Monday, May 31, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Vientiane to Siem Reap - that's Laos to Cambodia to you
After pulling ourselves off the bathroom floor, wiping away three days worth of mascara and shaving my armpits we finally left Vang Vieng, thank god! And as I mentioned we spent a few days in the capital of Laos, Vientiane. It was nice to be in a city again, even if it is a small one. And Vientiane proved to be both restorative and memorable. We spent one afternoon at a fancy hotel pool and had several amazing dinners. Overall the food was amazing in Vientiane.
We had heard that the unofficial overland border crossing from Laos to Cambodia was an absolute nightmare so we opted to fly to Siem Reap instead of bus. And frankly it was the way to go. Not only did it only cost us about 40$ more to fly, we got there in an hour as opposed to 24 hours on a bus. And we didn't have to pay any of the ridiculous "fees"that people are charged at the overland border. And even though Laos Airlines was totally confusing and disorganized it was a relatively uneventful travel day for us. It didn't hurt that Justin had already booked our hotel in Siem Reap and that we got a free pick up at the airport.
We arrived at about 9:30 in the morning and my first thought was, fuck it is hot here."" And it is. I know I keep saying that but honestly this is unimaginable heat. The biggest downside to the heat is that it makes you so unmotivated to go out and do things. I can literally only handle being outside during the day for a few hours at most. The humidity is practically 100% and we just sweat all day long. Thankfully our hotel is really nice, we have a big room with air conditioning and a TV. Yeah I know super cultural right? The other noticeable thing is that they use American currency. The official Cambodian currency is the Riel but nobody uses it and the prices are all listed in dollars, and all you get at the atm is American money. It is really bizarre actually. After we got into town we took a nap and then decided to go exploring in Siem Reap. While we were out we ran into Mike, the Scottish guy we had met in VV and made plans to go out that night with him and his travel buddy Seb.
The nightlife in Siem Reap is really fun. Despite having heard there was a bit of gay scene in Siem Reap we haven't seen much of that. But we've had a good time nevertheless. Angkor Beer is amazingly refreshing and drafts here are fifty cents! Can't beat that. The first two nights we were here we went out with Mike, and then he took off for Phom Penh. But the next day our friends Jaylene and Travis, who we had also met in Vang Vieng and had dinner with in Vientiane, showed up as well. They had also met another couple James and Jen on the bus. So we all went out to Angkor Wat that evening to see the sunset over the temple ruins. You may not think you know what Angkor Wat is but I guarantee you have seen these famous temples in dozens of movies and the main temple is considered an unofficial 8th wonder of the world. There are 100's of temples near Siem Reap but the largest and most famous is Angkor Wat. So that is where we headed for sunset. And it did not disappoint.
We agreed to get up early the next day and do sunrise at Bayon one of the other famous and impressive temples. Since we had a full day of templing ahead of us we all turned in early that night. But at 4am when the alarm went off I definitely had to force myself our of bed. But it was worth it. We spent 6 hours wandering around some of the more famous temples at Angkor and while it did get a bit monotonous near the end they were all really beautiful and different. I can't say exactly which was my favourite but I loved Pre Rup, because it was originally a Hindu Temple and one of the spires was dedicated to Lakshmie, my favourite Hindu goddess. I also loved Ta Prohm, which you may recognize as it was made famous in Lara Croft Tomb Raider. But as much as we loved seeing all of the temples by 11 am it was so hot that we needed to head back to town and cool off in the pool.
Thankfully the rainy season has started and so we are guaranteed at least an hour of rain a day, usually more, and that really cools things down a lot. It means that when we go out after sunset it's hot but not unbearably so. The night before last we all went out to dinner and dancing and had one of the best nights out of the whole trip. But I am definitely starting to get itchy feet and I am looking forward to heading to Phom Penh tomorrow morning. I know the killing fields and the capital are going to be emotional but I am so excited to get there. Cambodia was definitely the country I most wanted to see and so far it has not disappointing. The people are so warm and friendly, and the food is so delicious. It has been amazing.
We had heard that the unofficial overland border crossing from Laos to Cambodia was an absolute nightmare so we opted to fly to Siem Reap instead of bus. And frankly it was the way to go. Not only did it only cost us about 40$ more to fly, we got there in an hour as opposed to 24 hours on a bus. And we didn't have to pay any of the ridiculous "fees"that people are charged at the overland border. And even though Laos Airlines was totally confusing and disorganized it was a relatively uneventful travel day for us. It didn't hurt that Justin had already booked our hotel in Siem Reap and that we got a free pick up at the airport.
We arrived at about 9:30 in the morning and my first thought was, fuck it is hot here."" And it is. I know I keep saying that but honestly this is unimaginable heat. The biggest downside to the heat is that it makes you so unmotivated to go out and do things. I can literally only handle being outside during the day for a few hours at most. The humidity is practically 100% and we just sweat all day long. Thankfully our hotel is really nice, we have a big room with air conditioning and a TV. Yeah I know super cultural right? The other noticeable thing is that they use American currency. The official Cambodian currency is the Riel but nobody uses it and the prices are all listed in dollars, and all you get at the atm is American money. It is really bizarre actually. After we got into town we took a nap and then decided to go exploring in Siem Reap. While we were out we ran into Mike, the Scottish guy we had met in VV and made plans to go out that night with him and his travel buddy Seb.
The nightlife in Siem Reap is really fun. Despite having heard there was a bit of gay scene in Siem Reap we haven't seen much of that. But we've had a good time nevertheless. Angkor Beer is amazingly refreshing and drafts here are fifty cents! Can't beat that. The first two nights we were here we went out with Mike, and then he took off for Phom Penh. But the next day our friends Jaylene and Travis, who we had also met in Vang Vieng and had dinner with in Vientiane, showed up as well. They had also met another couple James and Jen on the bus. So we all went out to Angkor Wat that evening to see the sunset over the temple ruins. You may not think you know what Angkor Wat is but I guarantee you have seen these famous temples in dozens of movies and the main temple is considered an unofficial 8th wonder of the world. There are 100's of temples near Siem Reap but the largest and most famous is Angkor Wat. So that is where we headed for sunset. And it did not disappoint.
