Chugging Up to Chiang Mai

After a few days of chilling and prep and a few stories from travelers, Ben and I decided that the trekking we heard about in Chiang Mai in northern Thailand sounded fun. Elephants, mountain villages and bamboo rafting? Awesome! So, we took off for Chiang Mai in an overnight train. On the train we met a great Dutch couple (hey! I was just in Holland!) that made the 12-hour trek go by like a breeze. A few beers and few poker games, a sleep… and we were ready to go when we arrived in the wee hours of the a.m. We decided to stick together with the Dutch couple and we all snagged some nice rooms at a relaxing and calm little guesthouse in Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai is Thailand’s second largest city, but it is waaaaay more calm and relaxed than Bangkok. I used to think I loved big cities, but found that Bangkok was just way too much for me. Chiang Mai, on the other hand, had big city hustle and bustle, but it wasn’t too big and overwhelming and you could find plenty of calmer side streets. In other words, I really like Chiang Mai. I don’t like Bangkok so much.

The first few days Ben and I just chilled, got more work done with WiFi access at Peppermint Cafe, and explored Chiang Mai a little bit… markets with amazing street vendor food, more golden Buddhas and temples, motorbike rides to the outlying mountain to see the impressive temple at the top, chatting with monks… and, of course, we booked our trip! But, lo and behold, I got sick the night before we were supposed to take off. We had gone out to dinner with Ben’s dad’s friend actually… this time eating at an actual fully Westernized restaurant instead of street vendor food or little local joints. The dinner was fun… I believe Ben really enjoyed getting to hear more about his family… his dad and his uncles. But after, as Ben was browsing the nearby market for watches, I started feeling a bit funny. I stuck out the market though, because I knew Ben wanted to get a good deal on some knock-offs for his friends back home. When we got back to our little corner and began preparing for bed… my stomach really started feeling funky. I decided to just try and sleep…. Sometime in the early morning I woke up and… it wasn’t pretty… I was sick… I’m talking lying on the floor head inside the bathroom door sick. Aching. Chills. No fun. Ben woke up… discovered my less than charming state… slapped on some ear plugs, and pretended to sleep through it all. Even less charming.

By the time the sun came up I was feeling a bit better and I began to believe I had gotten through most of it. We both decided it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to go on the trek though… so I was the one who dragged my sick self out the door and walked to the travel agency to ask if we could leave for the trek the next day. When I got back we both wanted to sleep more since neither of us got much sleep… huh, go figure. But, it turns out I didn’t sleep much more. I got sick all over again. Still no fun. I finally asked Ben to take me to the hospital. (He had the rented motorbike still). Ben obliged… barely. Apparently, he has a phobia for sickness and hospitals. Shrug.

So yeah, an on the spot doctor’s visit, a diagnosis of food poisoning, two prescriptions for antibiotics and a prescription for Dramamine (for the nausea) cost less than $50. Total. That’s the equivalent to my co-pay for an E.R. visit in the U.S. Crazy.

We hung around Chiang Mai for most of the rest of day while I recuperated. By evening, I was filled with antibiotics and feeling just about right as rain. But, by then there was no question that the luster of traveling with Ben was getting a bit dull. Looking back though, that’s kind of expected when you greet someone you really don’t know all that well in a foreign country and you greet him already being exhausted with a bit of a cough and a head cold. Then, in just a couple of days you both get royally scammed. Then, in just a couple more, one of you gets food poisoning. My travels in Europe were worry-free and to put it simply… enchanting. Ben’s southeast Asian adventures up until my arrival were raw and exciting without many hang-ups. We meet in Bangkok… and suddenly we’re both battling a series of typical, but nonetheless draining and disenchanting, travel hang-ups in less then a week. But hey, trekking was on for the next day!

Bewildered in Bangkok

I was going. Nothing was stopping me. But when I earnestly planted myself on that plane… that is, after I had to drop another $450 for a return flight home because they wouldn’t let me board the plane to Thailand without proof of a way of exiting the country… I couldn’t help but think, ‘What am I doing? I’m on a plane… with a bunch of Germans on my way to Bangkok.’ I can’t help but wonder… ‘Am I crazy?’ There you have it. Bold and sassy Laura gets scared. Gasp. Secret’s out. All my life I’ve been asking for an adventure like this. Dreaming of it. But again, I think, ‘Ahhh! I’m on a plane to Bangkok with a bunch of Germans!!!’ I shiver… and I can’t believe it. So yeah… am I crazy? I can’t help but think of the nickname my dear old friends from Madrid Lane affectionately christened me with not too long ago: “Pluto.” They say I’m just “too far out there.” I’m beginning to believe they’re assessment is dead on. And as I fly over foreign lands with foreign Germans I think of Jonathon and Ryan… and I miss them. I miss the comforts of Madrid Lane… homemade hummus… strawberry milk… and Rupert… (cringe) I guess. ; )

I love the way Ben described how us travelers looked when I arrived in Bangkok… because that’s just how I felt... " their gaze slowly drifted up to the top of the terminal, leaving their chin hanging slack below, and their eyes took on an unfocused 'I’m so lost right now, help me God' look. " I wondered how in the world was I supposed to find Ben in the jumble of people holding name signs and calling out to us dazed and confused travelers. But then, suddenly there was Ben striding confidently towards me, slowly materializing out of the mad throng of people… and I smiled a sigh of relief. Ben led me through the hustle bustle in the airport, I changed my remaining euros to Thai baht and then we took off in a bus headed for Kao San Road, the tourist district of Bangkok. It was the start of a new kind of traveling for me. I was no longer traveling as a couchsurfer, but as a backpacker. No longer holing up with a local, but sharing a guesthouse with fellow foreigners… from every part of the globe.

