Quite a while ago, I planted the idea with Vanessa that she should come to Thailand for some dental work she's been putting off. A few months later, having secured a week off from work, V was actually here! The visit was much too short as far as I'm concerned, but it was great to have her here. (I'll try and work on some pictures later...)

We got a recommendation from a friend on a good dentist in Phuket: Ruadee at Dent Smile. Within a few hours of arrival a very jet-lagged Vanessa found herself in the chair, well on her way toward a couple of crowns. Disoriented? Maybe. On a day off from dentistry, we went on a snorkeling trip to the Kai Islands. The coral wasn't much to look at, but there were tons of fish, greatly encouraged by the fact that the guides were feeding them. We stopped at one snorkel spot, and two tiny little islands with gorgeous sandy beaches and row upon row of beach chairs. We got a little sunburned. After several appointments, we finally finished up both our teeth. I had a few fillings, and V had more than a few. We had a big night out to celebrate. An Irish Pub, a cranky lesbian bartender, some very strange eyes, a live Thai-pop-cover music joint, and late-night noodles added up to an interesting night on Phuket town.

The next day we fled for the P&T Kata Guesthouse (always great to be back there) off Kata Beach, and two days of beach umbrellas and fun in the waves. I had no idea V was such a big body-surfing enthusiast - good times, and sand everywhere. Too soon it was time to head for the airport. We headed in for aloe massage treatments ("OK... he not real man"), then a quick pack-job and she was gone.

Labels: dentist, Phuket, Thailand

Just returned from our first trip back in the hills of northern India and wow is it great to be back in snow country! I think Dusty summed it up great when she justified my sustained energy to climb as "eleven months away from mountains." It has been quite rejunivating to be back!

In addition to the large masses of snowy earth that calls my soul, my return trip to the Kullu Valley has yielded warm welcomes from the friendly communities of friends we made here last year. After the 16+ hour bus ride from Delhi, we arrived in Manali to the warm hospitality of Peter's family: hot chai, showers, and peaceful views up the valley from their balcony.

On our first full day in the valley, Rob and I hiked up to Solang where Em and I lived for most of our season. Just before Solang, we were stopped at a river where villagers from Burruwa and Solang were building a bridge to connect the two communities. We helped throw some stones into the approach and appreciated being allowed to share in the communal chore.

The next day we got on our skis for a day trip up into the Gulaba region. We both felt the altitude but still enjoyed almost 4000' of spring turns as Robo caught his first glimpses of this vast high country. We descended to the bottom where the Himalayan Ski Village was sponsoring a ski contest. I ran into a bunch of local mountain acquaintances there and soon enough we were strongly urged to attend the awards ceremony and eat lunch. This was Robo's first no silverware eating experience and being the rough-Alaskan-working-next-to-the-wild-things-guide he is, he was quite the natural with his bare hands.

The day was great as I recognized most of the attendees and immediately felt like I was back amongst a community of friends. I think the fact I returned has given me a certain level of respect from locals while simultaneously boosting their pride in their backyard. Lots of people continue to ask how Em is doing and sending love her way. She is missed by many.

Building to the community of great people we have met here in the Kullu Valley is the Canadian duo of Jeff and Dusty. Fabulous folks and instantly we hit it off. They are kind of the Trev & Em of this season as they have been living at The Iceland Hotel in Solang since February.

They invited us on their "final trip" to Rohtang Pass and due to the obvious synergy, it was a no-brainer to accept. We were delayed a few days on our departure as the Army was not allowing us to our desired road drop-off point due to the fact that the "Chief Engineer" was in town. We tinkered with trying to get permission as it is just a liability issue that they wouldn't allow us to pass their road block. Sure enough, two days later we were allowed up as any sort of liability concerns seemed to have left town with the "Chief Engineer."

We spent seven days camped up on Rohtang Pass (~14,000') and enjoyed some very sport lines. It was a perfect first trip for Rob and I as we had one base camp allowing for day pack (lightweight) trips, were camped high for instant acclimitization and had quick access to many great routes that did not require early morning starts and huge vertical gains.

Conditions were fantastic with consistently sunny mornings and a stable spring snowpack. In addition to great skiing, we shared tons of laughs with Jeff and Dusty. They are both holds-no-bar sort of jokesters and it was great to throw jokes around so easily.

We had such a great time that they are going to join us on our next trip up the Jagatsukh Valley. We are hoping that this journey will be another false "final trip" for them!

Labels: Iceland Hotel, India, Kullu Valley, Manali, ski touring, Solang

And they are off...all of them. Due to the upcoming holiday (Songkran: Thai New Year), Em could only get a train ticket home leaving yesterday afternoon. With the parents flying out early yesterday morning, I am now solo and transitioning myself from the smoggy chaos of Bangkok's transportation system to the unlimited visibility on top of Indian Himalayan peaks. Very excited to see Robo and tour around some big mountains with him.

So, my parents trip. Overall, fantastic! (Phuket, Kuraburi, Ban Talae Nok, Koh Surin, Golden Buddha, Bangkok... pictures are all here.) I feel very fortunate that they made the journey to see us, and Thailand! For all of those who questioned if "Rondo can do Thailand?", time is proof, and he did. But not without chasing down some of his normal comforts, which could be quite entertaining considering he was still doing it with his own joking style that many native English speakers might struggle to understand. For example, let's take his daily coffee request: 2/3 hot water, 1/3 steamed milk (soy if they have it), light on sugar (vanilla if they have it)...then returning half a cup later to refill with hot water. Even veteran baristas in the Coffee Capital of Seattle struggle with such a demand. But Rondo is Rondo, and with his joking mannerisms (and untraditional tips in these parts), he got what he wanted and everyone was happy (if confused) after the exchange.

