The 13-hour flight was the worst I've had this far. Aisle seat with no leg room as there was a box of electronics there, full plane so seat change impossible, guy in front who kept his seat reclined fully even though he was leaning forwards himself, guy next to me who kept pushing his elbows into my hips (one stage even lifting his whole bodyweight by his elbows rammed into my hip and into his wife on the otherside!), waking up several times to make room for people to walk and to go to toilet, food that was not good at all... and still I slept over eight hours, watched a nice film and didn't get bored.
Sounds like hard times, 13 hours of crampedness, but actually who cares - I'm still on a holiday! I've started noticing that I go through journeys where I'm hot, I'm unconfortable, I'm hangover... and I do not care anymore. It is the necessary evil of getting to places, and I can always sleep as I'm the master of sleeping skillz! Maybe I would mind that flight if it was a business flight and I had to do something important today, but today has been hanging about, eating all the delicious European foods from my boyfriend's mum's fridge and watching youtube. I have been doing laundry and cold-treating my belongings too, to kill potential bugs from SE Asia. Somehow the flights were booked so that my boyfriend was not there to greet me, but instead will arrive back home in a couple of hours... counting minutes now!
Thursday, 24 February 2011
Wednesday, 23 February 2011
Airport update.
Hello from Hong Kong airport!
I have a 14 hour layover here before catching my 13 hour flight to Europe, so I'm having fun wasting time in the airport. I found out that they have free internet (except there is this guy looking at me probs thinking I should go away). They have a 4D movie theatre (with snow, soap bubbles, wind) which they use for showing 3D films badly (strong aircon - is that the wind?- as well as bad quality projection making the image fuzzy instead of three-dimensional). Also, Sanctum was not the greatest film.
On the good news also, the review that I wrote in the Philippines is now in press! That was fast, I'm used to papers taking years and years to finally come out!
And about Bangkok I haven't got much to say. I didn't enjoy it at all - just like last time. Too busy, too hard to navigate the public transport, too jaded (with respect to travellers), too expensive, too touristy. In Laos I ate all kinds of food, salads, everything and had no problems with my tummy. Return to Bangkok and eat a fully cooked curry and tummy gets upset. Meh. I was happy to get out this morning - I don't think I will ever want to stay there any longer than required for connections!
I have a 14 hour layover here before catching my 13 hour flight to Europe, so I'm having fun wasting time in the airport. I found out that they have free internet (except there is this guy looking at me probs thinking I should go away). They have a 4D movie theatre (with snow, soap bubbles, wind) which they use for showing 3D films badly (strong aircon - is that the wind?- as well as bad quality projection making the image fuzzy instead of three-dimensional). Also, Sanctum was not the greatest film.
On the good news also, the review that I wrote in the Philippines is now in press! That was fast, I'm used to papers taking years and years to finally come out!
And about Bangkok I haven't got much to say. I didn't enjoy it at all - just like last time. Too busy, too hard to navigate the public transport, too jaded (with respect to travellers), too expensive, too touristy. In Laos I ate all kinds of food, salads, everything and had no problems with my tummy. Return to Bangkok and eat a fully cooked curry and tummy gets upset. Meh. I was happy to get out this morning - I don't think I will ever want to stay there any longer than required for connections!
Sunday, 20 February 2011
4,000 Islands, Lao ponderings.
The time I spent in Laos can be roughly divided into three sections according to the groups of people I was travelling with. First week and a half spanning the time in the slow boat, Luang Prabang, Phonsavanh and beginning of Vang Vieng I spent with a steady, fairly academic group. Vang Vieng and Vientiane was a group that was slightly crazier, more coffee-consuming and book-loving. In 4,000 Islands I randomly met a friend from home, who had friended a big group of people living next door to him, as well as a guy who's friends with one of my good friends. The world is small.
Anyhow, the last days in Vientiane included amazing French and Japanese food, midnight bowling on Valentine's day, and numerous refills of Lao coffee at Joma's. Vientiane ended up being very expensive for me, but I couldn't help but to eat all the delicious food available! The bus ride to 4,000 Islands took 12 hours and was in a sleeper bus with bunkbeds suitably sized for Lao people. I spent the night soundly asleep, most of the time spooning with my bunk-mate, a lovely Swedish girl, as there was no other way to fit to the bed space otherwise. At least I didn't have to share with a local old man!
