Chiang Mai Temple, Thailand
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Mom, this one's for you
I saw this face, and couldn't help but give Mom a reassuring hug. Don't worry, I'm travelling safely!:
Chiang Mai Temple, Thailand
Chiang Mai Temple, Thailand
Friday, February 19, 2010
Vientiene => Pakse => Si Phon Don
Leaving in the bus from VangVieng, I met a few Canadian nurses and Grant who broke off from the group, and who I am traveling with now.
Vientiene, despite being the capitol of Laos was rather unremarkable. For me Laos has been more about the people and the natural sites versus the cities themselves, and Vientiene was no exception. It' perhaps the most westernized city here, so only warranted a couple days while we biked around town to see the major temple sites. We did have the good fortune of meeting a very well spoken young Buddhist monk, who explained to us his daily routine and the different temple features. Most monks have been shy or haven't had the chance to learn English yet since they started becoming a monk so early. At 22 he had already been a monk for 6 years, eating only 2 meals a day. These meals are breakfast and lunch, both provided by donations from the local people as the monks walk the streets in the early morning hours. We were able to witness this and the morning sunrise after scheduling a night bus south to Pakse:
The bus arrived halfway in Savannakhet at 4:30 in the morning, only after breaking down at 2:30am. I got in some unexpected late night exercise helping to transfer the luggage from one bus to another.
Pakse itself turned out to be rather average as well, but made for a good spot to explore the surrounding areas which included immense waterfalls, coffee/tea fields, villages, and ancient Khmer ruins.
The coffee here is stellar. They make black coffee so dark and almost syrupy, that it sticks to the glass like molasses. It's just the morning remedy after a night of BeerLao and Tiger whisky, and beats the Nescafe they serve all over Thailand in too small cups.
The next step was Si Phon Dhon, or 4,000 islands, where I am at now, just on the border of Cambodia. To get here, we were dropped off on the side of the main road to wave down an open truck. We were packed in with locals, cement, food and luggage. The rice bags we sat on served as fine pillows, but hanging off the back of the truck was often the preferred choice for some air and a good view.
We've been hanging out here for the past few nights, just enjoying the water and the scenery. The peace is welcomed.
Nearby these kids were catching and literally blowing up blowfish with straws:
Tonight there seems to be a huge celebration for a local hero, and the music stage is conveniently located just behind our guesthouse. We're leaving for Cambodia tomorrow morning at 8am on an 8-hour bus ride, so I may do as the locals tonight and dance this night away...
Vientiene, despite being the capitol of Laos was rather unremarkable. For me Laos has been more about the people and the natural sites versus the cities themselves, and Vientiene was no exception. It' perhaps the most westernized city here, so only warranted a couple days while we biked around town to see the major temple sites. We did have the good fortune of meeting a very well spoken young Buddhist monk, who explained to us his daily routine and the different temple features. Most monks have been shy or haven't had the chance to learn English yet since they started becoming a monk so early. At 22 he had already been a monk for 6 years, eating only 2 meals a day. These meals are breakfast and lunch, both provided by donations from the local people as the monks walk the streets in the early morning hours. We were able to witness this and the morning sunrise after scheduling a night bus south to Pakse:
The bus arrived halfway in Savannakhet at 4:30 in the morning, only after breaking down at 2:30am. I got in some unexpected late night exercise helping to transfer the luggage from one bus to another.
Pakse itself turned out to be rather average as well, but made for a good spot to explore the surrounding areas which included immense waterfalls, coffee/tea fields, villages, and ancient Khmer ruins.
The coffee here is stellar. They make black coffee so dark and almost syrupy, that it sticks to the glass like molasses. It's just the morning remedy after a night of BeerLao and Tiger whisky, and beats the Nescafe they serve all over Thailand in too small cups.
The next step was Si Phon Dhon, or 4,000 islands, where I am at now, just on the border of Cambodia. To get here, we were dropped off on the side of the main road to wave down an open truck. We were packed in with locals, cement, food and luggage. The rice bags we sat on served as fine pillows, but hanging off the back of the truck was often the preferred choice for some air and a good view.
We've been hanging out here for the past few nights, just enjoying the water and the scenery. The peace is welcomed.
Nearby these kids were catching and literally blowing up blowfish with straws:
Tonight there seems to be a huge celebration for a local hero, and the music stage is conveniently located just behind our guesthouse. We're leaving for Cambodia tomorrow morning at 8am on an 8-hour bus ride, so I may do as the locals tonight and dance this night away...
