We are home now. This last post is a list of highlights for anyone interested in exploring Southeast Asia. The tips we received from our friends before our trip were invaluable. This was a spectacular life-changing trip.
Countries visited: Six
Favorite town: Luang Prabang, Laos
Favorite countries: Laos and Indonesia
Friendliest people: Laotians
Favorite activities: Kayaking on Halong Bay (Vietnam)
Riding Elephants (Laos)
River Safari on the Kinabatangan (Borneo)
Exploring the Temples of Angkor (Cambodia)
Hanging out in Ubud (Bali)
Best food: Ubud (Bali)
Chiang Mai (Thailand)
Best massage: Fah Lanna (Chiang Mai)
Least favorite phrase: “You buy something mister”
Things we loved: Taxi drivers who turn your map upside down to try and figure out where you want to go
Watching people carry anything and everything on their scooters
Smiling strangers who befriended us for the day
High-fiving with schoolchildren on our travels
Average hotel cost: $45
Cheapest hotel room: $9 with free wifi (Luang Nam Tha, Laos)
Cheapest meal: $0.60 for two (Borneo)
Number of meltdowns: Just one (Chris lost his $#&^ in Kuala Lumpur airport when we couldn’t get a hotel late at night. Classic.)
Total hours travelled: 180 hours - about 1 week
Total cost: $12,000 for two people to travel two months (This cost could vary greatly. We traveled in the midrange.) We’d like to thank the following Southeast Asia travelers for taking the time to share their experiences and travel tips with us before we left. - Steve Hoffman - Lyssa Grimaldo - Theresa & Bryan Talany - Mark Keleher - Rich Hogan
Lombok was our last stop (an island east of Bali). We splashed out and stayed at the Shearton in Sengiggi (thanks Ann!). We can’t really tell you much about the island or the culture because we spent the entire four days by the pool and beach, although we did stumble upon some local stick fighting. It was a great way to finish!
The ‘Big Durian’ is one of the world’s greatest megalopolises with relentless urban sprawl (exceeds 20 million people). This mammoth city certainly isn’t a primary tourist destination. Our reason for visiting was to meet with potential factories to partner with HEROIC. Many big companies (Nike, adidas, Toyota, etc.) are moving more of their manufacturing down to Indonesia because China’s labor costs are increasing and Vietnam lacks the infrastructure. Since Indonesia is possibly the last country in Asia to have low labor costs, I asked our contact where everybody will go when Indonesian costs start rising. He said Africa. Our contact in Jakarta took great care of us. We spent two long days touring factories, meeting people and learning about the sneaker making process. It was extremely educational and fun. This factory group is a great fit for HEROIC and will most likely be who we partner with moving forward. The group we met with in Vietnam was just too large and worked mostly with Nike. We will begin working on samples immediately and they will be done in 6-7 weeks. Once the samples are finalized, lead times to produce can be 90 - 160 days. When the production starts, this factory can produce 500 pairs per day. Then it takes about one month to ship back to the states. So if all goes well, we should be selling our kicks around Christmas. We are still looking to raise or borrow a little more money so if anybody has ideas or leads, please contact us. Attached are a few random pics I was able to take with my phone: • The pic of the sharks was in the lobby of our factory’s office. • The sandal pic shows Direct Injection molding. The molds are made much smaller than the finished size. Look at the size of the mold compared to the product. This is how Crocs are made. When the molds are opened, the sandals pop like popcorn to the full size.
Indonesia is the last country of our trip, so we decided to just relax and explore. We spent a week in Ubud, on the island of Bali, and had a spectacular time. Did you know that over 2 million people a year visit the little island of Bali?! Most mornings consisted of a run through the rice terraces surrounding town. The further along the paths we got, the better the experience - we watched people working in the fields in the early morning sunshine, rice in all stages of growth and long lines of women working together, piling huge mounds of dirt into containers and then hoisting them on their heads for a long hike back through the fields. In the town of Ubud itself, we visited Monkey Forest Sanctuary, home to three holy temples and countless long-tailed macaques. These little creatures are so used to humans that you can get uncomfortably close to them. We also saw a Balinese dance at the Ubud Water Palace.
