Hello again,
Hopefully this will be a shorter one as I haven't left it too long.
After a few weeks of seeing what Australia was like and as quickly as possible I managed to finally get to the dive boat fit and ready to dive. I had booked myself onto a liveaboard called Taka (http://www.taka.com.au/index.htm) for 4 days of diving on the outer reef away from the masses of snorklers and backpackers doing their PADI courses. This was a good choice as I have done enough diving to be called an experienced diver by some and the inner reef is swamped with huge party boats full of pissed up backpackers. Some of these boats carry as many as 450 people who they dump onto the reef daily. From the point of view of someone who likes their diving this is not ideal and it would have been a waste of money.
I found from other people that the conditions on the reef were fairly rough and had taken precautions by taking my sickness pills well in advance. The weather report read 25 to 30 knott winds with 2 to 3 metre waves and as I went to get picked up I noticed the wind was very strong and there was intermitant torrential rain. We were taken to the boat which was not full with 28 guests thanks to it still being early in the season. The boat was exactly as in the brochure and was absolutely fantastic. It was only a year old and had been designed specificaly for the trips made to the outer reef. Being very wide it was very spacious and comfortable as well as being bery stable. The first night was spent steaming out to the Cod Hole on the Northern Reef. We had a very nice dinner and had our briefing before being paired up with our buddies. This was the first time I had been diving abroad without my usual buddy Jon and I was hopeful that I would get someone half decent. Some people just buddied with the guy sitting next to them but I ended up being paired with someone with the most similar experience and this ended up being with a medical student from Taiwan called Michael. He seemed a bit quiet and we tried to have a chat but it didn't go very well. He seemed very preoccupied with what camera I had and proceeded to ask a lot of questions about me but was very dissapointed by my answers. I guess it was early days but he didn't seem very impressed with me and didn't want to relax and talk about anything normal. When he produced a PADI Master Scuba Diver card I thought, 'great he's at least got lots of experience, I'll be safe'.
The next morning we went for our first dive on the Cod Hole and all seemed ok. My air consumption was very high but I had expected that. I was a bit dissapointed with my buddy though as he didn't want to communicate at under water and generally swam around with his camera pressed against his mask. I had lost my bearings a bit but there was a system as always to retrieve divers who get a bit far from the boat. We came up a bit too far to swim and I signalled for a rib to come and tow us. This was really cool! Basically they fling a rope off the back and you hang on while they drag you along the surface. It was great I got to see the whole dive site again without swimming! Michael was less impressed as the rope 'made his hands hurt', ahh bless. He was also less than impressed with my air consumption and the fact that we had to end the dive all of 5 minutes before the 50 minute limit set by the boat. I can understand that but his rolling of eyeballs and look of disgust at 25 meters was not appropriate especially as he had decided we would swim off and look at nothing at around 29 meters for most of the dive.
This general level of communication went on for the next day and was a shame. Michael's issuing of instructions like 'I will go to 30 meters and I want you to stay at 20 watching me so you don't use too much air' went down really well too and I started to get nervous about the fact that I was paired up with the buddy from hell. Basically I felt nervous about being in the water with him and this culminated in me doing my favourite nervous trick of forgetting my weight belt! Hoorah! We had a long surface swim out to a bommie and when we went to descend.... well... I didn't! Michael on the other hand went all the way down ignoring my attempts to get his attention and dissapeared into the murky blue depths. Fantastic! I wasn't the only one. Another chap forgot too. The boat was swinging around like crazy and having been called back I had a hard swim. At the boat they asked where by buddy was.... 'He went down without me!'... 'What!'.... 'Yes I know!!!' So I put the belt on and basically had no option but to swim all the way out to find him as I couldn't leave him on his own. So I swam back out. Got stung all the way up the side of my head by a blue bottle jelly fish (christ that hurt) and descended solo after him with my face and neck stinging like mad. At least a solo descent was more pleasant than one with freak boy next to me. At the bottom I found him with his camera attached to his face photographing more rocks! He seemed uninterested in my presence and swam off. I have to say I was tempted to just swim off solo but didn't.
