Indochina Tour 3

Dear All,

Hello again and welcome to a further Southeast Asia travel monologue. Been quite busy since the last mail so will just add a few highlights here.


I think I left you last when we were about to board an overnight train to Dong Hoi. Said goodbye to our cheerful guide Mango, and boarded at 10pm for an 11pm departure. I was lucky in getting a berth in one of the nicer cabins, along with Praz, Usha and Kiran. The others got stuck in a 6 bedded berth, though we'd bought all 6 berths for some privacy. More cramped in there though and from all accounts more smelly. Quite late by the time we settled ourselves in, so put our heads down for some sleep pretty soon. A/c stopped working in the night leading to a bit of a warm tropical nights slumber. The next morning up early and witnessed some lovely beautiful scenery on our way. Disembarked at 8am and met by our guide for the next 3 days, a Mr Chin (seriously, not making these names up!). He turned out to be a slightly older man in his 50s, peering out at the world through thick glasses (reminded one irresistibly of Mr Magoo!). Initially came across as slightly unorganised, but the fault of the company, not his. Over the course of the day quickly established himself as a firm favourite with us and took on the benign uncle role effortlessly. He drove us to a lovely beach-side resort (the only one this part of Vietnam) for breakfast and a chance to freshen up. Lovely place to spend a few relaxing days, with private access to the beach and landscaped gardens. Mr Chin observed sagely that we looked tired and gave us an hour to collect ourselves.


A huge breakfast buffet on offer and was taken advantage of with alacrity by almost everyone. Following breakfast, took a bus to the Phong Nha National Park, another UNESCO World Heritage Site. Again, pretty cool scenery, including the usual pastoral scenes (this time enlivened by a man riding a buffalo quite fast and trying not to fall off). At the Park, we were subjected to a brief subtitled film on the glories contained within, most of which we had no time to see. Took a short 5km boat ride on the Son River to the Phong Nha caves (the main 2 - there are over 300 scattered in the hills at last count). Great experience, as were were slowly rowed through the low set cave mouth and floated through a series of tunnels and caverns admiring the rock formations and lighting which made it look quite otherworldly at times. Rivalled the Halong Bay cave for impressiveness. After that cave, had a stiff climb (about 600 steps) the the other main cave. Managed to get to the top without my lungs staging a mutiny (though I resembled a perambulating sweat bath), and hoping that meant slowly getting fitter with all this activity! This cave also quite fantastic and again, words unable to do it justice. Could have spent a lot longer in there marvelling at the various features. This particular cave quite sacred to the Vietnamese and it was believed to be the abode of fairies and some rock formations resembled the 4 sacred animals of their religion (Turtle, Dragon, Phoenix and Lion). By now almost 3pm, so headed down to our boat and then back onto the bus. Still had over 200km to go before reaching our nights stop in Hue, the ancient imperial capital. Had a lunch/dinner combo at the same resort on our way at 4pm, which revitalised everyone a bit. Including Mr Chin obviously, as no sooner had we got back on the bus and settling down to a reading, napping, music, etc. than he started singing a Vietnamese song and then made up a game where one of us would have to go up and sing after him. Ended with most of us sitting at the front of the bus, on the floor, near the driver, and singing along to various songs on the iPods for the next 3 hours. Was worth any number of missed naps to watch Mr Chin dancing away to random western songs! Finally arrived at the Asia Hotel in Hue around 9pm. Everyone very tired and looking forward to a good shower and sleep.


The next day saw various sights around Hue. The imperial capital if Vietnam since 1800s, and had a lot of historical buildings. The Imperial Citadel was most impressive, covering 9 square km, even with most of the buildings destroyed in the wars of the last century. Mt Chin (fornerly a history teacher) kept us both entertained and educated with his enthusiastic teaching gestures. Learnt the rather complex succession of the Nguyen Dynasty (the last dynasty of Vietnam) with a number of betrayals, poisonings and coups enlivening the history. My favourite bit was when the adopted son of Tu Duc (a great king who ruledfor 36 years but without heirs) was put in prison after 3 days on the throne by the Queen Mother for being ugly! had to ask Mt Chin to repeat this as seemed a bit too random, even for such obviously enthusiastic people as the Vietnamese. A true account though. Thankful I wasn't in the royal line of those times is all I can say! That day very hot and humid and all of us visibly flagging. Went through innumerable bottles of water and the girls swarmed the ice cream stand like locusts. Never has a cold coke tasted so good! The rest of the day saw another pagoda which didn't make a huge impression on me. A boat ride up the Perfume River which was far too loud and mundane for my liking. Perfume River sadly not the answer to cosmetic companies dreams. The afternoon saw us visiting a couple of mausoleums whioch were very impressive though. the first was that of the above mentioned Tu Duc. Huge grounds and impressive monuments. Custom had it that these places were built when they were alive and so Tu Duc used to come to his own mausoleum to rest, do office work and hang out wioth his concubines. Certainly an interesting take on ones own graveyard! That evening spent recovering from the days heat, while the girls indefatigably went shopping.


The next day we drove to Hoi An, a beautiful small town slightly further south and spared the destruction that seems to have visited so much of Vietnam during its wars. The whole town declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On the way passed by some spectacular coastal mountain scenery, with white sandy beaches, jungle green mountains and deep blue sea all in a sweep of the eye. Rather aggressive vendors when we stopped at viewpoints, but not in a threatening way. Unpleasant after the laidback style of Laos. Reached Hoi An in the afternoon. Stopped off at a silk tailoring shop where I finally succumbed and got myself measured for a black silk traditional Vietnamese outfit. To be delivered to my room the next morning - amazingly quick service and incredibly cheap compared to western prices. Ironically, the girls bought nothing at that shop, but more than made up for it by spending about 3 hrs shopping that evening. Walkied arounf Hoi An with Mr Chin (whose hometown this was) and saw the unique Japaneses covered bridge. It contains a shrine to a god who is supposedly keeping in check a big monster. When I say big, I mean huge. The monsters head supposedly in India, the body though Vietnam and the tail in Japan. Seemed a rather small shrine for such a big job!


