scottfoto@gmail.com – Page 7 – D. Scott Clark Photography

A day in Vientiane, Laos

I had read on the all-knowing internet that I could not get a Visa on Entry to Cambodia while entering from Laos. The nearest Cambodian Embassy to Chiang Mai was in Vientiane, the capital of Laos. I took an overnight bus and arrived in Vientiane around 7am. I went straight to the Cambodian Embassy and dropped off my passport. I then walked several kilometers to the bus station and paid to have my 60+ lb bags stored. I walked all around the downtown, finally renting a bike and exploring more of the city.

The remnants of a festival on the river. The buildings you can see in the background are in Thailand.

As I was leaving the riverbed, a horde of soldiers came walking intimidatingly at me, and then past me. The last soldier smiled and said, “Saa baa dii.” Hello. I had thought I was in trouble. But the soldiers continued out into the riverbed in search of something that I could not determine.

I rode my bike back to the Cambodian Embassy, but arrived about 30 minutes early. I went to a streetside cafe across the street and ordered a cold juice. I then promptly fell asleep, resting my head on my arms. I woke up with a jolt, saw it was time for the embassy to reopen, reached for my wallet to pay and….nothing. I frantically looked all around, under the chair, the table, my bag, the bike. No one spoke English, but the bystanders didn’t seem to know anything.

I know better. I’ve had my wallet stolen before in India. I know you don’t keep all of your eggs in one basket – your money and credit cards in one place. But I did it anyway. I was comfortable. I never felt threatened or in danger. I didn’t think someone would take my wallet while I slept. It didn’t have my passport or my driver’s license in it, luckily, only one debit card, two credit cards, and about $70 of cash. But this set me up for some difficult times on my trip.

I got my passport back (with Cambodian Visa), I went to the travel agent I bought the bus ticket from and they gave me their receipt so I could still get on the bus, I got my bags and took the bus to Thakhek, trying to figure out how I was going to get to Green Climbers Home from the bus stop.

Yay adventure.

Chiang Mai, Thailand

I left Bangkok on an overnight bus for Chiang Mai. I had a friend that just happened to be there, so I went to meet up. I didn’t really know anything about Chiang Mai except it was in the mountains. Right before I left I found out that the Lantern Festival (Yi Peng) was going on while I was there, so I wound up booking a hotel room before I left (I typically like finding housing when I show up. You find some great places that way). My hotel was a few kilometers out of downtown, so I rented a scooter to get around.

I have this weird thing that keeps me from using taxis for as long as humanly possible (It’s probably just being a cheapskate. I learned that from my family). I walked several kilometers with my 60+ lb pack to my hotel to avoid hiring a taxi. Then I walked another several kilometers from my hotel into town to find a scooter. On the way I found this temple.

Lanterns over the Ping River riverwalk

My friend has been traveling asia since August and keeps finding herself back in Chiang Mai. She took me on a hike up to this monastary. I now can’t find it on the Google machine, but it’s somewhere west of the city.

I said goodbye to one friend, and met up with another. In one of those wierd traveling coincedences I was in Chiang Mai at the same time as my buddy Luis’ sister.

I had spent the night at Luis’ and his sisters apartment in NYC the night before I left for Bangkok. I didn’t know this when I arrived there, but Giuliana was leaving at 6am for…Bangkok. I followed at 2pm. We missed each other in Bangkok, and then realized that we were both in Chiang Mai.

We explored the night market.

Love these illustrations

I went climbing the next day at the Crazy Horse Buttress outside of the city on transport provided by Chiang Mai Rock Climbing Adventures. Go there. Use them. It’s awesome. I didn’t really take any photos because I was enjoying the hell out of the steep, super-featured limestone climbs. The community has done an excellent job of bolting and maintaining this area.

The first night of the festival was putting floating candles in bouquets in the Ping River, called Loy Krathong. I don’t fully understand either of the days, but both seem to be about letting go.

I went back to Crazy Horse for a second day with some awesome people that I would end up meeting up with again in Laos. Ron and Adie on the left.

The Lantern festival at night was a beautiful thing to behold. But I also thought a lot about how much trash they were just sending somewhere else.

Chiang Mai was great, I wish I had more time to explore and climb there. But I was on to Laos to meet up with more friends.

Bangkok, Thailand

I landed in Bangkok at 2am, for a total of 25hrs in transit from New York City. I landed having no real plan besides eventually making it to Laos to climb with a few of my friends that were already there. I didn’t know how I was getting there. When my mom heard that I was planning on going straight to Laos she insisted that I explore Thailand.

In my short stop in the Shanghai airport, I had met a woman traveling by herself (to meet friends then head off to the islands). She wanted to share a taxi and felt safer going in one with me than venturing out into Bangkok alone at 3am. We decided to drop our bags off at the hotel where her friends were staying then immediately go explore the city. My goal was to stay awake until evening so I could avoid jetlag.

We ate some delicious street food and drinks, then headed out into the pre-dawn maze.

We found a lot of temples.

It was incredibly hot in Bangkok, and coming from the low humidity of Colorado, I felt like I was drowning. I had to get out of the city as soon as possible.

Besides the heat, I liked Bangkok. The city seemed to work well. I even went to the dentist!