…and Cambodia is okay too. July 27, 2008

17.July.2008

…but on the Cambodian side they weren’t so nice and it led to a slight scuffle. (picking up from last blog) I took down the info of the Cambodian border officer stamping our passports and asking for $1, when another officer grabbed my pad of paper from my hand and ripped out the page I was writing on, I went to grab it back and voiced my anger that he was taking my property…he made some threats about not letting us in to the country & I dropped it…but it was better than doing nothing…all of the other backpackers we were travelling with were to scared to pursue it, but if even half of the tourists made a little fuss they would probably stop or be more reluctant to continue extorting us. (Jessica didn’t mention either that she grabbed the guards arm and scowled at him, and I laughed with terror, gave them their $2 “stamping fee” (extortion money) and we were thankfully allowed to enter after being given the stink eye). So after all this we waited an additional two hours on the border for who knows what reason. Eventually we get going and drive for about an hour and a half and get to another city where we all pile out and they say we have a half hour lunch break which turns into an hour and a half.

Then our ‘luxury’ van pulled up and oops not enough room, but no worries they easily bribe a couple ditsy Americans and Australians with free beer to sit on the roof of the van…yeah anyways…for the amount of money we were paying this was all completely ridiculous but what can you do? So the ride was hot and uncomfortable and by the time we arrived in Kratie (Kracheh) we were already ready to leave Cambodia…so we took the same hotel they dropped us at because it was cheap and clean. We immediatly took showers and collapsed on the bed for a bit and then walked around town and found a place to eat. We found a great little restaurant called Red Sun Falling, run by a fabulously gay man orginally from Chicago who instantly cheered us up; the delicious food helped out with that too. The place was jammed pack so we invited a Dutch couple, looking for a seat, to sit with us and had a great time chatting with them and then later a Bosnian/Swedish couple we had met earlier in the day showed up. We drank a ton of great beer with them and they enlightened us on the entire conflict between Bosnia, Serbia, and Croatia. They were refugees (to Sweden) from Bosnia and had crazy stories of their lives that were very similar to reading The Diary of Anne Frank. All the talking, good food, and great beer (Black Panther and Anchor all the way!) definitely helped us feel a little more relaxed and excited to explore Cambodia…hopefully tomorrow will be a better day!

18.July.2008

Today we had plans to meet up with the Bosnian couple to rent motorbikes and go check out a few things. We rented bikes from the hotel and then headed out in the direction of the Irrawaddy dolphins hoping we might see some. These are extrmely rare fresh water dolphins and being that the water of the Mekong is so muddy you can pretty much only spot them when they are breaching. The ride out there was quite pleasant with lots of small children waving and saying “hello” (yes they simply said hello) excitedly as we road past. The scenery was also very lovely and a relaxing ride, despite the road construction. The ride to the dolphins wasn’t more then 40 minutes and when we got there it was pretty deserted….tickets cost $7 each and includes an hour and a half boat ride to search for them throughout the brush in the river.

I spotted the first dolphin but it was quite far away and only saw if for a second. We kept going and stopped a couple times with the engine off and just drifted…after about an hour one breached for air quite close to the boat which was exciting. After that we didn’t see anything till the very end and this is when our luck kicked in…for about half an hour we floated along and a crew of 3 dolphins sort of circled our boat and got quite close, we really got some good glimpses of them…not as cute as a salt water dolphin but really amazing to see something so rare! They are a bit longer and thicker and have tiny stumpy looking top fins, not stunning, but fun to see in a river!

From there we went in search of a Vat on a hill and got a little lost and even had to turn around but finally found it and got some great views of the surrounding area and some very gruesome depictions of Buddhist hell which Dave thoroughly enjoyed and documented for all to enjoy…see below. It was very hot at this point and all feeling in need of a break so we headed back to town, returned our bikes and retreated to our rooms for an hour. We met up at our favorite restaurant for an early dinner and some cheap, delicious beer. Great day!

Internet in Cambodia goes SUPER SLOW (it should be faster, but a few years back some corrupt asshole in government demanded a bribe of $1 Million to allow an internet cable to go through Cambodia from Thailand to Vietnam, of course they didn’t pay him, so they just ran the cable around the border, leaving Cambodia still with all it’s internet hubs based on satellite). So I haven’t gotten pics up on Flickr yet, but I have them on Facebook. Here’s the link:

(Update:  To make matter even MORE annoying we are in Phnom Penh and motorbiked just 5 minutes away from tourist areas to find internet 5 times faster and 1/4 the cost, does anyone see logic there?  We kind of hate Cambodia at this point.  So, in 15 minutes of good internet instead of the usual 2 hours with crappy tourist internet I got these pics on Flickr finally).

http://flickr.com/photos/flufflebuns/sets/72157606430165732/

I Love Laos! July 26, 2008

12.July.2008

We had planned to wake up early and take the ferry to Champasak, but woke up feeling a bit sick so we stayed in bed and slept some more…luckily when we woke up around 11am I was feeling a lot better so we packed up in time for the noon checkout, had some lunch and hopped in a tuk tuk to take us to the bus station. Our driver didn’t exactly take us to the bus station, rather to a place where songtheaws (those long trucks they cram like 21 people into) hangout but no problem, we got on one going to Champasak, only a few dollars a person. We put our bags on top, hopped in, and were in Champasak by 2 or 3pm. We found a nice cheap guest house ($2.50 USD) and hung out for the rest of the day…sitting on the balcony overlooking the Mekong reading and relaxing. For dinner we ventured out and walked through the tiny empty town to get some dinner at another place overlooking the Mekong. We had a great dinner of local Laos food and then headed home to bed.

