Watched the Super Bowl in Siem Reap/ At 9 in the AM.

Street outside my Guest house on the river.

Another US Bombie victim.....both hands, one foot....... Lao was not the only place we bombed.....

I bought a book from him....so sad is the human impact of the US bombing campaigns.......but then Pol Pot killed over 25% of all Cambodians in his cleansing operation in 1975 after the war was over.  Where were we then??

All of Siem Reap was sent to the countryside to work on collectives.  All intellectuals and poeple of education and wealth were killed....over a million.....

Got to the bar on Pub Street about halftime......lots of Americans......not much rooting and hollering as the game was almost over by then.......had coffee, a bacon n egg sandwich and witnessed the one sided action......

Then off to the market...again....

Siem Reap is a nice place - safe, friendly and lots to see and do.

Will leave SE Asia in 34 hours....

Beacon Rock

Friday, 3/7,  2014

Out to play on a beautiful day.  Climbed to the top, ate lunch, enjoyed the views.  Met some interesting people:  Char, who climbs the rock several days a week in around 17 minutes.  The Fish and Game employee from Anchorage that is planning on retiring.  He said the Gorge was so developed compared to Alaska.  No kidding??


Beacon Rock State Park is a state park of Washington, USA, in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, on State Route 14 about 35 miles (56 km) east of Vancouver, Washington.

The park takes its name from Beacon Rock, an 848-foot (258 m) monolith next to the Columbia River. The 5,100 acres (2,100 ha) park includes 4,482 acres (1,814 ha) of forested uplands across the highway from Beacon Rock, over 9.5 miles (15.3 km) of hiking trails, and 9,500 feet (2,900 m) of freshwater shoreline.  Hardy Falls and Rodney Falls are scenic highlights along the trail to the summit of 2,445-foot (745 m) Hamilton Mountain, which has a view of Bonneville Dam and points east. 

On October 31, 1805, the Lewis and Clark Expedition arrived here and first measured tides on the river, indicating that they were nearing the ocean.From Wikipedia.  

Hike Description

Beacon Rock is one of the most prominent and distinctive geological features in the Columbia River Gorge, an 848-foot landmark that was once the core of a volcano — what remains is what was not washed away by the massive force of ice-age flooding. It is one of the tallest monoliths (singular piece of rock) in North America, along with California's El Capitan, Georgia's Stone Mountain, and Wyoming's Devils Tower.

The Beacon Rock Trail was built by Henry Biddle and Charles Johnson between 1915 and 1918. That makes it one of the oldest trails in our area. At the time, Biddle owned the rock, so he had complete latitude to blast and bridge his way to the top. Several trailside plaques commemorate his achievement.

Beacon Rock was originally named by Lewis & Clark on the Voyage of Discovery in 1805, but in later years was more commonly known as Castle Rock. The original name was restored in 1916 by the U.S. Board of Geographic Names, at Biddle's request. Before Biddle purchased the rock and began trail construction, it had been slated for demolition — the rubble could have been used for either railroad construction or a new jetty at the mouth of the Columbia. Biddle's estate offered the rock and surrounding acreage to the state of Washington for $1, provided it be retained as a public park — a gift Washington initially declined until the state of Oregon indicated that it would be willing to maintain a state park on the north banks of the Columbia. Washington paid the fee in 1935, and the park now comprises 4,650 acres with nearly two miles of freshwater shoreline.

Today's trail follows Biddle's original alignment and it could hardly do anything else. After a short stroll through the woods, the trail hits the rock with a vengeance. It's not too steep and most of the surface has been paved over the decades at one time or another. You'll walk on rock, small patches of cement paving, concrete platform bridges and wooden bridges. The surface is good for normal athletic shoes. The entire trail is a near-continuous series of switchbacks, many of them less than 20 feet long and the trail loops over itself at least twice. I counted 52 switchbacks, while one of my sons counted 54 and the other came up with 49. That says less bad about our educational system than it does good about the distracting views. The trail is completely lined by handrails and is safe for all but the tiniest walkers.

