I Get Around...

Southeast Asia is an incredibly diverse place, not least in how people get around. Of course I'll be making use of standard planes, trains, and automobiles as I traverse the continent, but I'll also ride in some uniquely South Asian modes of transport. Here are a few of the standouts:

Tuk-tuks are three-wheeled taxis common in large cities, especially Bangkok. They're small and maneuverable in gridlocked traffic, and can also be a bit nervewracking.



A songthaew (literally "two rows") is a larger taxi, often used for longer distances than a tuk-tuk. It takes its name from the two bench seats fixed along either side of the back of the truck.


I'll be riding elephants on an elephant safari in Chitwan National Park in Nepal, and will probably have several other opportunities to ride them in Thailand and Malaysia. It's not the most comfortable ride, but it is a fun one :)

I'll take several overnight trains in India and Thailand. This was one of my favorite experiences when I visited Thailand in 2002 because train travel was so exotic to me then. It's a lot of fun: in the evening, a porter comes around and flips the regular train seats into a cozy little bunk with clean linens and a window view. I remember sleeping soundly and awakening to sunrise views in a completely different landscape. So much better than a redeye flight in coach!

On the beaches and islands in Southern Thailand, taxis are replaced by longtail boats. They're sturdy wooden boats with an outboard motor attached to the back. As you walk along the beaches, longtail drivers shout, "BOAT BOAT! 10 BAHT!"

After crossing the border into Laos from Thailand, I'll take a slow boat down the Mekong River to Vientiane. Apparently the title is well-deserved, and you're forced to put your feet up and relax... it's a really slow boat!

I'm really excited for an overnight trip on a traditional junk in Vietnam's Halong Bay.

Last but not least, I'm planning to take a ride on Yeti Airlines to check out Mt. Everest and the other tallest mountains in the world when I'm in Kathmandu. I mean, really, YETI AIRLINES?

Currency Conversion - Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

As a kid, I was fascinated by foreign money, and I guess I still am. Our American money is just so boring compared to the colorful, sometimes oddly-shaped and perforated foreign bills and coins imprinted with strange faces, places, and symbols.

Another thing that I find fascinating is currency exchange rates. I was an economics major in school so I understand how and why exchange rates and inflation, etc., works, but I still find it hard to wrap my head around the fact that just one of my US dollar bills will get me more than seventeen thousand Vietnamese dong.

In order to keep on top of what's worth what while I'm out and about, I put together a simple spreadsheet with local currencies and current rates:

3/23/2009	$1	$5	$10	$20	$40	$50
India (Rupees)	50	252	504	1,008	2,017	2,521
Nepal (Rupees)	80	400	800	1,600	3,200	4,000
Thailand (Baht)	35	177	353	706	1,412	1,766
Cambodia (Riel)	4,101	20,505	41,010	82,020	164,040	205,050
Vietnam (Dong)	17,543	87,715	175,430	350,860	701,720	877,150
Laos (Kip)	8,560	42,800	85,600	171,200	342,400	428,000
Malaysia (Ringgits)	3.6	18.2	36.3	72.6	145.2	181.5
Singapore (Dollars)	1.5	7.5	15.1	30.1	60.3	75.4
Indonesia (Rupiahs)	11,516	57,580	115,160	230,320	460,640	575,800

It's fun to think that in some countries, the money in my pocket will make me a millionaire :)

Being a Better Traveler

As I prepare for this trip, I've been thinking about how best to be a responsible traveler. I think the basics are easy -- don't buy animal products or anything illegally made; support local mom-and-pop shops whenever possible; be generous but spend money in ways that minimize impact on the local culture; practice non-environmentally-impactful travel and leave each place cleaner than you found it; set a good example both for other travelers and for locals alike. But since this is such a big trip for me, I want to do more than just be a conscientious traveler; I'd like to do some proactive things, too. Here are a couple of things I've been thinking of, and I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts on them and any other ideas :)

1) Be a responsible photographer. For me this means a few things: 1) be conscientious when photographing the landscape and people. Treat my subjects as I would want to be treated and set a good example. 2) Take photos for a reason. It's been awhile since I've done this. Most of the pictures I take now don't have any deeper meaning than that I like the composition. I have a great opportunity to explore a more photojournalistic approach, and this is an area I hope to improve on this trip. 3) Share my photos as much as possible. The more people see of these places, the more they will be interested in going there, yes, but also, hopefully, the more interested they'll be in preserving them.

2) I wanted to donate to a Kiva.org project in each country I'm going to, but it turns out that Kiva is so popular, I could only find someone to lend to in Cambodia! If you don't know about Kiva, you should check them out. They are a microfinance institution that facilitates the lending of funds to small entrepreneurs in developing economies that would not otherwise have access to loans. Here's the profile of the entrepreneur I loaned to in Cambodia. Maybe I'll run into her in Siem Reap!

Hong Prien, age 46, is a resident of Siem Reap Province, Cambodia. She has five children. The two oldest work with her and the three youngest attend school. She is married to Nat, age 40, who is a police officer who protects the community. Prien has been selling clothes in front of the Takeo Temple since 1980. She is a responsible mother and a friendly seller and she has a lot of clients, including tourists and locals. Her shop is full of traditional and modern clothes. She wants to increase her income, so Prien is taking a loan of $500 to buy more traditional clothes for her shop. The loan will help the family to attain a better standard of living.

An Incredible Journey

On March 31, 2009, I'll board a flight to Delhi and start an incredible 3-month adventure through 9 countries in Asia. Along the way, I'll see such sights as the Taj Mahal, Mount Everest, Angkor Wat, and Mt. Bromo. I'll visit Delhi, Kathmandu, Bangkok, Saigon, Singapore, Jakarta, and Kuala Lumpur. I'll travel through Hindu, Buddhist, and Muslim countries. I'll travel through areas beautiful, barren, rich, poor, populous, and desolate; through mountains, islands, near-desert, ocean, and rainforest. And I will literally travel around the world, flying east through New York to Delhi, and again eastbound in July from Bali to Los Angeles.

I've been wanting to take a trip like this practically forever, but especially since I first independently traveled (the euphemism in vogue for "backpacking") in Thailand in 2002 on a side trip during my study abroad program in Sydney, Australia. I couldn't wait to go back, and to explore the many countries around it. I can't imagine a better time to make this trip than now, as I make a pretty big life transition from work back to school.

I'm writing this blog so family & friends can keep track of me as I travel. I hope you'll find it interesting, amusing, or educational... even if it's just to see whether I can survive 3 months wearing one pair of pants :)

Here's the basic outline of my trip:

India -- Nepal -- Northern Thailand -- Laos -- Vietnam -- Cambodia -- Southern Thailand -- Malaysia -- Singapore -- Indonesia (Java & Bali).




Thanks for stopping by!