13.July.2008

Today we woke up relatively early to beat the heat on our bicycle ride over to Vat Phou…a ancient Khmer ruin and the only reason tourists really stop in this town. It was already pipping hot by the time we got on the road, felt like we were riding in a sauna with a few intermittent cool breezes…not an exaggeration. The scenery was beautiful….bright green rice paddies, thatched homes and people working away and making time to say Sabaidee (hello) to us riding by. The Vat was a pleasant 6km away from our guesthouse and when we got there we took a short break in the shade. We then started our explorations of the beautiful temples, the most impressive part being the big staircase going up the hill to the main Vat, which also provided an amazing view of the surrounding area and the ruins below. Luckily the path was shaded and places to sit along the way. There was scattered ruins on the top section and not too many people.

Since we had the whole day there we just spent some time relaxing on top enjoying the great views of the countryside and slowly made our way back down. On our bike ride back we stopped for a little snack and then continued on our way. When we got back we were in desperate need of a shower and a nap so we did so accordingly and then had a late dinner and to bed.

14.July.2008

Another travel day….up bright and early to catch the bus to Don Kong…but first we would have to catch a songtheaw to the side of the road across the river. So we hopped on a songtheaw no problem, just a bit crowded with not only people but frogs and chickens and peeps…Dave almost killed a peep with his fat foot (they were tucked in a gunny sack on the floor). It was fun to see the little local girls face and squeal which indicated that Dave shouldn’t step there. Once we got to the other side of the river and on the main highway, they dropped us and we waited for a bus, but a songtheaw came by first and said 30,000 kip to Don Khong so we took this good deal despite the crowding.

As more people got off and the truck it became slowly more comfortable…it took about 2 1/2 hours till we got to the main land across from Don Khong and they let us off at the ferry landing. We had some police officers in uniform come offer their services…to drive us to Muang Kong (a few km away) on the back of their motorbikes for $5 each, we politely declined… $5? yeah right.

So we crossed the river on a plank of wood attached to 3 small canoes for .70 cents each and then just started walking in the direction of the main town and it was dead hot with no shade and all our gear….not so fun. We walked for about twenty minutes before a regular pickup truck drove by and gave us a lift…for free….I love Laos. Despite the complete disorganization of our travel to Don Kong neither of us were stressed once…I think there is something in the water…this country just is so relaxing

So we find a great hostel run by a family in a big wooden home and we splurge and get a beautiful room for $6 per night. We go in search of some lunch and find a nice place overlooking the Mekong, have some great food and some Lao Whiskey cocktails…delicious and then go back for a nap. In the evening we enjoy a nice bottle of red wine on the terrace of the hotel and then drink the rest over dinner at a Chinese place down the street showing The Beach for some of their guests (they literally took the t.v. from their home and put it in the restaurant because the guests asked…I love Laos).

15.July.2008

Today we rented a motorbike and explored the island….all 35 km of it. More of the same picturesque views of brilliant green rice paddies and people living very traditional lives, very serene and nice to bike through. We passed by a huge party raging on quite early in the morning…seems there is always something to celebrate in Laos, no matter what day of the week it is.

It was unbearably hot on the bike despite the breeze, which helped a bit…we stopped at the other town across the island for a cold drink and then continued on our journeys and while stopping to take pictures the above girl approached us to say hi but her our Laos and her English just weren’t there but we had a nice exchange and she blew kisses at us as we road away….later in the day we saw her again riding on a bike in jeans, make-up, and a pink hoodie…guess those are just her work clothes.

We stopped off at a random restaurant along the Mekong for a big bowl of delicious noodle soup and then headed back into town for a break and shower at the hotel. Another afternoon nap, woken by a raging storm that luckily passed quickly and then went to dinner in town and watched some lightening.

16.July.2008

In the morning we piled onto a boat with a bunch of other backpackers to get to our next island destination Don Det, which was about an hour journey away…with a stop at the main shore for people to run to the ATM as there are none on the islands…money isn’t easy to come by in these parts…strange, but we haven’t had any problems. When we got to Don Det we took a nearby bungalow, with the biggest appeal being a nice balcony with a hammock right over the river. The room was only a couple dollars a night…very basic, no light in the room (on the balcony), no bathroom (a short walk away), but for a night or two we were more than happy.

We had some lunch and then rented bikes ($1 a day) and biked around the perimeter of the island, which was stunningly beautiful…such a nice relaxed tropical feel, the only thing missing is a beach and clear water. We biked along till we got to the bridge (originally put in by the French) and we biked over to Don Khon and paid the 9,000kip toll to get across…supposedly the money goes to help the local infrastructure…I hope that is true but not holding my breath (though it is only a dollar). We biked over to what is called a waterfall, but looked to be more like crazy rapids, which was also quite impressive and nice to look at. The most impressive part is that there are these local fishermen that have this system of catching fish out there…not completely sure how it works but looks quite dangerous. We then biked around a bit more and then headed into town for a cold beer on the river and we then biked to the other side of the island, which had its own set of rapids.