We agreed to get up early the next day and do sunrise at Bayon one of the other famous and impressive temples. Since we had a full day of templing ahead of us we all turned in early that night. But at 4am when the alarm went off I definitely had to force myself our of bed. But it was worth it. We spent 6 hours wandering around some of the more famous temples at Angkor and while it did get a bit monotonous near the end they were all really beautiful and different. I can't say exactly which was my favourite but I loved Pre Rup, because it was originally a Hindu Temple and one of the spires was dedicated to Lakshmie, my favourite Hindu goddess. I also loved Ta Prohm, which you may recognize as it was made famous in Lara Croft Tomb Raider. But as much as we loved seeing all of the temples by 11 am it was so hot that we needed to head back to town and cool off in the pool.
Thankfully the rainy season has started and so we are guaranteed at least an hour of rain a day, usually more, and that really cools things down a lot. It means that when we go out after sunset it's hot but not unbearably so. The night before last we all went out to dinner and dancing and had one of the best nights out of the whole trip. But I am definitely starting to get itchy feet and I am looking forward to heading to Phom Penh tomorrow morning. I know the killing fields and the capital are going to be emotional but I am so excited to get there. Cambodia was definitely the country I most wanted to see and so far it has not disappointing. The people are so warm and friendly, and the food is so delicious. It has been amazing.
Friday, May 21, 2010
"Excuse me, do you know how far we are from the tubing place?"
When the 17 year old Brit asked Justin the above question about how far we were from Vang Vieng it finally dawned on me exactly what we were getting ourselves into. I had heard rumours and seen the infamous "tubing videos" but like most things nothing really prepares you like experience. And what an experience it was. I can't remember all of it and most of it is NSFB (not safe for blogging,) but Vang Vieng definitely ranks up there on the fun-o-meter. We got into town in the late afternoon, and after getting ourselves set up at the guesthouse the boys from my trek recommended we went to explore. Vang Vieng the town is not very pretty. But the surroundings are gorgeous. Set in a lush river valley, surrounded by densely covered green cliffs, Laos is stunning. But VV itself seems to be in a prolonged state of haphazard development. Development which I would guess is going to be underway for at least the next ten years. In the meantime there are plenty of bars and restaurants endlessly playing Friends and making french fries to satiate even the drunkest Brit. Since apparently they "love Friends."
While wandering around we wandered across the bamboo bridge to the shanty town with the most important landmark in town - the Bucket Bar. It was early so nobody was there except some employees and some hardcore drinkers but one of the bartenders gave us all the important details about Vang Vieng - mainly when and where to get free buckets of whiskey. It turns out that if you time it right you never have to spend a penny on drinks in VV. And when you get your free bucket at the Bucket Bar, you can pour the liquor yourself. It seems they don't mind making stiff drinks because the mix is more expensive than the whiskey. So that pretty much sums up the whole VV experience except for the tubing, and the sandwiches, which was about the only things we did or ate for three days.
Tubing, which we only really did once was unbelievable. You show up at the top of the river with your tube and right away you get a free shot, or six. In fact most people don't even make it past the first three bars because they just ply you with free shots, rope swings, diving platforms and zip lines. Oh yea and one place has free french fries. But we did actually manage to release our hold on our shot glasses and tube down river. After our fist night in town Justin and I had met and made friends with Mike and Mark of Scotland and Wales respectively. And so we were tubing with them. Over the course of the day we managed to also pick up, Luke, Tom, Luke (Tubes,) Ciaran, Jaylene, Travis and a whole other whack of tubers. We stopped at the mud bar and played mud volleyball and had mud tug-of-war. We went to the massive slide, which I later found out is deadly. I did manage to make it down the slide OK, although Jaylene (not brown haired,) landed hard on her back and still has a bruise. I also successfully did the rope swing once. The second time was not so successful. But at least I wasn't seriously injured like some. We were all actually pretty good about avoiding the acrobatics while completely inebriated.
There isn't much after the slide bar, but actually that was the really beautiful part. No bars or loud drunks just you in your tube with all that scenery around. If only the river had been higher we would have really enjoyed it and not have been constantly scrapping the rocks and getting stuck. We decided to get out early because of the late hour and shallow water and take a tuk tuk back into town. The six of us became a bit of a posse, well except J and Travis because they hightailed it out of VV the next day. But the guys and Lize had quite a party over the next two days.
I got propositioned to have sex with a guy from each of the Celtic nations in one go. That's Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales, in case you were in doubt. It was quite difficult to turn that one down, but I managed. My inner slut hated me though. But don't feel too bad for me I managed to have plenty of fun in VV. Thankfully though Justin and I had discussed not getting stuck there and so after three days we were definitely ready to go. And so we bid adieu to the delicious street sandwiches, which we had be living on, and the Tiger Whiskey and made for the capital. From here we are heading down to Siem Reap in Cambodia early tomorrow. But we have enjoyed Vientiane and particularly loved the COPE exhibit about the USA's covert bombings in Laos which have left the country horrifically scarred, literally.
While wandering around we wandered across the bamboo bridge to the shanty town with the most important landmark in town - the Bucket Bar. It was early so nobody was there except some employees and some hardcore drinkers but one of the bartenders gave us all the important details about Vang Vieng - mainly when and where to get free buckets of whiskey. It turns out that if you time it right you never have to spend a penny on drinks in VV. And when you get your free bucket at the Bucket Bar, you can pour the liquor yourself. It seems they don't mind making stiff drinks because the mix is more expensive than the whiskey. So that pretty much sums up the whole VV experience except for the tubing, and the sandwiches, which was about the only things we did or ate for three days.
