Angkor what?

Greetings

We tried several times to update the site in Cambodia but between our 1996 connection speeds and blackouts we could never manage to upload the pictures.

It took us 7 hours to get from Cambodia to Thailand and we were on a bus with no shocks on a dirt road. After that it was another 5 hours or so to get to Bangkok.

Right now we're in Bangkok waiting for another bus to come so I figured I might as well get the Cambodian update out of the way while I still can.

And what a better way to get started then by introducing you to the pride of Cambodia...

They might not have paved roads or proper electrical grids but I'll be damned if they don't have a fine beer. It's pretty famous all across Asia but Angkor beer is a little too bold for my liking. Still, if you get a chance it's worth trying.

Here's a picture of a local funeral service we witnessed. They carry the dead body to a temple and then burn it in front of everyone.

The poverty in Cambodia is really unimaginable.Not even the Philipines or Mexico can compare to anything we saw in Siem Reap. Shacks like these were common up and down the river that was across from our hotel.

Of course the main reason to visit Cambodia is to explore the temples. Here's a shot of a door carving.

Jo relaxing in a water chamber. A few hundred years ago that little guy served as a spout. Pretty nifty stuff.

The temples are slowly fighting nature in a battle that they just won't win. Here's a shot of Jo in front of an example of a tree kicking a temple's ass.

Jo with her new found elephant friend.

Jo, again, taking a much deserved break in a temple.

Finally a shot of yours truly. Another example of nature dominating.

You might recognize this from Tomb Raider the movie.

Another shot of some of the carvings that surround each temple.

The smiling faces of Buddha. The temples are either Hindu or Buddhist. There are no statues of Christ in Cambodia.

This is Ankor Wat, the biggest religous building in the world (take that Harman, hahahah...oh).

When we were exploring the temples I noticed something moving in the jungle and upon exploring we found a city of wild monkies.

This guy must have been the King as he had several underlings that spent the afternoon eating his lice. Look at the size of his giant...

Jo must have been NUTS to climb this staircase.

Here's some proof that men have always been men. Note- the idealized form of the women. Shame on you ancient Cambodian men, shame on you.

Well, we're going to explore Bangkok for a few more hours then we're off to the island of Koh Tao to swim for a week or so.

Hopefully we'll be able to post in a few days.

Cheers

Shayne

From Karsts to Hong Kong

Greetings,



We're in Cambodia now, but we should update you on our last week in China. On our last day in Yangshuo, I gave in to Shayne's dream of renting a scooter...as long as I didn't have to drive one. Despite my premonitions, we didn't crash, or get crashed into. Here're some pics...

Outside our guesthouse after signing a "stupid tourist" activity waiver.

Shayne, apparently forgetting that he's standing next to a scooter, not a Hog.

A farmer and his cows.

A water buffalo with her geese.

Old stone bridges, rice fields, and karsts...perfect.

Later that day we met up with some of the others in our group to share a local delicacy: snake. We had just about mentally prepared ourselves for what we were about to eat when they brought the sucker out!

Here she is.

And here she is again...tastes like chicken.

After our stay in Yangshuo, we boarded our last overnight train to Hong Kong. I won't miss these...

Sarah modeling the 3-tier bunk beds. They're as cozy as they look.

After a train, a walk through customs, another train, and a taxi, we finally arrived in Hong Kong.

A statue of Bruce Lee along Hong Kong's version of the Walk of Fame.

Shayne and John Woo.

More Shayne...this time with some skyscrapers.

Us at the top of Victoria Peak (now just called "The Peak").

That completes the China series...in a few days we'll post some pics from Cambodia...that is, if Shayne can get over his flu (it's strange...he keeps chirping for some reason).

Until then,
Jo

China...as imagined by non-Chinese

Greetings,

Since our last blog entry we've moved from one river to another...this time to the Li River in Yangshuo. Visualize the most romantic Chinese rustic scene in your mind, and that's where we are. It's stunningly beautiful, charming, and apart from too many tourists, not too crowded. Here are some of the pictures we took...

An alley in an ancient village along the Li. If you peek in the open doorways, there are still posters of Mao (and sometimes of Lenin and Stalin) plastered on the walls.

Today we took a bike tour through the countryside. The peaks in the background are limestone karst formations, which is what this area is famous for.

More peaks and rice paddies.

Riding down dusty country lanes.

Along the way we had the opportunity to climb one of the karsts. Everyone had a "buddy" follow them up with a case of cold drinks to sell. She fanned us every time we took a break so we bought 3 drinks for completely unreasonable prices.

Shayne and I at the top (almost), with a view through the "moon mountain".

Now really at the top.

It was my birthday, so Shayne secretly ordered a cake for our group lunch in the country. Mmmmm...cake.

Another shot of Shayne on a bike.

We're almost finished our time in China (just Hong Kong left now), but we've gotten to see a lot of the country. Also, apart from the heat and humidity, we've been really lucky with the weather (it is "rainy season" after all). Here's hoping the next 3 weeks in south-east Asia will be as good.

See you in Hong Kong,

Shayne and Jo

The Mighty Yangtze

Greetings,

We're in Yichang now, having spent 3 days cruising down the third longest river in the world (for those keeping track, the Mississippi was bumped to number 4 in the 1990's). Here's a few of the photos we took along the way...

Our cabin on the "Yangtze Princess". Much better than we'd expected.

The Taoist gods of health in a temple in the City of Ghosts (so named because it's believed that the god of the underworld dwells there...not because it's a ghost town, which is what I thought).

Shayne posing with one of the newer statues in the City of Ghosts. This is one of a series of demons that punish sins...Shayne took to this one right away.

The entrance to the first of the Three Gorges from the west.

It's a house...made all the cooler by the fact that it's in one of the Three Gorges.

Us in the second Gorge.

On the second day we took an excursion down a small tributary, and we spotted this up in the cliff face. If you zoom in you'll see it's a coffin...I guess the wild dogs won't get you all the way up there.

One of the many new towns and cities built along the Yangtze and its tributaries in the past 10 years or so...the townspeople's old houses are either underwater now, or soon will be.

As the river got more shallow we switched to traditional river boats guided by teams of "trackers". For how much work they did paddling us upstream, I'm amazed they were still smiling.

The view from the back.

Back on the ship in the evening we finally made it to the Three Gorges Dam and spent 3 hours going through the boat locks.

On the other side the next morning. Now Shayne can add yet another "world's biggest" to his list. That's the real reason he's smiling.

Next we're off to Yangshuo and the Li River.

Until then,

Jo and Shayne