We walked over this rickety bridge over some intense rapids and then walked around to see the rapids and saw lots more fishermen at work…what my question is how they get out there and back…maybe they fly? We then headed back because it looked like a storm was a brewing and of course we were right and got stuck in the thick of it. It was okay at first but it started to get really intense and we had no choice but to bike faster back home because by this point we were in the middle of rice paddies…by the end I couldn’t see because my glasses were all wet and fogged up and it was muddy as hell…not that fun but none of the vitals (passports, camera, money) got too wet, just our clothes. After we recovered from that we went down the road to a little restaurant for dinner called “Mama’s and Papa’s” and they weren’t expecting any customers so their menu was a bit limited but the food was good…we then used our flash light to guide us through the puddles back to our place….long day!

17.July.2008

Today was a long tedious day spent mostly waiting and siting in cramped spaces….not all that exciting but memorable nonetheless. We took a boat around 8am to the mainland then the waiting began…we waited for about an hour as people trickled in from other hostels and the vans came which would take us to the border. Things eventually sorted themselves out and it took about 30 or 40 minutes to get to the border of Cambdia and we were greeted by a very rudimentary border setup….

Of course they wanted a $1 stamp fee on both sides, which is completely illegal and as the guide book recommends I wrote down the name and badge number of the guard asking for money and on the Laos side this scared the guy sufficiently not to ask for a dollar and was very polite and then we stepped across the border from the People’s Democratic Republic of Laos and into The Kingdom of Cambodia….

Flickr Pics Champasak:

http://flickr.com/photos/flufflebuns/sets/72157606327959294/

Flickr Pics Don Khong:

http://flickr.com/photos/flufflebuns/sets/72157606345655690/

Flickr pics of Don Det/Don Khone:

http://flickr.com/photos/flufflebuns/sets/72157606391564846/

Unexpected waterfalls and an AK-47. July 23, 2008

What are: things you find inside a public bus? (you’ll get it…just wait).

08.July.08

Boarded the bus for the long journey to Thakhek. Right at the start we noticed a wee bit of water dripping from the poorly maintained roof. Within twenty minutes of the ride as the rain turned torrential the “wee bit” turned into a waterfall of water, luckily (to everyone else) the water funneled to an area directly above both of our heads. Alas, we came prepared and spent the rest of the journey wearing our plastic ponchos while sitting on the bus. Only my book suffered a bit or water log as reading was the best way of passing time. Aside from getting wet inside, we also had some moments on the trip where everyone held their breath hoping the bus wouldn’t get swept away by some of the small rivers we drove through. The scenery was stunning, including the whole villages completely flooded on both sides for miles. The villagers still smiled as they floated around on boats and inner tubes to and from what was left of their little wooden homes on stilts.

We arrived in Thakhek and to our hostel where we gathered all the info for what to do next. Talking to others and reading a comment log we decided it might be awesome to rent a motorbike for 3 days and spend some time along the countryside, staying with locals, and visiting a MASSIVE 7km water cave a good distance away; a route many brave travelers have taken before us. After learning more info from people saying the cave is flooded, ugly, and very dangerous this time of year, and some of the routes likewise sketchy, we changed our minds and planned to stick to the surrounding countryside where nearly 10 caves lay in wait for our exploration.

09.July.08

Well, 10 caves turned to 1 cave! The first cave we attempted to visit was down a paved road for 10kms then through scary mud for 6kms. The motorbike and our clothes got particularly muddy, but we made it to a cliff which we assumed had a cave somewhere. We parked our motorbike by some huts and got lunch which consisted of a roasted chicken and sticky rice. We sat and fed a group of cute dogs which was tough because one of them was a real asshole and fought the others for food. To solve this problem we’d throw a little food really far away for him to go find, then feed the cute little guys a whole bunch of sticky rice while he was gone. The locals got a kick out of it.

We then walked to the path to the cave which ended abruptly at very deep water. Concerned, we stood and looked around and soon enough a little row boat came along to ferry us across the flooded trail. It was an unbelievably peaceful experience; being the only ones out on the water in dead silence, surrounded by butterflies, dragonflies, gorgeous green cliffs, and water trickling from the sky. It pays to go off the tourist route during the off season, we have the whole place to ourselves. We arrived to the cave and ascended the steps to the entrance where Jess had to don a traditional Laos skirt to enter the sacred Buddhist cave. The cave was splendid, and again, as with too many stunning sites, photo forbidden. A monk of sorts wrapped our wrists in yellow and white cotton and we gave a donation.

As we exited the cave we caught site of our Australian acquaintance from the night before wading through the deep water to the cave. He was kicking himself (with wet shoes) when he saw us dry and the little docked boats by the stairs. The locals thought it was pretty funny. We biked back through the mud and quaint remote villages to the usual barrage of “Sabaidee!” (hello) from the kids playing in the rivers and the adults fishing with their big square nets. We then headed further up the road to more caves which were all unfortunately completely flooded! Bummer, but the scenery was breathtaking, making the journey well worth it.

We arrived back in town and decided to snack on some roasted bananas (a commonly enjoyed SE delicacy) only to find, whoops, Jessica had lost her wallet…bummer… We then did the WHOLE round of caves again, taking another 3 or so hours searching in vain for the lost wallet. The people along the way were helpful when we could get through to them what we wanted…but alas, they could not make her wallet appear. We went to the police station where a bunch of guys in civilian clothes, who were maybe police, who “helped” us to “make a report” which consisted of finally getting through to them that we had lost a blue wallet, then got annoyed with their incompetence and left. We moped back to the guest house and asked a very helpful Mr. Ku what to do? (The next Dr Suess novel). He suggested we pay a couple bucks to have a radio broadcast sent to the nearby villagers asking to “send the falang’s (white devil’s) wallet back to the station, without money ($60) okay!” Though we would like it back money included, we’d be more happy to have our ATM card back! We figured much worse things could happen and eventually fell into a sleep disturbed by wallets with massive fangs chasing us!

