Cooking and cycling

On our second full day in Ho Chi Minh we went to organise a trip to the tunnels and one of the big temples quite a bit out of town. Instead we ended up booking a trip where you cycled through the city to the outskirts, joined a local family to help cook lunch, then went out fishing on a boat in the afternoon.

Ho Chi Minh traffic :


Cycling through the city was the best part - we headed across the mad roundabouts in the main part of the city during rush out traffic, which is mayhem. If you stop and start you're more likely to end up roadkill, but if you move across slowly and confidently, you're sorted. Unfortunately the rest of the tour fulfilled our doubts when booking. We met up with a local family, in their tenement house, went to the market with them (always interesting) and watched our snake head fish get battered on the head with a wooden stick (hey at least it was fresh), then went back to the apartment to cook lunch.

While lunch was cooking we ended up playing cards with the tour guides for the best part of an hour introducing them to cheat and various other games. It was quite a laugh but not really what you want to pay money on a tour for. In the afternoon we eventually left to go to some crappy restaurant place where we tried to catch fish which you can then cook. The setting was a really naff local's restaurant with manmade pools of water, with eating platforms over the middle of them. We could hardly leave quick enough, but too late for me to make the post office to get rid of more of my gear! Not exactly the best use of $15 in Asia. I think the companies other tours of the Mekon g Delta would be quite good, they just didn't seem to nail this one.

In the evening I spent most of the time drinking, eating, and trying desperately not to overload myself with a selection of the excellent counterfeit photocopied books....

Local kids in the park :

Lazy Day, Exciting Ride

After the excitement of getting to a new place yesterday I couldn't crash easily so decided to watch a very high quality copy of the film Inside Man until I fell asleep.
Ciara from home met me today in Ho Chi Minh City on her way back from her travels in NZ. I decided to take it easy heading to the airport and add a bit of excitment to it for once I answered 'Yes' to the oft repeated phrase 'Moto Sir?'
No bags on my back for once, I needed to enjoy it. Yes I need to go to the airport. How quick can you do it?' 'Oh 20 minutes or less I think'.
This was more than ample time, but I said 'Yes, fast as you can I'm in a hurry'.

What a ride! We were whizzing in and out of traffic, scooters etc like...well, like whatever weaves in and out of stuff quickly. We got there in 15 after cutting up sidestreets, across petrol stations etc.

I decided not to get a moto back - a bit harsh an introduction on your first day in Asia maybe. It was funny watching Ciara's reaction of the hustle and bustle of Asian cities, this one being a cracking example. I realise how used I've got to life out here, handing out 'advice' here there and everywhere.... no, don't stop when they honk, no don't run across the road, do any of them you'll be hit - walk across slowly and you'll be fine (makes it sounds worse than it is, but there are just so many scooters around!).

We went to a couple of markets, but no live skinned frogs, turtles, fried cockroaches or anything at these ones so an easy intro.

Tomorrow we're binning he tunnels and the war museums to cycle to the outskirts of a city and visit a family and have something to eat after visiting the markets, then I'll start to head North through the country on Friday.

My world map so far - 36th country - GET IN!

..but so much more to see and do - even in the ones I've been in!

Bangkok's for pussies - get thee to HCMC (Ho Chi Minh City, or Saigon)

Again, new country, what's the fuss? I got in to Ho Chi Minh City today, was looking at the map on the way into town (in that kinda anal way outdoors people do), then the bus man said, yeh you're hotel's back there, but we're stopping just up here. 5 mins later after almost ignoring the guy touting a guesthouse (he was touting mine but I was wary of that scam of having three of the same guesthouse names on the same street), he walked me to the door, and within 10 minutes of getting off, I was checked into my room, admiring the hustle and bustle of a new city.

HCMC (as I'll now call it - saves typing) is the most bustling city I've been to in SE Asia so far. Bustling, busy (some may say frantic) and alive. Crossing the road - no big deal, just look at the 1 billion oncoming scooters and stride confidently (but slowly) across the road. I've been walking around here like I'm walking on clouds - new city, new buzz. I rapdily overcame that new 'fear' of entering a new country. Like Cambodia, everyone warns...'oooh, you started in Laos, you may not like Vietnam'. Everything's here, and all withing spitting distance.

Knock off DVDs and CD's, great arts and handicrafts, camera shops willing to open your camera to see if they can fix it, tourist tat, moto drivers wanting to sell you anything, girls wanting to do the same (although I'm oblivious to this), and young teenagers walking around with a selection of the best 'reproduction' books. There's sports shops, and even an electronics emporium that would blow some of Bangkok's best out of the window. I can't remember seeing a couple of hundred large screen plasmas, umpteen mobile phones, cameras and video camera on the same floor before.

I sat down at a very touristy restaurant, ordered up a Vietnamese dish, then sat there delighted by the vibe, and the fantastic selection of classic tunes ringing in my ear, every track saying to me 'oh shit, who sang that one again?'. I started speaking to the waiters, who asked about Scotland, and my thoughts on Vietnam. I wish I had a copy of Culture Shock! Vietnam when the one of the waiters said 'You have a nice body, do you go to the gym each day?'. He was only about 20 and I wasn't sure if this was normal behaviour....

Yes, Vietnam will be way too rushed. In seventeen days I have to fly to Bangkok. I always get the rose tinted glasses in a new big city as well, but what a buzz.

Good Morning Vietnam! (I've been waiting to be able to say that!). Country number 36.

