Journey to Tibet - Mongolia - Australia

Kimberley Adventure Tours (KAT)

2011-09-09T23:00:00.000-07:00

The alarm went off at 5am to begin my trip to the Kimberley and across the western part of Australia. Simon, driver/guide, from Kimberley Adventure Tours promptly picked me up at 6am, where I first met Silvan from Switzerland, and then proceeded to pick up other travelers - Abbi (England), Natalie (Belgium), and Pipo (Italy). Maybe because we’re all “westerners”, we quickly bonded and became friends. Off we go!

We traveled south down the Stuart Highway to visit Edith Falls for a late morning swim. Edith Falls was the perfect spot to start our adventure, with amazing series of waterfalls and a picturesque pool at the base of the falls.

Edith Falls

Pristine gorge @ Edith Falls

Then onto Katherine to pick up supplies (aka, booze) before traveling west towards The Kimberley and Western Australia to set up our first bush camp along the Victoria River.

First Sunset along the Victoria River

The Kimberley region is located on the northern-most part of Western Australia and covering some 421,451 square kilometres (approximately 261,000 miles), an area three times the size of England and three fifths the size of Texas, the Kimberley is home to only 40,000 people meaning that there are fewer people per kilometre than almost any other place on the planet.

Tonight is the first night where I get to sleep in a “swag” - essentially it’s a heavy canvas bedroll. They were originally carried by “swagmen”, who were migrant farm works or sheep shearers, that walked from job to job in Australia’s outback during the late 1800’s to early 1900’s. So in keeping with the authentic outback experience, we all get to sleep under the stars in swags. This is possibly best way to see millions (or billions?) of stars on a crystal clear night, especially when I get to sleep by a campfire. Let's hope the alligators stay on their side of the river!

First campfire in The Kimberley

Thankfully we didn't see of these critters during the night!

Time Warp to 1955 in Darwin

2011-09-08T12:12:00.000-07:00

Traveling from Borneo to Darwin consisted of 3 flight changes on AirAsia (Sepilok (Borneo) - Kuala Lumpur - Bali - Darwin) for 20+ hours, including four hours in Bali's airport where I had to pay for a Visa to 'enter' the country and then pay a departure fee 30 minutes later when I walked over to an outbound terminal. Finally in Darwin, I have 24-hours to enjoy the city (and Holiday Inn's comfortable bed) before embarking on a 10-day tour throughout Australia's outback.

Darwin is the capital of Northern Territory, on the top end of Australia. Although Darwin is considered a 'city', it has more of a small beach town feel...and time stopped in 1955. Overall, it's a very laid-back city and perfect starting point to the wild Kimberley journey.

To celebrate my solo travel for 3 months, I decided to treat myself to a nice dinner at Hanuman Restaurant - a wonderful combination of Thai, Indian and Nonya cooking. As much as I wanted to check out all the bars along Mitchell street, I needed to get some sleep since I didn’t get much sleep the night before and I have to be up early tomorrow morning.

Walking Around the Jungle...at Night?

2011-09-06T23:30:00.000-07:00

My original plan of the Australian outback got pushed up by a day since it's the end of the dry season and I didn't have many options in terms of signing up for a tour. I also had to reverse my route from Broome to Darwin, thus missing out on Kakadu National Park. It also means my visit to the Orang Utan Sanctuary in Sepilok need to be canceled. Unfortunately I had already paid for my flight and hotel in Sepilok, so it'll be a quick trip to the Borneo jungle. Essentially I had few hours in Sepilok and my options were limited...a night jungle walk around the Sepilok Jungle Resort or nothing. I really wanted to see the Orang Utans but a jungle walk at night with snakes, bats, birds and leeches should provide plenty of excitement.

I'm told it's a viper snake...I was more worried about the leeches on my feet

Tomorrow, I'll be flying for 20+ hours on three AirAsia flights - Borneo to Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur to Bali, Bali to Darwin - of course, since AirAsia is a point-to-point airline, I'll need to drop-off/pick-up my bags three times during the course of the my journey. Ugh...I'm too old (and spoiled) to be flying discount airlines! What was I thinking?

Next stop...Western Australia.

Sinking Slow, Floating Fast...in Kapalai

2011-09-06T18:41:00.000-07:00

Wow, I can't believe I'm going from top of Borneo to the bottom of Borneo in just 24 hours! For the next four days, I'll be spending time underwater to get certified for open water dives at the Sipadan-Kapalai Dive Resort in Pulau Kapalai. After all these years of saying I want to get certified for diving, I'm finally doing it, but I'll have to pass the swimming and floating tests before I can became a certified diver...ugh!

"Breathe slow...no slower, slower". "Try to stay buoyant, don't use the BCD to control your buoyancy, use your breathing to control your buoyancy". Thank goodness Linda (my dive master/instructor) was patient enough to teach me how to breathe slowly and control my buoyancy (it still needs work). I thought I was going to ace the diving course but harsh reality sank in - I suck. Sorry everyone, I don't have any photos of me sucking...but just picture an Asian pot-belly pig, in a wetsuit, trying to swim, dive, and float.