Tubing, which we only really did once was unbelievable. You show up at the top of the river with your tube and right away you get a free shot, or six. In fact most people don't even make it past the first three bars because they just ply you with free shots, rope swings, diving platforms and zip lines. Oh yea and one place has free french fries. But we did actually manage to release our hold on our shot glasses and tube down river. After our fist night in town Justin and I had met and made friends with Mike and Mark of Scotland and Wales respectively. And so we were tubing with them. Over the course of the day we managed to also pick up, Luke, Tom, Luke (Tubes,) Ciaran, Jaylene, Travis and a whole other whack of tubers. We stopped at the mud bar and played mud volleyball and had mud tug-of-war. We went to the massive slide, which I later found out is deadly. I did manage to make it down the slide OK, although Jaylene (not brown haired,) landed hard on her back and still has a bruise. I also successfully did the rope swing once. The second time was not so successful. But at least I wasn't seriously injured like some. We were all actually pretty good about avoiding the acrobatics while completely inebriated.
There isn't much after the slide bar, but actually that was the really beautiful part. No bars or loud drunks just you in your tube with all that scenery around. If only the river had been higher we would have really enjoyed it and not have been constantly scrapping the rocks and getting stuck. We decided to get out early because of the late hour and shallow water and take a tuk tuk back into town. The six of us became a bit of a posse, well except J and Travis because they hightailed it out of VV the next day. But the guys and Lize had quite a party over the next two days.
I got propositioned to have sex with a guy from each of the Celtic nations in one go. That's Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales, in case you were in doubt. It was quite difficult to turn that one down, but I managed. My inner slut hated me though. But don't feel too bad for me I managed to have plenty of fun in VV. Thankfully though Justin and I had discussed not getting stuck there and so after three days we were definitely ready to go. And so we bid adieu to the delicious street sandwiches, which we had be living on, and the Tiger Whiskey and made for the capital. From here we are heading down to Siem Reap in Cambodia early tomorrow. But we have enjoyed Vientiane and particularly loved the COPE exhibit about the USA's covert bombings in Laos which have left the country horrifically scarred, literally.
Friday, May 14, 2010
How now Lao? Wow!
Getting to Lao entailed busing all day to Chang Kong in the north of Thailand. Thankfully Noi, our driver, made Justin and me sit up front so we able to plug my iPod into the van's speakers and drink beer, which is not illegal here. I have had a lot of long road-trip djing experience, (thanks Lo and Ash) and was more than happy to oversee the task. It was also a good opportunity to listen to a lot of the new music that I added to my iPod in Koh Tao. All of our fellow passengers expressed their gratitude for our efforts.
After a pleasant enough six hour drive we pulled into the guesthouse where we were staying and promptly overheated. Spending all day in the air-coned van left us woefully unprepared for the stiffing heat and humidity. By now I have just accepted that for the next month I will be constantly sweating. And I don't mean sweating in a normal Canadian kind of way. This is the kind of sweating where large beads of moisture are forever forming and streaking down all over every body part. The kind of sweat where rings are not confined to the underarms but are in fact visible where ever fabric meets skin. You basically always look like you have just gotten out of the shower. But in fact you desperately need to get into one.
After a pleasant enough six hour drive we pulled into the guesthouse where we were staying and promptly overheated. Spending all day in the air-coned van left us woefully unprepared for the stiffing heat and humidity. By now I have just accepted that for the next month I will be constantly sweating. And I don't mean sweating in a normal Canadian kind of way. This is the kind of sweating where large beads of moisture are forever forming and streaking down all over every body part. The kind of sweat where rings are not confined to the underarms but are in fact visible where ever fabric meets skin. You basically always look like you have just gotten out of the shower. But in fact you desperately need to get into one.
Our guesthouse for the night was nice enough. Although it was overrun with other Laos bound travelers who partied late into the night irritating Justin and me. The next morning we got up before 6am so that we could go down to the morning market and get fresh fruit for the long boat journey. The morning market was great. There wasn't anything about it that was particularly special but it felt like a genuine local market unlike others we have seen (i.e the floating market near Bangkok.) In other words there were no beer logo t-shirts for sale. We got quite a few stares and more than one chuckle at our expense, but we enjoyed ourselves nonetheless. And I will remember it as one of our most authentic moments in Thailand
After breakfast, if you can call it that, we packed up and waited for the bus to take us to the ferry which would shuttle us across the Mekong to Laos. While waiting we met a few of the other travelers who we would come to know over the next three days of travel. There were quite a few Canadians and a group of really nice guys from Tennessee as well as innumerable Brits. Apparently there is a video of the Vang Vieng tubing on Youtube which became a viral hit in England and now Laos is THE destination for gap year Brit kids. Some of them have been really nice but by and large they have been a bit of a pain in the ass. (The Brits were the major offenders in Chang Kong.)
After sitting around waiting for an inexplicably long time we were finally told to board the bus and we headed for the border crossing. Crossing the overland boarder into Laos involved visiting no less than three windows on each side of the river, handing over my passport to complete strangers with no explanation more than half a dozen time and shelling out way more money than expected. The exchange rates up there were decidedly unfriendly to budget travelers, which was just about everyone there since anyone with any money or sense would have skipped this rigmarole and flown. Eventually we were all loaded onto another bus on the Laos side of the border and were headed for the slow boat that would be our mode of transportation for the next two days to Luang Prabang.
But before we could get on the boat we were forced to endure a thoroughly infuriating shpeel by our Thai tour leader about how the Lao people can't be trusted and that we should be wary of everyone. And perhaps most importantly that we should A.) book our guesthouse for our overnight on the river through them and that B.) It would be a good idea to change Thai Bhat to Laos Kip now with them, or we risked getting ripped off. Right, the Lao people are the ones to watch out for. Justin and I rolled our eyes a' la Jean Amabile and headed to the boat.
It was a long day of floating through sublime scenery. And while Laos is stunning it is only so long before the beauty becomes monotonous and all you want is to get up off the floor of the boat and step on dry land. It didn't help that three of the six or seven people around us were the biggest twats we have met so far. We didn't actually even meet them but we knew they were twats nonetheless. (Brits - no surprise there.*) Finally at around 5pm we docked at a small village, the name of which escapes me, and happily disembarked. We found accommodation, not surprisingly much cheaper than the offer from the Thais at the border, and went for dinner.
