Thailand: Floods in Asia

Hi All, so this crazy post is in Thailand! Yes, I cannot read a lick of the links so I am just pressing every button in hopes that it allows me to place a blog, so bear with me. I also am under a time crunch as I am going to go help pack sandbags and volunteer for flood efforts today, so I am writing as FAST as I can :) and not with proper grammar.

Thailand and Cambodia are flooding! The worst floods in 50 years! The government is mandating sand bags be placed in every tourist location so that we are "safe" from walking in knee deep water. Shops are actually building solid cement walls in preparation for the water as it creeps closer to them.   Every thing is actually flooding as we went to ride on the boat canals yesterday and then when we got back the water had come up to the sidewalk by a whole foot and a half!!!  I worry more about Cambodia as other tourists have told tales of Ankor Wat in waist deep water! AND the Capital City has asked for international aid (as seen on the BBC). It is such a poor country, unlike Thailand, so those people and the tourist economy will take years to recover from this-as it is the worst rainy season in 50 years. The place that I wanted to go chill out in for a few days so I could get out of Bangkok, is under 3-4 meters of water. nuts. buses and trains are not running...

HA- Since I cannot go anywhere else, as I leave for Burma on Sunday, but I am enjoying my time here. I have met a few other Americans and spent time walking around Bangkok and visiting temples. It is really beautiful, and Buddhism is based around making everything beautiful. The City has canals and waterways weaving throughout it, so I also spent a lot of time traveling by boat to these places, but after you see three temples they all start to look very similar.

Had the coolest adventures yesterday... went to the Spa De Fish! You stick your feet into a fish tank and these tiny little silver fish eat the dead skin, grime and fungus off of your feet! It was awesome, and my feet never felt more baby soft. BUT during the time the fish were feeding I could not stop laughing as it felt like electrodes were pluggin my feet and tickling it! it was amazing, and so weird all at the same time.

The monks walk around barefoot, and it just about makes me want to gag how dirty the streets are.

My love to you all.

Reflections of mountains...... Oct. 9th

My last Mountain Bike ride of the season at Deer Valley

Hi All! Its amazing to think about the new adventures ahead... This is my first blog post, so it is a test run for loading images but also explains my emotions that occur before a large trip.

One of my friends recently asked, "why are you headed to Burma (Myanmar)?" and my response was because I am intrigued!  But really, why do we love to travel to places unknown? AND I am traveling for TWO WHOLE MONTHS!

Why not to Travel?---What is it about leaving our warm and safe home, easy daily routine, along with owning a personal car, that makes traveling so scary--because it is new and unknown? The exposure to diseases & germs, cuisine unknown, and scarey strangers contributes to the fear.

Why should we travel?---For me, it is the ADVENTURE behind the travel-- Seeing and meeting kindred souls, finding amazing people and friends along the road, feeling alive, and realizing that being a citizen of the U.S. is such a blessing. Why am I headed to Asia? I find development and infrastructure (my two fav words these days) fascinating in these South East Asian countries-- as things rapidly change.

My tentative route through Myanmar (Burma)

My Phantom Ranch Grand Canyon Junior Ranger Patch! Backpack is NOW ready for a big adventure!

As I pack my bags with Malaria pills, contact solution, water-treatment... I manage to squeeze in one tee-shirt and one-pair of those dorky zip off pants!  Frumpy-poor-gorilla foreigner is the look that I am going for :)