Anyway back on the boat he got bollocked as soon as we got back but didn't seem to get it. Being absolutely furious I went and simmered down for a bit and was told that there were 4 great whalers in the water. Grey Whalers are nice big proper mean looking sharks and I had done 2 completely solo surface swims... ok they may be harmless but I wasn't happy. Sharks like people flapping around on their own on the surface cos they think you're a seal and I had done a very good impression of a seal that day! Ah well I survived.
Chatting about the experience with another diver I found he was having similar trouble with his buddy and we arranged a switch. This was especially good for me as Michael was insisting on a guide for every dive because in his words 'I get lost under water a lot because I want to take pictures'. The guide turned out to be the Japanese guide laid on for the 2 Japanese speaking divers who also had cameras surgically attached to their heads and spent most dives swimming at great speed into people, fish and rocks to get the picture they wanted. One American diver expressed that he had contemplated grabbing one of their inflaters and sending them to the surface after being kicked in the face and barged one time too many. I was amazed on one dive to witness one of these guys swim up behind another diver, grab her tank and move her out of the way so he could get a picture of a shell or something! I was speechless! So I left Michael to carry on with his friends and buddied up with an American called Sean and had a thoroughly good dive trip after that. We may even hook up in the States and do a couple of dives when I get there. I had grown very tired of Michaels robot like personality and monosilabic conversation....FREAK! The relief was immense and I became so much more relaxed.
We did some good night dives too. On one in particular we kitted up way in advance of everyone else and had the pitch black reef all to ourselves nearly swimming into a nice white tip reef shark which appeared out of the dark looking for it's dinner. It was cool. The conditions were good under the surface but I must say the diving was a little underwhelming. The Red Sea is much better. It also made me realise how much I like wreck diving. As far as wind, waves and current go it was like diving in the UK. On the last night we had a very rough cruise outside the reef in very strong winds and a 3 metre sea. Not feeling very good in bed I went up on deck and hung onto the side rail whilst the boat swung violently through a full 90 degrees. My feet left the ground several times and walking around required short sprints between rails. I got completely soaked but had to stay out there for over an hour or else I was going to be very ill. Character building stuff as was the 6am dive the next morning. Diving is such a rediculous sport. Grown men and women dressing in rubber and jumping into shark infested rough cold water to take bad out of focus, under exposed pictures of shrimp! I think I must be a freak for enjoying it.
After 11 dives and a very rough steam home we arrived back in Cairns. The very rough conditions meant that we had not been able to go out to the shark feed as the captain decided it was too rough and unsafe... I dread to think what that would have been like. In port I was knackered. I had met some guys on the boat who were all dive masters having working the coast. Matteas from Switzerland, Wachim from Catalunia, and Daniel from Spain and we went to find a room at Leo's. It's a dodgey looking place but the guys are fun and I actually really like the place now. The owner is a cocky difficult guy at first but the place actually is very well run and has some character as well as being cheap and in the centre of town. In true diving fashion the drinking began quite early and after a while we were joined by others from the boat including an Aussie from Sydney called Gerard who was gonna show us how it's done and drink us under the table with his drinking games. He looked a bit like Chris Isaaks but was a complete dick and after about 3 hours he was stumbling around dribbling over one unwelcoming girl after another uncharming them with his incomprehensible bollocks. It was so funny to watch. Matteas and Wachim were flagging a bit too by now and went home while Gerard dissappeared into the dissabled toilet.
Me and a few others including the party animal Daniel went to the Woolshed. This is the local meat market full of English and Irish. The evening went on till the early hours and I managed to avoid several fights. It's such a crap hole. Next day we met up with Sean and went to spend our hangovers at the cinema. I also met up with Diana the Dane who I had met on the trip to Darwin which was cool. And that's where I am now, in Cairns and thinking of ways to fill in the time before I head off to chilly New Zealand on Tuesday.
