal shelter? Farm hand?  The closer I get to school, the more thoughts of disappearing to easy South-Asian life keep popping up.

Don Det, 4,000 Islands 10/12/2012

Arrived in Don Det last night after a relatively painless local truck took us from the bus station in Pakse.  It has been a surprising that the chartered minivan travel packages and the self-arranged travel is almost always the same or close in cost.  Even with multiple people and asking about tuk-tuk costs I think all farang are still significantly over-charged for the small things like local transport.  I think if you stayed a while worked and made some local friends you could really live here cheap, as it is already pretty low cost to start with.
However, the island we are on is pretty crappy overall. Water in the river is a solid brown.  Lots of trash has been caught on the branches of the many trees that poke out of the river, or in piles on the ground waiting to be burned, or being eaten by cows.  And the sad thing is, it seems that the locals do more littering than the tourists.  Always think its the outsiders coming and destroying the place, but in this respect most of the traveleres i have met are very careful about littering, putting trash in their pockets till they can find a place to dispose of it.  On the other hand, local people throw everything out the bus window.  LIttle children rip open bags and toss them on the ground, dogs and human scanvengers rip through trash looking for something and spreading the rest around the area.  Would really like to believe that people would take better care of their homes given how easy it seems a few small changes could make a huge difference.  The tree/river shrubs are coated in plastic bags.  Hundreds of wispy fingers coming up through the water each grasping its own personal shopping bag.
Between that and the toilets down on the water, I dont think I will be doing any swimming.