Traveling Applejax

Mike and I went cycling and scuba diving in southeast Asia (Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam) last summer. I couldn’t begin to fit all of our anecdotes and adventures into a single blog post, but I was reminded this evening of a few trip highlights. I thought I’d share.

Bangkok is a fascinating city. To say that it is “bustling” would be a gross understatement. Bangkok is the capital of Thailand, home of the king (we were there for his 60th anniversary festivities), and host to countless wats (Buddhist temples). One of our favorite features, however, was the wiring. Talk about haphazard.

The buses in Laos and Vietnam were a favorite as well. Who wouldn’t like to ride on a bus shared by goats and praying mantises that constantly honks its horn and plays Thai music videos at maximum volume? And a 12 hour bus ride with one pee stop on some guy’s lawn — that’s an adventure!

The plethora of bikes and mopeds is certainly notable in southeast Asia, but the things carried on them are what will really catch your eye. The bike on the left below features a wood-burning stove perfect for cooking and selling dumplings on the go, while the moped on the right sports a live pig in a cage. And all I was carrying was a tent, some clothes, and a few souvenirs…what a waste!

It’s fun to remember travels past, so perhaps I will be posting more about this Asian adventure, but I’m done reminiscing for now.