g's walkabout

viva bali

my friend sarah left to go back to the states and i have since been graciously adopted by leticia and her mother.  they also have an incredible "villa" and are wonderful, wonderful hostesses.  really feels like home away from home. 

i have also met a crew of italians and brazilians mostly in the clothing/fashion world and hung out with them on saturday at a spot about a half hour from where i am staying called "dreamland".  much more rustic with crazy waves and many incredible surfers.  the italians and brazilians have a way of enjoying life that i can only aspire to.   needless to say, i think i was born in the wrong country and continue to take copious notes.  hahahahaha. 

quick anecdote:  there was one particularly beautiful italian woman i was talking to.  she was wearing huge gucci sunglasses, smoking a cigarette and drinking a glass of wine as the sun was setting.  i asked her if she ever gets told she looks like liv tyler.  her reply, without missing a beat, in a thick italian accent:  "yees, *and* ceendy crawforrrd"

hahahahahahahhaa.  she defined diva. truly classic.

the day ended at an amazing yet rustic mexican restaurant run by an ex pro-surfer from puerto rico.  as mexican food has really been the only thing i've been craving since travelling in asia, it absolutely hit the spot.

trying to extend my time here as there is a big birthday party this weekend being thrown by the italian and brazilian crew.  i don't think it is to be missed.  oh yeah, the balinese are also an amazing bunch.  super friendly and kind with amazing smiles (except for the extortionist cops).

so, unfortunately the power chord to my computer is fried.  i plan on getting a new one soon, but until then pics are going to be hard to post.  give me a day or two.  ciao ciao!

amore y bacios,

g

bali photos

 
 

here are a few shots of a day in the life.  let's just say it hasn't been a difficult adjustment....

on avoiding tsunamis and going to israel

i have gotten a bunch of emails from you guys (and girls) asking if i've been affected by the tsunami and if i'm still planning on visiting israel. answers:  no and yes.  i do, however, appreciate your concern.

bali has not been affected by the tsunami although i did take quite a beating today trying to surf.  there is a beautiful restaurant/bar called ku de ta where you can bring your surfboard and mellow out in between beatings.  it's been great to have sarah and leticia here to show me the spots.  i haven't really taken any pictures but will post some soon.

it's clear that things are not so good in israel right now, but i am not going to let that dictate my plans to see my pops and extended family.  hizbollah and co. do not get to decide when i get to visit israel.

as difficult as it is to imagine right now, i still hold on to the hope that there will be a point in our lifetime that the region will know peace or at least something that looks like it.

hope all is well with all of you.

love,

g

bali hai

spent a day in bangkok running errands (booking ticket to bali, dealing with getting my suits shipped...) and stayed up all night as i had to wake up at 4am to catch my flight to bali.  crazy afterhours club that we snuck around police to get into although getting in was more fun than the actual club.

my friend sarah who has a clothing company that manufactures here picked me up from the airport and brought me back to her stunning home where she is staying.  huge living room with built in couches that opens to the pool, beautiful courtyard...  will post pictures.  we spent the afternoon hanging out at some very hip restaurants/bars on the beach.  felt very south beachy without all the cheesiness.

she took this morning off to get me situated and i now have a scooter with surfboard rack, 9 foot orange longboard, new sim card for my cell phone and directions to the nearest internet cafe, beach bar/restaurant and surf spot.  feels amazing.

bali is so beautiful and the food and the people are great.  it's really nice to have someone here who knows the lay of the land.  also, leticia, the spanish girl from bangkok is here as well as her familiy's clothing business manufactures here tambien.  she is meeting me in a few minutes....

so, i'm tempted to extend my time here in "asia" just to live this life for a little bit longer, i think it will depend how my surf skills pan out.....

paz y amor,

g

halong bay

i write this from the lobby of the thu giang guest house in the heart of the old quarter of hanoi.  it is pounding rain outside and the lobby is the proverbial traveler scene of folks from all over the western world ducking the rain, smoking cigarettes, drinking tea and swapping lies. 