10.July.08

We made Thakhek a quick trip and left early today to Pakse. Thankfully this time was a dry ride, and we only experienced a few oddities. Every time the bus stopped it got swarmed by local villagers waving lotus buds (filled with fresh seeds; delicious!), cold drinks, and all forms of cooked chicken on a stick (chicken heads, rows of roasted babies, intestines, feet, and of course, legs, wings, etc). We are in a non-touristy area, on a bus with all locals, so this isn’t for tourists, this is just how they roll. We constantly snacked on delicious chicken and rice. At some point a very friendly gentleman walked on the bus wearing everyday jeans and a shirt…with an AK-47. Thankfully he sat next to me, I guess he assumed we needed protection. I looked at the gun and at him, gave a big smile which was returned by him ten fold. He got really excited as I drew out my camera, and thankfully instead of the other way around I shot HIM! He loved it and grinned from ear to ear proudly holding his stick of death. Have I mentioned this is on a public bus? Well, he got off a few stops later and we felt a little safer (or less safe; mixed emotions).

We got into Pakse and soon found ourselves in India all over again at a very seedy hostel, run by Indians, above an Indian restaurant, but hey, couldn’t beat the price! I went to check in, reached into my kangaroo pouch and BAM…no passport…oh but more importantly I also left my shoes in Pakse, PASSPORT BE DAMNED!!! We called up the helpful Mr. Ku and asked him again; what should we do?! Mr. Ku, said to me too, I’ll send them down, one by two. He asked I call in minutes two, which in that time on food we’d chew! Oh poo de poo, only open is Indian foo’. In India we had such ado, the thought of curry made us spew, but alas we didn’t spew and then with phone I called up Ku! Ku was coo’ he said: “worry, don’t do,” on morrow come shoe, and passport TOO!!! DAMN I AM GOOD!!! EAT THAT DR. SUESS!!!

11.July.08

Around 7am I was reunited with my shoes and passport at the bus station from the driver of the night bus; great success! I also ate chicken on a stick for breakfast (in hand).

Mr. Ku rocks! The rest of the day was getting saddle sore on a motorbike. We biked along a stretch of 50km flanked side by side with four waterfalls. All required a bit of biking through mud, but they were all unbelievably worth the effort! The first we hiked a bit to and through a part of the river we walked along a sketchy log, but the falls were great. Up the road we found ourselves at Tad Yunuang Falls. We paid the entrance fee, walked down the path, and saw the river which fed the falls. It was incredibly picturesque set up like a perfect little park with thick wooden benches and surrounded by Orchids and butterflies. The sort of paradise luxury hotels TRY to emulate. Being satisfied with only that, then we walked down to the falls itself and got our FACES ROCKED OFF with it’s splendor!!!!!!! THE MOST AMAZING FALLS WE HAVE EVER SEEN! It simply dumped gorgeous water into a perfect little valley. Accompanied as well by a flawless rainbow, the scene couldn’t be any more gorgeous. I got soaking wet running down to the base with spray drenching me worse than any storm could. Jessica didn’t share my insane enthusiasm and screaming, so she only got damp from the spray upon the viewing hill. We hiked back and enjoyed our time along the stunning river before going out to see some more falls.

We ate at a nearby shanty town resembling the Old West, then back on the bike to our last waterfall which was actually two absolutely massive falls. They were impressive but a bit disappointing as you couldn’t see the falls hit the water at the bottom because of trees in the way. We tried to hike through vicious slippery mud to get a better view, but the recent rains washed out the paths. An hour and a couple muddy asses later we were still disappointed. Oh well, it was still great. We motorbiked back and skipped the fourth falls figuring it couldn’t be better than Tad Yenuang, and it was getting dark. On the way back we bought a pineapple and a durian. Durian is a local fruit that everyone says smells foul, but it doesn’t offend us…the taste is what does, or rather the texture. It’s like eating some strong flavored alien goo, I later passed the bag of pulsating yellow blob to a very appreciative police officer. We had a much better dinner this time at a korean BBQ restaurant where we had great beef and veggies we cooked on a big soup/grill thing in front of us. Good times!

Thakhek Pics:

http://flickr.com/photos/flufflebuns/sets/72157606313581399/

Pakse Pics:

