The next morning we went back to Happy Pizza for breakfast and left on a minibus to Kep for a short 45 minute drive.  When I told the tuk-tuk driver that we were staying at Le Kep Bungalows he was happy and told us that it was Cambodian owned.  This made me a little nervous since Cambodian standards are a bit different than western standards, and Le Kep just opened so there was no reviews for the place.  It was actually hard to find a place to stay since it is the holiday season, so I didn't have much of a choice to book Le KepWhen we got there it looked pretty nice with bungalows situated around a swimming pool:

It winds up that the place just opened on 20 December...only 6 days ago so there are still some things they need to iron out such as keeping the pool cleaner (looks a bit hazy...eh?) and having a soap dish or something in the shower area and dealing with breakfast crowds and providing enough towels, and having umbrellas in the pool area...but overall it was a pleasant stay.

Anyway, Kep is situated on the Gulf of Thailand and is known for their crab market, so we threw our stuff in the room and headed down to the market.  Of course I wanted to eat some crab, but we had to choose between getting some at one of the overpriced restaurants or buying them direct from the crab ladies.  Todays going rate was $5 for over 2 pounds of crab plus $0.50 to cook it.  Can you guess which one I chose:

While waiting for our crab to steam we were greeted with a beautiful sunset with the crab ladies tending to the crab cages where the unsold crab is stored till tomorrow:

Finally the crab was done, so we sat down at a table, bought a couple of Angkor beers and ate our crab out of a plastic shopping bag:

Yes the crabs were small and yes they were a pain to eat and yes we were still hungry after eating them all, but it was worth the experience.

After going to a restaurant and sharing a pizza we went back to our bungalow and settled in for the night.

The next morning we took on of the free bicycles...that's a nice touch...and rode along the Gulf of Thailand and into the county for about a 10 mile round-trip ride.  Here we are in front of the famous Krung Kep Blue Swimmer Crab statue:

We got back to the hotel around 1:30 PM, ate some cup of noodle soup, and decided to just relax for the rest of the day.  We then went back to the crab market, but skipped the crabs and went right to a restaurant called the Democrat and had a pretty good meal. Tim said it was one of his favorite meals he has had in a long time, so he was happy.

The next morning we headed up to Kep National Park for a short hike.  Wow...this was one of the nicest parks we have been in since we left the US.  It was clean and well marked and the views were awesome:

After over 5.5 miles of hiking, we got back to our bungalow around 1:30 PM, just in time for a rest before heading into town for happy hour and dinner.  We had heard that the Sailing Club is a good place for happy hour so we headed out just before 5:00 PM:

Then off to the crab market one more time for dinner.  Tim loved his dinner so much last night that he wanted to go back to the same place.  I on the other hand was in the mood for some fresh grilled fish and squid from the market vendors:

Unfortunately the Democrat was closed tonight so sad Tim found another restaurant and had our go to meal of pizza.

Tomorrow we leave Kep behind and head to the beach town of Sihanoukville where we will be spending New Year's Eve on a primitive island...we can't wait!

In the afternoon of Christmas day we left the ridiculous traffic of Phnom Pehn and headed south to the quiet riverside town of Kampot.  After a plesent 3.5 hour minivan ride on a surprisingly smooth road, we made it to our hotel, Champeysor Guesthouse, early evening.  Our room is one of most interesting we have had with a tree and the smallest bathroom yet, but at only $20 a night it wasn't too bad:

The next day we signed up for a tour that includes a trip to Bokor National Park, lunch at a waterfall, and a sunset boat ride down the Teuk Chhou River.

First Bokor National Park that has an interesting history.  In the 1920's the French colonists built a resort at the top of Bokor Mountain which was abandoned in 1972, as Khmer Rouge took over the area.  Khmer Rouge actually kept control on the mountain in the 1990's when they finally disbanded.  At this point the road up the mountain, along with the buildings put up by the French, were in ruins making the only way up the mountain being trekking or riding a dirt bike up the destroyed road.  However, in 2007 the Cambodia leased the land for 99 years to a Chinese conglomerate for $100 million for them to build condos, restaurants, hotels, a casino, a roadway, even a cable car running up the mountain.  Anyway...the road has been built and the hotel / casino has opened.

The tour bus drove us up the mountain and stopped as some of the ruins of the French resort:

Next lunch at a waterfall that wasn't flowing to much since it is the dry season, but it was still beautiful:

Finally the sunset boat ride:

After sunset the boat pulled up to some bushes on the side of the river where there was a bunch of fireflies.  The interesting thing about these fireflies is that they all blinked on and off together.  It wasn't possible to get a picture, but it was pretty cool.

