Bilbao, Bilbao Baggins

After a week or so of getting settled in and pushing aside a small bit of writers block I feel suited to hop back on the horse and continue writing. The trip started in Madrid, Spain but now I sit in Northern Spain where things hit a gray area of unknown, including locations to visits and a return ticket to the United States. I was fortunate enough to see Madrid four years ago but this time around couldn't have been anymore of different experience. Some sights the same and some different. Regardless, I'm a much different person then previously so it seems almost as if Madrid was seen through a different set of eyes. Madrid was a great jumping off point to the trip where I got to catch up with an old worldly friend and see a familiar city to ease my mind into what life on the road has to offer.

Once my time in Madrid ended I hopped on a bus North to a city called Bilbao. It's domestically known as the industrial and economic hub of the Basque Country with a port just 15 minutes from the city center. It was not until 1997 when the Guggenheim Museum was finished when more backpackers made their way to the city. This astounding piece of architecture was designed by the same man, Frank Gehry, who created one of the most intriguing buildings in my hometown of Seattle, Washington the EMP Museum (formerly known as the Experience Music Project). While the Guggenheim features contemporary and modern art, the EMP features Pop Culture, Nirvana and Jimi Hendrix. To see such a distinct but familiar piece of architecture in Bilbao hits me with a slice of hometown lovin' as I use to walk by the EMP Museum on my commute to work.

Here are a few pictures of first few weeks here in Spain which include Madrid, Toledo and Bilbao.

                         

                                              Alejandra and I observing Madrid from above

                                                                 Almudena Cathedral, Madrid 

                                                   Toledo (Day trip out of Madrid), Spain

                                               
                                                  Toledo (Day trip out of Madrid), Spain

                                                      The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao

Typical food of the Basque Country in Spain, Pincho in English or Pintxos in Basque dialect of Spanish.

A flower puppy in front of the Guggenheim. It was meant to a temporary figure in front of the Museum in its opening year but it caught the fancy of the Basque people and tourists alike.

         A permanent but duplicate piece originally done by Louise Bourgeois outside the Guggenheim 

Where Backpackers Call Home

About five weeks into my trip I periodically started taking statistics and collecting research on the various travelers I met along my journey. This information ranged from where the travelers were from to why they decided to take such an epic plunge into the cultures of Southeast Asia. Now there are obviously many intangibles that go into this information as I wasn't exactly stern on taking things down, just whenever I randomly had my journal by side I would pop a few questions to the backpackers around me. I’m always so curious on why people do certain things. After about 5 (ish) months of on and off stat taking I came up with some pretty interesting findings.

The most glaring one being in regards to where fellow backpackers were from. Whenever I asked this particular question it was always what the backpackers nationality was (and/or where they were born) not the place they grew up. Those are two completely different questions if you ask me. With this question I garnered a total of 376 responses from backpackers. Of those 376 people, 75(19.9%) were from England, easily the highest percentage of any country. 43 or 11.4% of the total number of people I asked were from the United States making them a distant 2^nd. 3^rd and 4^th were Germany and Australia respectively with 10% and 7.4% against the totals.

There are a few things that jump out at me. One being the fact that the United States has over six times the population of England (318 Million = U.S.A / 53 Million = England <<< Yes, I stole those figures off of Wikipedia) but I met nearly twice as many English people while traveling. I think a few things factor into this. The main one being the British Pound is an absolutely REMARKABLE currency. It is unreal how well the British Pound travels around the world. Sometimes in Southeast Asia when I was paying 50 cents for a beer I would sometimes stop and think how a Brit feels buying this cheap stuff. Pretty remarkable difference. Another factor being how inbred backpacking and adventure is so much a part of growing up in England. Whenever I would ask an English backpacker on why they were traveling I got many of the similar responses I would get from Germans, Americans, French, Canadians etc. but it was the Brits tone of voice that echoed as a common theme between all of them. Some would say they were taking a gap year before starting Uni or some said they quit their job to travel for a year. Definitely respectable answers. The way they responded made me think how much more socially acceptable such adventures are in their western world. Something I wish was true for the good ol U.S of A. Now combine these factors, money and family/friend acceptance, and it makes things exponentially easier when you’re making the jump to drop the certainties of home for the open road.