Siphandon, or 4,000 Islands, is a group of tiny islands in Mekong just before Cambodian border. I stayed in Don Det, which is a paradise full of lovely small riverside bungalows with hammocks in the front. I spent the days reading, tubing (much more relaxed than the Vang Vieng party version), and going on a trip to see freshwater dolphins that live in a deeper section of Mekong, as well as the biggest waterfalls in SE Asia. The internet connection on the island was sloooooow, so no reason to spend time for blogging there! My favourite spot on Don Det was a small organic veggie restaurant called the Veggie Patch. It was run by a French couple and they farm all the veggies for cooking. They serve only one (or two with good luck) dishes a day, so typically no choice on what you're eating... but let me tell you, those veggie cannelloni with amazing salad and homebaked bread were delicious!
The departure from Don Det came all too early when I got a text message informing me that I've been kindly sponsored flights to Europe to visit my boyfriend, and the flight out will be in five days from Hong Kong. Booking a cheap flight from BKK to HKG turned impossible in the backwaters of Lao - mainly because my credit card kept getting declined (not a new problem with Asian flight operators). So throwing any previous plans to chill out aside, I booked the first ticket to Bangkok and took a 20 hour journey on a boat, a minivan, a bus and finally a nightbus to buy a ticket (which worked out in about 5 minutes and the service came with a lot of smiles). In Laos, there is a weird way of always ferrying people with minivans to a bigger bus which takes you to another bus, and then to a boat, and a bus, and a minivan, etc, and every so often you need to change your ticket to a new one, so there will be lots of little pieces of paper and lots of changes. There also has been rucksacks falling off the top of minivans, and friendly people trying to carry rucksacks to wrong directions. But in Laos PDR People Don't Rush - it always works out in the end -which sort of leads me to general ponderings about Laos.
When the bus crossed the Laos-Thailand border, the change was drastic. Suddenly all green well-farmed rice paddies, nice cars, painted houses, flags, ad boards, colour. Somehow I enjoyed Laos a lot, although it is a poor country. I enjoyd the lack of fake watches and sunglasses on the markets, the lack of supermarket chains, and the somewhat simple and rustic lifestyle. Everything was relaxed and slow - a good way to deal with things in my opinion, especially when it's so hot. The downsides of the country were obvious though; there were lots of children begging, and it turns out that the schooling actually costs quite a lot. The lack of education, the lack of healthcare, the lack of everything I guess... but still people appeared happy.
To understand the Lao history better, I read the Bamboo Palace by Christopher Kremmer, and it described some of the places I've visited in scary detail alhtough his experiences were from 15 years ago. Everything has changed in those years, but in the end, very little. Also, the description of the communist overtaking and rule made me wonder - I saw only a very few communist signs; flags and the newspapers were communist, one or two massively pretentious buildings were obviously owned by the state, but I never saw any police or army personnel or never had a feeling that I was in a communist country. It all just makes me want to learn more and above all, return very soon to explore more!
Anyhow, the last days in Vientiane included amazing French and Japanese food, midnight bowling on Valentine's day, and numerous refills of Lao coffee at Joma's. Vientiane ended up being very expensive for me, but I couldn't help but to eat all the delicious food available! The bus ride to 4,000 Islands took 12 hours and was in a sleeper bus with bunkbeds suitably sized for Lao people. I spent the night soundly asleep, most of the time spooning with my bunk-mate, a lovely Swedish girl, as there was no other way to fit to the bed space otherwise. At least I didn't have to share with a local old man!
Siphandon, or 4,000 Islands, is a group of tiny islands in Mekong just before Cambodian border. I stayed in Don Det, which is a paradise full of lovely small riverside bungalows with hammocks in the front. I spent the days reading, tubing (much more relaxed than the Vang Vieng party version), and going on a trip to see freshwater dolphins that live in a deeper section of Mekong, as well as the biggest waterfalls in SE Asia. The internet connection on the island was sloooooow, so no reason to spend time for blogging there! My favourite spot on Don Det was a small organic veggie restaurant called the Veggie Patch. It was run by a French couple and they farm all the veggies for cooking. They serve only one (or two with good luck) dishes a day, so typically no choice on what you're eating... but let me tell you, those veggie cannelloni with amazing salad and homebaked bread were delicious!