After four days of learning how to dive, I just need to pass the 200 meter swim and 10 minutes of floating to become a certified diver. First attempt to swim 200 meters was a complete disaster, after 100 meters of splashing water and then sinking like a rock. Yup, I got thrown the doughnut and had to swim back with it...how embarrassing! Linda couldn't stop laughing as she watched me 'swim'...then she suggested I could swim 300 meters with a mask, snorkel and fins. Now that I can do...I think. Back in the water (just need to relax) and swim 300 meters (frack!). Linda sends a support kayak to assist me if I start to panic...but I'm happy to report no doughnut was needed this time (ok, I barely made it back but I passed the swim test). Next up, 10 minutes of floating...I know I could do one minute, maybe two, but 10 minutes? Tick-tock, tick-tock...just relax, tilt my head back and breathe for 10 minutes...

As of September 6, 2011, I'm now a PADI-certified open water diver. Maybe I'll go diving in Australia!

Sipadan-Kapalai Dive Resort...my bungalow is the 8th one from left

View from my private balcony...I was greeted by sea turtles in the morning and evening

From my balcony...Sunset - Day 1

Sunset - Day 2

Sunset - Day 3

Sunset - Day 4 (I'm still wowed!)

Mt. Kinabalu

2011-09-01T22:00:00.000-07:00

What was I thinking...I must have been drunk when I booked this trip! I'm going to hike and summit a 4,000+ meter mountain? What happened to relaxing by the beach idea? Well I've already paid for the trip so I guess I'm going to summit Malaysia's highest mountain (and third highest in SE Asia).

I joined up with 6 other fellow travelers (Ben from England, Evy and Tom from Belgium, Niels and Karin from Holland, and João from Portugal) to hike up to Mt. Kinabalu. It's a two-day trip - 3,000 meters the first day, overnight at the 'half-way' station and leave early next morning (2am!) to see the sunrise. The day started out cloudy and warm, and as soon as we started our hike, it started to rain...right, it's rainy season in the topics! By the time we got to the half-way station, the temperature had dropped and we were now wet and cold. Oh, we just learned there's no heat or hot water at the station...yeah!

Dinner at 5pm and sleep for few hours, so we could be off by 2am for the final 1,000 meter climb to the peak. We went to bed when it was raining, so our hike could be canceled (ugh!). By the time we got up the rain had stopped...crap. Off to the top!

By 7am, everyone made it to the peak for the sunrise - not much of a sunrise since it was mostly cloudy but still felt I was on the top of the world (ok Borneo). For me, the best part of going up is going down. Yes, I'm one of those crazy ones who prefers running down the mountain, and my favorite sections of the climb were the guide rope portions where I just ran down as if I was abseiling...now that was fun!

Trail leading up the mountain...yes, it's a jungle

Clear view of the island (before the rain)

Top half of the mountain covered in fog

"The Lodge" at the half-way point

Kinabalu Peak @ 4095 meters...and of course, it's raining

Kinabalu Peak...thank goodness for the guide ropes!

4008 meter marker at the bottom of the peak

Road Trip to Roluos

2011-08-29T21:00:00.000-07:00

Desperately needing some exercise (felt like a blob after 30-days of sitting in a Russian van and snacking on chocolate and crisps), I hired a bicycle and ventured out of town to visit Roluos Group (Wat Bakong and Preah Ko). The temples are located 20 km outside of Siem Reap and it's usually not on the Angkor Wat tour, so they were quiet and crowd free.

In context of Angkor's architectural timeline, Roluos Group was the capital of Indravarman I (877 to 889) and considered to be the forefathers of Angkor's main temples. These were the first temples built to last and are made of brick with some carved plaster reliefs. The group is made up of the three temples of Preah Ko, Bakong, and Lolei.

Preah Ke

Wat Bakong

View from top of the central tower

One of the towers in Bakong

I think I'm 'templed' out! I couldn't visit anymore temples in the afternoon....I just wanted to chill, have lunch in town and watch the day go by. There's so much more to see but my brain is sensory-fried.

Of course, having a drink in the tourist area means you get to see some weird stuff - such as a woman dancing out on the street, in front of a bar (I assume the bar hired her), to "lure" tourists into the bar. This video just doesn't do any justice of the weirdness...

I'm definitely looking forward to sitting on a beach and decompress from all this...Borneo should give me that.

Faces of Bayon

2011-08-28T22:30:00.000-07:00

Having visited most of the temples around Angkor Wat, I decided to spend more time at Angkor Thom today. But first, a quick visit to Banteay Kdei and Thommanom before heading over to Angkor Thom.

Banteay Kdei
Thommanom
Angkor Thom via Victory Gate
Bayon
Bapoun
The Royal Palace
Elephant Terrace
Leper King Terrace

This morning was no different from yesterday...rain. Luckily it wasn't as bad as yesterday's continuous rain, it was more cloudy and misty. Again my day started late but I got to update my journal and fb status. By late morning, my Tuk Tuk driver was getting eager to leave the hotel (he was probably concerned that I may not need his services today), so off we go to Angkor! Angkor Wat may be the largest temple in the world but I loved Angkor Thom more (“the great city” in Khmer), for its massive stone face carvings and intricate rooms. My favorite was just seeing the monks in their classic brilliant orange robes in contrast to the huge stark stone blocks.