It was a fairly uneventful night for us, made even more uneventful when we heard what happened to our friend Philip who had been ahead of us by a day. Apparently when they rocked up their whole boat had had a few drinks and later in the night ended up smoking opium with some locals. (Philip notwithstanding.) He went to bed shortly there after but was awoken in the middle of the night by a fellow traveler who had been beaten in the head and couldn't find his travel companion. He did end up finding her, but apparently he had suffered quite a beating. By whom remains unknown.
Our night was no where near as exciting, thankfully. The next morning we again assembled at the dock and waited to depart for our final leg to Luang Prabang. We were due to arrive mid afternoon. But unfortunately some of the travelers had been given the wrong departure time by there guesthouse and we ended up leaving an hour late. Despite being behind schedule we pulled into Luang Prabang with plenty of daylight left to search for accommodation, and have a nice dinner. But it was a long journey.
Since arriving in Laos we have been here in LPB almost a week, and so far I think this might be one of the best places we have been so far. (The heat however is nearly unbearable.) It is certainly the most beautiful city I have seen in Southeast Asia. We have enjoyed strolling around, for as long as we can bear, and have loved the atmosphere of the old French quarter where we are staying. One day we took a day trip to the nearby waterfalls and swimming hole. The waterfalls were absolutely breathtaking and it was so refreshing to take a dip in the cold water. They even had a rope swing. Sadly, I did not partake because I didn't want to get my hand wet yet. So I mostly just sat in the shallow end and read my book.
The last two days I went on a trekking/kayaking trip on my own with Green Discovery tour company. Me and seven others hiked 15 km through babbling brooks and local farming villages until we came to a largish village where we stayed overnight, and had a delicious communal Lao style dinner. We got to bathe at the local watering hole, since the village had no plumbing and minimal electricity. The watering hole consisted of little more than a trickling stream funneled through a bamboo shoot, where all the water used by the villagers is collected. We had to bathe in the traditional style, which means fully clothed, which was awkward and didn't leave any of us feeling particularly clean. But it was a memorable experience. After dinner the guides offered us shots of Lao Lao, rice whiskey, which was shocking palatable and we all told riddles and sang songs until bed time. One of the best days on the trip. Aside from being woken by roosters at 2:30 am and not being able to get back to sleep, (those roosters are persistent,) I felt pretty well rested and ready for another full day of trekking and kayaking.
After breakfast and delicious Lao coffee we headed off for another intense hour or two of hiking. It was only 8:30am, at the latest, but already it was hot and everyone was sweating buckets by the time we came to the road, where we met the truck with our gear for the kayaking leg of the trip. We kayaked for almost 20 km and it was after 4 pm by the time we reached the Buddha Caves, our end point for the kayaking. The river is so low since it is the end of the dry season, and that made our efforts down labored and slow.
Sarah, my kayaking buddy and I did pretty well but we did have one mishap, which involved a tricky set of rocks that sprang up out of nowhere and capsized us as I tried to steer around them. We ended up going over the rocks sideways and Sarah, at the front, got jammed up on top of them while I, still free at the back, continued sliding along with the current. That caused us to go over, and Sarah end up pinned under the kayak against a rock for a few terrifying moments. When she popped up I could tell she was a bit shaken, and had lost her bearings. I told her to hold on to the kayak as we came through the white water and to keep her legs up. Considering how scared she must have been she responded really well and we were able to right our kayak and climb back in with some help from the guides. The only casualty of our accident were Sarah's sunglasses which never surfaced. And I for one was glad that was all we lost. We took stock of everything in our dry sacks and all the stuff strapped to the boat and everything appeared to be fine. We didn't even lose a paddle down the river. All in all it was a minor incident. We were lucky as well because a few of the other vessels had major leaks and two of the boats were constantly taking on water and were forever needing to stop and dump it out.
Overall that was my one criticism of Green Discovery. The kayaking gear and instruction from our otherwise fantastic guides definitely left a little to be desired. We weren't the only team to capsize either and I blame that accident entirely on poor white water instructions. And by poor I mean non-existent. We got some basic distress signals and a demonstration on forward and backward strokes but that was it. The Dutch couple who went over had never kayaked in white water before, and at least one of them had never even kayaked at all. They flipped because when they got to the rapids they stopped paddling altogether and turned sideways which of course left them more susceptible to the waves. But we were in very easy rapids and it was so shallow that nobody was ever in any really serious danger. At least as long as they didn't panic, which nobody did. It was a long day on the river though and by the time we got to the Buddha Caves everyone was completely spent.
We didn't stay at the caves long before we headed across the river and boarded our van to go to the elephant sanctuary, our last stop for the day. I say sanctuary but that isn't really accurate, since there were only two elephants there and we got to ride them. I don't think they usually let you ride elephants at a real sanctuary. Being on top of that great animal I definitely had misgivings but I am glad I got to experience it once. They are so big and strong it is amazing to feel their power beneath you.
We were also supposed to stop at the nearby Whiskey village where they make the famous Lao whiskey but we were behind schedule so we opted to skip it and headed back to Luang Prabang. All of us agreed to meet for dinner and we had a lovely evening reminiscing about the trip and sharing our travel stories. All in all it was really fun couple of days. But it was an early evening because we were all exhausted and a few of the group members were departing Luang Prabang in the morning. Today I didn't do much of anything. It was unbearably hot, surprise surprise. Justin had suggested when i got back to LPB that we might want to change our plans and head south a day early. I was too tired to discuss it last night but when i woke up this morning to another day of unfathomable temperatures I saw the wisdom in making for the water and agreed to head to Vang Vieng and the famous tubing tomorrow...
*NO offense to all of the lovely Brits out there but some of your Limey brethren are really unbearable. And as an American with equally awful countrymen I can attest.
It should also be noted that all of the Brits on my trek were lovely. Not a drunk pain in the ass in the bunch. Thank god the drunks of any nationality aren't really into trekking.
After sitting around waiting for an inexplicably long time we were finally told to board the bus and we headed for the border crossing. Crossing the overland boarder into Laos involved visiting no less than three windows on each side of the river, handing over my passport to complete strangers with no explanation more than half a dozen time and shelling out way more money than expected. The exchange rates up there were decidedly unfriendly to budget travelers, which was just about everyone there since anyone with any money or sense would have skipped this rigmarole and flown. Eventually we were all loaded onto another bus on the Laos side of the border and were headed for the slow boat that would be our mode of transportation for the next two days to Luang Prabang.
