South East Asia on a Hamstring Travel Articles

South East Asia on a Hamstring – February 20

Luang Prabang, Laos – February 20, 2000 The group went for a three and a half hour walk. I opted out, I think wisely, and instead spend the morning catching up on my e-mail and shopping. I ran into Rebecca, whose recent travel sickness had kept her from the morning trek. She told me that [...]

South East Asia on a Hamstring – February 19

Luang Prabang, Laos – February 19, 2000 At 4am, the drums started. The cymbals started about twenty seconds later. For the three days leading up to every month’s full moon, the Buddhist monks beat a giant drum at 4am and 4pm. Our guesthouse was located right across the road from a wat, or temple, and [...]

South East Asia on a Hamstring – February 18

Luang Prabang, Laos – February 18, 2000 I had my final banana pancake lesson this morning. For weeks, I’ve been lulled into purchasing banana pancakes for breakfast. Every guesthouse in Southeast Asia features them and so far every banana pancake I’ve had has been disgusting. Some are deep-fried but most are raw. All are unsatisfying. [...]

South East Asia on a Hamstring – February 17

Huay Xai, Laos – February 17, 2000 From Chiang Khong, Thailand, we could hear the national anthem of Laos being distantly played in the early morning. We crossed the Mekong River to the small town of Huay Xai and suddenly we were in Laos. Laos is a landlocked country. Geographically, its size matches Great Britain. [...]

South East Asia on a Hamstring – February 15

Chiang Mai, Thailand – February 15, 2000 Our train arrived early, apparently for the first time in Wendy’s history of leading on this route. This was good for me because it meant that I could go to Thai cooking school for the day. The Chiang Mai Cooking School opened at 10am and they were kind [...]

South East Asia on a Hamstring – February 14

Bangkok, Thailand – February 14, 2000 I went out for my breakfast in the morning and immediately ran into the Swiss fellow from the group. He was so cheerful that I wanted to scream. A Thai woman laughed at my black humor after the fellow walked away and my eyes involuntarily rolled. Wendy escorted us [...]

South East Asia on a Hamstring – February 13

Bangkok, Thailand – February 13, 2000 I dedicated today to the National Museum, but was through with it in about two hours. Primarily, I learned that the Thais have had many wars with Burma in their history. I wandered Khao San Road, observing the backpacker’s and wondering what compelled them to all dress the same [...]

South East Asia on a Hamstring – February 12

Bangkok, Thailand – February 12, 2000 I was at Chatuchak Weekend Market when I realized that I had a desperate need to own a Pikachu. The handsome, rotund, yellow Pokemon beast smiled at me from every table. I had been admiring him since last July, when I saw a comic artist buy one for his [...]

South East Asia on a Hamstring – February 11

Bangkok, Thailand – February 11, 2000 I spotted the rest of my Intrepid group in the lobby, first thing in the morning. The five girls and Peter had just gotten off the sleeper train and Peter was checking them in. I avoided them but the hotel clerk later told me that Peter was paying my [...]

South East Asia on a Hamstring – February 10

Bangkok, Thailand – February 10, 2000 Another smoggy morning in Bangkok, city of vomit-inducing odors. I replenished my supply of Fujichrome and decided that it was time to deal with my persistant illness. The pharmacist had everything available right over the counter, no prescription necessary. I looked around the room and saw Retin-A and birth [...]