Mission: Accomplished!

I'm back home, I'm in one piece, and the adventure was a huge success. I met some truely amazing people and experienced things that will stay with me well into my twilight years. Check out the map to follow my route. (Ok....so i added a few loops for effect.)

If you didn't already know, I had a couple of rules for blogging this trip:

#1: All blogging will take place from my phone (iPhone). Everything from the taking the pictures to composing the text to posting the pictures & text on the web was done entirely from my cell. Admittedly, because of Rule #1 there are some typo's that I am leaving in place for prosperity. (Let's play.... Find The Typo's!....trust me, its not hard)

#2: I will use ONLY free WiFi access points to upload posts to the blog.

Thanks to all those who followed the blog as it unfolded. It was great to have you along for the ride! Now....who wants to follow me to Machu Picchu???

Home Sweet Home

Made it back safe & sound ( the doors to the left are the entrance to
my apartment). New York welcomed me appropriately with rain, snow, and
below freezing weather. Still, its good to be home. Stay tuned for the
post-trip recap!

Homeward Bound!

Last stop from Tokyo, Casa Dave's!

Home Sweet Home

Tokyo Layover

This morning came earlier than usual, but the fight to Tokyo actually
wasn't that bad. In a couple of hours I'll be boarding for home (NYC).
How's this for a crazy day... Wake up @ 4:30 am in Bangkok, fly 6
hours to Tokyo, hang out for a couple of hours, fly another 13 hours
to NYC and land at...(Wait for it)...5:25pm on the same calendar day.

OUCH

All things considered, I'm psyched that the next bed I sleep in will
be my own.

Goodbye, Khao San Road

You make the Haight-Ashbury corner of San Francisco look like a
Republican convention, and I will always remember you for that. You
will be missed...

Goodbye, Molly's

This was among my favorite restauraunts while staying in the
Bangalampu district.

Reason 1: Molly's provides free WiFi access and has been the home base
for where I have been blogging from.

Reason 2: This is where my favorite beer, Mich Ultra (shutup Mikie),
was replaced by Sam Miguel.

Reason 3: Most of the staff seem to know me. Goodbye Molly's, you will
be missed.

Thailand: Floating Market

This is the floating market of Thailand. Among other things, I managed
to find a Sawo (a type of ancient violin), which I haven't seen since
I was in Cambodia.

Last Day of Trip!

Folks, this trip is rapidly coming to a close. I woke up early and
hired a driver to take me to the infamous Floating Market (1.5hour
trip each way + wait time for driver: 900baht= $30).

Notice the Red Bull Coffee? Yum (Gross).

Ammulet Requests Received!

Wow! I had no idea how many people were watching! You guys ROCK and a
well deserved authentic monk-blessed ammulet is coming your way.
Thanks for tuning in and covering for me while I've been Lost In Asia.

Who the hell is Jim Thompson?

This guy is (was) Thailand's most famous American. He settled here
after WW2 and fell in love with the Thai & their traditions. Within a
few years, he singlehandedly made Thai silk a chief domestic export by
founding the Jim Thompson Silk Company. To show gratitude to the Thai,
he built his home to strict traditional ancient Thai customs and
promised it to the people when he passed on. In 1967, while on holiday
in Malaysia, JT went for a walk and was never seen again. His home now
stands as a fantastic museum, dedicated to his love for the Thai people.

(Yes, I was the only one who thought the "JT" i saw everywhere somehow
stood for Justin Timberlake)

Eel Tossed!

After a few minutes of getting laughed at while trying to grab the
little slimey guy, i tossed it over with the bucket (Cheating? Maybe,
but at least I kept what was left if my dignity in tact.) My Eel Toss
Wish: Hand sanitizer....rapido.

The Eel Toss: Ancient Thai Custom

Here's the custom: Catch an Eel (10baht) from the bowl and throw it
into the river. When it hits the water, you get to make a wish! (Side
Note: These things are impossible to grab because of the slimey film
that they secrete.)

Ammulet Shopping on Phra Chan. Want one?

Phra Chan Road is an area best known as "the place" to purchase
ammulets which have been blessed by monks from the monestaries nearby.
The more charismatic the monk, the more powerful the ammulet.
Apparently, the Thai carry or wear at least one ammulet at all times
to ward off evil and bring good fortune (yes, I conducted a survey to
test this theory).

Let's play a game to see who's watching! You send me an email to say
Hi (Tell me what you've been up to while I've been away... I miss you
guys!); You get an ammulet that I'll handpick just for you.

Hack Hack Hack

I ran into these carvesmen in an alley on the way to do some serious
ammulet shopping around Phra Chan today. For those of you who don't
know, I was a bit of an artist in my day. While I haven't produced any
works in some time, I still enjoy witnessing a work-in-progress.

Bo heads for home

We stayed up late last night drinking, shopping, and reminising about
our trip. Bo bought a summer dress and changed into it on the sidewalk
of Khao San with zero "indecency exposure"...brilliant. Our hangover
(s) were inevitable, and well deserved. Goodbye Bo, you will be missed.

Back to Bangkok!

Bo & I are Bangkok bound (again). The week we've spent here together
has been amazing and I couldn't have asked for a better travel
companion. She leaves for New York tomorrow, meaning my trip enters
its final leg. She'll be missed...

Goodbye Ritchie. Goodbye Cambodia.

Ritchie (yes, I'm sure I am misspelling his name) was our driver /
guide for the duration of our stay in Cambodia. He's among the
kindest, most ambitious, hardest working people I have ever met. I
hope to stay in touch with him for years to come. Who knows...maybe
I'll find myself back in Cambodia again some day (this place left a
huge impression on me). If anyone is planning in a visit to the
region, please let me know and I'll pass along his info. This man is a
saint and he truely made our trip meaninful.

