When first planning this trip it was going to be 8-9 months. Then, following some more planning, it became 15. After about 5 months on the road it increased yet again to 22. And, now, it is changing once again to 27 months. 2.25 years (!). Since travelling I have added a year (!) to my expected trip. A year (!). I have already been gone for about 9 months (!), which is only 1/3 (!) of my trip. Man, that sounds crazy.
This change is so that I can go to India when the weather is tolerable instead of during the hot season. I was going to be there around now but will instead go for 3-4ish months starting around October 2010. I think I made the right choice as India is currently experiencing a heat wave so it is hot there even for the hot season in India.
Well, that all that is the plan. That long of a trip is really going to stretch my funds so it could change again, but likely will not get any longer.
Also of note is that a friend on mine from home is flying to Bangkok, Thailand on 30 April to meet up with me. He bought a one-way ticket. Maybe I can convince him to do a guest post but I would not count on it.
23 April 2010
Mae Hong Son, Thailand
In Pai I rented a motorbike (again) and rode the 109km (68 miles) to Mae Hong Son. Those 109km does not take about an hour like you might guess. Take a guess how long it takes. I'll give you a minute.
OK? Four hours minimum. Why? Because one, I am on a motobike. That means any accident is a bad one and that going any faster than 80kph (50 mph) is near impossible and a terrible idea. Two, the curves. Mae Hong Son is nicknamed "The land of curves." They sell t-shirts there with "Mae Hong Song" written on them in big letters and "1864" written in a smaller font below referring not to the year but to the supposed number of curves in the area. Going 80kph was only possible of those short stretches of straight. On the curves going 10-40kph (6-25 mph) is realistic.
The ride was stellar. If the roads did not force me to go slowly the scenary would have and going slow gave me a chance to enjoy it.
Mae Hong Son is a weird place. When I arrived and was exploring the the place and looking for accomodation I saw only one other white person and he gave me a look like, "I do not know you. What are you doing here?" But at night time there were white people everywhere. I cannot not explain this. And, there is almost nothing in the town. While looking for a place to sleep I heard some locals playing music. I walked by and did not want to take pictures in case it was a relious ceramony but did rubberneck. They noticed me and invited me in. Soon I was being handed a glass of orange Fanta and having my photo taken. One guy spoke a little English and called me his friend. I resipicated. He said something in Thai and everybody laughed. Some woman tried to set me up with her daughter (I think that is what she was doing). All this lasted 20 minutes then I thanked them and left. It was weird and random and cool. The nightmarket is lame and the wats (temples) are mediocore and the lake can be circumscribed in about 20 minutes on foot. All this and my failed attempt to find accomodation that I was willing to pay for lead me to sleep outside.
On my way into Mae Hong Son, about 11km (7 miles) outside the town, I saw a small platform with a covering in the middle of a field and decided it would be my bed for the night. After dinner I got some water and snacks (breakfast) from 7-11 and rode from the town to the kilometer-marker that I had committed to memory. Finding it the darkness was a bit of a challenge but after some double-backing I found the path I needed and was making the arrangements I needed to (putting on a long-sleeve shirt and pants to hinder bugs, setting an alarm, etc) and was on my bamboo bed in no time. Falling asleep was not quite as easy but soon enough I was out and awoke with the sun in the morning.
Then I got back on my motorbike and headed back through the gorgeous surroundings headed to Pai to return the rented motorbike and catch a bus back to Chiang Mai.
OK? Four hours minimum. Why? Because one, I am on a motobike. That means any accident is a bad one and that going any faster than 80kph (50 mph) is near impossible and a terrible idea. Two, the curves. Mae Hong Son is nicknamed "The land of curves." They sell t-shirts there with "Mae Hong Song" written on them in big letters and "1864" written in a smaller font below referring not to the year but to the supposed number of curves in the area. Going 80kph was only possible of those short stretches of straight. On the curves going 10-40kph (6-25 mph) is realistic.
The ride was stellar. If the roads did not force me to go slowly the scenary would have and going slow gave me a chance to enjoy it.
Mae Hong Son is a weird place. When I arrived and was exploring the the place and looking for accomodation I saw only one other white person and he gave me a look like, "I do not know you. What are you doing here?" But at night time there were white people everywhere. I cannot not explain this. And, there is almost nothing in the town. While looking for a place to sleep I heard some locals playing music. I walked by and did not want to take pictures in case it was a relious ceramony but did rubberneck. They noticed me and invited me in. Soon I was being handed a glass of orange Fanta and having my photo taken. One guy spoke a little English and called me his friend. I resipicated. He said something in Thai and everybody laughed. Some woman tried to set me up with her daughter (I think that is what she was doing). All this lasted 20 minutes then I thanked them and left. It was weird and random and cool. The nightmarket is lame and the wats (temples) are mediocore and the lake can be circumscribed in about 20 minutes on foot. All this and my failed attempt to find accomodation that I was willing to pay for lead me to sleep outside.
On my way into Mae Hong Son, about 11km (7 miles) outside the town, I saw a small platform with a covering in the middle of a field and decided it would be my bed for the night. After dinner I got some water and snacks (breakfast) from 7-11 and rode from the town to the kilometer-marker that I had committed to memory. Finding it the darkness was a bit of a challenge but after some double-backing I found the path I needed and was making the arrangements I needed to (putting on a long-sleeve shirt and pants to hinder bugs, setting an alarm, etc) and was on my bamboo bed in no time. Falling asleep was not quite as easy but soon enough I was out and awoke with the sun in the morning.
Then I got back on my motorbike and headed back through the gorgeous surroundings headed to Pai to return the rented motorbike and catch a bus back to Chiang Mai.
Pai, Thailand
About four hours by bus from Chiang Mai is a backpacker-filled town called Pai. Pai was discovered by hippies in the '70s en route to another place when they realized they had already arrived at where they should be going. Pai still retains that hippy feel and is so laid back I spent several days there before I realized I had done so. The first night I was here I learned that the electricity in the entire town spontaneously goes out for 30-90 in the evenings. Some days. Other days it does not. Pai itself is pretty tiny about the surrounding area is stunning. The best thing you can do here is rent a motorbike and explore. Done and done.
On the bus I was seated next to a German, who was joining a friend of his in Pai. The friend had made friends with the girl next to her on her bus ride to Pai, so we had a group of four. The three of them stayed at a nice place (about US$8), which had a pool, AC, TV, private bathroom, and wifi while I did not and stayed in a treehouse with a matress on the floor and ants everywhere for 100 baht (US$3). (Yes, I totally mooched their pool and wifi.) The four of us rented motorbikes and went off. After only a few hours the girls headed back to go for a swim. The German and myself pressed on. When with the girls, they were directing as they had a plan and specific things to see and neither of us had much preference and were more interested in the ride than the destinations. The sights were fine but not great but the riding was the real draw. After they left we just rode with no idea what we were doing. We stumbled upon what is the main waterfall in the area. The water cascades down rocks that are smooth enough to slide down. Awesome. I nearly died a couple times (a joke, Mom) but it would have been worth it. Sliding down those rocks into the pool of water below was sweet.
During the evenings we would bar-hop only stopping at places that had good live music. Again, the hippy scene is in full swing here. We discovered some Thai-English guitarist who was great. The first night we saw him he closed his set with my all-time favorite song, All Along the Watchtower. Hendrix does it better (of course), but it was good still and a sound for sore ears having had my iPod stolen about four months prior.
Pai is cool place and I understand how people can get stuck here for a few months or years.
