Some have asked us why we leave our wonderful city, our lovely home and thriving business to strap on old, grubby backpacks and old, grubby clothes and go stomping off to countries that require a bit of fortitute and a completely open mind. How can we eat bugs? How can we sleep on beds that are like marble slabs, and that may or may not have coverings that may or may not be clean? How can we get where we want to go without local language or knowledge of customs, when humour must be maintained when sweaty, tired and frustrated?

The essence of life and living - survival - is tangible in places like this. Cooling one's arm at night by blowing on it, quenching one's thirst with a roadside coconut that has had its top lopped off with a machete and a makeshift bamboo straw inserted, feeling uncommonly used muscles with deep squats in local toilets and climbing trails up jungle mountains and wrapping legs around elephants to prevent falling off.

During three months we swam in waterfalls and lagoons and rivers and swimming pools and seas. We rode elephants and motorbikes and longtail boats and trains and tuk-tuks and planes. We cooked with villagers and chefs. We climbed mountains and ancient ruins. We ate roadside bad and beachside superb (and vice versa). We discussed economics with backpackers, politics with dropouts, cultures with nationals, and philosophy with illiterates, receiving insights, if not wisdom, from all.

We heard exquisite birdsong and horrendous karaoke, saw fluttering dragonflies and apsara dancers, touched velvety foliage and prickly flowers.

A bit of this wonder of the world is lost at home. Perfumes to stimulate our senses are here produced by nature rather than by companies, the colours of food here are authentic without chemical assistance, foods are easy to cook without being processed, and stress is released with conversation and time. Life is purposeful here: Lao villagers wake up every morning and do what they have always done for generations. Despite so many of the finer things in life we have at home, a lot of time is spend trying to recreate life as it is here.

The appreciation of time may be the biggest benefit of travel. It takes time to wash clothes in a river, time to mend a fishing net needed to catch tomorrow's dinner, time to travel to the next village in a rickety bus in order to sell at market, time to grow rice and care for pigs. Time is needed to (try to) communicate in a foreign tongue, to find out how to get from a to b and then to go there by whatever means are available, to find a place to sleep and food to eat. Time is a grounding force, often forgotten by us in our daily lives of commuting in cars and rapid transit, eating food prepared by others, and shopping in malls.

We thought we'd be travelling to three third world countries and a developing one - we were so wrong! But then so were all the guide books no matter how recently published. Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos are all emerging markets now - a huge change in just a few years - and we expect there will be more changes to come thick and fast, particularly in Vietnam and Cambodia where the populace is that much bigger, the recent history that much more something to work away from, and the work ethic that much greater. Vietnamese rice farmers can get three crops of rice out of their land in a year - in Laos it's just the one. Oddly enough, the country that seems to be dealing with the most bumps right now is the more westernized Thailand. Maybe having developed so much earlier means it's moving into the arena of "developed world" and so has to prove itself worthy of that moniker by sorting out holdover corruptions and rights issues and political issues- the sorts of things that are buried under the surface of basic food and shelter issues that the other three, emerging, countries must deal with first.

Like a serpent shedding its skin while maintaining its essence underneath in a newer, shinier form, we dumped all our filthy, patched clothes and shoes before boarding the plane home. Our memories have been expanded as have our viewpoints. We were lucky - unscathed. Our only casualties included one earring (lost when taking a snorkel mask off) and a watch (corroded by years of sweat and humidity). We are grateful not to have fallen ill (although an ear infection prevented prime swimming and snorkelling).

Travel answers questions and poses new ones. Some are bigger than others. The big questions are more obvious perhaps, but the small ones are no less compelling. Why, for example, is everyone in southeast Asia inordinately fond of spot welding? We saw it everywhere, almost daily. On the street, in shops, over our heads, near water, near children, near fuel. We had to step over it, around it and through it - spot welding was like the answer to every's one's spare five minutes.