The food was downright fabulous. There were loads of ‘healthy’ cafes, allowing us to get our fill of wheatgrass, veggie delights and cashew cream desserts. Oh and we can’t forget the amazing Mexican food we found - we were craving fresh burritos and tacos so badly and there were several restaurants that hit the spot :o) Renting a scooter again came in very handy, giving us lots of freedom to roam. One eventful day trip entailed following a hand-drawn map for 18 kms to Gunung Kawi, a group of stone shrines cut into cliffs on either side of the Pakrisan River Valley. We became experts at pronouncing Gunung Kawi, as we literally had to ask for directions 15 times, usually getting people pointing in all sorts of opposite directions (there are no street signs!). The 1,000 year-old stone carvings are at least 25 feet high, cut into a sheer cliff face.
For a little more extensive exploring, we took a jeep to the northern beach town of Lovina, driving up and around one of the smaller volcanoes on the island. On our way back we got a great taste of the Balinese culture as we weaved through tiny villages along some very rough roads. Our ultimate destination was near the town of Jatiluwih - vistas of centuries-old rice terraces that are beyond green. These terraces have been nominated for Unesco status and we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get out and go for a rice-field walk. Most of the fields were chest-high and greener than you can imagine (these photos don’t do them justice, but you get the idea).
They call Sabah, Borneo ‘The World’s Largest Theme Park’. It’s an island covered with impenetrable jungle, an ark’s worth of animals, sweltering temperatures around 40 degrees celsius, mighty Mt. Kinabalu (around 14,000 feet) and the world’s best diving spots. Much of the Planet Earth series was filmed in Borneo including the part where the poor cameraman had to wade through thick steaming mounds of bat crap in the Mulu caves. The caves are stuffed with armies of alien insects and over two million bats. For an hour and a half every evening, an endless stream of bats emerges from the cave in search of insects. The area we explored is in the Malaysian region of Sabah. It’s not the easiest to get around the island, so we focused our time in one area, visiting the Sepilok Orang-Utan Rehabilitation Centre, the Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary and going on a three-day river safari. The orang-utan, found only in Borneo and Sumatra, is one of the most endangered wildlife species. This center was set up in 1964 as a means of housing injured or orphaned orang-utans, caring for them and nursing them back to health before being released into the wild. We observed these animals during one of their feeding times and were well entertained for at least an hour. A dominant male swung down into a tree and then onto the rail of the viewing platform, walking only two feet in front of Chris!
Next we lodged along the Sungai Kinabatangan river in Sukau for a river safari. Our guide Azies, a cross between Crocodile Dundee and a pirate, was incredible. He knew everything about the animals and plants in the jungle and was so enthusiastic about teaching us. Every morning and evening we ventured out on the river hoping to catch glimpses of animals. Because the area was flooded, he also took us down tributaries, hacking away branches and weaving through trees. We saw snakes, long-tailed macaque monkeys, proboscis monkeys, rhinoceros hornbills and many other birds. The two animals we didn’t see were elephants and leopards. However, it took Azies 17 years to see his first leopard so the odds were against us.
Our jungle trek was the highlight of Borneo because we encountered a wild dominant male orang-utan. We passed right underneath without seeing him. Threatened, he started flying down the tree wildly shaking the branches and screaming. A few of us fled for our lives, including our guide! It was just a warning though and we returned to watch him. There is nothing like seeing animals in the wild.
Our night trek was also intense, and a bit creepy (no hesitation whatsoever when given the option to purchase leech socks). I made Chris jump three feet in the air when I got my boot stuck on a vine on the ground, shaking the bush next to him. Luckily no leeches got a hold of us, but we encountered a huge and highly poisonous centipede, an earth worm at least two feet long and the most captivating little bird, half red, half blue, sleeping in a puffy ball on a branch. We wrapped up our adventures with a visit to the Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary. For those of you that have never seen a picture of these monkeys, get ready. The proboscis is found only on Borneo and is the most fascinating monkey. At first glance, the huge-nosed males are not the most attractive. From behind they look like they are wearing a bomber jacket and tights. However, after watching their athleticism and fun personalities, they quickly became our favorite monkey. We had a very close look at one of the young females, as she posed and paraded in front of us, eating her food and staring at us.
Enjoy the photos :o) We loved our time in Sabah.