The departure from Don Det came all too early when I got a text message informing me that I've been kindly sponsored flights to Europe to visit my boyfriend, and the flight out will be in five days from Hong Kong. Booking a cheap flight from BKK to HKG turned impossible in the backwaters of Lao - mainly because my credit card kept getting declined (not a new problem with Asian flight operators). So throwing any previous plans to chill out aside, I booked the first ticket to Bangkok and took a 20 hour journey on a boat, a minivan, a bus and finally a nightbus to buy a ticket (which worked out in about 5 minutes and the service came with a lot of smiles). In Laos, there is a weird way of always ferrying people with minivans to a bigger bus which takes you to another bus, and then to a boat, and a bus, and a minivan, etc, and every so often you need to change your ticket to a new one, so there will be lots of little pieces of paper and lots of changes. There also has been rucksacks falling off the top of minivans, and friendly people trying to carry rucksacks to wrong directions. But in Laos PDR People Don't Rush - it always works out in the end -which sort of leads me to general ponderings about Laos.
When the bus crossed the Laos-Thailand border, the change was drastic. Suddenly all green well-farmed rice paddies, nice cars, painted houses, flags, ad boards, colour. Somehow I enjoyed Laos a lot, although it is a poor country. I enjoyd the lack of fake watches and sunglasses on the markets, the lack of supermarket chains, and the somewhat simple and rustic lifestyle. Everything was relaxed and slow - a good way to deal with things in my opinion, especially when it's so hot. The downsides of the country were obvious though; there were lots of children begging, and it turns out that the schooling actually costs quite a lot. The lack of education, the lack of healthcare, the lack of everything I guess... but still people appeared happy.
To understand the Lao history better, I read the Bamboo Palace by Christopher Kremmer, and it described some of the places I've visited in scary detail alhtough his experiences were from 15 years ago. Everything has changed in those years, but in the end, very little. Also, the description of the communist overtaking and rule made me wonder - I saw only a very few communist signs; flags and the newspapers were communist, one or two massively pretentious buildings were obviously owned by the state, but I never saw any police or army personnel or never had a feeling that I was in a communist country. It all just makes me want to learn more and above all, return very soon to explore more!
Sunday, 13 February 2011
Stories from the road
Hurt yourself but not others!
Vang Vieng ended up being a good experience to me unlike some other people. On Thursday me and my roommate pleasantly tubed the whole distance designed to be tubed, which only about 3% tubers manage - most get drunk in the bars and tuktuk home. The story tells that meanwhile we were tubing, an unknown young man was extremely intoxicated and fooling around some girls in one of the riverside bars. Playfully, he picked up a girl who he didn't know, and was about to throw her into the river. A lot of people told him not to do it, but he thought it would be fun and threw her several meters down... onto sharp rocks as there was no water on that side of the platform. She was seriously injured and mediheli'd to a hospital in Thailand. He ran away as fast as he could, story says he was not caught. Tubing was closed for one day.
What goes around, comes around
In Chiang Rai I met a traveller who had been on the road for a long while and had a story I could not believe true, but here it goes! He had arrived in Manila, the Philippines and was having lunch by himself in a restaurant when a couple of local middle aged women approach him to join their table. They seem pleasant enough, so he joins in, and eventually ends up really enjoying their company and going along to a waterfall with them. However, the trip keeps getting longer and longer, and in the end he's spend six wonderful days with them and their families, sightseeing and trekking in the countryside. He gets back to Manila and to his hostel, and checks his bank balance to find out that he had lost 500$ every single day he had spent with them. The hostel manager asks him if he slept really well those nights, which he did, and provides the answer: his food was drugged with rohypnol and potentially a truth serum of some kind, a mixture that allows the lovely ladies to wake him up, ask him where his bankcard is and what the pin code is, and he would answer and then completely forget about it! And the stupidest part of it: his bank and insurance company refused refund him as he had given the pin code out himself.
