Day 194 - Florence to Rome

Not a very exciting day today, but basically a transportation and "getting situated" type of day, which usually gets me very lazy and/or sleepy when I arrive at the next city.

I took an afternoon train from Florence to Rome, which took about 3.5 hours. It gave me ample time to read since the train didn't stop and go as much as some of the other trains, even though I picked one of the cheapest tickets and trains I could find.

Booked one of the same hostels I booked in Rome when I was first here with my cousin and just relaxed in the room most of the afternoon before searching for dinner. I ended up having Chinese food since I craved it, and it's nice to be around my peoples once in a while. You can always find a Chinese restaurant anywhere in the world!

Firenze Rifredi Stazione

Day 191 - The Leaning Tower of Pisa and Lucca

I took a quick day trip out to the cities of Pisa and Lucca today to get in some other Tuscan sites while staying in Florence. Many people told me that Pisa could be done in half a day, so I added Lucca to the schedule since it was only another 45 minutes away from Pisa by train, and I could take a direct train back to Florence.

Arriving in Pisa, I went directly to the campanile, or more famously known as the leaning tower. Again, like Michelangelo's David statue, you really have to be here to see how incredible and strange it is stand in front of a tower that is leaning noticeably far from vertical. The leaning towers I saw in Bologna about a week ago were nothing close to being as extreme as this tower.

The construction of the tower began in  1173, but interrupted numerous times throughout the years. The first 4 galleries were first constructed, and then the next 3 afterwards. The tower started leaning due to environmental conditions (shifting soil, rainfall) as well as decay of the materials used to build the structure. Efforts were made to bring the tower to a safer position through biased weighting, soil drilling, and restoration of the structure itself. By 1998, it was deemed safe to visit, but is only limited to 30 people at a time.

I opted to just take pictures next to the tower like the rest of the tourist around, thinking of fun and creative ways to stand near it. Some people stood next to it like they were pushing it to the side, some pretended to position it like it was phallic, but I decided I would karate kick like I kicked it into it's current position. It took a number of tries, but I got one picture that was close to being perfect.

It was in the afternoon when I decided it was time to head to Lucca. The sun sets early in the Winter and I wanted to catch the city while it was still daytime. The city is located behind 12-meter high Renaissance Walls which are now tree-lined and very green. Locals used the perimeter to jog and exercise or just take a stroll at night. Again, the area perfectly showed the changing seasons from summer to winter. The leaves were all changing colors and the sunset was a mix of hues of oranges, pinks, and yellows.

Visiting two cities didn't leave too much time to explore either of the cities, but I took an hour to just walk around the small streets in Lucca, lined with shops and restaurants, before heading back by train to Florence.

Pisa

The Walls of the city of Lucca

Lucca Sunset

Day 179 - Rome to Venice

We took an afternoon high speed train from Rome to Venice, which took about 4-5 hours. The trains were going fast, as I felt my ears pop constantly from the room air pressure, especially when we went inside tunnels. We only stopped at about 4-5 different big cities, including Florence and Bologna before arriving at the city of canals, narrow alleys, and zero automobile traffic.

They say everyone gets lost when they arrive in Venice, and I immediately understood when we tried to follow written directions to get to our hotel. We had to take a Vaporetto to the Rialto Bridge, which was easy enough to follow, but once got off the boat, we were lost in the many plazas and small alleyways. After numerous stops to ask directions for help (from people much more friendly than in Rome), we finally made it to the hotel. 

We explored the city a little at night, where we headed back to the Rialto bridge to admire the night lights, boats, gondolas, and restaurants lined along the Grand Canal. There was an Occupy Venice protest, similar to the Wall Street protests that was being held outside of one of the major banks of Italy. People pitched tents to spend the night there. It was a peaceful protest, with a majority of the messages written on cardboard and placed around the plazas and tents. It's great to see that this is happening not just in Wall Street, and not just in the USA, but globally.

The View of Venice from the Rialto Bridge

Termini Stazione in Rome

Occupy Venice Movement

Day 106 - Bangkok to Ayutthaya

I headed back to Ayutthaya for a second time because I loved the city the first time around. There's so much freedom to explore the city on your own terms. Again, we took the commuter train there for only 15 baht each. Since I already had somewhat of an idea of how far the guest house would be and how to get there, I had much more negotiation power with the tuk-tuk drivers, instead of having to walk in the heat like my first time in the city.