Most of the trail is up the open, west side of the rock, providing views down the river of Angel's Rest and Cape Horn. With little shade or water, this part of the trail can be really hot in the summertime. Beacon Rock actually has two summits and the trail works around the south one and proceeds up the east side toward the higher, north summit. The trail is forested here, but the terrain is still rocky enough to provide great views of Hamilton Mountain and the river toward Bonneville Dam. At the summit, a few quite large stairs lead to the summit pinnacle. Here, trees block a bit of the view, but it's certainly worth seeing.

The wind is usually howling on one side of the rock and dead calm on the other side, creating a dramatic difference in the perceived temperature. You'll need a jacket most days, but you'll carry it a lot.

Source: http://www.portlandhikersfieldguide.org/wiki/Beacon_Rock_Hike

I often reread the journals of Lewis and Clark regarding places I visit or plan to visit.  

I have copied and pasted the portion of the Journal that is about Beacon Rock and the vicinity.  I highlighted several items: 

Oddly, I noticed an interpretive sign at the base of the rock that said L&C and the Corps passed here on 10/31/1805.  I came home and read the Journals for 10/31  and found that the Corps, to a man, were describing the area below Celilo Falls and the Dalles. The Corps started mentioning Beacon Rock and measuring tidal influence on 11/2, not 10/31.   There is also a discrepancy in the dates offered by Wiki.   Either way, they were here either 10/31 or 11/2, 1805.  It only depends on who you believe - - Wiki or the Journals. 

From the journals:

[Clark] November 2nd Saturday 1805  [9]

 

       Examined the rapid below us more pertcelarly    the danger appearing too great to Hazzard our Canoes loaded, dispatched all the men who could not Swim with loads to the end of the portage below, I also walked to the end of the portage with the carriers where I delayed untill everry articles was brought over and canoes arrived Safe.    here we brackfast and took a Meridn.    altitude 59° 45' 45"    about the time we were Setting out 7 Squars came over loaded with Dried fish, and bear grass neetly bundled up, Soon after 4 Indian men came down over the rapid in a large canoe.    passed a rapid at 2 miles & 1 at 4 miles opposite the lower point of a high Island on the Lard Side, and a little below 4 Houses on the Stard. Bank,  [10] a Small Creek on the Lard Side opposit Straw berry Island, which heads below the last rapid, opposit the lower point of this Island passed three Islands covered with tall timber opposit the Beatin rock Those Islands are nearest the Starboard Side, imediately below on the Stard. Side passed a village ofnine houses,  [11] which is Situated between 2 Small Creeks, and are of the Same construction of those above; here the river widens to near a mile, and the bottoms are more extensive and thickly timbered, as also the high mountains on each Side, with Pine, Spruce pine, Cotton wood, a Species of ash, and alder.    at 17 miles passed a rock near the middle of the river, about 100 feet high and 80 feet Diamuter,  [12] proceed on down a Smoth gentle Stream of about 2 miles wide, in which the tide has its effect as high as the Beaten rock or the Last rapids at Strawberry Island,—    Saw great numbers of waterfowl of Different kinds, Such as Swan, Geese, white & grey brants,  [13] ducks of various kinds, Guls, & Pleaver. Labeach killed 14 brant Joseph Fields 3 & Collins one.    we encamped under a high projecting rock on the Lard. Side,  [14] here the mountains leave the river on each Side, which from the great Shute to this place is high and rugid; thickly Covered with timber principalley of the Pine Species. The bottoms below appear extensive and thickly Covered with wood.    river here about 2½ miles wide. Seven Indians in a Canoe on their way down to trade with the nativs below, encamp with us, those we left at the portage passed us this evening and proceeded on down    The ebb tide rose here about 9 Inches, the flood tide must rise here much higher—    we made 29 miles to day from the Great Shute—