We decided to trek to Cambodia to see the eighth wonder of the world. Just outside of Siem Reap lie the temples of Angkor, including the more famously known Angkor Wat - a source of fierce national pride for the Khmer people. These temples were built during the Angkorian era, which lasted from AD 802 to 1432. Beginning with Jayavarman II, who proclaimed himself a devaraja (god-king), monarch after monarch waged wars for territorial expansion and commissioned temples. We spent three days touring the temples, starting with the Grand Circuit via bike on the first day. Preah Khan, one of the largest complexes at Angkor, once housed more than 1,000 teachers and may have been a Buddhist university. The temple itself is a cruciform of vaulted corridors with piles of stones at every turn. Next was Preah Neak Pean, a petite temple with a large square pool and circular island in the middle. We visited Ta Som and finished the day climbing the steep steps of Pre Rup and watching the sunset.
We opted for a tuk-tuk ride on the second day to visit the more distant Banteay Srei. A Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva, this temple is considered to be the jewel in the crown of Angkorian art. Not only is it one of the oldest temples, begun in AD 967, it has some of the most well preserved and finest stone carving anywhere on earth. We returned to visit Ta Prohm, which looks the way most Angkor monuments did when they were rediscovered by European explorers.The power of the jungle is demonstrated by the walls crumbling under dozens of massive and ancient trees. Giant roots stretch out everywhere and many of the corridors are impassable. Apparently this was used as a set for the movies Tomb Raider and Two Brothers, although it felt more like Indiana Jones. This was our favorite temple.
The final day we decided to subject ourselves to the ridiculous heat and ventured out on our bikes again. Angkor Wat is the largest religious structure in the world and the Khmers’ national symbol. It has been in virtually continuous use since it was built in 1113-50 by Suryavarman II. Angkor Wat is surrounded by a moat that forms a rectangle 1.5km by 1.3km. The most impressive work in the temple (in our opinion) is an 800m-long series of stone carvings in the east gallery. The most fascinating scene is the Churning of the Ocean of Milk, in which gods and devils, holding up opposite ends of a huge serpent, churn up the sea to extract the elixir of immortality. We finished the day at Angkor Thom, a fortified city 10 sq km in size, which they say perhaps had a population of one million. There are 20m-high gates at each of the entrances, with 54 gods and 54 demons lining each causeway. The Bayon, which is the temple in Angkor Thom, has 54 gothic towers decorated on all four sides with enormous smiling faces of Avalokiteshvara. (that’s 216 faces!)
Our day and a half in Bangkok included the following: skyscrapers and more skyscrapers, pollution, masses of people everywhere, very handy sky train, shops and markets, some neat museums, water wars, a great antiques shopping mall and ferry rides on the river. It was a quick stop, but plenty of time to get a feel for this intense city. The highlights were visiting Jim Thompson’s house and having dinner overlooking the river at the Oriental Hotel. Jim Thompson was an American entrepreneur who successfully promoted Thai silk to Western markets. He loved the Thai people and culture and had components of six traditional Thai houses combined for his residence along one of the canals in Bangkok. He mysteriously disappeared in 1967 in Malaysia’s Cameron Highlands at the age of 61. His nephew established the Jim Thompson foundation, allowing the public to view the house and superb collection of Thai art and furnishings. Another highlight was visiting an antique shopping center that was more like a museum. You could buy things like a full Samurai outfit, ancient swords and statues, etc. We almost purchased an antique map of Southeast Asia from the 1700’s, but we resisted. The unenjoyable aspects were the gobs of people and exposure to the huge sex-tourism industry. We were both saddened and shocked by how many Western men we saw with young Thai women and men. The Atlanta hotel, where we dined one evening, had a full page at the beginning of their menu explaining why they refused to allow any sex tourists to eat at the restaurant or stay at the hotel. They’ve taken a strong stance against people taking advantage of impoverished Thai people, and we were happy to support them. Next stop Siem Reap, Cambodia.
