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.
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.
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