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Current to December 24, 2008 October 21, 2008 at Expedition Headquarters Our primary focus will be Bangkok, Kanchanaburi (site of the River Kwai bridge, where we lived in 2000), northern Thailand and northern Laos. We will avoid guesthouses in Muang Ngoi Neua, Laos, about which Footprint guide book says, “Rats are a problem here but, luckily, mosquito nets tend to keep them at bay.” October 29, 2008 at Headquarters: Please reference the larger map below, to see the route we plan. After crossing the Mekong River from Chiang Khong, Thailand to Huay Xai, Laos, we’ll take a long, dusty bus ride to Louang Namtha (3). It will be our base for exploration of minority villages in the Muang Sing area. At Phongsali (4) in the extreme north of the country, we’ll arrange for a small boat to take us down the Nam Ou River, to remote villages and caves where people lived during wartime (5&6). After three weeks in northern Laos, we’ll bus back to our Asian headquarters in Chiang Mai. Before our journey into Laos, we will spend time in Bangkok and Kanchanaburi, site of the famous bridge over the River Kwai. We lived there in 2000-01 (photo). Late in the upcoming expedition (February, 2009), we will thoroughly explore mountainous NW Thailand, focusing on minority tribal villages. November 9, 2008 at our Montana headquarters Photo: Karen tribal people fleeing their village in advance of the Burma Army. November 9, 2008 at headquarters in Mont November 21, 2008 We should also report that after three YEARS of almost constant writing, Don has almost completed his 700 page book on the life of United States Senator Alan K. Simpson, of Wyoming (retired). We are about to find out whether it will be a hit. Here is a rough outline of our next adventure to Asia. (refer to above map). December 7, 2008: Montana for San Diego (via air) We have twice explored portions of Laos, but not the tiny, remote villages in the extreme north. This is about as When we were in Laos previously, we traveled the Mekong in much larger boats. We are also excited to be using all of our remaining airline miles to fly business class on Singapore Airlines. Don did that kind of thing all the time when leading U.S. Senate staff trips to Asia, but now it’s a rarity for us. Don has guaranteed Becky that business class on Singapore is better than first class on any USA based airline. We have found that many people follow our travels via the Internet, even though we created this site initially so our relatives would know where we were. Now, having traveled seventy counties between us, we receive e-mails from people around the world who ask specifics in anticipation of their own travels. This photo was taken the day we departed the work life and “hit the road,” December 11, 1999. Since then we’ve traveled the equivalent of 13 times around the world (see stati We’ll spend the period between Christmas and New Years’ Day in Bangkok and Kanchanaburi. Here is the FULL name of Bangkok: Krungthepmahanakhon Amornrattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilokphop Noppharat Ratchathaniburirom Udomratchaniwetmahasathan Amonphiman Awatansathit Sakkathattiyawitsanukamprasi t. (Internet photo). In Kanchanaburi, we’ll party down with our friends at the infamous No Name Bar, whose slogan is “Get Shitfaced On A Shoestring.” November 26, 2008: Nove We have an ”in,” in case there is trouble. Becky made friends with this military guard in Kanchanaburi several years ago. Our flight schedule is Billings, MT -- San Diego, CA -- Los Angeles, CA -- Tokyo, Japan -- Singapore -- Chiang Mai, Thailand. Importantly, this avoids Bangkok. Hopefully the current problems will be resolved before we fly to Bangkok December 2, 2008 in Red Lodge It is interesting that the protesters who shut down the Bangkok airport helped clean it up before they left. We took this picture of one wing at BKK last year. December 5, 2008 in Red Lodge Have you EVER seen children this adorable? Seriously! We’ll drive to Los Angeles to see a taping of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. The last time we attended a taping, it was the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Jay came into the audience and spoke with Becky about our adventures in Borneo -- more specifically, the time Becky dropped one of the village chief’s human heads, breaking the jaw. (See the newest/best page and scroll down). On December 10, Singapore Airlines will fly us to Tokyo and on to Singapore. December 6, 2008 preparing to de Don played trumpet with the brass band Alte Kameraden (www.RedLodgeBand.com) and Becky played oboe with Mountain Winds. Becky is a charter member. Photo: Becky, left, with fellow