Malaysia & Mauritius

(Nov 5-Nov 22) It was bittersweet for us to leave Thailand. We landed softly there into the warm embrace of our friends who shared with us their friends and their dogs and their cool beaches and their fabulous restaurants. It was a whole lot of goodness going around but more importantly it was something familiar and it felt like home. We've been officially homeless for six months now. Vagabonds for half a year and we haven't run out of money, killed or mamed each other, yet. It doesn't phase either one of us to repack our bags, go to an airport, fly to a foreign country, eat questionable plane food, disembark, go through customs, collect our bags and figure our where the heck we are. It's just like clocking into work. It's what we do.

Malaysia was a cushy landing similar to Thailand. Kuala Lumpur is very modern and westernized. I think KL surpassed Bangkok with the number of American chain stores and restaurants, the reigning leader in both countries being 7-Eleven. It's comforting, in a sick demented way, to see hotdogs continously spinning around under the glow of heat lamps just like home. The 7-Elevens are a beakon of light, an air conditioned oasis, clean and obsessively organized they are everything the 7-Eleven's in the States are not.

With only 5 days in Malaysia it didn't give us alot of room to maneuver. KL was oppressively hot and muggy which made exploring the streets exhausting. We found shelter in our two favorite places, the mall and the metro trains, allowing just enough time for the frigid air to make goosebumps on our arms and legs before stepping back into the sauna outside. Kuala Lumpur is a very accessible city with multiple means of transportation at your disposal. Not only is transport varied the food is an electic mix of Malaysian, Thai, Chinese and Indian. Matt and I dipped our roti and naan into to thick flavorful curries savouring each bite and while simultaneously opening a button of our pants to give room. The highlight for both of us was going up into the Petronas Towers which are currently the world's tallest buildings. The Petronas Towers are truly a work of art. The design is so sleek and functional combining modern with classic Muslim architecture.

At the airport in Mauritius a man held up our names scribbled on a white piece of paper. Matt and I were relieved to find our driver because we were approached by at least a dozen and we hadn't taken as many steps. He drove us to our hotel at the northern part of the island a mere 60 minute drive from one end to the other. The perfectly paved road took us past a sea of sugar fields and nearly as many roundabouts. By the time we reached our destination I was alittle green from all the turns. We found our quaint little hotel just before dark. No address was a big problem for both the customs agents who demand to see your passport, confirmation of hotel accomodation and most importantly your return ticket home. Of all the countries Matt and I have traveled to Mauritius was the most concerned about where we were going next. They make it very clear they don't want you staying any longer than your itinery. They'll take your money for 7 days if that's what you scheduled but no more than that.

A small family headed by Gun ran the hotel we were staying at. Gun was a man at your disposal. Laundry, meals, boats, buses he knew it all or could provide it all. Being the only ones in the hotel we became just like family, visiting relatives if you will. For breakfast Gun and his wife, sometimes followed by their very curious bubbly girl of 4, would bring us bread, freshly cut fruit, juice and coffee which we would take on our balcony overlooking the ocean. Sometimes for dinner they would cook us a delicious home cooked Mauritian meal that was both inexpensive and plentiful. The beaches of Mauritius are impressive but after coming from Thailand we didn't really see what the huge draw is for Mauritius. It took us about a day to change our tunes. We fell in love with the island, the beaches, the people, the food as the cheap and efficient bus system that made exploring the island pleasurable. We took day trips to the botanical gardens and into the capital of Port Louis which is a town with similar architecture to the French Quarter in New Orleans. Being a former French and British Colony it is more influenced by it's French occupiers than the English. Although for us we were happy that the Brits had made their mark there as nearly everyone speaks both English and French.

Port Louis is an impressive city that's enjoyable to explore by foot. We were both captivated by the fruits and spices displayed so colorfully at the central market. Plenty of people approached us in a clandestine manner inquiring to our desire to purchase vanilla. At the central market Matt and I went from stall to stall sampling the cheap eats that the vendors were selling. For about the price of 2 bucks we tried roti with spicey curry, a chicken sandwich, a vanilla icecream drink and freshly squeezed juice. It was fast food at it's best. We climbed up to the Citadel to see Port Louis from a higher vantage point. We were there just as the noon Muslim call to prayer was being sounded from countless mosques across town. It was a beautiful harmony echoing around us. The people of Mauritius originate primarily from Indonesia and India with pockets of Middle Eastern influence. The people are mostly Hindu as well as Muslim with smatterings of Christians and everyone gets along.

Mark Twain was right when he said God created Heaven after Mauritius.

Phuket Vegetarian Festival, Thailand

(Oct. 22-31, 2006) Thailand called us back home for one reason and one reason alone, the Phuket Vegetarian Festival. I'll admit that the bloody pictures our friend Randy sent us from his trip to Thailand the year before confused me, disturbed me and well as peeked an interest in me. What does blood and a vegetarian festival have to do with one another? I'm not sure I understand even now after witnessing what I did. Here's some background on the Veggie Fest taken from the official website.