Did you stay at Okay Guesthouse? (The return of the camera lens)

So I was on a dive boat chatting to another punter I had met hours earlier as we boarded the boat, our home for two days. I was being asked which camera and lenses I have....

'well I've got a 28-135mm, 70-300mm and I have a 10-22mm but I couldn't find it yesterday when I was looking in my bag for something. I was leaving the room in Sihanoukville and was bitching to Udai when I couldn't find it. I'm not so sure this item will turn up like the others but I'm convinced it's not in my bags and I've no idea where I could have lost it or had it stolen. Last time I used it was the temples at Seam Reap. Really weird.'

'Were you staying at the Okay Guest House in Phnom Penh?'

'Yeh.'
'I was there and found a lens under the bed in my...'
'No way, that's where I put my laptop when I went out, room 212?'
'...room, and I handed it into reception. They seemed to think you were coming back after Sihanoukville. Yeh room 212.'
'Jeeez, I can't believe that, I hope they still have it, man I could kiss you, I didn't think I'd have left it sitting behind in the temples, I just couldn't work it out.'

'Phew, that was lucky - how much was that worth - a couple of hundred dollars?'
'Erm, kinda. More like $1100. Man I love you, thanks for being so honest!!!!'

'I've got a Nikon, not Canon. They seemed good in there I'm sure they'll have it.' (I kinda used my poetic licence on this line)

After a day out of reception, I called them up on my return to land. I'm now back at the Okay Guest House. They didn't reserve a room like I asked. They couldn't find the lens, but asked me to ask the other guy when I got up for the bus.

I left for dinner.

'Sir - room 212 wasn't it. Is this it?'

What a frickin' coincidence. You always bump into folk on this typical tourist trail, but to be on a dive boat with someone who moved into your room, in another town, who found your camera lens.....

Thanks Robin! I love you!

Diving Liveaboard - Yeeeeh!

Sihanoukville beach, Cambodia :


Had a great laugh on Friday in Sihanoukville, after having a bit too heavy a welcoming session on the Thursday night with the guys I met on the bus from Phnom Penh. Once the hangover cleared after a sleep on the beach, I spent a few hours with the kids selling braclets and stuff on the beach.

Others may call them hawkers, but they're a great laugh if you just take it as part of the experience. I had a few bracelets made in front of me as he listened to Black Eyed Peas "My Humps" (his request) about 15 times, laughing and singing along to it. His mate was listening to my MP3 as well and looked quite a dude with my reflective Oakleys and headphones in.

Kid making a bracelet for me :


Kids mate with my shades, listening to my tunes :


My Cambodia flag bracelet completed (the Scottish one was too hard for him - he tried for an hour - poor bugger) :



I then decided to scrap a motorbike trip and blow a couple of hundred dollars with Dive Cambodia
doing an overnight liveaboard to the local islands. While the diving wasn't quite up to Sipadan standards it was 5 nice dives with a night dive as well. The last three (including my night one) were the most relaxed dives I've had - bouyancy, control, etc spot on, being able to hover and look into any spot I wanted.

Man, it's a hard life :



It was a great bunch on the boat as well so one of them is splitting my room costs and we're all meeting up in an hour for beers with the instructors. Half the group were doing their PADI Open Water - on a liveaboard!!!

Some of the more photogenic dive crowd :



Tomorrow I head back to Phnom Penh reluctantly, and will have no time to explore there before I head to Ho Chi Minh the following morning.

Sunset from the boat, 4 hours from the mainland :

Sihanoukville

Made it through Phnom Penh and to Sihanoukville, but will type up blogs later.... struggling to find somewhere to use my USB drive...

Bike trip around Battambang

Shortly after my morning cooking class today I headed off on a moto to see Phnom Sampeu (Sahm-Bpoh). Phnom Sampeu is a temple on a hilltop 12kms from Battambang with killer views of the endless flat paddy field landscape as far as the eye can see. Unfortunately the Khmer Rouge also thought it was a killer place, albeit in a much more tragic manner as they used to drop people into the caves hoping they'd die on impact to save a bullet (but they hardly ever did), or starve them there. There are remnants of skulls and bones which is tragic and reminded me of my interesting but gruesome trips to Auschwitz. This trip is also detailed in my Adventure Cambodia book. More of this to come in Phnom Penh I guess.

I managed to get clear views of the hill by Pailin on the Thai border, although the picture below is following the main road back to Battambang.
I also got chased down the steps by a Long Tailed Macaque Monkey. Almost four months in Borneo and the closest I got to Macaques were across the river, here I could touch out and reach them (also some some near Angkor Wat).

A Macaque scratching his nuts. Or something. :

Rural Cambodia starts within kilometres of town as you immediately hit dirt roads that form the main highways - yet again I was wishing I was riding a Honda Baja myself. Again, everyone was super friendly, waving at you before you even caught sight of them, kids shouting hello and goodbye. I could have spent all day stopping to take photos.

On the way we managed to catch a local cock fight where the winner got the share of $8 bet by the locals. We left before it even came close to a winner which is probably quite as well as apparently they cut the head and suck the blood. This one wasn't as viscious as I've heard about though as they sometimes have razors attached to the cock's feet.


I made a young girl cry again though. There was a killer picture of a girl holding up her younger sister, it was ok for me to take a picture, but as soon as I got closer with my camera the younger one balled her eyes out, and I forgot my balloon trick. They're not used to seeing many (if any) foreigners here.

