Luckily, Smith and I were not aboard this flight, we landed 3 hours earlier.
Here's the story from USA Today
PREY PEAY, Cambodia (AP) — Rescue teams searched jungles of southern Cambodia for a passenger plane believed to have crashed with 22 people aboard, including South Korean and Czech tourists, while flying between two popular destinations, officials said.
The plane, a Russian-made An-24, disappeared in a mountainous jungle area in Kampot province Monday morning.
Officials said they were certain the PMT Air flight had crashed, and a police chief cited witness acounts of a plane going down in the area, but searchers had not yet found the wreckage.
The search for the plane was suspended for the night about 12 hours after it disappeared, said Nhim Vanda, vice president of the National Committee for Disaster Management.
Him Sarun, head of the Secretariat of Civil Aviation, said it was unlikely any survivors would be found.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: South Korea | Cambodia | Czech | PHNOM PENH | Siem | Kampot | Sihanoukville
"If we located the plane three or four hours after the crash, there might have been some hope of survivors ... but since it is going to be a whole night passing without finding it, even if there had been any survivors, they could die from loss of blood," he said.
The plane had been flying from Siem Reap — where the famous Angkor Wat temple complex is located — to Sihanoukville, a coastal city with access to beaches, said Him Sarun.
An official at Siem Reap airport said 13 of the passengers were from South Korea — a figure confirmed by officials in Seoul — and three were Czech.
The official, who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the press, said the plane carried a crew of five Cambodians and a Russian co-pilot.
"It is 100% certain that the plane has crashed, but we still do not know who might have been killed or who might have survived," said Sith Sakal, head of the aviation secretariat's security department.
PMT Air is a small Cambodia airline that began flights from Siem Reap to Sihanoukville in January.
The airport official said contact with the plane was lost at 10:50 a.m., five minutes before it was due to land.
Him Sarun said the crash site is thought to be between Kamchay and Bokor mountains in Kampot province, about 130 kilometers (80 miles) southwest of the capital, Phnom Penh.
"I have received information from conservationists based on Bokor mountain who said they had spotted a plane crash" from a distance, said In Chiva, the Kampot province police chief, adding that the area is in a thick forest.
Rescue teams, comprising mostly soldiers and police, searched the area, but their efforts were hampered by slippery soil caused by recent rains, making trails impassable for vehicles, he said.
- Josh
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Sunday, June 24, 2007
So long Vietnam
We leave for Cambodia in a matter of minutes. Vietnam has been a country full of surprises, something that i half expected but never thought that it would have left me so breathless so many times..
Josh went to great efforts to tell you how amazing our time in the north of the country truly was, but there are no words that can explain to you how surreal the entire last week has been. Three days ago we had gone through and entire day of enduring, tiresome and inspiring dirtbiking through the country, to break down fall behind schedule and arrive at our boat to Bebe national park at dark. after we CAREFULLY loaded our bikes, packs and 4 guys( Josh, myself, our giude minh and the dirver/owner of the house we are staying with) on this boat, that could maybe be categorized as a large raft with an engine, we were off.
We lay on the front of the boat in the pitch black with the dark silhouettes of the mts on either side of this narrow river a bright half moon leading the way and fireflies along both sides of the water. The sky was full of stars, something rarely seen in Boston, or even fl and ca. for that matter. a shooting star and the sounds of crickets were the only sights and sounds other than the dull humm of the motor putt putting along.
We sat there wondering if we had ever in a million years thought we would be in north Vietnam in the middle of a lake in the dark with two Vietnamese, three dirt bikes and the sweat tears and cuts to prove the journey was an arduous one?......Not in a million.
No matter how hard try to explain or describe what it was like to be in that moment there are no pictures or words that can convey what the thoughts and feelings were like going through out minds and bodies right at that moment. It was something that i will never forget.
Cambodia and another adventure and story awaits.