We feel a little bit closer to humanity from this trip, as we do after all others. Appreciative of the generosity of those who can ill afford to be generous to strangers. Of the genuine interest shown in where we are from, what our lives are like and if we are happy in their country - are we so engaging to travellers in our own country? People are people everywhere - with the same needs and wants, the same family and financial stresses, the same wonder and pride placed in avenues that may be misguided to an outsider - are we any different?

Thanks to everyone who read the blog, posted comments and sent emails. You, our family and friends, are the reasons why we enjoy coming back home again nearly as much as travelling.

thoughts on Thailand

Before writing a summary of the trip (which takes a while being back at home to settle the mental dust), Thailand needs to be reckoned with.

It was the right country with which to finish; much further developed for tourism - almost cyncial in fact - with beautiful beaches and easy transport options. There are vestiges everywhere of being a more well-to-do country. Decorative street lights (or street lights at all for that matter), School children in clean, brightly coloured uniforms on class trips to cultural spots, Community bike rentals (something we don't even have yet!) ,

and an appreciation of the traditional even in modern convenience, such as space allocated for monks on the metro and Bangkok river boats.

The Thais are extremely proud of their country, despite recognizing considerable problems (border clashes with Cambodia over disputed temple territory, clashes with militant Muslim factions in the south, political instability, the usual Asian financial corruption issues, human and animal rights issues, etc.). We were always being asked - how long have you been in our country? how many times have you been to our country? will you come back next year? what do you think of Thailand?

Another thing Thais love is their King. Queen too, but mostly King. Usually, when one sees large billboards of a leader posted over every street in every village and town, or photos of same in every building and business no matter how small, one imagines it to be a dictatorial country with a megalomaniac leader. No so here. The King has no real political influence (other than a personal influence over the populace) but he is revered by every single citizen in such a way as tears are brought to the eyes when people talk about him. It's quite remarkable. Everyone stops for the national anthem, which is played on loudspeakers at various times throughout the day in every town.

Of course the thing we will remember most about Thailand is the food! But there is also the variety of landscapes, and the gentle friendliness of the people. Everyone does the wai to strangers, and it's a lovely gesture. The wai is the Thai greeting, indicated by pressing your palms together near your chest and bowing. It plays a very important part in showing respect and is central to Thai etiquette. Even Ronald McDonald does it!

We loved the brightly coloured buses and were both amused and sobered by signage:

Thailand also brought about the return of the birds. That may sound weird, but we saw very little evidence of birds in the other three countries (except for the bountiful array of chickens and roosters). We put it down to the fact that most living things there need to be lunch. But in Thailand, we saw sea eagles in the south, wrens in the north, the pristine and delicate white storks that we haven't seen since Vietnam in central fields, and a sort of flashy and striking magpie everywhere.

The flowers and mutli-coloured foliage was gorgeous, and it was a treat to see plants being grown for pure beauty again, not only for sustenance. The Thais also seem to be rather fond of topiary, as many boulevards and parks and hotel grounds are full of animal and bird caricatures made of green shrubs, or of flowering vines trained over a wire form. Most remarkable were huge bourgainvilia elephants (behind Jenny) and a flock of flying birds - the most head scratching were all the reindeer - why reindeer we wondered and why so many of them? (one of them here under King)

Being the larger and more advanced country in the region, Thailand comes off to the other Southeast Asia countries as a bit of an economic bully. Resources from it and neighbouring countries, as diverse as nuts and gems, are gathered in a sort of cartel Thailand manages on the world stage. There is no doubt some envy here - Thailand managed to avoid colonialisation, but not without cost, as it had to give up lands to other countries to avoid being swallowed up itself. But it meant that westernization came earlier and with that came a bit of geographic arrogance. It's the same the world over - the largest (geographically if not economically) country in any given region is the one that inevitably calls the shots in many aspects, for both the benefit and detriment of its neighbours.

Back Home Safe and Sound

We made it back home leaving Bangkok on Jan 29 at 7pm and arriving in Vancouver on Jan 29 at 8pm yet somehow the flight felt like 18 hours and not 1 hour.

