A Language Without Words

wrote this poem while traveling south.
-Maura

You say you'll take me on a journey for free,
One with glasses filled of amber and enough rice for two.
The soul is being fed with the quiet rumble of the streets,
As the dusty roads become paved routes
While the taste of blood and sweat only lasts in a memory.

My glistening Mekong has been traded for buildings and Tuk Tuk drivers,
Only little boys let their privates show and bums stick out,
Are you trying to be cheeky?

Yes, I long to run naked with you through the streets of heat,
And ignore the cat calls that ask for nothing by money.
Together we can become strips of light,
White,
Never stopping to fill our lungs,
But eager to make angels in the sand
And cart wheels in the water.

We drink to the dirty river
And mumble awkwardly,
Searching for what once gave us joy, now lost at bay.

But don't be mistaken in thinking I have lost an identity,
That I am running from what I once knew,
For I am only searching for a language that doesn't depend on words,
Where desire originates from the soul of the universe,
And when you want something with all your heart,
You will feel closest to the soul of the world.

A Little bit of Motavation

Greetings  from Maura! Sorry its been a while.

While Maddie and Ellie have been off temple exploring I chose to head south to the beach for about a week. I started in Phnom Penh then moving onto Sihanoukville and a little west over to Kampot. I made good friends with a small group of Brits and we traveled around together. My week was filled with good laughs, delicious seafood bbq seasoned with kampot pepper (one of the spices Cambodia is best known for), cave exploring, salt field seeing, and relaxing.

Traveling alone has been a trip within its self and im excited to reconnect with my fellow lurkers in Thailand.


Woman in Phnom Penh at market



Monk at market in Phnom Penh

Friends in Phnom Penh

Looking out from a run down mansion

This man has been selling hammocks for over 20 yrs

The Speaker Tree at the Killing Fields

Skulls at the Killing Fields



Salt Fields in Kampot



Little girl from a fishing village

Farmer and his pepper

me and J-Jay in Kampot

Bus ride back

Small houses on the trip back

Bamboo Train in Battambang

Hello everyone!
 We (Ellie and Maddie) are in Battambang, Cambodia. Yesterday we took a ride on the famous Bamboo train, a platform made of bamboo that can be easily disassembled when approaching an actual train or another cart going the other direction. Earsplitting, bumpy, and actually pretty fast, we sped through the dry countryside to a small village where we followed a boy to his home. There, we were greeted by a 7 foot boa constrictor: the family's dinner. The kids in the brick-making village were eager to practice their English with us, and made us grass rings and bracelets. Cambodians are so friendly!
Tomorrow we are heading south to Phnom Penh to meet up with Maura, before flying to Thailand!

Behold! The cheesiest tourist pictures to date!

Bamboo Train!

Disassembling the train to allow another to pass

 

Our tuk-tuk at Angkor Wat

ps- Yes, we wear the same thing everyday: v-necks and skirts.

Are You Happy Now Emma Gavin?

Look! Lurkers International in the Sand of Vietnam!

(a month ago)

 

 

Happy now Emma Gavin?

Seven S's of Survival

Ellie and Madeleine's List of the Seven Important S's of Survival:

1. Shell (our backpacks that look like turtle shells)

2. Snacks

3. Spork (the most useful tool, given to us by Kevin)

4. Sanitizer (hand sanitizer saves the day!)

5. Speaker (for our ipods)

6. Sleep Sack (Our cozy security blankets that shield us from gross beds and questionable surfaces)

7. Sun Hat (to complete our old lady tourist look)

More Photos

(Because we are such faithful bloggers!)

 

Fish "Massage" in Siem Reap- little fish biting off your dead skin.

We passed.

Our friend Izzy going for an extreme tubing ride into the Mekong, off of Don Det.

Temple Madness

Greetings from Siem Reap, Cambodia!
After a three day bus extravaganza from Laos, Maddie and I arrived in Siem Reap yesterday. We jumped right into the temple adventuring at Angkor Wat today, taking in the amazing architecture of the Khmer ruins. Our day was very eventful with a close call with a vicious monkey out to get our lunch- peanut butter sandwiches. Maddie had to sacrifice our only food to avoid their snarling rabid teeth.
We made good use of our sunhats, really going for the old women touristy look. But we fit right in here.
Tomorrow we're heading to more ruins and a floating village with our trusty tuk-tuk driver, Ay.
Maura's still in Don Det and Malcolm and Kevin are in Luang Prabang. We all plan on meeting up in Thailand in a couple weeks.

 

Cutting off Maura's Dreadlock in Don Det (finally)

Two Old Ladies Standing in Front of Some Roots

Tree Lurker!

Angkor Wat

Island Lurking

 

Sunset from Don Det Island

 

View of Don Det from a sandbar

 

Champasak ancient ruins and Mekong in the distance

 

Traveling Turtles!

It's Been a While..

Hello, yes, we are alive.

Now in Pakse, southern Laos. Maddie was in Luang Prabong for almost three weeks and Ellie and Maura for about 10 days. Taking our time in the south provinces and will hit up the 4000 islands as our last stop in Laos before moving on to Cambodia.

Ellie and Maura crossed the border in Laos by bus and stopped along the way at a few riverside villages before meeting up with Maddie. We went fishing and tubing and got to experience a Laos wedding. Lots of Lao Lao (rice whiskey) and good dancing.

Here are some pictures from a few of the river villages, Luang Prabong, and Pakse:

Village near Mung Neau

Temple in Luang Prabong

Children in Mung Neau

Woman making Lao Lao, rice whiskey

Nung Kiaw

On the bridge in Nung Kiaw

Waterfall in Luang Prabong

Luang Prabong

Buddhas on the mountain

Monk robe

Monk in Luang Prabong

From Madeleine: Sapa, Vietnam and Luang Prabang, Laos

Greetings Lurkheads!

I'm in Luang Prabang, Laos- the most beautiful town I think I've ever been to!

I've spent the last few days exploring the area on my bike, visiting many temples, helping a new friend with his English, unexpectedly babysitting Laos children, buying random things at the night market, and enjoying the peaceful Mekong River.

Here are some photos from the last few weeks (including some from Cat Ba and Sapa):

Enjoy!

ps: Hi Kevin, Malcolm, Maura, Ellie

 

Flat Tire on Cat Ba Island

 

Misty Sapa Church

 

Walking with Ping and friends to Lao Chai

 

Beige-Man Kevin crossing bridge into Lao Chai

My new friend Phonh (a 22 yr old Buddhist monk). We've spent the past 2 afternoons working on his English

Don't know how to rotate this, but a face made from the remains of snack:  mini-bananas and tamarind

 

Monastery in Luang Prabang

Bridge Crossing the Mekong