Josh went to great efforts to tell you how amazing our time in the north of the country truly was, but there are no words that can explain to you how surreal the entire last week has been. Three days ago we had gone through and entire day of enduring, tiresome and inspiring dirtbiking through the country, to break down fall behind schedule and arrive at our boat to Bebe national park at dark. after we CAREFULLY loaded our bikes, packs and 4 guys( Josh, myself, our giude minh and the dirver/owner of the house we are staying with) on this boat, that could maybe be categorized as a large raft with an engine, we were off.
We lay on the front of the boat in the pitch black with the dark silhouettes of the mts on either side of this narrow river a bright half moon leading the way and fireflies along both sides of the water. The sky was full of stars, something rarely seen in Boston, or even fl and ca. for that matter. a shooting star and the sounds of crickets were the only sights and sounds other than the dull humm of the motor putt putting along.
We sat there wondering if we had ever in a million years thought we would be in north Vietnam in the middle of a lake in the dark with two Vietnamese, three dirt bikes and the sweat tears and cuts to prove the journey was an arduous one?......Not in a million.
No matter how hard try to explain or describe what it was like to be in that moment there are no pictures or words that can convey what the thoughts and feelings were like going through out minds and bodies right at that moment. It was something that i will never forget.
Cambodia and another adventure and story awaits.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Motorcycle Diaries
The morning after we returned from Halong Bay we packed up all our gear and headed over to Huang's garage where we picked up our dirtbikes. Smith was on year 2000, 230cc Honda with electric start, I was on a 1996, 175cc Yamaha with a kickstart, and gears that could never find neutral, and our guide Minh was on a 125cc Russian made Minsk motorbike left over from the war, famous for breakdowns and no suspension.
Together we were most badass motorcycle gang Vietnam had ever seen. We strapped down our packs and headed out of the city. There are 3.5 million people living in Vietnam, and 2 million motorbikes. The majority of the traffic lights flash yellow, and to cross an intersection you just proceed straight ahead, the other drivers can smell fear, so confidence is a must, and nerves of steel don't hurt.
I manage to stall at every red light as we head out of the city, buses honking at me, trucks flashing their lights... We get to some road that's under construction, dust flying everywhere, mud, puddles, sand, people, dead ends, livestock everywhere...this is mayhem, and we're only 1 hour into a 5 day trip.
We rode 300 kilometers that day, both Smith and I had some close calls with some water buffalo that had stopped in the middle of the road. Minh said no rain for the trip; he was right for about 6 hours until torrential downpours had us huddled under a hut with some locals. Smith's raincover for his pack flew off a few kilometers back, so everything he owned got soaked. We were happy to arrive around 7pm that night In Ha Giang (Ha Zan) where we were greated with Bia Hoi (draft beer for 20 cents a glass) and some locals that rarely saw foreigners and invited us to go to discotec with them.
We passed on the clubbing and ended up at a restaurant that had run out of food, and served us fried fat, pineapple, and tomatoes. We got to our guesthouse which had 3 beds per room, and passed out.
Now for the highlights to save time:
I run out of gas as we pull into a gas station
Almost crash into water buffalo
Visited the palace of the Mong King (mountain people)
Tried to catch a chicken for dinner (farmer says his all died from bird flu)
Cham Vu Cham means "100%" you say it to a person and you cheers and finish your drink
Breakfast is no different than lunch or dinner, pork and beef are perfectly acceptable choices
We pass people who've never seen Americans and we feel like rockstars the way they wave at us, and come out of their houses when they hear us coming
I break a small plastic kiddie chair at lunch and fall on my ass
Another hotel with 3 beds?
We plant rice with the locals, they're better than us
Woman invites us in for rabbit
We hear gunshots, and watch army target practice
Played soccer with Viet kids
Crash Viet dinner party, they all say the following "Hello, my name ___, you drink rice wine wit me?" we have no choice, they won't let us leave.
Breathtaking scenery
Karaoke...
Opportunity to eat dog presents itself, we pass.