Continuing from Em's post, we headed out to the Surin Islands where we all camped for a couple nights. We departed the Kuraburi Pier on a 30 foot speedboat boasting triple 200 horsepower outboards. Rondo loved it. In addition to the beautiful terrestrial landscape, the marine life and water clarity around the Surins never disappoints so we had a fantastic couple days. During each snorkel we swam amongst various schools of tropical fish over a diverse spectrum of hard and soft corals and one day I was lucky enough to see a Giant Moray Eel . One afternoon Obb led us to the other campground via beach and nature trail. We waded back around granite rocks to a burning red sun falling into the Andaman Sea. Adding to our experience on the Surins was the fact we got to share it with some of the Kuraburi crew including Gordy's father, Allan, who was visiting from Scotland.

We went directly from the Surins to our desired long-stay (4 nights!) location of the trip...Golden Buddha Beach Resort (GBB) on Koh Phratong. We had some extra fun while leaving the Surins as we made a detour to the north to pick-up some divers on a larger boat. Not only was the extra scenery nice, but this next episode of fun made the journey...moments after pushing off the other boat, our driver gunned the engines almost flipping (intentionally we think) a crew member off the back of the boat. Rondo couldn't believe it and I had to restate with sincerity that the boat we were on has the reputation as the most professional out of all the operators providing transportation to/from the Surins.

We were dropped off at GBB on low tide, which meant a decent wade in with all our gear. Upon arrival we dropped baggage off in our house and then walked some of the beach before checking out the restaurant. Mom wisely went for a mango shake which was as good (and without added sugar) as any I've had. The sweet mangoes are in season (along with a few other of the 20-some mango species in Thailand) and we relished in them whether on the fruit plate with breakfast or part of dessert for lunch or dinner. The food at GBB exceeded expectations. Since Em and I are usually eating at local eateries for 30 Baht a meal (and darn good grub), we were critical going into GBB with its more western prices. But we must admit, all of it was delicious and they were not short on food. With buffets for lunch and dinner, I think I was successful in putting on a couple pounds before heading off to India.

Besides great dining, there were other treats at GBB. Each night we enjoyed the sunset from a beautiful location: our home's deck, the beach, the restaurant, or hornbill hill. The beach landscape is beautiful and isolated. Directly west of the resort is a golden sand beach that stretches 10 kilometers to the south without anything on it but crabs and the periodic squid trap that floated in from the sea. North of the resort is a bay that boasts a couple rocky islands and an inlet to mangroves and palms. One morning we rented kayaks and drifted into this canal with the rising tide until the overhanging palms and branch debris prevented any further progress. We paddled underneath some frolicking chestnut-headed bee-eaters and continuously saw our mystery cormorant. According to the bird guidebooks, there are no cormorants in this part of Thailand but we saw this Little Cormorant multiple times around GBB and Em also sighted one up the coast while we visited Ban Talae Nok.

The area has tons of birds, and we all enjoyed seeing the resident oriental hornbills each day. We also saw a gliding lizard (which Emily observed fly from tree to tree a few different times). The environment of Koh Phra Tong is quite unique to Thailand as its interior is mostly savanna: flat and sandy with a few trees here and there. Em and I did a morning walk in this Africa-like environment and saw more waterfowl near a couple ponds.

On our third day at GBB, Gordy, Allan ,and Obb arrived with some of the villagers from Tung Dap. Tung Dap is a village I spent a few days in while researching "voluntourism" opportunities and absolutely loved their core communal way of living. It was great to introduce Pin and Nu to Emily and my family and spend the afternoon swimming in the bay with them.

Our last night we played Bach Deng and got to see Pee Tah in her element. Pee Tah is a friend from Kuraburi who does accounting work for GBB. She loves money and loves Bach Deng! Yes, there is gambling, yes, she won most of the money.

We snuck in some more beach time before departing GBB by longtail back to the mainland. We spent our last little bit in Kuraburi hanging out around Jeab's shop and eating dinner with friends one more time at "The Strip." Our bus arrived early and unfortunately we didn't get to try the crab Jeab got for us. Thank you Jeab for your continuous help and friendship!

The overnight bus trip to Bangkok was smooth and soon enough we were on the multi-modal tour of the big city! We started by taking a taxi to the weekend market where one could get just about anything. Thinking my parents would be the big shoppers, Em and I were surprised to find tons of good stuff and got gifts for friends and ourselves! We left the market via Skytrain (elevated rapid transit) for Siam Center in the new Bangkok (no stalls here, this is western shopping with touchscreen directories, real designer names and prices, Starbucks, etc.) From there, we took a canal boat taxi west towards Old Bangkok where we walked around Democracy Monument, through Khao San road, and then finally to our hotel. A big day out.

The next morning, we met a tour guide at the Grand Palace and saw a few of the historic sites including the Royal Palace, Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Temple of the Reclining Buddha, and the Temple of the Dawn. We saw and learned much! I am consistently impressed with how much detail older Eastern rulers put into their homes and even homes or burials for family members. As our guide showed us the elaborate gold-plated structure Rama I made for his parents, I was surprised my dad never asked me how his structure was coming. While most of Rama I's work was traditional architecture boasting gold and ceramic materials, much of the Grand Palace was constructed during Rama V with a combination of Western and Eastern architecture. The main hall has a traditional European look with an elaborate Thai roof. Interesting, but it works! We ended my parents' stay with a candlelit dinner on the Chao Phraya River.

I will miss the Thai food in India and am not stoked for the rice/beans/chapati combo I will consume twice daily hoping that it was cooked in boiling water. But the pull of the Himalaya outshines such gastro concerns.

In just a few hours, I expect to see Robo wide-eyed in the Delhi airport clinging onto our ski gear!

Labels: Bangkok, birds, Kuraburi, Mu Koh Surin, snorkeling, Thailand