11. Identified on Atlas map 79 as the "Wah-clallah Tribe of Shahala Nation," probably the same people also referred to as the Watlalas, an Upper Chinookan-language people. The term Shahala is from Chinookan áx̣l(a), "upriver, above," and áx̣latk, "those upriver." These people, who resided along the "Cascades of the Columbia," are often labeled under the general name of Cascades Indians. Like many Chinookan-speaking peoples, this group was greatly reduced by disease later in the nineteenth century, with most of the survivors eventually joining the Wascoes on the Warm Springs Reservation or the Wishrams on the Yakima Reservation. Hodge 2:922; Spier, 21, 24; Berreman, 18–19; Hajda, 67, 119–20. The village of nine houses was in Skamania County, in the vicinity of present Skamania. Spier & Sapir, 167–68, vaguely place several villages of the Cascades Indians in this area. The village observed by Lewis and Clark may correspond with a known archaeological site, where test excavations encountered evidence of late prehistoric occupation. Warren (RSWA), 10–11. Prehistoric occupation in the Cascades area has a limited time depth, as all sites investigated to date are situated on landforms created as a result of the Bonneville landslide around 800 years ago. Minor, Toepel, & Beckham; Minor (PH). (Return to text.)

12. "Phoca" or "Seal rock" on Atlas map 79. "Phoca" is Greek for "seal." Lewis and Clark's name has been restored to this formation, rising about thirty feet in the Columbia River. The name is for the harbor seal, Phoca vitulina richardii. See October 23, 1805. The rocks in this area are basalts of the middle Miocene Yakima Basalt Subgroup of the Columbia River Basalt Group. (Return to text.)

Phoenix 2/27 to 3/2 Off to NASCAR at Avondale

The Youth Hostel

My '"room" at the hostel. An old gutted camper with a cabover bed.  Perfect.  Quiet, outside, private, only $15. 00.  The people that I met at the hostel were so interesting:

• The Ranger with 3 purple Hearts that now runs a dance school with his lovely wife from Estonia.  
• Mark, who completed the marathon on Saturday..  He once weighed 385 pounds.
• The young lady that had traveled into 135 countries and territories.  She was on a heavy duty mission to see the world.   I bet she just passed through many countries and did not stay long in any one place.
• Satoshi Kaneko, from Japan, who described me the way I desire people to see me.  It was such a compliment.  He wanted my picture for his portraits webpage.

The NASCAR track at Avondale.

In the hostel kitchen.  

The Japanese photographer that took my picture.  With 4x5 film.  

Gus, the 55 year old, unmarried, Corp Environmental and Safety Manager that I sat next to  on the flight home.  We could talk the same language.  And did.  For 5.5 hours straight.

I Could Not Figure It Out.......

I arrived home on 2/8.  Today is 2/26, so I have been home 18 days.  I think the pneumonia is licked.  I was discharged from the hospital in Chiang Rai 1/11.  Have felt good enough to ride my bicycle 3 times.  No more coughing.

However, another malady surfaced and manifested itself much quicker than the pneumonia.  Instantaneously, just when I felt I was getting better, my feet started itching uncontrollably on Sunday 2/23.  It was terrible.

I was watching parts of the over 6 hour rain delayed Daytona 500.  It was just 6 hours of babbling and showing clips of races - even last year's 500 race!!!  They made all kind of WAG's about who was a favorite for the race next Sunday in Phoenix.  It was unbelievable to me!!!!  They were talking about the second race of the season in Phoenix, AZ and  they had not finished the Daytona 500- or even the first 50 miles of the 500!!!!

Thank goodness some really smart engineers figured out how to design and build a DVR.   With one, I could skip all the garbage - and there was 6 hours of it  - because it was pouring rain in Daytona for 3 hours.

So I went back to thinking about that itching.  At first I thought it was because of my  socks, so I changed them.  The itching was worse with the fresh socks.  OK, I thought, I will take the socks off.  That was tried with no improvement.   I put on some leather moccasins  - no noticeable change.   Then I tried my cold weather slippers with the sheepskin lining.  They were much warmer than the pair of leather moccasins.