The next day, the 25th November, we left Hoi An to go to Saigon (now renamed Ho Chi Minh City). Spent the morning wandering about a few more places in Hoi An, with Mr Chin providing more stories to keep out interest engaged. Very lucky to have found a guide such as him. My outfir arrived and after some expertcritique from the girls (mainly Taz), sent it back for a few adjustments. Came back in an hour and seemed to be fine to my inexpert eye (girls not around), On the way to the airport, had a lovely walk on the China Beach, very relaxing and a great way to say goodbye to central Vietnam and our benign guide, Mr Chin.


Short flight to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) and picked up by a rather taciturn guide called Duc. A quick city tour of Saigon followed. The War Remnants museum was very interesting and quite horrifying. The scale and callousness of the Vietnam War and the tactics used by the American troops really sunk in for the first time, despite what I'd read previously. The pictures of maimed and deformed victims of napalm and Agent Orange (so many children!) were so saddening, and yet the Vietnamese get on with their lives and look forward all the time. A seriously strong willed people.


The next day was our trip to the Mekong Delta. This is where the mighty Mekong, a huge river that flows through 7 countries and is the lifeblood of Indochina, finally empties into the sea, but not before dividing into 9 other river and countless streams which crisscross the land for miles. Fascinating to see the lives of people living so symbiotically with the water, houses overhanging the river, petrol stations on boats, morning shoppers paddling from boat to boat to get all their vegetables. The water a muddy brown and at points, the Mekong so wide we could hardly see the banks on either side. Doing all this exploring in a low lying (especially after I got in!) boat. Our homestay that evening was more in the nature of a small guesthouse, with 8 beds set up in a roofed but open walled hut. Flowering gardens, bonsai trees, sitting areas with hammocks all added to the sense of idyllic peace, with a couple of small streams running through the compound.


That afternoon went for a bike ride which was the highlight of the day. Wound our way (on the flat thankfully) along a narrow path lined with banana plantations and fruit orchards, occasionally crossing small streams on narrow bridges with no railings. Local children shouting hello as we passed and no other foreigners in sight. A few people fell off bikes (no names of course), but soon everyone picked up old skills and enjoyed themselves. Great fun and a lovely way to see the remoter areas of the delta.


On the way back form the ride stopped off at a bonsai garden where for reasons unknown, they had a boa constrictor. Our local guide, Mr Lucky (so far Vietnam guides been Mango, Chin, Duc and Lucky) suggested I try draping it round my neck. About 5 ft long and surprisingly heavy. Strong bugger too! Took a lot of strength to hold it in place when it finally woke up and tried to investigate the gastronomic possibilities of a duckling cheeping away at my feet. Predictable enough chorus of screams and gasps from the girls, though Praz and Kiran touched it and Nishat had already done this before (one wonders what she hasn't done!). Uzma caught on video speculating on what a fine handbag it would make. Left the poor snake alone after 10 mins and on our way again.


An early night that day, though rather restless. The local roosters obviously decided to show off for the benefit of us outsiders and held a crowing contest every few mins from midnight on. Pretty sure thay'd have been in the cookpot if they'd messed around like that in our village in India!


So, next day found us groggy but smiling. Early morning walk ( a habit of mine in this tour) found 3 of us wandering over random bridges and deeper into delta territory. Peaceful. Locals ambling back from their morning shopping giving us cheery greetings. A brief stop at a pottery cottage industry, where I helped make a few bricks (sounds more impressive than what I really did, which was toss a lump of clay into a machine) and then met up with our bus again.


The afternoon was pretty cool. Managed to negotiate a trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels, even thouh not on our itinerary. Saw incredibly small tunnels (though Praz, Uzma and Taz managed to slip through an opeining about a foot wide!) and even got to squirm our way through a 30m stretch.later the guide told us that normal tunnels about 60-70cm high, while the ones we went through had been enlarged to 1m high. Even then pretty claustrophobic and hot down there. Any smaller and I'd have been a permanent ornament down there. Also introduced to the pretty clever way they hid their tunnels from the Americans.


Back to Saigon and this is our last evening in Vietnam. Tomorrow we fly to Cambodia where we'll be exploring the mysteries of Angkor Wat and the Khmer culture. May even bump into some of my ex-pat acquaintances.


Again have probably gone on for far too long and you're either falling to sleep or building up a good dose of resentment that you're not enjoying these cultures instead of working. What that, I bid you adieu and hope that you're all well.


Siri

Indochina Tour 2

Dear all,

If I remember right the last email ended in Luang Prabang. Since then seen and done so much! Apologies to those who've emailed me, as soon as I get a chance, an individual reply will be winging it's way to you.


The next day after our city tour in Luang Prabang, with me restored to fighting fitness, went outside the city to a nearby famous waterfall, called Kuangsi Falls. On the way, stopped off at a couple of ethnic villages. People quite friendly and welcoming. Girls ooh and aahing over antics of half naked children. Quite primitive places in many ways, with electricity, clean water arriving in the last five years, outdoor communal showers and incongruous satellite dishes outside some of the poorest thatched huts! The people seem generally close as a community, with tight knit groups which support each other and a genuinely gentle people from our impressions.


The waterfall was beautiful. Located in the jungle, and first come to a series of rapids creating lovely clear blue pools, and leading to a 100m multilevel waterfall surrounded by jungled cliffs. Stunning setting. I and 2 of the girls went swimming before lunch (others opted for wading). Cold refreshing water and invigorating. In an excess of childish spirit, even jumped from a 15ft mini waterfall. Following the swim had a lovely picnic lunch in a jungle clearing next to the waterfall. On the way back to our bus, stopped off at a tiger enclosure where a tiger saved from poachers was kept. Fortunate enough to catch it indoors and we were given the option of feeding it with a strip of meat. One of our number (no names of course), kept flinching away, so the poor tiger saw it's snack appearing and disappearing. Started pacing the cage in frustration, until the snack was finally delivered. Even got to pet it a bit, as the woman in charge obviously had a good working relationship with it. Never been that close to a tiger before.