http://flickr.com/photos/flufflebuns/sets/72157606330893065/

Oh that’s what stage 4 rapids look like… July 7, 2008

04.July.08

Happy 4th of July! Unfortunately we did not encounter one explosion all day, even a land mine going off would have made a great independence day celebration (especially the irony that it would be an American placed land mine left from the Vietnam war)! We woke up and lugged our bags to a waiting tuk tuk which Dale, Lee, Sue, Tisso, Howard, Jess, and I jumped into and headed down river for an hour. We arrived and unloaded the kayaks atop the tuk tuk, snapped on life vests and strapped our helmets??? Wait…why helmets? Oh, stage 3 and 4 rapids you say?…well it can’t be that bad as you didn’t ask if anyone has ever ridden a kayak…so…level 6 is the highest stage?…and that is impossible to kayak, so that leaves us only stage 5 as a buffer…oh well HERE WE GO!!! About 15 pleasant minutes of kayaking later we came to a rock funnel, creating massive waves and torrential currents. Teeth chattering and legs shaking we followed our trusty guides through the chaos. Half the kayaks tipped their terrified inhabitants into the waters, but with few rocks to do much damage, everyone came out unscathed and were back in their boats without a problem. Jess and I spent the next 10 minutes screaming in triumph and pumped with adrenaline from barely keeping our kayak afloat. Jessie was especially glad to be afloat as she’d only kayaked a handful of times, but we both ROCKED that rapid. A few close calls, but it is all smooth riding from here on…what’s that? Oh that was only a stage 3? There’s still a stage 4 ahead…OH SHIT, THAT’S A STAGE 4 RAPID?!?! After our kayak being smashed by massive waves a few times and nearly submerged underwater once or twice we were almost through the new torrent, just a few feet to the end and…PLOP! Tipped! Game Over! We came to the surface laughing hysterically and floated atop our overturned kayak which we hopped right back into. No scary rocks to rip us to pieces so it was all in good fun anyway.

When everyone was back in their kayaks we headed down a bit more and found a bunch of rocks where the guides cooked us delicious pineapple chicken kebabs and rice. We laughed about our adventure and were soon riding another two hours of smooth water where I and others jumped off the kayaks and swam the river. We landed on a muddy bank by a small village and loaded in a tuk tuk again for an hour and a half of discomfort to Vientiane.

We checked into hostels and met at an English pub for absolutely incredible steaks, lamb chops, bangers, mash, peas, and draught Laos and Tiger beer! Absolutely NOTHING American about our fourth of July; we even ate at the enemies bar!

5.July.08

The Aussies were getting ready for their 24 hour trip to Ha Noi, Vietnam, so they were really lazy, while Jess and I walked to the presidents former palace and saw his old art collection, after to the only Vat (temple) to survive the many Vientiane sacks performed by the Burmese, Kmer, and Thais. Then we strolled up the main street to the “Arc de Triumph,” or “Vertical Runway” (called so because the Americans gave the concrete used in its construction as war retribution to build an airport, but instead Lao built this monstrosity commemorating the “victory”). On a sign outside it even admitted that this monolith was prettier from afar (how true) as it was never finished being built. We climbed to the top and got a great view of the mediocre city. So those were ALL the highlights of this sleepy city. It was all nice enough, but nothing extraordinary, probably just as boring as the Australian capitol. The only saving grace to this city is the EXCELLENT food. The western food is not just delicious for Asia, but delicious for the west and awesome value. French and Dutch imperialism here did something good!

We met the Aussies to say goodbye, then went for some dinner with Su and used internet for the rest of the night. And that’s where this and the former blogs came from.

06.July.08

Ate again at our new favorite bakery/cafe Joma. Su, Jess, and I hopped on a bus to Buddha Park; a collection of concrete statues seemingly assembled and placed by a complete lunatic. It was really an eerie place with tombs of concrete skeletons like right out of a Tim Burton movie. A mix of Hindu, Chinese, and Buddhist myth mixed with all sorts of odd concrete scenes. So we had a good time then went back hung out, ate, read, interneted (should be a real verb), napped; just killing time until tomorrow when we can get our Cambodia visas.

07.July.08

We figured it would be cheaper to bike all the way to the Cambodia embassy to get visas ourselves than have our guest house do it for us (like most tourists do). We expected to save a couple bucks, but ended up that all the tourist centers and guest houses charge double what it actually costs for a visa so we saved $20, got some exercise, and got to see more of the city! We then biked back, ate terrific bagels and pastries at a Scandinavian bakery, used more internet to research travel stuff, then met Su again for the absolute worst museum we have ever been to.

Here’s the rundown of walking through the museum: A minute or two of pre-history with dino bones, etc, about 10 minutes of ancient Lao people and artifacts, 15 minutes of Dutch influence, then the entire last potential 2 hours (unless you just fly through it like we did) of communist propaganda. Here is comrade so-and-so’s pistol, here is a piece of comrade so-and-so’s bed post, here is a picture of a limbless child from the evil imperialist American’s bombs, here’s a painting of some French capitalist beating children and throwing them in a well, here are pictures of COMPLETELY RANDOM PEOPLE wearing medals with no explanation what they did (the lack of explanation was a common theme)! Ah, the People’s Democratic Republic of Laos…how far you have yet to come. It reminded us less of a political awareness campaign and more of some religious brainwashing center: here is a concrete footprint and a hair from Muhammad, here is a towel used to wipe off Jesus’ face, here’s a tree Buddha sat under…still not convinced to believe? Here’s a gun and a handgrenade…YOU WILL BELIEVE NOW, HA HA HA! Oh, good times had by all. We actually left more confused about the history and events of Lao than before we entered (though after seeing Laos constantly spelled Lao, now I don’t know what to type…so I’ll just do both intermittently though it is pronounced without the S, I think it was a French addition).

We returned to embassy discussing and laughing about the museum and were rewarded with our golden ticket into Cambodia! We’ll be there in a few weeks after seeing some more authentic Laos to the south. From here on it gets a lot less touristy and that means it will be hard to find internet. No blogs or calls for awhile.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/flufflebuns/sets/72157606032787791/

Metal, caves, tubes, and beer…lots of beer. July 6, 2008

29.June.08

We hopped on an early bus to Vang Vieng and arrived about midday. The bus stopped 2km out of town and we were left with the options to walk, or pay a stupid price for a tuk tuk into town. We reluctantly took the tuk tuk, but paid him half of the ridiculous price he asked because he took us far from the center of town to his friends hotel. A lesson that tuk tuk/taxi/rickshaw drivers the world round are schmucks. It all ended in the best however as we found a brand spanking new, beautiful hotel, which was 20,000 Kip cheaper per night than many other crappy ones we looked at, SCORE! Laurie and Jon took a room and we took a massive one above them.