So long story short, he ends up camping on a Malaysian island with only some tinned food as he's out of money, and a monsoon is nearing by and he has to get out of the jungle to find a proper shelter. He stumbles on a small holiday resort where the manager is just about to leave the island and he agrees to look after the resort when everyone else is away. A week later, the weather is better and a group of tourists arrive. He welcomes them to the resort he's kept clean and tidy, cooks food for them with available ingredients, serves beer, keeps them happy for a few days. The owner of the resort arrives, is surprised to find a guy running the place so well and who straightaway hands over all the money he's made selling beer and food! He's so shocked about someone making money for him and looking after his property so well, that he welcomes him to his family as a son and lets him stay and work until he's replenished his travel budget enough. When his dad came to travel with him in South Eastern Asia six months later, they visited the Malay family and everyone cried together out of happiness. The end.
My favourite Buddhist story
Two travelling monks are walking on the road. The come to a flooded crossing where a local woman stands, unable to cross. One of the monks picks up the woman and carries her across the flooded bit. The woman thanks him, and the monks carry on walking. The evening comes and the monks set up a camp. The other monk finally questions the monk who had carried the woman, saying "Why did you help that woman? You know were are monks, were are not allowed to touch women!" The questioned monk looks calm and answers: "Oh, you're still carrying her? I left her there at the crossing!"
Stories from local papers
I bought copies of Bangkok Post and Vientiane Times to see what's going on in the local politics. Sample of the biggest headlines from each of these publications:
Bangkok Post
Asean calls urgent border talks
Keep your talismans close, boys ("Army says troops need protection against Khmer black magic")
20,000 troops ready to head to the border
We 'want education' ("Kids urge speedy repairs to shelled school")
Vientiane Times
Finland to assist Lao digital mapping, database project
Vientiane ahead of ministry's educational goal
Better climate forecasts key to improving food security
Teachers of English learn innovative classroom techniques
Story of the future
So I'm in Vientiane now, and it has not been remarkably interesting. Slightly pricy, lots of French cafes, guesthouses all full of travellers, temples seem same as elsewhere. I've been on a bad mood recently; the reason for that remains to be undetermined but I think it has affected my perception of Vientiane. I enjoyed the absurd concrete statues of the Buddha Park, but the rest of the city has felt like a repetition of the same.
I will hopefully manage to book a bus for tomorrow to go to south - maybe directly to the 4000 Islands (in the Mekong), or maybe I will stop on the way to see a nondisputed World Heritage Site temple. The longer term plans currently contain a visit back to Europe in March to see my boyfriend who I miss hugely, and after that three months of labwork in Australia. And after that, more travelling!
Vang Vieng ended up being a good experience to me unlike some other people. On Thursday me and my roommate pleasantly tubed the whole distance designed to be tubed, which only about 3% tubers manage - most get drunk in the bars and tuktuk home. The story tells that meanwhile we were tubing, an unknown young man was extremely intoxicated and fooling around some girls in one of the riverside bars. Playfully, he picked up a girl who he didn't know, and was about to throw her into the river. A lot of people told him not to do it, but he thought it would be fun and threw her several meters down... onto sharp rocks as there was no water on that side of the platform. She was seriously injured and mediheli'd to a hospital in Thailand. He ran away as fast as he could, story says he was not caught. Tubing was closed for one day.
What goes around, comes around
In Chiang Rai I met a traveller who had been on the road for a long while and had a story I could not believe true, but here it goes! He had arrived in Manila, the Philippines and was having lunch by himself in a restaurant when a couple of local middle aged women approach him to join their table. They seem pleasant enough, so he joins in, and eventually ends up really enjoying their company and going along to a waterfall with them. However, the trip keeps getting longer and longer, and in the end he's spend six wonderful days with them and their families, sightseeing and trekking in the countryside. He gets back to Manila and to his hostel, and checks his bank balance to find out that he had lost 500$ every single day he had spent with them. The hostel manager asks him if he slept really well those nights, which he did, and provides the answer: his food was drugged with rohypnol and potentially a truth serum of some kind, a mixture that allows the lovely ladies to wake him up, ask him where his bankcard is and what the pin code is, and he would answer and then completely forget about it! And the stupidest part of it: his bank and insurance company refused refund him as he had given the pin code out himself.