The evening in Luang Prabang was spent relaxing, emailing and watching a film in the local cinema (essentially a series of rooms with TV and DVD player). Praz, running late, was hurrying along and seeing an open doorway nearby, rushed straight in, only to half scare to death a Lao family spending the evening peacefully! They started screaming, she started backing out sheepishly and we were incapacitated with laughter when she found us and described the encounter.


The next day was a long one. Arranged to have a homestay with a low Lao family in a village. Apparently a rare thing to do, for only 1-2 groups a year did this and the family we were staying with had never hosted foreigners before. Nice to go off the beaten trail a bit. Bus journey to Vang Vieng uneventful, though passed through some amazingly beautiful moutain scenery on narrow winding roads. Vang Vieng itself a fairly small town, though favoured by backpackers for its beautiful location and laid back attitude. Most tourist filled place in Laos. Once there, a tractor cart took out luggage to the village 6km away, while Mr Nung our guide led us toward a nearby cave. Mr Nung proved a memorable character, quiet and dignified but with a slightly wicked sense of humour, and huge amounts of patience. Grew to be a favourite with our group.


The walk to the cave led through tall grass and then rice fields. Harvest time and peasants in their typical conical hats at work all around us sorting the rice and threshing it. Girls slightly nervous about insects but bore the walk with good grace. Unfortunately, the cave trail gate closed by villagers to prevent tourists trampling their crops at this time. Mr Nung suggested an alternatve route and on our acquiescence (reluctantly in some cases!) promptly disappeared into heavy bush, hacking a completely inadequate path with a stick. I enjoyed it immensely but most of the girls not so impressed. Taz held her hands staright up to avoid touching anything (an unwise policy witnessed by her slide to the bottom of a muddy ditch), Praz used her hands to seal off her face (presumably to ward off overly curious insects) and Usha brought up the rear with a low voiced moan about the indignity/discomfort of it all. After all that, the 2nd cave trail blocked as well, and even Mr Nung had to give up and head out. A 2km walk through thorns, streams, muddy ditches and rice fields later, met our tractor cart ina dirt track and clambered in to go to the village. Great fun.


Our hosts in the village were the proud owners of a big concrete house, with a large central hall where we were to sleep and a small squat toilet/bathing room out back. Only indoor toilet in the village, Mr Nung informed us, beaming proudly. The matron of the house also ran a small shop from her front porch. They welcomed us with smiles, and we were there long enough to dump our stuff before heading out to another cave nearby. Further groans from the couch potatoes among us, but everyone gamely got back on the tractor cart. The next cave was definitely one of the highlights of our experience in Laos. I enjoyed it immensely, while most of the other had reactions ranging from panic attacks to nervous disaproval. The main reason for this was that as we started to climb to the cave, darkness fell. The trail was about 100m straight up, along pretty jagged and treacherous rocks, and no hint of railings, lights etc in evidence. The cave itself was almost completely untouched by man, going about 400ft deep and stygian blackness. Rocks damp and slippery. A beautiful reclining Buddha shrine inside (ironic that this signified passing away!) a huge natural cavern about a 100ft inside the cave. The climb down in pitch blackness with out handheld torches managing to stave off any serious missteps. Again, great fun.
Back to our village, where we all had cold bucket baths (fortunately no one heard my screams, engrossed as they were in some hybrid Lao/Indian tv programme) and a dinner more suitable to a bunch of sumo wrestlers than 7 girls and me. Certainly can't fault their hospitality. The days entertainment rounded off by watching the girls scream with every passing moth, grasshopper and random bug in the room and eventually had to help them out for fear of full blown hysterics. The Lao family watching all this in some bemusement.


Next day early start after thanking our hosts, and after another cave (this one with proper steps and lighting to the vast relief of some of our number), we were on our way to Vientiane, the capital of Laos. On the way stopped at a salt factory (no idea why this was on the tourist radar but there it is) where Amandaunwisely decided to hand out some fruit to the local bunch of children and almost got mobbed! Vientiane itself a real city feel, with none of the charm of Luang Prabang, though plenty of French influence in its restaurants and houses still noticeable. The next day (18th November) had a quick city tour of the That Luang and Arc d'Triomphe. The That Luang a hue golden stupa, supposed to hold a headbone from the Lord Buddha and the most important Buddhist site in Laos.A truly impressive edifice and with pleasing symmetry. The Arc d'Triomphe a bit more of a concrete monument commemorating Lao soldiers and offering panramic city views from the top. That afternoon, tranferred to the airport for our flight to Hanoi, Vietnam, and the next leg of our trip. Said farewell to Mr Nung reluctantly, though not before he tried to pick me up (long story) and had an uneventful flight to Hanoi.


Met by our local guide there, with the amusing and improbable name of Mango. A chatty, ebullient and altogether more sophisticated person than Mr Nung, yet somehow lacking the quiet charm we'd enjoyed in Mr Nung. Still, a pleasant guide and generally very organised and helpful. Quite late evening by arrival time and so went to dinner and hotel. Really good food here.