After the boat ride we ate some pizza at Happy Pizza that was actually good.  This town of Kampot has a lot of ex-pats living here so there are many restaurants catering towards westerners making it a pretty good place to eat.

Tomorrow we leave Kampot and head to Kep for a couple of days before headed to the beaches of Sihanoukville.

Luckily, after spending 36 hours in bed I woke up on 23 December feeling better.  Today it is time to travel to Phnom Pehn, the capital of Cambodia and home to the infamous Killing Fields.  We boarded one of the nicer buses we have been on in a while:

The trip is supposed to take about 7-8 hours depending on traffic, but the road should be pretty good since it is connecting the two largest cities in Cambodia...right?!?...wrong!  The trip started out OK, but about 1 hour in the construction began and the unfinished road continued to the outskirts of Phnom Pehn where the traffic started over 10 miles out.

Finally, after over 8 hours of traveling we made it to our hotel called One Up Banana Hotel where we had one of the best welcomes with friendly hosts that greeted us with a cold drink that tasted awesome.  After checking in we walked down the street to an area known for pretty good restaurant that are frequented by westerners.  Luckily we got there just in time for happy hours when drinks are 2-for-1:

The next morning our tuk-tuk driver from the day before met us in front of our hotel at 9:00 AM to take us on a tour of the Choeung Ek (The Killing Fields), the Russian Market, and Toul Sleng (S-21) Genocide Museum.

With traffic it took about 1 hour to reach Choeung Ek, about 8 miles from Phnom Pehn.  Although there are other "Killing Fields" throughout Cambodia, Choeung Ek is the best know due to it being featured in the film The Killing Fields.  This is where the Khmer Rouge disposed of its enemy (Cambodian men, women, children, infants) who had allegedly betrayed the state from 1975 - 79.  Mass graves of 8,985 bodies were exhumed in 1980, although it is believed that there was more than 17,000 people killed here.  Needless to say, it was not a fun place to visit, however it was well worth the tour that included an audio guide that brought the place to life.

Next we stopped at the Russian Market for lunch.  There was everything from clothing to motorbike parts to fresh eggs to seafood for sale:

I was hoping to be able to buy lunch from a street vendor, but the market was really geared towards locals and not tourists, so we couldn't find anything that looked good, so we wound up at the KFC across the street.  Here we came across some children dressed up for Christmas Eve:

After lunch we went back to the tuk-tuk and headed to the Toul Sleng Genocide Museum.  This was originally Toul Svay High School, but from 1975-1979 the Khmer Rouge turned it into a prison called S-21 that up to 20,000 people passed through for interrogation, imprisonment, and finally sent to Choeung Ek for their ultimate death.  One of the more chilling parts of this museum is the thousands of pictures of people that were photographed and logged into the prison, all of which were killed.

After a sobering day we ended with dinner at a noodle shop known for their homemade noodles.  My giant bowl of soup cost $2.00 and the 12 steamed dumplings cost $1.50.

Oh...here are some interesting scenes on the streets of Phnom Pehn:

The next day we walked to the Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda.  On the way we passed some nice monuments:

Finally we made it to the Royal Palace that for some reason didn't excite me so much.  Maybe I'm just "palaced" out.

In the same area was the Silver Pagoda, so named because of the silver-tiled floor inside.  We were looking forward to seeing the silver floor, but all but a few tiles were covered with carpet, so it wasn't too exciting.  Pictures weren't allowed to be taken inside the pagoda you just have to use your imagination.  The most interesting part of visiting the Silver Pagoda is the 2,100 foot long mural painted in 1903-04 that goes around the courtyard telling the story of the Ramayana (one of the great Hindu epics).

Another interesting thing found in the courtyard of the Silver Pagoda is this monument of a horseman that started out as a gift from Napoleon III depicting himself, but now having the face of Norodom, the king of Cambodia from 1860-1904.

We left the grounds and had lunch at a vegetarian restaurant then returned to our hotel to catch a bus south to Kampot, Cambodia. 

We are finally about to experiance the highlight of everyone's trip to Cambodia, Ankor Historical Park, home to multiple temple ruins built between 900 and 1200 AD.  Some of the pictures may look familiar to Indiana Jones and Laura Croft fans.

We had a choice of a 3-day or 7-day pass to purchase.  After seeing our way nice hotel room we decided to go with the 7-day pass to give us the option to take a day off while visiting the park and also gives us the option to take our time and maybe stay here for 4-6 days versus the planned 3 days.

Here is our passes...very official looking with picture and everything.  The punches at the bottom indicate that we visited the park 4 times.