There was no racing and it looked like at least 2 more hours of rain in Daytona on weather.com, so since it was nice out, I thought I would go for a walk on the levee and see if that helped my itchy feet.  

I took the sheep skin slippers off then put on another pair of fresh socks.    Then I pulled out of the closet my travel  shoes that I wore while on walkabout.  (All I wore for 7 weeks was a pair of sandals or my travel shoes)

As soon as I put those travel shoes on, instantly my feet stopped itching.  I thought for a moment and I thought - yes,  I wore these shoes for 7 weeks almost every day recently, no wonder my feet feel better.  Then I thought about how LONG it has been since I had worn those shoes.  It was like.....15 days!!!

I sat in the lounge chair for 10 minutes and sure enough, the itching had stopped.

 

Laying in the lounge chair, I looked at my blog on the iPad and suddenly realized I was just laying in my lounge chair.   And have been for 15 days.

• Walkabout: A spontaneous journey through the wilderness of one's choosing in an effort to satisfy one's itchy feet, a need to be elsewhere, the craving for the open road, that space over the horizon...yes... something like that... you can't quite touch it so you have to go find it because it's you just know it's there.   Or maybe it just feels good to go walking around ...  

Within several hours the outline of the plan was complete.
 

Depart PDX at 6:00 AM tomorrow for PHX to watch the NASCAR race there on Sunday.   Layover in DEN for several hours, then arrive PHX at 3:45 PM.

Will stay 5 nights and check PHX out.  A rental car was over $400.00 since it was the race weekend.  Light rail should be a few bucks.   A public transportation walkabout in PHX!!!.

Frontier wanted $25.00 to take a single carry on bag larger than 18" X 14" X 8".  $20 if it was the first piece of checked luggage.  And the costs of baggage just went up from there.

I thought "I can fit everything I need for 5 days in PHX in a bag 18" X 14" X 8"." I did that in  Myanmar.    

Everything fits in one 18" X 14" X 8" bag.

Hasta la vista.

Home

I departed on 12/17.  Home on 2/6 .    22 degrees F.   Snow, wind.  Unusual weather in Portland.

A good walkabout. 

Never bored but often sick.  Could not taste or smell anything the last 5 weeks.  

Saw lots of native culture, took as few tours as possible (you MUST have a tour guide on The Plain of Jars because of all the UXO everywhere).......and made as few advance reservations as was necessary......but saw many times more than those that did take tours and made reservations.

Took a few risks, but never had a negative outcome.  There is always a certain amount of risk in foreign travel.......

Had many, many memorable moments.

Walked alone many times and in many places.....with hundreds or thousands of locals and not another westener in sight for hours on end.

Threats, intimidation, pressure - never.

Someone short changing me - never.

Best food - Chicken curry at the Bamboo Nest.

Best room view - Vang Vieng, Lao.

Best local market - Keng Tung, Myanmar.

Worst Room view - Vientiane, Lao.

Best lodging -  "The Bamboo Nest" in Chaing Rai, Thailand.

Most colorful arts and crafts - Thailand.

The Hospital - Chaing Rai, Thailand.

Friendliest people - a tie - Lao, Cambodia, Thailand.

Poorest country - Myanmar.

Best arts, crafts and souviners - Luang Prabang, Lao.

Most enjoyable people I met - Robin (the Brit at The Bamboo Nest in Chiang Rai that I met again in Louang Prabang), Andy and Rondi (the couple from Portland that I met in Chiang Rai and traveled to Louang Prabang with by long boat down the Mekong), Mr. Sarann (my personal tuktuk driver that took me all over Angkor, to the rural Cambodian fishing spot and to the Cambodian birthday party), Mr. Yang (my guide on The Plain of Jars, around Phonsavan and over to Ban Ban, Lao), Francois and Latitetia (The French couple that I seemed to run into everywhere), The "Boys" (who played traditional Lao music just for me and were so unbelievably hospitable and friendly in Phonsavan), Waew and her son Jiab (that cared for me when I had pneumonia in Chiang Rai and took me to the hospital 3 times), the Thai Nurses when I was hospitalized in Chiang Rai.........and the list could go on and on....enjoyed everyone I met.