We rented bikes from the guest house and explored some of the Wats in the city again, including the mavelous Wat Phra Si Sanphet, which was in need of some major restoration. There were signs all around telling us not to climb certain areas of the temple grounds. After dusk, the lights went on, and there was an eerie feeling around the temples as they glowed in the light. Stray dogs roamed around and the winds and clouds came, signalling the coming of the rains.

We rode our bikes back to the guesthouse, but stumbled upon a street night market, where we got some of the best Thai food that I'd had so far. We managed to order all the food to go, but right when we were about to retreat, the rains came and we were stuck at the market, eating our dinner under the tarps that shielded us. Luckily, the restaurant owner allowed us to eat the food we bought from other street vendors... Of course, we ordered some beer and another plate from them. 

Hualomphong Train Station

Wat Phra Si Sanphet

Day 102 - Meeting an Old College Friend in Bangkok

The train arrived at the Hualomphong Station in Bangkok at around 11am and I waited there to meet up with an old college friend who I hadn't spoken to since we graduated from UCLA! She got in touch with me after seeing my blogposts and was planning her own trip around southeast Asia, starting in Bangkok. We were lucky to catch each other since she just started her trip a couple days before my arrival.

We spent most of the afternoon chatting and catching up over lunch and tea, reminiscing on the good days in undergrad, when we had a couple of economics classes together and shared mutual friends. She had just graduated from Yale Law, where she received her Juris Doctorate and finished the California Bar Exam, waiting for her results and starting her career in Los Angeles as a lawyer in October. All sorts of exhausted, she needed a break and made the choice to travel southeast Asia for the short time she had before starting her career. We talked relationships, romance, UCLA life, law school experiences, and my experiences travelling so far. I gave her some advice on some of the routes to take, and encouraged her to go to Vietnam, despite what other people had told her! I wished we could travel together some more, but she was headed to Chiang Mai tonight, and I was headed to India in about a week.

After saying our goodbyes, I checked into my hotel and headed to the airport to pick up my friend from the Philippines, who I'd be travelling with for another week in Bangkok.

Carel and Me

Day 101 - Overnight Train to Bangkok

I booked an overnight sleeper train from Butterworth (Penang) to Bangkok. The entire journey would take around 21 hours, due mostly to the long stops at each station heading north.

I was awoken at night in the hostel to firecrackers, probably signaling the start of Aidilfitri for the Muslim community in the city.

In the morning, I took a ferry across the island of Penang to Butterworth. The ferry took around 10 minutes and was free for people leaving the island. You only have to pay when you take the ferry in the other direction.

There was very little activity across Malaysia due to the holiday. When I boarded the train at around 2PM, I was told that we wouldn't be able to find any food until we reached Thailand around 7PM since most of the restarants were closed and the food vendors were probably celebrating the holiday.

The train was not very clean, but I liked the way it was easily converted from seats during the day to wide (the bottom bed) and comfortable beds at night! It was a fun experience to sleep on the train, while the movement rocked me to sleep

Butterworth Train Station

Ferry from Georgetown to Butterworth

My train to Bangkok

Cozy Sleepers

Day 79 – Trains, Pickups, and Motorbikes

Getting out of Kyaukme proved to be more difficult and take longer than expected! We spent the entire day on various modes of transportation to get back to Mandalay. First off, the trains rarely leave as planned. We waited at the train station for over an hour before the train arrived. We left 1 hour and 20 minutes behind schedule. When we arrived in Pyin Oo Lwin, we decided to take a taxi back to Mandalay as it would cut our travel time by 4 hours (compared to staying on the train). There were not share-taxis available that late in the day, so we had to find a pickup truck to take us back to Mandalay with the rest of the locals. That took an additional 2.5 hours, and finally, when we reached Mandalay, we had to take a motorbike to get to our guesthouse. By that time, it was already 9pm and I was famished. All I could do was think about getting food... All day sitting on my ass and eating. Nothing really exciting to report, except that we made it out of Kyaukme safely!

