Bridges to terror

I really hate hates, with a ferocity that may be unparalleled.  The implication of this hatred is the likelihood that I may not be able to appreciate the majesty of suspension bridges draped hundreds of feet above a raging river between two cliffs swaying precariously in the arctic breeze while pack yaks are baring down on you and porters with 80 kilos on their back are nipping at your heals.

Borneo attack fish

In the foothills of Mt. Kinabalu you must be weary when crossing streams and rivers by foot. Something lurks beneath the surface...

Chariots of glory

Every city has its trademark form of transportation, such as NYC's yellow cab and in South East Asia it is the tuk-tuk. Although the name is the same across nations, the form of tuk-tuk varies, and in Thailand it is in the form of a fancy little open air roofed steel trike with the driver up front and passengers in the rear. Some of these are vary simple and often clearly neglected from an aesthetic standpoint, although this is clearly not the norm. Owners often grace these vessels with wildly colorful paintjobs, bells and whistles (literally), extra lights of nearly every color, and more chrome than a '57 Buick. I have even seen a few with flames reminiscent of a '78 Firebird. Competition is fierce, so it helps the owners to pimp their ride to entice paying customers. There is a lot of cajoling, some muscle flexing, and promises of the fastest shortcuts. You must be careful though because these guys get paid by store owners to bring you to their shops, so if you hunt for a tuk-tuk strictly on price you may end up in two suits shops, three gem stores, and hotel lobby doorstep before you get to carted that temple you were hoping to visit. You can always try to catch a regular pink taxi, but you are just as likely to get some off meter shenanigans as you are with the tuk-tuks so you might as well opt for the agile little tuk-tuk, besides if you ask me they are pretty mean lil machines.

Full moon get down

We decided the best course of action was to pack it in early after a good grilled seafood meal and a beer or two, so we did just that and were in bed by 22:00. When the alarm went off at 00:30 it was a little difficult to get motivated, but we knew we couldn't leave this island without having experienced the party that brings a crowd so big it doubles the island's population overnight. We got down to the beach around 00:30 and met up with some friends and were a little grumpy after just having woken up and now being surrounded by heart bounding drum and bass music and getting bumped into by wasted college kids and tripping in the dark over those who had found the deep end of a bag of MDMA all of whom are painted from head to toe in day glow body paint. We hiked up to the bar on the edge of the cove overlooking the entire beach to get a good perspective of the whole scene and were a bit under whelmed at the turnout of only a few thousand people. We headed back to the beach and stopped for a bucket which seemed to turn the spirits of the group and we felt like the spirit of the night was sinking in a little bit. The strong ocean breeze at our backs, the cool water on our feet in the surf, the laser lights, strong beats, bright full moon light, and good company amongst us... it was a very good night. It is a great environment for people watching with such a diverse group of folks with so much intent and angst they are trying to relieve through such care free means. Attractions like the quintessential fire spinners are very cool to watch, but observing your average thoroughly sloshed partygoer at an event like this can provide much more entertainment.

Thai parrot wrestling

When the stress of jungle beach life gets you down and you feel like you need a stress release muay thai lessons are a good option.  When muay thai is a bit intimadting it is good to know their are other lower impact options.

The art of the dance

Almost as interesting as the muay thai fight itself, wai khru ram muay is performed by fighters before every bout for the purpose of warding of evil spirits and bad fortune by appealing to Buddha, intimidating the opponent, and for a bit of good show. It seems there are many marks of the Thai spiritual beliefs and much focus is spent on appealing to, and appeasing, the spirits for good fortune, even in times of battle. The video at the bottom is the wai khru ram muay before Izy the Aussie’s bout at Thongsala Arena.

The official Bangkok welcome catfish

Rolling into our pad for the next two days in Bangkok we see we have a beautiful view of a nice little canal and a temple just beyond.  My eye becomes immediately fixed upon what appear to be some strange creatures stirring below the surface of that questionably tainted water.  I run down the stairs and find a thrashing cauldron of catfish 25lb+.  Catfish in these densities and of this size immediately trigger for an angler such as myself the question... 'to noodle' or 'not to noodle'. Ohhhh boy, this is a rare and great opportunity for an adventurous angler unexperienced with the ways of the deep south US and their catfish heritage.  Perhaps if I had knocked down a few Singhas earlier I may have been sufficiently lubricated to try and tackle such a mission.  Fortunately the fear of one of these monsters getting the better of me and dragging me into his turf to get throttled amongst the mass of writhing fish deterred me... just for now.  But the fish must sleep too...