On the bus ride I could see that Bangkok stretched on forever. Literally, the city, the skyscrapers, the high rises, the factories, the web of streets, the people like colonies upon colonies of ants… they just didn’t seem to ever stop. This city is massive. But, then again, it is the third largest city in the world. And if you don’t gather that from the sheer size of the city… you most certainly will get the hint from the thick, smog-filled air. It’s hard to breathe in Bangkok plain and simple… and you don’t really get used to it.

Kao San Road was no different. We had to weave our way through throngs of people, except now they were mostly all Westerners... of course there were swarms of Thai tuk-tuk drivers trying to tell you that you really did need a ride versus asking if you needed one. There were also plenty of Thai street vendors selling everything from fresh pineapple and watermelon, to crepes stuffed with banana and chocolate that where drizzled with more chocolate and condensed milk to fried crickets and other bugs I couldn’t identify. There were vendors selling T-shirts and sunglasses galore… and every other Asian and Western trinket you could think of. It was a tourist madhouse. Both intriguing and repelling all at the same time. It was definitely a bit overwhelming. Especially since I was already a bit dazed, a bit tired from the long flight and to be honest, already a bit rundown from my blitz-like travels in Europe. I felt really relieved to have a travel companion… someone to kind of hand over the reigns to for a little bit. Pretty much, whatever Ben threw at me I was game for… thinking more or less, ‘if you plan it, I will come.’

The guesthouse Ben showed me helped clear the bedazzled fog for me a bit. It was near crazy Kao San Road but it wasn’t on top of it. It was nestled in a little corner just behind it… close enough to the action, but far enough to find some reprieve from the madness. It was perfect really… and immaculately clean for that matter. There were always young girls scrubbing the floors and walls with toothbrushes. You almost felt bad walking through the place. You did have community bathrooms. But the toothbrush queens kept them pretty clean for the most part.

Though I was a bit tired because it felt as if it should be time for bed in Europe… it was mid-morning in Thailand, so there was no sense in sleeping. Thus, Ben and I took off to find me some proper backpacking gear. Another road not too far from Kao San was the place to find authentic goods… though they were being hawked… whether they were old bags sold off… or simply stolen… one has no way of knowing. Either way, I ended up with a steal, getting a huge backpacker-style bag with all kinds of pockets, straps and pads for about $60. It’s easily a $180-$200 bag new. So yeah, a steal either way you look at it. I also picked up some ‘fishermans’ pants.’ They’re one size fits all loose-fitting pants with huge wastes. You just tie the two cloth strings and fold over any extra material. Cool and comfy for the heat.

Though I was not couchsurfing anymore, there are actually a ton of couchsurfers in Bankok and Ben had already met a handful of them. There was a cs gathering that night in Bangkok, so after a bit of afternoon relaxation, Ben and another traveler he knew and I took off to navigate our way to another part of the massive city that evening. That meant taking a water taxi… and that was a rather new and exciting experience for me. You clamber on to this oversized rickety, rusty bucket of boats that has rows of wooden planks for seats, rusty metal sheets for roofs, and blue tarp for splash guards. You speed through the water, winding on the river through Bangkok. At least, it supposed to be a river. It’s more like a sewage dump that’s surrounded by some of Bangkok’s poorest… the poor people’s excuses for shacks litter the river’s banks just as the cities endless trash and sewage litter the water. On a different water taxi ride, Ben and I spied the all too familiar street vendor preparing fruit amid the poor, filthy riverside shacks… and we thought maybe eating that fresh looking fruit wasn’t such a good idea. But, in the end. You still eat from the vendors. Though, maybe that’s why I got sick later. But, I’m getting ahead of myself…

The cs gathering was great fun. There were about 30 of us… mostly Thai… but a fair amount of travelers… all dining at a lovely restaurant with colorful lights and green, flowery foliage… with the occasional rat scampering through the leaves. The people were all great. Everyone had their own travel stories to retell and travel plans to delight over. After dinner a handful of us trekked back to a open-air bar a few floors up near Khao San Road. I had so much fun sharing more travel stories and good ol laughs and a few dance moves here and there. Finally, Ben and I decided to head back to our guesthouse.

The rest of my time in Bangkok was spent eating coconut shakes, coconut porridge, pad thai and banana flower salad, glimpsing a few golden buddhas, zipping around on Tuk-tuks (wheeled carts with seats attached to the back of a moto), getting scammed like an idiot, sneaking into swimming pools, getting ahead on some work, chatting with fellow travelers and chilling out to some movies here and there with Ben. Oh, I musn’t forget the ginormous techno mega mall… I snagged a great deal on a 2-gig SD card I needed for my camera. I also bout some knock off Final Cut software (for vid editing) for my MAC… I still haven’t gotten the program to load though… ah, well. It was a $15 trial and error for a program that costs hundreds. We also hit up the massive and I mean massive market in Bangkok. It took us an hour just to get to that part of the city where the market was located. You can buy nearly anything there…. Including a few puppies and birds and rabbits and whatever. Ultimately, Ben and I were gearing up for a long bout of travel. The goal: to get to Nepal by March to trek to base camp on Mt. Everest. The plan… to get there by land… traveling through Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, China and India…

Cambodia

So... need to write more about the amazing jungle greens and deep blue skies and amazing waterfalls and elephant rides and bamboo rafting and white water rafting... all a part of the trek I did just outside of Chiang Mai, Thailand. Need to post pics too...

