« February 2005 | Main | April 2005 »
March 02, 2005
Laos | Bye Bye Laos | 18-20 Feb 2005
Vang Vieng the second time round was much the same as the first, except with different people, and no tubing/caving. I spent most of the day relaxing, swapping books at the local bookshop, then going out drinking with new friends at night.
I did see some people I’d met along the Laos travel path (and it’s funny, you do often see people repeatedly, travelling the same routes), which was nice – knowing someone to talk to.
I caught an early bus on the 20th to Vientiane, not wanting to stay, but get the overnight train back to Bangkok. Fortunately, I just barely had the time to see Pha That Luang, a massive, golden Wat on the outskirts of Vientiane, before I left. I had been told this was an impressive structure worth seeing. I also saw Vientiane’s equivalent of the Arc de Triumph, as well as some other Wats nearby That Luang.
I got to the border, said goodbye and skipped out of Laos, making it to the train with plenty of time to eat and relax before it left (I was lucky enough to get a sleeper, having no pre-purchased ticket!).
Posted by Dan at 09:57 AM | Comments (1)
Laos | Luang Prabang part 2 | 17 Feb 2005
This time round in Luang Prabang, we decided to ACTUALLY SEE the city… when we were there last time, we just did activities, shopped at the markets and booked tickets without even going to the peninsula.
We walked around the entire town, stopping at many of the Wats, talking with some of the Novice Monks, enjoying the serenity of the town. We went to some Sa Paper shops (recycled, handmade paper), walked around the entire peninsula and even had one hour Swedish-Lao massages at the Lao Red Cross (worth doing! $3!).
On the way up to Phusy Mountain, we saw a non-competition, spare-of-the-moment cock-fight flare up! You don’t see that on the streets everyday…. They went at it for a few minutes, before the peacemaker dog ran in to break it all up….hehehe
Finally we went up Phusy Mountain to see the sun set, reaching the top to find a hundred other tourists with the same idea – it was impressive nonetheless.
On this auspicious occasion – the last night in Luang Prabang and our last night together as a travelling gang, we did the BBQ at DragonGirl again, pleasing us muchly once again!
However, this beautiful day was beset by 24 hours of problematic technology for me… When I went to play a DVD that night, I found my drive had gone Kaput! Secondly, I lost, or someone stole, my digital camera bag (including my newly purchased additional battery, doh!) This was a real pain, but at least I didn’t lose any data (unlike Silke, who forgot a roll of film in Muang Ngoi Neua).
The following day, the girls flew to Chiang Mai (to travel to Pai for some more trekking) and I caught a local bus back to Vang Vieng.
Posted by Dan at 09:40 AM | Comments (1)
Laos | Muang Ngoi Neua and the hill tribe trek | 13-16 Feb 2005
Having seen ‘the cities of Laos’, we really wanted to get ‘out there’ into what still remains as the real experience of Laos, more in touch with the locals and local scenery. I’d also been told by Brandon that the best thing to do is exactly that, ‘It’s like National Geographic out there Man!’ We noticed that many of the package treks from Luang Prabang were the same, and we didn’t want to do another Khamu Village experience like the waterfall one, so we decided to head out by ourselves to a small riverside place called Muang Ngoi Neua, via Nong Khiaw, to organise a trek from there.
Early AM local chicken-bus to Nong Khiaw – 3hrs (and $3)
Wait at Nong Khiaw – 1-2hrs
Boat ride to Muang Ngoi Neua- 1.5hrs (and $1.30)
Seeing a painted-on ‘Metallica’ sign on the front of one of these local Laos boats – PRICELESS!
The first boat was full, so they took another boat, which waited for more passengers, as well as stopping at the drivers village. This meant that even the boat that was scheduled to leave an hour after ours – passed us… This may have been why there was only ONE bungalow overlooking the river left on the whole bank. The girls took it, and I went in search of a free bungalow anywhere – at least we’d have one balcony between us. In fact, I got a better bungalow at a better price ($1!) with a (perhaps not better nor worse) different view. Instead of facing the river, I got an incredibly rich mountain/stream view, as can be seen below (and even that picture doesn’t do it justice).