Angkor Thom, built by Cambodia's greatest builder, Jayavarman VII, is a ten square kilometer city enclosed by an eight meter high wall and encircled by a hundred meter moat (said to have been inhabited by fierce crocodiles). There are five twenty meter high gates in the wall in each of the North, West and South walls and two in the East Wall. Access is via causeways over the moat that are flanked by the statues of fifty-four Gods on the left and fifty-four devils on the right, all seemingly engaged in a game of tug of war.

The central temple, Bayon, is one of the most famous temples in Angkor. Interestingly, the Bayon is a Buddhist temple built during King Jayavarman VII rule, but the temple adheres to Hindu cosmology with links to the natural world references. It has four huge stone faces of Avalokitesharva, each facing out to a compass point. Bayon is also wrapped by two long walls with bas-relief scenes of legendary and historic events. At one point, the temple was host to 49 such towers; now only 37 remain. The number of faces is approximately 200, but since some are only partially preserved there can be no definitive count.

On to other complexes within Angkor Thom, following the marked path from Bayon to Baphuon and around the Royal Palace, I walked over to Elephant Terrace and Leper King’s Terrace.

The clouds started to lift in the late afternoon, so I went back to Angkor Thom after spending few hours around the Royal Palace. And of course, my Nikon P7000 camera battery dies just as I get to Angkor Thom! Luckily my iPhone (this has become my trusty back-up camera) still had some juice left to capture great photos in the afternoon light...or maybe it's the photographer who can shoot amazing photos with anything? Haha.

Victory Gate, Angkor Thom

Buddhist Monk at Bayon, Angkor Thom

Bayon

Did I found inner-peace? Oh please...

One of 200+ faces on the Upper Terrace

Only 37 out of 49 "face towers" remain today

Definitely not a monk (and I don't know him), but still a great shot

Elephant Terrace

Leper King Terrace

Sunrise + Angkor Wat = Rain

2011-08-27T22:30:00.000-07:00

Today was going to be an "off-the-beaten" path day of sight-seeing, I had all the good intentions to head 30 km north to Kabal Spean (known as the "River of a Thousand Linga" - relief carvings that line the river beds are believed to purify the water that flow to Angkor) and Banteay Srei (a small, unique and charming temple), but had to turn around as the steady rain completely soaked my Tuk Tuk driver (it was only 8am!). We modified our itinerary to do the 'Grand Tour Loop' around Angkor.

(Rainy) Angkor Wat at Sunrise

Angkor Wat (“City Temple”) is a temple complex built for the King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and capital city. It is the world's largest religious building. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation – first Hindu, dedicated to the god Vishnu, then Buddhist. The temple is at the top of the high classical style of Khmer architecture - combining two basic plans of Khmer temple architecture: the temple mountain and the later galleried temple, based on early South Indian Hindu architecture, with key features such as the Jagati. It is designed to represent Mount Meru, home of the devas in Hindu mythology: within a moat and an outer wall 3.6 kilometres (2.2 mi) long are three rectangular galleries, each raised above the next. At the centre of the temple stands a quincunx of towers. It is estimated that over one million people lived there making it the largest metropolis in its time.

Angkor Wat (sunrise)

East Mebon

Ta Som

Neak Pean

Preah Khan

Ta Keo

Ta Prohm

Angkor Wat (sunset)

I know Angkor Wat is the star attraction within the Angkor complex but my favorite temple is Ta Prohm. The combination of trees growing out of the temple ruins created a splendid atmosphere when the day became cloudy and foggy. Now if I only had charged my camera battery...thank goodness for my iPhone!

Ta Prohm was built in the Bayon style largely in the late 12th and early 13th centuries and originally called Rajavihara. Located approximately one kilometer east of Angkor Thom and on the southern edge of the East Baray, it was founded by the Khmer King Jayavarman VII as a Mahayana Buddhist monastery and university. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Ta Prohm has been left in much the same condition in which it was found: a photogenic wonder of trees growing out of the ruins have made it one of Angkor's most popular temples.

After lunch, the sky turned clear blue and I was able to finish the day with a picture-perfect sunset view of Angkor Wat. Now this is awesome!

Angkor Wat at Sunset

The amazing gold color of Angkor Wat at Sunset

Afternoon Rush Hour at Phnom Bakeng

2011-08-26T22:52:00.000-07:00

I got up to a puddle of water in my room...hum, I wonder if this is a foreshadowing to what's to come. It had rained all night and the water had flowed into my room through the door - my room was next to the exit door that was slightly open. Oh wait, I'm still in Southeast Asia and it’s August (the wet season). I decided to wait out the rain, relax in the morning and catch up on current events since I haven't had internet connection for some time.

At the hotel, I hired a Tuk Tuk with a driver to take me to the temples and around Siem Reap. Riding around town in a Tuk Tuk felt like being in the French colonial era...somewhat decadent yet felt wrong too.