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Vangvieng to Vientiane
Finally booked for a bus out to Vientiene tomorrow morning. I already feel like I've been here for ages even though it's been only a week. I'll honor Valentines Day by escaping the hedonism here. Maybe it's time to celebrate with a few drinks? ;)
Friday, February 12, 2010
The Whiskey River in Vangvieng
Right now I am in Vangvieng, which is a town that really has made me think about the reasons that I'm traveling. Of course that's only in the downtime away from the madness and drinking stupor that this river town sucks you into...
I hadn't really any idea what I was getting into, as I just went with the flow and joined a group of good British gent's leaving from Luang Prabang. All I heard was river tubing and I was sold as I imagined being surrounded by limestone karst's as I floated downriver. Well there was some of that, once you dig past the tourist mess that has grown here.
Laos people, as with Thai people are generally very good-natured, easy-going people, with a mindset clearly rooted in Buddhist beliefs. They generally aren't confrontational, and in this case perhaps they are taken advantage of. It seems that this town is owned mostly by foreigners (Australians, and English) that found a beautiful thing and quickly took advantage of it. If I didn't take a moment now and then to gaze at the jagged mountains I would think I was in some Aussie college spring break scene. People seem to come here more to forget where they are, or where they're from with a flow of alcohol as consistent as the river (they put whiskey in buckets here if that says anything). TV is the main draw for people recovering at the restaurants - Friends and Family Guy run 24/7 throughout. Each Bar tries to blast their music enough to drown out the one's next door. It's actually very difficult to find some peace and quiet here to enjoy the otherwise beautiful natural scenery. It's all very disconcerting...
I won't lie though, it's good fun in small amounts, but after a few days of this scene, I'm ready to escape and see more of the real Laos. Fortunately the mountains aren't too far off, and I'm going for a trek tomorrow.
I hadn't really any idea what I was getting into, as I just went with the flow and joined a group of good British gent's leaving from Luang Prabang. All I heard was river tubing and I was sold as I imagined being surrounded by limestone karst's as I floated downriver. Well there was some of that, once you dig past the tourist mess that has grown here.
Laos people, as with Thai people are generally very good-natured, easy-going people, with a mindset clearly rooted in Buddhist beliefs. They generally aren't confrontational, and in this case perhaps they are taken advantage of. It seems that this town is owned mostly by foreigners (Australians, and English) that found a beautiful thing and quickly took advantage of it. If I didn't take a moment now and then to gaze at the jagged mountains I would think I was in some Aussie college spring break scene. People seem to come here more to forget where they are, or where they're from with a flow of alcohol as consistent as the river (they put whiskey in buckets here if that says anything). TV is the main draw for people recovering at the restaurants - Friends and Family Guy run 24/7 throughout. Each Bar tries to blast their music enough to drown out the one's next door. It's actually very difficult to find some peace and quiet here to enjoy the otherwise beautiful natural scenery. It's all very disconcerting...
I won't lie though, it's good fun in small amounts, but after a few days of this scene, I'm ready to escape and see more of the real Laos. Fortunately the mountains aren't too far off, and I'm going for a trek tomorrow.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Thailand => Laos
Haven't been connected in a while. The past week I've been in Laos. Took the appropriately slow boat to Luang Prabang from the border, and now I'm in Van Vieng and will eventually make my way south from here to Cambodia. Will update with pic's and more soon...
Stowaways on board the slow boat from the border to Luang Prabang, Laos. We made ourselves comfortable for the 16 hour, 2-day boat ride. With beer in hand and amazing scenery, it sure beat riding on a bus though:
Slowboats making a stop at a river cave temple:
The landscape in Laos is surreal, and has to be seen in person to be believed:
Stowaways on board the slow boat from the border to Luang Prabang, Laos. We made ourselves comfortable for the 16 hour, 2-day boat ride. With beer in hand and amazing scenery, it sure beat riding on a bus though:
Slowboats making a stop at a river cave temple:
The landscape in Laos is surreal, and has to be seen in person to be believed:
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Trekkies and hilltribes
While in Pai we opted for a 2-day trek to get uncomfortable and see the local Lahu hilltribe. When we arrived at 9am (almost) ready for our trekWe lucked out and had a small group of just the guide, Ingo and I. We were sold on the guide from the start when we saw his modest business and spoke with his friendly wife, but Sam Sok topped it off with a great personality to match. It felt like we were in for something special away from the usual tourist tracks.
