Nepali Trek
This is for my friends and family to communicate and follow me on this great adventure of mine! It is also a way for all of you to communicate with each other also so post away!!!!!!!!Archive for June, 2009
Made it back but broke and little reverse culture shock for fun
So I woke up in Bangkok with -13.12 in my bank account after some sort of deposit reading problem with my bank. Yeah so no Tattoo…….I know I bummed too. But that was not the worst part. I still had to make it to the airport with 18 hours to burn in Bangkok. So I talked a Tuk Tuk driver to buy me lunch and he took me to his home and I ate with him and his wife and then he drove me to the airport for free. I have his bank account # so when I get my first paycheck I am going to send him $40…….he really did not have to do that for free. He did it cause he is a good guy. It was pretty cool hangin with him.
I made it back to Montana 1 1/2 weeks ago and last week I got a full time job on a ranch outside Columbus. It’s good too because I seriously spent everything I had…….but I feel like that’s the way to do it. I mean really go out in style. My plans from here are up in the air. I am hoping to get into College for my Master’s degree. Still waiting on acceptance. Until then I am just working mon-sat hopefully as many 10 hour days as I can. I have 4 weddings to go to and have already attended one. I went to one of my best friends wedding from high school here in Columbus. It was really nice and I loved how informal and comfortable it was. She looked beautiful and very happy!!! The house looked great.
It’s definitely a little wierd coming back home. Things are not as laid back and easy going and i am definitely back into a individualistic society. I came from a place where English was spoken around me I would say 20% of the time and if it was spoken it was pretty broken and I had to return conversation very slowly and clearly to get anything across or speak the 20% of Nepalese I learned. It’s nice though being back and I have a lot of respect for the American $ and the opportunities I have sitting at my doorstep just waiting for me to embrace. I want to do everything I can to obtain them. The only reason I have these things is because I was born a US citizen. People from 3rd world countries would die to come here for the chance to make a life for themselves without severe struggling. Not to mention a clean place with order and structure built into it by laws that are actually enforced. I will not take this chance gift of being able to live here for granted.
O.k. that’s about all. I do not see myself keeping this updated but will definitely start a new blog on the next trip!!! Maybe after my Master’s degree?? South America or Africa sounds really nice.
Thanks to everyone that followed me………it gave me a reason to document this wonderful journey of mine!!!
Thank you to all of my Nepalese friends that took me in as there own and showed me a wonderful time!!!!!!
Camen
Ko Phangan
So I finished diving in Koh Tao and it was really really cool. Manta rays, all sorts of fish to many to name. It’s awesome down there. I can see how people that I talked to just quit there whole life to come live on an island as a scuba instructor, dive master etc. It’s gotta be the best job in the world. If I had more time and money I would have stayed in Koh Tao for another month doing advanced courses, search and rescue and certified to go deeper. Another time?! I am now certified to dive to 18m anywhere in the world. I dove with a German guy who was really cool and the instructor Mark was a bad ass. I really want to get my own equipment to be able to do it on my own one of these days. Not to many oceans in MT but Mexico is not that far. After I went to the island of Ko Phangan and met and Irish guy on the speed boat going across. His name was Keith and he was a cool mo fo!! Awesome guy!! We all got a room and I ended not sleeping in the room we got one night. One night was on the beach and the next I just did not go to sleep?! We also hung out with a bunch of Canadians staying there and a couple of French guys. We had fun. So there were probably 10,000 people at this beach party and it was the craziest thing ever. It was insane. I danced my drawers off!! Absolutely gorgeous women everywhere!!! I got on a boat yesterday morning at 8:30 and got to Bangkok around 9 p.m. Got up today to go get a tattoo and saw that all my money had disappeared…….I have my card on me but somehow someone has control of my account? It’s really, really wierd. I am about to call the bank when they open…….I cannot figure it out I have had it on me the whole time. Someone had to got the # somehow and put it on fake plastic. The guy that shut my card off told me people are doing that. It had to have been some sly dude??? So I shut my card off and a tuk tuk driver that was driving me around today bought me lunch and is going to give me a free ride to the airport because today I went to a bunch of his sponsor stores so he could get free gas and whiskey. So he kind of owes me even though I did not have anything better to do. I was going to go to the disco and party till about 5 a.m. then jump on the plane but instead I am just hanging out at the travel agency where my bags are????
