A Bowl of Stupid

So began one of the most famous lines of Virgil's Aeneid — "Forsan et haec olim meminisse juvabit."

I am today supposed to be in the Manila airport awaiting a late night flight to Guam, where I planned on going for several days en route to Micronesia, French Polynesia, and other points into the Pacific Ocean. However, it seems I reserved my flight to Manila and to Guam without sufficiently planning ahead.

I fucked up.

In making final preperations for the trip, I learned that there are not many, if ANY, budget accommodations on most of the islands I was hoping to visit. As such, unlike Asia, where most expenditures come from obtaining transportation (i.e., car, bus, train, plane), I have learned that most of the expenditues I faced in my proposed Pacific trip would come from both obtainng transportation, AS WELL AS lodging and food. Simply stated, I just can't afford to take that trip.

So I'm sucking it up, getting out early, and taking some losses from the (newly modified) non-refundable flight tickets. The whole affair, quite candidly, has left a sour taste in my mouth … both airlines I was booked through — Cebu Pacific and Philippines Airlines — have the WOST customer service in the airline industry (A friendly word of advise … take into account their ever-changing 'refund policies' before booking a flight on either of those airlines).

So instead, I'm leaving later this week for Bali, Indonesia — where I'll be looking for an apartment. I'm leaving Bangkok for a while.

I'm starting to figure out, in fits and spurts, that the traveling portion of this 'sojern' of mine may be coming to a close. I no longer feel like finding great new places to go surf and explore. Rather, lately every time I go somewhere new, I just want to go back to Indonesia. Apparently home IS where the heart is — and if the worst thing that's happening to me is that I lose a couple airplne tickets in figuring that out, things aren't going too bad.

Of greater importance is that, despite any the 'imagined' stress this whole situation has provoked, right now I find it extremely hard to gripe about these altogether trivial matters going in my life.

As I've mentioned previously, my friend Jill Lawler and her family were caught in the path of a terrible storm when their mother and brother were BOTH diagnosed with cancer within months of each other. And yesterday, just months after her mom passed away, Jill's brother too lost his fight with the disease. He was only 32 years old.

Apart from the title of this post, I haven't quite the words to express my sorrow for their loss, and my wish for an end to their seemingly non-stop anguish. I am so, so sorry. All my thoughts are with you guys.

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For anyone paying attention, you may recall that several months ago, I got a Sak Yant tattoo (Khmer geometric tattoos, meant to protect the wearer, originally as protection during war/fighting times).

That first tattoo was the Yant Gao Yord (or 'Nine Spires Yanthra'), which represents the Nine Peaks Mount Meru; the sacred mountain in the centre of the Universe, with the four Continents around it.

Well, today I went to get the second in a series of Sak Yant tattoos (while I'm sill here in Bangkok). Admittedly, I did not go to Wat Bang Phra this time, instead getting the tattoo from a local Bangkok artist who trained as a monk but no longer practices. As such, I'll need to get this Yant blessed (or 'charged') by a Bhuddist preist when I return back here to Thailand in a couple months.

This time I got a Yant Paed Tidt, which is representative of the 8 directions of the Universe and has a kata to protect you in each direction in which you may travel. Mine is a variation, but it looks similar to the one shown and described at the Sak Yant Website, here.

I'll try to have a picture up in a couple days.

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Another birthday here and gone. I don't feel like writing anything except to get the attention whore 'birthday post' out of the top spot on this blog. So I'll just show anyone interested (i.e., Slouchmonkey) a clip about the new surfboard I got in Bali last month, which I plan to put to good use on whatever smaller waves I come across in the Pacific.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to get another tattoo.

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I'm back home in Bangkok after a nice relaxing trip to Luang Prabang, Lao PDR. Just in time to celebrate my 30th birthday (ahem) in style — and queue the music …

'One night in Bangkok and the world's your oyster The bars are temples but the pearls ain't free You'll find a god in every golden cloister …'

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(Kuang Si Waterfall — about 26 K south of Luang Prabang, Laos)

Yesterday morning I woke up nursing a massive (MASSSSS-IVE) hangover acquired after drinking entirely too much Beerlao and lao-lao the day/night before. Ahh, good times.

So I figured the best way to deal with said hangover would be to take a 28 kilometer bemo ride to the famous Kouang Si waterfalls. I had heard they were awesome … and honestly, I was not disappointed. The waterfalls — actually a series of waterfalls topped off by a 120 meter(ish) high grand waterfall — was absolutely magnificent. And honestly, any pictures you see do not do it justice.

Plus, the water was a brisk 20-22 degrees (C) or so, which helped to cool the red-hot pokers that were surreptitiously placed behind my eyeballs whilst I slept the night before.

And while the waterfalls themselves were indeed spectacular (unlike the jarring, jostling, sphincter-clenching bus ride up to here Luang Prabang from Vang Vieng), I think I've reached a turning point on this particular trip. It's happened to me before when I travel without the specific intent to go surfing — I get sick and tired of the type of people I run into (and hang out with) in the whole Southeast Asian tourist/backpacker scene.

