Mr DW up close and personal with a very old Buddha image
Ta Prohm
Angkor Wat
Local delights!
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Day 18 Siem Reap to home
We all had, at different times, a leisurely breakfast. This hotel has the best range of food for breakfast that I have ever seen in my life I think. I started , at 7am, with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice ( I watched him squeeze the oranges ( which are slightly mandariny)) , then had a plate of pawpaw, pineapple, rockmelon, then after a while, I had some bircher muesli and delicious yoghurt and chopped up fruit salad. After a while, I had some delicious prawn dumpling things, then a cup of coffee and a freshly made crepe and a small Danish and a small croissant.. After a bigger while ( by this stage is was 8.45 ish, ) I decided to have some of the delicious looking blue cheese and a little bread roll to accompany the half glass of champagne ( it was our last breakfast after all). There was a huge array of cold meats, hot savoury food, little cakes etc
Some of us did yet more shopping and had our last fruit drinks, had an afternoon doze and left the hotel at 6.30pm to start our way home. We arrived in Canberra airport at 4.45pm ( 12.45 pm Cambodian time) All went smoothly.
Some of us did yet more shopping and had our last fruit drinks, had an afternoon doze and left the hotel at 6.30pm to start our way home. We arrived in Canberra airport at 4.45pm ( 12.45 pm Cambodian time) All went smoothly.
Day 17 Siem Reap
We drove about 60km to visit Beng Mealea. This is reputed to be a prototype for Angkor Wat and is largely destroyed by the jungle, tho’ enough has been cleared that you can walk around / climb over piles of large rocks. It was surprisingly peaceful.
We then went to Banteay Srei, a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva. It is built out of a lighter stone than the others and has lots of very detailed carvings.
Dinner at yet another good local restaurant.
We then went to Banteay Srei, a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva. It is built out of a lighter stone than the others and has lots of very detailed carvings.
Dinner at yet another good local restaurant.
Day 16 Siem Reap
A bit of history : the Khmer kingdom from 802 to 1432 AD was one of the great powers of SE Asia. There were a series of powerful kings, the first being Jayavarman II who proclaimed himself a god-king, the earthly representative of the Hindu god Shiva. He built a ‘temple mountain’ which set a precedent for the following kings who all tried to outdo each other and build a bigger and better temple dedicated to their preferred Hindu god or Buddha or both. Angkor Wat is the best known but there are many others. Henri Mouhot, in 1868 brought the decaying and overgrown temples to the public’s attention. A few were still in use.
We visited Angkor Wat first – quite breathtaking. Angkor Wat is the best preserved because it was never abandoned. It is a huge building which seems to go on and on. There are many carvings of apsaras ( heavenly nymphs) on the stonework. Angkor Wat, like others is surrounded by a moat.
Then we went to Ta Prohm , originally a Buddhist temple, now in ruins. It is quite atmospheric– large trees growing through ruins, complicated root systems seem to hold up buildings, light comes through trees in strange ways, dark shadows of crumbling decaying moss covered buildings
Angkor Thom is huge walled city. We visited 2 of its gates, a few buildings and the central monument Banyon.
It sounds like lots of buildings and things – which it was but they all were a bit different.
Dinner at yet another delicious place. Our hotel is about 2kn from the centre of town - $2 for a tuktuk. Beats walking in the heat.
We visited Angkor Wat first – quite breathtaking. Angkor Wat is the best preserved because it was never abandoned. It is a huge building which seems to go on and on. There are many carvings of apsaras ( heavenly nymphs) on the stonework. Angkor Wat, like others is surrounded by a moat.
Then we went to Ta Prohm , originally a Buddhist temple, now in ruins. It is quite atmospheric– large trees growing through ruins, complicated root systems seem to hold up buildings, light comes through trees in strange ways, dark shadows of crumbling decaying moss covered buildings
Angkor Thom is huge walled city. We visited 2 of its gates, a few buildings and the central monument Banyon.
It sounds like lots of buildings and things – which it was but they all were a bit different.
Dinner at yet another delicious place. Our hotel is about 2kn from the centre of town - $2 for a tuktuk. Beats walking in the heat.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Day 15 Phnom Penh to Siem Reap
Another interesting day.
Today we spent most of the day driving from Phnom Penh NW to Siem Reap. A large part of the road was only built 4 years ago with Japanese aid. It is a major highway, 2 lanes, 1 in each direction shared by trucks, tourist buses, motorbikes, few cars, tractors, bullock- drawn drays pilled precariously high, motorbike pulled carts pilled precariously high, pedestrians, animals etc. It takes a while to get anywhere – but that is OK because there is plenty to see. The style of housing changes, the wares in the roadside shops change, the vegetation changes. For a large part of the time we drove along the edge of the Tonle Sap river which flows into the Mekong at Phnom Penh ( except when the Mekong floods and it flows the other way) . The houses along the roadside are mostly on taller stilts than we have seen but the area is very poor. We drove past several brick factories and stone quarries, saw many rice fields and lotus ponds. One of the road side places we stopped at specialised in spiders – alive and dead – and assorted other revolting looking insects.
We stopped at a place called Sambor Prei Kuk where there are many ruins of temples built in the 6th and 7th centuries, pre-Angkor. It was nice wandering around the jungle looking at these structures built of small bricks (hopefully I’ll sort some photos out this evening). The area is off the main road and very poor – no electricity, very few cars in sight, dirt tracks, small houses with bamboo walls.