Most relaxing - the 2 days by long boat down the Mekong from Ban Houayxay to Luang Prabang.

Most scared - a tie- 

     *  the "Oh Shit" van ride from Louang Prabang to Phonsavan.

     *  the midnight tuktuk ride from the airport in Siem Reap to my hotel through all the unlit streets with Mr. Sarann.

Most surprisingly enjoyable afternoon - "The Boys" in Phonsavan, Lao.

Best pizza - Vang Vieng, Lao.

Most cosmopolitan, western - Luang Prabang, Lao.

Worst alcohol - either the plain or the flavored rice wine anywhere in Myanmar.

The most inexpensive country - Thailand.

Worst roads - Myanmar

Hottest - Cambodia.

Coldest - Thailand, Myanmar, LAO.  It was cold......as low as 40 degrees many nights.

Fishing, Cambodia Style......

Mr. Sarann took me to the big morning market.  Fruits, vegies, fish, pork, chicken.  An interesting market...much like others where everyone in town is buying their food.  There are no "supermarkets" in the places I traveled, maybe with the exception of Thailand.

Fish and rice are the staples of Cambodian food.  

After an hour or so at the market, I asked Mr. Sarann to take me to the Cambodian Cultural Village, an major tourist trap in Siem Reap, where traditional Cambodian villages are recreated.  Interesting, but not more than recreations.  I was bored.

Mr. Sarann was yaking on his cell phone...then he turned and asked me something about going somewhere....I did not understand what he said, but instinctively said "sure, lets go."

just like that we were heading out of Siem Reap and in 20 minutes we were in rural Cambodia.    We drove nearly for an hour - maybe 20 miles outside town.  I took off my shoes, put on sandals, kicked back in the tuktuk and watched rural Cambodia pass.  We ended up in real country.  there was nothing but rice fields and terribly rutted roads.  

Eventually, we had to disconnect the tuktuk from the motorcycle and I rode on the back of the motorcycle for another mile or two.  We ended up at his mother in law's house in the rice fields.  It was rural Cambodia.

Again,he got on his cell phone and started yacking.  He said "We go."

Back on the back of the motorcycle and down a rural, farm road 1/2 mile from his mother in law's house we finally stopped.  the road was so rough i had to get off the back of the motorcycle every 100 yards or so, walk, get back on, etc.  eventually we got to this big hole in the middle of the rice field.  there were maybe 25 Cambodians at the hole.  Several families were dredging this little lake that was full of fish.

The road was unbelievably rough, rutted and riding in the back of the tuktuk was like riding an amusement park ride.  It shook me to the core of my inner being.  False teeth, if I had them, would have been on the floor of the tuktuk..

After the monsoon, all the fields dry up and fish end up in one of these small holes that have been dug.  They pump out the water and gather up the fish.

In the rural areas, you often see these traditional water buffalo carts.

Everyone had a job.  The little girls sorted the little fish.  The little boys helped pull the baskets of fish up form the depression or hole then wash all the mud off them.  The women were sorted the fish and emptied them from the baskets nto the tarp.  the women would also periodically move all the fish around the tarp so they would stay alive.  The men were down in the hole.  

I depart Siem Reap in 13 hours.  Then 27.5 hours of travel.  Home in about 42 long travel hours.

I am going to miss being on walkabout.  

It must be the water.......

Or else it is the culture...or maybe it is me....

BUT, some how, some way, I get drawn into these party events.....

I was up at 6 AM to watch the Super Bowl game.  After an hour of attempting to stream the game on the iPad in the hotel room, I gave up and headed to Pub Street in a tuktuk.

Watched the game, walked around the market then came back to the hotel in another tuktuk.