Now this doesn't all have to be about the glorifying of our founding fathers across the water and their drive to travel. Even with the drastic difference in population 43 of the 376 people I asked were still from the United States. Not an incredible amount, but still respectable. Americans always seem to get a bad rap for their lack of international traveling and for good reason. I once heard a statistic, to be fair I don’t remember the exact figure, that fewer than 50% of Americans own a passport. There are so many factors that go into this number it’s not even funny but taking it face-value it is quite disturbing. GET UP AND GO AMERICA!!!  Even so with all the negative stereotypes surrounding Americans and travel I was quite impressed that almost 12% of the people I met were from America. Shoot, let’s take the numbers I gathered from the Russians I met. Russia has nearly half the population of U.S (also stolen from Wikipedia) but only 4 of the 376 people I talked to said they born there. That’s 1% percent of the totals. What a joke. Sure this information is just one kid asking around Southeast Asia but I still feel like it’s a decent sample size with a collection of responses coming from 7 of the 11 total countries in the region.

One theme to seeing the various Americans across the region was the fact that they weren't in one place in particular. Everywhere I turned whether it was wine tasting throughout the rolling hills of Myanmar, scuba diving in Bali, boat cruising through Halong Bay Vietnam, rocking climbing the famous walls of Tonsai Beach Thailand or getting overly intoxicated whilst tubing down the Vang Viene River in Laos there always seemed to be at least one American in the group. It makes think that this has to do with our extremely diverse group/mishmash/melting pot of people that call the United States of America home. Surely we all know no one is actually from America (except the Native Americans, sorry. Blame Christopher Columbus) but everywhere else around the world. I think this concept is what spread out the various Americans I met along my journey. This is something that wasn't always true for other countries. For example, during my 3 and half weeks in Myanmar I didn't meet ONE Australian there. For the country that landed fourth on my most met travelers I found that interesting. In comparison to that I remember meeting an astronomical amount of French people while I was in Myanmar. Now I don’t have exact figures on either one of these but it’s intriguing none the less.  

There were a few other things I kept statistics on while I was over there but have yet to “crunch the numbers” and come up with any interesting findings but when I do I will be sure to share. 

Until Next Time!

Everything happens for a reason. All good things come to end. The countries aren't going anywhere. These statements are all things I keep reiterating to myself to help come to terms with the fact that my trip is over. Back to the "realworld". Unfortunately my trip was suppose to last till the first week of December but was forced to end due to personal health issues. As I sit here back in the United States I can't help but think what I would be doing elsewhere in the world if I weren't forced home. My time home as hit over a week now so these thoughts are transitioning into motivation into my next adventure. This motivation also means more writing as I keep working to leave the States again. Just because I'm home does not mean I'm going to let up on my blog. I have various topics and reflections I want to cover from my trip such as reverse cultural shock and why Americans actually travel more than you think. For anyone that has been reading for the last few months I want to formally thank you. It is greatly appreciated and hope you continue to read. I will add a few of my favorite pictures from my trip just below. Again, thank you for reading and I hope you continue to do so. Until next time!

Hipaw, Myanmar (Burma)

Ingl Lake, Myanmar (Burma)

Vang Viene, Laos 

Hanoi, Vietnam

Sapa, Vietnam 

Hang En Cave Tour: Phang Nha National Park, Vietnam

Koh Phi Phi. Thailand 

Tonsai Beach, Thailand 

Local Street Art: Penang, Malaysia

Scootin Our Way To The Hospital

In the midst of my most anticipated adventure yet I was fortunate enough to have my parents take a vacation to the Southern part of SE Asia where I hopped on a plane to catch up with them and spend a few weeks off the backpacker trail. I met my Mom and Dad in Bali, Indonesia. One of the few places that packs-the-punch with many of the main highlights SE Asia has to offer. Nothing is ever easy for the McAllister family and this trip held true to that standard. I would like to share a story that altered this wonderful family experience in a way I would have never imagined. The story starts on the western side of Bali where the three of us were cruising around on motorbikes, mopeds if you will, checking out our surroundings as it was our first full day at our new destination on Bali…

