My Travels: a hindsight perspective

I can now view my travels of the past three months in the past tense. The trip was designed for me to see my old friends again: Jeff on Maui, Buz in Singapore, Kevin on Bali, Gus at Krabbi and Steve on Phuket. (And Henry Voris who's on the road in Asia the same time I was).

The highs of the trip were:

1. The Sunday Brunch at the Raffels in Singapore, at (Buz) Teach's expense!
2. The vision of the vast emptiness of Khao Lak after the tsunami.
3. The magnificance of Ankor Wat near Siem Reap in Cambodia.

The worst part of the trip has to be getting rolled in Phnom Penh. A close second is all the mornings I had to get up before 5am to get a bus or flight somewhere. My love of airports has vanished, as a result.

In my 20's I loved traveling alone. I'd be sure to meet up with some interesting people. But in my 50's it's not so easy to make new friends so quickly. As I result, I don't look forward to traveling alone unless it's to venture to an area where I have a friend.

It's no secret that S.E. Asia is getting more modern and with that comes more expensive. Years ago one could travel for $10/day, max. Now $30-$50/ day is more like it. Mass tourism is not attractive whatsoever, so one has to travel farther and wider to uncover new spots not yet overrun with tourism.

But I enjoyed my visit with fellow bandmate Steve Anderson in my old hometown Phuket, despite Phuket's intense growth over the past four years. Let's hope they all have a good high season there next year. It's still a great place and the beaches have never looked better.

Cambodia is like the wild west. Lots of potential there for businesses. But is the government stable? And...is it safe?...

I had a great time staying in Villa Santai with my college buddy Kevin McPherrin. I felt Ubud, like so many other tourist destinations, is overrun with commercialism compared to years ago. But Kevin's villa was the real gem there and I'll always treasure my time spent there.

I've been offered a job in Krabbi (thailand) by my friend Gus Reynolds to run his nightclub next high season but I have to give this some thought.

Surprisingly enough, it seems that even after all this exotic travel that I'll remain in Rockford--at least for a while. OK, the winters ARE terrible, but there's some stability there for me and the prices are reasonable on food and other goods.

If anything, I do appreciate the Midwest more than I used to.

Maui: Where's the Aloha Spirit?

Since I've returned from Asia I'm holed-up in my friend Jeff Reiss' house on Maui. I used to live here from 85-97.

Observations:

1. The traffic has at least doubled in the 4 years of my absence from here. There are cars everywhere and gas approaches $3/gallon.

2. The price of real estate has gone through the roof. Nothing is under $300,000. I believe this has had serious effects on the local population who, unless they own property, resort to selling crack as a means of survival.

3. The price of everything is incredibly expensive--especially food. Except for the Somoans, everyone is thin. Going to the supermarket is a negative experience for most as the food prices are exorbitant. Going to the mall is another costly venture. Going anywhere is costly...

4. The big chains have moved in: Costco, Kmart, Wall Mart, Home depot are all here and their parking lots are packed every day.

All this attributes to the apparant extinction of the Aloha Spirit which seemed so prevalent prior to 1997.

Now it's money, money, money in every aspect of daily lives.

So many mainlanders have moved here in the past few years, jacking up prices, forcing local people and long-term residents to tighten their belt yet another notch.

But despite the rain over the past few days the weather is still the big draw here. The climate is near perfect. That hasn't changed.

But the local culture has suffered a great deal. And it's a shame...

Phnom Penh Disaster

I am usually lucky on my travels. Things always seem to fall into place when I'm on the road.
It feels like a journey that I'm been destined to take. Well all my luck ended on March 14th of this year when I returned to Phnom Penh from Sihanoukville...

I had a 7am bus to catch the next morning from P.P. to Siem Reap so it was to be an early night for me. I went out and had some dinner at a place called Sharkeys not far from the hotel.

On the way back to the hotel I was walking down a rather dimly-lit street when two hookers appeared out of the shadows.

They accosted me but I was not interested. Then they left the scene rather too suddenly and I saw them hop on a motorbike, then off into the Phnom Penh night. Seconds later, I realized I had been robbed of my wallet. In the wallet was money credit cards and my driver's license.

The loss kept me awake all night worring about identity theft.