So long story short, he ends up camping on a Malaysian island with only some tinned food as he's out of money, and a monsoon is nearing by and he has to get out of the jungle to find a proper shelter. He stumbles on a small holiday resort where the manager is just about to leave the island and he agrees to look after the resort when everyone else is away. A week later, the weather is better and a group of tourists arrive. He welcomes them to the resort he's kept clean and tidy, cooks food for them with available ingredients, serves beer, keeps them happy for a few days. The owner of the resort arrives, is surprised to find a guy running the place so well and who straightaway hands over all the money he's made selling beer and food! He's so shocked about someone making money for him and looking after his property so well, that he welcomes him to his family as a son and lets him stay and work until he's replenished his travel budget enough. When his dad came to travel with him in South Eastern Asia six months later, they visited the Malay family and everyone cried together out of happiness. The end.
My favourite Buddhist story
Two travelling monks are walking on the road. The come to a flooded crossing where a local woman stands, unable to cross. One of the monks picks up the woman and carries her across the flooded bit. The woman thanks him, and the monks carry on walking. The evening comes and the monks set up a camp. The other monk finally questions the monk who had carried the woman, saying "Why did you help that woman? You know were are monks, were are not allowed to touch women!" The questioned monk looks calm and answers: "Oh, you're still carrying her? I left her there at the crossing!"
Stories from local papers
I bought copies of Bangkok Post and Vientiane Times to see what's going on in the local politics. Sample of the biggest headlines from each of these publications:
Bangkok Post
Asean calls urgent border talks
Keep your talismans close, boys ("Army says troops need protection against Khmer black magic")
20,000 troops ready to head to the border
We 'want education' ("Kids urge speedy repairs to shelled school")
Vientiane Times
Finland to assist Lao digital mapping, database project
Vientiane ahead of ministry's educational goal
Better climate forecasts key to improving food security
Teachers of English learn innovative classroom techniques
Story of the future
So I'm in Vientiane now, and it has not been remarkably interesting. Slightly pricy, lots of French cafes, guesthouses all full of travellers, temples seem same as elsewhere. I've been on a bad mood recently; the reason for that remains to be undetermined but I think it has affected my perception of Vientiane. I enjoyed the absurd concrete statues of the Buddha Park, but the rest of the city has felt like a repetition of the same.
I will hopefully manage to book a bus for tomorrow to go to south - maybe directly to the 4000 Islands (in the Mekong), or maybe I will stop on the way to see a nondisputed World Heritage Site temple. The longer term plans currently contain a visit back to Europe in March to see my boyfriend who I miss hugely, and after that three months of labwork in Australia. And after that, more travelling!
Wednesday, 9 February 2011
Vang Vieng, the traveller heaven/hell
Arriving to Vang Vieng after Phonsavan was a huge contrast. After the sleepy, dusty, quiet little town where the scars of war are still visible it was a shock arrive to the loud music and thousands of revelling travellers/backpackers/gap year kids/tourrorists. This town seems solely to exist to please the young traveller who has a need to party, and simultaneously it makes me happy and sad. At least all of them are in one location and not all over Lao; but I think that the masses generate madness and people forget how to behave in another country than their own.
The river and its views are beautiful, and the fun idea of tubing (going down the river in a huge inner tube) has been converted to a huge business with dozens of bars on the way playing loud music and offering anything from mojito buckets to happy shakes and special brownies. As I am a traveller too, I had to try out tubing and I have to say it was wonderful to be in the slow stream of water as the days get here rather hot. Travellers here are really happy and friendly (until they get drunk and ridiculous), which made tubing a lot more fun. And yesterday I had a break from doing anything at all, as I have had too many days of minivan, tours and activities, and I camped at a restaurant for long breakfast turned into lunch watching eight episodes of Friends.