But before we could get on the boat we were forced to endure a thoroughly infuriating shpeel by our Thai tour leader about how the Lao people can't be trusted and that we should be wary of everyone. And perhaps most importantly that we should A.) book our guesthouse for our overnight on the river through them and that B.) It would be a good idea to change Thai Bhat to Laos Kip now with them, or we risked getting ripped off. Right, the Lao people are the ones to watch out for. Justin and I rolled our eyes a' la Jean Amabile and headed to the boat.
It was a long day of floating through sublime scenery. And while Laos is stunning it is only so long before the beauty becomes monotonous and all you want is to get up off the floor of the boat and step on dry land. It didn't help that three of the six or seven people around us were the biggest twats we have met so far. We didn't actually even meet them but we knew they were twats nonetheless. (Brits - no surprise there.*) Finally at around 5pm we docked at a small village, the name of which escapes me, and happily disembarked. We found accommodation, not surprisingly much cheaper than the offer from the Thais at the border, and went for dinner.
It was a fairly uneventful night for us, made even more uneventful when we heard what happened to our friend Philip who had been ahead of us by a day. Apparently when they rocked up their whole boat had had a few drinks and later in the night ended up smoking opium with some locals. (Philip notwithstanding.) He went to bed shortly there after but was awoken in the middle of the night by a fellow traveler who had been beaten in the head and couldn't find his travel companion. He did end up finding her, but apparently he had suffered quite a beating. By whom remains unknown.
Our night was no where near as exciting, thankfully. The next morning we again assembled at the dock and waited to depart for our final leg to Luang Prabang. We were due to arrive mid afternoon. But unfortunately some of the travelers had been given the wrong departure time by there guesthouse and we ended up leaving an hour late. Despite being behind schedule we pulled into Luang Prabang with plenty of daylight left to search for accommodation, and have a nice dinner. But it was a long journey.
Since arriving in Laos we have been here in LPB almost a week, and so far I think this might be one of the best places we have been so far. (The heat however is nearly unbearable.) It is certainly the most beautiful city I have seen in Southeast Asia. We have enjoyed strolling around, for as long as we can bear, and have loved the atmosphere of the old French quarter where we are staying. One day we took a day trip to the nearby waterfalls and swimming hole. The waterfalls were absolutely breathtaking and it was so refreshing to take a dip in the cold water. They even had a rope swing. Sadly, I did not partake because I didn't want to get my hand wet yet. So I mostly just sat in the shallow end and read my book.
The last two days I went on a trekking/kayaking trip on my own with Green Discovery tour company. Me and seven others hiked 15 km through babbling brooks and local farming villages until we came to a largish village where we stayed overnight, and had a delicious communal Lao style dinner. We got to bathe at the local watering hole, since the village had no plumbing and minimal electricity. The watering hole consisted of little more than a trickling stream funneled through a bamboo shoot, where all the water used by the villagers is collected. We had to bathe in the traditional style, which means fully clothed, which was awkward and didn't leave any of us feeling particularly clean. But it was a memorable experience. After dinner the guides offered us shots of Lao Lao, rice whiskey, which was shocking palatable and we all told riddles and sang songs until bed time. One of the best days on the trip. Aside from being woken by roosters at 2:30 am and not being able to get back to sleep, (those roosters are persistent,) I felt pretty well rested and ready for another full day of trekking and kayaking.
After breakfast and delicious Lao coffee we headed off for another intense hour or two of hiking. It was only 8:30am, at the latest, but already it was hot and everyone was sweating buckets by the time we came to the road, where we met the truck with our gear for the kayaking leg of the trip. We kayaked for almost 20 km and it was after 4 pm by the time we reached the Buddha Caves, our end point for the kayaking. The river is so low since it is the end of the dry season, and that made our efforts down labored and slow.
Sarah, my kayaking buddy and I did pretty well but we did have one mishap, which involved a tricky set of rocks that sprang up out of nowhere and capsized us as I tried to steer around them. We ended up going over the rocks sideways and Sarah, at the front, got jammed up on top of them while I, still free at the back, continued sliding along with the current. That caused us to go over, and Sarah end up pinned under the kayak against a rock for a few terrifying moments. When she popped up I could tell she was a bit shaken, and had lost her bearings. I told her to hold on to the kayak as we came through the white water and to keep her legs up. Considering how scared she must have been she responded really well and we were able to right our kayak and climb back in with some help from the guides. The only casualty of our accident were Sarah's sunglasses which never surfaced. And I for one was glad that was all we lost. We took stock of everything in our dry sacks and all the stuff strapped to the boat and everything appeared to be fine. We didn't even lose a paddle down the river. All in all it was a minor incident. We were lucky as well because a few of the other vessels had major leaks and two of the boats were constantly taking on water and were forever needing to stop and dump it out.
Overall that was my one criticism of Green Discovery. The kayaking gear and instruction from our otherwise fantastic guides definitely left a little to be desired. We weren't the only team to capsize either and I blame that accident entirely on poor white water instructions. And by poor I mean non-existent. We got some basic distress signals and a demonstration on forward and backward strokes but that was it. The Dutch couple who went over had never kayaked in white water before, and at least one of them had never even kayaked at all. They flipped because when they got to the rapids they stopped paddling altogether and turned sideways which of course left them more susceptible to the waves. But we were in very easy rapids and it was so shallow that nobody was ever in any really serious danger. At least as long as they didn't panic, which nobody did. It was a long day on the river though and by the time we got to the Buddha Caves everyone was completely spent.
We didn't stay at the caves long before we headed across the river and boarded our van to go to the elephant sanctuary, our last stop for the day. I say sanctuary but that isn't really accurate, since there were only two elephants there and we got to ride them. I don't think they usually let you ride elephants at a real sanctuary. Being on top of that great animal I definitely had misgivings but I am glad I got to experience it once. They are so big and strong it is amazing to feel their power beneath you.