We then headed to the bamboo train on an extremely twisty railtrack, and caught a superb sunset over the lush green paddy fields while being taken back 12km to Battambang

I was a bit frustrated with the camera here as I know I couldn't do the picture justice. I now know why it takes over 11 hours to get to Phnom Penh on the train, and similar from Phnom Penh (which takes 4 hours on the bus). Locals utilise the track with makeshift 'carriages' that can be disassembled within a minute when you approach an oncoming carriage.

I've booked my bus to Phnom Penh in the morning, so it's time for a new destination.

Sunset over rice paddies :

Wee boy, with a shot that doesn't give the sunset justice :

Money for old cocks

Me at The Smokin' Pot Cooking School, Battambang :




Battambang has been saved! I had a nice relaxing evening eating at the hotel and watching Crash in my room (great film). Although it probably sounds a bit sad if you read this sitting at home, but it was a great comfort as it's only the second film I've watched since June, and the first one was at Raleigh fieldbase, and was crap.

I went cooking this morning and out with a moto guide this afternoon. I had a great cooking class today - it was similar to a Thai class last year, but this time I went to the market, which was a real eye opener. All kinds of things were for sale - insects, bettle nuts, the staple ingredients, frogs, live fish, snake type fish, live (and cooked) turtles, a cow's cock (described to us as a "cow's snake, if you know what I mean") and an extremely varied selection of fruit. The guy from The Smokin' Pot restaurant was great at explaining stuff, even the fruit which weren't part of the course. We took quite a while going through the market as it was a larger than usual class.

The market should be visited on the first day of training for a Health and Safety Executive graduate trainee. Fish were being cut up in front of you, they were jumping out their bowls, fish heads were all over the place, and there was a lot of marinated meat 'that was good for up to 7 months'. A couple in the group even saw a skinned frog, still gasping on for its last breaths. When the market seller saw their surprise, she apparently gave it a good thud over the head.

Fish anyone?

Who could refuse buying someone from this guy?

We started off with a traditional Khmer Chicken Amok Curry, then a beef stir fry, and a sweet fish soup. Some of the group then tried their first Durian fruit, and I got stuck into a 'custard apple' and 'milk fruit' (see picture below, left and right respectively).
Market trading :

A "Cow's Snake" ;-> :


Shortly after I headed off on a moto to see Phnom Sampeu (Sahm-Bpoh) but I'll stick that in another post with pictures.

Phnom Penh

I arrived in Phnom Penh today after another unexpected evening.

I went out around 10pm to try and find some decent food after some internet time. About 11.30pm two dutch guys asked if I wanted to join them as they sauntered in a bit boozy. I had planned on a very quiet one but instead ended up having a few beers with them, then it dwindled to two of us as one headed back. There was a screech of cars coming round the bend, which skidded to a halt across the road. Everyone fell over themselves to open the door, included the local down and out lookalike who just asked us for cigarettes and a squaff of beer. We then spent the next half out wondering who these guys were, but were left with the mystery. We thought it may be a high up military guy or politician or mafia, but the Dutch had ended up drinking with a military dude the night before and taken to a karaoke bar (he even pulled out the guys cellphone and address which was some military arms unit). I was offered a potential lift to Phnom Penh with them and the dude but they were unsure whether to accept it or not yet. We headed back to the hotel to find his mate participating in his own personal holiday adventure of eating as many of the weird local 'delicacies' as he could - he was chomping on a 'pregnant egg' (cooked egg with bits of chick inside). I refused. I also refused the roasted ant on offer.

Anyway, I ended up on the bus and was chatting to a local getting some good insight into the country. After a few hours though I needed a rest from informing people again that yes, Scottish people spoke English, trying to explain the UK, and my own worst enemy I even tried to explain the role of the Scottish Parliament to him... I also ran out of listing of price of property, oranges, potatoes, rice, cars, cigarettes, alcohol etc to demonstrate to him that yes, we had a good quality of life, but not necessarily any happier than them, and n, we weren't all millionaires despite our holidays. I pretended to go to sleep.

My Phnom Penh reception was as expected. Being one of only two westerners on the bus, the enslaught of local hotel touts and tuk tuk drivers even started knocking on my window before I even considered picking up my water bottle. As I embarked the bus I felt like what I imagined a fed up rock star would, pushing my way through them all to get to my bag on the bus. From the crowd I heard a lone voice, slightly clearer than the rest, despite him also holding up the compulsory laminated A4 hotel card :

"Sir, I can see you want to go somewhere specific. How about I take you on my tuk-tuk for $1 wherever you want to go, and you can have a look at your book once you get a seat?".

I had a quick flashback to my old travelling buddy Jenny's excellent advice : "When we used to arrive somewhere, we usually went for a beer before we looked for accommodation so we could chill out a bit", but there was no contest.

"I'll be there in a second."

Within 90 minutes I was checked in to a pretty naff room (but I can never be arsed looking around as really you're hardly ever in it), and on my way to S-21, the old Khmer Rouge prison. To be honest you could never describe these as good must see sights, however it wasn't nearly as haunting as Auschwitz, but there were several chilling stories there too. I struggled to keep awake during the documentary as my lack of sleep and the overheated room with overstrained air-con made me loose another two litres in sweat.

Tomorrow I'm off to the Killing Fields, market, and to fight my guilty conscience of a strong desire to help out some corrupt soldiers and shooting a big gun on a firing range....

"You know if you start buying from me, you'll get a girlfriend". Sieam Reap

No-one told me Siem Reap was beautiful. No-one told me Siem Reap was clean,landscaped, with a lovely river lined with trees and benches. No-one told me the Cambodians are as friendly as the Laotions (I think that's how they are referred). No-one told me Cambodian food was tasty.

