Archive for November, 2009

I wasn’t sure what to expect going overland from Thailand to Laos, but after Poipet I knew I should be prepared for just about anything. For the most part (with the exception of actually getting the visa sticker, but I’ll get to that later) the Lao border is a lot simpler, and certainly less sketchy, than the Cambodian border.

There are many ways to get to the Lao border from …

I arrived in Tonsai, on the Railay peninsular of Krabi (in southern Thailand) a few days ago for some rock climbing and beach time. This area has some of the world’s best climbing; limestone cliffs jut hundreds of feet out of the sea (even if you don’t climb they make for a pretty spectacular view).

This area is also known for deep water soloing (climbing without a rope over water). …

The driver pulled over to the side of the road and told us it was as far as he could go— the border crossing can only be done on foot.

“If you hold him [the immigration official] to the price on the sign over his head, though, he’ll probably ask for anything from 100-300 baht as an expedite fee, and if you decline that, he’ll angrily tell you the wait …

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In most places playing tourist means visiting temples and forts, however in Phnom Penh sites include Tuol Sleng Museum (Museum of Genocide), a former high school that the Khmer Rouge turned into a prison where tens of thousands of people were interrogated, tortured, and ultimately sent to their deaths, and Choeung Ek (The Killing Fields), the site of many of the executions and mass graves.

From 1975 to 1978 over …

First, apologies for not updating in awhile. Between painfully slow Internet and daily power outages, updating from Kathmandu proved difficult. My last week in Kathmandu was fairly uneventful; constant strikes and the usual horrific traffic and pollution made it hard to convince myself to leave the relative peace of Boudha. I arrived in Bangkok last night, and am heading off to Cambodia early tomorrow morning (I’ll be back in Thailand …

Notes: I just returned from trekking the Annapurna Sanctuary Trail. I ended up deciding that trek because it takes less time than the more famous Annapurna Circuit (which takes three weeks), but would still give me a chance to get to the Annapurna Base Camp (ABC).

I’ve had a few people ask me what exactly trekking is. It’s not technical mountaineering; I didn’t need ropes, crampons, ice axes, etc. It’s …