Kyaukme Train Station

Gokteik Gorge

Day 78 - Shan and Myanmar Army Fighting in Kyaukme

I had the intention of heading to Hsipaw by train but met a couple of people from New Zealand who were headed to a town an hour away from my destination called Kyaukme. They told me wonderful stories about their hikes in Myanmar and were headed to this city to do some more hikes. I decided to join them since I think I'd probably be the only tourist in Hsipaw.

We took a 5 hour ride on the train, which provided lush views of the countryside, sometimes going at a snails pace, and sometimes going at faster speeds. One of the best parts of the trip was traveling on the Gokteik Viaduct, which was built in 1901 by the Pennsylvania Steel Company to get the train across the Gokteik Gorge. The viaduct was 318 feet high, and 2257 ft across (the second highest in the world at the time it was built), and the train runs at a slow enough speed to ensure that there isn't any undue stress on the railroad. Rumor has it that the insurance on the railroad expired about 50 years ago and very little maintenance has been done until recently to ensure that the viaduct doesn't collapse. I was initially scared (along with my Kiwi travel mate), but once I saw it, it wasn't as scary as when you read about it in a book and let your imagination run wild. It was actually quite thrilling to ride across and take pictures, with everyone on the train peering out the windows at the bottom of the gorge.

We arrived at Kyaukme after 5 hours on the train and headed to the only licensed guesthouse that could accept foreigners. Immediately, we were told by a trekking guide about the conflict that has been going on recently in the vicinity.

Fighting has been going on for the past 10 days. The trekking guide told us there was a bomb that went off outside the city on a highway and a gunshot was heard at 3am in the morning. Some local people have been killed as he has witnessed a couple funeral ceremonies already.

He said the Shan Army plans to take over this city in 19 days to recruit more people into the army.

All the different armies from different states (Kachin, Shan, etc.) are all fighting against the Myanmar Army for independence, democracy, a better government, better job opportunities, education, and the ability to travel outside the country. Our tour guide said if he had the chance, he'd be long gone and out of this country.

The fighting occurs every year, but he said it has really intensified this time around. Treks around the area were not advised since the Shan Army could easily shoot and kill anyone around the area. Or they could kidnap foreigners and hold them for ransom. They don't have as much pressure to keep foreigners out of harm compared to the Myanmar Army. It's kind of ironic how we have compassion and understand the goals of these rebel armies, yet we rely on the Myanmar Army to keep us safe. Who do we support when we are close to the crossfire?

The tour guide was actually surprised that we were even allowed on the train headed northeast with all the fighting going on. We saw a military presence at the train stations, but nobody told us to turn back.

Although it wasn't advised for us to go hiking, it was still exciting to think of the possibility of actually doing it, knowing that we were in a sort of battlezone. It would probably be the stupidest thing you could decide to do, but at the same time, a part of you (the irrational adrenaline-junky part) is telling you to do it! You read so many stories of tourists who were at the wrong place at the wrong time and all you think about is how stupid they are, but sometimes, your irrational mind takes a hold and you just want to risk it.

For us, we decided we would take the train back tomorrow since it was really uncertain when the fighting would occur or where it would lead to next. Everything was uncertain, and the best thing to do would be to leave while you could, because things could change at any moment, any day. The way out of the city might not be an option if you stayed another day. I guess I should have listened to the receptionist at the hotel and headed back to Mandalay afterall.

Riding on the Gokteik Viaduct

The quaint town of Kyaukme

New Kiwi friends, Nick and Anna

 

Chapati for Dinner

Day 69 - Bangkok to Ayutthaya

Took the commuter train to Ayutthaya in the morning, which took about 2 hours and only 15 baht ($0.50)! The train was old, but the ride was smooth. There was no a/c, but the windows were open, which provided a nice breeze and good views.

We arrived in the afternoon and took a ferry across the river to get to our guest house. With no real concrete plans, we decided to rent bikes to explore the city. According to my guide book, there were a ton of ancient (Angkor Wat-like) temples scattered throughout the city and I was sure we could stumble upon some real gems.

Quang wanted to see the elephant village, so we rode our bikes across the highway to get there. It was like a major freeway and I was a little nervous riding my little bike across with the rest of the cars, motorbikes, and mack trucks. Thankfully we survived, but arrived a little too late to really see much of the elephants as they headed back to the forest.