"The Phuket Vegetarian Festival is an annual event held during the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar. It is believed that the vegetarian festival and its accompanying sacred rituals bestow good fortune upon those who religiously observe this rite. During this time, local residents of Chinese ancestry strictly observe a 10-day vegetarian or vegan diet for the purposes of spiritual cleansing and merit-making. Sacred rituals are performed at various Chinese shrines and temples and aesthetic displays such as walking barefooted over hot coals and ascending ladders with bladed rungs are performed by entranced devotees known as "Ma Song".

Before dawn one morning Matt and I donned a wardrobe in white, the official color of the religious observers (some splashed up their outfits with yellow in honor of the King), and made our way over to the Samkong shrine. A parade was scheduled for a quarter past 7 a.m. but we had our sights set on witnessing the devotees becoming entranced and that required an earlier arrival. From inside the shrine we watched as men would strip off their shirts and slowly build themselves into a fury of head shaking and fist pounding. Some even seemed to dry heave as though they were going to puke up their spirits. All who became entranced rolled their eyes behind their head and grunted gutteral noises, sweat following freely. From there they wisked themselves outside to begin the piercings. Stations of piercers were set up throughout the grounds and at any one time you could go right up to the very cheek that was being penetrated. Foreigners were encouraged to get as close as possible. I myself got lost in the frenzy of things, snapping pictures like a madwoman losing focus of what I was really seeing behind my lense. How does the mind comprehend seeing a gasoline nossel in someone's cheek, or a feather duster out of the side of one's face? Countless men had mutiple daggers criss crossing their face, how do you even move your head without inflicting greater wounds?

Before we knew it the parade was underway and Matt and I were swept up in it's current. People didn't march they jogged. Matt said he'd run too if he had swords cutting through his cheeks. The parade was a moving freakshow. Fire works exploded underfoot and overhead leaving a smokey stream of red, groups of men with swords and blades would stop from time to time to beat their backs in a circle, devotees licked knife blades with their tongues dripping copious amounts of blood down their chests and all this while on the move. It was no easy task to avoid the fire crackers and the long blades of the piercers. The parade snaked through town with people lining the streets with offerings off fruit, tea, incense and fire crackers all in hopes of bringing good fortune for their families and business. Matt and I made it to the end and practically collapsed on the lawn from emotional fatigue. It was exhilarating, frightening, disgusting and I loved every bloody minute of it. Don't worry Mom, my cheeks are safe (at least this year!).

Chiang Mai, Thailand

(Oct. 12-22, 2006) I wouldn't say that Matt and I kissed the ground when we landed back on Thailand's soil but it was something spiritually close to that. First thing we did wasindulge ourselves in our Bangkok vices, mall and movie. It is sad to think at 30 I've bec ome a full fledged mall rat. I thought those teenage days of roaming around the malls in search of boys and a hot dog on a stick were over. Apparently not. I at least like to console myself with thinking I am indeed doing something that is truly a Thai passtime. When in Rome do as the Romans, right?

We made tracks for Chiang Mai in the northern province of Thailand. It was nice to be able to walk freely again without the nagging guilt of hawkers. Tuk Tuk drivers are a pushover compared to Cambodia and Vietnam rickshaw guys. Chiang Mai's draw is the majestic mountains, hill tribes and the golden triangle. We were both feeling a bit off since we left Cambodia so instead of spending three days in the jungle trekking we decided to take it easy and try for just a day outing. For about 20 bucks each we rode bare back on an elephant, hiked to a waterfall, got tossed out of our rubber raft in a swollen rapid river, balanced our bodies on a bamboo raft and finished up with a visit to a bejewelled hill tribe. It was just the right speed for us. Our guide, Danny Boy, cracked himself up which in turn cracked us up. He showed just the right amount of what he called, "magic" to make the trip a worthwhile adventure.

We took destiny into our own hands and rented a motorscooter for the day on Thai Sunday Funday. We powered our little green machine up into the hills to visit a temple and the royal summer home. It was glorious to go at our own speed and to zig zag through traffic. Our last day in Chiang Mai we spent taking a Thai Eating Class. We didn't learn to cook as much as we learned how to throw pre-chopped veggies into a scorching wok, add fish sauce and sugar to make just about any combination of Thai delicasy. Had we been thinking like true budget travellers we would have scheduled the class for the first day and had enough free food to eat for the rest of the week.

Just as we were leaving Chiang Mai by plane a stork visited our friends Eric and Debbie in Phuket delivering a healthy, albiet wee lad Roam. I was tickled to be able to get some newborn time. While the new parents recovered at the hospital Matt and I scooted around to all our favorite spots in Rawai. It felt good to go "home." Being away for a month we could see the subtle differences of the area as the Thais braced themselves for the high season. The winds changed direction and the ocean became a vast flat clear lake. The beach itself was more colorful with the addition of countless umbrellas and lounge chairs. The roads were becoming more congested with scooter traffic. It was good to see the alteration but even bette to know we were leaving before it engulfed us too.