We met our Aussie friends downtown for dinner. They were easy to find as it is a small town. During dinner we caught our first glimpse of what this town is all about; a parade of drunk, wet, loud, half naked white people streamed past carrying big inner tubes (a look into our future). After dinner we went to a bar nearby to play pool, drink Beerlaos, and chat away into the night.

30.June.08

Today we discovered the definition of fun. If you tried to tell us we’d be going with hundreds of other drunk honkeys down a river from bar to bar with bad music, and lots of alcohol and sports we’d probably think it sounded like some stupid high school spring break and avoid it like the plague. Instead we imagined a leisurely trip in inner tubes down a river for a couple of hours with places selling beers along the way and small tree swings. What we got was a mix of both including MASSIVE swings that flung you way in the air, huge jumps into the quick flowing rivers, cheap buckets of liquor and red bull, tons of beer, mud wrestling, volleyball, torrential rain, and unfortunately crappy music (in other words; NO METAL, to the disappointment of at least four of us, though Jess could have also done without all the crappy pop, rap, and R&B). The day was absolutely insane. The crowds of people were manageable even with the neck-less jocks, and rock-dumb flirty girls, there was still a great mix of people from TONS of countries finding every way possible to have a good time! There was much less tubing than expected as you’d go down river for a minute to have a Laos local (often cute kids) reel you in with buoys and bamboo poles to drink and swing at their bar. Finally as dusk approached we were all exhausted and tubed the last 30 minutes down river in a leg linked circle, with no more bars and darkness engulfing the sky. The tube renters have an awesome scam to charge extra if you return past 6pm. You think at the beginning, “how could a float down 2km of river take 7hours?” Well…almost no one returns to get their 20,000 kip back (good thing that’s only like 2 bucks, but it adds up for them, nice trick, eh?). The whole event was definitely not what we’d call a cultural experience, but for a change of pace it was surprisingly really fun.

We ate at our same restaurant with an excellent host/cook named Kito and cheap, delicious steak and sandwiches. We found some Iron Maiden and other metal on Kito’s iPod and rocked well into the night until to exhausted to stay awake.

01.July.08

Jess decided to pass on the tubing festivities for the day, and though my muscles protested, I urged myself to join the rest of our new group for another day of awesome. It definitely wasn’t as fun as the first time, but involved many more sports (soccer, volleyball, greco-roman wrestling in the sand, etc). We all honed our skills on the swings, many pulling off backflips, some double backflips, though my first swing of the day I underestimated the pain and weakness in my muscles and face planted in the water…good times! I felt confident to get back before six without a problem to get that 20,000 kip back…yeah, wishful thinking! Good times had by all and we met back in town for dinner at Kito’s where Tisso got his iPod and we blasted Braindrill and more death metal which Kito had never heard and surprisingly LOVED! We were like metal missionaries slowly converting the Laos people to good metal one at a time. We went to our bar, played more pool, chatted, drank, and off to bed.

02.July.08

We took a day to relax our extremely sore muscles and livers. Laurie, Jon, Jessica and I branched out from the Aussies daily routine and discovered another awesome all organic restaurant. The Aussies had an Australian soccer game to watch, which we weren’t interested in, and instead spent the day eating, reading, and getting wonderful (cheaper than Thailand!) massages. Ate dinner again at the local place and met the Aussies at our bar for more pool, beer, and socializing.

03.July.08

The insane Aussies went for round three of tubing and the rest of us considered strongly, but declined to to instead see more of Vang Vieng via motorbike. Laurie, Jon, Jess, and I hopped on our rented hogs and headed up the road for some terrific views of the dramatic cliffs over rice fields, and on through muddy paths to an excellent cave. There was no guide for the cave which was great for us to explore alone, but bad for the cave as people freely graffitied it in some places, UGH! It was definitely claustrophobic at points, and some of the cave critters were a bit freaky, but it was a gorgeous cave and we had a great time.

We did a bit more motorbiking around through small, lovely villages and past more rice fields to another restaurant at an organic farm…delicious! We biked back through town and ended up again with our group for the usual night. The Aussies came back with mysterious wounds from too much rough housing and Lee claimed his eyeball popped out as he hit the water after a swing (most likely 100% bullshit, but he did have a rather swollen eye). We had one last great night all together as tomorrow Laurie and Jon leave for the Plain of Jars and then Vietnam, and the Aussies, Howard, Sue, Jess, and I embark on a long kayak trip down the river to Vientiane.

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Rollin’ on the river! July 5, 2008

24.June.2008

Woke up bright and early at 5:30am to catch the 6 am bus to the boarder city of Chiang Khong (say it with a Thai accent really fast and it sounds like King Kong) where we took a tuk tuk to the river and exited Thailand. We then took a boat across the river and entered Laos-hurray for more passport stamps! We then were approached by a guy selling tickets for the slow boat who seemed really genuine so we followed him to his office with a few others and bought our tickets. Then we were driven over to the slow boat dock just a few minutes away. We bought some cushions for the wooden benches we would be sitting on for the next two days; the ride to Louang Prabang is notoriously cramped and uncomfortable, and was even worse than we expected! They were absolutely tiny and the benches were so slim it hurt to sit on because it wasn’t wide enough to hold your butt comfortably, and the best part was we sat on the boat for over two hours while people filtered on and then argued to get another boat going because there were clearly not enough seats on the boat for all of the passengers…there was a bit of yelling and sure enough they got another boat.