This was supposed to be a short email but so much for that. Thanks for the emails it was good to hear from people.
All my love,
Kaveh.
April 28, 2005
April 22, 2005
Sydney, Alice, Darwin and Cairns
And so the western world approaches!
As my time in Asia came to an end I didn't have much time to reflect on my time there. Back in Bangkok myself and Anett had 3 days to do some shopping and post stuff home whilst also enjoying the last few days of each others company. As usual Bangkok was it's crazy nonstop self and so the time flew by. It was great to be back there after Myanmar but I felt it was time for me to move on and I moved my flight forward a little to make my schedule a bit more relaxed. Anett was unable to change her flight and would travel to southern of Thailand to relax for the remainder of her trip. The last 3 days were fun with lots of food, shopping and time spent with the family and the friends I had made. It did feel a little weird that I would be leaving Anett behind though. I had become very used to travelling with her and we had become very good friends.
The night before I left Bangkok we went for dinner with with Toom her brother Chai and his girlfriend Joom at a really good seafood place on the Chao Praya River. It was good fun and I went through most of a bottle of whiskey with Chai. Next day it was time to go though and we hardly even had time to say goodbye. It felt very strange saying goodbye and as I went to the airport in the taxi I felt that I really wasn't ready to leave. I had enjoyed Asia far more than I had anticipated. It is such a lively, colourful and friendly part of the world. The culture is incredible. For me the northern areas of Vietnam, Laos and Thailand had been the highlights with the north of Laos being the most amazing place I have ever been to. Vietnam had been so interesting and it had been so much fun travelling with the group I had. It's a very special country with very special people. Cambodia was a surprise and Ankor Wat is the most amazing temple. People say Bagan is better but sorry, it just doesn't compare. Thailand is so much fun. You can do so much, eat such great food and have so much fun for such little money. It's so diverse with the relaxed islands in the south, the noise, smells and crazy transport of Bangkok and the fantastic chilled out mountains in the north. For me though Laos was the best country. I say that reluctantly as tourism will change the county so much in the coming years, but it is an amazing contrast to what we are used to in the west with many people still living village life in bamboo huts. The Mekong river and it's attributaries are at their most beautiful there too. I am already thinking about spending the whole of February there next year. Myanmar was hard work and very strange but also very interesting and in dire need of change. It's very sad to see people living such a messed up life under such a rediculous regime.
So off to Sydney and no more 'No haaave', no more 'You waan eehhgg (you want egg)?'. No more rice wine, tuk tuk, or 'Hey Mr! Where you go today?' Even getting on the plane I noticed a huge change. Large people!!! Jesus I haven't seen large people for 4.5 months! It's a bit of a shock to the system but all of a sudden they're everywhere and kind of hurt your eyes. I'm very surprised at my reaction. The flight to Singapore is good but I started to get the serious blues as we got further away from Asia. Arriving in Sydney was very weird for me. It started with the rediculous form you have to fill out. The questions are so anal and I got the feeling that this place is so strict. There were sniffer dogs everywhere in customs and police with guns and there is an air of mistrust about the people quizing you that makes you feel very unwelcome. I felt very aggraphobic and did't want to leave the airport. I think I've gone ferrel!
At the backpacker hostel a teenaged spotty backpacker handed me an A4 sheet of house rules and I got the distinct impression that I was supposed to be grateful that I had parted with a large sum of cash to stay in what turned out to be a smelly dorm packed with 18-20 year old gap year hormone charged backpackers mostly from England. It felt like my first day in student halls all over again! I walk into my 4 share room to find a teenagers bedroom. It looked like typhoon tracey just came through with dirty socks hanging everywhere and empty pot noodle cartons on the floor. It has that smell of teenaged boys who have been out drinking. A bit like a dustbin! What the F***! am I doing here. I want my bamboo hut!!! Why did I change my flight! It's not even cheap at 24 aussie dollars....10 quid. I really miss Anett being around too. I keep wondering where she is. Things weren't looking good. The reverse culture shock is huge.