musicians Tamara and Eliza. (Note their snazzy new band jackets). With that, we’re off to California, and afer a couple of days, to Chiang Mai, Thailand. Decem They have been in our hearts since we left. We hope to make them a bit more comfortable. Now they will know that someone, somewhere, cares. December 10, in Los Angeles, California It’ll be a comfortable but long flight. We’ll report from the other side of the pond. December 19, 2009 in Chiang Mai Chiang Mai is a photographer’s paradise. Check out this reclining buddha. The water bottles in the foreground are full size. The weather has been absolutely perfect and we couldn’t be happier to be here. We’ll head to Bangkok and Kanchanaburi on December 26. This expedition will be just under 90 days, shorter than previous adventures in SE Asia. Still, we’ve timed it for the best weather and so far we haven’t wasted a moment. Much of our time is spent wandering from wat to wat. In this one, we couldn’t tell if the monk in the box was re In coming days we’ll venture further from the city. On December 26 we’ll fly to Bangkok, then take a bus to Kanchanaburi, site of the famous bridge over the river Kwai, where we used to live (see our logs for 2000 and 2001). After returning to Chiang Mai, we’ll head overland into northern Laos, where we’ll explore extremely remote hill tribe villages. December 24, 2008 in Chiang Mai This is an ad we ran across for plastic surgery -- and a lot more. Right in the middle (follow the red arrows) it mentions the availability of sex change surgery. It’s not even the lead item! There are some other rather interesting items too. It’s interesting to us that the Thai society is rather conservative overall, and yet quite tolerant of changing one’s gender. We’ve run into several people who have changed their sex, finding them quite pleased -- although one person was rather We are finding the people of Thailand every bit as welcoming as when we first lived here, in 2000. That’s one of the reasons we keep coming back. The food is another. Thailand’s geographic location is another. From here, one can travel by air, boat, bus or motorcycle to just about anywhere in Asia. It is easy, when traveling in the mountains near Chiang Mai, to get the feeling of having gone back in time. Quickly, one fe We felt that way yesterday. This morning, Don was standing in our apartment with his camera when a Thai Airlines 747 launched from the nearby airport. After he took this shot, everything seemed modern and new. We are eager to return to Kanchanaburi, where we used to live, to celebrate the New Year. We’ll return to Chiang Mai for a few days, b One of our old friends, “TM” (photo), will take a bus across the country to join us on New Year’s Day. It is a joy to have special friends from so many special places in the world. We will not update this website until we return to Chiang Mai January 7, when we’ll have new photos and videos to share. We have now traveled a third of a million miles since leaving our jobs on December 11, 1999. Every one has been a joy. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Next update: January 7, 2009. |
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After taking a bus or boat down to Louang Prabang, we’ll board a slow boat for the two day ride up the Mekong to the starting point (8).
ervations on four different airlines and lodging arrangements in seven places. It is impossible to reserve lodging in the northern Laotian villages we’ll be visiting.
ana
remote as it gets in SE Asia. Much of our travel will be via small boats that we’ll charter for river travel in areas where there are no roads.
mber 30, 2008:
December 26.
Asia, but before leaving the USA we’ll spend a couple of days in California. In San Diego, we’ll visit our great friends Susan and Paul, and their gorgeous children Ana and Beto.
part
ber 7, 2008: Leaving headquarters for Asia. As we departed the comfort of our Montana home, and in the spirit of the Christmas season, we sent financial support to a group of lepers on the outskirts of Pokhara, Nepal. We remember them as gentle people afflicted with a disease so traumatic so that their own families refuse to visit them. 
ghly disappointed with Delta Airlines. Today, we’re off on one of the world’s best airlines (Singapore) to Tokyo, Singapore, and then Chiang Mai, Thailand, our temporary headquarters until early March, 2009.
way over!
al. Don shot video, watching for signs of movement. He may not be a real person, but certainly is realistic.
urselves in Asia.
concerned about having her boyfriend find out she was once a boy.
els the remoteness of the tiny hill tribe villages and the antiquity of the wats and monuments.
efore heading overland to Laos.