….I pulled off the busy two-way road on my motorbike with my mom saddled to the back and peered behind in hopes to spot my Dad doing the same but there was no sign. My mom and I waited a few minutes thinking he had just been caught behind a big truck as we left the petrol stand a couple kilometers back down the road. As the seconds ticked pops was still absent. My mom and I road back towards the petrol stand to see where he was but still no Dad. Logically thinking my Mom and I thought he might have passed us as we were back-tracking and slipped our vision. After all, my Mom is legally blind (without her glasses obviously) and I was juggling my focus between the traffic in front of me and the passing by scooters. We headed back in the direction of where we had initially pulled over to our homestay thinking he might have stopped there just so we could reconvene. We arrived at the homestay but Dad was still not around. I left Mom at the homestay and backtracked all the way to the petrol station (about 10 KM down the bustling two-way highway) to ask the lady if she had seen my Dad ride off behind us. Uncertainty of the where abouts of my Dad was setting in.  So I regrettably sped my way back to the petrol lady passing cars, trucks and motorbikes alike. I reached her in hopes of some explanation. None was given. Her broken English and unwillingness to give me her full attention only made matters worse as all she could do was point and say “man go that way with you!”. Thanks lady. I unsafely buzzed back to the homestay where I saw my mom and was met with five words that still make my stomach uneasy, “Dad is in the hospital”. My head turned to mashed potatoes. My thoughts were jumbled and there were so many questions I wanted to ask I was held silent.

In all seriousness one horrifying statistic popped into my head from Southeast Asia On A Shoestring-Lonely Planet and the dangers of riding a motorbike or any vehicle for that matter in Bali, Indonesia. Because of the economic and tourist boom in Bali upwards of 8 people die a day in vehicle related accidents as there are so many more people on the roads in relation to the amount of dangerous narrow roads. That’s 8 times the rate of the US, Europe and Australia together. Bali also has 6 and a half times the number of people living on it than Seattle, Washington does - so you can understand the bottleneck of traffic chaos it creates.

As my thoughts settled I tried as hard as possible to communicate with the front desk attendants in hopes of getting some details to what had happened. After 5 minutes of bewildering conversation we found out he was at the clinic.  Just a ten minute drive down the road (in the direction of the accident and where my Mom and I had pulled over earlier). One of the homestay employees led the way as we rode to the clinic in hopes of answering so many questions and settling my uneasy heart rate.

When we arrived to the clinic we walked around back to find where my Dad resided. Walking past a monstrous 8 X 4 ft window we spotted my Dad inside lying on a bed.  Blood covered the majority of his right leg, and a gash directly on his left knee cap was the size of a few golf balls. My thoughts swirled. Mostly thinking of what could be wrong with his left knee as my Dad had just had that knee replaced a few months back so it could be done for, for a second time. By the time we got into the room and stumbled out a few obvious questions the nurses had put eight stitches over the already withstanding scare from the 20 staples and the knee surgery. He was conscious and talking in full sentences so I could breathe just a tad easier. Before we all knew it we were in the ambulance on the way to the nearest hospital with an x-ray machine to x-ray the left knee in hopes that the artificial knee cap hadn’t been busted.

After a chaotic hour long ride in the ambulance he was rushed into the hospital where he was brought into the x-ray room just a few minutes after getting in. That hour gave us all a chance to really catch our breaths and talk to my Dad about what happened. After losing control around a sharp corner my Dad and the motorbike tumbled into a ditch. Since my Dad was in good spirits it wasn’t the severe scrapes on his face, arms, and legs that worried me, it was that darn gash over the replaced knee. It was just a short waiting game now in a hospital that I will never forget.

Even though Bali is the 2^nd wealthiest part of Indonesia and its 17,000 islands, it still resides in SE Asia with very low cost of living and general medical practice still incredibly far behind a western country. The hospital we were in was really something else. It seemed like 2/3 of it was getting remodeled with Balinese men waltzing around in their sandals and tank-tops  carrying various machinery all while chain smoking cigarettes. Nothing like filling a hospital with cigarette smoke. Health code risk? What’s that?