On the bus I was seated next to a German, who was joining a friend of his in Pai. The friend had made friends with the girl next to her on her bus ride to Pai, so we had a group of four. The three of them stayed at a nice place (about US$8), which had a pool, AC, TV, private bathroom, and wifi while I did not and stayed in a treehouse with a matress on the floor and ants everywhere for 100 baht (US$3). (Yes, I totally mooched their pool and wifi.) The four of us rented motorbikes and went off. After only a few hours the girls headed back to go for a swim. The German and myself pressed on. When with the girls, they were directing as they had a plan and specific things to see and neither of us had much preference and were more interested in the ride than the destinations. The sights were fine but not great but the riding was the real draw. After they left we just rode with no idea what we were doing. We stumbled upon what is the main waterfall in the area. The water cascades down rocks that are smooth enough to slide down. Awesome. I nearly died a couple times (a joke, Mom) but it would have been worth it. Sliding down those rocks into the pool of water below was sweet.
During the evenings we would bar-hop only stopping at places that had good live music. Again, the hippy scene is in full swing here. We discovered some Thai-English guitarist who was great. The first night we saw him he closed his set with my all-time favorite song, All Along the Watchtower. Hendrix does it better (of course), but it was good still and a sound for sore ears having had my iPod stolen about four months prior.
Pai is cool place and I understand how people can get stuck here for a few months or years.
Chiang Mai, Thailand
The transport from Luang Nam Tha to the Laos-Thailand boarder was awesome. AC, smooth (no idea whyt that road is paved and most others in Laos cannot even be called roads), fast, and efficient. The boarder crossing was easy as could be and getting from the boarder to Chiang Mai took a little effort and some waiting but was not bad at all. It was, though, a day almost completely consumed by travel as I spent about 13 hours getting from one town to the other.
After a few days off it was time for another trek. The area around Chiang Mai is notorious for its trekking and as a result prices are inflated. I opted to take a two-day, one-night trek partly because of the cost and partly to return to the city in time for songkran (more on this in the next paragraph). This trek was not as good as the one in Phongsali but still enjoyable and worth the cost. The villages we went to were obviously fake, set up by the travel agency to get more money from you. The trekking itself was good enough, but the real highlight of the trek was not the elephant riding (boring and painful) or the bamboo rafting (boring again), but rather the white-water rafting. I had never been before, so I did not know what to expect and I am confident that this white-water rafting was pretty tame but it was still a lot of fun. The river bank was filled with people celebrating songkran (again, just wait a second) and splashing water on us. Naturally, we splashed back with our paddles.
Though I am quite possibly the least lucky person in Cook County, which would put me high in the runnin' for least lucky worldwide, I had something working in my favor in Chiang Mai. By pure chance I arrived in Chiang Mai a few days before the start of songkran, the Thai new year. Songkran is, without question, the best holiday in existance and Chiang Mai is the center for all festivities. Songkran is literally a 3-day (though in practice it is actually 5-7), nation-wide water fight. Everybody is pouring water on everybody. It is impossible to avoid. You are wearing a suit (not that anybody ever wears a suit out here)? Now you are wearing a wet suit. Important documents? Not any more. I have no pictures from the festival because my camera would not have survived. Each day, the entire day is spent pouring water on people, having water poured on you, and drinking. This holiday could not be better save for the fact that hundreds of people die each year, mostly the result of motorbike accidents. Thailand's goal this year was to have only 450 deaths. I have no knowledge of what the total ended up being.
More typical of my luck is that when I returned from the trek the dorm bed that I had reserved at Banana Guesthouse before I left was taken. (I had one of those Jerry Seinfeld-car-reservation conversations except with somebody that speaks only broken English.) I scouted the city for a bed but because of the holiday everything I could find was booked or way too expensive. I decided that my best option was to ask if I could crash on the floor of two American girls that I had met before my trek. I asked and was accepted with open arms, thankfully. This arrangement actually continued for four nights and even aften the holiday ended because it was mutually beneficial to all involved. For a couple of nights there was actually four people in the room and I began to wonder what the guesthouse owners were thinking.
Chiang Mai was my first place I stayed at in Thailand but I cannot imagine liking any place in Thailand more.
Songkran!
After a few days off it was time for another trek. The area around Chiang Mai is notorious for its trekking and as a result prices are inflated. I opted to take a two-day, one-night trek partly because of the cost and partly to return to the city in time for songkran (more on this in the next paragraph). This trek was not as good as the one in Phongsali but still enjoyable and worth the cost. The villages we went to were obviously fake, set up by the travel agency to get more money from you. The trekking itself was good enough, but the real highlight of the trek was not the elephant riding (boring and painful) or the bamboo rafting (boring again), but rather the white-water rafting. I had never been before, so I did not know what to expect and I am confident that this white-water rafting was pretty tame but it was still a lot of fun. The river bank was filled with people celebrating songkran (again, just wait a second) and splashing water on us. Naturally, we splashed back with our paddles.
Though I am quite possibly the least lucky person in Cook County, which would put me high in the runnin' for least lucky worldwide, I had something working in my favor in Chiang Mai. By pure chance I arrived in Chiang Mai a few days before the start of songkran, the Thai new year. Songkran is, without question, the best holiday in existance and Chiang Mai is the center for all festivities. Songkran is literally a 3-day (though in practice it is actually 5-7), nation-wide water fight. Everybody is pouring water on everybody. It is impossible to avoid. You are wearing a suit (not that anybody ever wears a suit out here)? Now you are wearing a wet suit. Important documents? Not any more. I have no pictures from the festival because my camera would not have survived. Each day, the entire day is spent pouring water on people, having water poured on you, and drinking. This holiday could not be better save for the fact that hundreds of people die each year, mostly the result of motorbike accidents. Thailand's goal this year was to have only 450 deaths. I have no knowledge of what the total ended up being.
More typical of my luck is that when I returned from the trek the dorm bed that I had reserved at Banana Guesthouse before I left was taken. (I had one of those Jerry Seinfeld-car-reservation conversations except with somebody that speaks only broken English.) I scouted the city for a bed but because of the holiday everything I could find was booked or way too expensive. I decided that my best option was to ask if I could crash on the floor of two American girls that I had met before my trek. I asked and was accepted with open arms, thankfully. This arrangement actually continued for four nights and even aften the holiday ended because it was mutually beneficial to all involved. For a couple of nights there was actually four people in the room and I began to wonder what the guesthouse owners were thinking.
Chiang Mai was my first place I stayed at in Thailand but I cannot imagine liking any place in Thailand more.
Songkran!
Udomxai, Laos
The most important thing in Udomxai is 24-hour electricity. The second most important thing in Udomxai are the ATMs, which are the north-most ATMs in Laos. The third most important thing is the bus station, as the town is a major transportation hub and an almost unavoidable transfer point for people moving about in the north of Laos. The fourth most important thing Udomxai is a decent shower. That sums up my time in Udomxai.
Phongsali, Laos
Northern Laos is famous for a two things in particular: terrible roads and trekking. I had avoided the roads until Hat Sa (where you actually get off the boat to get to Phongsali) by taking the river and I ventured this far north with the purpose of going trekking. Well, both the roads and the trekking live up to their reputations. The roads are awful: dust is everywhere, constantly curving and swerving, up-hill and down-hill and then again, too narrow for one-way traffic yet the traffic goes both ways. What should take an hour takes two. Minimum.
On the transport in between Hat Sa and Phongsali, me, the American woman, and the Canadian guy met a Spanish couple and a another Canadian guy and his English girlfriend. The Spanish couple and the American woman and myself ended up doing the same trek and going together so the cost decreased. We opted for a three-day, two-night trek along a river, with the nights spent in tribal villages. We were told that fewer than 50 Westerns have ever done the trek.
The trekking was good, especially the middle day when we were in the most densely forrested part. During the trek we had to cross the river many, many times, supposedly 27, though I lost count myself. The guide left something to be desired but I did not have such a problem with him not telling us about the villages too much or about the forest. A little information here and there is nice but mostly I just wanted to enjoy the scenary and the hike. Both nights were spent in villages along the way and in each we slept in what was, we were told, the chief's residence, though I am not sure how true this was. In addition, the chief ate dinner with us while our guide did his best to translate. Again, I have my doubts that the guy was actually the chief, but it was interesting and pleasant all the same.