We started off hiking out of a Karen mountian village so that we could compare the living styles of each in the end. Within th efirst ten minutes we were hiking through a streambed for a trail, and trying to get past a stubborn cow.
The terrain and foliage quickly changed as we trekked up the steep slopes. We saw the effects of clearcutting and teakwood and bamboo removal.
The landscape was so beautiful but I couldnt help but wonder what the rainy season looked like...ahh another time
This time of year is especially hard on the tribes' animals which struggle to find enough food on the drying rice crops. Fortunetely theres still plenty of spots for fresh water, I was ready to make like a water buffalo and cool down at some points
It was difficult to tell how old our guide was, he was in stellar shape, and I would guess mid fifties only after adding ten plus years to my first guess. Ingo and I gsve him a run for the money though, it was funny the reasons he would find to take a pause on the trail: "Look at that Teak tree!" As we stopped and stared at yet another one. Here he stopped to collect some (extra) tinselwood for our dinner fire:
After 15km and 6 hours later, we finally reached the village.
We were introduced to our digs for the night, and immedietly made a run for victory drinks, where we also had the chance to fire off a homemade rifle:
Did I mention our guide also was a former cook at his own restaurant? Preparing dinner in house:
Villagers building a new house for one of the evergrowing families (people don't have much to do there):
Village life was interesting, but very simple as expected. We didn't take many photos of the people there because we didn't want to be any more intrusive. Of course we were very welcome though, as tourists are one of the main sources of income for them. Opium has long been another source, but since the government crackdown years ago, most have moved on to selling their handmade wares and massages. I opted for the massage which felt like I was being lightly kneaded like bread, far off from the tough twisty Thai style I had enjoyed before.
The guide had some insightful points on the all too simple lifestyle the Lahus are accustomed too. He felt that they were lazy and weren't open to innovation like alternative farming techniques that he tried to teach them. They instead make some quick money on tourists and spend it at the store which is a longshot from their village. The government has stepped in with some water piping and solar panels, but the hilltribe kids are still seperated from the rest at school. Foreigners are also not allowed to spend time at the villages to help without a guide. In the end I felt like it was a good experience though, and an important lifestyle to be aware of since there are so many of these communities in Thailand.
Wrapping it up the only way we know how:
We started off hiking out of a Karen mountian village so that we could compare the living styles of each in the end. Within th efirst ten minutes we were hiking through a streambed for a trail, and trying to get past a stubborn cow.
The terrain and foliage quickly changed as we trekked up the steep slopes. We saw the effects of clearcutting and teakwood and bamboo removal.
The landscape was so beautiful but I couldnt help but wonder what the rainy season looked like...ahh another time
This time of year is especially hard on the tribes' animals which struggle to find enough food on the drying rice crops. Fortunetely theres still plenty of spots for fresh water, I was ready to make like a water buffalo and cool down at some points
It was difficult to tell how old our guide was, he was in stellar shape, and I would guess mid fifties only after adding ten plus years to my first guess. Ingo and I gsve him a run for the money though, it was funny the reasons he would find to take a pause on the trail: "Look at that Teak tree!" As we stopped and stared at yet another one. Here he stopped to collect some (extra) tinselwood for our dinner fire:
After 15km and 6 hours later, we finally reached the village.
We were introduced to our digs for the night, and immedietly made a run for victory drinks, where we also had the chance to fire off a homemade rifle:
Did I mention our guide also was a former cook at his own restaurant? Preparing dinner in house:
Villagers building a new house for one of the evergrowing families (people don't have much to do there):
Village life was interesting, but very simple as expected. We didn't take many photos of the people there because we didn't want to be any more intrusive. Of course we were very welcome though, as tourists are one of the main sources of income for them. Opium has long been another source, but since the government crackdown years ago, most have moved on to selling their handmade wares and massages. I opted for the massage which felt like I was being lightly kneaded like bread, far off from the tough twisty Thai style I had enjoyed before.
The guide had some insightful points on the all too simple lifestyle the Lahus are accustomed too. He felt that they were lazy and weren't open to innovation like alternative farming techniques that he tried to teach them. They instead make some quick money on tourists and spend it at the store which is a longshot from their village. The government has stepped in with some water piping and solar panels, but the hilltribe kids are still seperated from the rest at school. Foreigners are also not allowed to spend time at the villages to help without a guide. In the end I felt like it was a good experience though, and an important lifestyle to be aware of since there are so many of these communities in Thailand.
Wrapping it up the only way we know how:
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