After some sleep I ventured out to see what the city I've heared so much about is like. At first impression it felt like a cross between Singapore and Watford! That's not a complement. Sydney is packed with English people who are mostly sleeping through the day and pissed at night. There's even a kebab shop! It's so expensive after Asia and also much more expensive than other travellerse lead you to believe. Walking around the harbour lifted me a bit. It's quite nice but it's tiny!!! Photographers and super wide angle lenses have a lot to answer for. I mean.... it really is diddy! The opera house is just a little funny shaped white building. The bridge isn't that amazing either and costs a bomb to climb....so I didn't. The sky is cool though and it's very sunny with crazy clouds. I'm freezing.... It's so cold after Asia. The harbour reminds me a bit of Reykjavik actually and the view of the houses on the hills surrounding it look like the house around Harfnafjordur in Iceland too. I spent the next few days eating Vietnamese and Thai food and getting my camera gear sorted. That was actually quite nice as I had my working head on which offers a different perspective. The pro camera shops and service centres were very good and the people were good to talk to. Which brings me to Aussies.... hmmmm... in Sydney they're a pretentious bunch and listening to an Aussie try to sound sophisticated is quite funny cos....well.... they're not. In fact it's pretty dull. I did consider writing about the things I like here but I don't like it enough so sorry!
Anyway, not knowing what to do I decided to book some activities and tours as I had limited time. I decided to fly to Alice Springs and then get a bus and camping tour of the red centre and then another up to Darwin on the Stuart Highway followed by some serious diving on the Great Barrier Reef. I had wanted to do the west coast but couldn't make it work in my schedule if I wanted to dive the Barrier Reef.
The landing in Alice was a bit crazy. I really thought he was gonna smack a wing on the runway and it was like a roller coaster all the down. Thankyou Quantus! Internal flying here is another expensive shock. A similar flight in Europe would cost a lot less. And so another backpacker place called Melanka's which again I didn't like. Alice Springs is the first time I see Aborigonal people and it's very clear that there are some problems here. The Aborigonal people look lost in their own country and there appears to be a lot of racism with a lot of white Australians appearing to be uncomfortable with their barefoot presence in the pristine modern town centre. A lot of Aborigonal people are drunk through the day and ask for cigarettes or money on the street. It's not nice to see and just feels very wrong.
The hostel is again full of pissed up backpackers but the next morning we head out on our tour at 6am. The tour is 3 days camping around Uluru (Ayer's rock), The Olgas, and Kings Canyon. At last I started to relax as we hit the road on long drives and camped out under the stars by the fire in swags which are like a big travelling roll up beds. The campsites are very well organised and setup for tourists and this seems to be the best way to see Oz rather than the hostels.
I enjoyed the travelling and camping more than the sites. The semi arid landscape is interesting but doesn't change much. I have never been able to see so far and see so much sky anywhere else on land before which is especially nice at night as you can see so many stars and at lease 1 or 2 shooting stars each night. I didn't climb Uluru as the Aboriginals don't like it. It's not the climbing that worries them, it's injuries and deaths that are the problem. They believe that the rock is inhabitted by the spirits of their ancestors and if you die there your spirit will stay on the rock with them which could be a bit weird for your spirit I should think as well as the ancestors. The rock is ...well ...a big rock and is another underwhelming site even if it does glow at sunset. Kings Canyon is a rather small Canyon and I actially found the Olgas the most beautiful site but it is all so touristy with coach loads of Japanese people pulling into Uluru, getting off the bus and walking straight up it. Any opertunity to meet with Aborigonal people seems to be through tours unless you want to stay here for a long time as they are understandable very mistrusting of us lot.