After arriving in the first village, putting our stuff down, and exploring a little our guide told us that there was a hotspring about a 30 minute hike away. All four of us were interested, to varying degrees. I had other priorities. I had been trying for weeks to get a haircut, but not just any haircut. I wanted to get a haircut outside. This is actually how most barbers operate out here so the fact that I had trouble is confusing. (It has to do with the fact that they do not wait at their location for customers. Instead there is a sign with a phone number. I assume you have to call them, tell them you want a cut, and then the come by, but I really do not know nor do I know why they do this nor can I explain how it is a good business model.) So, since we had arrived there was some guy cutting some other guy's hair. I watched attentively and he was taking his time and appearing to do a good job. I asked the guide to ask him if he could cut my hair as well. The guide went over to him, said something in Lao, and then many villagers laughed often saying the word "falang," which is used to describe anybody that is white. The guide came back to me, said he agreed to cut my hair, but asked that I give him 5000 kip (about US$0.60). Dice. Shortly after I was getting my hair cut while the others went to the hotspring. (I could not do both because daylight was coming to an end soon and electricity is not wasted on things like lights. Only TV is deemed worthy.) As he did with the other guy, the barber guy took his time cutting my hair. There was an audiance the maxed out at about 15 and any villagers walking by laughed, often watched for a bit, and nearly always said "falang."
As it turns out, the hotspring sucked and I was told I made the right decision not to go even if I had not gotten my haircut, which I have been told looks good.
The final day of the trekking was a little rushed. We were walking pretty briskly almost the entire time. The reason for our hurried pace was that we needed to catch a bus that departed at 4PM at our destination. We made it, barely, arriving at 3:54. My feet were so wet that I had crevicies that were about a half inch deep. One of the coolest aspects of the trek was something that was not mentioned to us when we were deciding which trek to do: I crossed into China during the trek, without a Chinese visa, and back into Laos using a boarder crossing that is not open to Westerners. It all went smoothly but potentially could have been disasterous. I guess that might be the reason it was not mention beforehand.
Other than the trekking I did not do much in Phongsali. I took a day to relax and catch up on some stuff and wander around the town, but there is not much there. Still, my time here was awesome and have recommended it to anybody going to Laos.
On the transport in between Hat Sa and Phongsali, me, the American woman, and the Canadian guy met a Spanish couple and a another Canadian guy and his English girlfriend. The Spanish couple and the American woman and myself ended up doing the same trek and going together so the cost decreased. We opted for a three-day, two-night trek along a river, with the nights spent in tribal villages. We were told that fewer than 50 Westerns have ever done the trek.
The trekking was good, especially the middle day when we were in the most densely forrested part. During the trek we had to cross the river many, many times, supposedly 27, though I lost count myself. The guide left something to be desired but I did not have such a problem with him not telling us about the villages too much or about the forest. A little information here and there is nice but mostly I just wanted to enjoy the scenary and the hike. Both nights were spent in villages along the way and in each we slept in what was, we were told, the chief's residence, though I am not sure how true this was. In addition, the chief ate dinner with us while our guide did his best to translate. Again, I have my doubts that the guy was actually the chief, but it was interesting and pleasant all the same.
After arriving in the first village, putting our stuff down, and exploring a little our guide told us that there was a hotspring about a 30 minute hike away. All four of us were interested, to varying degrees. I had other priorities. I had been trying for weeks to get a haircut, but not just any haircut. I wanted to get a haircut outside. This is actually how most barbers operate out here so the fact that I had trouble is confusing. (It has to do with the fact that they do not wait at their location for customers. Instead there is a sign with a phone number. I assume you have to call them, tell them you want a cut, and then the come by, but I really do not know nor do I know why they do this nor can I explain how it is a good business model.) So, since we had arrived there was some guy cutting some other guy's hair. I watched attentively and he was taking his time and appearing to do a good job. I asked the guide to ask him if he could cut my hair as well. The guide went over to him, said something in Lao, and then many villagers laughed often saying the word "falang," which is used to describe anybody that is white. The guide came back to me, said he agreed to cut my hair, but asked that I give him 5000 kip (about US$0.60). Dice. Shortly after I was getting my hair cut while the others went to the hotspring. (I could not do both because daylight was coming to an end soon and electricity is not wasted on things like lights. Only TV is deemed worthy.) As he did with the other guy, the barber guy took his time cutting my hair. There was an audiance the maxed out at about 15 and any villagers walking by laughed, often watched for a bit, and nearly always said "falang."
As it turns out, the hotspring sucked and I was told I made the right decision not to go even if I had not gotten my haircut, which I have been told looks good.
The final day of the trekking was a little rushed. We were walking pretty briskly almost the entire time. The reason for our hurried pace was that we needed to catch a bus that departed at 4PM at our destination. We made it, barely, arriving at 3:54. My feet were so wet that I had crevicies that were about a half inch deep. One of the coolest aspects of the trek was something that was not mentioned to us when we were deciding which trek to do: I crossed into China during the trek, without a Chinese visa, and back into Laos using a boarder crossing that is not open to Westerners. It all went smoothly but potentially could have been disasterous. I guess that might be the reason it was not mention beforehand.
Other than the trekking I did not do much in Phongsali. I took a day to relax and catch up on some stuff and wander around the town, but there is not much there. Still, my time here was awesome and have recommended it to anybody going to Laos.
18 April 2010
Nam Ou (Ou River), Laos
The plan to travel up the river only a bit before going east was quickly abandoned. The little villages on the river are where all the punks in Vang Vieng should be spending their time. Actually, no, they should not come to these villages because then they would not be what they are now. I met an American woman, originally from Chicago, that has been traveling for eight years and conviced me not to head east and continue up the river. It was not too difficult to do once I got to the first village and learned that the trekking I wanted to do in the east I can do at the north end of the river except that it is better, less-touched, and cheaper. I was sold.
I do not know the names of the villages I stayed in. I spent about a week working my way north from Luang Prabang to Phongsali staying at four (I think) different villages each for one or two nights. In each village I would go for a day-hike in the area or rent a bike or relax and hang out. Nothing much to write about as the villages do not really have tourist sights or anything like that. That said, one story does come to mind.
Me, the American woman, and a Canadian decided to walk to a village we heard about. The village is nice and it is a pleasant walk along the river, we were told. We started off and after about 30-40 minutes the Canadian said he was turning back as his ankle was bothering him. The two Americans pressed on. The walk was indeed pleasant and the village OK but just OK. The story lies in our trip back. We left the village and quickly realized that we were not on the same path as we were on our way in. Good, we thought, we get to enjoy some different scenary during the walk back. After not long the path deadended leaving us with two options. One, head back the way we came, returning to the village and then taking our inbound path. Or, two, making our path. We were near a small mountain so I suggested we climb to the top and, from there, we should be able to see another path to follow back. Seemed like a good enough idea at the time but ended up being one of the worst ideas I have ever had. The bamboo trees on the mountain had been chopped down but not removed leaving not only the trees horizontal on the face of the mountain making walking exceedingly difficult. Plus the trees were slashed at a sharp angle leaving a sharp spear sticking out of the ground 4-18 inches long. If one of us fell on any of these hundreds of spikes we would be seriously injured or dead. Because the trees remained on the ground rarely did our feet actually touch the ground. Rather, each step was a
balancing act on a whatever was in front of us; which only enhanced the threat of the daggers jutting up from the ground. Of course, once we got to the top we could see no path, did not recognize any of the scenary, and discovered that neither of us had any sense of direction and did not even know which cardinal direction we needed to head. Luckily I heard water far off in the distance and we decided to just go there since we could follow the river back. Once we decided this, however, we had to descend the mountain under the same conditions as our ascent just on the other side. Luckily neither of us got seriously injured though we both were bleeding and had dozens of scatches on our legs. It was fun.
Please do not misinterpret my relative lack of writing in this post of my time on the Nam Ou. This week was one of the highlights of my time in Laos and I would recommend it to anybody that does not get sea sick or mind very limited electricity.