The APEC conference being held here this week and a very positive step for Vietnam on the world stage. Lots of streets and monuments blocked off though, and played around a bit with our itinerary. Apparently we'd been lucky to get visas at all for this week. So te next day went out of the city to visit a couple of handicraft villages. Saw a family run traditional woodblock printing place. Run by the same family for the last 500 yrs (in their 21st generation of artists now) and yet the old man a very quiet humble man, and welcoming of us. Lots of very beautiful woodcarved blocks and prints (some made from carvings over 200 yrs old). In the afternoon had a visit to the ethnology museum to learn about the 54 different ethnic groups here (as opposed to the 54 different ethics Taz thought we'd learn about!). Information overload, though cool that they've made an effort to represent all the different groups equally. Interesting place. Had a cyclo (rickhaw) tour of the old quarter of Hanoi, merging with what often seemed suicidal intent into the stream of cars and motorbikes here. Narrow streets dediacted to shoes, clothes, silk, toys, etc. Quite cool to see.


Following the cyclo ride, had dinner sitting in the garden of a post restaurant, watching a far away lightning storm, and enjoyed excellent seafood and chicken dishes. The evening rounded off by a visit to the ancient traditional art of water puppetry, unique to Vietnam. The puppets manipulated from underwater, and all the scenes take place on the surface of a pool as the stage. Some lovely traditional folk music followed by a fast paced and always eye catching depiction of historical and folkloric scenes, mixed with scenes from everyday village life. The hour went by really fast. A pleasant walk back to hotel by the shores of the lake (Hanoi has 10 natural lakes inside the city and plenty of greenery) completed the evening. Slept soundly that day!


The next day had an early start to go to Halong Bay, about 150km from Hanoi, and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We would spend the night there on board a junk. On the way, stopped off at a tailors where a couple of the girls arranged to have some outfits made up to be collected the next day. Very touristy as a place but lots of tailors beavering away. Poor Mango seriously underestimated the time needed when letting a whole bunch of girls loose in a shop with silks and a ready supply of tailors! Managed to get going not too behind schedule, and followed a very well maintained road past some beautiful scenery. Plenty of flat rice paddies stretching out on both sides, worked by peasants with buffalo pulling plows, small kids going to school or playing in the fields. Backdrop of high green clad hills. Fit in with my pre-conceived image of the Vietnamese countryside.


Got to Halong Bay by 12pm, welcomed aboard our junk, the Huong Hai, by our affable captain, and set sail almost immediately. The boat had 7 twin cabins and we had it all to ourselves. Well furnished with dark woods, bamboo furniture and spotless ensuite bathrooms. Felt very cosy and comfortable.


Halong Bay itself was quite beautiful, and certainly the most impressive bay I've ever seen. Huge bay, filled with a maze of cliffs, caves, lagoons and beaches. Arounds every cliff jutting up from the water appeared a new enchanting vista. Everyone very impressed with it, and wishing we had booked more nights on the junk! That afternoon did a bit of kayaking. Found a lovely lagoon with a water grotto leading to a completely enclosed smaller lagoon, encircled by forested cliffs. Felt like something out of a book. Paddled around until sunset, and then back to the boat for an early dinner of prawns, crabs, fish, etc. Spent the evening relaxing out on the foredeck, chatting with the others and enjoying the thunderstorm that had caught up with us from Hanoi. Some truly spectacular displays of sheet lightning, thunder that rattled the boat. The next day we heard it had been so fierce that it had destroyed houses on the peirs and 8 people had died! We were lucky to be moored in such a sheltered spot.


After a sound nights sleep shltered from the fury of the storm, emerged to a sunny day, though with storm clouds approaching ominously fast. By 7.30am, we were in the middle of another full fledged thunderstorm, though this one blew out within an hour. Spent the time playing a few hands of blackjack, passing on the tricks I'd learnt in Vegas. That morning, visited one of the most specular caves I've ever seen (the Sung Sot cave), and the most renowned in Halong Bay. Huge overarching caverns of organic looking rock, with stalacttes and stalagmites in every stage of formation, all the way to mighty pillars towering above us. Lit in an array of soft colours and instead of appearing garish, looked very beautiful. Had a great time wandering around in there, being shown which rocks looked like which animals (we're talking serious eyes of faith here) and the history behind certain parts of the cave. After rthe cave, had a further brief bit of kayaking, where I honed my skills a bit more, and a refreshing dip in the bay for a swim (no, I didn't capsize). Lovely cool water, not cold.


Reluctantly disembarked at noon and back to Hanoi, with a brief stop at the tailors shop. The outfits had turned out perfectly and everyone involved looking very pleased. The tailors gathered in a crown around me to watch me write in my journal, and one of them explained later they'd never seen anyone write that fast (inspiration had hit that point in time). Back in Hanoi, continued the bit of our tour interrupted by the APEC conference (now over), with a vist to the Temple of Literature and Ho Chi Minhs Mausoleum. The Temple of literature built originally in 1070AD and dedicated to Confucius. Remained Vietnams highest centre for learning for the next 800 years. Amazing amount of history there. Also scattered with lovely old examples of bonsai trees. Learnt a bit about Ho Chi Minh from Mango while standing outside the mausoleum, watching the changing of the guard. An impressive man. One of the most respected scholars in Vietnam in his youth, travelled the world for 30 years doing menial jobs, in order to learn more about world culture before coming back to Vietnam. Lived in a simple hut on stilts all his life, and had virtually no possessions or private money. Seems to be genuinely loved by the people of Vietnam.


That evening had a bit of time to ourselves (spent in the old quarter by most of us) before boarding an overnight train to Dong Hoi, there to continue the next leg of our trip in Vietnam.


By now you must be drooping a bit with email overload from this long update. So I'll leave it there for now. Hope everyone well and look forward to hearing more news from you.

Siri.

Indochina Tour 1

Dear All,

Left Phnom Penh yesterday morning, with some reluctance, as I'd grown quite comfortable there. Rather a seductive lifestyle, if a bit hot and muggy for my liking.


Made my way through the interconnecting flights fine, though luckier than most as I understand the old Bangkok airport rather a jangling place, compared to the new clean and airy one. The old one sounded a lot more fun though!