By late afternoon, the rain had stopped and my Tuk Tuk driver was very anxious to start his hire; otherwise he doesn't get paid for the day. It was too late to head over to Angkor Wat and visit the temple, but I had just enough time to see the sunset from Phnom Bakeng, just past Angkor Wat. Phnom Bakeng is known for its amazing sunset view since it's on top of a steep hill; and on the eastern side of the temple, the upper terraces of Angkor Wat just peak above the tree tops. Getting up to the top of Phnom Bakeng was sort of like an evening rush-hour in midtown Manhattan...complete chaos. The stone steps were tall with very little footing and steep - did monks have really small feet and long legs back then?

Ok, the sunset was spectacular, well worth the agony of dealing with crowds...what a wonderful way to begin my Angkor exploration!

"Rush hour" at Phnom Bakeng for the sunset!

View of Angkor Wat, looking east

Sunset over Phnom Bakeng

Siem Reap

2011-08-25T22:30:00.000-07:00

Most guide books will tell you a 3- or 4-day visit to the ancient city of Angkor will suffice, but don't be fooled by their recommendation. I thought 4 full days of exploring Angkor would be enough but I was wrong. I really needed a week to fully explore and soak in all the splendors of Angkor (and not get 'over-templed' out). My goal was to see more than just Angkor Wat, and to visit some of the smaller (and less crowded) temples beyond Angkor...I barely got to do this. This is truly an amazing place and spending a week (even two) around Angkor and Siem Reap would be ideal.

Agent Orange

2011-08-24T20:40:00.000-07:00

Today I joined Emma to visit the War Remnants Museum (please note - this museum will make you re-think about the Vietnam War). Clearly the Museum is one-sided but one cannot deny the devastation of Vietnam and its people caused by the war.

Well, after visiting the Museum, I definitely don't want to visit the 'Killing Fields' site in Cambodia. The Agent Orange exhibit was haunting and disturbing to see so many innocent lives affected by it. It's worth a visit (you'll be depressed after the visit)...especially the special exhibit on war photographers who perished during their assignments. Just amazing and inspiring.

Emma and I tried to find a cool rooftop bar on our last night in HCMC, she's heading back to London and I'm off to Cambodia, but we never really found one near our hotel and it started to rain....basically, we were too lazy to venture outside of the walking distance. We decided to chill and find a nearby spot for dinner - only problem was we didn't know what we wanted - Mexican? Thai? Vietnamese? Maybe a combo of all?

Tomorrow...I'm off to Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Location:Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

When it rains, it really rains!

2011-08-23T19:35:00.000-07:00

Our brilliant plan of taking the day tour to the Mekong Delta area started at 7 in the morning, which meant no Vietnamese coffee at Highlands Coffee (not a great way to begin the morning). The bus ride took 3 hours to Mỹ Tho on the Mekong River for our first of many boat rides to see bee hives (?), followed by a tour of the coconut candy factory, then to lunch, before ending the tour. About half way into the tour, the sky opened up and started to pour for hours and hours...oh right, it's the "monsoon" season.

Emma and I were soaked and we both started to question if we wanted to stay overnight in Bến Tre with all this rain. Our vision of cycling along beautiful picturesque rice fields and floating markets quickly faded into us riding in the rain. We figured once we got to Bến Tre, everything would work out fine and we would have a great day. Well, our tour guide didn't drop us off at Bến Tre and we were back at Mỹ Tho. "Oh you should have told me you wanted to get off at Bến Tre" - the response from our guide...WTF! We had told him that we would like to go one way and get off at Bến Tre in the morning, clearly he didn't listen or remember. Now we're stranded at Mỹ Tho's Visitor Center and we're told it's a 45-minute taxi ride to Bến Tre...again, WTF! Emma and I both looked at each other and nodded...'let's take the public bus back to HCMC and check into Elios Hotel tonight and bail on the Mekong trip'.

The only available room Elios Hotel had was a deluxe room...done.

Traffic on the Mekong Delta

It's pouring...non-stop!

He's so use to it...doesn't even notice

Flooding in Ho Chi Minh City

Flood...what flood?

Location:Mỹ Tho, Tiền Giang Province, Vietnam

HCMC

2011-08-22T16:30:00.000-07:00

Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) buzzes with life on wheels - from bicycles to motorbikes to cars. Trying to cross a street corner as a tourist is an adventure on to itself, but if one takes a deep breath and just start walking, bikers will move around you like a school of fish.

After the fall of Saigon in 1975, the city was renamed after the revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh (both names are used interchangeably today). As the former capital of the French Colony of Cochin-China, Ho Chi Minh City's architectural heritage is linked to its French design of neo-classical buildings. The city is quite expansive with 16 urban and 5 rural districts, but District 1 is the Central Business District that includes many of the historical and cultural importance - The Reunification Palace, War Remnants Museum, Museum of Ho Chi Minh City, Notre Dame Cathedral, and the touristy Bến Thành Market.

Sampling Vietnamese cuisine throughout the city is a must - from numerous Pho noodle shops to the food stalls (indoors and outdoors) of Bến Thành Market. Of course, one cannot miss the best coffee in Asia...Vietnamese coffee, with sweet condensed milk!