I do not know the names of the villages I stayed in. I spent about a week working my way north from Luang Prabang to Phongsali staying at four (I think) different villages each for one or two nights. In each village I would go for a day-hike in the area or rent a bike or relax and hang out. Nothing much to write about as the villages do not really have tourist sights or anything like that. That said, one story does come to mind.
Me, the American woman, and a Canadian decided to walk to a village we heard about. The village is nice and it is a pleasant walk along the river, we were told. We started off and after about 30-40 minutes the Canadian said he was turning back as his ankle was bothering him. The two Americans pressed on. The walk was indeed pleasant and the village OK but just OK. The story lies in our trip back. We left the village and quickly realized that we were not on the same path as we were on our way in. Good, we thought, we get to enjoy some different scenary during the walk back. After not long the path deadended leaving us with two options. One, head back the way we came, returning to the village and then taking our inbound path. Or, two, making our path. We were near a small mountain so I suggested we climb to the top and, from there, we should be able to see another path to follow back. Seemed like a good enough idea at the time but ended up being one of the worst ideas I have ever had. The bamboo trees on the mountain had been chopped down but not removed leaving not only the trees horizontal on the face of the mountain making walking exceedingly difficult. Plus the trees were slashed at a sharp angle leaving a sharp spear sticking out of the ground 4-18 inches long. If one of us fell on any of these hundreds of spikes we would be seriously injured or dead. Because the trees remained on the ground rarely did our feet actually touch the ground. Rather, each step was a
balancing act on a whatever was in front of us; which only enhanced the threat of the daggers jutting up from the ground. Of course, once we got to the top we could see no path, did not recognize any of the scenary, and discovered that neither of us had any sense of direction and did not even know which cardinal direction we needed to head. Luckily I heard water far off in the distance and we decided to just go there since we could follow the river back. Once we decided this, however, we had to descend the mountain under the same conditions as our ascent just on the other side. Luckily neither of us got seriously injured though we both were bleeding and had dozens of scatches on our legs. It was fun.
Please do not misinterpret my relative lack of writing in this post of my time on the Nam Ou. This week was one of the highlights of my time in Laos and I would recommend it to anybody that does not get sea sick or mind very limited electricity.
Luang Prabang, Laos
I completely understand why Luang Prabang is the tourist draw that it is. Gorgous town, beatiful temples, picturesque rivers. I was there in late March, when the area surrounding Luang Prabang is engaging in its slash-and-burn style of farming. This puts a thick layer of smoke in the air, blocking the blue of the sky. Hardly ideal for picture taking and for good reason why this time of year Luang Prabang gets fewer visitors. But, in spite of the smoke, Luang Prabang is still stunning.
During the bus ride from Vang Vieng I met an American from Rhode Island and bumped into a Japanese guy that I had previously met. We decided to save some money and shared a room. The first day, the American and myself rented bicycles and headed off to see one of the waterfalls, which was 27km (18 miles) away. The first half hour was torturous as there was a ton of traffic and nearly all uphill. Once we turned off the main road the traffic diminished and we started enjoying ourselves. It was a tough ride but rewarding, and, all in all, to me, better than the waterfall itself, though just about eveybody will disagree with me there because the fall is great as well. After arriving at our destination, we headed up to the top of the waterfall where you can swim. We were pretty sweaty from the ride and a dip in some cool water was the perfect remedy. We explored the area around the fall as well and eventually found a cool little cave and a water spring (where more swimming happened, of course).
We also were invited to play a local game called petong (I am not sure how to spell the name of the game but it is something like that). Each player has three metal balls, slightly bigger the billard balls and about 1.5 times as heavy. At the opposite end of a narrow rectangle about 20 feet away is a small metalic ball, which is the goal. The objective is to get as many as your balls as close to the small ball as possible. However, other players can hit your already-thrown balls and move them and the small ball can be moved as well if hit (it is not stationary and is thrown from the opposite side at the start of each round so if it ends up in the same place more than once it is just a coincidence). Whoever has a ball closest to the small ball when all players have thrown each of their three balls wins the round is is given one point for each ball that is closer than any of the opponents' balls. So scoring three points in a single round is possible. You play to a given number, usually 5 or 10. This is a kind of game that I am good at. I beat the local guy who invited us to play 5-0.
The following day we simply wandered around the city soaking in its charms. We went to a couple temples and talked with some monks. There is a curfew of 11:30 in Luang Prabang because it is a world-heritage site. As a result, there is not much of a nightlife and the only place open past the curfew is, for reasons that are unknown to me, the bowling alley. I went one night with a group of people I did not know and had a mediocore time. Glad I went but would not do it again.
The American and I decided to head north via the river. We had both heard good things and it was a nicer form of travel than the bus. I wanted to head north a bit and then head east and he had no plans. We managed to sleep through three alarms the day our boat was leaving and had to pay an extra 20,000 kip (about US$2.5) to leave the following day instead. Neither of us were unhappy that we had an extra day in Luang Prabang.
During the bus ride from Vang Vieng I met an American from Rhode Island and bumped into a Japanese guy that I had previously met. We decided to save some money and shared a room. The first day, the American and myself rented bicycles and headed off to see one of the waterfalls, which was 27km (18 miles) away. The first half hour was torturous as there was a ton of traffic and nearly all uphill. Once we turned off the main road the traffic diminished and we started enjoying ourselves. It was a tough ride but rewarding, and, all in all, to me, better than the waterfall itself, though just about eveybody will disagree with me there because the fall is great as well. After arriving at our destination, we headed up to the top of the waterfall where you can swim. We were pretty sweaty from the ride and a dip in some cool water was the perfect remedy. We explored the area around the fall as well and eventually found a cool little cave and a water spring (where more swimming happened, of course).
We also were invited to play a local game called petong (I am not sure how to spell the name of the game but it is something like that). Each player has three metal balls, slightly bigger the billard balls and about 1.5 times as heavy. At the opposite end of a narrow rectangle about 20 feet away is a small metalic ball, which is the goal. The objective is to get as many as your balls as close to the small ball as possible. However, other players can hit your already-thrown balls and move them and the small ball can be moved as well if hit (it is not stationary and is thrown from the opposite side at the start of each round so if it ends up in the same place more than once it is just a coincidence). Whoever has a ball closest to the small ball when all players have thrown each of their three balls wins the round is is given one point for each ball that is closer than any of the opponents' balls. So scoring three points in a single round is possible. You play to a given number, usually 5 or 10. This is a kind of game that I am good at. I beat the local guy who invited us to play 5-0.
The following day we simply wandered around the city soaking in its charms. We went to a couple temples and talked with some monks. There is a curfew of 11:30 in Luang Prabang because it is a world-heritage site. As a result, there is not much of a nightlife and the only place open past the curfew is, for reasons that are unknown to me, the bowling alley. I went one night with a group of people I did not know and had a mediocore time. Glad I went but would not do it again.
The American and I decided to head north via the river. We had both heard good things and it was a nicer form of travel than the bus. I wanted to head north a bit and then head east and he had no plans. We managed to sleep through three alarms the day our boat was leaving and had to pay an extra 20,000 kip (about US$2.5) to leave the following day instead. Neither of us were unhappy that we had an extra day in Luang Prabang.
Vang Vieng, Laos
Nowhere else, at no other time, have I questioned my personality, or humanity, as I did in Vang Vieng. Alright, the humanity portion of that statement is an exaggeration, but only slightly. Vang Vieng is notorious for several things: tubing, alcohol, drugs, and promiscuity. Everything a guy in his mid-twenties could ask for, right? Well, for most people, yes, but not for me. I hated the place until I did something that was not one of those four things.