We were met by Jim and Bea who spirited us back to Touchwood with a bag of breakfast goodies. The house was fine in our absence thanks to having been looked after by Adrienne, Eric and Tracy.

The first few days back are all about getting equilibrium back and opening all the post. Jetlag has us in its grip as we are sleeping deeply for 4-6 hour stretches and then wide awake at 4am.

To balance out the memories of 30 deg sunny beaches we are going snowshoeing this friday and to maintain the sense that we are still on holiday even though we are at home. Canada is just another country on our neverending round the world tour.

Bangkok - final stop

"One Night in Bangkok and the World's Your Oyster..."

as the song says and we definitely feel as polished as pearls. Amazing what staying in a clean hotel with all sorts of amenties does.

To get here we had a choice - travel by taxi (expensive) or by minibus with other travellers (cramped and chaotic) or by local bus (cheap). We went for the local bus, which was on time (the train was another option, always cheap, but also always late). So instead of $60US (taxi) we paid $4, and got here in good time to see what all the fuss was about.

Yeah traffic is snarly, but not impossible (we still have muscle memory from living and driving in London, by which everything else is compared). Yeah, it's a big, noisy, smelly, dirty city, but it works (on its own terms) and we like it.

We went to Chatachak market - a wild array of stalls that goes on for several miles, where we got the last of our shopping done - and the best bit about everywhere in Thailand - there are massage stalls! We got our tired feet and shoulders worked on for 45 minutes for 200Baht (about $6US). Why doesn't Granville Island have something like that?

We saw the big malls, but weren't really in the mood, although we wereready for a bit of bling shopping! Chinese New Year meant madness but lots of fun too - as shoppers went crazy for the sales and special events and big lavish meals were on offere everywhere. Bangkok's Chinatown could be the world's biggest, and is certainly one of the most intriguing with smoky dark lanes leading to food stalls and shops filled with all sorts of brightly coloured, glittery drek, lanterns and banners and bits of spent fireworks everywhere. Down by the river, you could imagine a not too distant history of opium dens and gangs.

Wat Pho with its enormous reclining buddha and the Grand Palace with its Emerald buddha are suitably impressive, and just walking the streets by the amulet market, and notorious Khaosan road (whuich was really rather tame and fun - a representative of countless backpackers' haunts we have encountered to now). On the other side of the scale was Jim Thompson's House. Perhaps it was his training in architecture, but the guy sure had taste - it was a beautiful collection of several old Thai houses brought to this site by the khlong (canal) and tranformed into one sprawling house. He is most famous for reinvigorating the Thai silk industry pretty well singlehandedly, and for his mysterious disappearance in Malaysia in 1967.

But we will most fondly remember Bangkok for the time we had in the hotel, 5 nights being a huge length of time. We'd start the day with a swim in the gorgeous pool surrounded by flowers snd trees and birsong - 10 floors up - or a run around the local park in order to take full advantage of a marvelous breakfast buffet which became our one meal of the day. We'd be back from wherever at about 4 or 5 to take another dip in the pool, or visit the fitness room, and veg out in front of the news eating fruit and drinking from the hordes of bottled water that were replaced throughout the day. Complimentary cocktails began at 6, and we would choose not only the cocktail du jour but also the outfit we'd parade and the forum in which to imbibe, as there were four locations: the pool deck, the lobby bar, the library and the nightclub.

Martin at the library

Jenny in the nightclub

At 8 or so, we'd go into the business centre to check on email, update the blog, or check on how the world is doing without us (terribly it would appear - time for us to rejoin it I suppose!). Then reading or a movie before bed.

There is a certain rhythm in this sort of travel that is different than the rhythm of our other travel, and it's been a very pleasant and welcome change.

We learned there is a term for people like us - flashpackers. Flashpackers are those who backpack becuase they choose to, but who are able to move up at will or opportunity. We like to think we put the 'flash' in the word 'flashpacker', but suspect we are pretty much of a type and are ok with that.