There was a floating market nearby, so we took a small boat around the lake and looked at the knick knacks that were for sale. The selection here was more unique than compared to the merchandise you could find at every single night market in Bangkok.

After dinner, we headed to the center of the market, where there happened to be a Thai theatre performance. The lead female roles were performed by who else, but ladyboys again. It's incredible to see the way they use their fingers while they dance across the stage. It's like there are all double-jointed because they can pull their fingers far back as they make different figures with them. I couldn't really follow the storyline, but I did admire the traditional Thai costumes they wore. There is something classy, but warrior-like with some of the costumes that they wear.

We headed back across the highway of death, this time in the night, with no flashing lights attached to our bicycles. Again, managed to survive while every vehicle honked at us. We decided to stay an additional night in this city because it seemed to suit our interests more than Bangkok and there was much more to explore. Tomorrow we explore the temples...

Day 67 - Downtown Bangkok

So we spent two days in a shitty box for about $8/night, with dormatory shared bathrooms, and no power outlets in the room, nor any wireless internet. I was surprised we couldn't find better deals here, especially after coming from Chiang Mai and Laos, where the deals were everywhere to be found. We decided to splurge a little and book a nicer hotel and ended up with a great deal in downtown Bangkok, near the metro line, for only $25/night!

I can't tell you how happy I felt when we got to our hotel room. It's nice to be in luxury once in a while, especially after living in a box for a couple days.

After checking in, we walked around downtown and grabbed some lunch. We headed to the train station to plan our trip to Ayutthaya, which is city north of Bangkok known for it's old temples. The train runs throughout the day and only costs around 50 cents to get there!

At night we roamed around the city, trying to find some nice night markets to go to. We were misguided by one of the metro workers, who told us to head north to a stop where she said there'd be night markets, but when we got there, there wasn't anythign to see, so we headed back to Silom Road to grab some souvenirs before calling it a night.

Downtown Bangkok

Subway Station

Not a sit in or political demonstration, just people sleeping and waiting for their train

I got excited when I saw this... The Federation of Accounting Professions!

Day 62 - Last Day in Chiang Mai

Spent another lazy day in Chiang Mai before taking a night train from Chiang Mai to Bangkok. Met up with my CS friend and we had lunch at Huan Penh again - this time not on a completely empty stomach, so I ordered one dish instead of three. For dinner, I went back to Aroon-Rai again to get some curry with sticky rice.

Arrived at the train station to head to Bangkok around 8pm. Even though I didn't manage to get a sleeper train out of the city, the sitting trains were spacious, and not even half-full. Most of the travelers had two seats to themselves, and I managed to sleep curled up on both seats through the night. I love Thailand transportation!

Day 33 - The Gorgeous, Lush Rice Terraces of Sapa, Vietnam!

I doubt I can really explain to you how beautiful it is here in Sapa, Vietnam, or even show you in pictures. I think it's something you have to see for yourself...

The train ride from Hanoi to Lao Cai was surprisingly good. It was definitely a class higher than the sleeping buses I got so accustomed to travel on. Each berth had 4 beds that were spacious enough to sleep comfortably. The movement of the train rocked me like a baby and I slept through most of the night.

Once we got to Lao Cai, we took a bus ride higher into the mountains to Sapa. The weather was cool and foggy for once in Vietnam! Along the way, we got a glimpse of what we would be expecting to see - Lush mountains and rice terraces surrounding us 360 degrees around. The higher we drove up, and the deeper we went into the mountains, the more alluring everything was.

The northern Vietnam area is home to many ethnic minorities that speak Vietnamese, but also their own languages. They come from China, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, and the other surrounding areas. The way to tell each tribe apart from another is (aside from their physical features) by their clothing, which is usually very intricate and colorful. Most of the Sapa Village is inhabited by the Black Hmong group, and their clothing is usually Black. Other Hmong groups include the Red, Green, and Flower tribes.

Their lifestyle is very basic, with the women usually in town trying to sell merchandise to tourists, tending the rice terraces, or taking care of the children, while the men are usually taking care of the water buffalo and home, or driving motorbikes for tourists. Their diet consists mainly of rice and vegetables, and they obtain meet in the marketplaces.