We arrived at our hotel – Ross has saved the best till last. This hotel is described in a book as French colonial. Nice wood, tiling, courtyards, wide verandahs, seating, little nooks and crannies, beautiful flowers everywhere, huge swimming pool.
I had a swim and then we all had dinner here. Delicious.
Today we spent most of the day driving from Phnom Penh NW to Siem Reap. A large part of the road was only built 4 years ago with Japanese aid. It is a major highway, 2 lanes, 1 in each direction shared by trucks, tourist buses, motorbikes, few cars, tractors, bullock- drawn drays pilled precariously high, motorbike pulled carts pilled precariously high, pedestrians, animals etc. It takes a while to get anywhere – but that is OK because there is plenty to see. The style of housing changes, the wares in the roadside shops change, the vegetation changes. For a large part of the time we drove along the edge of the Tonle Sap river which flows into the Mekong at Phnom Penh ( except when the Mekong floods and it flows the other way) . The houses along the roadside are mostly on taller stilts than we have seen but the area is very poor. We drove past several brick factories and stone quarries, saw many rice fields and lotus ponds. One of the road side places we stopped at specialised in spiders – alive and dead – and assorted other revolting looking insects.
We stopped at a place called Sambor Prei Kuk where there are many ruins of temples built in the 6th and 7th centuries, pre-Angkor. It was nice wandering around the jungle looking at these structures built of small bricks (hopefully I’ll sort some photos out this evening). The area is off the main road and very poor – no electricity, very few cars in sight, dirt tracks, small houses with bamboo walls.
We arrived at our hotel – Ross has saved the best till last. This hotel is described in a book as French colonial. Nice wood, tiling, courtyards, wide verandahs, seating, little nooks and crannies, beautiful flowers everywhere, huge swimming pool.
I had a swim and then we all had dinner here. Delicious.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Day 14 Saturday Phnom Penh
This morning I went for an early walk along the waterfront. There were quite a few groups of locals out doing their exercises – a vigorous looking form of tai chi. There were several groups of blokes playing a game with a volleyball size net. They used heads or feet, no hands and had 3 on each side of the net. I have a photo that may ( or may not, more likely) turn out of a group of 8 monks walking earnestly along in their orange robes and sandals all carrying briefcases . They were passing a group of about 15 kids between about 10 and 16 all dancing to some hip hoppy discordant ( to my ear) Asian music. This was at about 6.45 am. Also in the photo are a team of women sweeping the path, emptying bins and watering the grass.
After breakfast we went first to the Royal Palace complex. Behind high walls is a quiet place with well-tended lawns and assorted buildings. We went into the throne hall where official dignitaries are received. It was surprisingly pleasant – distinctly Asian but with a European feel. Within the complex we also visited the Silver Pagoda, so named because of the silver floor. There is a gold Buddha – 90kg of gold.
Then we went to Tuol Sleng Museum, otherwise known as S-21. In 1975 Pol Pot took over a school and it became the largest centre of detention and torture in the country for the 3 1/2 years of Pol Pot’s regime. I took no photographs. The Khmer Rouge took detailed records of the inmates and there were many photographs of the 3 years. It was particularly chilling and aweful but necessary to see, I think, to understand the history of the country.
We then went to the National Museum which was a delightful building, very peaceful ( which it needed to be – we were all very sombre) . We were shown a large array of things, mostly statues from the Angkor period, by a lady with a terrible voice. She spoke in a high-pitched montone, like a robot that needed oiling, and was very hard to understand.
We walked back to our hotel and some of us had lunch at a pleasant café on the way. I had 1 remaining postcard on my ‘absolute minimum list’ to send, so bought one of the museum, found out that the post office was about 1 km away and set off. I reckon you almost walk double the distance by the time you dodge street stalls, motor bikes, cars, tuk tuks, people, beggars, piles of junk, builders etc etc. Once I saw the building I went in search of a coffee and found a place whose main purpose was to sell coffee beans, but they had a few tables. I had a nice cappuccino for $1US. As an aside, most prices are quoted in US$ but the official currency is real – there are 4000 real to 1 US$. It appears that reals are only used for change of less than $1. Many things on menus are, e.g. $2.80 – so you leave $3 and the change becomes the tip. I came back from the post office mostly via back streets, pocked my head into a covered market, passed some food stalls selling completely unrecognisable things, looked for a place to have another snack, decided to by-pass the restaurant that had 4 large black 4WDs outside and double the usual number of security guards ( someone more important than me must have been inside) , found a nice little place, had a lovely pineapple juice and was just started on my crepes when a large truck parked outside and started very noisily pumping out sewage. Ah well, I wasnot far from my hotel – time for another bath. Trouble is the bath is surrounded by 3 full walls of mirrors – I found yesterday it was a bit offputting.
After breakfast we went first to the Royal Palace complex. Behind high walls is a quiet place with well-tended lawns and assorted buildings. We went into the throne hall where official dignitaries are received. It was surprisingly pleasant – distinctly Asian but with a European feel. Within the complex we also visited the Silver Pagoda, so named because of the silver floor. There is a gold Buddha – 90kg of gold.