I'm sure all that's written down somewhere, and some people have told me these things, but it never stuck in my mind.

Siem Reap street scene :




Siem Reap, at least in the centre, is chock full of french style colonian shophouses, it's well paved, I felt safe walking around at night, and everyone is friendly. Yes, you get 'hassled' a bit more to buy knock off books, bracelets and postcards, but it's all done in such a friendly way. There's clearly been a lot of cash pumped in as plush hotels litter the roadside. Maybe the capital isn't as friendly but I'll hang on to this for a bit longer.

We 'did' the temples in a day, maybe not giving them justice, but doing it in such a manner we felt satisfied and not templed out.

Yesterday I had to laugh. Two young girls approached me trying to offload some postcards and books :
1st girl : "Hello sir, you buy postcard from me?"
"No thank you I don't want any postcards"
2nd girl : "Hello sir, you buy bracelet from me?"
"No thank you I don't want a bracelet"
"Sir, you buy bracelet for wife"
"I don't have a wife"
"Sir, you buy bracelet for girlfriend"
"I don't have a girlfriend" (I thought saying that would stop them!)
"Sir, you know why you don't have a girlfriend, you don't buy ladies anything. You buy from me you get girlfriend"

You have to laugh, but 'hassled'? I think not.

If you don't that, you get something like this :

"Sir, where you from?"
"Scotland"
"I live Edinburgh. Edinburgh is capital of Scotland. Scotland has five million people. Scotland next to England, all part of UK. England has 65 million people. Capital of UK is London. UK is in Europe. You speak French? Bonjour. Cava?"
"Tres Bien, et vous" (ecxuse my poor French!)
"Moi Aussie, Tres Bien. You speak any other languages Sir. Paris is capital of France......"

Quality.

I've also got more used to the haggling thing as well,to the point where yesterday we got a tuk-tuk. "How much to Green Town Guest House?"
"Two dollar"
"No way, Two dollar? How about 2000 Riel?" (about 50 cents)
"Yes, ok, get in".

Same for knock off books.

Siem Reap is a great place. A lot of culture on your doorstep, and I sat in a beer garden surrounded by butterflies while typing emails on my laptop.

"You buy from me I give you peace and quiet". Welcome to Cambodia

Yesterday I reluctantly left Laos after almost 4 weeks (seems like much longer thank God!) and flew to Siem Reap in Cambodia. I met an English girl called Jenny on the flight and kinda decided to hang out for a couple of days..largely based on the fact that none of us were that arsed about seeing Angkor Wat and the temples, and kindof felt we had it on our agenda because it was one of those things that you had to do. I had semi-joked to people last week that I could (in my mind) go to Cambodia and not 'do' Angkor Wat.




Angkor Wat :


Anyway, what's all the fuss about Cambodia, or maybe it hasn't hit us yet. People here are so friendly, yes you get the odd bit of 'hassle' for stuff, but jeez, it's talked up from what we've seen so far. We got moto guys into town yesterday, whizzed around a few guesthouses and got settled at a place a wee bit (10 mins walk) out of town. We then bumped into a British guy during this and went with him on the hot air balloon overlooking the temples ($15, ten minutes, not worth it) and the sunset over Siem Reap.

I decided last night I liked Siem Reap - it's like a pubbed up version of Luang Prabang, obviously with a lot of cash being pumped into keeping the place historic, tidy and attractive to well heeled tourists. And for Asia, I haven't even smelled one open sewer yet!

Pleasantly, we went to a few of the temples today, and had a great day. Initially we buzzed 30km out of town on the moto's, then came in and did the normal ones, hoping we'd cover them in a day. As it turns out we were both pleasantly surprised that we quite enjoyed our day on the bikes. I could probably do another day but would probably feel templed out by then so I think I'll leave it at a single day's visit. Unfortunately I left it too late to speak to the guys at hiddencambodia.com about a dirt bike tour, so think I'll be missing that out. :-( The main reason I did my bike test!

I had great fun practising my bargaining today while waiting for lunch outside one of the temples. A girl tried to punt bracelets did actually say "You buy from me I give you peace and quiet". I then bought one for a third of the price, and a book for less than a third.

"Peace and Quiet" book bracelet seller :


Anyway, wasn't planning on doing this tonight, so more tomorrow maybe, and maybe with some pics. A lazy day planned tomorrow hitting some fresh tunes on my MP3 player from Boom Boom 'records' in town, and 'planning' my time in Cambodia...or at least when I'll leave here. Jenny leaves Monday for Phnom Penh, and I leave then too but for Battambang.

Me stepping down in Angkor Wat :


Me in Ta Prohm (the Tomb Raider one) :


Jenny took this, I wish I did - a cracker :


Beng Thom :



A sheep for the Aberdeen readers :

Don Det, '4000 Islands', Southern Laos

Don Det sunset from accommodation restaurant :


I'm writing this offline during my less than 24 hours on Don Det island, around 20km from the Cambodian border, but I was swimming in the river next to Cambodia this afternoon (the Mekong River is the border here). I came down from Pakse this morning, pottered around for a couple of hours deciding my next move then rented a pushbike for a few hours. I cycled through the locals harvesting rice, a wee village, saw the Tat Somphamit (Li Phi Falls) waterfall - very impressive and a hardcore kayakers wet dream.



I then continued for a dip in the river by a beach where you can grab a boat and see some freshwater dolphins. Although that was originally one of my main reasons to come here, I don't have time to try and see them tomorrow. The whole trip only took about an hour each way.