Shopping in the open market

After we got our elephant ride on, we went gift shopping. Want to know
where that amazing scarf I got you came from? See below...

Giddie Up!

The ride was surprisingly smooth! Our babygirl elephant (44 years old)
was sweet as could be. I swear she had a sense of humor while allowing
us to tag along.

Elephants!

These animals are incredible! Bo & i went back into the jungle to hang
out with them before doing a bit of gift shopping.

Last Night in Cambodia

For me, travel is meant to be educational...and I've certainly learned
a lot by coming here. What one single generation has seen from war to
expansion is truely staggering. Siem Reap is in the beginning stages
of a major boom and every Cambodian knows it. I feel privileged to
have experienced their main street when it was mostly unpaved and had
but one dim red light. Dave's prediction: Cambodia will be a rival
travel destination to Dubai within 10 years.

Ankor Wat!

One of the 7 wonders of the world. While Europe was in the Dark Ages,
these people were building monuments to withstand time.

Dave, why all the gratituous temple shots?

I know... Thanks for bearing with me. Picuees cannot possibly do these
things justice. We only saw 6 (main) temples out of over a hundred, so
I wanted to share a few. Want to see more (and tons of exciting
video)? Slideshow Party coming soon!!!

Gratituous Temple Shot 4

Bo next to the infamous "Angelina Jolie" temple. Yes, people love her
here...Yes, they really call the temple that...Yes, Tomb Raider (the
movie) changed the course of the entire nation of Cambodia.
Unbelievable....

Gratituous Temple Shot 3

Gratituous Temple Shot 2

Gratituous Temple Shot 1

Day 2 in Cambodia: Temples!

Up and showered. Lets go see some temples!

Dead Fish Cafe

This is one of the coolest restauraunts I have ever seen. It's right
on the "main strip" (a barely paved 2-laned road with only one red
right) of Siem Reap. This place is built upon dozens of levels &
platforms inside. Great live music and cultural dancing inside a huge
treehouse in Cambodia... Who could ask for more???

Floating Village

Bo & I took a boat to Cambodia's largest lake. On the way, we went
through the Floating Village. This is where many of Cambodia's poorest
citizens live. To experience this first-hand was lifechanging...an
important reminder that people as privileged as you and I have an
obligation to give back to those less fortunate.

1st day in Cambodia

I'm definately seeing things I never thought I'd see. This reminds me
of a challenge on The Amazing Race.

Cambodia Bound!

Today we leave for Siem Reap, Cambodia. No expectations & no hotel
reservations...just the way we like it.

Goodbye Ko Samet

Lung Dam Beach Bungalo: Ko Samet

This is where we've been staying for a couple of days (800baht = $23
per night). The bungalow sits right on the water. The sunrise from
the patio is unbelievable...

Bus to Ko Samet

Ok Samet is a small island (6km long) of the Thailand coast where Bo
& I have been hanging out for a couple of days. No phone, no Internet,
barely electricity or running water. To get there, we had to take a
bus, a truck, a ferry, then another truck. Commute time: 5hrs.

Grand Palace

The Grand Palace was, well...grand. This is also the site where the
King's
Sister was lying in state. Many, many Thai were there to show their
respects. At one point, we accidentally tried to enter where the
Princess was held and were told we could not enter because we were not
Thai: "She not your princess" (with a smile, of course). I understood
completely.

Wat Pho

Pictures do not do the enormity of this site justice. We did good to
get several temples in each frame.

Reclining Buddha

Amazing and huge. I shot some great video to post later to show the
scale of this thing. Behind the buddha, there's a long row of old
metal coin bowls set up. Thai tradition: Make a wish once, then drop a
coin into each bowl.

Bo's Here!

Bo arrived in Bangkok last night! We spent some time catching up
before our 1st big day in Bangkok.

End of tour

One of the last temples of the day. Biking through the remote rural
areas of Bangkok was an experience that will stay with me for a while.
Every child we passed cheered us on & gave Hi-Fives...like we were in
a triathelon. 5 hours and excitement around every turn.

Snacktime!

Met some really cool people on this bike trip. Hopefully they'll take
me up on my offer to show them around New York sometime.

1st stop on bike tour

I visited about a dozen Chinese temples today...all by bike. It was an
incredible experience. This is the 1st temple we rolled up on.

The King's Sister: RIP

The Thai love their King...and I mean LOVE. This guy is bigger than
the Beatles. When he is in mourning, so are they. His sister passed
away less than a week ago, just befire i arrived. You can see photos
of her everywhere...billboards, newspapers, streetcars, etc. This is
the only print I found that in English. Apparently she was huge into
social services. A great loss to the people of Thailand.

Urban Hike

Ran across this nice juxtaposition during my urban hike today. The
temples are, of course, sacred and polished. Some of the nearby
dwellings, however...

1st Tuk Tuk Ride

Definately not for the faint-hearted. These things do not have
searbelts (please don't tell mom).

Bangkok Chinatown

Surprisingly different from the Chinatown back home in New York, but
highly congested. Had to take a longboat to get here from Banglampu
(20baht = $.60). I felt as though i was the only westerner for miles,
which is strangely comforting.

Curbside Chess

Spent some time learning what looks like a version of chess I'd never
seen (Chinese?). I'm not sure if it is customary to play in traffic,
but I thought it best to keep a safe distance. To my surprise, white
won in 3.

Lunchtime!

Mmmmm... So good I had to take a pic first. I've been eating 5-6 meals
a day (mostly of dishes i cant pronounce). The food here is incredible.
Self Note: Spoil myself here, then hit the gym like a madman when I
get back home.

1st day in Bangkok

Hmmm... No Latin alphabet. This is going to be tricky.

Farewell, Indian Ocean.