But, first I'll catch up on where I am now. I'm making this brief because I just wrote this and lost it once already. Anyways, I'm in Siem Reap, Cambodia where you can find the stunning ruins of Angkor Wat. Just got in tonight after taking a12-hour overnight train from Chiang Mai to Bangkok, then taking an early morning bus from Bangkok to the border and finally taking a bus from the border of Cambodia to Siem Reap. But, that last bus ride was more than 8 hours for just 150 km. The road in Cambodia is dirt, full of pits, crags and gashes. We bounced all over the place for nearly 9 hours straight. Crazy. Dry dusty roads. Wet soggy marshlands. People living in stilted shacks. Then... bam. Paved roads and five star hotels that cost $1000 a night (simply outrageous... I'm staying at a place for $6 a night). I'm traveling with an English bloke I met on the trek. We were planning on "jogging over to the Cambodian beachs," since it's the high season and the Thai beaches are insanely busy. Jog... ha. Anyway. We're finally in Siem Reap. Will check out the ruins. Then head down to Phnom Penh and finally to the beach at Sihanoukville.

I guess my plans are still to do what I came to do... get to everest. But, instead of hiking to base camp (which i've heard is just the world's highest dump), I'll do a trek to Goa. It's higher than base camp and gives an absolutely fantastic and unobstructed view of Mt. Everest. Fellow American clued me in to all this during the Cambodia travels...

Trading Bells and Chimes for Gongs and Bongs.

I need to get more pics up for this one... but this is a pic of Moritz, Peter and I.

This Christmas market in Graz, Austria is bigger than the one in Saarbrucken, Germany. A little more ornate… more bells chiming… the same cozy, comfy feel of bringing the people together.

That’s where I spent my third and last night in Graz with Claudia and Lisa (last night at least for awhile). We had spent the afternoon in the city… Claudia introducing me to all the sites. Graz is a rather artistic city with a floating boat sculpture in the river and an art museum that looks like futuristic bubbles. The building is made from dark blue glass and no two pieces are alike in size. The Austrian clock tower on the hill is Graz’s distinguishing landmark… and to get there we walked through the inner courtyard of a monastery. My brief tour of it all really made me curious to discover more… but, that will have to wait. Right now, I’m on a train to Munich… hoping that my reservation for a plane ticket to Bangkok will be finalized by the time I arrive in Munich. I am planning to be in the air tomorrow evening… on my way to more wild adventures… in Asia with Ben!

Remember Ben? I met him in Atlanta in October and we spent a fantastically fun couple of days together … all just before he was taking off to rough it an Asia on his own. I’ve since directed you to check out his blog about his journey. The things he’s doing and seeing are incredible. It’s fun to read Ben’s blogs… getting glimpses of his Asian adventures through his stories and pictures. But then a post came about an opportunity that I did NOT just want to read about… I had to be in on it! ; ) So, I beseeched Ben to hold off on his trek to base camp on Mt. Everest, until I came to Europe and we could rendezvous and take on the mountain together. Ben is so great… he was up for it from the start! So… it was settled. We’d go together!! But, the when part was still being worked out. Originally, Ben and I were going to meet up after he finished a two-week gig teaching English. That meant I could then keep plans to visit other friends around Christmas and New Year’s and I’d be making my way to Asia just a few days after the new year.

BUT, Ben’s teaching gig fell through because of a mixup with paperwork… and, his email suggesting we could bump up our rendezvous and get a head start on Nepal came, literally, just as Claudia was feeding me all her stories of strange and exciting adventures. Thus, I was enticed by Ben’s offer like a bee is attracted to honey. Of course, I bought the next reasonably-priced ticket to Bangkok. I’m ridiculously excited about meeting Ben and going with him on this trip. Every time I think about it I want to do a little dorky dance! ; ) The plan is to meet in Bangkok and then make our way over land to Nepal. That’s actually quite a ways. We’ll be traveling through India and China… perhaps Cambodia and Vietnam. Ahhhhhh! Really, I’m so crazy excited! I’m really looking forward to this trip… and I’m really looking forward to seeing Ben again!

First, I have one night in Munich though… and, funny enough… my host Moritz from Saarbrucken is in Munich for the weekend. So, I’ll have a familiar and friendly face to kick it with during my last night in Europe! I love cs… I love how it brings so many cool people into my life!

***update: Met up with Peter, my host in Munich, and after dropping my bag off at his place (yeah! one bag! Claudia let me leave a lot of my stuff with her...) we headed to Tollwood. It´s like a gigantic Christmas Market... but also more of a festival. You can find food from every corner of the world... but there´s tons of typical Bavarian food and beer of course! Peter was great and let me ramble on about all my adventures. We also plunged into some hefty topics of discussion within like 30 minutes. Really, couchsurfers are just amazing people! Moritz (my host from Saarbrucken) then met up with us and we all had a blast just goofing off and drinking too much Feuerzangenbowle, Gluehwein, hot Caipirinha and Almrausch (a hot rum punch)! Peter and Moritz definitely gave me a great send off for my last night in Europe! Can´t wait to come back and see more of this city though!!******

Bottom Surfing in the Austrian Alps

This is written so poorly... but... you get the gist.

It’s cliché, but really… the Austrian Alps are breathtaking. Julian and Maria had driven through the night… I was going on just a few hours of sleep… throughout the drive we were all struggling to stay awake in a sleep-deprived delirium… but when those jagged points in the horizon became looming peaks, which seemed to be just an arm’s length away… our excitement fed a new energy. As our car crept further along the winding roads that led deep into the mountains, I really couldn’t believe that I was there. Of course, I’m such a cornball and I had to start singing my version of the Sound of Music soundtrack.

Julian and Maria kept laughing at my child-like amazement: “Wow! This is… wow… I can’t believe… wow!... it’s so beautiful! C’mon… how?... why?... this is awesome!”