I met some nice people on the tour though. After the 3 days we had another very messy night back at Melanka's which ended in us setting fire to Sambuka in our mouths for about 5 rounds after going through several bottles of red wine. I went to bed at 3.30 and got up at 4.30 ready for the 5.30 start on our 3 day trip to Darwin!!! It was quite painful. The bus was big and comfortable. Of course I managed to be the only person to have a stranger next to me and he turned out to be a weirdo. A Danish weirdo who complained about everything. I always get the weirdos! He also snored a lot but only loud enough for me to hear! Bastard! The driver and guide was a bush man called Reg and he would drive whilst giving a dry, relaxed and very well informed comentary. He was a real Mick Dundee type and I found him very funny. On the surface he seemed a bit of a shoveanistic macho Aussie bloke but he actually knew a lot about the country and did a lot of work with Aborigonal kids. We spent the next 3 days looking at the endless bush, hearing about the history of the Stuart highway and stopping in tiny towns 'to say gooday!' some towns have a population smaller than that on the bus. The camping was good and the people on the bus were nice too.
Arriving in Darwin I could feel that I was not well. In fact I had been ill for a few days after we had a couple of snotted germ ridden Brits on the tour with us around Uluru. By the next morning I had a chest infection and had to miss the Kakadoo and Litchfield tour which I had booked and paid for with no refund. I also had to cancel some diving I was due to do 5 days later as I would not be well enough but they refunded me so not all bad. Instead I relaxed at the very nice but pricey hostel called Cavanagh. I spent a couple of days hanging out with a Danish girl called Diana who I had met on the tour. We walked to the Darwin Museum and also hired a car for the day which we spent driving around Litchfield national park. I spent the next day in the pool at the hostel and sat through the torrential rain and thunder storm in the pool with a rather amusing girl from near High Wycombe called Emma. I hired a car again the next day with Alex, Sabrina and Jackie from the tour and we went to the Didg hut which is where you can buy and learn to play a proper didgeridoo. I hadn't wanted to buy one before but then me and Alex, an Italian bloke, seemed to be naturals so I ended buying a rather nice one and posting it home. I am hemouraging money in Oz!
At last I left Darwin having almost recovered and went to Cairns to prepare for some diving on Taka Dive, the most descent boat I could find on the reef and the only one that seemed to be catering for experianced divers rather than throwing people in and out of a Padi course. I got a pretty crap hostel though. It had a damp problem which set my lungs off again and after 2 days there I had to leave and postpone the diving trip for another week which also pushed my flight to New Zealand back 10 days....more time in Oz! Aggghh! So I checked into a better place in the centre of town. It was a nice place and I slept OK but it was another party dorm and one of my Italian room mates brought a girl back for the night whilst my Korean friend who I had met on the Darwin trip was subjected to an all night threesome in his room and a repeat performance foursome the following night. Poor TK is not used to that sort of thing in Korea. 'I wish I could do that he said' he said 'but it's shameful in our culture'. I found this very amusing. He was completely bemused my some of our western behaviour.
Getting a little bored and needing something to do whilst convelessing I hired a car and got out of town. First I headed up the coast to Cape Tribulation. I got a Mazda 2 which turned out to be the most amazing little car I have ever driven. It looks like postman pats van but is like a tardis inside and drives like a rallycar. It had aircon, a great stereo and I could get all my gear out of sight. Sorry I'm getting excited about a Mazda but it was a great car. The road up to Cape Trib was amazing too with a long fast section that follows the coast and I got a bit carried away. Cape Trib itself was very nice and the ferry is sweet if expensive. There are amazing sandy beaches and endless rainforest. It's so tropical and so quiet. A little boring on your own though. I did meet some people but had decided to see as much as I could with the car and moved pretty quick. Next day I drove down again past Cairns to Townsville. The scenery was very good and the drive good too. That was until I got done by a speed camera 1 hour north of Townsville. I was on a long straight section in the middle of the Sugar Cane fields and the copper was sat in his jeep in the pitch black in a ditch off the road. Seeing the flash go off I turned around and went back to have a chat. He was quite happy about it all and informed me with a big smile that the camera was set at 111kph but I had been doing 112kph. I was composed on the outside but wanted to smash the camera on the front of his jeep. That means a $180 fine from the police and a $100 fine from the car hire company!! Bollocks! Later when returning the car I was informed that quite a few people get 5 or 6 in one trip. I got a positive bargain then. I'm still pissed off. I've never been done for speeding.