This is how most people spend their days in Vang Vieng: wake up hungover in the early afternoon. Get a quick sandwich and hire a tube. Sit on a tube for 10 seconds, get off the tube, and drink and dance for 30 minutes to 6 hours. If closer to the 30 minutes end of that spectrum, get back on the tube for another 10 seconds, get off the tube, and drink and dance for 30 minutes to 6 hours. Repeat until you passout, end up going back to "town" with somebody, run out of money (though this does not necessarily stop people), or it gets too dark. Once in town, some take a quick nap in preparation for the nights activities, other just shower, most do neither. Go to a "TV bar" which serves overpriced, bad food while playing episodes of Friends endlessly. Once it is around 8:30 got to Bucket Bar for free buckets for a couple hours. (A "bucket" is Coke, rank Lao whiskey called Lao Lao, and sometimes lime and/or fake Red Bull.) When Bucket Bar plays Wonderwall by Oasis it is time to leave and head to two bars down to Rock Bar, which does not rock, and drink until they close, usually around 5AM. Now it is time to head back to your guesthouse if you are a guy and back to the guesthouse of the guy you met if you are a girl.
Writing that paragraph all I could think was, "This place sounds awesome." And it is for most people. But, for me, in practice, I hated it. Until I veered far from that typical day, Vang Vieng was easily my least favorite place I have been in the world. Seriously. Most people love it. I understand why, it just is not my scene. There is absolutely nothing Laos about Vang Vieng. It is full of Westerns; all the employees of the bars are Westerners that get compensated with accommodation, food, and drink. Many stay here for years. and they do not remember any of it when they finally leave.
While there I began to think there was something wrong with me. That I should be enjoying myself. Several times I sat down trying to figure out what flaws or defects did I have were causing me to be miserable. Then it occurred to me that I was not at fault. There was no issue with me that made me feel the way I did. It was simple: I just despised just about every person there in the capacity that I knew them. If I met these people in a different context I would surely end up liking some but not in Vang Vieng.
Finally I did something else. I rented a bicycle and went west to ride what is called the West Loop. I met some English girl who hated all that as much as I did and a German guy who just liked all that but wanted to go for a bike ride. We spent the day together and had a good time going to the Blue Lagoon and getting lost. It was a pretty ardours day as I biked about 45km (30 miles) on a neglected, old bike on terrible, rocky paths. It was fun but I was sore by the end of the day.
I left Vang Vieng not hating it as I did for most my time there but I cannot tell you I liked it either. The biking was good but I can do that elsewhere.
This is how most people spend their days in Vang Vieng: wake up hungover in the early afternoon. Get a quick sandwich and hire a tube. Sit on a tube for 10 seconds, get off the tube, and drink and dance for 30 minutes to 6 hours. If closer to the 30 minutes end of that spectrum, get back on the tube for another 10 seconds, get off the tube, and drink and dance for 30 minutes to 6 hours. Repeat until you passout, end up going back to "town" with somebody, run out of money (though this does not necessarily stop people), or it gets too dark. Once in town, some take a quick nap in preparation for the nights activities, other just shower, most do neither. Go to a "TV bar" which serves overpriced, bad food while playing episodes of Friends endlessly. Once it is around 8:30 got to Bucket Bar for free buckets for a couple hours. (A "bucket" is Coke, rank Lao whiskey called Lao Lao, and sometimes lime and/or fake Red Bull.) When Bucket Bar plays Wonderwall by Oasis it is time to leave and head to two bars down to Rock Bar, which does not rock, and drink until they close, usually around 5AM. Now it is time to head back to your guesthouse if you are a guy and back to the guesthouse of the guy you met if you are a girl.
Writing that paragraph all I could think was, "This place sounds awesome." And it is for most people. But, for me, in practice, I hated it. Until I veered far from that typical day, Vang Vieng was easily my least favorite place I have been in the world. Seriously. Most people love it. I understand why, it just is not my scene. There is absolutely nothing Laos about Vang Vieng. It is full of Westerns; all the employees of the bars are Westerners that get compensated with accommodation, food, and drink. Many stay here for years. and they do not remember any of it when they finally leave.
While there I began to think there was something wrong with me. That I should be enjoying myself. Several times I sat down trying to figure out what flaws or defects did I have were causing me to be miserable. Then it occurred to me that I was not at fault. There was no issue with me that made me feel the way I did. It was simple: I just despised just about every person there in the capacity that I knew them. If I met these people in a different context I would surely end up liking some but not in Vang Vieng.
Finally I did something else. I rented a bicycle and went west to ride what is called the West Loop. I met some English girl who hated all that as much as I did and a German guy who just liked all that but wanted to go for a bike ride. We spent the day together and had a good time going to the Blue Lagoon and getting lost. It was a pretty ardours day as I biked about 45km (30 miles) on a neglected, old bike on terrible, rocky paths. It was fun but I was sore by the end of the day.
I left Vang Vieng not hating it as I did for most my time there but I cannot tell you I liked it either. The biking was good but I can do that elsewhere.
Vientiane, Laos
From Si Phan Don I took a night bus to the nation's capital, Vientiane. I intended on visiting a couple places in between the southern-most part of the country and city more than halfway north but a host of things lead me to do otherwise. This is probably my biggest regret about my travel in Laos, but, all in all, is not such a terrible thing as it gave me more time in the north and gives me an excuse to return to the country.
Vientiane has a less than favorable reputation. The city has little to offer in terms of sights, little atmosphere, and, relative to the country, is expensive. As far as I can tell, just about travler is there for at least one of four reasons:
1. Obtain a visa to another country
2. Extend their Laos visa
3. As a travel hub
4. Enjoy the food
The first three are pretty self-explanatory but the fourth requires some more. Vientiane is probably the best place in the world to get great worldly cuisine on a dollar-for-dollar basis. By this I mean that here you can get authentic food of almost anywhere in the world and pay a fraction of what it would cost Western countries. French, Italain, Asian, Indian, American, Mexican, and others are all available. Vientiane made me wish I appreciated food as something more than I need to survive. If I were seriously into food, I would probably have spent several weeks here.
However, other than the food, it is true that Vientiane is worth skipping if you have a choice. I made an effort to go and see the few sights the city does have and it took a couple hours and I only managed a few photos and often the sight was so uninspiring that I did not know I was there when I was. The city is not as bad as everybody says but it is still nothing to write home about, except in blog form.
Vientiane has a less than favorable reputation. The city has little to offer in terms of sights, little atmosphere, and, relative to the country, is expensive. As far as I can tell, just about travler is there for at least one of four reasons:
1. Obtain a visa to another country
2. Extend their Laos visa
3. As a travel hub
4. Enjoy the food
The first three are pretty self-explanatory but the fourth requires some more. Vientiane is probably the best place in the world to get great worldly cuisine on a dollar-for-dollar basis. By this I mean that here you can get authentic food of almost anywhere in the world and pay a fraction of what it would cost Western countries. French, Italain, Asian, Indian, American, Mexican, and others are all available. Vientiane made me wish I appreciated food as something more than I need to survive. If I were seriously into food, I would probably have spent several weeks here.
However, other than the food, it is true that Vientiane is worth skipping if you have a choice. I made an effort to go and see the few sights the city does have and it took a couple hours and I only managed a few photos and often the sight was so uninspiring that I did not know I was there when I was. The city is not as bad as everybody says but it is still nothing to write home about, except in blog form.
Si Phan Don, Laos
What is basically the southern-most point of Laos is series of islands in the Mekong River known as Si Phan Don, which literally means 4000 Islands. While most of the islands are not large enough to contain nothing but some sand and plant life, there are three islands big enough to support human life. I elected to stay on Don Det, which is the smallest of the three and the "backpacker" island.
Before I continue I need to illustrate how in-the-middle-of-nowhere this place is. The is no ATM on any of the islands. The closest place to get cash is a bank "on the mainland" and that is still about 45 minutes away. The closest ATM is about 100 miles away in Pakse. The bank holds typical bank hours and if you need cash when it is not open you may have to make the trip to Pakse, which several people do. Just about every local in the area will exchange currencies for you, but at rates that are criminal, though it is often the best option and you do it anyway. The currency in Laos is called kip, with about 8450 kip worth about US$1. The largest note in Laos is 50,000 kip; or about US$6. To reword that, the largest note in Laos is worth about US$6.
