Woke up Laughing.

This post marks the longest duration I've gone without giving an update on my whereabouts. Traveling for this long has sent me through several different mind sets and attitudes. After getting to Vietnam I was already beginning to feel like this whole experience was wrapping up. 3 weeks in Vietnam and 3 in Indonesia felt like no time at all. It wasn't that I was feeling rushed, but with every stop a weight was lifted, like a marathon runner counts down the last few miles. And at this time I feel more present and aware of myself than at any point in the previous few months. While I've been feeling fulfilled, some of the wonderment has washed away, a certain detachment from myself, viewing this journey and everything that lead to it in the 3rd person. Something about this made refrain from sharing, as if I was a hunter falling silent in the blind when the target finally comes into view. 

Also, we have been traveling quickly. I've seen the most memorable sights since last writing. In northern Vietnam we went to several massive caves in a park that is home to the world's largest known cave. The first we visited was 18km long, but was only accessible for the first 1.5km by boat before the passage became too narrow. The other was reached by foot, climbing one flight of stairs to the mouth of the cave then descending deep within on another staircase. Both caves were astonishing in size, a scale I can only liken to the Yosemite Valley of interior space. 

From north Vietnam, we took a 24 hour bus to Saigon. One day to relax then a flight to Singapore, where we spent a day and a half hanging out with the Timm-Kerns fam. Then a flight to Jakarta, then one day to relax. Then to Yogyakarta, home of Mt. Merapi and Borabadur. Mt. Merapi is the most active volcano in Indonesia and has killed over 500 people in the last 5 years. Borabadur is the largest buddhist monument in the world. A huge stupa, built like the bottom third of a pyramid, covered with hundreds of small stupas and Buddha statues, it was built over 1000 years ago and has been restored to nearly perfect condition. 

From Yogya we got into a packed van that drove 14 hours to the peak of Mt. Bromo, another active volcano on the island of Java. We slept 5 hours and woke up at 4 am to be at the rim of the crater during sunrise. The hike in the dark was disorienting and I was convinced we were in the wrong place until the sun finally shed some light and a white staircase appeared before us leading to the final 200m ascent to the summit. We returned to our little home before setting out on an 8 hour drive. 

We arrived in Sembol Village just before sunset. We had time to rest our legs and stretch. There was nothing in the village but a hydroelectric plant, employee housing and our hotel. There was only one option for dinner that was too expensive for my liking. So we went and found a local selling some peanuts. We got 2 beers, also expensive, and shelled peanuts while the 50 other guests sat nearby eating their buffet dinner. The next morning wake up call was at 1am. We drove another hour before making a 4 hour hike down inside the crater of Kawah Ijen. If you've ever seen the BBC series "Human Planet" you may recognize the name. It's known not only as the home to the most acidic lake in the world, but to some of the most dangerous mining too. Miners hike into the crater where there are huge sulphur deposits, they collect 2 huge baskets full and hike back out. We were there before sunrise which ment we could see the "Blue Fire". A natural phenomenon caused by volatile gasses seeping out between the rocks producing an electric blue flame. As dangerous as all this is, we were permitted to walk right in, getting as close as we pleased. We walked past miners carrying their morning loads. We reached the rim before sunrise, the light finally revealed our surroundings. An amazing range of peaks isolated by on ocean of billowing clouds. Amazing!

We hiked out then drove another 6 hours to Bali. We hit the beach for a day before heading to Ubud, which feels like yoga capital of the world. It shouldn't surprise you then that the first people we talked to off the bus were from Boulder. There are many people here who are obviously seeking some enlightenment, so it should also not be surprising that the movie "Eat, Pray, Love." was filmed here. Picturesque is putting in modestly, I think a set designer may have constructed this entire town. Our guest house feels like we are staying inside a temple and everyone is beautiful.

Well, talk to you soon! 

“Adventure in life is good; consistency in coffee even better.”

Alright, time again for a little travel update. Lots of highs and lows over the past couple weeks. Erin and I both got sick for a couple days and had to lay low for a couple days to recoup. But we also made it to Vietnam! You'd think after a couple months I would have gotten over the whole culture shock thing, but each country has it's nuances that takes some figuring out. It's kept me on my toes even after I think I'm getting everything figured out. 

So, Erin and I had planned to head north of Phnom Penh for a couple stops along the Mekong, but our first day in Kampong Cham Erin spent the whole day in bed. I convinced her to come with me the following day touring the countryside with our driver Chai. I hadn't been drinking but I still felt hungover when I woke up the following day, my good-health streak had ended. By that time our room was feeling more like a cell, so we bought huge bottles of water, put on sunglasses and ventured out in the tuk-tuk. We drove around seeing village life and stopping at 5 different temples, one with over 200 steps that felt like a real summit push. 

We made it back to Phnom Penh for a couple more down days. By the time we made it to Saigon my sinuses and throat were clear. Saigon is no doubt crowded, but less claustrophobic than other large Asian cities. Wide sidewalks, parks and trees made it easy to just walk around. We were able to meet up with our old Boulder friends Rob and Ella, too. They have lived in Ho Chi Minh City for 2 years teaching. They travel home for the first time since they moved in three weeks, in fact they will be moving again and living in the states again. First they took us out for dinner, then a few nights later we met up to get a guided tour of the Ho Chi Minh nightlife. 

Our time in the city was close to a world tour. We had met a guy in Loas who told us about a number of huge, Czech style brewpubs filled with Vietnamese businessmen. So we got our beer fix stopping at 3 different breweries. Not only did we get a taste of Central Europe but we also went out for some legitimate Mexican food & margaritas. We also stopped at an Aussie bar a few times. Oh, and French too, baguettes and coffee are everywhere. Cafés sell 50¢ espresso and banh mi sandwiches are available on every corner for 75¢, it's an easy choice for lunch every day. Then on to Dalat.

Dalat is a 9 hour drive from Saigon. Rather than taking coastal route and hitting the beaches, we wanted to cool off in the central highlands. Dalat is a fairly popular tourist destination for the Vietnamese, they come for the cool weather and spend their time buying sweaters, fleece blankets and dried fruit. It'd be interesting to take some of those people to Colorado in winter since it was about 70 degrees and they were dressed like Harry and Lloyd going skiing in Aspen. 

We took a day tour by motorcycle one day, checking out coffee plantations, temples and waterfalls. I finally got a chance to try a cup of weasel coffee. While it's incredibly expensive in the states, here it comes at $2.50 a cup. The plantation owns weasels that eat coffee beans, then the digested beans are collected from their turds and roasted to mellow perfection! Then we spent a couple nights stopping at 2 other small mountain towns to the north on our way to the coast at Hoi An.

(Ate some silk worms too!)

We are stayin put for a couple days. Partially because we have been moving quick and riding in minivans packed full of puking kids for the past week. Also, it's Erin's 25th birthday. So we got ourselves a comfy spot here and we are gonna take in the sights and indochine architechture at a leisurely pace.