WTF

WTF?!

Bali wasn’t short of WTF discoveries…

Penis bottle openers

Penis bottle openers - available in every other souvenir shop

Seriously, these things were everywhere

Cleaning product supplier on a bike

Cleaning product supplier on a bike

Bu-Oka: Suckling Pig - a local culinary specialty

Suckling Pig

Obviously, we had to try it!


WTF?!

Sex education in rural Laos, somewhere along the Loop.  Mr. Condom to the rescue!!


WTF?!

Some interesting sights in Laos

It's hot and sunny here, but is it really so hot and sunny that you need a sun umbrella on a moto ride?

These little birds are for sale, so that visitors may release them upon entering the adjacent religious site. Interesting product...


WTF?!

One activity we did not anticipate encountering in Luang Prabang (or really anywhere in Laos) is bowling, but low and behold, it’s all the rage here. It probably helps that it’s the only institution open past 11pm (and they’re open and serving BeerLao until 3am!). I’m not a huge fan of bowling, but when the bar closed and our Slow Boat friends were headed that way, we hopped in the tuk-tuk for the ride.

Who'd a thought?!

Riding with the kids to the alley

Cleaner and nicer than most bowling alleys I've ever been to!

Late-night bowling party


WTF?!

Over the past 9 months, we’ve eaten some strange things.  It’s part of the adventure, and half the time we don’t even know what we’re really getting.  One thing we did take a pass on was bugs, beetles and scorpions.  We saw carts full of them in Bangkok, but our most memorable bug-eating experience happened as we were relaxing with Pui in Maetachang.

We’re hanging with Pui while he cooks some vegetables wrapped in a banana leaf on a little fire next to this sort of covered patio structure we’re chillin on.  A huge black beetle comes flying by, and to our surprise, Pui reaches out and grabs it mid-flight and holds it up to show us.

Look what I caught!!

Again to our surprise, he throws the beetle on the fire next to the vegetables, and it cooks for about 30 seconds.  We’re thinking, well, that’s kinda cruel, but if we lived out in the middle of nowhere, maybe we’d do that too.

Patiently waiting for the beetle to cook

Then, to our biggest surprise, he plucks the beetle off the fire, cracks it in half, and bites off the juicy torso of this beetle.  Yum.  WTF?!

Snack time!


WTF?!

Big multinational corporations have to make some adjustments in their products and marketing to be locally successful.  For instance, McDonalds doesn’t sell beef in India (that’s right, you can’t get a burger in Micky D’s!), and here in Thailand, they make sure Ronald is demonstrating proper Thai etiquette.

Namaste Ronald!


WTF?!

As we explored the many wats of Chiang Mai, we stumbled across a few influential lamas (high priests, teachers) that have been preserved for generations to come.  Ok, well, not actually preserved, but a scarily-realistic wax version of the lamas, often encased in glass, on display for inspiration and devotion.  WTF?!

Seriously, I think i saw this guy blink

Kinda creepy wax lama


WTF?!

Thai massages and spas are a necessity of any visit to Bangkok.  For a mere $5, you can have your feet, your back, or your whole body worked in the age-old tradition of Thai massage.  Some spas have expanded their offering to “fish massages”, tanks full of hundreds of little fish that will eat the dead skin right off of your feet and lower legs.  WTF?!

"Happy Feet with Dr. Fish"

The tanks

A demo


WTF?!

Nepal, one of the poorest countries on the planet, is full of scenes that beg the question, WTF?! Check out a few funny things we encountered during our last week here:

A semi-full bus

That's a lot of containers on one head

Sometimes, you gotta stretch the powerlines

Mobile juicer


WTF?!

Check out this machine – the universal work vehicle in Nepal.  I call it a Nepali Utility Vehicle (NUV).  Part tractor, part truck, part bus, part wheelbarrow, part loader, part tuk-tuk, the NUV is about as bare-bones as they come.  Max speed – not fast.  Max load – well, that depends on how high you can pile up!

The NUV

The fancy version even has a roof!

I think he's got 3 more layers left, at least!


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