Then we went to Tuol Sleng Museum, otherwise known as S-21. In 1975 Pol Pot took over a school and it became the largest centre of detention and torture in the country for the 3 1/2 years of Pol Pot’s regime. I took no photographs. The Khmer Rouge took detailed records of the inmates and there were many photographs of the 3 years. It was particularly chilling and aweful but necessary to see, I think, to understand the history of the country.
We then went to the National Museum which was a delightful building, very peaceful ( which it needed to be – we were all very sombre) . We were shown a large array of things, mostly statues from the Angkor period, by a lady with a terrible voice. She spoke in a high-pitched montone, like a robot that needed oiling, and was very hard to understand.
We walked back to our hotel and some of us had lunch at a pleasant café on the way. I had 1 remaining postcard on my ‘absolute minimum list’ to send, so bought one of the museum, found out that the post office was about 1 km away and set off. I reckon you almost walk double the distance by the time you dodge street stalls, motor bikes, cars, tuk tuks, people, beggars, piles of junk, builders etc etc. Once I saw the building I went in search of a coffee and found a place whose main purpose was to sell coffee beans, but they had a few tables. I had a nice cappuccino for $1US. As an aside, most prices are quoted in US$ but the official currency is real – there are 4000 real to 1 US$. It appears that reals are only used for change of less than $1. Many things on menus are, e.g. $2.80 – so you leave $3 and the change becomes the tip. I came back from the post office mostly via back streets, pocked my head into a covered market, passed some food stalls selling completely unrecognisable things, looked for a place to have another snack, decided to by-pass the restaurant that had 4 large black 4WDs outside and double the usual number of security guards ( someone more important than me must have been inside) , found a nice little place, had a lovely pineapple juice and was just started on my crepes when a large truck parked outside and started very noisily pumping out sewage. Ah well, I wasnot far from my hotel – time for another bath. Trouble is the bath is surrounded by 3 full walls of mirrors – I found yesterday it was a bit offputting.
Day 13 Friday Vientiane to Phnom Penh
The usual – bus to airport, wait around, plane trip, wait around, bus to hotel. Our Cambodian guide talked to us about Cambodia and its recent history in the bus. The hotel we are staying in is in a great location right on the water front – Tonle Sap River which joins the Mekong 500m south . I have a little balcony that looks along the river. The room is very opulent. Some of us wandered up the street and found a café for a late lunch, then it was back to the hotel for a bath before going to the Foreign Correspondent’s Club for a drink and then dinner. The tuk tuk drivers are not pushy and the few beggars I have seen are not pushy either but I have not wandered far.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Day 12 Thursday Vientiane
Today we went to 4 different places. Firstly a lovely wat – Wat Si Sakit. It was built in the early 1800’s. The temple is surrounded by cloisters with many images of Buddha. It had a really peaceful feel. Hah Pha Kaeo followed – an ex-temple, now a museum, then Pha That Luang. This was not to my taste! It is the national monument of Laos, and is supposed to be a symbol of both Buddhism and Lao sovereignty. It is a goldy coloured stupa surrounded by concrete. It doesnot have, for me, a good peaceful feel.
After that we drove to a funny thing that looks like the Arc de Triomphe. We climbed to the top and had a good view of the city. Vientiane is built on the edge of the Mekong but there seems to be a lot of construction along the waterfront and the view of it from the top of the Arc was all I have seen.
Mrs MW and I did some shopping in the afternoon, ignoring the protestations of Mr DW who is well known for his opposition to spending money.
Tomorrow we are off to Cambodia.
After that we drove to a funny thing that looks like the Arc de Triomphe. We climbed to the top and had a good view of the city. Vientiane is built on the edge of the Mekong but there seems to be a lot of construction along the waterfront and the view of it from the top of the Arc was all I have seen.
Mrs MW and I did some shopping in the afternoon, ignoring the protestations of Mr DW who is well known for his opposition to spending money.
Tomorrow we are off to Cambodia.
Day 11 Wednesday Phonsovan to Vientiane
This morning we drove from our hotel to the third of the 3 main sites to view the unexplained large stone jars. On the way we stopped twice – firstly to take some photos of 3 little Hmong girls dressed up in the traditional clothes. Today is the first day of the 3 or 4 days celebration of the Hmong new year and we passed a family walking along the street. They were happy to be photographed. A little later we drove passed a larger group of about 20. They were playing a ball game and were , once again, happy for us to take photos. There were 2 lines of girls facing each other throwing a ball back wards and forwards to each other in pairs using only 1 hand. Apparently it is traditionally played with a boy and a girl but we saw only the girls. There were some boys watching but when we passed they were not taking part.
Yesterday we were the only tourists at the 2 sites of jars that we went to, so today it was a bit of a let down to have other tourists looking around with us. There was an adult Hmong woman dressed up a singing – without apparently wanting money. Maybe it was a new year thing.
Back in Phonsovan we had hoped to visit the office of MAG (Mines Advisory Group) to see their display of the clearing of UXO’s and watch a video, however the office was closed for the new year celebrations. We had a leisurely lunch then short drive to airport, wait, short flight, wait for bags, bus to hotel. Usually stuff – waiting.
Vientiane , the capital of Laos , has a population of 600,000. It is the only city in Laos to have traffic lights. It took 15 minutes to drive from the airport to our hotel. It has a peculiar feel. Old French buildings , usually in a sad state of disrepair, new office blocks built in a style that I think is meant to be Laotian – the roofs look like temple roofs but the rest is a rectangular boring box, often white with goldy coloured decorations and many old buildings. Brand new large 4WD alongside tuk tuk’s and street sellers. Modern coffee shops next to a local Asian restaurant – ingredients on a table in the front with the wok on a burner and a few simple tables - , massage places, restaurants of all different cuisines, next to a shop selling, eg, tyres.
