Thai Travelers

Crossing into the second continent of our journey, we expected to notice differences in culture. Clearly we stand out as tourists with our pale skin and general appearance here more so than in Europe, but we also stand out in terms of other travelers. In Europe, we were on a longer trip than most of the people we met. Other travelers were Americans studying abroad and on a weekend trip, or Europeans on holiday from school or work. We met the occasional traveler who was spending a few weeks wandering the continent and the rare world traveler, but our trip was longer and broader than just about anyone. In Thailand, however, that could not be less true.

In our two weeks here, we have not met a single American. The closest we have come was a number of Canadians on Koh Phangon, but not a single person from the States. Bizarre, right? Most of the people we have meet are European, several from the UK and Sweden. And most of them are on much longer trips than us, traveling from six months to over a year and a half. Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Nepal are frequently where these travelers are coming from or heading to. It is a different kind of travel. A gritty, honest kind of travel that I have come to love.

The Thai people are also quite different. Still very nice, but being constantly approached by tuk tuk and taxi drivers is getting quite old. They start off by asking where you are from, because clearly we are not from here, but it quickly becomes apparent that they just want you to agree to pay an outrageous amount for them to drive you somewhere you don't really want to go. We were walking to Burger King and a man approached us asking where we were headed, we told him hoping that he would leave us alone as it was only a few streets away, but no. He tried to convince us that it was closed and he could bring us somewhere else. No thanks, guy. We walked to BK and of course, it was not closed. A rather strange way to acquire customers... We have also come into contact with several very friendly and helpful Thai people, especially at our hostels which have made our stay in Asia a pleasant one but the differences is demeanor and interaction are very apparent.

Kate

bangkok

hello from bangkok! it is grotesquely hot here. i am uncomfortable to the point of feeling nauseous about 80% of the time. i suggest planning a trip to thailand not during hot season:-) fortunately there is much to see and a whole different world to experience over here, so we're fighting thru the heat.

we spent a few days in bangkok at a hostel called the phiman water view. it was a lot of fun and cost us about 6 bucks a night! we stayed in a dorm style bungalow right on the river so we had a fantastic view, especially at night. The bugs here were a bit out of control, even with our individual musquito netting around our beds. fortunately we made friends with bug spray;-) we had to walk thru winding back alleys to get to our guest house, and on that walk we essentially trampled thru many thai people's homes. the rooms were all open and their every possession and activity was available for us to see. the difference in lifestyle was most evident here, far more than on the islands where we were living in tourist land.

my favorite part about bangkok is the food carts. wherever you go, during the day or all hours of the night, there are stands of fresh fruit and juices and my personal favorite, raw meat on a stick that they cook in front of you that only costs about 50 baht (less than 2 bucks!)

we ventured to the islands after our short stay in bangkok, and after being unable to cool down for 4 days, the trip to the ocean was more than welcome. not that i don't enjoy the thais regularly commenting on me being the whitest and sweatiest person in sight! sending all my lovin back home, along with a serious jealousy of your reasonably temperatured environment. lovefromkt

katie's top 15 Parisian delights

15. the ceiling of notre dame and its shocking similarity to the mines of moria
14. art on every street corner
13. our first taste of good weather
12. the most romantic bridge in the world
11. montemarte and the artists quarter
10. climbing thru the walls in the catacombs and coming out filthy
9. crying in a phone booth outside the arc de triomphe
8. Nadia, Alejandro, Jacob and Emile, our delightful roomies
7. prince cookies, frites, and red wine in paper cups
6. serenading kate with phantom music outside the opera house where the show is set
5. naps in a garden while listening to a charming gent with a guitar
4. Fraser our Scottish tour guide and Kayla our Canadian tour guide
3. conversations with Parisians in a combination of three terribly broken languages
2.The Rodin Museum and all sculpture acting
1. night time walks with lights and rain

beautiful. gorgeous. wish you were here! lovefromkt

Berlin

We said goodbye to Tim and headed to Berlin to meet Simon and Sarah, our next remarkably generous hosts. After another inevitable train struggle we arrived in Berlin and had a relaxing afternoon planning our next days adventures while the snow raged outside. Weather has not been our friend thus far, but it has not stopped us from spending most of our time wandering outside!

Following helpful advice from S and S and also a fascinating walking tour we ventured to the Brandenburg Gate, the Berliner Dom, Museum Island, The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, Checkpoint Charlie, and many other beautiful and tragic historical sights in the city. We stood simultaneously in East and West Germany, sat on the ground above the old location of Hitler's bunker, and stood where his body was found. K and i are both becoming enthralled with all things WWII. If anyone has any good books on the subject, I would love to read more when we return home.