Simply stated — it's all been done before.

There reaches a stage when there is nothing more the majority of these people can say, do, or be that is of any interest to me. The majority of these people think they are the most outgoing, adventurous, and brave people in the world — simply because they have been staying in shithole guest-houses and hostels for a few months.

C'mon, get the fuck over yourselves, people!!

Yes, there is something to be said about doing what you've done and being to all the 'backpacker' haunts you've been to, but not THAT much.

So you've swung from a rope into a river … ooohh, here's a cookie!

So you've gotten pissed drunk or stoned incontinent in the middle of the jungle somewhere … umm, okay.

Got over it. It's NOT a big deal!!

Go surf triple overhead at G-land, go climb the Himalayas, go live in some cave or shithole village for a few months — THEN maybe I'll have some respect for your boring-ass stories. But as it now stands, your shit stinks just like the rest of us.

This is what happens when my gills dry out. This whole backpacker scene can hold my interest for only so long, and I just want to go someplace to surf with people whose company, and stories, I actually enjoy.

I just wanna go back to where things make sense to me. I wanna go surfing again.

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Bowling in Luang Prabang: Good.

Beer Lao: Good.

Lao-Lao (homemade) whiskey: Questionable.

Resulting Hangover: Bad.

Try to remember this the next time one of your buddies tells you to do something like that.

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Yes, me being who I am, I was bound to get injured sooner or later. The good news is that it's a minor injury — more aggravating than anything else. I'm still here in Vang Vieng, and I was planning on going tubing down the river today, as per suggestion of my buddy 'Dee'. However, yesterday I went rock climbing and in returning down from the set climbing route, I slipped in some mud, my flip-flop came off, and I sliced open the bottom of my foot fairly deep on a rock.

Sigh.

Like I said, not a really big deal, except that there's no way in HELL I'm going tubing down a muddy ol' river today with an open wound like that. Plus, I don't have any shoes, so it's a real pain in the ass keeping it clean for the next couple days (at least) — especially now, during rainy season.

What a drag. I may go up to Luang Prabang a bit sooner than I thought since there's not much else to do here besides eat and get drunk, while nursing a sliced foot. Oh well, it could be worse … I could be working on Wall Street. HA!

P.S. Dee, funny thing - the 2 brothers that run the climbing place I went too have a brother that I (and almost certainly you) know that works for Hot Rocks down in Railay. Fucking small world, huh?

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I'm now up in Vang Vieng, Laos. It's a small(ish) little village on the banks of the Mekong River, which for some reason has devolved into a haven for wayward backpackers.

The main street is littered with guest houses, bars, restaurants, internet cafes and tour agencies. Almost all the restaurants have large televisions playing American sitcoms (most of them 'Friends' — no, I'm NOT kidding) on a rotational basis.

And despite the hell (and gag reflex) this vision invokes, it's actually not all that bad of a scene. This is saying something, considering the praise is coming from yours truly. I think it's because the whole Laos lackadaisical attitude doesn't push the whole issue on you as much as it does down in similar spots in Thailand and elsewhere in S.E. Asia.

Regardless, I'm still only staying a few days to do some climbing, some rafting, and some drinking (did I mention Laotion beer, coffee, and food just fucking ROCK!?!). before heading up to Luang Prabang for another few days before rafting back down to Vientiane.

P.S. Dee, sorry I forgot to respond to your continued suggestion that I hit Vietnam. I'm not doing it this round — for 2 reasons: 1. I head back to the Philippines to go surfing in only a couple weeks; and 2. they changed the visa requirements for Vietnam (it now takes 5-7 days and about US$65.00 for 30 day tourist visa — so fuck all that right now). Thanks anyway, mate.

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Hey guys, I'm currently in Vientiene, but pressed for time as I'm catching a bus to Vang Vieng in about 20 minutes. As per the claims of my buddies Dee and Desh (no, I'm not kidding about the names), there's not much to do in Vientiene besides eat and drink … a lot.

But I will say this:

Yes, Beer Laos is the BEST fucking lager beer I've had in S.E. Asia (perhaps ever).

Yes, Laotion (sp?) food is perhaps the BEST in S.E. Asia (whereas the Philippines has taken the WORST food and drink combinations from all the cultures it was conquered by, Laos has taken all the BEST … think baguettes with pate and spicy guava salad - damn good!)

Yes, there's not much going on here, and the pace is beyond laid back. It's a lot like the Indo islands I frequent … but with no surf to pass the time. Still, it's nice.

Okay, more later, but gotta go.

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Aloha you nutjubs, listen up: I'm taking the suggestions of several of my friends and heading up to Laos tommorow for a week or so. My first stop is Vientiane, where I'll probably spend 1-2 days. Then my plan is to take a bemo to vang Vieng, where I'll probably stay another 1-2 days. From there, I'll be heading up to Luang Prabang, and then from there, I'll probably take a slow boat down Mekhong river back to Vientiane.

These plans are tentative, but it's a start. If I get sidetracked, I'll let y'all know. But for now, that's the plan.