Here is what we accomplished in 6 days:

DAY 1 (17 Dec 14)
Preah Khan
Neak Pean
Ta Som
East Mebon
Banteay Samre
Pre Rup
Srah Srang
Bantey Kdei

DAY 2 (18 Dec 14)
Ta Prohm (7:30 AM)
Ta Keo
Thommanon
Phimeanakas & The Royal Palace
Chau Say Tevodo
Terrace of the Leper King
Terrace of the Elephants
Preah Palilay
East Gate
Prasat Bei
Baksei Chamkrong
Phnom Bakheng

DAY 3 (19 Dec 14)
Relax

DAY 4 (20 Dec 14)
Bayon (7:30 AM)
Banteay Srei
Kbal Spean
Prasat Kravan
Angkor Wat

DAY 5 (21 Dec 14)
Angkor Wat (7:15 AM)
Lolei
Preah Ko
Bakong

DAY 6 (22 Dec 14)
Relax

WOW...that was a lot of ruins we covered (29) with a total of 1,092 pictures taken!!  All of these temples were so interesting with an incredible amount of detail in the carvings.  Even the smaller, minor temples were incredible to visit and explore.

Now the hard part...what pictures to post of the 1,092.  I have been stuck at this point of the blog for 2 days and can't figure out how to sort through all these pictures and post the best ones for you to see.  I finally decided to post a few highlights of each day and then the lucky...or unlucky ones depending on how you look at it...will have to suffer through the rest when I show them all the pictures of the trip when we return to the states.

DAY 1:
There are 2 traditional itineraries (Grand Circuit & Small Circuit) to ensure you visit all the temples.  The first day we are doing the Small Circuit, but to beat the crowds we chose to travel counterclockwise versus the tradional clockwise direction.  We also skipped Bayon and Angkor Wat, tourist favorites, to visit later in the week.

While walking around on Day 1 we came across women "mowing" the lawn Cambodian style:

DAY 2:
After doing most of the Small Circuit yesterday, today we will do the Grand Circuit in clockwise order versus the traditional counterclockwise direction.  This allowed us to visit Ta Prohm (another tourist favorite) before 7:30 AM before the crowds began to show. 

TA PROHM:
Ta Prohm is one of the favorite temples to visit with cool trees growing out of the ruins.  It might look familiar to those that saw the movie Tomb Raider that was filmed here.  One of the more interesting bas-relief is that of what looks like a stegosaurs...check out the last picture of this photo gallery!

DAY 2 (Rest of temples):

DAY 4:
After a much needed day off, our plan today is to visit Bayon early in the morning before the crowds and then travel to the farther temples located 22 miles northeast of Siem Reap.

BAYON:
Bayon was one of our favorite temples to visit with its over 200 faces and incredible bas-reliefs.  We got there before 7:30 AM before the crowds started showing up (see last picture of photo gallery).  As the sun rose, different faces started to glow making it an incredible place to take pictures.

DAY 4 (Rest of temples):
Before traveling 22 miles we wondered if it was going to be worth it, but it was.  The elaboratley decorated red sandstone walls of the miniature sized Banteay Srei was so different than any other temple we visited, it was worth the trip.  Following Banteay Srei we visited Kbal Spean that started with a 1 mile hike up a mountain.  When we got to the top we didn't see any temple and was wondering what was going on.  Then, a local man started talking to us and showed us what we didn't see.  There is no temple here, there are stone carvings in sandstone carved into the Stung Kbal Spean River bed and banks.

At the end of the planned tour we still had some time left so we decided to visit Angkor Wat for the second time and just focus on the amazing bas-reliefs that cover 600 feet of walls standing 6 feet tall.  These bas-reliefs tells Hindu stories and shows historical events.

DAY 5:
Today we are visiting Angkor Wat (for the third time) followed by a 8 mile trip east of Siem Reap to visit the temples of the Roluous Group.

ANGKOR WAT:
We arrived at Angkor Wat around 7:15 to try to beat the crowds.  This is our third visit to Angkor Wat...the first we experienced the sunset and the second we viewed the amazing bas-reliefs.  Now, we will finally enter the walls and explore the rest of the temple.

DAY 5 (Roluous Group):

After 5 days and 29 temples visited, we were finally done and it was time to say good-bye to our tuk-tuk driver:

The plan for the next day was to relax in our hotel room...which by the way was one of the reasons we decided to stay in Seim Reap as long as we did:

Of course, there was a bit of a catch.  When the wind blew from one direction there was a bit of a smell coming from the crocodile farm just next door.  Keep in mind...this is within the Siem Reap city limits!