The electricity supply here has been slightly unreliable. It's being switched off everyday between either nine or noon until five pm. Of course this means that internet is available only at the dinner time, and hot showers have to wait until the sun has set. The restaurants try to manage without electricity, and I've been favouring the one with a generator in case their food was kept cold better... not to mention the episodes of Friends! First time I heard of Vang Vieng someone said that it would be so easy to get stuck there for ages, and I can see what he meant. I've been meaning to book my bus ticket to Vientiane for a couple of days now, but the ease of dealing with effectively Western environment has started appealing to me - I guess I'm feeling slightly homesick, and slightly worn out dealing with continuous stream of new places.
The river and its views are beautiful, and the fun idea of tubing (going down the river in a huge inner tube) has been converted to a huge business with dozens of bars on the way playing loud music and offering anything from mojito buckets to happy shakes and special brownies. As I am a traveller too, I had to try out tubing and I have to say it was wonderful to be in the slow stream of water as the days get here rather hot. Travellers here are really happy and friendly (until they get drunk and ridiculous), which made tubing a lot more fun. And yesterday I had a break from doing anything at all, as I have had too many days of minivan, tours and activities, and I camped at a restaurant for long breakfast turned into lunch watching eight episodes of Friends.
The electricity supply here has been slightly unreliable. It's being switched off everyday between either nine or noon until five pm. Of course this means that internet is available only at the dinner time, and hot showers have to wait until the sun has set. The restaurants try to manage without electricity, and I've been favouring the one with a generator in case their food was kept cold better... not to mention the episodes of Friends! First time I heard of Vang Vieng someone said that it would be so easy to get stuck there for ages, and I can see what he meant. I've been meaning to book my bus ticket to Vientiane for a couple of days now, but the ease of dealing with effectively Western environment has started appealing to me - I guess I'm feeling slightly homesick, and slightly worn out dealing with continuous stream of new places.
Ripped open by metal explosion
Laos is the most bombed country in the world. During the Secret War (also known as Vietnam War), the US forces dropped an equivalent of one bomb every eight seconds for eleven years. It is estimated that 30% of these bombs didn't explode, so the western provinces of Laos are still dangerous areas with all the unexploded ordnance (UXO). When visiting Phonsavan the Plain of Jars, you could see remnants of cluster bombs used for decoration on the walls, bigger casings as flower pots and the craters on the ground.
The history of the area was very sad -why would anyone feel that poor and small Laos was such a huge threat to the world that it deserved being bombed so heavily? And sadder still, people still die from the UXOs, although Mine Advisory Group is working hard to educate people of the dangers as well as clear areas of UXOs. Think about being a farmer and not ever being able to safely walk on your own land! In Phonsavan my favourite musical Hair came to haunt me with one of the songs describing Vietnam war:
So Phonsavan was a curious visit for the history of the war, but also it was the first town that felt like real Lao town. The van ride from Luang Prabang took us there through winding and tiny mountain roads - I understand why so many people choose to fly in this country - and when we finally arrived to the Plain of Jars, I learned that it's not smart to sleep with your mouth open in a car next to a window. The taste of dust took several days and several beers to clear! It was surprising to see how dry it actually gets during the dry season - the dust was everywhere and covered about everything!
The Plain of Jars is a plateau at 1000m, one of the few flat areas in Laos, and gets its name from mysterious large stone containers that are found at 56 individual sites. They are big enough to fit a human inside, old enough to be forgotten who made them, and so mysterious that no one knows why they are there. The different hypotheses include that the jars were used as a coffin to allow the dead to decompose before the bones were buried, and that the jars were used to store food and once some water leaked in and the contents started fermenting - the birth of Lao whiskey, Lao Lao!