We were also supposed to stop at the nearby Whiskey village where they make the famous Lao whiskey but we were behind schedule so we opted to skip it and headed back to Luang Prabang. All of us agreed to meet for dinner and we had a lovely evening reminiscing about the trip and sharing our travel stories. All in all it was really fun couple of days. But it was an early evening because we were all exhausted and a few of the group members were departing Luang Prabang in the morning. Today I didn't do much of anything. It was unbearably hot, surprise surprise. Justin had suggested when i got back to LPB that we might want to change our plans and head south a day early. I was too tired to discuss it last night but when i woke up this morning to another day of unfathomable temperatures I saw the wisdom in making for the water and agreed to head to Vang Vieng and the famous tubing tomorrow...
*NO offense to all of the lovely Brits out there but some of your Limey brethren are really unbearable. And as an American with equally awful countrymen I can attest.
It should also be noted that all of the Brits on my trek were lovely. Not a drunk pain in the ass in the bunch. Thank god the drunks of any nationality aren't really into trekking.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Thailand is very...
Justin and I got into the habit of making, ...is very statements constantly in Thailand. Right from the beginning, when we got on the plane, until we crossed the boarder into Laos we were always commenting on the sights, sounds and attitudes around us. So I thought what better way to sum up our month in Thailand than by giving you a short list of how "very..." everything in Thailand is. To start:
The abundance of air hostesses on Thai Airways are very - "May I help you?... O sorry, hee hee. I don't speak English."
The airport in Thailand is very - " yea we hate Indians." Actually that was observed not just at the airport but all over Thailand in fact. The Thais are sticklers about cleanliness and they don't appreciate the Indians more "natural" appearance and hygiene.
Bangkok is very - ling ling - which actually means power power. So all those jokes I used to make back home, courtesy of Ab Fab were actually an accurate descriptor.
Bangkok is also very -party hard sleep late. "Wats, what wats?"
As I previously mentioned Thai protests are very - "souvenirs and snacks anyone" That is until they send the army in and then they are very - "Aaahhhh get me out of here. What is going on?"
Asking Thai people about Thai politics is very - "Politics what politics, just have another beer. Better yet have a bucket."
Thais are very - "We love the King."
Drag shows in Bangkok and Koh Tao are very - "We don't know the words but we move our mouths just the same."
Koh Phangan is very - "oh you wanted to get some sleep, yea fuck you."
The Thais of the south are very - I'll smile in your face but I'm laughing at you inside.
Koh Tao is very - Scuba dive or else...
Koh Tao is also very - temptation island. (For straight people)
Bus travel in Thailand is very - we could keep going but we'd rather stop to eat.
Eating in Thailand is very - fried fried and more fried
Being vegetarian in Thailand is very - "hahaha fuck you."
SK House Guest house is very - "quickly quickly get her a tuk tuk and get her to the hospital before any other guests see her."
The staff SK House are very - "yea they don't pay me enough to care, or eat actually."
Chiang Mai hospital is very - "Thank god we're still in Thailand."
The staff at the hospital were also very - nine nurses for ever farang
Thai massage is very - "stretch bitch."
Getting to Luang Prabang is very - "o you are too poor to fly, that sucks for you."
The Thais at the overland border crossing are very - "this is our last chance to rip you off and we are going to milk it for all it is worth."
The Thais are also very - "don't let the Lao people rip you off, we'll take care of that ourselves."
The vendors at the morning market were very - "what are those white people doing up so early?"
The abundance of air hostesses on Thai Airways are very - "May I help you?... O sorry, hee hee. I don't speak English."
The airport in Thailand is very - " yea we hate Indians." Actually that was observed not just at the airport but all over Thailand in fact. The Thais are sticklers about cleanliness and they don't appreciate the Indians more "natural" appearance and hygiene.
Bangkok is very - ling ling - which actually means power power. So all those jokes I used to make back home, courtesy of Ab Fab were actually an accurate descriptor.
Bangkok is also very -party hard sleep late. "Wats, what wats?"
As I previously mentioned Thai protests are very - "souvenirs and snacks anyone" That is until they send the army in and then they are very - "Aaahhhh get me out of here. What is going on?"
Asking Thai people about Thai politics is very - "Politics what politics, just have another beer. Better yet have a bucket."
Thais are very - "We love the King."
Drag shows in Bangkok and Koh Tao are very - "We don't know the words but we move our mouths just the same."
Koh Phangan is very - "oh you wanted to get some sleep, yea fuck you."
The Thais of the south are very - I'll smile in your face but I'm laughing at you inside.
Koh Tao is very - Scuba dive or else...
Koh Tao is also very - temptation island. (For straight people)
Bus travel in Thailand is very - we could keep going but we'd rather stop to eat.
Eating in Thailand is very - fried fried and more fried
Being vegetarian in Thailand is very - "hahaha fuck you."
SK House Guest house is very - "quickly quickly get her a tuk tuk and get her to the hospital before any other guests see her."
The staff SK House are very - "yea they don't pay me enough to care, or eat actually."
Chiang Mai hospital is very - "Thank god we're still in Thailand."
The staff at the hospital were also very - nine nurses for ever farang
Thai massage is very - "stretch bitch."
Getting to Luang Prabang is very - "o you are too poor to fly, that sucks for you."
The Thais at the overland border crossing are very - "this is our last chance to rip you off and we are going to milk it for all it is worth."
The Thais are also very - "don't let the Lao people rip you off, we'll take care of that ourselves."
The vendors at the morning market were very - "what are those white people doing up so early?"
Thursday, May 6, 2010
My O Chiang Mai
... So there we were in the middle of the jungle when the batteries ran out on the flashlight (torch.) That's when I knew we were really in trouble. We had lost the trail hours ago and once the sun had set it was dark almost immediately. Luckily we had found a place to make camp. But without the torch and all the wet weather making fire impossible we knew we were in for a long night. It was then that I heard the soft patter of paws and rustling in the forest. But nothing could have prepaired me for for the adrenline rush when I looked out into the night and saw two glassy, enormous eyes looking back at me. From my position on my knees those eyes were over my head by about half a foot. And it wasn't thirty seconds before the tiger opened its huge mouth and let out a ferocious roar right in my face. Much of what happened after that I can't remember. But I do remember when it claw dug into my hand as I went to protect Justin's innocent sleeping body...