We drove straight to Maria’s friend’s mom’s house… an Austrian villa tucked away on white slopes speckled with patches of green… a the wide panorama of a mountainous terrain to greet you from every direction. Glorious, just glorius.

Antonia’s mom (Antonia is Maria’s friend), promptly fed us. Salad, liver soup and weinerschnitzle… a traditional Austrian meal! After the meal, we packed up and headed to Antonia’s little apartment. Where she lives actually isn’t so little. It used to be a school and two of the rooms have been converted into her own little apartment. She has relatives that live just across the hall in their apartment… at least, so I’ve been told. I never saw them once! I did hear them though… The schoolhouse set up means the guestbedroom for Julian, Maria and I was actually a classroom turned bedroom upstairs. It was quite cold at first… since, obviously they don’t heat the whole building because they’re not using the whole building. A space heater made the room a little warmer though (that is… when Julian didn’t turn it off!)… and Antonia supplied us with huge, thick comforters and soft fuzzy blankets. I’ll admit… the first night I crashed out on the sofa actually in Antonia’s apartment – it’s heated much more regularly and is quite toasty.

But, I’m getting ahead of myself. Before I crashed on Antonia’s couch that first night… we all went out for drinks at a bar that’s literally next door. I tried a traditional Austrian drink… again can’t remember what it’s called (I seriously need to write these things down), but it was a mix of white wine and soda water. Unfortunately, I started crashing at the bar… I was feeling exhausted. After everyone chatted a bit (save me… I was kind of a zombie), we headed to a club. I slept on the way there… which was probably a good 15 to 20 minute nap. The rest of the night at the club I was either way up or way down…. Dance dance dancing or ready to fall over my own feet I was so tired. Finally, at about midnight… Antonia took Maria, Julian and I back to her place… but, then she went back out with her other friends.

The next day we were all extremely antsy to hit the local ski resort. Everyone was so patient though as Antonia and I searched high and low for a way to get me online so I could send in some work that was up against a deadline. After several issues with the server, it worked thanks to Antonia’s friend! She was such a lifesaver and she made the rest of my day out on the slopes more enjoyable because she helped take care of the work, which would have stressed me out if it didn’t get sent. Again, so thankful for her help!

The ride up the mountain in the gondola was just phenomenal. Inching closer to the peaks, rising above the misty clouds and into a “blue heaven”, peering out over a majestic mountain range that stretched on for miles… sigh… there are no words…

So yeah, I then suddenly found myself at the very top of this mountain, with snowboard in hand… having no clue how to use it. I’ve been skiing before… but the last time was at least three years ago… and that was at puny Hidden Valley (there’s one small slope there). The last time I had been skiing on a mountain… sheesh… it must have been at least seven years ago if not more.

I put the snowboard on (thanks to Antonia who gave me the board, the boots, ski pants and a ski coat… Julian supplied the gloves… I mean how generous are these people??!!!)… but, man the board felt weird. I couldn’t separate my feet! For a split second I thought: ‘how in the world am I going to get down this mountain with my feet stuck together!’ But, just as quickly I threw that thought out of my head… because I knew thinking like that would get me nowhere fast.

So I just went for it… and fell… and struggled to get up with my feet attached to each other… and fell… struggled to get up with my feet attached to each other…. and fell… struggled to get up with my feet attached to each other… and then… I stayed up!... for about two minutes… then I fell. Then I stayed up!... for about 5 minutes… then I fell. But, at that point I was managing to snowboard more than I fell. And I actually had periods where I was really getting the hang of it… but just as I got all cocky confident… I would wipe out again. I wiped out bad twice in a row… ooooowww, my bum really hurt. That shook my confidence bad and I couldn’t stay up for more than 10 seconds, falling incessantly, for about 10 minutes straight. I had gotten the hang of it… and then suddenly I lost it!! Skiers and snowboarders were laughing at me as the whizzed past… within centimeters. That frustrated me. Antonia was helping us all along the way… being so incredibly patient. I was so grateful for that! We all decided to take a break at a lodge about midway down the mountain and eat. I had pancake soup (called something like Fritatten). It was… interesting. ; )

Then, back to the slopes. It took me about five to ten minutes to get the feel for it again… I was falling incessantly… again. But, then I got it… again. By then, it was nearing closing time at the ski resort so we had to head back down the rest of the mountain. Except, the only route we could take a lift to was a blue slope. Ah, perfect for a beginner such as myself. But, the entire way down I only wiped out three times! Now… I was certainly no pro. I haven’t learned to make an s-turn yet… so I could only steer with my left foot forward or turn my board sideways to slow down. But, I did snowboard! It was awesome! Now, I’m hooked. Next winter, I MUST live near the slopes so I can get my snowboard game on!!!!

The next day Julian and I wanted to hit the slopes again… but they were closed due to a big storm higher on the peaks. So, we had a great lunch in a famous resort town, Kihtzbul. Maria and Antonia had stayed behind to go shopping. The rest of the afternoon and evening we all just chilled out… holed up in our Austrian Alps retreat. I kept gushing thanks to Maria, Antonia and Julian for making this amazingly awesome trip a surprise reality for me… It was good times!

I didn’t think it could get any better or that these guys could do anything else for me… they had already done so much! But, then Maria and Julian informed me they would go ahead and drive me to Salzburg so I could get a cheaper train from there to my next stop: Graz. Maria also set me up with a discount card that gives you 50 percent off any train ticket to anywhere in Austria and 25 percent off any ticket from a neighboring country and back. The amount I saved on the first ticket paid for the cost of the discount card… so just with my first ticket, the discount card had paid for itself. I would have never known about it if it weren’t for Maria. Maria’s nonchalant generosity and help is just stunning. She’s an incredible woman.