It's soo chilled here. It took me a couple of hours to have a snack and leave my accommodation (helped by listening into and chatting to a guidebook author). I watched a cracking sunset over the islands from the restaurant about 10 feet from my bamboo shack (no fan! Could be an 'interesting' hot sleep!). It's still not peak season and everyone just does what I did,the odd river trip, or lounge on hammocks and not do very much. I've not seen as many stars in the sky since...well, I guess not that long ago during a powercut in Myanmar.

I was reworking my Cambodia plans when I arrived here and, despite being so close to the border, I have changed my plans to reluctantly skip Kratie (more potential dolphin spotting) and head back to Pakse (a couple of hours in the bus) then fly to Siem Riep for $86, probably missing out Kratie altogether. Not ideal, but with only around 12 days in Cambodia (yikes!) it saves me doing a long bus journey loop to see the other places I hope to - Siem Riep, Battambang, Phnom Penh (I may remember how to spell this once I'm there), then down to Soukhanville for the beach and hopefully a dive. I must confess that I'm finding it harder to get timing information for Cambodia from my alternative guidebook 'Adventure Cambodia'. I bought this due to the vast amount of motorbike touring information but doesn't look like that will be an option now.

Unfortunately to catch the organised buses I have to get the boat at 11.30am, so Pakse will seem like time just waiting for something to happen as there's not much to do there, but I've a 6.30am check in the following day.... I'm sure there must be local buses but I reckon the cartel of tour operators wouldn't give away this information so easily!

Don Det boat landing :

Baja Boy (or should that be Darren's Motorcycle Diaries)

If you can't be arsed reading this long post - jump to the bottom, it's quite funny (erm, I think)

Due to timing I wasn't 100% sure whether to stay in Pakse, or take a very easy option of jumping on a small bus at the station, going for breakfast and being taken down to Dong Det at 4000 Islands by 11am. I bumped into Adam who hung off the back of a sawngthaew with me from Muang Ngoi Neua to Luang Prabang last week and he was heading straight down with a mate. Amazingly, when I said I wasn't getting the bus, the saleperson told me I never needed a tuk-tuk into town as it was only a few minutes walk - excellent service.

I went to the Lankham Hotel in town to enquire about renting a Honda Baja 250cc for the day,and maybe trying to make it back for a lift to Don Det in the afternoon, and it seemed feasible...well that was until I said I'd hire the bike and the last sawngthaew then seemed to leave at 1pm rather than the earlier 4pm someone said. Anyway, I had a place to store my back, and had a Honda Baja for the day for $20 so off I went to explore the Bolavan Plateua, home of the wonderful Lao Coffee.

Me and my 250cc Honda Baja :


The road to Ban Beng (the easy start bit) :


I managed to make good time on the bike, alledgedly more horsepower than the previous one I hired in Chiang Rai, and a larger frame (although I reckoned this one needed servicing). I headed out on a route that would take me in a loop from Pakse to Tat Fan waterfall (one of the most impressive in Laos), through Paksong (the home of coffee), to Tha Taeng (or Thateng) to Bang Beng, to Tat Lo waterfall and back to Pakse. Then I hoped to go to Ban Saphai to see some weaving action. One thing that becomes apparent in Laos is the slight variations in place names when translated into English.

I made a great start and stopped off at Tat Fan. I started a hike down towards the bottom of the 120m waterfall on the opposite side of the gorge, but it quickly got way too frickin steep to do on my own (like near vertical where I was heading). I settled with the excellent viewpoint after having some laughs with the car park attendant who made an excellent 'vrroom vrroom' sound every time he looked at 'my' big bike (everything's 50 or 100cc around here). I was desperate to buy some coffee but knew it would end up getting carried around like the tea I still carry from a wee village in Northern Thailand, famous for it's tea. So famous in fact, I've forgotten its name.

Tat Fan waterfall :


I drove through Paksong, fighting the temptation to ride past a coffee plantation sign in the need for speed. At Tha Taeng the road started to get a tad more interesting as it turned into a dust track, riddled with the remains of water trails. Needless to say I loved it, bombing past the locals on the tut tut bikes. I also seemed to drive past every school at break time so got the waves I have grown to love.

I stopped in Ban Beng at a one table 'cafe', the only tourist in sight. Again the schools were coming out, and all the local girls burst into laughter and moved away on the sight of a white man. Until I took my camera out, then they posed and smiled, and laughed at the results. God I wish I spoke Laos. I had a great soup, despite no common words being spoken (except my fluent 'kaap chai' Laos, a traditional chicken dish, which wasn't what I got). That and a Pepsi for $1. Angelica - if you read this I was interacting a wee bit using your SE Asia Phrasebook - cheers!





I then stopped off at Tat Lo and dipped my feet in the water before heading back to Pakse...

HERE'S WHERE THE FUN BEGINS if you skipped the start.

About 20km from town the bike started jumping a bit and I just assumed it was gas, so tried to switch to the reserve, but still the same, but only occassionally - after my Thailand exploit I had a shitload of gas in it, and had only travelled 150km. Anyway, on I went passeing several gas stations. It spluttered. It died.