Arrived in Chiang Rai in the afternoon without anywhere to stay. Had a quick squint inside a guidebook and wrote down some guesthouses. After a prolonged bargaining session with the taxi guys, was dropped off at the most promising place, only to be told they were full. Another passenger, a brash Chinese American called Peter, had followed me there and the two of us took to the streets to find somewhere else. Went in to internet cafe to ask for directions to a well known hotel and were directed instead to a local run hostel. Found the rooms were actually quite good and had a/c and everything, and for about $10/night (compared to the $40/night at the other place). I guess some days it does pay off the be led around by the nose.


Spent the evening walking around, getting a feel of the place. Pretty quiet, and little traffic (the road from the airport was like a ghost highway). Then had a bite to eat at a random hole in the wall place - communicated intent by pointing to various pictures of dishes. Pretty cheap - $3 for a good meal. Then headed to the night bazaar, had a relaxing foot massage, though for some reason this included an abbreviated shoulder and back Thai massage as well. At one point the positions he was putting me in were threatening to crush my trachea, so offered up a prayer to the gods of massage and let myself go limp. Still here, so someone up there probably took pity on me.


The next day spent the morning wandering visiting old temples and the Hilltribe museum. Lot of articles about the opium/heroin trade (as very close to the Golden Triangle here) and also a big problem with child traficking. Made for sobering reading. Myanmar (Burma) seems to have the biggest problems in these areas. Had a nap for a while and then headed off to the airport to meet the others, who were arriving from the UK (except Amanda) for our tour. The group includes Amanda, Praz, Kiran, Nishat, Uzma, Taz and Usha. They arrived on time and we all trooped off to our hotel for the night. Really good to see everyone again and lots of chatting as we caught up.


Took an hour driving along dark deserted country roads before we arrived at our rather plush hotel, the Imperial Golden Triangle resort. Not surprisingly, it overlooked the actual Golden Triangle, a confluence of rives which demarcated the borders of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar. Everyone looking vey tired and jet lagged so after a late dinner (where everyone ordered steamed fish only to regret it later), people slept around 11pm. DIdn't help that we had an early start the next morning. Girls requested a 5.30am wake up call so they could wash their hair. I breathed a sigh of relief that I didn't have such considerations and arranged for a later start!


The next day, Saturday 12th Nov, was the proper start to the tour. Very early and groggy start and then a long drive to the Laos border crossing (with Uzma fretting she wouldn't be allowed in as she hadn't a passport photo for the visa). Our rather surly guide hurried us along wherever possible and looked relieved to be getting rid of us at the border. Boarded a rather low lying unsteady ferry boat (for a while made Taz believe this would be our transport for the next 2 days) and entered Laos. Much friendlier reception there by our local guide, Vy, and ushered to a pleasant verandahed hall while our visas were processed.


From there, taken by tuk-tuk to our cruise boat. A long affair with about 40 comfy airplane style recliner seats, a forward area dor a viewpoint and a dining area. The sides of the boat were all open as well and so had a good view of the passing river and its banks from wherever one sat. That day, we spent about 5 hrs cruising along on the boat with a brief stop to look at a Hmong (a highland ethnic group) village known for making good liquor. The Mekong proved just as muddy in Laos as in Cambodia and Thailand. Broken frequently with islands of sand and rock, and quite often patches of pristine white sand beach. Apparently a lot of villages along the mekong, but we saw none on our journey. Later we found they were usually situated quite high on the banks and usually sheltered by the heavy jungle that lined the countryside for miles around. I presume to avoid flooding in the rainy season.

Had quite a pleasant lunch served on the boat, with a cool breeze coming off the river. Everyone joking around and (apart from me!) enjoying the freedom from work. The Hmong village proved to be a ramshackle collection of huts on stilts, with woven bamboo walls and thatched roofs. Quite poor from all appearances, even compared to Indian villages I'm familiar with. We'd arrived on a wedding day so no-one working (this being a cumpolsory thing on a wedding day) and so lots of people hanging around in small groups gossiping and staring at us. Felt quite weird walking around these people's homes without really interacting with them. Followed by a small crowd of children hoping for handouts, which we were care not to give.


Stayed in a rather nice colonial style sprawling collection of wooden bungalows overlooking the river that night. A few of the girls rather nervous about the various insects, bats, etc around which led to many moments of quiet amusement for me, watching them flail around! They're probably going to kill me when they read this!


The next day set off toward the ancient capital of Laos, Luang Prabang, on our trusty boat. Along the way stopped off at the Pak Ou caves. Also known as the Cave of a Thousand Buddhas, these caves have been used for about 1300 yrs by the Laos first as a place for animalist worship, then for Buddhist worship. About 2-3000 Buddha statues adorning every flat surface of the cave, with a few shrines still active. Quite a fascinating place and a strongly felt atmosphere of quiet and worship.


Reached Luang Prabang around sunset that day and ushered into rather a luxurious hotel, with rooms identified only by an animal on the door. Naturally I got given the Tiger room! The open plan arrangement with the bathrooms caused some consternation for people in twin rooms though. Hotel situated right on the night market, a 1km stretch of the main street that from about 5-10pm is closed to traffic and becomes filled with curio stalls, food vendors, and tourists. Had an interesting time that first night wandering being dazzled with the bright silks, silver artifacts and other curios on sale. Even the asking price for many items a fraction of what it would be anywhere else I've been, and quite easy to bargain them down at least 50%. A very unaggressive market and gentle hagglers as a rule. Quite a pleasant surprise after places like Egypt or Cambodia. The Lao living up to their reputation for quiet politeness, not yet spoilt by tourism.