The history of the area was very sad -why would anyone feel that poor and small Laos was such a huge threat to the world that it deserved being bombed so heavily? And sadder still, people still die from the UXOs, although Mine Advisory Group is working hard to educate people of the dangers as well as clear areas of UXOs. Think about being a farmer and not ever being able to safely walk on your own land! In Phonsavan my favourite musical Hair came to haunt me with one of the songs describing Vietnam war:
Ripped open by metal explosion
Caught in barbed wire
Fireball
Bullet shock
Bayonet
Electricity
Shrapnel
Throbbing meat
Electronic data processing
Black uniforms
Bare feet, carbines
Mail-order rifles
Shoot the muscles
-3-5-0-0, Hair soundtrack
Caught in barbed wire
Fireball
Bullet shock
Bayonet
Electricity
Shrapnel
Throbbing meat
Electronic data processing
Black uniforms
Bare feet, carbines
Mail-order rifles
Shoot the muscles
-3-5-0-0, Hair soundtrack
So Phonsavan was a curious visit for the history of the war, but also it was the first town that felt like real Lao town. The van ride from Luang Prabang took us there through winding and tiny mountain roads - I understand why so many people choose to fly in this country - and when we finally arrived to the Plain of Jars, I learned that it's not smart to sleep with your mouth open in a car next to a window. The taste of dust took several days and several beers to clear! It was surprising to see how dry it actually gets during the dry season - the dust was everywhere and covered about everything!
The Plain of Jars is a plateau at 1000m, one of the few flat areas in Laos, and gets its name from mysterious large stone containers that are found at 56 individual sites. They are big enough to fit a human inside, old enough to be forgotten who made them, and so mysterious that no one knows why they are there. The different hypotheses include that the jars were used as a coffin to allow the dead to decompose before the bones were buried, and that the jars were used to store food and once some water leaked in and the contents started fermenting - the birth of Lao whiskey, Lao Lao!
Friday, 4 February 2011
Lao ponderations, Luang Prabang.
Lao is a beautiful country with such a sad history. Always conquered, no strong identity, under colonial rule, being bombed, now overtaken by tourists. I have only seen places on the tourist trail, and the main problem I see is the switch from traditional Lao life into catering for tourists. It is obvious that the locals are not used to having tourists everywhere, expecting to be served. The locals appear lovely and speak much better English than I heard in Thailand, and I think they try hard to provide the services. Still everyday I see a tourist complaining about the meal she ordered and refuses to pay. People not respecting the dressing codes, or touching people's heads (not done in Buddhist countries), or walking inside people's homes with their shoes on. So many complaints and so little understanding towards the Lao people.
Luang Prabang is a beautiful world heritage site - old French-style buildings, numerous wats and young monks in their orange robes going to the monastery school, great food market, and a lot of guesthouses and restaurants to keep the tourists happy. I have been spending a lot of time with lovely Europeans I met on the boat here, and I've been so happy to have company every day. It has made me miss my boyfriend a lot, realising once again how I'm happier with friendly people around me! Today I spent in an internet cafe writing the methods section to an article we want to publish soon - the work keeps following me!- and trying to plan my next step to Phonsavanh.
The local food still keeps exciting me - I really enjoy the lap, and the curries have been tasty too. The French influence can be seen in the presence of winebars and bakeries, and I have to confess to eating breakfast at the most divine Swedish bakery. The ham and cheese croissants and cinnamon buns are just like back home and cost only tens of thousands! Speaking of food makes me hungry, so I guess it's time for late lunch/early dinner!
Luang Prabang is a beautiful world heritage site - old French-style buildings, numerous wats and young monks in their orange robes going to the monastery school, great food market, and a lot of guesthouses and restaurants to keep the tourists happy. I have been spending a lot of time with lovely Europeans I met on the boat here, and I've been so happy to have company every day. It has made me miss my boyfriend a lot, realising once again how I'm happier with friendly people around me! Today I spent in an internet cafe writing the methods section to an article we want to publish soon - the work keeps following me!- and trying to plan my next step to Phonsavanh.
The local food still keeps exciting me - I really enjoy the lap, and the curries have been tasty too. The French influence can be seen in the presence of winebars and bakeries, and I have to confess to eating breakfast at the most divine Swedish bakery. The ham and cheese croissants and cinnamon buns are just like back home and cost only tens of thousands! Speaking of food makes me hungry, so I guess it's time for late lunch/early dinner!
Thursday, 3 February 2011
Impressions of Northern Thailand and Laos.
My favourite Buddha in Sukhothai.
Cruising the Mae Kok river.
Local craftmanship.
Shining White Temple near Chiang Rai.
Waterfalls near Luang Prabang.Tuesday, 1 February 2011
Millionaires on Mekong.