So yeah, we made it to Salzburg (I sang in the car the entire way… the soundtrack to the Sound of Music and Disney songs from Beauty and the Beast, the Little Mermaid and Aladdin. Julian and Maria were really good sports and just laughed at my childish joy… they didn’t complain about my singing. What troopers!) From there I caught a train to Graz… but now without my new poster that Julian slid down the car of the train to me as a last minute surprise, he jumping off, as the train moved away from the platform. I had no clue what was going on… but had to laugh when I pulled the poster out of the tube and saw that it was the Sound of Music. Julian loves to do things like that… what a quality to have! The Sound of Music was shot in Salzburg… and I must come back to go on the tour!

But, in the meantime, I managed to become friends with the chief of the train to Graz. We shared a beer, stories of fusbol (soccer) and philosophies on life. Then, he drove me from the train station to my host’s house… the house of a woman in Graz, Austria. I had made arrangements even before the start of this whole travel adventure to stay with the woman, Claudia, and her daughter, Lisa. The trade off was free lodging for an extended period of time in exchange for exposing Lisa to English and watching her occasionally from time to time.

Claudia and Lisa are great. Claudia and I are so much alike, but Claudia’s adventures greatly surpass mine. She’s had a life full of brave and exciting experiences. But, those are her experiences to tell. I will just say this… this woman truly shares the same spirit for life and adventure as I do. And… she has now raised the bar for me… I’ve got to catch up and really start taking on some adventures. Europe has been an absolute dream… but, it’s still Western, and still rather “safe and protected.” The more she shared with me… the more the call stirred within me to go discover my own wilder adventures.

The plan was to stay with Claudia for about two weeks… and see how things went for both of us. I would then go travel around Europe more, visit a few friends for a couple weeks… and if things worked out with Claudia, Lisa and I… I would come back and stay longer.

But I think only a day and a half passed… before all that changed. So… can you guess where in the world is Laura off to next???

Snug as a Bug in Saarbrucken

The plan was to either meet Moritz at the train station… or not. Heh. Moritz had given me the directions from the train station to his apartment and said if I didn’t see him waiting there then I should just head to his place. I didn’t see Moritz when I arrived… so I immediately took off in the direction he told me to. You can walk from one side of Saarbrucken to the other in about 15 minutes, so the directions weren’t really complicated and I found his apartment rather easily. When I arrived, his roommate and his roommate’s girlfriend welcomed me, though they looked a little perplexed since Moritz wasn’t at home and he wasn’t with me. They were extremely friendly though and we chatted, sipped wine and they fed me dinner. But, it was not just dinner. Dirk is a cook for a couple of restaurants, so the food was fantastic and packed with flavor. Mmmmm….

Then, Moritz arrived. He saw me and looked relieved. He had been waiting at the train station for an hour! I felt so terrible that we missed each other… he thought my train arrived 20 minutes later than it did, so we must have just missed each other. After chatting and sipping wine a bit longer we all decided to go out and celebrate the birthday of Dirk’s friend, a bartender at one of the restaurant’s Dirk works at. At midnight we left for the local Irish Pub and already I was loving this city. It’s basically the German version of Columbia, MO. A small college town that you can easily familiarize yourself with, but with a lot of students, restaurants, clubs, shops other things going on. Even here most every one could speak English. Whenever I would ask they would say, ‘yes, but a little bit.’ And then we would launch into long conversations in English. Ha! Everyone I met speaks English so much better than they give themselves credit for. I’m so fortunate that Europe is so accommodating for English speakers. Though, I must admit. It feels like I’m cheating. I would love to learn the languages of the countries I visit. Three or four days in each place is hardly enough time to learn just the common phrases though. And I must admit, the German sounds are a bit harder than the Italian ones. I picked up a few words… but even I can hear how terribly I pronounce them.

So yeah, the pub was packed because, as in any small college town, the bartenders and waiters/waitresses are somewhat of the local “celebrities” and there were plenty of people ready to party and celebrate Jean’s birthday on a Tuesday night. The karaoke was going strong and all the songs were in English. It was rather amusing hearing these thick German accents belting out American song after American song. It was such a fun atomosphere! I was antsy to get up there and sing myself, but Moritz wouldn’t join me. And, I admit it, I didn’t have the guts to go up in front of all those German strangers alone. So, I didn’t sing. : ( I need to have more guts next time… booo to me!

Jean, the birthday boy, got up there a couple times with a friend and he was the star of the night, jamming out to the air guitar, rocking out with a loud rockstar voice and jumping all over stage. Everyone loved it… he was great fun to watch!

I didn’t officially meet Jean and get to wish him a happy birthday until everyone was taking off to head to another bar – the bar both Dirk and Jean work at. Jean and I talked a bit before the group took off. He spoke English incredibly well, but he did live in the states for several years. He urged me and the rest of our group to head to the next bar… so we finished off our drinks and headed out.

It was a little quieter at the next bar and it was a much smaller group. It was mostly just the close friends of Jean. The place was open so late just because it was Jean’s birthday. Moritz and I talked and shared laughs and drinks… but, it wasn’t long before the music had me involuntarily bouncing to the beat. I can’t help but dance when I hear the beat! At first, I was the only one dancing, but then Dirk’s girlfriend joined in… then Moritz and Dirk, then Jean and then a lot of the others… and before you knew it we had a full out dance party with everyone just cutting loose and enjoying themselves. It was so great! I loved Dirk’s retro dance style… he was a riot to watch! Moritz surprised me with some great ballroom-style moves turned disco-club. I didn’t find out until later that he had taken dance lessons before… He was tons of fun to dance with! Of course, I had to dance with the crazy birthday boy. Jean and I had a similar dance style, all-out and care-free. We definitely had tons of fun dancing with each other. Too bad I didn’t get to enjoy more of Jean’s crazy fun during my stay, but that night was just a great night… full of laughter and dancing… an absolutely fantastic introduction to Saarbrucken. It was after four in the morning yet again before I crashed out… but this time on Moritz’s couch in Saarbrucken, Germany.