Watching the Super Bowl game on Pub Street in Siem Reap.

Met my driver, Mr. Sarann at 2 PM.  I went to the Siem Reap National Museum and spent several hours there, to avoid the midday heat and humidity.  Then we were off in the tuktuk to Angkor Wat to watch the sunset over the towers.  

Met a young Norweigian solo traveler, talked for 1/2 hour and shared taking pics of each other.

Earlier in the day, Mr Sarann mentioned inviting me to a birthday party for a 3 year old girl.  I said sure.......I always enjoy a party.......even a party for a 3 year old.  I thought it might be interesting.

Mr. Sarann took me back to my hotel to shower and put on long pants and then we were off to the party. 

Through dusty, potholed backroads.  It was dark......and we were in the hinterlands of Siem Reap.  There were few lights other than oncoming motorcycle headlights. I had no worries, I trusted Mr. Sarann with all I had in my possession.  I was confident that he could be trusted.   He has been a faithful driver so far, but I had not a clue to where we were or where we we headed.  I just sat back in the tuktuk and soaked it all in.  

Travel.  An addiction.

After a 20 minute ride through the outskirts of Siem Reap we finally arrived.  

It was a big party.  Maybe 300-400 people, about 50 tables with 6 or 8 Cambodians per table.  

Women in sequined dresses and nice shoes. This was an event.  Loud, booming music.  Balloons.  Several big tents.  Nothing like a birthday party for any 3 year old girl that I have ever been to....  

I was the only westerner there...out of 300-400 people.  

But there were many smiles and welcomes.  And stares......

The party was definitely on.  Did not seem like a party for a 3 year old girl......felt more like a mafia party disguised as a party for a 3 year old girl....

There were gracious welcomes from everyone......glasses were raised...and toast after toast after toast.  Glasses clinked, smiles exchanged. 

These were all young Cambodians.  Every 15 minutes more beer, ice and food was brought to every table.

In addition to being the ONLY westerner at the party, I was doubtlessly the oldest person there. My popularity was helped with bringing a 1/2 bottle of Jack Daniels.  That broke the ice very quickly and was gone in 15-20 minutes.   Most people were in their 20's, 30's or 40's.  No old farts like me.  

I was stared at often, but I have become accustomed to being stared at.  Everyone stared at the big, lone, westerner with the ponytail.........

Booming music, strobe lights and of course.....food.  There were 8 courses served to every table over several hours.  Seafood, pork, chicken, rice, vegetables, you name it...they served it.   

l left the party table and went to see where all the food was being prepared.  There were about 20 people in the "kitchen".

The largest woks I have ever seen.  36" in diameter....

My food bowl and my beer glass were constantly being filled....

Raising your glass and clinking glasses appears to be a cultural norm.  If I clinked my glass once, I did it......say.......100+ times with about 8 people each time during the 2 hours I was at the party.

It never ended.  Every 2 minutes, everyone at our table stood up, raised their glass and toasted each other.  As I was the novelty at the party, I was in constant demand to share a toast and a picture..  Everyone toasted me...even the cook (that was cooking everything in the woks) stopped me as I was walking around his kitchen and he offered up a toast!

My cheeks are sore from smiling and my arm is tired from raising it to toast.....

What a hoot!!  It was an unbelievable experience.  The host of the party was working the crowd and stopped and shook hands with me several times and to thank me for attending.  

Cambodian hospiltality at its finest. 

I had brought a blank envelope with me so that I could leave a gratuity at the end of the evening.  I was never expecting this lavish of a party.......for a 3 year old girl.  Mr. Sarann initially refused to let me pay for him but I was insistent.   He finally agreed to let me stuff an envelope with a couple of $20.00 bills and I insisted that he put only his name on the envelope.  As we left, we again shook hands with the young host and Mr. Sarann dropped the envelope in the box with the hundreds of other envelopes.  Just like a mafia party, I thought.

What a way to spend my next to the last night after 2 months of travel in SE Asia......

This why I travel....... 

Byron