View of Muang Ngoi Neua || View from my balcony || town of Muang Ngoi Neua
We wanted to do at least one night trekking in the villages, but with the girls’ flight schedule, it would be pushing it to do two nights and make it back, so we settled for a two day, one night trek. We asked at various places about the treks, the first place (more official looking hut with a menu of treks) seeming a bit too packagey (and pricey), the second place barely knowing what they were doing (and telling us there would be no beds, no blankets, no mozzie nets, no nothing, no idea!), finally reaching Kong Keo. He had a sign up that he was recommended in the Lonely Planet (not that we found that entry at all…), and it said to follow the signs and ask for ‘Kong Keo, the teacher’. We found him, and within minutes, we knew we would be trekking with him. None of the package deal ‘4 hours today, 3 hours the next, passing two villages and then swimming home’ did he mention (as both previous operators did), instead going gung-ho into the ‘Can you guys trek for 7-8 hours for the first day, 4-5 hours the next?’ Sweet! A REAL trek! He was a real character, very personable, his English very good. The trek cost us $10 per person per day, which was a little more than the other places considering we had 6 people trekking, but we figured we had the best guide, and so worth it.
8 AM the following day we were to head off, but Sandra had become really, really ill overnight – seemingly food-poison. She couldn’t come, but told us to go without her.
Silke and I were trekking with (King) Kong Keo the guide, Canadian Joel, then Aussies Jake, Kate and Rob (2/3 Aussie trek!)
The first day WAS an arduous trek. We left at about 9am because of various delays, had lunch at 1pm and ended up barely making it to the final resting village before the sun left us.
We went up, down, around and it almost felt like under and through many mountains that day. We all felt the strain of 8 hours of hard trekking (and not enough water – the post-lunch village had none to sell to us!)
On the way, we saw a bunch of Water Buffalo wallowing in mud and chewing cud (Hey, I’m a poet, and didn’t even know it!). I got this funny little videoclip (or at least ‘I’ think its funny) of a buffalo just standing there, jaw going round in the chewing motion, whilst his ears were flapping madly to rid himself of the flies. Enjoy!
Click here to download the file - Water Buffalo.wmv
After lunch (comprised of very tasty Mrs Kong Keo’s noodles) we went through our first village, where we became an instant attraction for the locals (in some cases, even becoming the village clowns – trying to impress the kids with various western ‘antics’ and acrobatics!). As you’ll notice, even though they’re a 3-5 hour walk from Muang Ngoi Neua, they still have satellites for TV!
We all breathed a sigh of relief when we got to our final destination of the day, throwing down urgent gulps of reviving nature’s ale, the moment it became available.
That night was very interesting – a night in the village – playing with the kids, showing them photos on the cameras, watching their antics, observing the culture. Dinner was a feast of sticky rice, some kind of Chinese greens and a chicken that had been sacrificed (by Joel – he requested the opportunity to do it!). That evening we played stick tricks and puzzles with Kong Keo as we shared stories.
The following day was similar to the first, except mostly downhill and only 4-5 hours.
We passed a tobacco plantation, which I don’t remember having seen before (totally different to what I expected, they just look like cabbage!)
Our final night in Muang Ngoi Neua contained entertaining recounts of the hardships we had endured over the previous 30 hours to our mostly recovered Sandra. Oh yeah, and I also had time to play with the monkeys… There was what seemed to be the mother monkey attached to a chain (for good reason – PSYCHO!) and then occasionally a smaller one would show up – not tied to anything. In typical monkey style, they’re mischievous little devils, taking anything not permanently fixed (eg. My sunnies, other peoples hats, etc), and the mother biting me a couple of times when I went to pick up the baby. I finally got the bubs out of mum’s way and got to play with him alone – not nearly as psycho as the mamma! (Even though, in the photo, he IS trying to bite me)
The next day, we got the morning boat all the way back to Luang Prabang, a six hour relaxing cruise…
Posted by Dan at 09:14 AM | Comments (1)
Laos | Luang Prabang and surrounds | 11-12 Feb 2005
We got another VIP bus from Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang, and this time I didn’t have to sit on the blue plastic chair, although five other poor sods did. The bus didn’t break down this time, the trip was: slow, uneventful, sometimes frustrating, sleepy, visually appealing. We got there in around the expected 5 hour mark, getting beds at a reasonably good quality guesthouse a little out of the main town area (S & S getting a double for $6, I a single for $3). The rest of the day/evening was spent enduring one of the lower quality food and service meals we’d had, then wandering the nightstalls, shopping.