The next morning I slept in late, then hopped online to catch up on some work. By mid-afternoon though, Moritz convinced me to put the computer away so we could go out and explore Saarbrucken. It was such a beautiful blue winter day, I’m so glad Moritz urged me to go out. Moritz’s friend Nic joined us and we walked not even 5 minutes before we arrived at the delightfully cheery Christmas Market. Christmas Markets are a big German and Austrian tradition with dark wood booths wrapped in garland, ornaments and ribbons, all selling various Christmastime treats, trinkets, wreathes, food and more. You hear Christmas music as children run around laughing. Old German men smoking pipes, women shopping, the younger crowd enjoying Gluehwein, a warm, spiced wine drink… very delicious and perfect for a cheery winter day! Moritz, Nic and I enjoyed one. Then we wandered around the heart of Saarbrucken looking at old gothic churches and government buildings. We crossed the river and went up to the bluff to see the old palace of Saarbrucken and to simply take in the wonderful view. All along the way Moritz and Nic were filling me in on different little tidbits of Saarbrucken history. It wasn’t until just about 50 years ago that Saarbrucken was actually a part of Germany. It used to be a region of France. Then it was autonomous before being annexed to Germany. The current city of Saarbrucken also used to be two different cities actually… one on each side of the river.

On the way back to Moritz’s apartment we stopped for another Gleuhwein and we ate at one of the festive booths at the Christmas market while a small brass band with trumpets and trombones, etc… shouted out Christmas music and young children danced, spinning in circles.

That night Moritz and I went grocery shopping and cooked an easy, but scrumptious spaghetti dinner. Well, Moritz cooked. I ate. I did buy the groceries though. Then, we watched a film that Moritz actually filmed and helped put together about a German cruise that goes up to Iceland. Wow… some of the images were so incredible. That’s one of the major reasons I was attracted to Moritz’s profile… he’s into all that gearhead, filming and graphics stuff like I am. I was rather impressed by his work from the cruise. What a gig!

By then, Moritz and I had fallen into an easy rhythm… as if we’d always been close friends, knowing when to get each other pumped or when to just relax. Moritz’s company was cozy and comfortable, just like Saarbrucken.

The next day… more sleep… more work…. until I went out to finally meet up with Thilo! Thilo and I met at the Christmas Market. This time we had another version of Gluehwein… a version where rum and sugar is added. It’s stronger, but sweeter. Can’t remember what it’s called… starts with an F. It was delicious. Then we stepped inside a local German-style subway (sort of) and I grabbed something to eat. Thilo and I just chatted, catching up on the last 6 months. When I was finished eating, we stepped back out into the Christmas market… just in time for Santa Claus… or Sint Nicolaus… not sure which because the Germans have stories about and celebrations for both. Anyways, Santa Claus was peering over the sides of his red sleigh, both he and his reindeer suspended high above a delighted crowd at the Christmas market, and he was waving and telling children to be good and spreading Good ol’ German cheer. I just ate it up. I loved how even “commercial Christmas” in Germany was still more about bringing the community together, sharing food, drinks, music and laughter at the center of town… instead of locking yourself in your own lit up fortress (and often times a ridiculously over lit fortress), where no stranger would feel comfortable stepping in to share the holiday festivities. Christmas was in the air everywhere in Saarbrucken… and it made me feel all giddy and excited about the holiday season. I haven’t felt that giddy and excited since I was in grade school… and then, I was giddy about getting, not giving or sharing.

After the visit from Santa Claus, I left Thilo to go back to Moritz’s so he could escort me to his friend’s place… and I could join them for a game of indoor soccer!!! It’s been months, literally months, since I’ve played and I was soooo excited to get back at it again! I knew I’ve been lugging around those soccer shoes for a reason! I was actually surprised the guys let me come play… pretty much, women don’t play with men in Europe. But, they did let me join in… and they weren’t disappointed… hehehe. Really, it was a good match. I started off playing really well. I did get sloppy pretty quickly though, since I haven’t had the constant load of exercise I’m used to and I’m really out of shape. But, geez, I can’t tell you how much my body just loved getting out there again to kick it around and run myself into the ground. It was so great! The guys were incredibly friendly too...

When I got back to Moritz’s I had to jump in the shower and get ready for another night out. We had plans to meet up with some of Moritz’s friends and meet up with Thilo, his girlfriend and some of his other friends. Phillip, one of the guys from soccer, came out with us for a bit. He’s totally sweet. I wish I would have gotten to know him more. Basically, I bar hopped that night, meeting up with different friends and such of Moritz and Thilo. At the end of the night Thilo, Moritz and I all ended up at the same place, but then Thilo took off… he needed to get up early to study. That’s when I realized Moritz had been talking to one of the other guys I played soccer with, Baddi. I had actually thought I had irked Baddi a little bit on the soccer field because I was playing so rough. But, at the bar, he couldn’t stop raving about how well I played and how he’s never seen a girl play the way I do… hehehe. He was my new best friend! Really, though, this kid was hilarious. I think he had me crying a bit, I was laughing so hard. He definitely had me crying after buying a round of a shot called ‘The Flatliner.’ Ugggh. Never again. Never again. Not too long after that Moritz and I decided to throw in the towel and go to bed. We had made plans to meet Baddi, and Phillip for that matter, at a club the next night. Unfortunately, that didn’t work out… and that kinda bummed me out (ha… bummed me out… but it did). I was really looking forward to hanging out with those guys again. They were really a pleasure to be around.