Anyway...that night the plan was to hit the night market which we haven't been able to do because we had some very early mornings to get to the temples before the crowds.  However, by 5:00 PM I wasn't feeling vey well so we stayed in and decided to just go out the next day and explore the city some.  After a no so good night I woke up to still not feeling well and I wound up sleeping the entire day and not being able to eat anything.  What, you may ask, caused my illness?  Well, that makes an excellent story.

While reading the travel guide for Cambodia I saw a mention of a palm beer that can be found in Cambodia.  Up to this point of travel I was yet to find it, so I told our tuk-tuk driver to find some for me and I will give him a nice tip.  When I first asked him there was another tuk-tuk driver there that said that I should be careful drinking the palm beer because it can give me a stomach ache...warning number 1.  While driving back from the far temples we came across vendors selling palm candy.  We asked them if they sold palm beer and the man said that he doesn't, but be careful because I can get a stomach ache...warning number 2.  Our driver said not to worry...he will find it.  After leaving the historical park on the fourth day our driver turned off the main road and headed down a very "local" road where he pulled up to a man standing next to his motorbike near a ditch.  The motorbike had 6 plastic buckets hanging from it. Here he said...this is palm beer....warning number 3.  Our driver pointing to me and told the man that I wanted to try some...the man giggled...warning number 4.  He took the cup and tasted from each bucket and picked the best tasting for me.  He then filled the same said cup with palm beer and handed it to me.  This seems like the same cup everyone drinks from...warning number 5.  

Now...5 warnings should be enough for the average person, but the average person is not a beer connoisseur like me, so I took the cup and drank half of it.  It was warm, but it actually tasted pretty good with a bit of carbonation.  I handed the cup to Tim and he wouldn't even smell it...he was not game after warning number 1...smart man!  I started wondering if I just made a mistake by drinking it, so I handed the half cup to our driver who finished it off.

Unfortunately, our camera battery died that day so we couldn't get a picture, but a few days later I saw another palm beer seller and took a picture:

There are two ways to get to Siem Reap from Battambang...a bus that takes 4 hours and costs $15 USD or a boat that takes 8 hours and costs $25.  The obvious choice should have been the bus, but the guidebook convinced me that the boat was the way to go calling it "a rewarding trip down the Sangker River and across the Tonle Sap."  So, we showed up to the pier at 7:00 AM and saw our "home" for the next 8 hours:

The boat looked...uhm...interesting.  We are going to spend 8 hours on this thing.  Well...at least we have room since there doesn't seem to be too many people here.  And then the people started arriving.  By the time we left they had set up stools on the floor for people to sit on and a bunch of people sat on the roof.

At least we have a seat to enjoy the cruise down the river.  The trip started out very enjoyable with some really cool scenery of fishing villages only accessible by water along with houseboats, fishing boats, and fields of rice paddies.  Here are some highlights:

Such interesting scenes...right?  Well, the boat ride wasn't all it was cracked up to be...at least in Tim's and another passenger's opinion.  You see...with all the people on board of which many were on the top along with everyone's luggage...whenever we went around a bend the boat would lean almost to the point that it felt like we were going to roll.  Tim just sat there mad, but the other passenger actually started crying and was quite panicked.  She actually went to talk to the captain who obviously told her that everything was fine.  She then went to the top and begged people to come downstairs to get some of the weight off the roof.  One people actually did oblige, but others probably looked at her like she was crazy.  

Needless to say, we made it to Siem Reap with no problems.  I actually did go on top for a little bit, but this was after many people have offloaded at stops along the river:

After 8 hours we finally pulled into port which looked nothing like what I was expecting.  Siem Reap is one of the most popular places in Cambodia visited by tourists.  I was expecting a bit more, but there was a pool hall at the port...what else do you need?!?

As soon as we got off the boat, there was a tuk-tuk driver with my name on a sign who was sent by our hotel to pick us up....NICE!  As soon as we got to the hotel we dropped our bags and went to grab something to eat...and drink $0.50 drafts...before our sunset visit to Angkor Wat, the largest religious monument in the world built over 900 years ago:

All we did today was take in Angkor Wat from a distance.  In the next 5 days we will be exploring more than 20 temple ruins.  These 5 days promises to be one of the highlights of our entire trip.

We woke to our last Thailand beach scene and boarded the speedboat back to the mainland.  It was a bit sad to leave the beautiful beach, but it was time to head to Cambodia and continue our adventure.  Once back to the mainland we boarded a minivan to Chanthaburi, Thailand.  Our plan is to spend on night there and catch a van to the border of Cambodia the next day.  We arrived at the bus stop in Chanthaburi after about 3 hours.  