The following day we all slept in, then went to the nearby waterfall in the afternoon. The waterfall is really quite impressive, as well as a wonderful place to hang out for an afternoon. There are multiple swimming areas, various cascades and falls, including a ‘secluded private pool’ tucked away nearer to the top of the fall. In addition to the liquid display, we tourists were also able to see various protected animal groups: a tiger in captivity (who was making very sad noises – all alone and locked up), some bears (effectively in the same situation as the tiger) and also a bunch of French art students.
There was also a small rope swing, and having gained such delight and respect from the Vang Vieng tubing swing, I had to make use of this one, first by ‘proving my manliness’ by climbing up the rope from the water, then jumping off and swinging off it.
On the way back from the waterfall, we went to a Khamu Village (hilltribes), which is about as touristy as a Khamu Village can possibly get. Every single hut had its own stand selling their locally made products, children milling round begging, trying to sell their wares or get candy. The kids were playing with cars and capguns, the older men smoking strange bong-like devices using commercial cigarettes. It is a well-oiled machine of commercial tourism… oh well. At least we got to see some kids skinning and cooking a snake!
I had booked out of my room in the morning, endeavouring to find a bed that was made not of concrete. However, I didn’t have the opportunity to do so before we left for the waterfall, so I spent 90 minutes walking around Luang Prabang looking for somewhere decent for a decent price…. 90% of the guesthouses were booked out, and those that weren’t were crappy or expensive!!! (most places asking $10-$15!) It was a Saturday night, there was some kind of wedding nearby, as well as some Buddhist ceremony, all of which may have contributed to me not finding anywhere I could stay. I ended up walking back to the guesthouse the girls were at (and where I was originally), and everything within the vicinity was full!! In the end, I planned to either find something around the time we were having dinner, or sleep on the girls’ floor. Fortunately Sandra slept elsewhere that night, offering me her place :)
That night we had the BEST dinner EVER! It was an Asian-style BBQ at a little place on the river called DragonGirl, constantly busy with mostly locals. There’s a little hearth in the middle of the table, into which go hot coals, upon which a domed plate goes. They give you a plate-full of strips of whichever meat you choose, as well as a basket full of veggies, all of which you BBQ or turn into soup on the plate. Delicious!!
Posted by Dan at 09:03 AM | Comments (0)
Laos | Vang Vieng and Caving | 8-11 Feb 2005
The next day, the 3 of us hired some bicycles and went 6km to the most well-known cave in the area. The ride there was interesting, with wonderful countryside to look at. The Lao people are quite on-the-ball with tourists in Vang Vieng, providing English signposts and impressively stable bridges – at a cost. Each bridge has a toll of around $0.50 per bicycle – that was an interesting example of user-pays, but at least they were keeping the bridges in good order.
We also managed to pick up some extremely young hitchhikers while we were on our way to the caves…
The main attraction of the cave we went to was not, in fact, the cave, but the sparkling lagoon at the bottom of the hill. It had a bridge, a swing, tables and chairs, and even a small local restaurant. It felt like a great place for a weekend picnic.
The cave was a significant walk up the mountain, and once there, was, primarily, a cave.
The ride home was, well, interesting, to say the very least… Lets see if you guys can spot what’s missing from this photo (click on it for bigger pic, as with all other photos)…
Mmm, found it?
Maybe this one will help…
Ahhh…. There we go. Yes, it was, in fact, a very interesting ride home. I managed to actually ride it as well, one-footed. It wasn’t easy, seeing as it had the free-back-rotating mechanism, which meant that half the time I tried to kick it up to push down, the single remaining pedal would just fall back down to the bottom, useless. I had many strange looks on the way back, not least from Silke, who remained at my speed to keep me company. (Then again, I was going a lot faster than her down the hill – weight-momentum advantage, hurrah!)
Again another night on the Beerlao, again ending up at Ilam bar, where much fun was to be had.
Posted by Dan at 08:49 AM | Comments (2)
Laos | Vang Vieng and Tubing | 8-11 Feb 2005
Vang Vieng is a strange little stopover town, halfway between Vientiane and Luang Prabang. The roads are now good enough that you can go between these towns in a day now, rendering the stop optional. It has become the Khao San Road of Laos, and I feel that there is less than a hint of Laos within the entire town. It is full of cheap backpacker-style guesthouses (with a few more $$$ bungalows on the river), a large number of thai-island-style-backpacker restaurants, with floor-cushions, western food showing Friends episodes (or Hollywood flicks) back-to-back. Its very backpackery.