After arrival at our hotel and breakfast, we headed on a 12km trek all the way down the mountains to the valley below. We had a black Hmong group accompany us and one of them spoke some English enough to explain some of our questions. Our tour group was small, consisting of two brothers from Australia, and a Fijian couple living in Australia, but of Indian descent. I liked that our group was small because it helped take away the "tourist" feel you get when you are in a large group. It also leads to less waiting around for laggers. It GREATLY helped that everyone was really friendly and talkative. You could easily get stuck with non-talkative or rude tour-mates, but I got lucky this time.

When we started our trek, a Black Hmong member walked alongside each of us and asked us basic questions like "What is your Name? How Old are you? Where are you from?" I really felt like they were very welcoming!

The trek down the mountains was incredible, because we were right beside the rice terraces and could see everything near and far, including the clouds that were both above and below us. The irrigation system is very extensive and complicated, and I could only imagine how long it must have taken to make it all work. Water was flowing non-stop from the top of the mountains down to the river below. Each terrace was filled with water to nourish the rice plants completely. I don't think I saw any error in the irrigation system. Everything was a deep green, and all the plants and vegetation looked healthy- No dry spots anywhere.

It took a while, and some help from the Black Hmong, to get down to the bottom. Luckily, it only drizzled for about 15 minutes or so while we were hiking down. While we had our rain boots on, slipping here and there, the Black Hmong were wearing slippers and easily trekking along, even a little girl who looked maybe 5 years old was walking down with no hesitation.

By the time we got to the bottom, it was time for lunch...but not before we were all bombarded with Black Hmong women selling merchandise, including the women who trekked with us down. It felt like an ambush...and we all felt obligated to purchase something, which is what we all figured out. They would walk with us and feel that it was necessary for us to purchase something from them. I ended up purchasing a bracelet since there really wasn't anything else I thought I could use.

After lunch, we had another hour trek in the valley, this time, being escorted by some Red Dzao members. I think we all tried our best to let the members know that we weren't interested in buying anything at the end of the hike. It's hard to say no because they explain that they are very poor and sales have been very slow recently and that with my purchase, they could go home... Way to guilt trip! In the end, I bought another 2 bracelets. I think I'm going to be accumulating a good amount of these on this trip. I already have 4 on my arms now.

By the end of the hike, we luckily were able to get a van ride back up to our hotel. I didn't realize how far down and how far away we trekked until we rode back up in the van. It didn't seem that far, but I guess I was just too mesmerized by my surroundings to care how long or how far we walked.

The rest of the day was open for us to explore the city on our own. The village near the hotel was small, and it was easy to walk around and take in the market activities occurring everywhere. People were trying to sell you anything and everything! I loved some of the clothing the Black Hmong wore, and was thinking of maybe getting something to bring home, but then I realized that probably wouldn't wear it...

I had a couple of beers with the Fijian couple at night as they told me stories of their daughter's husband, who trained for 3 months in Bangkok to fight Muy Thai in the ring against an experienced Thai person with a pretty impressive Win-Loss record. In the end, he actually knocked the Thai person out, and the crowd was cheering "Aussie! Aussie! Aussie!" because he was the underdog. A pretty incredible experience to be able to share with your friends and family, no? I doubt I would train Muy Thai, but I would love to be able to catch a match in the ring the next time I'm in Bangkok!

I learned a little about Fiji as well. There are a lot of people from Indian descent living in Fiji, because in the past, there was an indenture system implemented in the area. It's always interesting to see why and how there are huge populations of different ethnic groups all over the world.

They shared their stories of traveling, and they reminded me somewhat of my parents and made me miss them. I told them that I would love for my parents to be more open to traveling, but would also feel too worried to let them go all alone... I feel like I'd have to watch out for them against the traveler world of scams...and non-existent traffic lights...

At the end of the night, I walked around the village again, before deciding to get an hour foot massage to relax my tired legs. Must be more prepared tomorrow...and stretch often...


I don't think I need to caption much. Just enjoy the views!

Black Hmong on her Cell Phone

My Tour-mates and our Black Hmong group trekking down a steep path