Jan 24 Back in Thailand

My stay in Laos has been very pleasant. The weather has been consistent, quite cool in the morning, last night's low was 8, and its hazy. By 11 the sun has burned off the haze, and the temperature is in the high 20's. It is humid, even in the morning.

The locals here are different from Cambodia. They are stockier and more Chinese looking.

I had a nice conversation with an American, who was about my age. When he was a kid his family had spent a few years in the area, but he did his later education in the US. About ten years ago his kids were grown up and gone. He divorced, and has spent the last ten years living here. He even spent a year as a monk in a local temple. Apparently Bhuddist monks don't have to commit themselves permanently, they can come and go. Not a bad idea.

Laos is an underdeveloped country. They also were caught up in the Vietnam war, but did not suffer as badly as Cambodia. The roads are bad, and there is a lot of poverty and dirt.

I flew Laos Air again. It is an amazing company, both my flights were punctual, and even on one hour flights they serve a cold meal.

Landing in Thailand was another experience. There must have been several flights ahead of ours, because the lineup at immigration was very long. It took an hour to get through.

Chiang Mai seems a nice city, cleaner and greener than Cambodia and Laos. 

My hotel is lovely, in the old part of the city, and it even has a pool.

I went out and did some shopping for fresh fruit. Everything is smaller, but also tastier. The bananas are the mini kind, but very sweet. I bought some clementine oranges and they are the size of golf balls. Fun to peel, but excellent taste.

Have fun

Ralf

Typical street restaurant in Laos, or Cambodia, or Thailand

Apprentice monks cleaning the temple walls. I think the one on the left is well on his way to become Bhudda

My bounty of fruit, less than a dollar

Jan 23 My last day in Laos

Today was quite an adventure day. I wanted to see the Tad Khuang Si waterfalls, that are about 25 km out of the city. I joined a tour, and I was lucky to get a nice minivan, rather than one of the local buses, which can be quite uncomfortable. The road is something else. I think the straightest section was no more than 100 m, and also hilly. It took almost an hour to get there. It was worth it, one of the most beautiful waterfalls I have ever seen, quite high, and lots of cascades, all in a green jungle setting.

You can hike to the top. I went up on the right side of the falls, but missed the "only for mountain goats" sign. It was brutal, very steep, and somewhat slippery. All the way up I was wondering what kind of emergency service they had, in case I broke something on the way back down. There is no way I could have made it without my hiking stick. Even then I was hanging on to trees, and I used my knees a few times. It took me 20 minutes of hard labour. At the top you had to take your shoes off and wade through part of the river. When I got to the other side I discovered there was another way up, much easier, there were actually stairs part of the way.

The area around the lower falls is gorgeous, lots of cascades and pools. You can, and I did, take a swim. Very refreshing.

They also have lovely picnic grounds in the lower part.

A beautiful experience.

In the evening I went to see a show at the Royal Theatre. Part was some Laotian folk dancing, and part was a scene from  Laotian folktale. When I bought my ticket this morning I noticed that only 4 other tickets had been sold. Not an encouraging sign. It turned out ok, thanks to a bus full of German tourist.

The show started with a ten minute musical number that

was nine and a half minutes too long. All the dancing was quite unique. Everything was in slow motion. They didn't move any faster than I did climbing the waterfall this afternoon. A lot more graceful, but no faster. After the folklore act, all 30 actors left the stage, one at a time, stepping very slowly. It felt that the exit took an hour.

You could tell when the dancers were excited, because they moved the hands faster, while they slowly swayed.

Great costumes though.

It was a cultural experience I would not recommend.

Part of the falls. The lighting was bad, I was shooting right into the son.

Lovely swimming spot

The height of excitement. I found it hard to control myself

Nice costumes

Jan 22, still in Luang Prabang

The three countries I have visited all seem to be quite religious. Religion plays an important part in everyday life. Bhuddist monks are fairly visible. The temples are not places of worship, but places where gods reside. Every temple has a community of monks living there; so temple grounds have quarters where monks live, medicate, look after the temple. There is a whole range of ages, from young boys to old men. The young apprentice monks don't all stay with it for their whole life, but they do spend a few years there.

In Luang Prabang there is a custom that the monks walk the streets in the early morning, and people kneel at the side of the road and give offerings of food to the monks, who collect them in kettles, that they carry. It is a well known tradition, and has become a tourist attraction. I asked at the tourist information bureau and was told, with a straight face, 5 am. I set my alarm, and at 5 I was on the street. I outnumbered the monks. Someone told me the correct time was 6 am. Fortunately my hotel was only a couple of minutes away, so back to my room. I was back at 6, still no monks, but a lot more tourists.

Finally, at about 6:30 the first group of monks appeared. There were about 20, walking in a single file, collecting the offerings. 5 minutes later a larger group. From a different temple arrived. I stayed for a couple of more groups, before going back. 