We had some idea what we were getting into by arriving in Chiang Mai, Thailand right before the Thai New Year. But this city goes crazy with the water throwing celebrations and we were caught in the cross fire of many early celebrations! Symbolically, the dousings are meant to ring in the New Year by washing away bad luck. Songkran is also a time for good deeds and many Thais pay alms to the needy and donate food to monks. A couple of young girls got me square in the back with a super soaker as I was walking by :o) That was innocent enough, but when we tried to sneak down a side street on our scooter, Chris had a whole bucket full of water thrown in his face - it was unavoidable because either side of the street was lined with enthusiastic people with water guns and buckets just waiting for the next victim. And then when we were stopped at a really really long traffic light on one of the bridges, water sprinklers were unleashed on all the scooter riders, drenching us from head to toe. It felt pretty great though because it’s been quite hot! We stayed in the old part of town, surrounded by a moat and crumbling wall that was erected 700 years ago to defend against Burmese invaders. It was relatively quiet inside the walls because the streets are too narrow for multiple vehicles. Taking advantage of this fact, we went running one night, zig zagging all through the streets past numerous glittering wats. We were also grateful to find a couple of “healthy” cafes that served wheat grass, broccoli and fantastic coconut smoothies. I’ll admit that we also found Snickers at 7-11, which was a welcome treat. Since this was our first stop in Thailand, it was only fitting that we got a Thai massage - the best we’ve ever had (Lyssa you were right!). In fact, the following day we returned for a two-hour massage . . . it would be a crime not to when they’re $5/hour! So, we relaxed, ate great food and enjoyed touring the city, which is what we needed before heading to Bangkok.
Laos is the Costa Rica of the East. Known as the Land of a Million Elephants, the country has the smallest population in Southeast Asia (6 million) with more monks than tourists. Laos has the least altered environment in South East Asia with pristine forests, mountains and rivers home to wild elephants, jackals, bears, leopards, tigers and rare Irrawaddy dolphins. The culture is laid back, especially compared to its neighbors Vietnam and Thailand. This was a welcome treat coming from Vietnam.
We only planned on staying three days in the country but ending up staying almost two weeks. There is so much more to do here including a 7km cave that you can take a long tail boat through. There is the Gibbon experience, where you stay in remote tree houses and zip-line around the canopy looking for Gibbons (This was sold out unfortunately).
Apparently Laos has become the darling of glossy editorials with the emergence of fancy hotels (The Aman group had a resort in Luang Prabang for $800 per night). Now really is the best time to visit, before mystical Laos inevitably slips into the 21st century.
From Luang Prabang, we headed north to the town of Nam Tha. Located near China, ecotourism in Laos was pioneered here in the early 90s. It is now known for amazing trekking opportunities into the Nam Ha jungle, home to the clouded leopard, gaur, monkey, tiger and elephant. Unfortunately, we didn't see any. The journey took 10 hours to go 200k. To say the road was "bumpy" would be very kind. And to say our driver was good would also be very kind. You quickly learn that traveling in Laos is a test of endurance, but well worth it. The best part of Nam Tha for us was not the trekking, but meeting interesting people. We met an Australian who bought a motorcycle in Hanoi and was driving it around Southeast Asia. He planned on selling it at the end of his trip. On the way into town, we passed a British banker who quit his wealthy job and started walking around the world. He is 15 months into his journey. Apparently, BBC did a story on him and it was fun to see him on some random road in Laos. We learned of a couple who bought a Land Rover for their honeymoon and drove from England to South Africa and a Norwegian couple who sold their apartment and were traveling around the world. However, the highlight was meeting Tu, a 15 year old kid from the Hmong tribe. On a motorbike drive through the Nam Ha jungle we passed a bridge where all the local kids where jumping in and swimming. We stopped for awhile and in his broken English Tu invited us back to his village. He proudly escorted us home on his bike, where we met his family and sat outside talking with him for hours. Much of the conversation included English lessons and basic questions. He loves to learn and was studying English and physics (he made fun of me for only speaking one language - he speaks four). He also tested Maria with some math equations when he found out she likes math too. Tu wants to study Chinese, but his family is too poor and he can't take the language classes he wants to. His enthusiasm and thirst for knowledge were refreshing and sad at the same time, because his opportunities are so limited. Tu is a really special kid and left a lasting impression on both Maria and I. As we were leaving, he said that he hopes that we meet again some day. We hope so also. From Nam Tha, we were hoping to get to the Thai border by taking a two day river trip on an open long boat through truly remote territory. However, the river was too low and we had to hop back on a bus for a 13 hour trip to Chiang Mai.
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