4/6/10

ผจญภัยเอเชีย



- one of our many 'tuk tuk' drivers -

a small guest post by this 'mike' character you've all had to endure :


recently, as some of you may well know, i spent a few weeks traveling in south eastern asia with a group of friends. two of these friends are currently teaching english in Bangkok, Thailand and were on a two week break when i arrived early march.

the four of us (including our friend Stefan - another canadian visitor) spent the next two weeks traveling by night train, 'Supper VIP' bus and tuk tuk through the country side of Thailand and eventually into Laos. this is where we spent the majority of our time in asia.

we traveled through Vientaine (Laos' capital), Veng Vieng and Luang Prabang, taking part in caving tours, hiking adventures, motorcycling and bare back elephant riding. it was quite the fun packed week and a half!

Laos is absolutely stunning. words (particularly mine) will never do the beauty of the country any real justice. even photos fail to portray just how amazing the landscape is. and just as beautiful as the scenery is, the people are. everybody in Laos smiles at each other - constantly. it was very refreshing! everyone is respectful, generous, hospitable and just generally, outwardly kind.

~


- the beautiful people of Laos -

asia is phenomenal. it has every characteristic that one might look for in a traveling adventure. exotic smells, beautiful horizons, gorgeous people, unique experiences, photogenic EVERYTHING and extremely in-expensive! definitely set the bar of my traveling experiences at a new height. wow.

would i go back? in a second.

(accompanied by my girl of course)

18 comments:

  1. These photos are stunning, they almost have an unreal sort of dreamy quality to them.

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  2. dear janis,
    i've always loved your blog. sometimes i even refer to you as my friend when i'm showing someone your adorable blog. you're beautiful and amazingly talented. thanks for sharing your world with all of us.

    dear mike,
    i've always wanted to go to southeast asia {thailand, laos, cambodia, and vietnam} but just looking/reading through your "guest post" I've decided that ITS HAPPENING ASAP. I even looked up flights. Any suggestions as far as travel would be much appreciated. I'm happy your back though. I know Janis missed you a little :)

    Jessa

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  3. these photos are so out-of-this-world! i am so inspired by them, and by this entire post. thank you so much for sharing... it tugged at my heart strings and stirred my soul, i want to get on a plane right now!

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  4. Oh wow. Thailand and Laos are an hour away by plane for me. I have been there a few years back and these pictures bring back very fond memories.

    Just by looking at those 'vintage' photos, reminded me of the village which my grandparents used to live in back then. love it. thank you mike for posting them here.

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  5. Hello Mike! Riding an elephant was on our "list"... but one charged at us in Africa, so now I'm afraid of them.

    I think I could look at these photos all day... really excellent stuff.

    Janis - I can't remember if I responded to one of your questions... We are planning on coming back to Winnipeg for awhile in the summer to re-pack, plan better, and then we're going to leave again! Perhaps we can all meet up for some butter chicken.

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  6. beautiful pictures. the coloring/texture feel of them is unbelievable.

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  7. Stunning photos, Mike! Their quality really does some good justice to the beauty of that place! Loved your description of your travels - makes me want to throw some clothes in a duffle bag and hit the road. Also, you guys are just the sweetest couple!

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  8. these photos are incredible!! it makes me want to travel back to asia! in fact that application to teach in china is getting submitted today.

    thanks for sharing your experience!

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  9. Wow, what an incredible looking trip. Those pics are amazing!

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  10. wow thanks for sharing, talk about inspirational!! i can't get over it all.

    oh, and as for your comment about long distance, i'm actually doing a guest post on it in the near future, but in all honestly i'm not quite sure how we make it work! long distance really is tough, isn't it!? but ill try to get as many tips of advice as i can;)

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  11. Beautiful photos, looks like you're on quite an adventure!

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  12. Ahhhh! I love these photographs. Mike really is a professional.

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  13. Gorgeous photos! You have made me add Asia to my list :)

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  14. Great GREAT pictures! I'm so gald you're home back safe and sound, and thanks so much for sharing your photos! I personally think photos are the best way to share your traveling experiences with other people- it just makes everything more real. I think I might pass your pictures along, if I may.
    Welcome home!

    love, rudi
    yousmellofapples.blogspot.com

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  15. I want to go! Gah. I read Memoirs of a Geisha every year to get my fix, but I just know it doesn't compare.

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  16. i have to be honest: i've never had a great desire to travel to asia, but after these pictures, i've definitely changed my mind. it looks so beautiful and exotic... now i just need the funds!

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  17. very nice mike!
    i'd like to hear more about this in person, too.
    s.

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  18. these pictures are amazing. you know that old joke about what a bore people's vacation photos are. but these have so much feeling!

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thanks so much for writing! i love hearing from you!

xo