OK, with that out of the way, Si Phan Don might be the most relaxing place in the world. It is all too easy to get stuck in a hammock all day or spend hours upon hours letting the current take you which ever way it happens to be flowing while you sit in an innertube. There is kayaking but most people opt to exert less effort and just hang out all day. I usually get bored of beach towns after a couple days, and there were times when I was slightly bored, but there was never that I-have-to-leave-now-I-am-so bored feeling despite spending four nights there. When the bars close around midnight everybody makes there way to the beach where a bondfire is quickly ignighted. To me, this is the highlight of Si Phan Don. Just sitting around on the beach with the warmth of a fire and a cold beer meeting and talking to people.
During the days I would often dive off the west side of Don Det and swim to the next island, which often had a few people sunbathing. Every island after that would be deserted. I would swim (well, often walk as the Mekong was so low) from one island to the next to the next. I did the tubing thing once for a few hours one day. Other days and parts of days were just spent in a hammock or walking around.
All in all, Si Phan Don was an outstanding introduction to Laos and representative of how relaxed and easy going the entire country is.
Before I continue I need to illustrate how in-the-middle-of-nowhere this place is. The is no ATM on any of the islands. The closest place to get cash is a bank "on the mainland" and that is still about 45 minutes away. The closest ATM is about 100 miles away in Pakse. The bank holds typical bank hours and if you need cash when it is not open you may have to make the trip to Pakse, which several people do. Just about every local in the area will exchange currencies for you, but at rates that are criminal, though it is often the best option and you do it anyway. The currency in Laos is called kip, with about 8450 kip worth about US$1. The largest note in Laos is 50,000 kip; or about US$6. To reword that, the largest note in Laos is worth about US$6.
OK, with that out of the way, Si Phan Don might be the most relaxing place in the world. It is all too easy to get stuck in a hammock all day or spend hours upon hours letting the current take you which ever way it happens to be flowing while you sit in an innertube. There is kayaking but most people opt to exert less effort and just hang out all day. I usually get bored of beach towns after a couple days, and there were times when I was slightly bored, but there was never that I-have-to-leave-now-I-am-so bored feeling despite spending four nights there. When the bars close around midnight everybody makes there way to the beach where a bondfire is quickly ignighted. To me, this is the highlight of Si Phan Don. Just sitting around on the beach with the warmth of a fire and a cold beer meeting and talking to people.
During the days I would often dive off the west side of Don Det and swim to the next island, which often had a few people sunbathing. Every island after that would be deserted. I would swim (well, often walk as the Mekong was so low) from one island to the next to the next. I did the tubing thing once for a few hours one day. Other days and parts of days were just spent in a hammock or walking around.
All in all, Si Phan Don was an outstanding introduction to Laos and representative of how relaxed and easy going the entire country is.
Ban Lung, Cambodia
In the northeast of Cambodia lies Ratanakiri Province. Less touristy, maybe even not touristy, Ratankiri has a lot of what many backpackers say they want but never make an effort to see: the "real" Cambodia. I write real in quotes because I am not qualified to say what real is and, from my understanding, Ratankiri is the real Cambodia, but I, personally, am not sure. Either way, I really enjoyed Ban Lung, Ratankiri Province, Cambodia.
The town of Ban Lung itself is not a good introduction to the area. It is dusty and unappealing. However, if you have made it this far you know that the town is not the reason you came here. You came for what is around the town; a volcanic lake, some picturesque waterfalls, and some nice hiking and biking.
The crater lake in the Yeak Laom volcano is one of my favorite things in Cambodia. It is simple, beautiful, and beautiful in its simplicity. The lake is not particularly difficult to reach, taking only about a half hour on bicycle. Of course, the US$1/day bicycle rental turned out to be one of the most expensive purchases I have made so far during my travels as I had a minor fall on the bike and seriously damaged my camera. The damage is such that I can still take pictures fine but the screen is shot and completely not functional. So, I cannot reasonably change any setting, see exactly what I am zoomed in on, know how much space is left on my memory card, how much battery I have left, etc. It is obviously inconvenient but worse than I expected it to be.
Once at the lake, me and an English couple I made met made our way to the farther of the two "piers" as the first seemed to have a family gathering taking place. The second pier only had a handful on teenagers jumping off the wooden structure and goofing off. We immediately joined. The water was surprisingly warm but still cool enough to be refreshing. One of the things I am try to on this trip in each body of water I swim in is to swim out to where the water is deeper than I am tall, then swim down and touch the bottom with my hand. Of course I tried doing this here when I realized there was no bottom within reach; the depth of the water at the edge of the lake was deeper than I trusted myself to dive down into.
Before long the group of Cambodians that we were sharing the pier with started doing dives off the pier. Of course, I followed suit, best I could. The dives were nothing fancy, though their form was much better than mine. Simple flips and cannonballs. I asked, via hand motions, about a backflip. They indicated "no," which of course only made me more interested in trying one. After standing with my back to the water on the ledge of the pier for far too long, with the English couple ready to go, I finally managed to bring myself to attempt a backflip. Terrible form but I did it none the less. I promptly got out of the water and started to dry myself off a bit to head back. Right then one of the Cambodians got my attention, indicated for my to watch, and executed a flawless backflip dive. I am disappointed and impressed.
With the bicycle rental I got a free map of the area around Ban Lung with several of the highlights included. I decided I wanted to visit one waterfall in particular that was about 27km (about 17 miles) away. This is doable on bike, but I decided to hire a motorbike and driver so that I could also visit several other waterfalls and actually find what I was looking for instead of getting lost as almost nothing is clearly marked. In all I visited four or five waterfalls, two or three which where not all that exciting. The one that was the most fun had strong vines near the fall allowing you to swing into the resulting lake. This is as fun as it sounds and occupied me for quite some time.
The most beautiful and fun for entirely different reasons was the one that was 27km away, called Seven Layer Waterfall. My driver dropped me off near the falls and I started walking along the river/falls to the upper-most layer. On my way there I passed by a group of Cambodians drinking. The called me over and offered my a swig of beer. I obliged, chatted in severely broken English for a bit, and then left saying I would come back. Shortly after I made it to the top layer and then proceeded to walk back down. On my way passing again the gave me a full, unopened beer, to encourage me to sit down and enjoy the whole can with them. Again, I obliged and again, in severely broken English we chatted. A couple of beers later, I left once again, this time continuing down to the lower layers of the fall. After the top few layers the "trail" along the river/falls ceases and I proceeded by water means necessary. Sometimes I was climbing rocks, other times I was jumping rocks in the river, other times I was straddling a huge log. It was an adventure and highly rewarding. It was getting dark and I decided to do the driver (and myself) a favor and head back to where he dropped me off so that we could return to Ban Lung. The 27km there and back are some of the worst "roads" that I experienced in Cambodia and was not the kind of trip you want to do in the dark.
Ban Lung ended up being my favorite place in Cambodia despite the broken camera. More backpackers should made the effort to get here and get a better feel for what they are looking for.
The town of Ban Lung itself is not a good introduction to the area. It is dusty and unappealing. However, if you have made it this far you know that the town is not the reason you came here. You came for what is around the town; a volcanic lake, some picturesque waterfalls, and some nice hiking and biking.
The crater lake in the Yeak Laom volcano is one of my favorite things in Cambodia. It is simple, beautiful, and beautiful in its simplicity. The lake is not particularly difficult to reach, taking only about a half hour on bicycle. Of course, the US$1/day bicycle rental turned out to be one of the most expensive purchases I have made so far during my travels as I had a minor fall on the bike and seriously damaged my camera. The damage is such that I can still take pictures fine but the screen is shot and completely not functional. So, I cannot reasonably change any setting, see exactly what I am zoomed in on, know how much space is left on my memory card, how much battery I have left, etc. It is obviously inconvenient but worse than I expected it to be.