Shit, not again I thought. I shook the bike, still gas in the tank. How much do these things need to start anyway? I was on the flat. About turned, I pushed the bike, with a gas station only a few hundred metres back. Well, it was a storage unit. No pumps. A couple of hundred metres on from there, there was a station. That was only after the guy at the gate of the storage pointed me back the way I came, then the locals pointed me back the way I had originally been walking.#

Gas in. No start. I shuffled it around a bit, moved the reserve switch, still nothing. The folk sitting around let me use their mobile as my network wasn't working. After a few phone calls, they agreed to come out and see me as I was only 13km from town. Two guys came, nothing. We sat around and spoke about my trip, and I wrote down some English words I used to try and describe it. Again, I said yes, Scotland does speak English, drew the usual UK map, pointed to it in the Lonely Planet, showed him my postcard and said Scotland was next to England but way better (I always use this).

Anyway, the hotel manager came out and tinkered with the same bits the first guys did, made the bike backfire, and sent me on my way on a replacement bike. By this time it was 4pm, too late to do anything, and as I shot away I realised the odometer had been disconnected too,so I headed back to the hotel for some negotiation. Unfortunately the manager had been towed back by the time I quickly tried to gather my locked bag and laptop.

Negotiations started so I quickly teased my passport out of the receptionists hand before started to haggle.

"No, I'm not paying 20,000 kip ($20),it broke down at 1.30pm, there's a shitload (I translated that to Laos) of gas in it"
"But you havea replacement until 7pm"
"Yes but I can't drive it until 7pm, I don't know how much gas is in it, the front lights not working and the odomoter is disconnected"
"20,000 kip, you signed this about gas"
"Yes, but it broke down"

And on it went until they doscounted it by $2, then I laughed and emphasised the petrol. It went on for ages, eventually the manager agreed to call it quits at $10. I then went on about the $11 of gas I put in today, a third of which was probably still in the bike as it was put in after it broke down.

The phone at reception rang. Bingo - right on cue. I picked up my gear, after leaving 80,000Kip (8$) on the table, and was queried as I was about to walk away. I tried to play nice, but after she said "I no rent you bike again tomorrow or next time" I reckoned she had given up.

I walked away having paid just over 4 UKP for the bike, a little bit more on petrol, and decided I better look for another room in town before leaving first thing. I sorted out my bus, then found a room and crashed for a bit. Hot, sweating buckets, and dusty. Bingo. A good day. Like I said, it's not the journey, it's the destination ;-)

Tat Fan waterfall :

I take it all back - VIP buses are good

I caught the 'VIP' bus from Vientiene to Pakse in Southern Laos last night. It wasn'ta great start as I was waiting for around an hour and only got picked up about ten minutes before departure time, crammed into a truck version of a songthingymabob with our luggage. I had to laugh when we arrived at the bus station though as it was small time carnage everyone rushing to get on the bus. There were around 6 of them leaving, and some folk had booked tickets together, or separately assuming they would be on the same bus, and well...they weren't.

I was seriously impressed by the blinged up buses, I've never seen such a colourful parade of double decker buses before - some of them with custom paintjobs, large letters on the front like 'KING OF BUS', and I wouldn't like to be the driver of the bus that never had multicoloured lights on the front, and a flourescent lit engine bay.

I was very impressed with the buses though - very comfy indeed, a small meal served, water, a few sweets and even a face cleaning cloth. The seats reclined, there was a video (although we never got one), about the only thing I could gripe about is the overhead compartments aren't wide enough to fit much more than a tootbrush.

VIP buses. I take it all back (although it was full of bloody tourists....erm, like me)...the only thing that annoyed me was not getting a pic of the blingged up buses.

Big blog update

I've just updated blog stories for the last few weeks, so if you are sitting at work this Monday morning (in the UK) grab a coffee, and page through the last few weeks using the links on the left. All the info on my circuit from Luang Prabang to Phonsavan (Plain of Jars), Nong Khiaw and more are there.

I've ran out of time for a few pics as I need to grab food, supplies, and a shower in the next hour before getting picked up for my Pakse bus!

Pakse Plans

I took a while today (ok, 5 minutes) to think about what I'll do when I get to Pakse. Being in Vientiene confirms it's not cities that really 'pump my nads' to use my expression. If I arrive in time tomorrow I'm going to investigate hiring a motorbike and scooting around the vicinity, and maybe into the Bolaven Plateau for the day,then hope to get a share taxi later in the afternoon to Don Khong island so I can spend a night or two there before crossing into Cambodia.

The Bolaven Plateau is the home of Lao coffee, and it rocks!

Vientiene probably has more going for it that I give it credit for, but it's just a peaceful wee city, with a fair amount of expats meeting in cafes. And more wats and temples, but I'm more than 'watted out' after the last few weeks. If you're religious I'm sure they will mean more to you, but they are all similar after a while.

I went to the post office and airmailed a few early xmas gifts home (god that's so unlike me) while I had a decent opportunity. It's fricking expensive doing that here - $46 for a couple of kilos!!! So that's around 8 times what the things cost, but hey ho.

Anyway, stayed up late writing blog entries and organising my pictures quite a bit so better go and post them! I could do with a whole day doing that here, but I'll move on. It's the first chance I have had to look through them for ages. I also spent a bit of time looking through a couple of volunteering (i.e. cashinteering is a crap term I made up as you have to pay for it) possibilities in Nepal for next October - only for a short term, but yet something else to go through my mind once I raid a bank.

My next post will likely be from Cambodia as internet access more than triples out in the sticks in Laos. But can I keep myself away for that long.

Luang Prabang expansion and Vientiene thefts

If any of you read my posts and like the sound of Luang Prabang, get there quick. There is a plan afoot to expand the airport so it can take more and larger planes. Currently there are only around 70,000 passengers per year arrive by plane. There are also some problems about the ruling not allowign large coaches into the World Heritage centre of Luang Prabang.