Sleeping naked again
My geat shifter breaks, clutch is hanging by a thread
I hit gravel while taking a turn at 30 mph and my bike slips out from under me. I slide along the asphalt and cut up my arm and knee. Smith see's my head bounce off the ground, but the helmet saved my life. There are chunks of plastic missing from the helmet. I'm fine, but shaken up
We spend 2 entire days on dirt roads with rocks, puddles, rivers, forests, jungles, and mud up to out knees. We ruin our clothes, and leave our socks behind each night
Smith burns his leg on his exhaust and puts a big hole in his pants
I'm forced off the road by a bus in my lane trying to pass a truck and i hit a pile of bricks which throws off the alignment and costs me $10 when I return the bike
Started with 4 turn indicators, finished with 1, which I'm keeping as a momento
Flat tires, wet spark plugs, no rear brakes, no mirors, food shortage, riding at night, taking a boat up the river with only the moon and fireflys to guide us, staying in the house of an ex-soldier in the North Vietnamese Army (not our side), corn whiskey, great pictures, adrenaline rushes, riding single file up and down trails not even suitable for hiking along a 60 foot ledge...
We're black and blue, but breathing nonetheless.
-Josh
Together we were most badass motorcycle gang Vietnam had ever seen. We strapped down our packs and headed out of the city. There are 3.5 million people living in Vietnam, and 2 million motorbikes. The majority of the traffic lights flash yellow, and to cross an intersection you just proceed straight ahead, the other drivers can smell fear, so confidence is a must, and nerves of steel don't hurt.
I manage to stall at every red light as we head out of the city, buses honking at me, trucks flashing their lights... We get to some road that's under construction, dust flying everywhere, mud, puddles, sand, people, dead ends, livestock everywhere...this is mayhem, and we're only 1 hour into a 5 day trip.
We rode 300 kilometers that day, both Smith and I had some close calls with some water buffalo that had stopped in the middle of the road. Minh said no rain for the trip; he was right for about 6 hours until torrential downpours had us huddled under a hut with some locals. Smith's raincover for his pack flew off a few kilometers back, so everything he owned got soaked. We were happy to arrive around 7pm that night In Ha Giang (Ha Zan) where we were greated with Bia Hoi (draft beer for 20 cents a glass) and some locals that rarely saw foreigners and invited us to go to discotec with them.
We passed on the clubbing and ended up at a restaurant that had run out of food, and served us fried fat, pineapple, and tomatoes. We got to our guesthouse which had 3 beds per room, and passed out.
Now for the highlights to save time:
I run out of gas as we pull into a gas station
Almost crash into water buffalo
Visited the palace of the Mong King (mountain people)
Tried to catch a chicken for dinner (farmer says his all died from bird flu)
Cham Vu Cham means "100%" you say it to a person and you cheers and finish your drink
Breakfast is no different than lunch or dinner, pork and beef are perfectly acceptable choices
We pass people who've never seen Americans and we feel like rockstars the way they wave at us, and come out of their houses when they hear us coming
I break a small plastic kiddie chair at lunch and fall on my ass
Another hotel with 3 beds?
We plant rice with the locals, they're better than us
Woman invites us in for rabbit
We hear gunshots, and watch army target practice
Played soccer with Viet kids
Crash Viet dinner party, they all say the following "Hello, my name ___, you drink rice wine wit me?" we have no choice, they won't let us leave.
Breathtaking scenery
Karaoke...
Opportunity to eat dog presents itself, we pass.
Sleeping naked again
My geat shifter breaks, clutch is hanging by a thread
I hit gravel while taking a turn at 30 mph and my bike slips out from under me. I slide along the asphalt and cut up my arm and knee. Smith see's my head bounce off the ground, but the helmet saved my life. There are chunks of plastic missing from the helmet. I'm fine, but shaken up
We spend 2 entire days on dirt roads with rocks, puddles, rivers, forests, jungles, and mud up to out knees. We ruin our clothes, and leave our socks behind each night
Smith burns his leg on his exhaust and puts a big hole in his pants
I'm forced off the road by a bus in my lane trying to pass a truck and i hit a pile of bricks which throws off the alignment and costs me $10 when I return the bike
Started with 4 turn indicators, finished with 1, which I'm keeping as a momento
Flat tires, wet spark plugs, no rear brakes, no mirors, food shortage, riding at night, taking a boat up the river with only the moon and fireflys to guide us, staying in the house of an ex-soldier in the North Vietnamese Army (not our side), corn whiskey, great pictures, adrenaline rushes, riding single file up and down trails not even suitable for hiking along a 60 foot ledge...