The next day (Tuesday 14th Nov) went for an early morning walk and found the place very quiet, even by 8am. Hardly any traffic and a charming air of peace. Lots of evidence of old French colonial influence in the streets and buildings, even in the back alleys. Walked side by side with droves of Buddhist monks in their saffron robes on their morning alms round. Generally novices sent out on this I think, as didn't see any monk over the age of 20. This day was slated for viewing the citys' historic temples, capped with a climp up Phousi Hill, in the heart of the city for a sunset view. The temples proved quite interesting, with a mix of Buddhism, Hinduism and plenty of parables and folk tales on display in the wall carvings and pantings. Most of the urban population Buddhist and quite devout. Monks have a hugely respected place in society here, even if the strictures on their mode of living are looser than any other religion I've heard of! Unfortunately, that ws the day that I developed a mild fever, reason still unknown, which prevented me from enjoying the day. Had an energy filled lunch, rested for a few hours that afternoon and by evening feeling much better. Had a traditional Khmu massage (another ethnic group) with the others which I found very relaxing, though everyone else came out with more aches than they went in with! A delicious La dinner completed my cre and went to bed feeling like a new man.


I think I need to end this narrative here, before it grows too long and bores you too much. Further updates to follow when access to the internet allows.

Hope you're all well.

Siri.

Cambodia

Dear All,

I'm now coming to the end of my stay in Cambodia and thought I'd try to put a few impressions down on record to further bore you with.


Arrived here in Phnom Penh (the capital) 9 days ago, straight from Shanghai. They had a very efficient processing line for entry visas and immigration, so only took me about 20 minutes before I was at baggage claim wrestling with my backpack. I'd booked a place called Last Home Guesthouse, which had good reviews and known for being popular with the ex-pats. They'd sent someone to pick me up, a small grinning chap called Ban. I was a bit surprised when he pulled up in a tuk-tuk. This is the local equivalent of Indias auto-rickshaw, basically a motorcycle engine pulling a covered 4 seated carriage. Quite comfortable and in my case, preferred it to a taxi as I could watch the street life with ease. First impressions were a warm, humid atmosphere, redolent with smells (generally appetizing as it was dinner hour but with the occasional blocked sewer in there somewhere) and bustling with short, dark skinned and generally animated people. It reminded me very much of India but with less filth on the streets, and minimal traffic. Ban proved to be an amiable guy who kept chattering away on our trip. I was surprised with how good his English was but after a few days came to realise that many Cambodians had rudimentary english, with quite a few in the expat populated areas possessing conversational level skills. A refreshing change from China.


Arrived at the guesthouse around 8.30pm, and shown to a huge room complete with a/c, cable TV and a large ensuite bathroom. All this for $15/night. My first indication of how cheap things were here. Settled in, had an excellent Khmer beef curry for about $2 and then slept in a rather luxurious huge bed.


The next day first priority was buying padlocks. All the advice I recieved, from the guesthouse owner to passing friendly expats, emphasized how common thievery and pickpocketing was here. Went to the main market here, called Central Market and housed in a huge yellow art-deco building. Bought a few locks and went back to the guesthouse on a moto. These are motorcycles where you perch on the back and the driver takes off at often bladder loosening speeds combined with enough bumps and twists to make you feel you've mysteriously been transposed into a rollercoaster. Enjoyed it tremendously, and a 5-10 minute ride costs between 50-75 cents. Back at the guesthouse, found I couldn't ket the keys into the locks at all, and neither could my friendly host. Hopped on another moto, back to the market and ready to breathe fire at the salesgirl. She promptly inserted keys into each lock and made them work perfectly, all the while scolding me in Khmer. Slunk away with my tail between my legs and went for a walk on the riverfront to forget the whole episode.


The city was gearing up for its annual Water Festival, held on the first full moon around late october/early November. The festival celebrates the reversal of the Tonle Sap river (an intriguing and I'm sure either unique or exceedingly rare phenomenon for a river) and the hope for a good harvest. The city population normally around 1-2 million people and for the festival an additional 2 million flooded in from the provinces. The central events of the festival focus on the races of over 400 dragon boats, brought from every corner of the country. No one I've spoken to seems surehow the races are judged though speed and boat decorations seem to play a part. No-one seems to care overmuch either, and comcentrate on enjoying the festive spirit, thousands of food stalls and people watching. The expats regard this whole time with codial loathing as being too crowded and hectic for their normally laid back lives, and leave town in droves to the coastal areas.


The second evening I was there met quite a few expats who gathered at the Last Home for evening drinks and food. They were a very welcoming bunch and made me
feel part of the group. All of them had spent a minimum of 6 yrs here, some as many as 30-35 yrs wandering about SouthEast Asia, and full of stories, some believable and some not, as well as plenty of good travel tips. An incredibly valuable source of information. Some of them real eccentrics as well. I got chatting with a couple of guys called Ken and Dennis, and over the next few days spent a fair bit of time with them. That second evening, we ended up at one of the local bars called the Walkabout, frequented by expats (as most of the bars around the riverfront and centre of town seem to be). Had my first experience of the decadent colonial lifestyle, with local girls cosying up to anyone who made eye contact. In fact, hardly any expat didn't have a girl he wasn't buying drinks. Thankfully, Ken and Dennis, being long time residents, contented themselves with having beers with me and chatting, while telling the fgirls to leave us alone for tonight (more for my sensibilities than their desires I think). This was apparently one of the lower key joints in town.


The next few days spent time alternating between walking along the riverfront watching the races, occasionally stopping somewhere with a good vantage point for a drink and going along to see various of the other sights of the city. The weather was still pretty hot and humid so tended to get tired quite qiockly if not careful about drinking plenty. In the evenings all the boat crews and their supporters came into town as well and the roads became solid jams of humanity. Quickly learnt to keep hands on money and camera at all times. Quite cool to wnader along and see the weird and wonderful snack being served up (spiders, cockroaches, bugs of all kinds really, as
well as various strange looking freshwater denizens) and the local interactions in the crowds. The Khmers on the whole struck me as being a fairly convivial, polite bunch but with a tendency to be violent if the argument got too serious. Talking to various locals and expats, got a picture of rising corruption and land grabbing in the provinces whoch if continued and given their propensity for violence, could lead to further unrest in years to come. Certainly I wouldn't consider it a good place to settle, even given the seductive laid back cheap lifestyle.