So, the next day… it was another late start for Moritz and I. I worked and then we finally got going and went out for brunch. We went to Dirk’s restaurant hoping he’d be there so we could try his food, but he wasn’t. We didn’t think of checking his room before we left the flat… dur. Nontheless, the food was great. Then Moritz and I moseyed around town… and stopped at a tiny little coffee shop before heading back to his apartment. It was evening before I was finally showered and packed and ready to meet Thilo to crash at his place for the next couple of nights.

Thilo and I took it easy that evening, cooking, chatting with roommates, playing poker and watching The Wedding Crashers. Just enjoying each other’s silliness like we did back when were both living in Columbia, MO. During the evening I also found out that Julian and Maria (remember them from Holland?) would be heading to Austria to go skiing… and that they were going to come through Saarbrucken to pick me up and take me with them. So, my couple nights crashing at Thilo’s got cut short… and I was bummed about that… but how could I pass up a free ride into Austria (which is where I was headed to next), stopping for a couple of nights in the Alps to try my hand at snowboarding?? Well, yeah. I couldn’t pass that up. Not to mention I would be taking the trip with Julian and Maria. So, what a last minute surprise! And at about five in the morning I was on the road with those two… headed for the slopes!

So About That Parisian Magic...

****I´m not in Paris anymore... far from it. But, finally, here´s a bit about my stay in that incredible city.**

Loic is going to change the world. What am I talking about. He already is changing the world. He surrounds himself with people who are going to change the world… hence, he hosted me. ; ) I’m kidding. I’d like to think I will have a part in changing the world though. If I surround myself with more people like Loic, I’m confident I will.

Loic met me at one of the many train stations in Paris on a bright and sunny November afternoon. He greeted me with a radiant smile that lights his entire face. First, we hiked back to his apartment, with my ridiculously American amount of luggage in tow. There I met Loic’s roommates Juan and Karim. The apartment is nothing more than two small bedrooms, a tiny little hallway, a small bathroom and a tiny kitchen. Loic ushered my luggage into one of the small bedrooms, explaining this would be my room. He, Juan and Karim would all share the other bedroom while I was visiting. Incredible. Not only did they offer practically half the apartment for my sole use, they did it in a way that you really could believe it was no trouble, that it was honestly their pleasure.

Next, Loic and I set off to discover the magic of Paris. That’s not all I was to discover though. In transit, the more I talked with Loic, the more I found what a truly rare and inspiring individual he was. Yet, maybe not so rare. Loic recounted story after story about meeting incredible people who are doing incredible things for others. Right now, Loic works for an organization that helps young entrepreneurs make their ideas a reality. A reality in such a way that is not only ethical but one that is completely rooted around improving each of the lives that the company might affect… it’s customers, it’s employees, it’s owner and employer. Loic and I saw eye to eye on philosophy after philosophy. I thought he could read my thoughts or something. I think discovering Paris as I was discovering an individual such as he, is a big part of what made Paris so magical for me.

That first evening Loic and I tackled a lot of must-see monuments and landmarks in Paris. The Bastille, the outside of the Louvre, the Champs Elysees, Concord, the Grand (ferris wheel?0), The Arc du Triomph, The Eiffel Tower and The Seine River. There was an absolutely exotic moon (which, I believe is the same moon Ben was captured by that night millions of miles away in Asia) and despite the incredible monuments we were surrounded by, Loic and I found it difficult to tear our eyes away from the moon.

After the whirlwind tour of some of the most renowned landmarks in the world, Loic and I had dinner at what Loic described as the typical French café where we dined on the typical French food. The waiter at Café Literateur served us an array of meats, cheeses, breads and spreads while Loic amazed me with story after story of his adventures in this sweet fairytale life. His face was truly alight as he recounted tales of being welcomed into intimate circles of growth, leadership and trust in Denmark, and crossing the Western Sahara with no friends save those he met along the way, even though both the Moroccans and the Africans living on either fringe said it couldn’t be done. These stories were simply incredible and so much more than the few words I written to allude to them. But, I couldn’t even begin to do them any justice by trying to elaborate. They’re Loic’s stories and he should tell them. And anyone who can, should get to know this admirable man.

We shared stories and then, it was time to share more adventures. We went to go meet some of Loic’s friends at a crowded and quite smoky, typical French bar. His friends were just as inspiring as he, all involved in projects that will change many lives. Each of them showed a strong interest in me, in what I was doing. They all spoke English without a hint of hesitation. So, just a few hours in Paris shattered whatever stereotypes I might have been clinging to about the supposedly rude and unfriendly French. I’m not going to lie, I did actually halfway believe I would be met with a little French disdain thanks to the “stereotypes,” but I was welcomed with the exact opposite throughout my entire trip.

The next day Loic and I got a late morning start in our quest to get me more acquainted with this fantastic city. He took me to one of his favorite spots, Le Sacre Coeur (The Sacred Heart) poised on top of Montemartre, where he likes to go in the summer and just read. I must agree. Montemartre has calming and relaxing atmosphere about it. I just stood at the top of the stairs, taking in the view, the sounds, the beauty. Finally, I turned toward Le Sacre Coeur and walked inside. It was grand and beautiful, like so many other old world Catholic churches. After staring wide-eyed a bit as a wandering tourist, I did think to pause for a moment at one of the side pews and reflect on the overwhelming experiences that are so completely enriching my life right now. I took a moment to just say thanks.