By now I was getting tired of sleeping in questionable "hotels", especially after spending a month sleeping in gers and the Beijing experience...the "hotel" Emma and I found in HCMC was definitely cheap but I was able to convince Emma that we needed to upgrade and pamper ourselves a bit, just like what we did in Hoi An. We both agreed that after the Mekong trip, we would move to a different hotel - we noticed a newly renovated 3-star hotel few buildings from our current hotel, found a great rate online for few dollars more and they would hold our bags until our arrival date...done. But we still didn't have a plan for the Mekong delta and we were suppose to leave the next morning. After few hours of research...nothing, until we spoke with the front desk clerk at Elios Hotel (where we'll be staying in two nights) who gave us a travel brochure for the Mekong delta. Emma and I had a plan - we would do a one-day tour, stay at a hotel overnight in Bến Tre, rent bikes to explore the area and then take the bus back to HCMC the following day. It was a brilliant plan, we even found a cheaper price at the travel agency next to the hotel! We headed to the Bến Thành Market for some shopping and dinner, feeling pleased with our itinerary.

Location:Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

To the Beach!

2011-08-21T20:30:00.000-07:00

August 19 - 22 (Ho Chi Minh City - Danang - Hoi An)

I decided to meet up with Emma in Hoi An (instead of Ho Chi Minh City), so I can get to a beach and relax after the China fiasco. From what I briefly read about Hoi An, it was the perfect spot to chill for few days.

My flight to Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) landed at 1am and I had a connecting flight to Danang in few hours. This time I wasn't going to take the chance of looking for a hotel near the airport or go into HCMC for few hours of sleep, instead I headed to the airport lounge area for few hours of shut eyes. Let's just say I didn't get much sleeping done between the hard seats and the fear of someone stealing my bags..but I did save money!

Of course, the airport pick-up request I had made to the hotel in Hoi An didn't happen, so once again I'm in a country where I don't speak the language and had no clue about getting to Hoi An. Oh hell with traveling cheap, I went luxe and took a taxi to Hoi An (it had air-conditioning)!

Hoi An is a beautiful town by the South China Sea, about half way between Hanoi and HCMC, known for their tailors among other things. The town still has the charm of an old French colonial period with many historic buildings full of tailor shops, restaurants and gift shops. The food here was absolutely delicious and fresh, friendly people, and enough clothing and shoe tailors/shops to stay busy for days. I only had three days but I could have stayed here for weeks, if not for a month.

Wood carver working outside his shop

View of the river from the cafe

The Market

"excuse me...are you sisters?"

Ferry boat for bikes...and people too

I'm guessing...honeymooners

To the beach!

Seaside lunch for about 5 bucks!

Beautiful French Colonial architecture

Love all the bird cages upstairs

Window of a lantern shop

Emma and I learned about a hidden gem (Villa Hoa Su) just outside of town; unfortunately, Villa Hoa Su didn't have any availability until the 21st, the day we're scheduled to leave for HCMC. I was able to convince Emma that we should stay one more night in Hoi An so we could check out the luxurious Villa Hoa Su. Villa Hoa Su was simply magnificent, it had everything I wanted - beautiful room with comfortable bed, outdoor shower and a marble bathtub, infinity pool, and a 5-star hotel service at a 3-star price (they even prepared a dinner for us based on what we wanted)! I can't do justice in describing the Villa, just check out their site - villahoasu.com. One day at the Villa Hoa Su wasn't enough...I definitely need to come back and stay for a week or two!

Location:Hoi An, Vietnam

I Need a Visa for Vietnam?

2011-08-18T07:48:00.000-07:00

I couldn't get out of the Hotel 100% Perfect (have to love the name) fast enough...plus I needed to get online at the airport to check on my Vietnam visa status. After some research, I ended up re-applying for a visa as an urgent request since my arrival date to Vietnam had changed by a day.

One positive outcome of my ridiculous mishaps was I got to spend few hours with Tom and Verity in Shanghai. Thanks again Tom on feeding me and letting me do my laundry, take a shower, and print out all the Vietnam visa forms/approval letter! Yep, I finally received my letter of approval to enter Vietnam just before heading out to the airport.

Next stop...Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Location:Shanghai, China

Oh Hell With the Chinese Visa!

2011-08-16T07:45:00.000-07:00

The train back to UB was definitely not the 'Trans-Mongolian' rail...it was more like a cheap Chinese knock-off of the Trans-Mongolian. Majority of the passengers were merchants transporting goods from China, in fact everyone in our car were vendors except for the three of us in the last cabin. At this point, I'm just glad to be on a train heading to UB...it's been a long day.

After all the craziness of trying to get back to UB this morning, I found out the Chinese Consular Office is only open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays...definitely not on Tuesdays. F*%K!

The Chinese Consular Office is open from 9:30 to 12 noon, and approved visas/passports can be picked up after 4PM for the same day service.

When I got to the entrance at 9am, there was a line of about 30 people deep...and I thought this was going to be a breeze. After waiting in line for almost 3 hours, I'm told that I do need a new visa and it would cost $140 for the visa plus $30 for the same-day service, and the officer didn't know if the 24-transit permit would allow me to leave the airport...what a waste of my time and energy. I decided not to apply for a new visa and just go directly to Vietnam, which meant I would have to pay a cancelation fee of one night for my hotel reservation (but this would be cheaper than paying for a new visa).

