Oman Pictures

Muscat:

Border Stop:

Shopping:

Ibra Landscape:

Graveyard:

Old Town:

Dubai - United Arab Emirates

So, I'm now in Dubai, one of the Emirates.
Prior to Dubai I spent 14 hours in the Bangkok airport - waiting for my 3:30am flight. I decided to tdo this because it would be a big hassle to pay for a cab and take all my stuff around with me. In hind sight, sitting at the airport was no "day at the beach".
After a quick 6 hour flight, I arrived in Dubai - a thriving city of just over 1 million people.

Here are some photos:

Ko Phi Phi

So, Phi Phi island was a really interesting experience. A few key insights (or at least that's how I view them).

1. The Tsunami wiped out virtually everything on Phi Phi. The destruction is very evident and the town suffered great loss, both in life and in property.
2. Phi Phi is moving on. Since the disaster the island has rebuilt with amazing speed and determination. There are now many new buildings, businesses are open, and accommodation is plentiful. People should visit.
3. Nature has a way of absorbing things. What's interesting is that the natural splendor of Phi Phi, or any of the other islands, has not been hurt at all. While I never visited the area before the tsunami, there is no obvious signs of its disaster. The natural growth of trees seems to have absorbed the shock and rebounded with amazing resilience. If I didn't know better, it would be impossible to tell that the tsunami had hit anything besides man made buildings.
4. A community exists. Phi Phi has a great community. Since the disaster, volunteers have come to the island. Many have stayed weeks or months. The whole town has pulled together and, with the support of good willed visitors, put in a great effort to improve and recover. Now, everybody knows each other and is united in a common goal.

Bottom line - go and visit. It's an amazing place and still extremely beautiful. Plus, if you have some time (even 2 hours like I did) volunteering is always great fun.

Pictures:

Rai Lay Bay - Thailand

Notice that this boat (along with about 5 others) is "from" Canmore, Canada. This was part of the tsunami relief effort.

Hoi An - Vietnam

Railay to Ko Phi Phi

So, since my last post I have done some traveling and some relaxing.

Upon returning to Bangkok from Vietnam I cought a quick flight to Krabi town - a small town on the SouthEast coast of Thailand. From there, I made my way via longtail boat to the beaches of Railay Bay. Railay is similar to an island (in that it has amazing beaches and can only be reached via boat) but is actually part of the mainland.

I spent a few days on Railay relaxing and enjoying the sun. On my final day I took a half day of rock climbing. It was lots of fun and my first time climbing on real rocks. My arms are still tired.

Railay itself is very beautiful (pictures to come soon) and features dramatic limestone cliffs plunging into azure blue waters. The scenery is breath taking and there are many different inlets that create wonderful beaches that are kept secluded by the cliffs.

Following Railay, I made my way (via longtail again) to the ferry in Krabi town. Here I transferred directly onto the ferry as my little wooden boat docked right with the ferry. It was an experience hauling myself up the 4 feet and climbing over the railing. I felt like I was some sort of VIP shipped in at the last minute.

I'm now in Ko Phi Phi. This is a picturesque island with world class beaches and heavenly views. It is also one of the areas in Thailand hit hardest by the tsunami. I'm amazed by the visible destruction that is still evident and the amount of work that has been done to clean things, rebuild, and re-establish the town.

One of the most impressive things is the community that exists here. I wish I could stay longer. The volunteering is very open and everybody is welcome to join even if they here only for a day. Many people come for a day and stay for weeks or months. I would have been volunteering today, but I arrived on the day off. Every Friday is a break day. Unfortunately, tomorrow I must leave (so I can head back to Bangkok and head to Dubai) so I may miss out on the volunteering.

So, that's about all for now. I'll upload pictures when I can get to a computer with the required capabilities.

Tragedy in Cambodia

I have heard that there has been violence in Cambodia that has resulted in a child (from Canada) being killed. It's especially sad because this act of a few people will have a negative effect on so many.

The CNN Link:
href="http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/06/16/cambodia.hostages/">

Quickly

I'm in Hoi An Vietnam right now.
So far it's a very nice town. A few of the highlights are:

- Cooking class (learning to make fish in Banana leaf, spring rolls, lemongrass and chili squid, deep fried wontons)
- Tailor shops (ordered a suit, shirt, and shoes)
- Tour of the village (just a five minute walk from the town there exists another face of Hoi An - the poor area where families are living in tiny shacks and struggling to make ends meet)
- Randomly meeting up with a friend from Edmonton.

More later,

Mekong Delta

So, I just returned from a 4 day trip through the Mekong Delta. This is an area of Southern Vietnam (the far South tip bordering Cambodia) where the Saigon river meets up with the mighty Mekond and there are numous giant waterways and rivers. Surprisingly, there is also a lot of people, cities, and traffic. It seems that everywhere you go there is people living along the river.

Often, the homes are not much more than wood, corrugated steel, and a boat. However, people are using the river for almost everything. It really is their life blood. They transport everything, fish, bathe, and even drink the river. It's quite impressive and you see just how important water is to their everyday life.

I've taken a random selection of photos (this computer doesn't really let me see the pictures that well (too dark)) so hopefully some good ones are here.

PS: There are a couple from Bangkok too.
Bangkok:


Vietnam:

Ho Chi Minh City

So, here are a few quick photos of the city of Ho Chi Minh (or Saigon). Ok, so maybe these focus on major elements of the city - 5 parts traffic, one part communist revolution.