I am not sure how but we managed to find comfortable positions from time to time and just kept shifting between them and before knew it the first day was over. Consuming delicious BeerLaos also made the comfort level increase and people just sprawled out in the tiny alleyway between the benches. It was fun suffering with the other travelers and just joking about the situation, you pay for what you get… We pulled into Pakbeng around 5pm and there was a big welcoming party ready to show us all to their guesthouses…so kind of them, huh? So we found a nice cheap place that had a mosquito net and no electricity…good enough for the one night we would be there. We checked in and Dave instantly befriended a group of three Aussies from the boat who all worshipped metal. I never realized one could actually discuss metal bands like one discusses fine wines, but they managed to. We went with them and met with more fellow boatgoers at a restaurant nearby which promised a free glass of Lao Lao Wiskey with a meal…doesn’t bode well for the food. So they ended up just giving us a full bottle of whiskey for free…bad idea, we ended up spending a lot more time there, but not money. After that we headed to the one bar in town and enjoyed some more BeerLao….

25.June.2008

Up and ready to go on the boat at 8:30am to get a good seat but of course we didn’t end up leaving till 10am or so because people got on late and then the late ones complained there was no seats and they finally got another boat to start its engines. Then there was a massive exodus of people to the other boat….which made it much more comfortable today…the bench was almost big enough to fit a whole butt comfortably, plus we each managed to get a whole bench to ourselves for much of the journey. The weather was much clearer today, we actually saw some blue sky, which was very exciting. The trip passed relatively quickly and we were in Louang Prabang by 4 or 5pm. From there we went looking for a place to stay and with minimal stress we found a really nice little hotel in an old colonial building and our balcony area overlooked the Mekong…very lovely.

We were anxious to explore the town so we just set our stuff down and grabbed our camera….we inevitably ran into many of the people we had met on the slow boat; small town. Louang Prabang is full of cute cafes, boutiques, wine shops, bakeries…I would never have imagined to find a city like this in Laos. I have always thought of Laos as fairly undeveloped, definitely not expecting to find what we found in Louang Prabang. They have a really nice night market every night with all sorts of beautiful souvenir items and the best part is; the vendors leave you be unless you approach them with an offer…so quiet and peaceful! We went to dinner with our Aussie friends Dale and Tisso at a place listed in our guide, which ended up being pretty disappointing. Dave was feeling sick so we had an early night.

26.June.2008

We had a bit of a late start this morning…we went in search of a nice looking cafe for breakfast and found them all to be relatively expensive but found a decent place and ended up running into just about every one of our new travel buddies (the three Aussies, two Brits and an American) from the last couple days. We all agreed to meet up a bit later and hire a tuk tuk to the waterfalls near by. We tried a number of tuk tuks to get a fair price but they all seem to be in cahoots and couldn’t talk them down any…we finally gave in and all hopped in for the 45 minute ride to the waterfalls. On the way to the waterfall was a bear sanctuary for Sun Bears, because the Chinese have devastated their populations due to their use in certain Eastern Medicine practices (i.e. putting them in small cages and draining them of black bile which is used to make men “last long time”)….not fun. Once we got to the waterfalls we were stoked, the water was so unbelievably blue, the whole thing was like a water park but all completely natural…it is what water parks are trying to mimic. We first walked to the top and walked over the top of the highest tier of the water fall and then walked back down and stopped at various tiers to swim in the pools. We had a great time in one little pool because a massive rock funnel dumped a torrent of water into it. We all played around jumping into the falls and trying to swim against the massive current…life is rough!

We took turns jumping off the rocks and trees around the pools, all good fun…would have stayed longer but our tuk tuk driver had to get back because he has class in the evenings, studying to be an English teacher…although it seemed that he still needs to learn English, maybe he already has the teaching thing down. We all went our separate ways after that to get cleaned up, but we then met up in the evening with Kelly and went to a really cute wine shop and sipped on scrumptious Cabernet Sauvignon and enjoyed the cool evening air. We then met up with our Aussie/English friends at their hotel room for a while and off to bed well after the midnight curfew….good thing it isn’t strongly enforced for forgeiners (only the hotel/restaurant owners who get a HUGE fine if we are too loud).

27.June.2008

Today we rented bikes with a few friends and rode around the city despite near constant down pour! We rode around to a few temples but mostly just to check out the city a bit….we had some amazing noodle soup at a random restaurant, which we ducked in to escape the rain, and ended up hanging out there for a couple hours because the rain refused to stop. Every time we thought the rain would stop it just started going even harder…it was so ridiculous all we could do was laugh and order another beer, after all we’re all on vacation!

We came across a local market selling all sorts of fresh fruits and veggies and we bought all sorts of strange new and exciting tropical fruits to take home and eat for desert at the hostel. We then biked home, but stopping to take pictures the whole way because the whole town is one big postcard, every where you look is picture perfect. Once we got back we all scattered taking care of various things…like buying bus tickets, eating and getting cheap massages. Well I got the best 3 dollar massage I have ever gotten and then Kelly, Dave, and I met up for dinner and some shopping at the night market. We then returned to the hostel to share some fresh fruit and then off to bed before the hotel manager yelled at us for disobeying curfew.