After all the crap, I'm not 100% sure if I can get a 24-hour transit permit at the Beijing Airport, but I took a chance and bought a ticket to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (departing from Beijing on August 18 and arriving on August 19). Oh shit, I had applied a visa to Vietnam for August 20 arrival, not August 19. I can't believe I just made another mistake! Well it was too late to make any changes, I needed to get on a plane to Beijing in few hours and to Vietnam within 24 hours. So far the best news was Hotel Kapok canceling my reservation without a charge...now that's customer service and why I would stay there again!

I must have been in some weird "let's live on the edge" mood because I was cutting everything close - a simple drive to the airport, which is only 18km from the city, became a nail biting journey as we were sitting in traffic for over 45 minutes (train crossing!) and I almost missed my flight. Luckily there was no line to check in and I was able to go through the security check without too much hassle, and had just enough time to pick up a bottle of 'chinggi'.

The moment of truth - I'm in Beijing. At the Customs desk, I found out that I can get a free 24-hour transit permit and I can leave the airport (again the Lonely Planet's information was wrong). I could have spent a nice night at Hotel Kapok and gotten back to the airport the following morning relaxed and refreshed, but now it's the airport lounge since I didn't have the hotel reservation anymore. 488RMB ($75) to use the airport lounge...WTF?!? The best/lowest rate for a hotel room near the airport quoted by the Tourist Information desk was 338RMB...for a shit room...WTF?!? With free transfers and supposedly free Internet, I decided to book a room at the hotel near the airport.

My top 3 reasons why airport hotels are suck - 1) it's over-priced for what you get (i.e., dirty, nasty, smelly room). 2) it's noisy from the planes flying over. 3) people who work at these hotel are never helpful. The hotel I stayed at didn't disappoint - the room was dirty and the bathroom smelled of urine, it's right on the take-off flight path, and the hotel employees were useless...oh and the Internet was "broken". Let's just say I didn't get much sleep!

Location:Zamiin Uud, Mongolia

Deported From China...What the F**K!

2011-08-15T07:40:00.000-07:00

After an uneventful overnight train to Erlian (it's no Trans-Mongolian), I had to push and shove past the mob of Mongolians and Chinese to queue in front of the Chinese Arrivals building. I was a bit nervous about my entry to China since I was only given a dual entry visa and I had already entered China twice in the past 2 months. I had read in the Lonely Planet Mongolia guide (BTW, don't rely on Lonely Planet as the sole source of information!) that I could either get a new visa or a visa extension at the border. Well, that was completely and utterly wrong - the Chinese Immigration officials informed me they only process entry for foreigners with valid visas and they do not process visa applications or extensions, and I must go back to Ulaan Baatar to request a new visa. "I have to go back to Ulaan Baatar?" After a 15-hour train ride and 2+ hours of waiting (no, standing) outside the Immigration Office, I was told I've been documented as attempting to enter China with an "expired" visa and immediately be "deported" back to Mongolia. The officials allowed Erica to come back inside so I could let her know of the situation, thankfully they allowed her to ride with me and be dropped off at the bus station on the way to the border.

The border crossings were interesting experiences all by themselves, but not something I want to do again. I was driven to the Erlian Departures building in an official car with a senior officer (all the guards saluted us as we drove by), walked past the departure lines, and placed into a jeep going to Mongolia's border. The jeep driver literally stuffed me into his car with 8 other passengers! One woman sat with my duffle bag behind her, while I held onto my backpack - 5 of us squeezed into the back seat and 3 sat in the front passenger seat - for a 7km ride to Zamiin-Uud, Mongolia. Shit, I'm back in Mongolia again...and Zamiin-Uud is not a friendly town to be stuck and not speak a word of Mongolian. Luckily, I was able to find a customs agent who spoke some English to help me find a taxi to the train station. Again, I was stuffed into a jeep with 6 others without knowing where the driver was going or how much he was going to charge. I definitely experienced how the locals travel...and it's insane!

Trying to buy a rail ticket to UB was no easy feat - I waited over 2 hours in line and didn't leave the line for the fear of losing my spot or my bags (there were at least a dozen arguments between policemen and people trying to cut the line). I was hungry, thirsty and had to pee but all that needed to wait until I purchased my train ticket. I was told the ticket booths would open at 2pm, but true to Mongolian punctuality, they didn't open until after 3:30pm. Finally...success! Oh wait, the ticket's for August 16 1:40 - not this afternoon...back to the ticket window to find out how to get on today's train. I tried in vain that I had to be on today's train but I believe the agent was telling me that the 17:30 train was sold out. In absolute dismay and exhaustion, I left the train station in search of a place to sleep near the station. One hotel across the street wanted 35,000 Turgriks per night - I told them that was too expensive but they wouldn't drop the price. Back out the on street, as I was looking for a hotel in the LP book, I ran into the Israeli couple who was waiting to buy tickets to UB. They also had the same ticket as me and were heading to a hotel. I asked about the train schedule and they told me the train leaves at 1:40AM, not 1:40PM - frack, I would have missed the train had I not met them! What dumb luck - I'm not going to miss the train and they suggested I stay in their hotel and travel together. Yippee!!