I had read that some of the tourists are making this into a sideshow, taking flash photos. It still dark at 6:30, getting right in their faces. It does happen, mostly by Korean tourists. There are a lot of Korean tourist groups, and they are quite noisy and obnoxious.

I found a nice little French bakery, a bit out of the way, for breakfast. The croissants are to die for.

In the center of LP is a hill, called Phu Si Hill. It is about 100 metres high, like the Hamilton mountain. There are several shrines and temples along the wooded path to the top. 350 steps. It's been a while I did such a climb, but I am only here once, so I went. After 250 stairs I though I was there, but it was only the ticket booth. I did make it to the top, and it was pleasant. It was still cool, and overcast. Not a lot of tourists..I wonder why? The shrines were nice, and varied, although there were a lot of Bhuddas

The view was lovely, you could see both rivers coming together. 

The streets that run along the rivers have primarily small hotels, not a lot of shops. There are a lot of restaurants overlooking the river. Quite quiet and a lovely stroll.

I wandered through the stalls in the night market. Just for the fun I counted, about 400 stalls. Until about 5 it is the main street on the peninsula. At 5 they start to set up. And it all has to come down before the next morning. What a way to make a living. In addition there are over 50 food stalls.

I had a lovely dinner at a waterfront restaurant overlooking the river. Very relaxing and beautiful. The food was also good.

Ralf

Monks in the morning

View of the Mekong River from the top. It is cool and foggy until about noon

Looking the other way, over the Nam Khan River

Jan 21 Luang Prabang

My first impression of LP was not favourable. I arrived at 6, dusk was setting in; it was hot humid and very hazy. The ride from the airport was depressing. The road was bad, lots of traffic, and lots of garbage along the way.

My hotel is right in the Center of the old town. This is the center of the night market, very noisy, very crowded. My hotel room didn't impress me either. None of the amenities I was used to. In addition the was an unpleasant odour in the bathroom. I turned on the exhaust fan, and closed the door.

I went to bed, thinking, only 3 more days.

It turns out the bed was the most comfortable so far, and tha AC worked very well. By 8 it was warming up, and the sun came out. What a difference a day makes. I had a good breakfast at a food stall, and started to visit some of the sights.

It turned to be the most pleasant day of the trip so far. Interesting sights, and not nearly as many tourists.

LP is at the junction of the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers. The old town is on a narrow peninsula between the rivers.

LP was under French colonial rule for a long time, and there are some lovely restored villas, boutique hotels now. Also great baguettes and croissants. The Main Street goes right down the middle of the peninsula, and pretty well everything is along this 2 km street. I walked down, stopping at some temples, and the Royal palace, and then walked back along the shore of the Mekong. Once you get past the first 200 meters, the crowds seem to disappear, and it's lovely. LP is the first place where I have seen some unique, and quite beautiful local arts. There is the usual tourist junk, but there is also beautiful silks, paper and hand made clothing. 

The temples here are quite unique, very different from what I seen before. Lots of gilded statues, and a great use of coloured glas, like I have never seen before.

To top it off I witnessed a gorgeous sunset.

Ralf

The juncture of the rivers.

Wat Xiebg Thong, unique architectural style

One of the side temples. The decorations are created with coloured glass

Some details

Sunset over the Mekong River

Jan 20 travel day

This was my last morning in Siem Reap, and Cambodia. 

I had a bit of a rough night. A slight attack of Montezuma's revenge, or the Tijuana cha cha. Lucky it hit me in the middle of the night, and I didn't have far to go. I was fine by morning, but I didn't have good night's sleep.

After breakfast I walked around the town one last time. Aside from Angkor Wat, and the other temples, there isn't a lot to see in the town

I did have an unpleasant experience at the airport. They confiscated my fork. Now that fork has been with me on three continents and numerous canoe trips. I will miss it.

Fork Off, Cambodian customs!

The flight to Luang Prabang, in northern Laos, was pleasant, and in two stages. We stopped in Paske, Laos, to pick up more passengers, but it was a quick turnaround. When we landed in Luang Prabang we had to get in line to pay for a Visa. They charge different amounts for different countries, and, would you believe it, Canadians must pay the most of any country. Most countries pay 30 dollars, Canadians have to come up with 42. I will have to write to Stephen Harper, and complain.

My hotel in Laos is not the cheapest I have had, but it is the least appealing. No closets, there are 10 hooks, and one single coat hanger.

The hotel also has some interesting rules, and I quote, verbatim 

"Do not any drugs, crambling, or bring both women and men which is not your own husband or wife into the room for making love"

And my personal favourite

"Do not allow domestic and international tourist bring prostate and others into your accommodation to make sex movies in our room, it is restriction"

What a bummer, I come all the way to Laos, and I can't even make a porno flick in my room.

What is this world coming to?

Time to rest..sorry I didn't take any photos today

Ralf

Jan 19 Siem Reap

I am had a day of rest today, no stair climbing.