The last days of Thailand took me to the border town of Chiang Khong. Little, authentic feeling town with lots of guesthouses for people headed to Laos. I met a bunch of lovely Europeans at a lovely guesthouse with river views, and I've been travelling with them for a few days now. It's great to have company!
On Sunday we crossed the Mekong river to Laos, to the town of Huai Xei where we started a two-day journey down the Mekong on slow boat. The slow boats are long boats, taking roughly 50 people and had rows of seats taken from old cars. First day we had a pleasure of sitting on plastic chairs as the main seats were all taken. The river views were stunning - jungle-covered tall mountains all around the river and no signs of civilization!
We spent the night in the small town of Pak Beng, where the service providers were accustomed to cheating the tourists with the exchange rates. I had the first taste of Lao food, and the chicken lap (minced chicken, bean sprouts, lemon and chili) was delicious! The local Lao lager was good, and the happy hour shots of Lao whiskey made us giddy. Good evening all in all! In the morning we saw a small brawl - a tourist was unhappy with the service and paying for something she never ordered or obtained, and threw the money at the waiter, which lead to the chef waving her knife around aggressively and people shouting curses at her. Apparently throwing money is a big no-no!
The second day on the boat was longer, seven hours, and we didn't get seats at all. We had learned from the previous day that back of the boat has a loud engine, so we camped at the front and sat on our rucksacks. It turned out a lot more comfortable way to travel, and I was first time happy to have so much stuff with me as it made a nicer seat! I even managed to sleep for a while, and the journey had a nice camping feel to it.
Finally in Luang Prabang we first headed to a cash point (to stop the losses when paying in Thai baht) and we become millionaires, as one euro is about 11,000 Lao kip! As their biggest note is 50,000 kip (less than 5 euros), we had pockets full of money and we found a lovely guest house with cheapish rooms and lovely garden area. For dinner I had lap again, this time with fish (and mint instead of beansprouts) and it was even better! It's weird how sitting on a boat can wear you out, so this morning has been slow one. Soon we'll go to see some temples and museums, but the first impression from Luang Prabang is fairly touristy, very influenced by French (you can buy wine here! and there are bakeries! croissant for breakfast!), but it is very colourful and beautiful little town.
On Sunday we crossed the Mekong river to Laos, to the town of Huai Xei where we started a two-day journey down the Mekong on slow boat. The slow boats are long boats, taking roughly 50 people and had rows of seats taken from old cars. First day we had a pleasure of sitting on plastic chairs as the main seats were all taken. The river views were stunning - jungle-covered tall mountains all around the river and no signs of civilization!
We spent the night in the small town of Pak Beng, where the service providers were accustomed to cheating the tourists with the exchange rates. I had the first taste of Lao food, and the chicken lap (minced chicken, bean sprouts, lemon and chili) was delicious! The local Lao lager was good, and the happy hour shots of Lao whiskey made us giddy. Good evening all in all! In the morning we saw a small brawl - a tourist was unhappy with the service and paying for something she never ordered or obtained, and threw the money at the waiter, which lead to the chef waving her knife around aggressively and people shouting curses at her. Apparently throwing money is a big no-no!
The second day on the boat was longer, seven hours, and we didn't get seats at all. We had learned from the previous day that back of the boat has a loud engine, so we camped at the front and sat on our rucksacks. It turned out a lot more comfortable way to travel, and I was first time happy to have so much stuff with me as it made a nicer seat! I even managed to sleep for a while, and the journey had a nice camping feel to it.
Finally in Luang Prabang we first headed to a cash point (to stop the losses when paying in Thai baht) and we become millionaires, as one euro is about 11,000 Lao kip! As their biggest note is 50,000 kip (less than 5 euros), we had pockets full of money and we found a lovely guest house with cheapish rooms and lovely garden area. For dinner I had lap again, this time with fish (and mint instead of beansprouts) and it was even better! It's weird how sitting on a boat can wear you out, so this morning has been slow one. Soon we'll go to see some temples and museums, but the first impression from Luang Prabang is fairly touristy, very influenced by French (you can buy wine here! and there are bakeries! croissant for breakfast!), but it is very colourful and beautiful little town.
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