I'm still pissed that I didn't research more on visa extension requests and just took the first available train to Beijing. This stupid lapse will cost me dearly...I guess I deserved it. The next 2 days will be complete shit and will need to adjust my travel plans to Vietnam or Cambodia. Hope Erica got to enjoy a nice night of luxe and comfort...especially after a month of sleeping on a form pad and not showering for days. I'll have to wait for at least another day or two.

Location:Erlian, China

Back in UB

2011-08-13T07:36:00.000-07:00

Ulaan Baatar...suddenly our trip was over! What an amazing journey during the past 30 days, and it seemed we only got a glimpse of Mongolia.

We got back to UB early afternoon for Tom, Verity and I to check the "Black Market" and Erica and Tai to chill at the Khongor Guesthouse. I had heard so much about the Black Market being dangerous with many pick-pocketers, but found it to be no different than other outdoor markets - crowded, vendors selling just about anything, and lots of fake products from China.

Instead of having a final group dinner, it ended up being just me, Tom, Verity, and Hogy at a Korean restaurant, just across the street (same place where I had my first meal in Mongolia!). I was disappointed that Erica and Tai didn't join us but it seemed that they both wanted some alone time. They had already gone the supermarket and settled in for the night.

The next morning seemed very awkward between me, Tai and Erica...they were both quiet and were busy updating their photos, so I tagged along with Tom and Verity for coffee. I guess after a month of being confined to such close space, we were bound to need some personal space.

Erica and I were on the evening train to Beijing via Erlian (China), unfortunately we couldn't get on the Trans-Mongolian Rail as there were no available sleeper cabins from UB to Beijing (not sure if Khongor actually tried or not). We were booked on the local train, which stopped at Erlian for border-crossing process. It would have been a great way to finish my Mongolia journey with a ride on the Trans-Mongolian Rail.

Location:Ulaan Baatar, Mongolia

Night Lanterns

2011-08-12T07:22:00.000-07:00

Amarbayasgalant Monastery was our last visit on our incredible journey throughout Mongolia. The monastery was originally built between 1727 and 1737 by the Manchu emperor Yongzheng, and dedicated to the Mongolian Buddhist and sculptor Zanabazar. The monastery is in the Manchu style, including symmetrical layout and imperial color scheme.

The communist destroyed 10 out of the 37 temples and statues during the Cultural Revolution but the monastery has been heavily restored in the past few decades. There are now new structures and statues of Buddha around the monastery (pretty cheesy for my taste).

The highlight of our visit was the lantern lighting ceremony, as we came during the annual festival (Gongoriin Bombani Hural). What an amazing sight...to see hundreds of paper lanterns floating up in the night sky!

Just outside the monastery, a "photo booth" was set up where people can get a photo dressed in the traditional Mongol costumes. Oddly, there was an option to wear a traditional Korean costume (han-buk)...I guess for the Korean tourists???

Location:Amarbayasgalant Monastery, Mongolia

Scrabble Anyone?

2011-08-11T07:19:00.000-07:00

Today was fairly easy day of driving, just 6 hours from Moron to a Ger camp along the Selenge Gol, as we head back to UB with only one stop remaining (Amarbayasgalant Monastery tomorrow).

As we left northern Mongolia, I couldn't get over how some mountains are completely void of trees, yet the mountains across the plateau are full of trees. I'm told Mongolia is being stripped of its natural resources at an unbelievable rate - from coal mines expanding continuously to fuel China's demand to almost half of the country's forest disappearing in just few decades. Today, many mountains have become dusty pile of rocks from over-logging for centuries. Mongolia seems so tough and hardy, yet the land can be so fragile and delicate.

At the ger camp, it was nice to just relax by the river, play Scrabble with Erica (she became obsessed with the game) and watch the sun set over trees.

Location:Selenge Gol

H-O-R-S-E-ing Around

2011-08-10T05:29:00.000-07:00

I decided (more like "declared") to make today a rest day and just chilled by the lake or around the ger camp in the morning. Tai and Erica still had plenty of energy and went for a short hike to explore the area. Basketball in Mongolia? It seems Mongolians like to play basketball, more than soccer (maybe because you can't play soccer during winter?). The ger camp had a basketball hoop (see previous photo - behind the golfer), so Tom, Verity and I 'H-O-R-S-E'-ed around before leaving for Moron in the afternoon.

Moron reminded me (or what I remembered) of Seoul when I was growing up, almost 40 years ago, with dirt roads, houses with corrugated metal roofs and busy street markets. I recall my house was on dirt road just outside of the city where my mom would take a bus into the city to meet her friends for lunch...today, the old neighborhood is now part of Seoul's affluent suburb because of its close proximity to downtown. I wonder if Mongolia will go through a rapid economic development similar to Korea, while retaining its history, culture and heritage.