Mrs MW and her husband and I went to a ‘French’ restaurant where we had ravioli for dinner. It was delicious.
Yesterday we were the only tourists at the 2 sites of jars that we went to, so today it was a bit of a let down to have other tourists looking around with us. There was an adult Hmong woman dressed up a singing – without apparently wanting money. Maybe it was a new year thing.
Back in Phonsovan we had hoped to visit the office of MAG (Mines Advisory Group) to see their display of the clearing of UXO’s and watch a video, however the office was closed for the new year celebrations. We had a leisurely lunch then short drive to airport, wait, short flight, wait for bags, bus to hotel. Usually stuff – waiting.
Vientiane , the capital of Laos , has a population of 600,000. It is the only city in Laos to have traffic lights. It took 15 minutes to drive from the airport to our hotel. It has a peculiar feel. Old French buildings , usually in a sad state of disrepair, new office blocks built in a style that I think is meant to be Laotian – the roofs look like temple roofs but the rest is a rectangular boring box, often white with goldy coloured decorations and many old buildings. Brand new large 4WD alongside tuk tuk’s and street sellers. Modern coffee shops next to a local Asian restaurant – ingredients on a table in the front with the wok on a burner and a few simple tables - , massage places, restaurants of all different cuisines, next to a shop selling, eg, tyres.
Mrs MW and her husband and I went to a ‘French’ restaurant where we had ravioli for dinner. It was delicious.
Labels for more photos
Sorry - the photos got out of order
Typical Hmong house on edge of Phonsovan
A few of the unexplained jars
Wat Xieng Muan, Luang Prabang
Bombed Buddha image at Muang Khoun
Monks at Luang Prabang
Typical Hmong house on edge of Phonsovan
A few of the unexplained jars
Wat Xieng Muan, Luang Prabang
Bombed Buddha image at Muang Khoun
Monks at Luang Prabang
Labels for photos
View of Mekong at Sunset from my bedroom at Pak Beng lodge
Khamu village on Mekong
Mekong
Lao village children
Half our group on boat from Thailand to Laos
A couple from our group on an elephant ( sorry K not me)
Khamu village on Mekong
Mekong
Lao village children
Half our group on boat from Thailand to Laos
A couple from our group on an elephant ( sorry K not me)
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Vientiane
Arrived here safely. Good internet connection. Will try and post some photos later but dinner awaits now.
Day 10 Phonsavan
This area was heavily bombed in the late 60’s by USA and there are, according to the signs, still UXO (unexploded ordinances) in some fields. It has become an administrative centre for the area and most of the buildings in the town are new. Vietnam is about 80km to the east and there are many Vietnamese here. Tourists come her to see the Plain of Jars. There are several sites around Phonsavan where the ground is littered with large stone jars. No one knows what they were used for. The smaller ones were about 1m high but a few were almost 2m. We went to 2 sites today – one we reached by a walk up a hill from where the bus dropped us ( we stayed on the marked path!) and the other site we reached by a very pleasant 15min walk through rice paddies, over styles and past buffalo grazing.
After lunch in a pleasant local noodle soup shop, we went to Muang Khoun, an old capital, with a few remains. We went to an old Buddhist stupa built in the 15th century and to the remains of a Buddhist temple b built in the 16th century. Some of the pillars are there along with a large seated Buddha. I quite liked him. He had a damaged face, blown away arm, but still seemed very peaceful.
I am now back in my room and my fire has been lit. I donot know how long the wood will last, it seems quite light ( red box it is not) but it will be nice to watch. This place is like what I imagine a hunting lodge to be – timber, stone, eiderdown-like bedcovers. These are needed because there are gaps in the floorboards and around the windows through which the wind whistled last night. The shower has an instant gas hot water thing. It was a bit tricky turning the 2 dials on the heater and the hot and cold tap in the right sequence to get hot water without too much gas. I have a lovely view of the valley below from a window and would have from the balcony but that is missing a railing or 4 and is not to be used ( according to a large sign on the inside door)
After lunch in a pleasant local noodle soup shop, we went to Muang Khoun, an old capital, with a few remains. We went to an old Buddhist stupa built in the 15th century and to the remains of a Buddhist temple b built in the 16th century. Some of the pillars are there along with a large seated Buddha. I quite liked him. He had a damaged face, blown away arm, but still seemed very peaceful.
I am now back in my room and my fire has been lit. I donot know how long the wood will last, it seems quite light ( red box it is not) but it will be nice to watch. This place is like what I imagine a hunting lodge to be – timber, stone, eiderdown-like bedcovers. These are needed because there are gaps in the floorboards and around the windows through which the wind whistled last night. The shower has an instant gas hot water thing. It was a bit tricky turning the 2 dials on the heater and the hot and cold tap in the right sequence to get hot water without too much gas. I have a lovely view of the valley below from a window and would have from the balcony but that is missing a railing or 4 and is not to be used ( according to a large sign on the inside door)
Day 9 Monday Luang Prabang to Phonsavan
We left early for a long drive, firstly south to Muang Phu Khoun and then east to Phonsavan. It is spectacular, mountainous country with very windy roads and wonderful views. I was not feeling crash hot, so slept a lot of the way. It is mostly Hmong country. They have played a large part in the instability in this area and the road west from Phonsavan has only been considered safe from insurgents in the last few years. We passed many villages with basic houses but many had satellite dishes. Our hotel is perched on a hill behind Phonsavan and is very atmospheric – stone and timber individual huts with fireplaces. It is almost cold – a very pleasant change from over 30C.
