Vang Vieng, June 25, 2012

Despues de una noche de desmadre y de haber dormido 3 horas estoy tomando un bus hacia Vientane.

La verdad contento de dejar este pueblo, el paisaje es precioso, pero la rumba aca es cosa seria. Nunca habia estado en un pueblo asi. Primero que todo soy 10 anios mayor que la mayoria de la gente. Jovenes ingleses que vienen a hacerse pedazos aca tomando whiskey the tres pesos (literalmente) y a tomar hongos y quien sabe que mas.



Ayer alquile bicicleta y me fui por 6 horas a montar por los alrededores, super lindo, cascadas, arrozales, aldeas, una maravilla. Ademas volver a montar en bici despues de 3 meses fue lo mejor.

Hoy en Vientane ire a visitar lugares de te y a conoer la ciudad. Dormir temprano por primera vez en 3 dias tambien seria muy bueno.

Mi conclusion de Vang Vieng. No volveria nunca.

Vangvieng, June 23, 2012

After taking a 6 hours from Luamprabag through some of the most dramatic landscape i have ever seen I arrived to Vang Vieng.

How to describe it..i dont know really. A twon in the midle of nowhere, full of bars playing friends and family guy. British, canbadian, australians and french young guys and girls getting wasted ,,it feels like a fraternity in the midle of the jungle.

It is very weird as the locals here are very conservative and to see all these drunk people does not fit into the image i had of Laos. I guess in a sense is an important source of income for the region..the question is..is it worth it?

any way, who am i to say anything. I am one more tourist taking pictures.

I got a nice hotel, 5 dollars and it has a TV and a private washroom.

Last night, like any other tourist I went to the bar and got my free bucket of alcohol. It was madness, everybody getting naked, screaming, jumping and getting paint all over their bodies. I just stod there and watch, it was pretty interesting.

I also met some cool guys from Canada and from Spain, we chatted for a while and they told me about their trips. Funny how now all the people I meet are into 3-6 months trips. While i was working the people i met were traveling fro 2-3 weeks.

Today i am biking around the town to visit a few waterfalls and caves.

I will spend here one more night i think and then i am off to Vientane, the capital.

Luamprabang- June 21, 2012

After taking a boat along the Mekong for two days, surrounded by one of the most beautiful landscape that i have ever seen and after getting cheated by two very "nice" lao men who offered me a room in a village we stayed at for the night ( The picture of the room was very nice, reality was tottaly different)- at the end, it was really not a big deal, it was just a matter of principle.

Anyway, it added to the fun. So I arrived to Luamprabang, and incredible city and so far one of my favorite places. Its is along the Mekong river, surroended by dense forests and with a number f small, yet delicate temples. It is true what they say about Laos, it feels different, relax. The only other place in the world where I have felt the same thing was in Nepal..Nepal with mountains, Laos with forest.

I am traveling with two japamesse guys. They are going around the world for one year. Very interesting to hear their stories, their perspective on life. They are from Kobe.

I will spend here probably 3 days, then go to a place called Van Viegn, a very beautiful valley, now turned into de party and drug capital of Laos. A shame really..but I guess some people like it. We are going to go for a few hikes around the town so we wont get sucked into the Ibiza of Asia.

Chiang Kon, June 19, 2012

Its been a while since last time I wrote. 

 After arriving from BK i headed to Chaing Mai, a very nice and green city 700 kilometers to the north. Chaing mai is famous for its elephant and tiger sanctuaries, although to be honest, in my opinion while nice places to see the animals, you see their unhappiness in their eyes. I went for ten minutes but could not stand to see such a powerful animal in such condition so I left.

Then i went to Pai..what a dream of place..relx..relax..relax..that is the word. A beautiful river, a nice and very cheap hostal (3 dollars) excellent food and a beautiful landscape around the town.

After 4 days in Pai ( i could have stayed longer) it was time to go back and join a meditation retreat..two days of silence, meditation and budist instruction. It was great. One of the most difficult things to do, but incredible. I met some very interesting people. I could say a million things about the retreat but i believe is one of those things that is was for me and for me only.

y next step was Chiang Rai, a tranquil and small city closer to the border with Burma. There i found the best hostal i have visited so far. 30 kilometers from town, and part of a native community, its managed by them and it is located among tea plantations and bamboo forest. I was the only guest and so I had the entire place for myself, long walks, silence, nie people..incredible.