However, before you get the idea that I don’t like it, it’s a great place for travellers to put up their feet for a few days. It’s not a bad social place and there are various activities available in the surrounding areas.
Speaking of which, the first whole day we were there, the girls and I decided to go inner-tubing down the river, a previously advertised feature of the place. It was REALLY REALLY cool. A little different to the quiet ride I’d expected, there were Beerlao shops every 10m along the river. And by Beerlao shop I mean a guy sitting on the riverbed with a small sign, a case of Beerlao and a bamboo pole to pull the customers in.
This was my first for the Day, the Beerlao shop that sold it to me, and Silke tubing.
We made a full pitstop a little further down the river at the ‘big’ shop, and by big I mean this one sold baguettes, tea, coffee and chips! It also had a bamboo ladder angled out at 45 degrees so as to be a jump – much fun was had!
The big shop, and Sandra jumping!
Even more exciting for me than the big shop was the Beerlao-shop-in-the-middle-of-the-river, which, as you can see from the photos, was worth paddling for!
After the jump, we went a little further and found something infinitely more exciting, The Swing of Death! (ok, so I added the last bit, but it WAS a swing)
You would climb onto the wooden seat platform (which you stood on, not sat on) of the swing, which was dangling off 10-15m of rope from a big tree way above. The other guys would grab a rope attached to the ‘seat’, run back up the hill and into the woods, while you slowly went from the normal state of vertical to almost completely horizontal, looking straight down at the ground, hoping that your grip is good.
All of a sudden, the runners let go and you’re sent flying out into the abyss, making strange whooping noises before leaving the relative comfort of the swing, to be dropped into the murky depths…
I LOVED IT!
I could have stayed for hours on that thing (I even met some people who DID), but the girls weren’t into it, so we moved on :)
After all that excitement, it all slowed down quite rapidly, the river slowing, the tubes managing only a snail pace. Tubing is a great place to meet people, however different currents make for difficult conversation sometimes, often ending with ‘speak again when I catch you up!’
Dan Self Shot | We picked up another Dan, this one English; here tubing with Sandra and Silke
The tubing ended with little Lao kids jumping on our tubes (initially to collect the beer bottles for the refund, then secondly) to help paddle our way to the finish line… Of course some of us were naïve enough to be surprised when they asked for money at the end :)
It was a great day, topped off by an incredible dinner at the riverside bungalow restaurant (1. Steamed Fish with ginger and mushrooms and sticky rice; 2. Thai Red Chicken Curry with Rice; 3. Fish Laab (minced fish and chili ‘salad’) and Sticky Rick; 4. Sweet and Sour Fish with rice)
Yet another night was spent at bars in town, then at the Ilam Bar.
Posted by Dan at 08:40 AM | Comments (1)
Cambodia to Laos | 4-7 Feb 2005
My trip to Laos from Cambodia was relatively uneventful:
Phnom Penh to Battambang (nice, little, quiet Cambodian town on the way to the border) via bus;
Stay overnight after a few drinks at the very cool Riverside Balcony Bar;
Taxi to Poipet (Thai/Cam border town – UGLY – full of Casinos and dodgy dealers);
Cross the border;
Eat Pad Thai;
Local-chicken-bus to the station (along with many people, a bag full of crabs and a bag full of big, black, live scorpions – they’re a 10baht delicacy!);
5hr bus to Bangkok;
Train to Nong Khai is full, so stay a night in Bangkok on Khao San Road (first time);
Attempt to have a good night with a few drinks, but Thai elections have started, so no beer is allowed to be served all night!;
Spend too much money on cocktails;
Sleep in cheap hole-in-the-wall-with-bathroom-attached (still cost 250baht);
Do some shopping around bangers;
Buy a good book for the train;
Catch the overnight train to Nong Khai;
Don’t read more than 20 pages of book because am chatting with cool older American guy;
Sleep, and then, conversely, wake up;
Catch tuk-tuk to border;
Check out of Thailand (no, I didn’t use the minibar, and all the nobbies nuts are still there);
Bus it across the friendship bridge into Laos;
Pay my hard earned dollars for a 15 day visa;
Catch a minivan into central Vientiane;
Tada!
Posted by Dan at 08:35 AM | Comments (0)
My bike in Phnom Penh
I took a pic of the bike I had during my stay in Phnom Penh, just because I realised I didn’t have a single photo of it!! So anyway, to whoever’s interested, here it is (along with the new owner)
Posted by Dan at 08:29 AM | Comments (1)