Today is Independence Day here, marked with a ceremonial lighting of a fire at the Independence monument, and in the evening by fireworks and a parade. Pnly discovered there were morning ceremonies by accident about 8am and so hotfooted it there. Lots of amry, police, etc standing at attention, followed by the king arriving to light the fire in the monument and raising of the flag. At this point they let loose thousands of brightly coloured helium balloons which swiftly ascended, framing the monument in a brilliant blue sky. Quite a beautiful sight. Unfortunately, it was at this point that my camera dedided to break. The lens got stuck and wouldn't retract or focus at all. This being right on the eve of my rather intensive sightseeing tour of Indochina, to say I wasn't best pleased would be an understatement! I had been expecting this to happen for a while though, as had similar probs with it in America a few months back. Inquired around a discovered a reputable mall in Phnom Penh, called Surya Shopping Centre. Completely different to anything else I had seen in PP so far. Seven storeys of airconditioned, glitzy stalls and shops, and full of rich Cambodians (a class of people
I'd not encountered before this). Found the electronics place and got a decent Sony camera. Amnaged to wangle a 15% discount which I was quite pleased by as it meant the closing price was cheaper that the US.


Back to my guesthouse, charged up the battery and then sat in the restaurant downstairs gassing with some of the guys there (something I've done a lot here). The converstaion this afternoon centred (loosely) on allowing gay marriages in the US. Had a self confessed red-neck and a liberal taking part, making it quite a lively entertainment for the rest of us.


Tomorrow I fly out in the morning to northern Thailand (Chiang Rai) and the day after will hook up with some friends from the UK for a busy 3 week tour of Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia (though only 1 day in PP). Will be busier than the the trip so far so will attempt to compile an update when I have a free moment. In the meantime, I look forward to hearing more of your news.


Siri.

China Trip 2

Dear All,

So, this the next excerpt from my travels in the East. I'm at the end of my stay in China now. Tomorrow morning will leave to go to Cambodia and explore that fascinating country for 10 days.

I think my last email left off on my arrival to Yichang, the boarding point for the Yangtze river cruise. After emailing, turned down the invitation to go look at sturgeons (fascinating though they are) and instead opted for a little bit of book shopping. Went to a couple of bookstores, a local one and the biggest one in town. Distressing lasck of big book places in Chinese cities, I've found. As it was a rather wet day, there were lots of people browsing and sitting everywhere reading. Gingerly picked my way through this studious throng to the English section. Most of the books there were textbooks or thin translations of popular Western fairytales or classics. Finally found a translation of Chinese ghost stories which promised to provide some entertainment. BAck into the rain and my guide took me to a local massage bar, where for the princely sum of £5, I was treated to a lovely 80 min foot massage and pedicure. Rather luxurious and almost fell asleep.

From there we went to the local museum which had some interesting stuff from the Ming and Qing dynasties before going to a local teahouse to while away the few hours before the cruise boarded. While I was there, snacking on nuts and trying to get to grips with their computers (which insisted on turning everything I wrote to Chinese - interestingly, all the keyboards here are in roman letters), the owner came up to me and asked me to help him try to convert his menu to an ENglish version. Took quite a bit of sign language, some pictures of plants and animals on the internet and a lot of help from the guide before we managed to finish, but helped to pass the time and was quite amusing overall. Fortunately, no really exotic dishes to translate.

Boarded our cruise ship, the Splendid China, around 7.30pm that evening, wet and dark as it was, was a great relief to be ushered to my cabin. Really spacious twin bedded room with good sized ensuite bathroom. Rather palatial compared to what I'd been expecting. That first evening had to pay for dinner as not included in the tour price. The maitre'd had suggested, before I was escorted to my cabin, that I would be fine with ordering 2 dishes. I duly ordered (beef curry with potatoes & chicken with peanuts and chilli) and came down to the dining room ready for a hearty meal. They seated me by myself at a table, since I didn't belong to a tour party, and brought out my first dish. I've never seen a bigger portion in my life! It could have quite easily fed a party of three. While I was sitting there contemplating how to manage even half of one of these dishes, never mind both, a friendly American came up to invite me to join him and his wife for dinner. Gladly accepted the invitation from Eliseo and Yolanda (their names) and began a friendship which I enjoyed throughout the rest of the cruise. We sat and chatted and manfully ignored the tremendous quantities of food we were wasting (though I had a few words with the maitre'd later about his portion recommendations and wastage of food). A lovely friendly couple who coincidentally lived about 5 mins away from my aunt and cousins in Texas. Small world and all that. Eliseo especially was a great person to chat to as he was interested in history, philosophy, politics and so on. HAd many a good conversation with him over the next few days.

Over the next 4 days, enjoyed the cruise down the Yangtze river tremendously. My first time on a cruise and thankfully not motion sick once. The next morning, went to view the famous Three Gorges Dam, under construction and due to be finished in 2009, it will be the biggest dam in the world (about the size of 6-7 Hoover Dams put together) and produce the equivalent of 18 nuclear power stations' output. The project had flooded a huge tract of the valley where the river flowed and about 1.3 million people have had to be relocated. As you can imagine, many mixed emotions regarding this dam and its consequences. The tour there lasted for about 2 hours and then we finally embarked on the cruise. The gorges we passed through were quite breathtaking and one can only imagine what it would have been like before the river level had risen an extra 150 metres. Very misty virtually the whole 4 days of the cruise, typical for the region. During that 1st day sat on deck, enjoyed the view over drinks. especially sunset and had a generally lazy time. Every evening the crew put on a show for us with lots of singing, dances and a great comedy pantomime. Very talented crew I have to say.