Anyway, after the x-rays came back things were only positive. Thank goodness! The knee was still in good shape. If it wasn’t there was a good chance my Mom said that they might have to go home.  Something I would never wish upon them.  The fact that their beautiful vacation across the world was now ruined. Things weren't all peaches and cream though. Since the stitches were obviously not coming out anytime soon all water related activities were a no-go for my Dad for the rest of the trip. No afternoon dips into the pool or 28 degree ocean swims.  And the worse part of it all was no diving or snorkeling in one of the most beautiful places on the entire world to do it. Things 110% could have been worse for my Dad. Although being the former marine biologist that he is, he loves all sorts of underwater creatures.  So he’d sadly be deprived from them for this trip.

Three restless nights passed before the open wounds healed enough for him to get a good night’s rest. Once they did the next major concern was making sure the gash in the knee did not get infected. Something that is still up for debate a few weeks later as a few of the stitches are still in the knee as the knee hasn’t healed exactly how he would have liked.

From the time when I heard my Dad was in the hospital till the time I laid eyes on him was one of the more terrifying 15 minutes of my life. No matter how well you keep your composure you still run every realistic situation through your head, something I definitely did. Just because of how crowded and over-run the roads are in Bali and that ridiculous Lonely Planet statistic about fatalities everyday (a statistic I can’t help but believe.  I mean come on, its Lonely Planet, it’s like the coolest and best!!.......). My parents and I still had an unbelievable time soaking up the rays and culture in what is Bali, Indonesia. I feel so grateful I got to spend part of my amazing adventure across the world with the two people I love most.

Below are few pictures from the day of the accident and crazy adventure

To end on a little more of light-hearted note below are a few more pictures of the experiences and great times I had with my parents during their time on Bali. Hope you enjoy!

Ancient Temple/Monkey forest

Extremely playful monkeys...especially when you have food

Banjar natural hot springs 

View point for Pura Ulun Danu Bratan Lake

Parents and I with Homestay family. Such a precious group

Mom and I snorkeling Japanese shipwreck. Amed, Bali

Food Brings Harmony

Rome has the Coliseum, Seattle has the Space Needle, Spain has the Run of the Bulls, and Penang (Malaysia) has.....food and lots of it!! This creates a culture all its own.  Aside from the bustling streets, mish-mash of nationalities, and steamy hot weather, Penang is literally known for its excellent cuisine. From sit-down restaurants to superb hawker stall street food, Penang has it all. Even the free tourist maps handed out are plastered with pictures of Penang food specialties and various food awards Penang has garnered over the past few decades. Here are a few fun facts about Penang and its awesome foodie culture.

-Ranked in Yahoo Travel's Top 10 Islands To Explore Before You Die

-Ranked in CNNGo's Asia's 10 Greatest Street Food Cities in 2012

-Ranked 3rd in Forbes list of 10 Best Street Food Cities in the World

-Penang Assam Laksa (Noodle Fish Soup) ranked 7th in CNN's 50 Most Delicious Foods in 2011

Now obviously those are just a few facts and going to explore for yourself is a much better option but let me tell you my taste buds agree with those facts. As a fun little game with myself I took that free tourist map with all the Penang favorites and attempted to indulge in every one. One side of the map plots out the most popular city in Penang, Georgetown, while the other side lists 29 of the most popular dishes the area has to offer. Below is a picture of these 29 savory indulgences and as you can see I nearly crossed off every single item. 27 out of 29 to be exact. Unfortunately I left out two and those two were Chee Cheong fun and Nyonya Kuih.

27/29 was definitely a good effort 

Although let me give credit where credit is due. On my second day in Georgetown I met a wonderful Malaysian friend named Patrick who was on vacation there from Kuala Lumpur.  He was on a mission to help this poor Seattle backpacker finish the list of 29 as if it was his first time eating all these gems as well. Patrick was a major foodie just like myself so he not only brought me to all the food stalls and restaurants that has these items but the ones the local Georgetown residents went to. I felt so grateful being in his presence. I could go on and on describing these wonderful eats but what made my time with Patrick so special was that I honestly stuck out like a sore thumb and I couldn't be happier about it. I found myself surrounded by people of many different cultures in Georgetown and I’m not talking about just westerners. There is no price to put on things like that.