Decided it was best to return to Maui immediately to get things handled. My trip was in it's last week anyway. So I returned to Siem Reap to get my baggage then caught a flight to Bangkok. Early the next morning I was on a China Airlines jet bound for Taiwan, then Honolulu.

I must admit it was good to get on US soil once again!

Thank goodness they didn't get my passport or I'd still be there, probably at the US Embasy. Losing one's passport abroad is the total worst situation one can be in. Can't cash travelers checks, can't get on a plane, can't do anything.

My passport was the only identification I had at that time but it was enough to get me back to Maui and Jeff's house. Turns out Jeff had cancled most of my credit cards for me as I had e-mailed him the numbers and he knew of my situation.

Finally, I felt safe that I wouldn't return home to zero bank account balances with all my credit cards charged to the max.

Once that was handled, it was time to enjoy Maui and the refreshing aloha spirit...

Whew... what an adventure!

Sihanoukville

I took the bus from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh. It was nearly 6 hours in this overcrowded vehicle over a bumpy road, but we finally made it. Found a hotel near the bus station/market and overnighted there. I sniffed out an expat bar nearby while there.

The next day was another bus from P.P. to Sihanoukville...about 4 hours. The port town of Sihanoukville was carved out of the jungle in 1959 and is Cambodia's only open-water port. My main purpose of coming to here was to locate a friend, Bob Pipinich, who used to manage the Phuket Fishing Lodge where I lived for over 2 years while on Phuket. I had heard he opened a bar restaurant in the town and it was my goal to find him.

I arrived about noon and rented a motorcycle checking out the local places looking for Bob with no luck whatsoever. It was hot and I was getting tired of not being able to find Bob. Finally, I stopped in at the Anchor Arms pub and spoke with the manager, Bret. Yes, he knew Bob and his place was just two doors up the street. I was in luck.

I finally connected with Bob. He's just opening his bar/restaurant called Club Sandwich. It was a great reunion and later he introduced me to the expatriate community there. This was as close to traveling in the 70's as I've been since that original time.

Essentially, the place is undeveloped for tourism, the airport is shut and prices are SO cheap. These guys I met were the pioneers: starting resorts, restaurants, bars, internet cafes in a newly discovered area. I fit in immediately and made dozens of friends. Hard to leave that place. I could move here with no problems.

Ankor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia

I flew into Siem Reap from Phuket via Bangkok and arrive around 7 pm on March 8th. There were hordes of taxi drivers but I chose one and he's been my driver now for three days.

I'm staying at the Sydney Ankor Hotel @ $20/night...expensive by local standards. Beer is $1 and food is also cheap.

My first morning I was awakened by my driver at 5:30 am to take me to Ankor Wat for sunrise.
It was a bit of wait, I must admit, but when the sun finally rose, like a burning orb behind the temple, it was beautiful beyond description.

Next we moved on to the Bayon and its 200 coldly smiling faces cast in stone, shrouded by dense jungle.

Next we visited Ta Prom. Despite considerable restoration efforts on the other temples, Ta Prom is much the way it was discovered in the 1860's. It appeared to be swallowed by the jungle, caught in the vast embrace of a vast root system with towering trees overhead that cast eerie shadows. It really shows the awesome power of the jungle. This is the real adventure I came here for...

Over a few days I visited most of the temples and this afternoon, retreated to the cool of my air-con room after hours of climbing up and down hundred of well-worn, lichen-encrusted steps that each temple has.

The town of Siem Reap, as of this writing, is a quaint little town. But at least 15 new monster hotels are being built around the place and the town will brace itself for the mass tourism that's bound to come. I'm glad I got here before that happened.