The next day we went on a 4hr excursion up the Shennong stream, a small tributary of the Yangtze. Even sheerer gorges and a narrow twisting stream. The last bit of the excursion we transferred into small wooden boats and were rowed by local oarsmen upstream. Quite an experience, though a little too mass touristy for my liking. Really impressed by the natural beauty of the region though. Plenty of entertainment as well, watching Yolanda buy up virtually the whole souvenir stick on the ferry boat, though she did bargain well. The hawker regarded her as a gift from heaven, I'm sure.

The 3rd day we went on a morning excursion to see the famous Fengdu city, renowned through China though the last 1000 yrs or so for being a city of ghosts and devils, where the soul could be judged. The Australian couple we'd met, Helen and Graeme (esp. Helen) wouldn't hear of taking the chairlift so puffed my way up the hill to the top where the city was. Glad I did as we saw some cool statues and figures on the way. Lots of fantastic and often quite grotesque sculputes, friezes and painting. Very colourful and lot of INdian influence quite obvious, especially in their depiction of the demons. I also learnt that the Shaolin fighting skills had originated in India, as did the classic Chinese pagoda architecture. Amazing how much influence trading had on these cultures in ancient times. On our way back to the boat we were challenged to lift a 180kg iron ball that one of the Chinese generals had used in training. Watched a skinny Chinese man about half my size manage this feat, though we were warned he was a master of various martial disciplines. I tried along with Thomas, a friendly Singaporean guy and Patryk, a Polish guy who all sat at our dining table. All of us failed resoundingly but were given some kudos for at least trying (got the impression most people too shy to try). Back to the ship and off to our final destination of Chongqing.

We reached there about 8pm, during the start of the last evening show. Interestingly, it is, if mot the biggest city in the world, among the top 5, with a population of 32 million! Yet I'd never heard of it before researching Yangtze cruises! Makes one wonder what other surprises are hidden away in China. Had a good evening with our dining table group, as we'd bonded quite well over the last few days. The next morning I actually made it to breakfast, mainly so I could say bye to everyone properly. Sad to see everyone split off as they were very congenial traveling companions. Was met a local guide who got me off the boat. I had 3 hrs before my flight to Shanghai left so I asked to see the Pandas in the local zoo, which was known for having the best exhibit outside of Chengdu (where the majority of the wild Pandas were). Rather a rainy foggy day so was warned might not see any pandas as they disliked the wet and cold. Still went there and gave it a shot and was rewarded with very close looks at 4 out of the 5 pandas there. This was largely due to fortuitous timing, as we arrived just when a rather large tour group bribed the keepers to tempt out the pandas with bamboo shoots. Not particularly approving of this but was did get wonderful views of them mock tussling and muching away rather placidly so couldn't complain too much. Very cute animals.

The airport was very clean and well maintained, English signs and announcements. A short 2hr flight to Shanghai and from the airport got a taxi to town. An old friend of mine, Sam, was living in Shanghai and had kindly offered to put me up for the week. He was busy at work when I arrived though he spoke on the phone to give the cabbie directions (my scribbled Chinese address had left the cabbie looking rather puzzled). Arrived at a large complex of 4 tower blocks of nice flats and let in by the maid to a lovely spacious 2 bed flat. Great views. Very hospitable welcome from Sam, who'd even got slippers and a spare phone with a Chinese SIM card for me! Great to see him again and the area he'd been calling home for 3 yrs.

Shanghai is well known as the most cosmopolitan city in China, with it's long history of trade and even occupation of certain areas by the colonial powers. With a population of 20 million, it's China's main city of finance and commerce, but remains quite laid back in its lifestyle and social scene. The most immediately noticeable thing about it was the skyscrapers everywhere. From high up vantage points, the whole city sometimes appears to be nothing but high rise buildings, with many more being constructed. Over the next week spend some time exploring Shanghai, Sam taking me on a culinary tour of the various foods from Chinas provinces. Got to see what ordinary life was like in China, thanks to Sam. Amazed even more now by how much determination it must ahve taken to come here without a shred of Chinese and make not only a home here but actually start a business! Took my hat off to him. Also stocked up on plenty of DVDs (at 40p per movie with excellent quality, the best bargain I'd ever find!) to keep me entertained through the next few months.

Wandered around a bit on my own when Sam was busy. Saw the Shanghai Bund - a stretch of colonial buildings from the days of the International concessions. Some quite beautiful lobbies and architecture there. Went to the top of the Jinmao tower, luckily on a nice sunny and clear day. Amazing views over the city though even on a clear day the smog reduced visibility drastically. On my wanderings had to fight off innumerable hawkers peddling watches, bags, DVDs and occasionally girls. Sometimes they can be quite persistent as well, with people grabbing your arms and following you for quite a way down the street. The number of street beggars had risen fast in the last 2-3 years as well, with the relaxation of local laws deporting them back to their home villages (a consequence of human rights activism). Nowhere near what the begging situation is like in India though.

The food in Shanghai is incredibly varied, not only with the various provincial specialities as mentioned before, but also western foods of all kinds. The Chinese have taken to KFC in a big way it seems (and it tastes better than in US or UK!)), with pizza following a close second. All in all had an interesting time there. Almost made it to Suzhou, a nearby town known for the beauty of its gardens but an impeccably timed bout of gastroenteritis put a stop to that.

All in all favorably impressed with the dynamism and sheer industry that I've seen in China and the friendliness of various random Chinese met on planes, trains, etc. Quite an autocratic society, but one that seems to function well and, more importantly, one that seems to have raised the standard of living of the average person substantially in the last 20-30 years. The only major problem is the communication barrier and even that seems destined to improve, with young Chinese in huge numbers learning English at school and college. Looking forward to coming back and exploring other areas of this huge country.

I hope everyone keeping well and enjoying life. Look forward to hearing news from you.

Siri.