If anyone has any other suggestions (ahem … Dee), please lemme know. I'll try to post some pics and stuff from the road wherever there's internet and such. Thanks kids, I'm outta here.

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(Me, walking in off the reef in Rote with my [semi] new 7′ retro single fin)

(Me, trying to figure out how to work that goddamn single-fin in head-high surf)

As you can see, I finally posted a couple of new(ish) photos from my most recent trip to Rote, Indoneisa. These were taken by a friend of mine. Although I've got a few more I also took personally, I've kinda reached the point where I just don't like taking many pictures — I tried, but I finally reverted to my old form (never photographing anything). For any interested friends and family, I'll try to snap out of it the next time I go someplace new.

Nothing much else to report, except that yesterday, there was a coup de tat here in Bangkok, and a massive earthquake down south in Indonesia. However, you wouldn't have even known about ANY of it in my neighborhood of BKK if if wasn't all on the news. Ahh, my first coup — I feel so … 'worldly.'

And finally, I'd really like to thank to a friend of mine for her extreme (and quick) generosity — thanks to her, I had the opportunity to see Al Jarreau and George Benson in concert last nite (and meet them both afterwards). Thank you very much, it was the best live music I've seen out in Asia in quite a long, long time, and all the artists were extremely nice and magnanimous, as well.

Okay, I'm in the midst of planning out my next move — depending on the rains and flooding up in the north, I may hopefully head to Laos later this week for some relaxation and white water rafting. I'll keep eveyone apprized.

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Seven Senses — "Who Ever Said Life Was Fair?"*

For anyone still playing, I'm still hanging out in Railay Beach (Krabi, Thailand). I head back to Bangkok later this afternoon after spending an AMAZING long weekend down here with a great bunch of friends celebrating the 25th (ahem) birthday of a good friend of mine.

We rented a 4 bedroom house, we took the obligatory boat trip to Maya Bay, we got ridiculously trashed (ahem) for most of the weekend, and 1-2 of us wound up sleeping very well at/on/behind the various bars on the beach (from what I heard).

As noted above, I'll be back in Bangkok later today, at which time I'll decide where I'm heading next … at this point, possibilities include Laos, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Indonesia (again), or out into the Pacific (for the surfing 'long haul').

If anyone's got any travel ideas/suggestions (noting that my primary interest is in getting some good surf), I'm keen to them.

* While I usually shy away from posting inside jokes, chances are the only people still checking out this dribble are the 8-9 folks with whom I spent the weekend anyway. For all others, sorry, just trust me … this shit is pretty funny.

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(Yep, I'm starting to handle those perfect Indo lefts okay enuf…)

So, after 5 towns, 4 airports, 3 plane rides, 3 bemo rides, 3 taxi rides, and 1 ferry ride, I'm back from Rote and in Bangkok again. And while the surf was less than I expected it was still a very, VERY enjoyable trip.

I was in Rote for about a month, and while I did get several days (about 6-7 total) of some really great, single to triple overhead surf … I pretty much got skunked (in terms of big waves). Oh well, not much to do about that.

Regardless, like I said, I still had a really good time there … again. I'm may be starting to enjoy that area just a bit too much. I enjoy learning Indonesian, I enjoy the local peeps (just such great folks), and even when the surf is small, if there are no (like 'NONE') people out in the water, it's still a fun little wave to dick around on in between naps.

As usual, I'm also now sans the extra 2-3 kilos I tend to put on living in civilization (i.e., Bangkok, Singapore, Miami … wherever). The food is soooo good, and sooo healthy — rice and veggies and fish (all locally and naturally grown stuff, too), that it's hard NOT to get healthy there. Also, I was spending anywhere between 1.5 — 6 hours in the water and practicing yoga almost every day — damn it feels good to feel this healthy!!

And my surfing has also improved tremendously — my new(ish) single-fin retro board doesn't do much in smaller waves (I just bought a 6′8″ super-fish in Bali to handle anything less than head high waves), but in anything 1.5 overhead and bigger … man, that thing fucking FLIES!! And it's so, so, sooooo much fun.

I never really knew what was achievable on bigger waves with the right equiptment!! Now I'm starting to find out … and I LOVE it!! Even now, after getting almost 'complacent' with surfing the near-perfect conditions of Indonesia for the past year, it's like getting that 'first time surfing bug' all over again. Damn, now it just feels so good to go surfing again!!!

Anyway …. and then there's Bangkok…

After almost another month sans electricity and internet, I got back to Bali yesterday to hear word of riots and another potential coup here in Bangkok. Strange days.

As usual, the mainstream media is doing it's best to overstate the situation simply to scare the world's population. As it turns out, however, it doesn't seem to be all that bad here. From what I've seen so far, it's pretty much 'business as usual' around here, except that the entire town is kinda subdued right now. It's sort of like everyone is just staying quiet and keeping their heads down until all the political bullshit blows over.

Noneteless, it does reminds you that regardless of all the western influences it IS still Asia and they do things a bit differently over here. I head to Krabi this weekend for a friend's birthday retreat, but I'll keep everyone posted.

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