Day 8 Luang Prabang
We piled into 2 tuk tuks for the 20 minute ride out of town to visit the grave of Henri Mouhot, the French explorer who ‘discovered’ Angkor Wat. We stopped at village where many people are weavers. The house we stopped at had the whole process – silk worms eating mulberry leaves ( mulberry tea is on most menus) , 2 women using looms and a lady selling their woven things.
Some of us then hired bicycles and followed Ross around and about for an hour or so. We went through a minor industrial area on the edge of town – same as anywhere – car repair places, car sales yards, fix-it shops but with more timber yards than you would see in an Australian town.
We all did our own thing in the afternoon which for me included a swim in the pool and reading my book ( non Laos related). In the evening we watched the sun go down over the river and then had dinner at an upmarket restaurant. It was delicious, yet again.
Some of us then hired bicycles and followed Ross around and about for an hour or so. We went through a minor industrial area on the edge of town – same as anywhere – car repair places, car sales yards, fix-it shops but with more timber yards than you would see in an Australian town.
We all did our own thing in the afternoon which for me included a swim in the pool and reading my book ( non Laos related). In the evening we watched the sun go down over the river and then had dinner at an upmarket restaurant. It was delicious, yet again.
Day 7 Luang Prabang
This morning we went first to the Royal Palace Museum. This was built in 1904 during the early French colonial era as a residence for King Sisavangvong. According to our guide it was originally built with half its façade in the French style and half in the Laotian style but , more recently, the French half was remade to be Laotian. There were many rooms decorated as they would have been in the early 1900’s and some interesting ornately embroidered official clothing.
Luang Prabang has many many wats ( temples) . We went to what is reputed to be the most magnificent, Wat Xieng Thong. It had royal patronage until 1975 when the communists took over and the royal family was sent to the north to be reeducated. The main building is in traditional Luang Prabang temple style and is quite attractive with a sort of layered roof. It was ornately decorated with gold stencils on the walls but there was a peaceful feeling to it.
We had another delicious lunch in a restaurant overlooking the Mekong. We had 4 dishes between 4 of us, rice and a great fresh lemon and mint drink for 134,000 kip. 1$Aus = about 8,000kip. We gave them 35,000 kip each – about $4.50. There are some upmarket shops with beautiful stuff that we strolled past. We found a place that I had read about where you can buy books that are then distributed to school children in poor areas. We bought a few. I bought an icecream from a street seller for 2000 kip ( 25cents) . It was like a chocolate coated chocolate paddlepop but the icecream was fairly basic.
There are lots of tourists wandering around, many guesthouses, many places operating tours to places a little way out of town, lots of colour – the buildings, tropical plants etc. The locals seem pleasant and gentle. It is quieter and more peaceful than either Dali or Lijiang in Yunnan that I visited last year.
Luang Prabang has many many wats ( temples) . We went to what is reputed to be the most magnificent, Wat Xieng Thong. It had royal patronage until 1975 when the communists took over and the royal family was sent to the north to be reeducated. The main building is in traditional Luang Prabang temple style and is quite attractive with a sort of layered roof. It was ornately decorated with gold stencils on the walls but there was a peaceful feeling to it.
We had another delicious lunch in a restaurant overlooking the Mekong. We had 4 dishes between 4 of us, rice and a great fresh lemon and mint drink for 134,000 kip. 1$Aus = about 8,000kip. We gave them 35,000 kip each – about $4.50. There are some upmarket shops with beautiful stuff that we strolled past. We found a place that I had read about where you can buy books that are then distributed to school children in poor areas. We bought a few. I bought an icecream from a street seller for 2000 kip ( 25cents) . It was like a chocolate coated chocolate paddlepop but the icecream was fairly basic.
There are lots of tourists wandering around, many guesthouses, many places operating tours to places a little way out of town, lots of colour – the buildings, tropical plants etc. The locals seem pleasant and gentle. It is quieter and more peaceful than either Dali or Lijiang in Yunnan that I visited last year.
Day 6 Friday Pak Beng to Luang Prabang
Another day on the river leisurely watching the world go past.
We stopped before lunch at a Lao village. This was more prosperous than the village we stopped at the day before. It was a Buddhist village complete with temple. The houses were on stilts and underneath many were either looms where beautiful scarves were woven or stills where whiskey was distilled. Some in our group sampled the whiskey and most bought a scarf or 3.
After lunch we stopped at some caves where there are thousands of Buddha images. The first cave was crowded, dark and I thought, quite oppressive, so I got out. We walked a short way to another cave in which I did not feel so uncomfortable.
We arrived at Luang Prabang in the late afternoon. The hotel we are staying in is brand new with spacious rooms and a nice feel.
Luang Prabang is built on a narrow strip of land formed where the Namkam river joins the Mekong. It was formed in the 12th century and has had very mixed fortunes since then. There is evidence in the town of Thai, Cambodian, Burmese and French cultures. It was declared a world heritage site by the UN in 1995.