Then, it was time to go meet Antoinette. Remember her? The one with the absolutely inviting smile and alluring laugh whom I met in Bruxelles? Her father lives in Paris and we happened to be in that magical city at the same time, so we decided to meet before she hoped on a train to go back home. We met Antoinette and a fellow couchsurfer that was actually in Brussels the same time I was. We all met at the ??? with an incredible view of the Eiffel Tower, where I grabbed some amazing photos the night before. We also met one of Loic’s friends there. We had a good-sized group going. I went to grab a day shot of the Eiffel Tower before we took off and I was stopped by a rather inviting and charming Frenchman named Michael. He was so animated. He’s from the south of France and urged me to go see it if I got a chance. He said Paris is not France and I needed to discover true France. He had a passion for France and he loved to talk about it and share it. I love listening to people talk about their passions. Finally, Antoinette came and stole me away… otherwise I think Michael would have kept me there for at least another hour just chatting and enjoying the incredible surroundings.

Shortly thereafter, Antoinette had to leave us so she could catch her train back to Bruxelles. After grabbing some more picturesque shots of (???) Bryan, Loic, and I headed to a small house party at a friend of Loic’s place. Laurent’s apartment was very chic… thanks to his wife as I was told. They were a warm couple eager to share their home with us. There was about 8 of us and we all just spent hours in the small living room chatting and playing games.

****and then I arrived in Saarbrucken, Germany and fell in love with its genuinely local and rustic Christmas spirit before making last minute plans to hitch a ride with Julian and Maria on their way down from Holland to Austria. I’m going to have to forgo the craft I usually try to put into my writing in order to catch up on adventure after adventure. At the moment, I am on a train from Salzburg, Austria to Graz, Austria. I will be staying in Graz for a longer period of time with a woman and her daughter. In exchange for free room and board I’m just asked to speak English with the little girl, Lisa, and watch her from time to time. I will also us the time to slow down a bit, catch up on work and make plans for my next bout of travels. So, back to Paris…****

Laurent is one of the people I was talking about when I said Loic surrounds himself with people who are going to change the world. Laurent is dedicating his time to developing a restaurant that will operate solely on employees who are considered “hard to employ,” meaning criminals, those repeatedly getting fired, etc… The point is to invest the time to train these people and arm them with skills not just in cooking and the restaurant biz, but in life. Laurent is so passionate about this project, that was clearly evident when he told me about it. Everyone at that small apartment party was absolutely a joy to spend time with and they made me feel as if we were all old friends and I had always belonged right there with them.

Several hours and several drinks later, Loic and I finally took off to head back to Loic’s apartment… but, of course we had to stop at Le P’tit Bar just around the corner from his place. This bar is a tiny, dark, slightly musty bar with old stone walls that reminded me of walls I would find in the bowels of a castle. The clutter of an old woman living alone is everywhere… and an old cat loafs lazily on one of the few stools. The tiny, old woman at this bar has been there for nearly 50 years. It was her husband’s bar… and now that he has passed away… it’s hers. When Loic and I entered, we seemed to have roused the old woman from sleep. Without hesitation though, she took her place behind the bar and began serving us. Loic and I chatted with her for a bit, Loic translating of course. Then, an old Frenchman, a regular, came in and joined us. Next, it was a group of Italians with their Sicilian-French friend as their guide. The Italians were delighted to discover I spoke their sing-song language and we all instantly became friends, sharing many laughs, jokes and just plain silliness. Loic and I had meant to just have “a beer or two” in that tiny, old little bar. But, it was well after four in the morning before we finally made it back inside his apartment. That entire evening was just fantastically Parisian.

The next day Loic had to head to work early… while I got to hibernate in my own room and recover from the previous night. That’s also when I was finally able to finish writing about Den Haag and catch up with friends, emails and work online. I did eventually rouse myself enough to emerge from my room and join Karim and Juan in their room. But, that day we were all internet addicts, each of us slaves to our computers.

I had made plans to meet another French couchsurfer though for a drink, so in the evening I got ready to go out… and that’s when I realized I didn’t have my wallet. Yeah, my wallet had quite a bit of cash, two credit cards, my license, phone numbers, etc… Just then Loic walked in and he and I went to Le P’tit Bar with a prayer and hope to find my wallet. Whew! It was there! We had a drink with the little old lady to celebrate the recovery of my wallet. The old women shared more about her life and the countless of travelers she has hosted in her bar. Despite it’s size and it’s rather hidden quality the bar is quite famous and many travelers seem to hear rumors of it and somehow end up stumbling in… from all over the world. How awesome!

Of course, losing my wallet, finding my wallet, and celebrating its recovery made me very late for my appointment with that fellow couchsurfer. When Loic and I were finally nearing the place where we were to meet, we called the cser and he wasn’t too happy. Learning we were still about 10 mins away he decided to call it all off and go home. I felt really bad about it all… it took me awhile to get over it. In the meantime though, Loic and I munched on traditional French crepes and got to stop and witness the magnificence of Notre Dame by moonlight. Talk about a consolation prize.

The next day… regrettably, it was time for me to leave. Loic and I said our farewells in the morning before he left for work, I stayed a bit longer to get my things together and chat a little bit with Juan and Karim… and then I took off for Saarbrucken, Germany.

So many people asked… why Saarbrucken? Why Thilo of course! Thilo is a friend whom I absolutely adore. I met him while I was living in Columbia, MO and working in Jefferson City, MO and he was studying at Mizzou as an exchange student. I was actually heading Thilo’s way a bit early though… he is extremely busy with his master’s thesis and with a full course load of classes. We planned a visit for the weekend… but I had a few extra days to kill, so I arranged a surf in Saarbrucken for a few days before I would meet Thilo…

More on the cozy comfort of Saarbrucken to come…