Once at the lake, me and an English couple I made met made our way to the farther of the two "piers" as the first seemed to have a family gathering taking place. The second pier only had a handful on teenagers jumping off the wooden structure and goofing off. We immediately joined. The water was surprisingly warm but still cool enough to be refreshing. One of the things I am try to on this trip in each body of water I swim in is to swim out to where the water is deeper than I am tall, then swim down and touch the bottom with my hand. Of course I tried doing this here when I realized there was no bottom within reach; the depth of the water at the edge of the lake was deeper than I trusted myself to dive down into.
Before long the group of Cambodians that we were sharing the pier with started doing dives off the pier. Of course, I followed suit, best I could. The dives were nothing fancy, though their form was much better than mine. Simple flips and cannonballs. I asked, via hand motions, about a backflip. They indicated "no," which of course only made me more interested in trying one. After standing with my back to the water on the ledge of the pier for far too long, with the English couple ready to go, I finally managed to bring myself to attempt a backflip. Terrible form but I did it none the less. I promptly got out of the water and started to dry myself off a bit to head back. Right then one of the Cambodians got my attention, indicated for my to watch, and executed a flawless backflip dive. I am disappointed and impressed.
With the bicycle rental I got a free map of the area around Ban Lung with several of the highlights included. I decided I wanted to visit one waterfall in particular that was about 27km (about 17 miles) away. This is doable on bike, but I decided to hire a motorbike and driver so that I could also visit several other waterfalls and actually find what I was looking for instead of getting lost as almost nothing is clearly marked. In all I visited four or five waterfalls, two or three which where not all that exciting. The one that was the most fun had strong vines near the fall allowing you to swing into the resulting lake. This is as fun as it sounds and occupied me for quite some time.
The most beautiful and fun for entirely different reasons was the one that was 27km away, called Seven Layer Waterfall. My driver dropped me off near the falls and I started walking along the river/falls to the upper-most layer. On my way there I passed by a group of Cambodians drinking. The called me over and offered my a swig of beer. I obliged, chatted in severely broken English for a bit, and then left saying I would come back. Shortly after I made it to the top layer and then proceeded to walk back down. On my way passing again the gave me a full, unopened beer, to encourage me to sit down and enjoy the whole can with them. Again, I obliged and again, in severely broken English we chatted. A couple of beers later, I left once again, this time continuing down to the lower layers of the fall. After the top few layers the "trail" along the river/falls ceases and I proceeded by water means necessary. Sometimes I was climbing rocks, other times I was jumping rocks in the river, other times I was straddling a huge log. It was an adventure and highly rewarding. It was getting dark and I decided to do the driver (and myself) a favor and head back to where he dropped me off so that we could return to Ban Lung. The 27km there and back are some of the worst "roads" that I experienced in Cambodia and was not the kind of trip you want to do in the dark.
Ban Lung ended up being my favorite place in Cambodia despite the broken camera. More backpackers should made the effort to get here and get a better feel for what they are looking for.
Kratie, Cambodia
The plan was to go from Siem Reap to Stung Treng to Ban Lung back to Stung Treng to get to Laos. The bus from Siem Reap to Stung Treng was US$15. The bus to Kratie was US$10 and it meant I got to see another place in Cambodia even if it cost me a extra day or two. I had the time on my visa plus, Kratie has some attractions; it is the best place in the region to see the rare freshwater Irrawaddy dolphins.
Flawless logic, right?
The bus ride from Siem Reap to Kratie was epic. The worst transport experience I have had so far and, it should be noted, even a bad experience by Southeast Asia transport standards. The ride was supposed to be 7-8 hours, which I have already learned means more than 8 hours, probably near 10. I had to transfer vehicles four or five times (I cannot remember). All were pretty miserable but the last legs were the worst.
In the second to last leg, in what is called a minibus, which is basically a big van designed to hold 11, we had 20, counting the two kids as halves. I was taking up more than my share of the room because I knew the locals did not pay what I paid for my ticket. It was crowded, hot (the "proper A/C" that was promised meant hot, dusty air from outside was blown through the vents), bumpy (no paved road in sight, northern Cambodia's "roads" are notoriously rough), and all around unpleasent. Yet, all this was OK, it was expected and, in truth, it is part of the experience of travelling in Southeast Asia so allow it is not superficially enjoyable it is in that it contributes to an authentic experience. Then I switched to another minibus.
In this other minibus, things got bad when there was smoke coming from under the driver's seat into the minibus. With a series of pointing and "OK?"'s we (at this point only foreigners were in the minibus, eight in total) asked if everything was alright and, of course, were told it was. About 30 seconds later the engine stopped and we could not move. We pulled over and the minibus was pushed to a nearby mechanic shop. The eight of us took to the side of the road and waited. Before long most of the people had a beverage at the stand on the side of the road. At some point we noticed out luggage being removed from the minibus. Unsure what was happening, we just went with it, lended and hand, and explained this to ourselves in various ways. It was getting dark. We got the feeling the stand was remaining open just for our benefit. We did not feel bad, it was dark otherwise and we had already spent a fair amount of money there. Then the lights in the mechanic shop went out. The French woman that was one of our eight went over to the shop, phrasebook in hand, to try to figure out what was happening. She returned with this news: the minibus was not being fixed today, the driver had gone home, and we were on our own to get to Kratie, which was, supposedly, 3km (about 2 miles) away, with all of our luggage. We were pissed. Literally abandon somewhere on the side of Highway 7, we were pissed to say the least.
We made it to Kratie pretty easily in the end. Six of us, myself included, walked for a bit then paid US$1 each for a motorbike to a guesthouse. The other two opted to walk the whole distance. It worked out well, considering everything, but it is something to be remembered. While walking we talked about how this could never happen in the Western world. The bus company would be torn to shreds, we would have out tickets reimbursed and probably a few free tickets or something, and whatever else. Here, there is nothing we can do; nobody to complain to, nothing to to report the bus company to. There are literally no repurcussions for abondoning eight foreigners on the side of the road. The worst thing we could do was report the incident and bus company to Lonley Planet and hope that LP has an unfavorable bit about the company. That is it.
Kratie's dolphins were disappointing. Not much was visable to the eye and what was visable was near impossible to capture with point-and-shoot camera. Getting to the viewing area was overpriced as was the boat to "see" the dolphins.
The best part of Kratie was the island the lies in the middle of the Mekong River just off shore from Kratie. Unfortunately my time here got cut off so that I go to the dolphins.
Kratie is my least favorite place in Cambodia.
Flawless logic, right?
The bus ride from Siem Reap to Kratie was epic. The worst transport experience I have had so far and, it should be noted, even a bad experience by Southeast Asia transport standards. The ride was supposed to be 7-8 hours, which I have already learned means more than 8 hours, probably near 10. I had to transfer vehicles four or five times (I cannot remember). All were pretty miserable but the last legs were the worst.
In the second to last leg, in what is called a minibus, which is basically a big van designed to hold 11, we had 20, counting the two kids as halves. I was taking up more than my share of the room because I knew the locals did not pay what I paid for my ticket. It was crowded, hot (the "proper A/C" that was promised meant hot, dusty air from outside was blown through the vents), bumpy (no paved road in sight, northern Cambodia's "roads" are notoriously rough), and all around unpleasent. Yet, all this was OK, it was expected and, in truth, it is part of the experience of travelling in Southeast Asia so allow it is not superficially enjoyable it is in that it contributes to an authentic experience. Then I switched to another minibus.