We stopped before lunch at a Lao village. This was more prosperous than the village we stopped at the day before. It was a Buddhist village complete with temple. The houses were on stilts and underneath many were either looms where beautiful scarves were woven or stills where whiskey was distilled. Some in our group sampled the whiskey and most bought a scarf or 3.
After lunch we stopped at some caves where there are thousands of Buddha images. The first cave was crowded, dark and I thought, quite oppressive, so I got out. We walked a short way to another cave in which I did not feel so uncomfortable.
We arrived at Luang Prabang in the late afternoon. The hotel we are staying in is brand new with spacious rooms and a nice feel.
Luang Prabang is built on a narrow strip of land formed where the Namkam river joins the Mekong. It was formed in the 12th century and has had very mixed fortunes since then. There is evidence in the town of Thai, Cambodian, Burmese and French cultures. It was declared a world heritage site by the UN in 1995.
Day 5 Thursday Chiang Rai to Pak Beng
We had an early start and drove for 2 hours through mainly farming land – corn, hops, tobacco, mangos and bananas . We watched the sun rise as we drove mainly eastwards to Chiang Khong on the Thai side of the border with Lao. There was a fairly orderly queue to clear immigration and then we walked down a hill and got into long narrow boats and we taken across the Mekong river to the Laos side. The queue of people who had visas (like us)was fairly orderly but there was a noisy, pushing throng of people trying to get visas nearby.
We then climbed into the back of a little local bus ( made for short people, I discovered) to be taken a kilometre or so to another place on the river where we bordered a larger more luxurious boat ( along with about 14 others of mixed nationalities) to cruise for 2 days to Luang Prabang. After a delicious lunch we stopped at a Khamu village. Our excellent local guide told us about the life of the 75 families / 350 people who lived there and we wandered around. It was a poor village, the people were animists and had several shamans to help them deal with the spirits, both good and bad. They were subsistence farmers and occasionally sold their excess crops. There was a primary school.
It was very relaxing watching the river, the rocks, the small villages in amongst the jungle, the clearings with crops, the occasional group of people on the river banks, the few other boats.
In the late afternoon we arrived at the lodge where we stayed about 1 km from Pak Beng. We walked up a sandy path to the hotel while an army of helpers carried our bags. The lodge consisted of a central area – admin, restaurant etc and about 16 usually individual bungalows. Mine was at the far end of the complex and had a balcony from which I had a lovely view of the mighty Mekong. The windows were wood louvers with gaps between the louvers so sleeping under the provided mosquito net was a must.
Before dinner we were treated to a display of singing and dancing from some of the local tribes. It was very low key – all kids dancing with, I think, some of their parents acting as musicians but they seemed to be enjoying themselves.
We then climbed into the back of a little local bus ( made for short people, I discovered) to be taken a kilometre or so to another place on the river where we bordered a larger more luxurious boat ( along with about 14 others of mixed nationalities) to cruise for 2 days to Luang Prabang. After a delicious lunch we stopped at a Khamu village. Our excellent local guide told us about the life of the 75 families / 350 people who lived there and we wandered around. It was a poor village, the people were animists and had several shamans to help them deal with the spirits, both good and bad. They were subsistence farmers and occasionally sold their excess crops. There was a primary school.
It was very relaxing watching the river, the rocks, the small villages in amongst the jungle, the clearings with crops, the occasional group of people on the river banks, the few other boats.
In the late afternoon we arrived at the lodge where we stayed about 1 km from Pak Beng. We walked up a sandy path to the hotel while an army of helpers carried our bags. The lodge consisted of a central area – admin, restaurant etc and about 16 usually individual bungalows. Mine was at the far end of the complex and had a balcony from which I had a lovely view of the mighty Mekong. The windows were wood louvers with gaps between the louvers so sleeping under the provided mosquito net was a must.
Before dinner we were treated to a display of singing and dancing from some of the local tribes. It was very low key – all kids dancing with, I think, some of their parents acting as musicians but they seemed to be enjoying themselves.
Day 4 Wednesday Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai
We spent most of the day driving, largely through a national park. Hills and valleys with some crops and medium farmhouses. Several guest house/ resort like places that seemed newish but hard to see because of the lush vegetation that lined the road ( made photo taking difficult too) We stopped at some thermal springs that have morphed into a bus stop/ tourist trap for a break and later had lunch at a pleasant road side large restaurant alongside a river. Our table of 4 shared 4 dishes ( not huge servings but more than adequate for lunch) for the grand total of 125 baht – about $4. They had a large display of desert pies – seemingly out of place - and I had 2/3 of a piece of delicious mango pie.
Later in the afternoon we stopped at a very odd place. A notable Thai artist is building a temple in the middle of nowhere. The temple is rendered with white concrete inlaid with millions of pieces of shiny glass. It looks like some fairytale winter wonderland thing. Inside the walls were being painted with Buddhist stuff with , eg, superman flying past a stupa and spiderman climbing up a pagoda. There was a gallery of his paintings. Not to my taste.
Chiang Rai had a nice feel to it. Another nice hotel. A few of us went for a walk to a museum of Thai hill tribes. We watched a video and then strolled round exhibits dealing with customs, agricultural practises, lifestyle etc of the 7 major tribes.