We're black and blue, but breathing nonetheless.
-Josh
Monday, June 18, 2007
The American War
After all, that's what they call it here. However their thoughts on the war are much different than our thoughts on the war. We hear stories of terror and bloodshed and of all the soldiers lost fighting against the NVA, and the subject is hardly ever talked about here. I had doubts when we first arrived at the airport of how we'd be received...Smith and I being some of the most American looking Americans I know, but I've found the Vietnamese to be some of the greatest people we've met so far. The majority of the country is under the age of 35, and the war is just a history lesson to them, something that is taught, not experienced. Please believe me when I say you know nothing about this country. We've been here 4 days and are just beginning to grasp the culture and lifestyle of these fascinating people.
Yesterday morning Smith and I got up early and hopped in a van headed for Ha Long bay. It's a three hour ride to the coast and some of the most amazing islands I've ever seen. A kid from Singapore asked where I was from, and if Northeastern had any relation to Northwestern (no matter how far I go people get that wrong) I tell him he speaks great English, and he tells me English is their first language in Singapore. I feel like an idiot, but I learned something. Did you know that the money in Australia is waterproof? (makes sense living on a big island i guess)We boarded a 3 story Chinese Junk and headed out into what looked like ominous islands from Pirates of the Carribean. Pretty awesome, then we head into a huge cave, then kayaked for a bit.
We went for a swim, and Smith got me to jump off the top of the boat, about 3 stories. Jumping isn't my thing, but that's his job...making me do things. We have a great dinner then Karaoke begins. Our tour guide Tom (who was born 3 days before Smith, making them both Rats in the Vietnamese zodiac, and is reason enough for multiple shots of rice wine) starts us off with a beautiful rendition of The Rolling Stone's "Paint it Black." He basically screamed in broken English as loud as he could into a microphone with reverb that couldn't be turned off. Smith and I followed with some Green Day, YMCA, Backstreet Boys, and then I did Born in the USA.
After Stan the French guy sang Britney Spears, Smith stole some beers, and we headed to the top deck for some bonding. Little did we know that the entire crew was up there getting wasted off of a jug of rice wine and eating strips of dried squid with chili sauce. We were well received, and over the course of an hour drank enough rice wine to kill a small animal.
We were woken up by a cute Vietnamese girl who was probably wondering why our windows were open and we were butt naked, but we smiled and told her not to worry. I wore a white sheet up to breakfast, and got a few funny looks from the crew. Smith made it up a half hour later, then proceeded to sunburn his entire front by falling asleep in the sun for 2 hours.
We're back in Ha Noi now getting ready for the weekly BBQ at the Hostel, and we leave tomorrow morning for 5 days of intensive exploration on our greatly upgraded hogs. We've gotten ourselves a tour guide, and we're headed up to the Northeast part of the country near the China border. This is the part of Vietnam where dogs and cats become their bread and butter, and even the rice runs out on occasion. This is the last you'll hear from us for a few days, but I'm sure we'll make it home alive...
Keep on keepin' on,
Zoz (closest they can get to Josh in Vietnam)
Yesterday morning Smith and I got up early and hopped in a van headed for Ha Long bay. It's a three hour ride to the coast and some of the most amazing islands I've ever seen. A kid from Singapore asked where I was from, and if Northeastern had any relation to Northwestern (no matter how far I go people get that wrong) I tell him he speaks great English, and he tells me English is their first language in Singapore. I feel like an idiot, but I learned something. Did you know that the money in Australia is waterproof? (makes sense living on a big island i guess)We boarded a 3 story Chinese Junk and headed out into what looked like ominous islands from Pirates of the Carribean. Pretty awesome, then we head into a huge cave, then kayaked for a bit.