In this other minibus, things got bad when there was smoke coming from under the driver's seat into the minibus. With a series of pointing and "OK?"'s we (at this point only foreigners were in the minibus, eight in total) asked if everything was alright and, of course, were told it was. About 30 seconds later the engine stopped and we could not move. We pulled over and the minibus was pushed to a nearby mechanic shop. The eight of us took to the side of the road and waited. Before long most of the people had a beverage at the stand on the side of the road. At some point we noticed out luggage being removed from the minibus. Unsure what was happening, we just went with it, lended and hand, and explained this to ourselves in various ways. It was getting dark. We got the feeling the stand was remaining open just for our benefit. We did not feel bad, it was dark otherwise and we had already spent a fair amount of money there. Then the lights in the mechanic shop went out. The French woman that was one of our eight went over to the shop, phrasebook in hand, to try to figure out what was happening. She returned with this news: the minibus was not being fixed today, the driver had gone home, and we were on our own to get to Kratie, which was, supposedly, 3km (about 2 miles) away, with all of our luggage. We were pissed. Literally abandon somewhere on the side of Highway 7, we were pissed to say the least.
We made it to Kratie pretty easily in the end. Six of us, myself included, walked for a bit then paid US$1 each for a motorbike to a guesthouse. The other two opted to walk the whole distance. It worked out well, considering everything, but it is something to be remembered. While walking we talked about how this could never happen in the Western world. The bus company would be torn to shreds, we would have out tickets reimbursed and probably a few free tickets or something, and whatever else. Here, there is nothing we can do; nobody to complain to, nothing to to report the bus company to. There are literally no repurcussions for abondoning eight foreigners on the side of the road. The worst thing we could do was report the incident and bus company to Lonley Planet and hope that LP has an unfavorable bit about the company. That is it.
Kratie's dolphins were disappointing. Not much was visable to the eye and what was visable was near impossible to capture with point-and-shoot camera. Getting to the viewing area was overpriced as was the boat to "see" the dolphins.
The best part of Kratie was the island the lies in the middle of the Mekong River just off shore from Kratie. Unfortunately my time here got cut off so that I go to the dolphins.
Kratie is my least favorite place in Cambodia.
Siem Reap, Cambodia and Angkor Wat
I had heard a lot about both Siem Reap and Angkor Wat before my arrival. What I heard was usually along the lines of, "Angkor will blow your mind, Siem Reap is just how you get there." That is true but misleading. Angkor Wat blew my mind and Siem Reap is how I got there. However, Siem Reap is how you get there but that is not all it is. Siem Reap is a servicable town with a happening night life that would attract people independent of Angkor Wat, though the tourist attraction of Angkor Wat certainly helps the nightlife of Siem Reap. Admittedly, other than the nightlife, Siem Reap does not have a lot to offer, but to say that is nothing other than where you sleep after exploring the temples of Angkor is unfair. For example, almost as soon as I arrived I met a girl that had been in Siem Reap for two weeks and not gone to see the temples yet and was leaving the following day. Small sample size, I know, but still.
In Siem Reap I stayed at the backpacker staple Garden Village Guesthouse. With dorm beds for US$1 and inexpensive draft beer, it is designed to attract backpackers and does so successfully. The dorm I stayed in was a room longer than it was wide with beds on either side seperated into pairs by walls. However, only a sheet seperated each room from the hallway in the middle making for a less than secure environment. I left my valuables with reception (which I usually do not do because I try my door lock more than a human being). Garden Village did its job so I was pleased.
Admittance to the temples is expensive. There are three options: a one day pass for US$20, three days for US$40, or US$60 for seven days. Multiple day passes can be used on nonconsecutive days over a week and month, respectively. Some people expect to love the temples and buy the seven day pass thinking it is a good value but get sick of the sights after an hour. The opposite also happens; somebody expects not to care for the temples but fall in love with it at the US$20 pass is all the sudden the first day of a month-long temple marathon.
I opted for the three day pass thinking that if I get sick of exploring after an hour or a day then I only wasted US$20 and if I decide to use two or all three days I either break even or come out ahead. I was not willing to spend seven-plus days here no matter how much I liked it just because I need to move on with my travels. I made the right decision. The first two days were really good and I used the third day as a half day to see some of the temples that are not in the central area. I saw enough for me and would have been dissatisfied with only one day and bored with more than four days.
The temples are pretty amazing but, as with the pyramids in Egypt, words cannot really describe them. That said, I found the "main" temple, Angkor Wat (the temples together are called Angkor Wat and there is a specific temple/area called Angkor Wat), was somewhat disapointing. It was still good, but it had been built up too much. The chied reason it is considered the "main" temple is how well it is preserved, but the temple itself is lesser, to me, than several other temples. I enjoyed several other temples considerably more.
On that final, half-day, I went out to some of the outlying temples, specifically the Rolous Group. To be honest, the temples of the Rolous Group are less than spectacular, particualarly after visiting the other temples, but one of, if not the most, memorable experiences from Cambodia took place here. The plan was to watch the sunset from atop the chief temple in the Group, Bakong. Because the Rolous Group was less than I expected, I arrived at Bakong with more than an hour to kill before the sunset. At the same time a local school had just gotten out and the kids were passing through the area. After the normal "Hello"-"Hello" exchange, the showed me to a tree from where the branches are flexible and strong enough to swing from. Of course, I indulged and it was good fun. The they showed me to the water where we threw stray branches at the overhanging fruit and I successfully knocked some down for them. Outside of "Hello" there was almost no verbal exchange given their level of English and my level of Khmer, but lots was understood despite this barriar.
All in all, Siem Reap and Angkor Wat will be one of the highlights of Cambodia. However, this is true for just about everybody that visits these places as Angkor is the main draw of Cambodia.
In Siem Reap I stayed at the backpacker staple Garden Village Guesthouse. With dorm beds for US$1 and inexpensive draft beer, it is designed to attract backpackers and does so successfully. The dorm I stayed in was a room longer than it was wide with beds on either side seperated into pairs by walls. However, only a sheet seperated each room from the hallway in the middle making for a less than secure environment. I left my valuables with reception (which I usually do not do because I try my door lock more than a human being). Garden Village did its job so I was pleased.
Admittance to the temples is expensive. There are three options: a one day pass for US$20, three days for US$40, or US$60 for seven days. Multiple day passes can be used on nonconsecutive days over a week and month, respectively. Some people expect to love the temples and buy the seven day pass thinking it is a good value but get sick of the sights after an hour. The opposite also happens; somebody expects not to care for the temples but fall in love with it at the US$20 pass is all the sudden the first day of a month-long temple marathon.
I opted for the three day pass thinking that if I get sick of exploring after an hour or a day then I only wasted US$20 and if I decide to use two or all three days I either break even or come out ahead. I was not willing to spend seven-plus days here no matter how much I liked it just because I need to move on with my travels. I made the right decision. The first two days were really good and I used the third day as a half day to see some of the temples that are not in the central area. I saw enough for me and would have been dissatisfied with only one day and bored with more than four days.
The temples are pretty amazing but, as with the pyramids in Egypt, words cannot really describe them. That said, I found the "main" temple, Angkor Wat (the temples together are called Angkor Wat and there is a specific temple/area called Angkor Wat), was somewhat disapointing. It was still good, but it had been built up too much. The chied reason it is considered the "main" temple is how well it is preserved, but the temple itself is lesser, to me, than several other temples. I enjoyed several other temples considerably more.
On that final, half-day, I went out to some of the outlying temples, specifically the Rolous Group. To be honest, the temples of the Rolous Group are less than spectacular, particualarly after visiting the other temples, but one of, if not the most, memorable experiences from Cambodia took place here. The plan was to watch the sunset from atop the chief temple in the Group, Bakong. Because the Rolous Group was less than I expected, I arrived at Bakong with more than an hour to kill before the sunset. At the same time a local school had just gotten out and the kids were passing through the area. After the normal "Hello"-"Hello" exchange, the showed me to a tree from where the branches are flexible and strong enough to swing from. Of course, I indulged and it was good fun. The they showed me to the water where we threw stray branches at the overhanging fruit and I successfully knocked some down for them. Outside of "Hello" there was almost no verbal exchange given their level of English and my level of Khmer, but lots was understood despite this barriar.
All in all, Siem Reap and Angkor Wat will be one of the highlights of Cambodia. However, this is true for just about everybody that visits these places as Angkor is the main draw of Cambodia.
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