For some reason I didn't make a hotel reservation in this town, so we walked into town to look for a place to stay.  The travel guide mentioned a hotel right across from where we were to catch the van to Cambodia so we thought we'd check it out.  The price was right at $15 USD, but when we went to see the room we determined that the lumpy bed was not going to work.  The only good thing we got out of stopping here is that they were very familiar with the van to Cambodia and told us that the van leaves everyday at 9:45 AM.  We continued walking and found a pretty nice hotel for twice the price $30 USD, but it included breakfast and the bed was comfortable.  

Chanthaburi was a small city known for its gem market.  The nice part was that it were a lot of rivers running through it and the mountains in the distance:

We decided to be at the van station early since our Thailand visas expired today so we had to get to the border.  We got the the station at 8:45 AM and our "van" arrived at 11:00 AM.  Why is van in quotes?  Well...what pulled up looked like something that was not street-worthy and the inside was even worse with broken seats being held together with rope.  Luckily there were two seats in the back that looked somewhat decent so we climbed in.  We made another stop and picked up 2 locals that filled the van to capacity.  Why are we stopping again?  There is no room for anyone else.  Well...maybe there is.  The three seats in front of us is now holding 4 people.  What...we are stopping again?!?  Now there are two people sitting in the front passenger seat made for one.

Finally, after a very long 2 hours we arrived at the border.  Checking out of Thailand was easy.  We handed over our passports and they stamped us out.  Now what?  A woman told us that we need to pay her 1000 Baht ($30 USD) for a Cambodia stamp.  Luckily I had done research and knew about the scams at the border...this being one, so we walked past and continued toward the border.  When we reached what we thought was the border there was a man there asking for our stamp.  I said we didn't have and he pointed at the 1000 Baht woman...hum.  We went back to the window that we got stamped out and asked her where we go and she pointed to where we came from.  Ah...I get it now.  We walked past the dude at the desk and continued on to the actual border where we received our visa for $35 USD...only $5 over what we were supposed to pay, but it wasn't worth arguing.  We got in a taxi for $30 USD...pretty expensive trip, but it was our only option...and made it to Battambang by 2:30 PM...not too bad.

A tuk-tuk driver in front of our hotel offered us a tour.  He said we had enough time today to take a bamboo train ride...lets go!

The history of the bamboo train is that the actual trains stopped running in Cambodia around 2009 due to neglect and the civil war.  Locals invented the bamboo train to get them up and down the train lines, especially where there are no roads.  This particular bamboo train is specifically set up for tourists, but there are many such trains running along the tracks for locals.

Notice that there is only one track, now notice the picture of a bamboo train coming right at us.  The basic rule is that the car with less people stop, get off the car, and remove it from the tracks to allow the other car to pass.  It works!

After the ride, our driver dropped us off and we agreed to meet him at 9:30 AM the next day for a tour outside the city.  We had some dinner and experienced our first beer in Cambodia.  We had a choice of Angkor and Anchor...both sounded the same to us.  We couldn't tell the difference between the two when they asked us what kind of beer we wanted, so we got one of each.

The next morning our driver picked us up and took us to see the sites.  First, a fishing village:

We then went over this cool single lane suspension bridge.  A sign said it cost $5,000 USD to build 6 years ago.

Next a visit to the first and only winery in Cambodia.  We did the tasting sample that included (from left to right) red wine, brandy, grape juice, and honey ginger juice.  The wine was gross, Tim thought the brandy was pretty good, the grape juice was nice, and the honey ginger juice burned and tasted like medicine.

Next was a visit to Wat Banan that required us to walk up 360 steps to reach the temple:

Lastly that day we visited Phenom Sampeu, a limestone mountain topped with temples and shrines.  However, it is now best known for its tragic association with the Khemer Rouge, who turned the buildings into a prison, many of whose inmates were executed.  This visit required another long climb of which our driver thought we were crazy to do when we could hire a motobike to ride us up to the top.  However, we decided to take the challenge and make the climb, which wound up being not that bad.

During this day we must of rode around 40 miles in the back of a tuk-tuk.  During this time we drove by some really interesting looking villages, houses, fields, and people.  Here are some of the highlights:

After a full day we went back to the hotel, walked across the street to a vegetarian restaurant for dinner and went to sleep.  Tomorrow we board a boat for the 6 hour journey to Siem Reap...this should be an adventure.