while halong bay was beautiful it was a bit annoying having to travel with an organized group.  the govt. keeps tight reigns on the way folks can travel there.  so, we were more or less boated around like cattle to see the sights, go kayaking, etc.  i made friends with a family from mauritius who's 10 year old daughter broke my stones for 3 days for leaving my guitar on the bus. 

i have been vascilating over the last few days as to whether i jump deeper into vietnam, check out laos or go to bali.  bali won with laos a very close second. after 3 days with an organized group and almost 6 weeks of schlepping i am ready for a bit of r&r and a general honing of my (total lack of) surfing skills. 

so....vietnam.  physically beautiful country and if i had more time, felt that i was really wanted here and didn't have to fight with every business transaction i would have probably stayed longer.  it gets a bit tiring.

my ticket is pretty flexible, so if the pull to laos is still there (which i think it will be) after living the beach life i will check it out on my way out of asia. 

have a few pics from halong that i will post later. 

all the best,

g

hanoi

 
 

i arrived in hanoi on friday evening after having to spend an extra day in cambodia to get the proper visa to travel to vietnam.

hanoi is quite an amazing city full of tree-lined streets and european style houses built very close to one another. i am staying in the old quarter and have spent most of my days getting lost in the many back streets and alleys as well as hanging out in cafes near hoan kiem lake. you definitely feel the french influence. the food is good.  i have yet to visit the embalmed body of uncle ho and the "hanoi hilton".

the main method of public transportation here is getting on the back of someone's scooter. it costs about a dollar to go anywhere and they definitely aren't certified with the city. up until now, cairo held the prize for the most terrifying drivers. hanoi is the new champion. the method of driving here is basically to focus on the 6 inches in front of you and go as fast as you can. traffic lights are totally ignored and i've seen about 3 people wearing helmets.

people told me before i came that the hanoians are not very friendly and try to rip you off at every chance they get. i chalked this up as ignorant traveler ethnocentrism, but i have to say it's not far off.

let's just say that the hanoians are pretty underwhelmed with tourists and rarely return a smile or a wave. they just sort of stare at you blankly. i'd say that they have tried to rip me off in about 90% of my transactions. i have found that they respect agressive retorts in regards to business and don't take it personally. just a part of doing business.

despite the general unfriendliness i have met some cool locals and expats and have definitely enjoyed my time here. watching italy beat france last night was a great bonus. viva italia!

i take off tomorrow morning for a 3 day trip to halong bay which should be grand.

paz y amor,

g

angkor photos

 
 
   

here are a few shots from angkor wat....

myanmar places

 
 

flickr account upgrade + solid wifi in hanoi = a bunch of pictures long overdue

enjoy.

siam reap

while i have found the temples of angkor wat to be fascinating there is such a thing as getting "templed out" (technical term) where after a few days even the most majestic temples start looking a bit like wallpaper as there is such visual overload.  as such, i took a day-long break in between angkor visits to chill out.  the gods of angkor did not appreciate this and inflicted me with my first case of food poisoning.  i threw up for about 24 hrs and am now ok.  been drinking lots of gatorade and eating toast.  i leave for hanoi tonight.

i want to be clear in qualifying the next statements by saying that i have only been in cambodia for 4 days and my time here has been limited to siam reap. 

in my limited time here it is clear that this nation has suffered and has suffered badly.  you can definitely feel the after-tremors of pol pot's regime and the political corruptness before and since then.  cambodia has been a sort of beaten stepchild in this region for some time.  there are VERY few old people, many of the young people look sad, you don't get the feeling that families or community are taking care of each other like you do in thailand or myanmar.  you see many people aggresively begging with missing limbs that are most likely a result of landmines.  everyone here is on the hustle.  it physically hurts to see all of this.  most disturbed i've been since travelling in this region. 

i'd like to think that if i spent more time outside of siam reap i would be able to report more beautiful experiences with the local culture, but time does not really permit. as vapid as it sounds after all of that, the temples really were amazing and i will post pictures soon.  looking forward to exploring hanoi.  i have heard great things...

paz y amor,

g

myanmar people 2

inlaybrothers
Originally uploaded by gabrieladiv.