The hostel where we stayed in Berlin was called the Helter Skelter, a noisy and sometimes rather smokey place with rockin tunes and wonderful people. The lobby was a very socially welcoming place, and we made many grand new 24 hour friends. It is becoming quite difficult to have to say goodbye so often. K and i both got tattoos from an extraordinary young gentleman named Kenny who inked us right there in the hostel. It was an exciting and terrifying and painful and hilarious experience and we loved every minute of it. The Helter Skelter was a rockin good time.

We went to many a pub while here in Berlin. K and i went on an alternative pub crawl where we went to all underground bars with a small crew of about ten people. We went to a ping pong bar, an absinth bar, a death themed bar (with coffins for tables!) and ended the night at a raving techno club in a giant warehouse, where we experienced first hand the wonders of the Germans and their dancing. It was fantastic! We were also here for St. Patty's, so we met Simon and Sarah at an Irish pub called Kilkenny's for pints and live music, including The Girl From Belfast City and Drunken Sailor. Good times!

Once again we have to say goodbye to wonderful people and a new favorite place. But Paris is next, and we are ready for more! Genau, genau.

lovefromkt

Aachen und Koln

Saying goodbye to Amsterdam was hard, but it meant that new adventures were ahead of us. We activated our Eurail Passes and headed to Aachen, Germany to meet up with my friend Tim, who is studying there. We had a bit of trouble with the trains but magically found Tim waiting for us in Aachen.
Staying with a friend offers a very different perspective than staying in a hostel. We got to see Tim's neighborhood (where KT and I got lost more than once), meet his friends at a wine tasting party and again at a cafe, share a delicious german meal in a german home (Thanks Amy and Stephan!), and get a feel for everyday life in Germany.
We were also made desparately aware of our lack of German language skills. We attempted to go out for lunch on our own one day, just KT and I. It took a while to pick a cafe, but eventually settled on a nonthreatening internet cafe near the university. Unfortunately we could not figure out how to order food so we each got a coke and headed on our way. Our next stop was a turkish fast-food kind of place. Again the language barrier made us very uncomfortable. We did not know where to sit, if we were supposed to sit down and then order, order at the door, when and how to pay, or even what to order. We stood in the entry just watching for a about 10 minutes. Eventually we did get our lunch, but we definitely have a new appreciation for others who are trying to bridge a language gap.
Saturday we took a day trip to Koln (or Cologne). We climbed the million steps of the cathedral for a beautiful view, hung out with my cousin Becca (!!) and wandered through the city. We enjoyed a great lunch of different authentic German dishes at a restaurant on the Rhine River. The food and company was fantastic. We laughed and ate and took a stain out of Tim's shirt with salt. Walking through the city we found many statues to pose next to (our favorite pastime).


Overall it was a great weekend spent with good friends. It was encouraging to see that three people from different parts of my life could have a wonderful day together.
Many Missings,
Kate

Amsterdam Wrapup

Our last few days in Amsterdam were eventful and exciting. We found the bike rental and attempted to see the city as the dutch do. We roamed Vondel park and on the outskirts of the city along the canals. We made a valiant effort to ride in the main parts of the city, but the stress of avoiding other bikers and cars that appear to be able to drive wherever they please made that quite the challenge! Twas very fun, especially ringing our little bells at rogue pedestrians.

We stayed for three nights in a hostel called Amsterdam Hostel Centre. It was cozy, with bright yellow painted walls, and a family style feel. Our room was on the 4th floor, so we got plenty of practice hiking up the dutch stairs. Not sure how we didn't fall down when carrying our packs. There were always three other people in the tiny little room with us, different people each night. It was interesting going to bed with one roommate and waking up with another. But everyone we have met, both in the hostels and around the city, has been remarkably kind and enjoyable to chat to. Must be something in the water. (25,000 bikes perhaps??!)

Across the street from our hostel was a blues club called Bourbon St. The house band there is Bourban Jam Session, a fabulous group of gentlemen who played one set around 10, and then for the rest of the night invited different "jammers" to join them on stage. We saw different combinations of four vocalists, two guitar players, two bassists, a sax man, three drummers, a harmonica player and a pretty badass keyboard slash piano man. It was intense! Like camping. K and i had planned to pop in for a drink at ten and then head up to bed early. We stayed for another 4 hours. Like all things Amsterdam, we had to pull ourselves away. I for one am already making plans to return someday!

lovefromkt