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…and we almost ran over a tiny turtle. July 2, 2008

21.June.2008

Waking up at 4 am is never fun, especially not on a night train, where upon arrival you have to be awake and alert and navigate yourself to another city…so we got off and took a tuk tuk to the bus station to catch a bus to Sukhotai , which took about an hour and a half…although we were still quite groggy the scene of the sun rise over the rice paddy fields was breathtaking and made the whole trip a bit less torturous. When we arrived we walked to a nearby hostel called “Number 4 Guesthouse”-not a very creative name but the place was great. It was surrounded by beautiful green fields in a sleepy little neighborhood and the little bungalows were almost completely engulfed in green foliage…but the best part of the place is the lady that runs it…she does everything….cooking, cleaning, laundry and even helps us with what to do in the city and the whole time she is smiling and laughing…so cute.

After we check into our great little bungalow we have a delicious breakfast and then go to rent bikes to explore Old Sukhotai, but learn it is too far on bicycles and rent a scooter instead-they told us one road straight there very easy so we do it- only 150baht for a day! So the whole way there we ride on the side slow and steady and indeed it was a straight shot (and yes we wore helmets for those who may be concerned). When we got there we were so blown away…so beautiful!!! It is a series of ruins, some contained within the wall of the city and many more outside. Everyone bikes around to the different ancient ruins, all covered by huge trees, making for nice cool temperatures. It was so much scooting around from one beautiful ruin to the next with a minimal amount of tourists. We stopped for a lunch break and were about to head out to the stuff outside the temple when we discover we have a flat tire so we push it to a repair shop and call the rental company to see if they would cover it, they will. 390baht for a new tire and tube and labour…quite the deal and the guy was so efficient he was done in about 15 minutes.

We then hopped back on and did some more exploring but it was getting quite hot and the ruins didn’t seem to end.  At some point Dave slammed the brakes on the bike screaming incoherently like a madman.  Before I could get anything out of him he had turned the bike around, zoomed back a bit, jumped off, and picked up the cutest, tiniest turtle we have ever seen!  After the turtle incident we pushed to more and more and more temples and ruins, but by 5pmish we decided to retire for the day and we drove back and returned the bike and then walked back to the hostel…long day!

22.June.2008

Another early morning…we are up by 6:30 am to catch the local bus to Si Santcahnalai, another area with numerous ruins from the same time period. The bus ride takes about an hour and a half and they drop us off at a seemingly random spot, but there is bicycle rental there for 20baht for the day so we take it and then head across a long shaky bridge to the first ruin and probably my favorite from the whole day. We then bike down the road to the main walled area of ruins, which is similar to Old Sukhotai but not nearly as many ruins (I am relieved). There are only a handful of tourists here and pretty much have the whole place to ourselves, so peaceful, wish we had time to just sit and relax but the last bus leaves at 4 pm so our time is limited…

As we biked back we stopped for a well deserved beer and then a little further down the road for some lunch. The bus was packed when it finally pulled up but got seats after a few stops. When we got back we went back to the hostel to freshen up and relax and then went out for dinner in the evening.

23.June.2008

We decided to catch the 10:30 am bus to give ourselves a bit of a break today and time to pack up and check out. We said goodbye to our favorite hostel, but when we got to the station they informed us that bus had got into an accident and we would have to wait for the 11:30am bus…no problems though; we just read a bit. We hopped on the bus for about an hour and then we had to change buses, but no problem it was a nicer more comfortable bus so we were content to still had a long journey ahead of us! About 2 more hours past and we were stopped at a bus station and they tell us we have to get off the bus and we figure we have to change buses again, but turns out they only sold us tickets half the way in Sukhotai so we had to get out and purchase the rest of the fare…first time that has ever happened in Thailand, but at least we figured it all out.

We got into Chiang Rai by about 7pm and started walking towards a hostel we had looked up but it was out in the middle of nowhere so we walked back to town (Dave is dripping with sweat from humidity by this point) to another hostel, Baan Bua, and luckily it was a good one, extremely clean and only 300baht per night. So we get ourselves situated and then go looking for food and found a great Lebanese place and had falafel and baba and tabouli yum….we then wander a bit stop for a beer and then head to bed ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

23.June.2008

We found a great little breakfast place and they had great coffee for a change, more exciting for me than Dave …after breakfast we rented a motorbike from our hostel and asked around what was good to see if we only had a day. Our first stop was Khun Kon Waterfall about 30km outside the city down a small country road. It was pretty humid so the bike to the top was a bit tough but the view was nice and the spray from the waterfall cooled us down right quick. From there we rode over to the White Temple, which was more a work of art then most of the temples we have seen (not to say the other temples haven’t been amazing). It was obviously completely white and also had mirrors all over it. The detail of this temple was amazing, the only draw back that it wasn’t yet completed, they still had a long way to go, can’t wait to find out what it looks like when it is done!

From there we road back into town and went to one last temple, not so much for the temple but because it is on a hill it had a great view of the city and countryside around, totally worth getting lost a couple times. By this time we were both in some need of some food so we went to a place in the book and it ended being amazing, really great food, I felt like I had to be rolled out I ate so much….the rest of the evening we spent relaxing and getting ready to go to Laos!

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