We left Cave Lodge,after an awesome stay, with the plan to head south and eventual make it to the Island of Ko Samed.  We have to travel 650 miles south to get there.  The travel plan is to ride the scooters back to Pai, take a minivan from Pai to Chiang Mai, take a train from Chiang Mai to Bangkok, take a minibus from Bangkok to Bon Phe, and finally, take a speedboat from Bon Phe to Ko Samed...WOW...this is going to be some trip.  I had no idea how long this trip would take, so at this point me have no reservation to stay anywhere.  Somehow the trip worked out perfectly with the longest we had to wait for transportation was 1 hour.  Here is how it worked out:

• Left Cave Lodge at 1000, arrived Phi at 1130 (Scooters)
• Left Phi at 1230, arrived Chiang Mai at 1600 (Minivan cost $9 USD)
• Left Chiang Mai at 1700, arrived Bangkok at 0650...next day (Train cost $51 USD)
• Left Bangkok at 1030 (after eating breakfast & taking commuter train to minivan station), arrived Bon Phe at 1330 (Minivan cost $12 USD)
• Left Bon Phe at 1345, arrived Ko Samed at 1405 (Speedboat cost $12 USD)

TOTAL TRAVEL TIME = 28 hours
TOTAL DISTANCE TRAVELLED = 650 MILES
TOTAL TRAVEL COST FOR BOTH OF US (Not including scooters) = $84 USD

I know...$51 USD for the train ticket seems like a lot, but since the trip was going to be over night, we upgraded to a second class sleeper car (first class we sold out).  Here is what it looked like:

We both actually got a pretty good nights sleep on the train.  Although the lights remained on, the mattresses and pillows were comfortable, the air conditioning worked well, and people were pretty quiet throughout the night.

It actually felt good when we got to Bangkok since we pretty much had this city figured out and knew how to get around.  We easily made it via a subway and a skytrain to Victory Monument where got on the minivan for the coast of the Gulf of Thailand.  When we got to Bon Phe and boarded a speedboat for the 4.5 mile ride to Ko Samed, we knew we made the right choice of coming here...check out the color of the water:

The best part was that the boat dropped us right off at our beach...literally...we had to remove our shoes to get off the boat because we had to jump into the water to get off the boat:

We were a bit tired after 28 hours of traveling so we headed straight to our hotel to relax for a while:

We left the room and went down to the beach for dinner.  The beach has changed from beach chairs to tables and lights in front of all the restaurants.

First stop...a happy hour bucket of strawberry vodka drink:

We spent the next day at the hotel pool then went to the beach for happy hour...those buckets were so good!

Another bucket followed:

Next was an awesome grilled dinner served at beachside:

The next day we decided to move to a hotel on the beach.  If we were going to spend the next 3 days at the beach I wanted to see the beach from our room...plus, we wanted a hotel that had a private beach so we didn't have to worry about getting a beach chair.  Here is our new beach bungalow:

Here is how we spent the next 3 days:

After a 5 nights and 4 days on the beach it was time to hit the road and finally make our ways towards the Thailand/Cambodia border.  Our Thailand visa runs out on Saturday, 13 December, giving us 2 days to cross the border into Cambodia.

We woke up quite early since our room sounded like it shared a wall with the kitchen...you really do get what you pay for!  After a restless night and an early morning we decided that we could use a down day, so we booked a pretty nice hotel ($30 USD) with plans to spend most of the day inside.  Last night Tim saw a pizza place and since then wanted (needed) some familiar food so we stopped on our way to the hotel:

This wasn't the best pizza we ever ate, but it was the only pizza we have had for the past 3 weeks, so it tasted pretty good!  After lunch we got to our room and I was able to access the damage from the motorcycle trip:

I know...it doesn't look so good...but you should see Tim!  He is a lot worse, but didn't let me take a picture so you have to imagine worse than this.  Luckily we had a really nice hotel room to hang out in and it had many cable channels in english that kept us occupied for the day.  Around 7 PM we were finally ready to leave the room and get some food, so we headed to the night market for dinner and then headed straight back to the hotel and went to sleep.

The next morning we woke to a day of travel.  We caught a tuk tuk to the bus station and got on a minivan to Pai, 3 hours away for 150 Baht ($4.50 USD).  I was looking forward to a nice relaxing van ride where I can chill out and read my book, but that was just a dream.  Little did I know that the van from Chiang Mai to Pai is called the vomit van since we hit mountain roads with incredible turns that the drivers seem to ignore and pass whenever they feel like it.  Needless to say...Tim swore that if we made it to Pai alive he would never get back on the van to return...little did Tim know, there was no other way back and he would just have to deal with it.

Anyway...we made it to Pai and rented scooters to go the next 60 KM (37 miles) to Cave Lodge where we planned to spend the next 2 nights.  We started riding up the mountain.  Luckily there was a nice rest stop half-way up the climb that was well needed:

After 1.5 hours of twists and turns of a mountain road, we made it to Cave Lodge and fell in love as soon as we arrived.  As a matter of fact, when we checked in we instantly added a third night to our stay.  What do think...would't you have added a third night after arriving to this?!?