The landscape in norther Thailand somehow reminds me of some places in Colombia, although the green is a different one..the rice padies, the agricultiral life, the tools, has a unique falvour, similar, yet unique..i dont know how to explain it.

The people have been incredible,  they are used to tourist so it makes it easier to travel, everyone has the basic three words you need to buy something.

I keep having juices every day..how many..i dont know..but many.

My clothing situation is the following: 1 pair of shorts, 3 t shirts and two underwear. Reall\y who needs more.

In terms of money spend i am to about 30 dollars a day including transportation. 

Now i am heading to Laos, there is been a change of plans as Alma can not me in Luamprabang so i am making my way south faster.

Chian Mai June 9..I think), 2012

fter flying from HK, taking a moto, then a bus for 10 hours I arrived to Chiang Mai, the second largest city in Thailand..and it is super cool. Compared to BK and its chaos and madness, Chiang mai feels like a small town.

I got a dorm for 80 bath (about 2.8 dollars) and spent all day yesterday walking around and enjoying the  nice mountains around.

I am now looking for a two-three day meditation retreat, will I be able to deal with it..Maybe, I really want to try it.

Everything is pretty much in the air, all i know is that i have to meet alma in 20 days in Laos, so I will spend the next three weeks going around. I definetely want to go and check out some tea places in Chaing Rai, 6 hours from here.

It is nice to listen to people's stories, from world travelers to young kids doing a few months in asia, everyone has a story to tell.

I keep having multiple ideras for business opportunities, although I am trying to let them go bye so I can enjoy the moment and take advantage of this unique opportunity. There is a time for everything and now is the time to enjoy.

The hostals are very simple and clean, surprinsingly for a 3 dollar room, but for a few nights I dont really care..well, for the ones who know me, even oif it was for a longer [eriod of time it wopuld be the same.

I have discovered that these cities are better experienced very early in the mornings, that is when the locals are doing their things and not putting a show for the tourists, their markets are their markets and not a series of souvenirs..of course you have to wake up at 6 and off you go..for me i guess is not a problem.

Funny, tenm days ago I was in Israel, now in the northern part of Thailand, how fascinating is when distances become so short. Yet, Alma and I have grwon very concern about our foot print. No matter how much we try to do for the environment, every plain we take, takes away any litle we have done for the environment..I am now doing seriopus research on what are the bext ways to offset that..I hope there are.

ebastian

Tel Aviv Junio 1, 2012

Ya salimos en dos dias. Han sido dos semanas increibles. Tres bodas, comidas todas las noches, visitar lugares en Israel, nadar todos los dias, conocer mas a la familia de Alma, genial.

Las tres bodas han sido increibles, cada una mas suntuosa que la otra y la gente aca sabe divertirse como nosotros los latinos.

He tenido un parde entrevistas con amigos de la familia de Alma que piensan abrir oficinas de sus companias en HK, nada concreto, pero oportunidades que vale la pena explorar.

Alma sale el domingo para Londres por tres semanas para hacer investigacion, yo salgo para Thailandia para continuar el viaje. Es curioso hace ya dos meses que termine de trabajar, como pasa el tiempo y como por un lado lo que uno creyo ser tan importante de repente ya no lo es. Que si me hace falta el trabajo, definitivamente, pero por primera vez en la vida tengo la oportunidad de parar, mirar y analizar a donde voy. Un sentimiento muy extranio, asustador y al mismo tiempo interesante.

Israelha sido un buen lugar para rflexionar, por un lado la familia de Alma que son super trabajodores y que no paran nunca han sido un apoyo increible. Cualquiera diria que serian una critica fuerte a lo que estoy haciendo, pero al contrario todos, absolutamente todos no hacen sino decirme que que buena decision.

No se si sera cultural, o solo esta familia, pero generalmente  en Latinoamerica la respuesta creo seria una critica directa a la decision de tomar un tiempo, que buena suerte que ambas familias, la mia y la de Alma han sido nuestro principal apoyo.