This is the first time that Tamar will be working in Asia since she’ll be consulting at a mobile content company in HCMC for a month. But what other NEW things will we attempt to experience on our upcoming trip in 2009?

First of all, we’re planning on spending a good deal of time in Thailand. A couple days after I arrive in HCMC we’ll take off for some island fun.

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Koh Chang

This archipelago is situated far from the famous islands like Koh Pi Pi and Koh Phangan and the full-moon parties. However, everything I’ve heard about Koh Chang sounds just as good if not better than most of the other more popular islands of Thailand. From beaches to hiking, motorbiking (although reportedly risky for beginners) to hanging out with elephants, this island getaway sounds like the perfect break from the fast paced life in New York City. In addition to the main island of Koh Chang there are several smaller nearby islands to explore and we plan on doing some island hopping just like we did last year in Si Phan Don, Laos.
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One of Laos’s treasures which for the moment seems to be off the beaten path for large masses of tourists is Si Phan Don near the country’s southern border with Cambodia. We made the journey to Si Phan Don from Luang Prabang in the North by flying to Vientiane in the evening, staying overnight and flying from there to Pakse early the next morning. We then continued by bus to the main island of Don Khong. Our next destination was Siem Reap, Cambodia and, since I personally dislike backtracking while traveling, we wanted to find a way to cross the border and continue on by land or by river without taking the bus back to Pakse for the direct flight to Siem Reap.

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We left Luang Prabang Tuesday evening and were about to catch a flight to Vientiane when the power went out at the airport. Now, call me petty, but I think but I like to have my airports all wired 24/7. While I was entertaining all the possible catastrophes of this little episode, all of the airport staff, vendors and tuk tuk drivers were leaving for the day. It was, after all, past 8pm already! After a small delay, we finally took off to Vientiane where we spent a short night in a deserted strange looking hotel. Very early the next morning, we caught a flight to Pakse, the main getaway to the south of Laos. This time there was no power failure at the airport but rather a HUGE airplane size roach walking around the “security check” area.
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Woke up very early this morning to pack our bags, eat breakfast at the guesthouse, settle our bill (Reasonable! $32 for 2 days of lodging, meals, laundry and bicycle rental), say goodbye to our hosts and take the family’s boat to the port town of Ban Nakasang. We then took a series of mini-buses and air-conditioned buses to cross into Cambodia on our way to Siem Reap. The journey included breakdowns of two different buses and ended up with the passengers doing an in-bus, roadside sleepover 50km north of Phnom Penh.

Today we decided to explore the island across from us, Don Det. For the price of $1 a day you can rent a bicycle which is the best way to explore this area. We rode to Don Det and took a tour to see the Khon Phaoheng Falls (largest waterfall is south East Asia by volume, not height) and the rare Irrawaddy dolphins. Watched another wonderful sunset and chilled on the veranda eating a wonderful Lao dinner.

After 19 hours of travel from Luang Prabang by plane, bus, boat and tuk tuk we finally arrived in Don Khon – an island in Si Phan Don, in Southern Laos. The island is a small piece of paradise dotted with bungalows and restaurants by the Mekong River, featuring amazing sunsets. The island only has electricity for a few hours during the day. It is quiet beyond belief and for the first time in what feels like years-we can see a sky full of stars.

Today is Christmas and it feels like any other day here in Laos with the exception of a few trimmings. Xmas music is played everywhere and Lao waiters and waitresses are almost all wearing Santa Claus hats. Otherwise, it’s sunny, in the 70′s, and not much else is going on in the way that it does in back in New York on Xmas.

After a very nice breakfast by the Nam Khan River, we checked out of our guest house. We then climbed the small Phousi mountain to get a good view over the city around noon. The rest of the day has been spent in several cafes with wi-fi where we alternate between blogging and doing Internet research for the trip while the other person goes and gets massage. It’s so hard to share one computer between the two of us!

In a couple of hours we fly to Vientiane where we’ll stay for a night and then fly to Pakse in Southern Laos. From Pakse we’ll be on the move to Si Phan Don (4,000 islands in the Mekong River). Since we’ll be in transit, it’s hard to know when or where the next Internet access will be.

We’ll really miss Luang Prabang for sure but we feel like we’ve just discovered something new to come back to again. Hopefully it will retain its charm in the years to come.