The Vientiene Times also reported arrests after a spate of bag thefts by people on motorbikes, so watch out if you are walking around.

Photography Insurance

A couple of people have asked me on the way how I insured my photography stuff when on the move, so here's the link to Photoguard. Taking it out was a painless process, and the cheapest I could find to cover that amount.

Vientiene

I reluctantly left (I say that for almost every place!) Vang Vieng yesterday, at least one climbing day short, never saw any caves, never hired any motorbikes, but I had to head south to get to Cambodia :-( I had breakfast at the organic cafe and was reminded of yet more volunteer opportunities I would have liked to have done, then went back to grab my rucksack instead of heading to the motorbike hire shop!?!

Again, I walked past the tuk tuks dropping off people for the tourist cattle 'VIP' bus, headed to the songtheaw (will have to check the spelling - basically a shared pickup taxi) beepnig it's horn...
"Vientiene?"
"Yes thanks"
Within seconds, a friendly groan from the driver after lifting my pack onto the roof (next to the obligatory motorbike..remember this is just an old toyota pickup, with seats in the back and a roof, with loads of folk piled in), and we were off, me on the back, feet hanging out from the seat - the best view in town, natural aircon, and I could get a tan, and help take the rice off the roof at the stops, and wave back to the locals when they see a white face in a pickup that has the most regular 'VIP' bus service in Laos.

I had a quick wander around Vientiene this afternoon, and decided I'd have a long lie tomorrow. If I was more alert I would have probably just went direct to Pakse tonight. The journey's not as bad as I thought - leave 8pm, in around 6am (ish!) so that's my plan...although as it's a biggie and much more of a biggie on local buses, I'll be trying the $15 VIP option, and will probably just buy it from an agent to get picked up.

Are tuk-tuk drivers the ultimate entrpeneur?

I think there is a training school for tuk-tuk drivers in Asia. I think it goes like this, probably in this order :
Can you load this thing up to the max?
Can you almost drive this thing?
- no? It's ok, they don't go that fast.
Can you barter hard when challenged?

After an induction period they get advanced training so they can offer inroads to other lines of business, all with no shop fronts required?
'You smoke?'
'You want lady?

I'm sure there must be a cut off though as the second and third options are quite common, they're not offered by them all, but usually when the tuk tuk ride is refused. Maybe they think it's not a tuk tuk ride you're after. Purely in the pursuit of market forces training, I was almost tempted to see the price of the third, then ask the lady calling me from the other side of the street in Vientiene directly. I'm curious to see what cut they get....


Oh I left all the oranges I acquired from the Orange truck in Vieng Xai in Vang Vieng, happy they didn't have to be carted round Laos any more without being eaten. I also left a bag of crisps that survived the circuit from Luang Prabang where I bought them, back to there and down to Vang Vieng. And I wonder why I carry so much...

Vang Vieng Day 2

Spent today tubing with a couple of girls I met climbing yesterday, and a girl who took my photo in Luang Prabang (small world, not an exciting explanation!). Reluctantly I plan on leaving tomorrow - I think that's Sunday, not because I'm ready for it, just that I need to time wise to get through southern Laos in a whistle stop fashion! Yesterday I went climbing which was fantastic - great to get out on rock again. Tomorrow I have to fight with my mind as I know two seperate people going on various routes, and I've got to know three of the instructors well, (having drinks and eating at their restaurants) so I'm desperate to hang around and climb with them tomorrow but my schedule dictates otherwise. I'm also a tad jealous of Jane's posting from the Red Cross in Luang Prabang as I want to be doing it too!

A big thanks to Amy, Zoe, Deb(s) and Joe for the last day or so of fun in Vang Vieng! In fact thanks to everyone I've met so far - Israeli, English, Irish, American, German, Argentinian, Spanish, Australian, Polish, New Zealand, French, and last but certainly not least Canadian (and the others I've missed)

I feel like a bit of a spoilt brat being out here and complaining about lack of time, but there's just loads of things I'll miss out on, and I've not been moving fast at all compared to some!

Advice for others travelling - save loads, buy a one way ticket, go on your own, and get people to fit into your plans ;->

Vang Vieng

Sunset at Vang Vieng :

I can't actually decide whether I like Vang Vieng or not....
On one hand it's in an amazing setting with limestone cliffs all around, but on the other hand it's in a shithole of a town, full of bars playing movies, Friends and the Simpsons! But to cater for the backpacker crowd there's also some quite naff bars on the riverside, but it's also pretty relaxing to sit by them and have a beer, one foot dangling in the river. Going price for a joint is 40,000Kip (don't worry mum) and there's a lot of that kicking around. If only Luang Prabang could have the activities like this and not be spoiled it'd be perfect.

But, I went climbing today. I'm don't think it was value for money at $21 but it got me on rock, and I had a good time, despite being defeated by an overhang move, but hey, I haven't climbed since May.

I've not had a chance to write posts about my recent circuit in North East Laos yet. I could easily spend a couple of months in Laos but I've got a real time dilemma about hitting Veitnam by the end of the month, with very limited time in Cambodia so I think I'll have to move south the day after tomorrow, and take a killer overnight 24 hour bus journey south from Vientiene to Pakse, and that sucks! Too little time!