Or maybe...
I was swimming through the reef marveling at how warm and crystal clear the water was. And thinking as I breathed slowly through my scuba regulator that life might be perfect. Mariska my diving buddy was ahead of me by about 2 meters when suddenly the sunlight overhead was blocked out by something huge above me. I hoped it was a passing boat but still my breath caught in my throat. I didn't want to look up but there it was above me the huge shark circling over head. It was then that i noticed the blood on my leg. I must have bumped into some coral, I thought. I covered my leg with my hand and tried to steady my breathing. I looked around but found that I was suddenly alone. Just then the shark became incensed and I knew it had the scent. It began circling wider and swimming deeper until it was level with me. I deflated my BCD so I would have all possible power for the inevitable charge. We squared off and I tried to grab my weight belt from around my waist to wrap around my hand, but the shark was too fast and suddenly it was upon me. I pulled back my hand and gave it one solid punch in the nose. The shark began to thrash wildly and clamped down on my palm, before turning quickly and swimming away. And just like that it was over. I started to pass out when I saw several figures swimming towards me, and that was the last thing I remembered, until I woke up in the Koh Tao hospital...
Or ...
Everything seemed quite on Soi Rambuttri, in the heart of Bangkok's Bamglamphu neighborhood. After we finished our dinner we thought it seemed safe, sure there were less people out but it appeared to be business as usual. So we decided to go for a walk and burn off some of the dinner calories. But as we neared the end of Rambuttri the energy shifted. It was as if the winds propelling a huge fire suddenly changed and the blaze was coming right for us. Before we knew it we were face to face with the Red Shirts clashing with the police and the army. Riot geared men ran past and pushed us aside and the crowd encircled us. Justin and I lost contact and I was pushed forward by the momentum of the armed men. I tried desperately to work my was to the side, but then suddenly a can of tear gas that had been thrown from behind me into the crowd of Red Shirts ahead of me blew back in my face. I doubled over trying to avoid the stinging gas. But stumbled and began to panic. I wanted desperately to stay on my feet. It was then I heard the soft whimpering of a child nearby. I blinked through the tears until I could see the young girl within arms reach. I quickly grabbed her and swept her into my arms. When suddenly i heard shouts and the riot men all around me looked menacing and crazed. The pushing became more intense and I realized we were at the front of the line, right up against the fray. Suddenly a grenade came flying through the air. It was as if everything went into slow motion. I watched it sail like a baseball overheard into the crowd of police behind me and the young girl. All around I could see the crowds faces becoming grotesque and panic stricken. People pushed in all directions. But the police could only move backwards I saw this as my chance to escape into the crowd of Red Shirts. In less than a second I had pushed my way into the RS mob before me and threw my body on top of the young girls, shielding her from the immenent blast. When it came it shock the earth and sent debris flying in all directions. My hand flew up to protect my face. And I became unconcious of the next several moments. I watched the violence around me but the sound was muted by the deafening blast. I looked down to see the girl shaking but unharmed, and then I saw the huge piece of glass lodged in my palm. The Red Shirted men above me saw it too and they lifted us up and carried us like crowd surfers at a concert to the back of the mob...
OK fine I was at the pool after day two of Thai massage class. I had my empty Leo bottle in my hand and was heading towards the room when I stepped off the carpeted mat onto the slick tile and fell. I guess I thought it would be better to keep the bottle from breaking all over and making a mess. When I hit the ground with a thud I realized the glass bottle had broken my fall and I could feel the thick glass penatrating the skin of my palm. I dropped the neck, ( bottle still broke by the way,) in an instant and looked down at my hand. I don't want to disturb you with what I saw, but the inside of your hand is not sexy. Lots of layers of skin, tendons all over the place, bones etc. I was in shock so I was actually quite calm. I just held my hand up towards Justin and said, "that's gonna need stitiches." Thankfully Justin pretty much took over after that. He ran and got me a towel to apply compression and stop the bleeding and got me clothes so I didn't have to go to the hospital in my bathing suit. What a guy!
The Chiang Mai Ram Hospital is highly recommended. It was spotlessly clean, duh. But also there was nobody there. In fact I haven't waited once in the three times I have been. (I have had to go back for several follow ups. No new injuries to report.) Anyway, five nurses doted on me while I waited for Dr. Seree (Doc) to stitch me up. He was great, had studied medicine in Chicago so we talked about hockey, basketball and baseball while he made me good as new. I had 26 visable stitches and at least as many inside my hand. I didn't know but apparently for deep cuts you have to stictch the inside as well. Huh, learn something new everyday right! It did run me 10,000 bt. though (approx $335) which was a bit of an ouch in and of itself, but I guess it is better than having your hand hanging open right? Anyway I was very good, very brave and of course insisted that Justin document the whole thing. He has excellent pictures. So that is really the crux of Chiang Mai as far as I am concerned.
Actually not. We have been here two weeks and have really enjoyed it. The Thai massage course has been absolutely amazing, even with the injury. And the second week our friend Philip came up to meet us. It was nice having another traveler along for the ride for a while. And also made Justin and I appreciate traveling together when he left. We also rented bicycles, (pre-stitches.) I never even contemplated returning the bike, since I figured I can ride without hands at home. One-handed here should be no problem. I know, I am so bad ass to ride a bicycle with stictches in my hand. Tell me about it. I did rock a super sexy helmet though, so don't be too alarmed. Anyway that made getting around town easy and we got to see lots of areas of the city we wouldn't have seen on foot. Of course we missed out on lots of sights too because we were in class most of the day but can't win em all right? Anyway next up is Laos. We leave tomorrow after our final exam and then we have about three days of travel before we arrive in Luang Prabang. It is going to be amazing!