In the evening we gathered in the lobby for a drink before dinner. I had a cocktail at a cost of 200baht ( 1$ AUS = 30 baht) A glass of wine costs 180 baht. We then walked to an open air ‘food court’ . I had a large plate of fresh mixed tempura – vegetables and prawns - for 50 baht.
Later in the afternoon we stopped at a very odd place. A notable Thai artist is building a temple in the middle of nowhere. The temple is rendered with white concrete inlaid with millions of pieces of shiny glass. It looks like some fairytale winter wonderland thing. Inside the walls were being painted with Buddhist stuff with , eg, superman flying past a stupa and spiderman climbing up a pagoda. There was a gallery of his paintings. Not to my taste.
Chiang Rai had a nice feel to it. Another nice hotel. A few of us went for a walk to a museum of Thai hill tribes. We watched a video and then strolled round exhibits dealing with customs, agricultural practises, lifestyle etc of the 7 major tribes.
In the evening we gathered in the lobby for a drink before dinner. I had a cocktail at a cost of 200baht ( 1$ AUS = 30 baht) A glass of wine costs 180 baht. We then walked to an open air ‘food court’ . I had a large plate of fresh mixed tempura – vegetables and prawns - for 50 baht.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Luang Prabang
It is Sunday. We have had a very relaxing few days here. I have a few longish posts ready on my computer but there appears to be a problem wit the wireless network. We continue to eat and drink very well. One of the highlights has been a delicious lemon and mint icy drink. Very refreshing.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Chiang Rai to Pak Beng
Got here safely. I have the best hut in the whole complex. Mr DW and his wife are jealous. River trip great. More details when I am sober and less tired.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Day 3 Tues Chiang Mai
This morning’s visit to an elephant training camp was great. It was a bit touristy and not something that Ross normally takes his tours to but worthwhile. We arrived after about a 45 minute drive through fairly affluent countryside – large farmhouses, rice fields, military camps etc -. The first thing, once we were there was some members of our group bought bananas to feed to a row of waiting elephants. My friend, Mr DW, tentatively approached an extended trunk but before he could separate a banana from the bunch, the trunk whipped away the whole bunch. You could easily imagine the glee in the elephant’s eye. We then went to watch some elephants have a wash in the nearby stream. They were scrubbed by their mahoots. Some of the younger elephants delighted in rolling around and playing, just like little kids. We then went up the hill to an arena like space with tiered seating. There were other tourists, but not too many. It never felt overcrowded. We then watched some elephants doing all sorts of things – the things related to their life as working animals in the jungle were good. We watched some hauling and stacking large heavy logs, lifting different limbs on command so their mahoots could easily climb up. That was ok. We watched a few playing ‘soccer’ – kicking balls, 1 throwing darts and a few similar activities that looked like they might be having fun but we were not sure about watching some elephants paint pictures. Their mahout would put a brush loaded with paint into their trunk and then the elephant would put paint onto some paper on an ease, making quite recognisable pictures. Maybe it was OK as an exercise in showing how ‘trainable’ asian elephants are, but I hardly think that at the end of a day hauling teak logs in the jungle an elephant would relax by painting a picture.
Then came the best part. Another lady in our group and I climbed up into a wooden box-like seat on top of Noi ( 14 years old) and went off in a line of about 8 elephants up the hill into the jungle , down again and back along and through a river for 1 hour. The path was narrow ( elbows in or a tree would take some skin off) , muddy and steep ( hold on). Once I got used to the rocking and rolling motion it was lovely. It was very peaceful, we could have been miles from anywhere, travelling in the same manner and at the same pace as people have for many centuries. Noi was very obedient and seemed to obey the mahout, unlike the elephant in front of us who seemed hungry and would sometimes take a few steps off the path when he spied some particular leaves he fancied. He would stay there till he had finished eating despite the protestations of his mahout. Apparently another of the elephants’ mahout also saw some leaves he fancied for ‘medicinal’ reasons and stopped to collect some, asking his passengers to carry them. Apparently the place runs a breeding program and we saw a group of about 10 young elephants we were told were 5 years old.
We went to a local restaurant for a good cheap lunch and then to Wat Doi Soi Thet on top of a hill about 30 minutes drive from the centre of Chang Mai. This temple complex was similar in atmosphere to those we saw in Burma last year. – lots of little buildings with different shrines and statutes around the place, with tourists walking around respectfully ( usually) but with just as many Buddhists sitting quietly at different places. Our local guide looked up in a book to remind me that I was born on a Saturday and hence the Buddha image that was of particular relevance to me was 1 with a snake coiled around on which he was sitting, with the snake coming up behind him. I was told that people born on a Saturday can often appear aggressive, powerful and angry on the outside but are quite soft on the inside, like a snake. My friend, the wife of Mr DW, thought this was very funny. I wonder why?
We had another cheap delicious meal in the evening at the local equivalent of an outdoor food court before buying some souvenirs. The stalls in the night markets are quite close together but there is little aggressive selling.
Then came the best part. Another lady in our group and I climbed up into a wooden box-like seat on top of Noi ( 14 years old) and went off in a line of about 8 elephants up the hill into the jungle , down again and back along and through a river for 1 hour. The path was narrow ( elbows in or a tree would take some skin off) , muddy and steep ( hold on). Once I got used to the rocking and rolling motion it was lovely. It was very peaceful, we could have been miles from anywhere, travelling in the same manner and at the same pace as people have for many centuries. Noi was very obedient and seemed to obey the mahout, unlike the elephant in front of us who seemed hungry and would sometimes take a few steps off the path when he spied some particular leaves he fancied. He would stay there till he had finished eating despite the protestations of his mahout. Apparently another of the elephants’ mahout also saw some leaves he fancied for ‘medicinal’ reasons and stopped to collect some, asking his passengers to carry them. Apparently the place runs a breeding program and we saw a group of about 10 young elephants we were told were 5 years old.