Rope swings at a tubing stop (right next to a climbing area called Sleeping Cave :

A riverside bar at the end of tubing :

Kids at a village on between Luang Prabang and Vang Vieng :

Amy on a 6a? :

Me at the crux move on a 6b, before my not-used-to-climbing arms gave up :

Me just before the crux move :

Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng

Jeez, I managed to get out of Luang Prabang! It was hard, it has to be said, it was just such a relaxing chilled place. Even at the bus station I was feeling weird about leaving when I said goodbye to Jane in the tuk-tuk as her next stop was the Red Cross to find out about the volunteering I was keen to do. But hey, if it sounds good I can always go back. Time is passing too quickly to stay :-( I also tried to speak to the guy at the adventure tours place about potential opportunities last night, but fate decided it was his night off - the only time he hasn't been there in the dozens of times I've walked past... but this generally sums up my Luang Prabang experience...chilling out and leaving everything until it had to be done.

I found even more places in the last few days that I had meant to check out for days - a really cool place called le'Cinema that has private rooms, with hundreds of DVDs you can pick and watch, and l'etranger book shop which we chilled in for hours yesterday, not even watching the world go by...and eating a damn fine ceasar salad baguette. Even at the night market I found the most tasty, yet sickly sweet coffee I've had for ages, AND I got it to takeaway! The Lao Coffee rocks. Even better when it's served 'Sabah style' (a kickback to my Borneo days) with sweet condensed thick syrupy 'milk'. I also went for a bit of a shopathon at the night market which was great, but has left me carrying even more shit with me - so much so the guys from the bus thought I was moving house.

Today I made the 7.5 hour public bus journey from Luang Prabang down to Vang Vieng. Despite not having taken any of the 'VIP' tourist buses yet I'm convinced the local buses are the best way to travel...take a bit longer as you stop off at some village dropping rice and stuff off, but far less tourists, and you manage to get a better glance at the places you pass through, rather than being surround by 60 tourists gazing out the window at 70km/h. And you meet cooler people. Usually.

Vang Vieng is home of some of the biggest limestone karsts in SE Asia, and I've got a decent room for $3, with a communal balcony out the back overlooking the river. Hopefully I'll get some tubing down the river tomorrow, or a climb ($21!!) and get a better feel for the place. As usual my scenic expectations haven't quite been matched yet, but I'll give it time. I'm off out to post this blog entry, and avoid any happy pizzas, and see if this place is really as much of a backpackerville as it's made out to be.

Leaving Luang Prabang....erm, I think

Jane chilling in l'etranger bookshop while I work out my tie is disappearing :

Jane and I on Phu Si hill, just before sunset :

Well I've finally decided to leave Luang Prabang! It's not easy though. It's been great hooking up with Jane (ex-Raleigh) here but as usual, it's always too short. It's been like having a mate come over and visit. Regular readers (ha, who am I kidding) will know I was keen to try and find out about volunteering with the Red Cross here and Jane is going to do that tomorrow...arrrggg! So I think I'm going to have to hand over the keys to what feels like my new (temporary ) home town to her, and seeth with jealousy over her updates.
Yes I could stay around for another week but I also looked at a calendar today, and as

I thought every time when thinking about a year out - deadlines suck! Need to finish my mini tour to get back to Thailand in mid Dec, and Vietnam in 3 weeks so hardly any time at all! So, sadly it's time to start moving south to Vang Vieng, Vientiene, and hopefully down through souther Laos and '4000 Islands' to cross into Cambodia.....

Sob, sob.... mind you though - could change plans tonight!!

l'etranger bookshop restaurant - the ultimate chill :

Lost in Luang Prabang

At least thats what it feels like. I was meant to collect my passport tonight with Vietnamese and Cambodian visas in it, however its delayed by a day because of holidays so I'm here for another night. Oh well, could be worse as this place is so chilling...maybe too much for me! Some people speak about feeling guilty when they don't do anything if long term travelling - sod that! I love it!

Today was a late start though as I dragged (well, didn't really have to) Jane to the Vietnam Bar last night. As we arrived we were told the place was closed as the police had been round, but after asking nicely we were served by the 'barman'. Due to the circumstances there were only 6 of us in it but as I had a Raleigh Reunion going on with Jane, somehow my hand went into my pocket, brought out some cash and I had purchased a couple of small bottles of Thai Whiskey. That on top of the Lao Lao shots and several beers...well you can imagine. At least this time I made it back ok and was dropped off my the beer scooter (aka tuk tuk)...the last time I was in the Vietnam Bar last week I was dropped off somewhere a group of folk were staying, haggled with the tuk tuk driver as he was charging us too much...so he just hand signalled the direction of my accommodation. Here I was stumbling around unfamiliar familiar streets (yes I meant to type that - it was dark, my vision was poor ;->), trying to find the river - the most f*cking obvious thing in the whole town.

I saw a local wandering around so I went to ask him where my guesthouse was. By this time I had already seen another guesthouse I walked past in 'the book' (Lonely Planet), however I couldn't seem to orientate myself. He pointed a few times, spoke to me in Laos. Much laughter and confusion later he signalled me to follow him down a side street, opened a wooden door, and took me around town on the back of his scooter. Although his English managed to point out every guesthouse we went past, he eventually realised I had one, took me to the river, and I navigated to my guesthouse.

I bumped into one of the tuk tuk crowd the following night. Apparently I was dropped off just round the corner and along the road from my guesthouse.

Here's a cheesy pic of me and Jane in the Vietnam Bar last night.

Don'tcha love the net

Just emailed Jane I met at Raleigh to see if she was in Luang Prabang. Emailed her at 4.30pm with vague instructions where and when to hook up if she happened to be in town