After checking into our private bungalow (700 Baht per night ($21 USD)):

...we had some lunch and signed up for a 3 cave adventure tour for the next day (600 Baht/person ($18 USD)).  We didn't know what to expect, but the description said it was a full day walk from the Lodge through spectacular karst scenery, visiting three caves.


Well...let me tell you...we had no idea what we signed up for.  We left Cave Lodge at 9:30 AM and headed to the trail in the back of a pickup truck.  We arrived at the trail for some beautiful treking to the first of the three caves, fossil cave.

As soon as we entered fossil cave I was wondering what we go ourselves into.  It was a bit terrifying, but the guide and the others on the tour were so awesome that we forgot about the danger and just enjoyed the adventure through and amazing cave with wonderful formations.  Next stop is Waterfall cave that promises to be the most adventurous of the caves we are going to explore.

After about 1 hour or slippery up and down hiking we arrived at Waterfall cave.  Before entering our guide stripped down to just shorts and told us that everything we wore into the cave would get soaking wet.  All the younger ones stripped down as the guide did, but Tim and I decided to wear long pants, long sleeves, and shoes to ensure that we would be protected from rocks and such.  Plus, the weather was getting hotter and the next cave was a 2-2.5 hour walk, so if our clothes were wet at least it would keep up cooler for the upcoming hike.

As soon as we entered the cave we knew that this was going to be "fun".  We were required to crawl through a small space on our elbows and knees being neck deep in water.  After three such areas we arrive to an underground waterfall that made the whole trip worthwhile, but not before we had to turn around and head back the way we came, though all that crawling and water and rocks and such.

We finally exited the cave and had lunch on the edge of a field. 

After lunch we hiked at least 2 hours an experienced some awesome scenery:

After much ups and downs and trying to keep up with the younger people in the group we finally made it to the last cave...Christmas Cave where we had to enter via 2 bamboo ladders:

After Christmas Cave we had about a 1 hour hike back to the Cave Lodge, and again we came across some beautiful scenery:

We also came across this way cool plant that reacted to touch:

We finally made it back to Cave Lodge very muddy and very tired.  We sure were looking forward to the next day when we had nothing planned but to rest and recover.  Meanwhile we will hang out in the lodge, have some dinner, and have a few beers around the fire...and this is where the talk started...around the fire.

The others that were in our group today decided on doing an all-day kayaking/caving trip the next day.  Both Tim and I knew that we were too sore to even consider this trip, but as the night progressed and the beers were drank we agreed to and signed up for the kayak excursion, and at the same time we decided to add another night to our stay here.

The next morning we woke and wondered what we got ourselves into.  After yesterdays up and down hiking and crawling around in wet caves we were both very sore, but we already signed up for the full-day kayaking trip and we didn't want to back out.  The only thing that made it all seem OK was that our legs were really sore, but our upper body didn't feel so bad and we figured in kayaking we would be using our upper body mostly...so off we went.

We entered the river just down the hill from Cave Lodge.  The first part of the trip will take us kayaking through Tham Lod Cave, a cave we plan on taking the full tour of the next day, but today we were able to stop at 2 other side caves that we wouldn't be able to see the next day, Hair Cave and Meditation Cave:

After leaving Meditation Cave we kayaked down almost 9 miles of river ranging from pretty still where we had to paddle pretty hard to rapids that made our hearts pound and we were wondering what the heck we were doing here and why aren't we enjoying a day of rest.  We made it to the lunch stop and considered calling it a day, but for some reason we pressed on.  After lunch was more still and rapid river riding but we were able to successfully navigate the river (with much help from the guides) to the end of the route were we exited the river and climbed up to the last cave of the day, Coffin Cave.

The highlight of Coffin Cave is...well...coffins.  These teak coffins are believed to be from 1,500 to 2,000 years old and are found only 3 other countries with most located right in this area. 

After Coffin Cave, we walked back down to the road, got in the back of a pickup truck, and arrived back at Cave Lodge around 3:30 PM and had some well needed beers, dinner, and a fire followed by an awesome night sleep since we were sore...now both legs and arms...and quite tired.

The slept in the next morning and awoke with the only plan of the day to go to Tham Lod Cave around 4PM.  We had some breakfast and I worked on the blog.  Around 2PM a family from California was talking about trying to walk and find Meditation Cave.  I knew that they had no chance of finding it on their own, so I volunteered my services.  The selfish part of helping them is that the walk to Meditation Cave takes you past Tham Lod, so it would serve as advanced intel for our trip in a few hours.  Tim decided to continue resting so off we went.  It was pretty weird to be in the cave without the guide, but I was able to take them around to the different rooms without getting lost.