Location:Khovsgol Nuur, Mongolia

Mongolian Golf

2011-08-09T05:27:00.000-07:00

After a chilly overnight in the not-so-warm tents and sleeping bags, we headed back to our ger camp where we had stayed the previous night. What started out as a relaxed ride became tense when Erica's horse threw her off as she tried to stop. This was her second fall (her horse threw her off yesterday when she tried to grab the lasso that had fallen to the ground and the horse became skittish and started to run). We were all concerned as her foot got caught in the stirrup and was dragged for few meters. Luckily she was fine (and her camera too) with just a bruised ankle and couple of scratches/cuts. Erica got right 'back on the horse' (ok a different horse).

After the incident, we were a little more cautious with our horses. We later learned that the horses are set to roam wild during winter months and re-caught in springtime for riding...which meant we were riding on wild horses!

The afternoon became a lazy day of doing nothing...and since there wasn't a TV in our ger, I just went outside to watch couple of Mongolians play golf. They were definitely not ready to take on Tiger Woods, but I had a blast watching them play!

Location:Khovsgol Nuur, Mongolia

Reindeer in Mongolia?

2011-08-08T05:30:00.000-07:00

We're off to our 2-day horseback trip to see a Tsaatan and his reindeer herd near Jankhai. The weather was perfect - sunny, warm and no winds - for a great day of riding. Our guide kept us pretty much along the lake shoreline, between tourist ger campsites and the road...not really spectacular but we still had wonderful views of the lake.

After a scenic lunch by the lake, we continued further north to meet up with a Tsaatan family. The family had come down from the Darkhad Depression area to display their reindeer for tourists. Who knew there are reindeer in Mongolia...I thought reindeer only live in Scandinavia region (and the North Pole). Sadly the lake shore is not a natural feeding ground for reindeer, lichen plants do not grow at the lake elevation. Tsaatan people who bring their reindeer down to the lake are called "Bizness Tsaatan" since they are more interested in cash (hence the name) than the well-being of their reindeer herd. In fact, this area was one big tourist market full of antler carvings, jewelery, and other touristy trinkets.

Tsaatan (literally 'Reindeer People') live near the Khovsgol Nuur area where their existence is based around their reindeer herds - which provide milk, skins for clothes, antlers for carving and medicine, transport, and sometimes meat. The Tsaatan are part of the Tuvan ethnic group and there are about 300 Tsaatan in total throughout northern Mongolian taiga region. Like their Mongol cousins, they are very nomadic, looking for special types of lichen and grass eaten by the endangered reindeer (there are only about 700 in total). The Tsaatan do not use gers, but prefer tepees (orts), which are very similar to Native American tepees. They are also strong practitioners of shamanism - it's hard not to see the similarities between the Tsaatan and the Native Americans.

We moved a little further up from the Tsaatan camp and found a nice spot at the edge of the forest...the best part was an old campfire area left from previous campers. Finally, we got a chance to make a campfire and have dinner by the fire! Wahoo!!

Location:Khovsgol Nuur, Mongolia

Good Bye Emma

2011-08-07T05:15:00.000-07:00

This morning we said goodbye to Emma (she's off to Vietnam) and we're off to Khovsgol Nuur and northern Mongolia - the most developed tourist region in the country.

Northern Mongolia is complete opposite of its southern desolate desert and steppes. It feels more like Switzerland (or Sweden) with log cabins, pine forest and deep turquoise lakes. This region is more similar to Siberia than rest of Mongolia, in terms of people, culture, climate and landscape.

Khovsgol Nuur National Park - known as the Blue Pearl of Mongolia, the lake stretches 136km and into the Siberian taiga. It is the second-largest lake (2760 sq km) in Mongolia, surpassed only by Uvs Nuur, but it is the deepest lake (up to 262m deep) and 14th largest source of fresh water. Geologically, Khovsgol is the younger sibling to Lake Baikal in Siberia, by 23 million years and formed by the same tectonic forces. The lake is full of fish, but locals regard the lake as sacred and they don't swim, fish or bathe in the lake. Unfortunately, most foreigners and even Mongolians from outside of the Khovsgol region don't respect the local traditions, and swim and fish in the lake.

Location:Khovsgol, Mongolia

Rough Roads

2011-08-06T05:00:00.000-07:00

If I thought yesterday's drive was absolutely shit, today's drive was the mother of all shit roads. For over 10 hours, Demchig drove over roads that looked more like mini-canyons or ponds. To break up the day, we stopped at an ovoo on a mountaintop for much needed break and to take some pictures of local "residents". It's mostly inhibited by pikas and marmots (tarvaga).

The weather was rainy and chilly today. Summer seems to be winding down here in the northern part of Mongolia. Grass is starting to turn yellow and feels more like autumn than summer.

Tonight was Emma's last night with us, so we decided to go out to dinner in Moron and celebrate. Pizza was everyone's choice...unfortunately the restaurant that serves pizza required a two hour wait (something LP neglected to mention). We ended up staying at the restaurant since they had free wi-fi and ordered something that didn't take two hours to make. Back at the ger, Hogy surprised Emma with a bottle of wine as a good-bye gift, which Emma shared with everyone as post-dinner drink!

Location:Moron, Mongolia