I signed up for a cooking class, and at 10 I was at the restaurant. I was surprised, there were ten of us, quite a mixed group, a girl from Spain, a British couple, and seven women from Australia, who are in Siem Reap volunteering at local schools, for a month.

We started out by each choosing an appetizer and a main course from the menu, and then set out to the local market. CHAOS. Narrow aisles, tons of people, and everything you can think of for sale. Saw my first milk fruit, looks like an apple, and mini eggplants, the size of peas.

Our leader bought a few things, and we went back to the restaurant. By the time we got back each of us was given two plates, with the ingredients for our dishes. The next hour was spent chopping, and dicing, onions, lemongrass, ginger, tamarin, garlic, chilis, carrots, and a few other things.

I was amazed at the organizational ability of our chef. There were four or five different appetizers, and the same number of entrees. 

It was interesting to see the variety of dishes, banana leaf salad, different curries. For the curries they had to chop all the ingredients, and then use a huge mortar and pestle to make their paste.

I made spring rolls for my appetizer, and then chicken with basil for my main.

Lots of interesting ingredients, oyster sauce and coconut milk were in almost everything. The oil of choice here is Palm oil.

We finally sat down to enjoy the fruits of our labour. There was way too much food, I don't think anyone ate more than half of their meal.

I forgot the dessert, small bananas, fried in butter, flambed with some whiskey, and added passion fruit.

Everything was delicious, but a lot of work. A fun experience.

In the afternoon I visited the Angkor National Museum, a modern creation. I was amazed by all the religious information. I thought there was Hinduism and Bhuddism, but there are just as many sects as there are varieties of Christians. Angkor Wat was dedicated to the Hindu gad Vishnu, while Angkor Thom, a hundred years later, was dedicated to Bhudda. In Cambodia Bhuddism today has many aspects of Hinduism. The other interesting point is that there are no mentions of religious wars, both religions seem to be able to coexist. What a noble and novel idea.

The weather has been warm, high of 29, low of 15.

While I was in Bangkok I never really could identify a Thai "look". I didn't see any people that looked like the beautiful Thai women that you see in commercials.

Cambodia is different. The people all have similar features. Most of the women, whether they are teens or in their thirties look like 13 year olds, petit, very slim, and attractive. I have not seen ONE obese Cambodian. Obesity is the domain of the tourists.

They are also quite polite, and pleasant.

Tomorrow I am off to Laos.

Ralf

Scenes from the market. Wouldn't pass inspection at home, not at near 30 degrees.

This a piece of sandstone carving from Bayon. Fantastic detail. Sandstone was the material used almost conclusively. It is not as strong as some other stones, and erodes more easily

A statue depicting Vishnu. He has 4 arms, each one holding one of the four basic elements, water, fire, wind, and earth

Jan 18 Angkor Thom

I spent another day visiting temples. My first stop was Angkor Thom, which is the name of the city that was the last capital of the Khmer empire. The city was surrounded by a square moat. Each side 3 km, and a width of 100 m. On the inside of the moat was an 8 m high wall, 25 m wide, which served as a road all around the perimeter of the city. Midway along each wall was a causeway with impressive gates. The moat is dry now, but it still looks impressive. Historians think there was a population of close to one million people inside the walls. Unfortunately all the buildings, made of wood and Palm leaves are completely gone. All that remains are the stone temples, of which there are many. 

All roads, from the entrances, lead to the central temple, the Bayon. This temple is not as big, or high, as the temple at Angkor Wat, but it is, visually more spectacular. It looks like a forest of towers. There are about 54 towers, the number is in dispute, and each one has 4 enigmatic faces, looking in each of the cardinal direction. It isn't known whether the faces represent gods, or the king, looking after all his subjects. There are over a hundred small rooms inside the towers, it is like a maze.

Another feature of Bayon are the many bas relief carvings which decorate the outside of the temple's walls. They depict historical scenes, such as wars, but also scenes from everyday life. You could spend days looking at nothing but these stone carvings.

The other temple I visited was Ta Prohm. This was a temple built as a monastery, and was dedicated to the king's mother. What distinguishes it is that it was decided to leave it as found, as much as possible. This means the trees which take over are still there. These trees start as seedlings in a crevice in the wall of a temple, and grow downward until they reach the ground. They then expand their roots, increasing the gaps between the stones. They become the wall's support. The problem arises when the tree dies, and the walls collapse. This temple is very well know, and is featured in the film "Lara Croft Tomb Raider.

Gorgeous visit, but another long day.

A stone sculpture of Naga, the 7 headed snake, a protector of the city. The body runs along the railing of a wall, with the head rearing up at the end.

One of the entrances to the city, one elephant wide. Note the 3 columns on either side. They are the trunks of a 3 headed elephant, being ridden by one of the gods. Note the face above the entrance

The towers of Bayon, and faces

The jungle versus the temple.