Heading out to the airport soon, and our 18 hours of air travel to go. The blog is not finished - we'll contemplate the trip and add a codicil from home - that source of perspective on the outside world, just as travelling in the outside world provides perspective on home.

So, to end with another favourite song (of Jennifer's - Martin professes never to have heard of it because it's "before his time", but Jennifer suspects he just hasn't been listening): "The two of us wearing raincoats, standing so low, in the sun...on our way back home,

We're on our way home,

We're going home..."

Regularity Report: Bangkok Bonanza

The days are winding down before we hit home and we have said goodbye to backpacker grot and hello to fancypants hotels. The best things about the fancypants hotels: the breakfast buffet.

Here's a sample of what I managed to imbibe this morning which managed to integrate, Japan, China, Pacific NW, England and Newfoundland:

Course #1: Mango and yoghourt (started slow to ease in to the big guns)
Course #2: Japanese Grilled Fish aka Salmon
Course #3: Smoked salmon, cream cheese and wheat croissant
Course #4: Grilled to order steak, fried potatoes, lettuce for garnish
Course #5: bacon, baked beans and fried bologna
Course #6: Shrimp dim sum, grilled halibut, marinated mushrooms and tomatoes
Course #7: Fruit and cheese

YUM - the plan is to eat a huge meal in the morning that sets us up for the day and gets us to cocktail hour which start flowing at 6pm.

Given all this you would expect us to have put on 100lbs but no we have both lost at least 10 lbs. I now have ribcage again and everything is riding very low due to lack of belly fat (yay scummy backpacking, walking everywhere and eating only when hungry not to mention the fantastic asian healthy diet that eliminates dairy and downplays the meat and fat. Desserts and puddings are fairly non existent too.)

Almost the last regularity report of the trip. Still potty about the potty. Already planning what to have for breakfast tomorrow

Bridge On the River Kwai

Three hours west of Bangkok, close to the border with Myanmar, is the Thailand-Burma railway built by the Japanese during their occupation of Thailand during the 1940s. Built to eliminate the need for resources to travel by ship from Burma to Thailand, the railway is better known as the Death Railway due to the vast numbers of Thai, British, Australian, Dutch and US prisoners of war who died building it.

The famous David Lean film (The Bridge on the River Kwai) depicts the horrors of building one of the bridges. Although it was bombed during the war, the bridge was rebuilt soon after and now is a major tourist attraction near the town of Kanchanaburi.

We spent a couple of days visiting the bridge - travelling for 2 hours along the only remaining part of the railway along with several hundred Thai school children. A good local museum filled in all the blanks and the war cemetary proved a fitting tribute to the thousands that died.

One night we ate on a floating restaurant and watched with both amusement and horror as other restaurants went by towed rather quickly by small boats. The restaurants are like small houses and the speed with which they whipped by us and turned corners was staggering.

Beach Time #3 - Hua Hin

Resort - Sofitel Centara Hua Hin

Included - Breakfast, three pools, petanque, classes, gardens, large bathroom, balcony, bottled water

A boat, a minibus and an overnight train (a sleeper - very "Some Like it Hot") were all required to return northwards to the original Thai beach resort town of Hua Hin. We really splashed out here to stay in the 1920s Railway resort (now owned by Sofitel), which is a series of long two storeyed buildings of rooms that face onto lovely gardens and pools. We walked onto the ground with our backpacks at 6:30am, but were lucky that there is an worldwide economic crisis as there was a room ready for us, so we could have showers, a cup of coffee on our balcony and tour the grounds all before a massive buffet breakfast was served.

We swam, lounged, read, ate breakfast that consisted of all things from dim sum to french toast, congee to meusli, and omelet to sushi, then had high tea (which looked wonderful but which really wasn't all that satisfying, - I have to say I'm a damned fine baker), walked the beach, took a yoga class and a thai massage class, and danced the night away in the resident nightclub where we were the main core of audience. Needless to say the band (a really tight group from the Phillipines who would perform practically everything) thought we were great and took our photos and dedicated songs to us - we felt like VIPs.