I got back to Cave Lodge at 4PM to pick Tim up and then we headed back to Tham Lod for the guided bamboo raft ride through the cave.  A woman with a lantern took us from the gate to the entrance of the cave where we boarded a bamboo raft and then headed through the cave.

Once inside the cave we were taken to 3 different stops along the river, all with very impressive formations.  Here are some of the highlights:

In the last of the three side caves we got to see more of the teak coffins:

And here are some cool shots as we were rafting through the cave:

We timed the cave tour perfectly to be at the exit just before sunset when over 500,000 swifts fly into the cave as all the bats leave the cave for the night:

After sunset we had a 25 minute hike back to Cave Lodge in the dark...luckily I made that earlier hike out here so I was familiar with the route!  We ate dinner, hung out in the common area, and then went to bed for our last night in northern Thailand.  Tomorrow we made our way south to the tropical island of Ko Samed for some well deserved beach bumming.

These next 3 days promises to be one of, if not the, highlight of visiting Thailand.  We signed up for a 3 day, 2 night motorbike tour into the mountains around Chiang Mai.  Included in the trip is pretty much everything you could ever want to see/do in this area...riding enduro-style scooters on curvy mountain roads and aggressive/treacherous dirt roads, visiting multiple waterfalls, riding up the highest peak in Thailand, eating great thai food, homestaying with a local family, homestaying in a hill tribe village, drinking local moonshine (rice whiskey), riding elephants, and riding bamboo raft down a river.  This all inclusive trip cost a whopping 10,000 Bahts ($300 USD) for both of us.  Keep in mind this includes everything including the bikes, gas (for 200 miles), food, 2 tour guides, two nights accommodations, entry fee for the national parks...pretty much everything except for beer (which was available both nights for purchase).

Here is the bike that I will be riding for the next 3 days (200 miles):

Before leaving for the trip they told me to take the bike out for a test ride to get a feel for it.  I left the driveway, turned right, and had a scooter coming head-on into me.  I kept moving right and they kept moving left, both towards the shoulder of the road, until I hit the brakes hard and put the bike down.  Why?!?  Because i was driving on the right side...which is the wrong side...of the road.  Luckily I didn't damage the bike...nor myself...so all was fine, although not the best way to start off a tour.  After the crash we (me and the tour guides) wondered if I would have more trouble, but we made it to our first gas stop (35 miles) later in one piece:

After gas we went to our first location, Wachirathan Waterfall in the Doi Inthanon National Park:

Next was lunch after which we rode up to the highest point in Thailand, Mount Inthanon (Doi Inthanon) standing at 8,415 feet above sea level:

Next stop is the The Twin Royal Pagodas of Phra Mahathat Naphamethanidon set along the road up to the top of Thailand.  One pagoda was built for the king and one was built for the queen:

Next stop...Huay Saai Leung Waterfall:

Finally we got off the pavement and hit the dirt.  The route took us past rice paddy fields with awesome views:

All day we both managed to keep the rubber on the road until 100 yards from the end when Tim bit it on a sandy turn.  Luckily it was just some road rash on ankle, knee, and elbow, but he wasn't a happy camper.  It was not so bad since it was around 5:30 PM we pulled into our accommodations for the night...a rubber tree farm.  

This house was owned by the mother of the owner of the tour company and they welcomed us with opened arms.  They cooked dinner for us which was so good: 

Then we had a fire where they roasted some banana that was just picked off the tree and offered us some Thai moonshine...rice whiskey.  What a great way to end an awesome day!

After an OK nights sleep due to roosters crowing all night long, we awoke to a breakfast of fresh papaya, scrambled eggs, and toast.  It was just enough to get us moving.  By the way...here are some pictures we took around the homestay house before we left:

Next we did a bunch of more off-road riding, had lunch, and stopped at a Wat:

After the Wat we headed to a local market to buy the ingredients for the Hill Tribe family, we are staying with tonight, to cook for dinner.

After a bit more off-roading we finally made it to our stopover for the night....a Hill Tribe family in the middle of nowhere with no electricity:

After an awesome night we headed back out on the road for a day of motorbiking:

Visiting another Hill Tribe village:

Visiting another waterfall:

Visiting a rice whiskey distillery:

Elephant riding:

Bamboo rafting:

After all of that we rode the 40 miles back to Chiang Mai and arrived back at Something Different Tours and spent the night in a 300 Baht ($9 USD) room that provided a bed and a hot shower...which was all we needed after an incredible 3 day, 2 night motorbike tour.  Of course, before going to sleep, we headed to the Sunday Walking Market for some grilled squid...my new favorite food.