We went to a local restaurant for a good cheap lunch and then to Wat Doi Soi Thet on top of a hill about 30 minutes drive from the centre of Chang Mai. This temple complex was similar in atmosphere to those we saw in Burma last year. – lots of little buildings with different shrines and statutes around the place, with tourists walking around respectfully ( usually) but with just as many Buddhists sitting quietly at different places. Our local guide looked up in a book to remind me that I was born on a Saturday and hence the Buddha image that was of particular relevance to me was 1 with a snake coiled around on which he was sitting, with the snake coming up behind him. I was told that people born on a Saturday can often appear aggressive, powerful and angry on the outside but are quite soft on the inside, like a snake. My friend, the wife of Mr DW, thought this was very funny. I wonder why?
We had another cheap delicious meal in the evening at the local equivalent of an outdoor food court before buying some souvenirs. The stalls in the night markets are quite close together but there is little aggressive selling.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Monday 9 November Bangkok to Chang Rai
This morning I woke early, thought ‘ I need some exercise’ so went for a walk. This was interesting. I had a rough ‘touristy’ map and saw that we were not far ( or so I thought) from the river – but there was no scale. Nevermind. I set off and made ‘almost mistake’ number 1 – I did not remember to ask the doorman for a card from the hotel with the details – but he remembered to give me one. He refused to believe that I could walk to the river – said it would take at least 1 hour. ‘Almost mistake’ 2 – I forgot to find out the going price for a taxi back to the hotel. I set off at about 6.30 in the early morning half light. There were a few people going to work, quite a few school kids, people sweeping the already quite clean pavements, people setting up food stalls. I walked quite briskly because I needed the exercise. After about 35 minutes I got to the ‘river’ ( glorified drain) and knew my time was limited so took a few quick photos and started to return. Mistake 1 – I decided to come back a different way rather than the safer option of retracing my steps. I headed off in the right direction – went along several roads that bent in the wrong direction so went down narrow lanes ( at no time did I feel threatened) – stopped to ask someone – ‘almost mistake’ 3 – I was told where I was going ( the hotel is next to a well known shopping complex) was in completely the wrong direction. Luckily I did not take her advice. I went along more back streets looking for a more major road and finally found one I recognised and got back at 8am. ‘Almost mistake’ 4 – I was in need of food. So I was quite luck because if one or more of the ‘almost mistakes’ had been ‘mistakes’ I might have been a bit worried. I had time for a second shower and a big breakfast before we went to the airport for out flight here – Chang Mai – a 1 ¾ hour flight north of Bangkok.
Chang Mai is the second city of Thailand ( 1.6 million people) to Bangkok (11 million). I went for a walk with some other of our tour and we ended up not where we thought we were going but it did not matter. We got to a river and watched some people buying fish and birds from a little stall and releasing them. Apparently ‘liberating’ different things get you different sort of help.
We then had a cocktail and are soon to go out for dinner. I have decided to go for a ride on an elephant tomorrow. Watch this space.
Chang Mai is the second city of Thailand ( 1.6 million people) to Bangkok (11 million). I went for a walk with some other of our tour and we ended up not where we thought we were going but it did not matter. We got to a river and watched some people buying fish and birds from a little stall and releasing them. Apparently ‘liberating’ different things get you different sort of help.
We then had a cocktail and are soon to go out for dinner. I have decided to go for a ride on an elephant tomorrow. Watch this space.
Sunday 8 November
Today was an exercise in patience and acceptance. If you choose to live in Australia and want to go anywhere else it takes time. I left my home at 5.30am and arrived in this hotel in Bangkok at 5.30 pm local time ( 9.30 Canberra time). We waited around at Canberra airport, Sydney airport, put up with inconsiderate people on the airplane, waited in a long queue to get into Thailand and sat in a bus for almost an hour to get to the hotel. All fairly normal.
The most noteworthy happening occurred right at the start. My little (international carry-on size) bag was weighed at 10.4 kg. The check-in chick proceeded to put a ‘Heavy’ label on it with 11kg written on it. In response to my perplexed query she replied that baggage handlers expect small bags to weigh less than 8 kg and that 11kg is too much to lift one-handed. Makes you wonder about the strength of the baggage handlers.
I had dinner (pizza) with some others in the group at an Italian restaurant in the hotel. There will be plenty of time for authentic tastes later , along with the noise and hussle and bustle of people and traffic.
The most noteworthy happening occurred right at the start. My little (international carry-on size) bag was weighed at 10.4 kg. The check-in chick proceeded to put a ‘Heavy’ label on it with 11kg written on it. In response to my perplexed query she replied that baggage handlers expect small bags to weigh less than 8 kg and that 11kg is too much to lift one-handed. Makes you wonder about the strength of the baggage handlers.
I had dinner (pizza) with some others in the group at an Italian restaurant in the hotel. There will be plenty of time for authentic tastes later , along with the noise and hussle and bustle of people and traffic.
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