I will give you the Thailand highlights and lowlights in the next post, after we have offically departed! Also just a heads up that i know there are probably a ton of spelling errors in this post but I can't spell check it because I don't know how to reset the language on the internet browser of this computer. It is in German, or possibly Dutch. So forgive me.
Or maybe...
I was swimming through the reef marveling at how warm and crystal clear the water was. And thinking as I breathed slowly through my scuba regulator that life might be perfect. Mariska my diving buddy was ahead of me by about 2 meters when suddenly the sunlight overhead was blocked out by something huge above me. I hoped it was a passing boat but still my breath caught in my throat. I didn't want to look up but there it was above me the huge shark circling over head. It was then that i noticed the blood on my leg. I must have bumped into some coral, I thought. I covered my leg with my hand and tried to steady my breathing. I looked around but found that I was suddenly alone. Just then the shark became incensed and I knew it had the scent. It began circling wider and swimming deeper until it was level with me. I deflated my BCD so I would have all possible power for the inevitable charge. We squared off and I tried to grab my weight belt from around my waist to wrap around my hand, but the shark was too fast and suddenly it was upon me. I pulled back my hand and gave it one solid punch in the nose. The shark began to thrash wildly and clamped down on my palm, before turning quickly and swimming away. And just like that it was over. I started to pass out when I saw several figures swimming towards me, and that was the last thing I remembered, until I woke up in the Koh Tao hospital...
Or ...
Everything seemed quite on Soi Rambuttri, in the heart of Bangkok's Bamglamphu neighborhood. After we finished our dinner we thought it seemed safe, sure there were less people out but it appeared to be business as usual. So we decided to go for a walk and burn off some of the dinner calories. But as we neared the end of Rambuttri the energy shifted. It was as if the winds propelling a huge fire suddenly changed and the blaze was coming right for us. Before we knew it we were face to face with the Red Shirts clashing with the police and the army. Riot geared men ran past and pushed us aside and the crowd encircled us. Justin and I lost contact and I was pushed forward by the momentum of the armed men. I tried desperately to work my was to the side, but then suddenly a can of tear gas that had been thrown from behind me into the crowd of Red Shirts ahead of me blew back in my face. I doubled over trying to avoid the stinging gas. But stumbled and began to panic. I wanted desperately to stay on my feet. It was then I heard the soft whimpering of a child nearby. I blinked through the tears until I could see the young girl within arms reach. I quickly grabbed her and swept her into my arms. When suddenly i heard shouts and the riot men all around me looked menacing and crazed. The pushing became more intense and I realized we were at the front of the line, right up against the fray. Suddenly a grenade came flying through the air. It was as if everything went into slow motion. I watched it sail like a baseball overheard into the crowd of police behind me and the young girl. All around I could see the crowds faces becoming grotesque and panic stricken. People pushed in all directions. But the police could only move backwards I saw this as my chance to escape into the crowd of Red Shirts. In less than a second I had pushed my way into the RS mob before me and threw my body on top of the young girls, shielding her from the immenent blast. When it came it shock the earth and sent debris flying in all directions. My hand flew up to protect my face. And I became unconcious of the next several moments. I watched the violence around me but the sound was muted by the deafening blast. I looked down to see the girl shaking but unharmed, and then I saw the huge piece of glass lodged in my palm. The Red Shirted men above me saw it too and they lifted us up and carried us like crowd surfers at a concert to the back of the mob...
OK fine I was at the pool after day two of Thai massage class. I had my empty Leo bottle in my hand and was heading towards the room when I stepped off the carpeted mat onto the slick tile and fell. I guess I thought it would be better to keep the bottle from breaking all over and making a mess. When I hit the ground with a thud I realized the glass bottle had broken my fall and I could feel the thick glass penatrating the skin of my palm. I dropped the neck, ( bottle still broke by the way,) in an instant and looked down at my hand. I don't want to disturb you with what I saw, but the inside of your hand is not sexy. Lots of layers of skin, tendons all over the place, bones etc. I was in shock so I was actually quite calm. I just held my hand up towards Justin and said, "that's gonna need stitiches." Thankfully Justin pretty much took over after that. He ran and got me a towel to apply compression and stop the bleeding and got me clothes so I didn't have to go to the hospital in my bathing suit. What a guy!
The Chiang Mai Ram Hospital is highly recommended. It was spotlessly clean, duh. But also there was nobody there. In fact I haven't waited once in the three times I have been. (I have had to go back for several follow ups. No new injuries to report.) Anyway, five nurses doted on me while I waited for Dr. Seree (Doc) to stitch me up. He was great, had studied medicine in Chicago so we talked about hockey, basketball and baseball while he made me good as new. I had 26 visable stitches and at least as many inside my hand. I didn't know but apparently for deep cuts you have to stictch the inside as well. Huh, learn something new everyday right! It did run me 10,000 bt. though (approx $335) which was a bit of an ouch in and of itself, but I guess it is better than having your hand hanging open right? Anyway I was very good, very brave and of course insisted that Justin document the whole thing. He has excellent pictures. So that is really the crux of Chiang Mai as far as I am concerned.
Actually not. We have been here two weeks and have really enjoyed it. The Thai massage course has been absolutely amazing, even with the injury. And the second week our friend Philip came up to meet us. It was nice having another traveler along for the ride for a while. And also made Justin and I appreciate traveling together when he left. We also rented bicycles, (pre-stitches.) I never even contemplated returning the bike, since I figured I can ride without hands at home. One-handed here should be no problem. I know, I am so bad ass to ride a bicycle with stictches in my hand. Tell me about it. I did rock a super sexy helmet though, so don't be too alarmed. Anyway that made getting around town easy and we got to see lots of areas of the city we wouldn't have seen on foot. Of course we missed out on lots of sights too because we were in class most of the day but can't win em all right? Anyway next up is Laos. We leave tomorrow after our final exam and then we have about three days of travel before we arrive in Luang Prabang. It is going to be amazing!
I will give you the Thailand highlights and lowlights in the next post, after we have offically departed! Also just a heads up that i know there are probably a ton of spelling errors in this post but I can't spell check it because I don't know how to reset the language on the internet browser of this computer. It is in German, or possibly Dutch. So forgive me.
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