I had read my lonely planet and heard from fellow backpackers about this “food culture” that Georgetown and Penang offered but it wasn't till I saw it with my own eyes that I truly believed it. Eating is more than just filling your belly in Penang from what I could observe in my eight days there. Families gathered, friends got together all to sit down, have some remarkable eats, and exchange in wonderful conversation. I truly believe eating and the social aspect of it is a very important part of human culture and Georgetown hits the nail on the head. There is something to be said about having a good meal and good conversation with the people you really enjoy being around. Sometimes I think that gets lost in the American world of go-go-go.

If I ever have the chance to head back to Penang, Georgetown in particular, I will do it in a heartbeat. Not just for the food but for the opportunity to see so many different types of people in the world come together in harmony. They say Malaysia doesn't really have an individual identity or culture but I think it does. That identity lies in-between the structures of what the world thinks an identity should be as so many different races, religions and attitudes create one cohesive unit.

Below are a few pictures from the delicious meals I ate during my time in Georgetown.

Chicken Satay w/ Peanut Sauce 

Banana Leaf Curry. No utensils allowed!!! Hands only. 

Hokkien Mee. A popular spicy breakfast dish with prawns, tofu and a sliced hard boiled egg

Fried Oysters w/ spicy Penang sauce 

One of the many food courts where all the heavenly goodness is sold

Inle Lake (Myanmar) >>>>>> Koh Pha Ngan (Thailand)

On my longest journey so far (time wise) in one straight shot of traveling I went from Inle Lake, Myanmar to Koh Pha Ngan, Thailand. This trip included one plane, one taxi, one mini van, one tuk-tuk, one pedestrian car, two boats, two trains, and four buses. The total journey took roughly 47 hours. I left on Tuesday July 8th at 4:30 pm and finally arrived to my bungalow on Koh Pha Ngan about 3:30 pm on Thursday July 10th. To say I was ready for a stiff drink that afternoon is definitely an understatement. At the time I was headed to Koh Pha Ngan for the full moon party on the night of the 12th. I was going to make it in time of party regardless but after 2 and a half months of no beaches I was doing everything in power to get there ASAP. Here is a breakdown of how my timetable unfolded from Inle Lake to Koh Pha Ngan with a little commentary on the side.

-Inle Lake to Bus Stop for Yangon, Myanmar. Mode of transportation (MOT) = Tuk Tuk.
4:30 PM-5:10 PM
-Bus Stop to Yangon. MOT = Bus. 5:41 PM-6:40 AM
-Yangon Bus Station to Downtown Yangon. MOT = Local Burmese Bus (Everyone on the bus was headed to work so it was absolutely packed! It didn't help that I had my massive backpack that took up enough space for two Burmese people...) 7:20 AM-8:48 AM
-BREAK (Wandered downtown for a few hours)
-Downtown Yangon to Yangon Airport. MOT = Taxi. 2:51 PM-3:44 PM
-Yangon to Bangkok. MOT = Plane. 5:51 PM-7:27 PM
-Don Muang Airport Bangkok to BTS Station (BTS = Bangkok's skytrain system). MOT = Car (A guy I met on the plane said he would give me a ride from the airport to the closest BTS stop).
8:11 PM-8:40 PM
-BTS to MRT Station (MRT is Bangkok's underground railway system). MOT = BTS.
8:45 PM-9:22 PM
-MRT to Bangkok Train Station. MOT = Underground Train. 9:25 PM-9:38 PM
-Stand by wait for train to ticket to Champon 9:40 PM-10:35 PM (Received last ticket on train to Champon after last minute cancellation)
-Bangkok Train Station to Champon (Port city for boat to Koh Pha Ngan). MOT = Train.
10:50 PM-5:03 AM
-Champon Train Station to Champon Port. MOT = Bus. 5:35 AM-6:05 AM
-Champon Port to Koh Tao Island (All the boats from Champon directly to Koh Pha Ngan were full so I was sent to Koh Tao to be put on stand by for a boat from their to Koh Pha Ngan). MOT = Boat. 7:30 AM-9:32 AM
-Koh Tao to Koh Pha Ngan (After four hours on stand by I got a boat to Koh Pha Ngan!!). MOT = Boat. 1:30 PM-3:00 PM
-Koh Pha Ngan Port to Coral Bungalows. MOT = Mini van. 3:25 PM-3:47 PM

After all was said and done tears of joy nearly wept from my face. I was so happy to finally arrive and let the festivities commence. Looking back on it now I'm still astonished I made it through all that without any MAJOR problems. I have to say luck was on my side for that journey. Below is one of the very few pictures I have from Koh Pha Ngan and the full moon party.