In Townsville I stopped in the hostel area late. I had been driving for about 8 hours. I saw a funny little place and went in. The woman came to reception smelling like a brewery and I reluctantly took a room but it turned out to be the best place I have stayed. It's called Globetrotters. It was quiet and full of girls!!! Cool. In the morning I recounted my police story to the owners and they spewed venom about the police 'Bloooody Nazi's!!!'....'They f**king take the piss....hiding in the f**king bushes'....'Baaastards!' And off I went down the coast 3 hours to Airlie beach with more lovely scenery and funny little towns like Ayr where country music blares out of the pubs and jeriatric men in hats sit on benches clutching a walking stick. A lot of Oz is like a retirement home. The east coast is a bit like a giant East Anglia. Airlie is the place to get to the Whitsunday islands and whilst I didn't have time to do a tour I did have a look around for the afternoon and it's beautiful with turqoise water, white sands, forrested hills and pristine white yahts in the harbour. I had some fish and chips (not as good as home) and headed back up to Townsville but arriving late I didn't manage to get a room in the same place and went to another small place. Again it was very good. In the morning a young bloke working in the hostel for his keep asked for a lift and I said ok but had to wait. As I checked out I said to the owner I'm giving that lad a lift. The very nice owner said 'Mate just go now!'...'He's a bloody bludger .... I caaan't wait for 'im to leave!!'. 'Oh!!!...cheers mate!!' and off I went. The people in Townsville seemed nicer than anywhere in Oz so far and were very helpful which I have found unusual here. Aussies love rules. It's one of those places where everyone has their own space just how they want it and everyone has rules. 'Ya caaan't paark there!'.... 'That'll be a fine of 2 dollars for staying 2 days longer than you said you would'....'What!!!'. Yes that happened in Sydney. I got fined for giving them more business.
I spent the day driving back to Cairns via the tablelands and more fantastic mountainous roads which I enjoyed in the little Mazda. Cairns is where I am now waiting to get on the dive boat after driving 2000 kms in 4 days. I'm pretty much back to normal health and am looking forward to seeing the reef and diving again. I stayed in a really nice hostel called Bohemia last night and met some nice people too so I'm in a better mood than when I arrived in Oz. I am so glad I never did the year out backpacker thing when I was 18 though. I don't think I would have enjoyed it. Anyway I'd better sign off and prepare myself for the slightly rough seas we've been having up here.
I'm missing you all very much so get in touch with any news.
Love,
Kaveh.
As my time in Asia came to an end I didn't have much time to reflect on my time there. Back in Bangkok myself and Anett had 3 days to do some shopping and post stuff home whilst also enjoying the last few days of each others company. As usual Bangkok was it's crazy nonstop self and so the time flew by. It was great to be back there after Myanmar but I felt it was time for me to move on and I moved my flight forward a little to make my schedule a bit more relaxed. Anett was unable to change her flight and would travel to southern of Thailand to relax for the remainder of her trip. The last 3 days were fun with lots of food, shopping and time spent with the family and the friends I had made. It did feel a little weird that I would be leaving Anett behind though. I had become very used to travelling with her and we had become very good friends.