We went for a swim, and Smith got me to jump off the top of the boat, about 3 stories. Jumping isn't my thing, but that's his job...making me do things. We have a great dinner then Karaoke begins. Our tour guide Tom (who was born 3 days before Smith, making them both Rats in the Vietnamese zodiac, and is reason enough for multiple shots of rice wine) starts us off with a beautiful rendition of The Rolling Stone's "Paint it Black." He basically screamed in broken English as loud as he could into a microphone with reverb that couldn't be turned off. Smith and I followed with some Green Day, YMCA, Backstreet Boys, and then I did Born in the USA.
After Stan the French guy sang Britney Spears, Smith stole some beers, and we headed to the top deck for some bonding. Little did we know that the entire crew was up there getting wasted off of a jug of rice wine and eating strips of dried squid with chili sauce. We were well received, and over the course of an hour drank enough rice wine to kill a small animal.
We were woken up by a cute Vietnamese girl who was probably wondering why our windows were open and we were butt naked, but we smiled and told her not to worry. I wore a white sheet up to breakfast, and got a few funny looks from the crew. Smith made it up a half hour later, then proceeded to sunburn his entire front by falling asleep in the sun for 2 hours.
We're back in Ha Noi now getting ready for the weekly BBQ at the Hostel, and we leave tomorrow morning for 5 days of intensive exploration on our greatly upgraded hogs. We've gotten ourselves a tour guide, and we're headed up to the Northeast part of the country near the China border. This is the part of Vietnam where dogs and cats become their bread and butter, and even the rice runs out on occasion. This is the last you'll hear from us for a few days, but I'm sure we'll make it home alive...
Keep on keepin' on,
Zoz (closest they can get to Josh in Vietnam)
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Miss America
No, not the contest, but do I miss America? The short answer is no. There is so much of this world left to explore. The ppl the places and the food around every corner offer so much more of an insight to what our planet is than i could ever look up on the internet or see on TV. Sure I miss the convenience of having a sub place across the street or being able to do my laundry or shower when ever i want, but I am in Vietnam, eating from street vendors meeting ppl from all over the world. I can honestly say i have learned more about other countries in the last three weeks than i have my entire educational career. Wars, customs, habits... For example i doubt that anyone knew that the queen of England is the head of state of both Australia and Canada....thats pretty crazy ehh?
So I have been on the road for a little more than two weeks. maybe two and a half, if that; but i can definitely see there are some travellers' illnesses we've picked up.... for example Josh more than definitely suffers from:
Cultural Emulation Syndrome: "Going native" if you will, picking up the local social, dress and eating habits of the country, Josh for the last several days have been wearing what i would call a camono maybe? a sort of man dress?
Cultural Enhancement Syndrome: Exaggerating the home countries local customs....for example, the loud american who likes to go to strip clubs and get massages.
Obssesive Junk Food cravings: Often the result of an unfamiliar and unfulfilling diet for a time unend. in most cases will cause the afflicted to ravage particular foodmarts for the particular brand or item on hand. A chilli cheese burger in the heart of tokyo perhaps?
I currently suffer from at least the following and probably more:
Pack Stoop: Casused by lugging an over-heavy backpack ffrom hostel to hostel seeming to get worse the longer we travel, especially as we load up on un-necessary goods and presents for those loved ones at home....
Constipated Payment Disorder: The result of a traveller not wanting to pay the asked for rate even though when we are home I would easily pay upwards of ten times the going rate here. We could pay the rate they ask but then we run the risk of getting lectured by fellow travellers about the "its not the money, its the principal." - Actually in most of the countries here its custom to haggle and looked as a sign of respect. Weird huh?
anyway tomorrow we leave for a 7 day adventure...two days in halong bay doing water stuff then 5 days on our new hogs...bigger and badder than ever...josh got his yamaha 175 cc and I my 230 CC honda and our giude; just the three of us and 1000km of open road, two homestays, a hotel and a guest house.....sick right? get ready for the pictures and adventures of the trip so far....