Coral Bungalow Pool Party the night before Full Moon

The Flood Gates Have Opened

Up until 2010 visiting the various wonders of Myanmar (Officially Burma) were done in a much

different manner. The government had a Hercules type grip on the influx of tourists (and the Burmese people for that matter) and what they were allowed to do. Now tourists and backpackers a like are allowed to roam much of the beautiful country all without a tour guide at their hip side. So what happened in 2010? Well in laments terms, the government changed. With that change new laws were enforced not only for the adventurous blood-thirsty backpackers but the Burmese people as well.

The first guesthouse I stayed at in Myanmar I was met with an extremely intelligent and informative Burmese guesthouse owner, named Anun, who cleared up some things for me on how life has changed for them as Burmese citizens and for the average traveler over the last decade. Here are a few tidbits of information I sucked out of him just hours before leaving his guesthouse.

Before the government change the people of Myanmar were on strict supervision and completely isolated from the rest of the world. By supervision I literally mean there were government spies roaming about the country monitoring citizens by restricting any talk open conversation about the government, good or bad. The isolation factor comes into play with the media, modes of transportation and domestic lines of communication. Up until 2012 the people of Myanmar had three channels of television to watch, all government run. Three!! Present day they have close to hundred raising the number quite a bit in a just a few years. Well sure enough they had internet to see what was going around the world too right? Nope! Internet was released in Myanmar in 2003/2004 but was also monitored by the government and still is. Their current infrastructure for internet is absolutely horrendous so I could only imagine what it was like when it first started ten years ago. Before the government change Anun told me running a business without the direct hand of the government was nearly impossible due to the lack of available personal transportation and lack of telephones. Just a few years back to buy a used car in Myanmar cost around $100,000! Also to purchase any sort of sim-card for a cell phone was nearly $2,000! So in-turn starting up a personal business was not easy with costs like these weighing you down. The good news is cars have already become exponentially cheaper and in two months time sim-cards will be as low $2. These changes along with a few others are the reason Anun was finally able to open his two guesthouses with much greater success then if he would have done it prior to 2010.

Now has all this changed effected tourism?

Well for starters Anun told me that in 2011 there were 500,000 tourists that came through the country. In 2012 the number jumped to 1,000,000 and in 2013 it rose to 2,000,000 with over 3,000,000 projected for 2014. This number will continue to rise as more and more of Myanmar opens up to foreigners. Anun didn't tell me the exact territories or regions that have been released to tourism but I know for a fact places like Inle Lake (pictured below) were only accessible with special permits prior to 2010.

Inle Lake, Myanmar 

Inle Lake, Myanmar

Inle Lake, Myanmar

The new government is also making it easier for tourists to get into the country, physically and logistically. This last January there were three Myanmar-Thai land boarders that opened up and are creating a lot of buzz in the backpacker world. Anun also said that in a just few weeks foreigners will be eligible for Electronic-Visas so it will eliminate the hassle of running to a Burmese embassy in a neighboring country for your visa. There is no time table set but Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia citizens are not going to be in need of a visa to visit Myanmar in the near future. Citizens of those countries will need just a passport from their respective countries. Myanmar is showing the wiliness to attract not just western tourists but their neighboring friends as well.

All of this change combined is making a Myanmar a VERY popular destination. With this popularity it does though create a double edged sword. Sure infrastructure will improve and more hostels will be scattered around the country making accommodation cheaper but this will also take away from the countries purity. I can only imagine Myanmar is similar to what Thailand was three decades ago. My point being is get to Myanmar ASAP before it gets “Thailandized”. 

Bagan, Myanmar

                        

Hsipaw, Myanmar

   

Traditional Shan State (Northern Myanmar) dish

Feasting monkeys outside of Hsipaw, Myanmar