Thailand kicks ass and is really beautiful. I am definitely throwing my bachelor party in Ko Phangan at the Full Moon it is definitely something to see and a crazy, crazy time!!! Dad you are in for one hell of a bachelor party if I ever do get married that is!?
So it’s the end and it’s really sad. I could travel and do this forever. It’ll be really great to get home though and get myself one them jobs that pays a little something.
I pushed it pretty hard during the last 10 months……….it’s gone by way to fast. It’s gotta end though. So that’s it………MT here I come!!!!!!!!!!
See you soon!!!!!!!!!!
Camen
Diving and Full Moon Party
I start diving tommorrow and am really anxious to get under the water and see what it is like……up till now other training and videos. The instructor Mike seems like a really cool guy. Last night hung out with my Canadian friend Rajiv I met here at the resort so we have been kickin on the island checkin out the sights. I think I got him talked into going with me on the 7th there to a party in Copenyang….it’s and island about 1 1/2 hours south on speed boat from here so when I finish the last 2 dives on the 6th I am headed over in the afternoon and the next day is the full moon party. It starts during sunset and lasts till 8 in the morning. It’s thrown every full moon. I was told not to miss it so I changed my boat and bus tickets so will reach Bangkok the night of the 8th and then to Pataya for the 9th. In high season during the full moon party there are close to 30,000 people that show up for it. It’s low season now and 7-10,000 are expected. A lot of fire, DJ’s and booze!!!! It’ll be a fun time! Gonna start pre gamin it early!!
If I find time will definitely jump back on and write how the dives are going!!!
Camen
God, what a feeling!!!
OK, so 2 days ago I went to Bhota kosi on the Tibetan boarder and screamed and kicked my ass off jumping from 500 ft. I did it twice. I had to they had a deal for only $20 for a thing called a canyon swing if no has heard of it. I was a happy liberating scream…..honestly was not that scared until I stepped out on the edge and looked down………..then holy shit. You fall for 8 full seconds strapped to a harness and rope….looks like thick thick climbing rope. When you fall you are going 150km/hr!!! So I did that first and was not expecting that kind of thrill!!!!!! Oh man what a rush!! I thought yeah I will swing around for awhile but you straight drop for 8 seconds……phooooo man it was awesome!!!!!!!! It’s the tallest canyon swing and second highest bungy in the world……….sooooooo worth it.
After that I did the bungy jump and just jumped as far as I could suspended in air then dropping straight down to the rocks and river below for 4 seconds then springing back up and falling again……….man I am addicted and cannot wait to go again. I have dvd’s of the both jumps I bought from the company…….I’ll show you when I get home!!
I am in a half developed country now and I feel really relaxed. Theres road signs, subway and stop lights. Above that I am seeing a lot of popped collars and gelled hair……it’s getting closer to the U.S.!!!
I am in Bangkok. Today I me and Pepsi hung out. Really his name is Pepsi…..will not be forgetting that name. It’s a 18 yr. old Thai kid I met and he was kind enoug to show me around. Real cool kid. The food hear is really good. It’s about 30 C and really humid. In about an hour and a half I am going to Kao Toa to get certified to scuba dive. It takes four days with 4 or 5 dives on your own. First I’ll learn in a pool then go out with an instructer. I have really wanted to do this for a long time and I guess the waters and beaches are amazing……close to the same place that the James Bond movie was filmed……………not this last one but the one before. Anyway it’ll be really cool and I am super excited. It’s a 10 hour bus ride then a 1 1/2 hour boat ride to get to the Island. I’ll be back tot Bangkok the 6th then am going to Pataya for 3 days 4 nights and catch a plane at 6 a.m. on the 10th.
That is what I am up to!!!! I am going to get some food and some beer and then jump on the bus soooooooo take care and I’ll see you in a couple of days!!!!!!!!!! If I get time will tell how the diving went.
Oh yeah took the GRE but have not heard back from the college but really really hoping they accept me!!! The scores were not so solid but solid enough to get me in?!!!
Bye!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Camen
p.s. oh yeah and it is true there are dudes walking around here that seriously look exactly like the Thai girls………..It’s scary.
I ran into a mud slide in the road on the way back and was flying out the same morning but eventually a bus made it across and I made it into Kathmandu late the night.
Nepali Trek 