So I have been on the road for a little more than two weeks. maybe two and a half, if that; but i can definitely see there are some travellers' illnesses we've picked up.... for example Josh more than definitely suffers from:
Cultural Emulation Syndrome: "Going native" if you will, picking up the local social, dress and eating habits of the country, Josh for the last several days have been wearing what i would call a camono maybe? a sort of man dress?
Cultural Enhancement Syndrome: Exaggerating the home countries local customs....for example, the loud american who likes to go to strip clubs and get massages.
Obssesive Junk Food cravings: Often the result of an unfamiliar and unfulfilling diet for a time unend. in most cases will cause the afflicted to ravage particular foodmarts for the particular brand or item on hand. A chilli cheese burger in the heart of tokyo perhaps?
I currently suffer from at least the following and probably more:
Pack Stoop: Casused by lugging an over-heavy backpack ffrom hostel to hostel seeming to get worse the longer we travel, especially as we load up on un-necessary goods and presents for those loved ones at home....
Constipated Payment Disorder: The result of a traveller not wanting to pay the asked for rate even though when we are home I would easily pay upwards of ten times the going rate here. We could pay the rate they ask but then we run the risk of getting lectured by fellow travellers about the "its not the money, its the principal." - Actually in most of the countries here its custom to haggle and looked as a sign of respect. Weird huh?
anyway tomorrow we leave for a 7 day adventure...two days in halong bay doing water stuff then 5 days on our new hogs...bigger and badder than ever...josh got his yamaha 175 cc and I my 230 CC honda and our giude; just the three of us and 1000km of open road, two homestays, a hotel and a guest house.....sick right? get ready for the pictures and adventures of the trip so far....
Friday, June 15, 2007
Good Morning Vietnam!!
So we made it last night, a great flight with both of us having and entire row to ourselves. We spent most of the flight both completely tangled in our Vietnam guidebooks. This is the country that I am most excited about. We head out of a surprisingly simple customs, when compared to Thailand. Our Hostel Pick-up was there to meet us and after a quick change of some money, 2 million dong = 120 dollars....what a conversion right...
We jump in the bag of what looks like a civic that was left in the dryer too long, a bit small. The roads here are horrendous, random piles of bricks laying in the middle of the road, which is owned by motorbikes. Hundreds of them, no street lights and absolutely no rhyme of reason about who goes when, the bigger car really wins if you are bigger you don't need to stop at intersections. The trick to crossing the road when on foot, walk slow, make eye contact and they will go around you. The first time we did this, i panicked and ran. were good now. We crashed early last night to get a go at it early this morning. Eggs and bread for breakfast with some instant coffee that is actually quite good.
One of the pair of Aussies that runs this joint was really helpful with us this morning and we are heading to Halong bay tomorrow and up to the northern part of the country for a bike tour, then back here to Hanoi and down to ho Chi Min City, HCMC, then hopefully to Cambodia and on to Bangkok for our flight to Morocco, all in two weeks? that's the plan anyway .... I am sure it will change at least three times more, Bangkok in two weeks or bust
We jump in the bag of what looks like a civic that was left in the dryer too long, a bit small. The roads here are horrendous, random piles of bricks laying in the middle of the road, which is owned by motorbikes. Hundreds of them, no street lights and absolutely no rhyme of reason about who goes when, the bigger car really wins if you are bigger you don't need to stop at intersections. The trick to crossing the road when on foot, walk slow, make eye contact and they will go around you. The first time we did this, i panicked and ran. were good now. We crashed early last night to get a go at it early this morning. Eggs and bread for breakfast with some instant coffee that is actually quite good.
One of the pair of Aussies that runs this joint was really helpful with us this morning and we are heading to Halong bay tomorrow and up to the northern part of the country for a bike tour, then back here to Hanoi and down to ho Chi Min City, HCMC, then hopefully to Cambodia and on to Bangkok for our flight to Morocco, all in two weeks? that's the plan anyway .... I am sure it will change at least three times more, Bangkok in two weeks or bust
Thursday, June 14, 2007
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