Post-Tsunami Khao Lak, Thailand

On Friday I set out for Krabbi with Steve (former Sharks' rhythm guitarist), Orh and new 5 week-old baby, Nachai. We arrived mid-afternoon and hooked up with Gus, an old friend, who owns the Lai Thai Resort and the Encore Cafe there. Like Phuket, Krabbi was hit with the tsunami but all seemed up and running. The beachfront has been converted from a series of bamboo beach bungalows to an upmarket shopping mall. It has lost all its charm by getting so modern. Went to the Encore cafe which is Gus' rock-and-roll place. The club was sparsely attended and the singer of the band was pretty bad in my opinion, but the club itself is cool and Gus has a great pad above it. Gus is working with the various tsunami foundations and has set up a school for children orphaned by the tsunami. He said he'll never forget all the death and destruction...as all the bodies from Phi Phi island were unloaded at the beach there in Krabi and Gus was in the thick of things. On Sunday, after going for an extended swim in Lai Thai's refreshing pool we bid our farwells to Gus and headed to Khao Lak, the area hit hardest by the title wave. I didn't know what to expect after seeing areas hit by the waves in Phuket open and fully operational but Kho Lak is a different story, indeed. Our first view of Khao Lak was from the road above, and the best way to describe the scene is that it appears as if a bulldoser leveled the beach for 10 miles long and 600 yards deep. Alsolute destruction as far as the eye could see. There was even a Police boat stranded inland a good 600 yards from the beach. We drove down a few roads near the beach and all we could find was rubble. I doubt anyone who was in that area survived and as far as I know there are no pictures or videos of the massive wave that hit the area. Most areas had absolutely nothing left, just huge open areas with a cement slab or two. Everything gone. We were all filled with grief and could hardly speak. We went down yet another road that once led to the posh Mukdara Resort. Although it was made of cement all that remained was a pile of rubble. What power that wave must have had. I'll publish some pictures later. Here's what it used to look like: http://ash-hotel.com/mukdara.htm We also checked out where the Tropicana Resort used to be. Steve had given a demonstration in the swimming pool there a year ago. We located the same pool, now half filled with brown seawater and all types of debris about. He couldn't believe it was the same place. We spoke with a number of locals and horror stories abounded. Everyone lost a relative or two if not their whole family and businesses. Farther on down the road there were heaps of salvage sights with rubble from the resorts. Then there were the refugee camps. Way too much to take in for one day.

Post-Tsunami Phuket, Thailand

I didn't know who would still be in Phuket after being four years away, but I've been pleasantly surprised that just about everyone that I knew is still here.... From the Phuket airport I took a tax to my friend Steve Anderson's place of business in Chalong on Phuket...near my old stomping grounds. I'm staying in a room above his shop with air-con and a shower. Also I rented a motorbike for $3/day. The traffic has increased dramatically in four years as has the number of buildings, shophouses, restaurants, and resorts. Soon it will be like Miami or Honolulu and that's a shame. The Fishing Lodge where I used to live is unfortunately a disaster being torn down bit by bit, not by the tsunami but through neglect. We've gone out for some fantastic seafood dinnersw at prices still as cheap as they were four years ago. (A dinner for 4 with drinks was $20) I also found a little breakfast place where I can get sausage, toast and scrambled eggs and a mixed fruit drink for $1.50. It's so good to see my old friends again. Got together for a few laughs with my old band mates as well. Everyone's still here but me. I went to the Phuket Gazette (English newspaper) where I visited my favorite Thai lady, Oy, still as beautiful as ever...and still single. Then I went north 50 miles to Phnag Nga (pang-ah) where I used to live. There was my cottage and motorbike as if had never left. But my friend Bert was not doing well at all. At 80, he losing his memory quickly and he has a very weak heart. Still it was good to see him. It was a fortunate time to be there as he was selling his sailboat to a Thai man and I helped arbitrate the sale. Spent a couple of days there with Bert ande Noi at my 1st home in the jungle, then back to Phuket to get some much-needed dental work done. Dentistry is one of Thailand's best kept secrets. Traveling around the island, it is hard to believe that just 2 months ago the tsunami killed thousands of peole here. The Thais have done a remarkable job in cleaning up the place. The main street in Patong is all boarded up and all the grass near the beach is brown, but that's about all I could see of the wave's wrath... Everyone here was/is affected by the tsunami. I heard some unbelieveable stories. The hospitals still have hundreds of pictures of people still missing. Very sobering. I'll be here on Phuket another day or so and then I'm heading to Krabbi to see my American friend Gus who I've known for years. He has a rockin' nightclub and a small resort there. I'm certainly confortable here. Everyone thinks I should move back. Still more traveling to do before I decide to do anything, but whatever that will be, it's at least a year away.