The night before I left Bangkok we went for dinner with with Toom her brother Chai and his girlfriend Joom at a really good seafood place on the Chao Praya River. It was good fun and I went through most of a bottle of whiskey with Chai. Next day it was time to go though and we hardly even had time to say goodbye. It felt very strange saying goodbye and as I went to the airport in the taxi I felt that I really wasn't ready to leave. I had enjoyed Asia far more than I had anticipated. It is such a lively, colourful and friendly part of the world. The culture is incredible. For me the northern areas of Vietnam, Laos and Thailand had been the highlights with the north of Laos being the most amazing place I have ever been to. Vietnam had been so interesting and it had been so much fun travelling with the group I had. It's a very special country with very special people. Cambodia was a surprise and Ankor Wat is the most amazing temple. People say Bagan is better but sorry, it just doesn't compare. Thailand is so much fun. You can do so much, eat such great food and have so much fun for such little money. It's so diverse with the relaxed islands in the south, the noise, smells and crazy transport of Bangkok and the fantastic chilled out mountains in the north. For me though Laos was the best country. I say that reluctantly as tourism will change the county so much in the coming years, but it is an amazing contrast to what we are used to in the west with many people still living village life in bamboo huts. The Mekong river and it's attributaries are at their most beautiful there too. I am already thinking about spending the whole of February there next year. Myanmar was hard work and very strange but also very interesting and in dire need of change. It's very sad to see people living such a messed up life under such a rediculous regime.
So off to Sydney and no more 'No haaave', no more 'You waan eehhgg (you want egg)?'. No more rice wine, tuk tuk, or 'Hey Mr! Where you go today?' Even getting on the plane I noticed a huge change. Large people!!! Jesus I haven't seen large people for 4.5 months! It's a bit of a shock to the system but all of a sudden they're everywhere and kind of hurt your eyes. I'm very surprised at my reaction. The flight to Singapore is good but I started to get the serious blues as we got further away from Asia. Arriving in Sydney was very weird for me. It started with the rediculous form you have to fill out. The questions are so anal and I got the feeling that this place is so strict. There were sniffer dogs everywhere in customs and police with guns and there is an air of mistrust about the people quizing you that makes you feel very unwelcome. I felt very aggraphobic and did't want to leave the airport. I think I've gone ferrel!
At the backpacker hostel a teenaged spotty backpacker handed me an A4 sheet of house rules and I got the distinct impression that I was supposed to be grateful that I had parted with a large sum of cash to stay in what turned out to be a smelly dorm packed with 18-20 year old gap year hormone charged backpackers mostly from England. It felt like my first day in student halls all over again! I walk into my 4 share room to find a teenagers bedroom. It looked like typhoon tracey just came through with dirty socks hanging everywhere and empty pot noodle cartons on the floor. It has that smell of teenaged boys who have been out drinking. A bit like a dustbin! What the F***! am I doing here. I want my bamboo hut!!! Why did I change my flight! It's not even cheap at 24 aussie dollars....10 quid. I really miss Anett being around too. I keep wondering where she is. Things weren't looking good. The reverse culture shock is huge.
After some sleep I ventured out to see what the city I've heared so much about is like. At first impression it felt like a cross between Singapore and Watford! That's not a complement. Sydney is packed with English people who are mostly sleeping through the day and pissed at night. There's even a kebab shop! It's so expensive after Asia and also much more expensive than other travellerse lead you to believe. Walking around the harbour lifted me a bit. It's quite nice but it's tiny!!! Photographers and super wide angle lenses have a lot to answer for. I mean.... it really is diddy! The opera house is just a little funny shaped white building. The bridge isn't that amazing either and costs a bomb to climb....so I didn't. The sky is cool though and it's very sunny with crazy clouds. I'm freezing.... It's so cold after Asia. The harbour reminds me a bit of Reykjavik actually and the view of the houses on the hills surrounding it look like the house around Harfnafjordur in Iceland too. I spent the next few days eating Vietnamese and Thai food and getting my camera gear sorted. That was actually quite nice as I had my working head on which offers a different perspective. The pro camera shops and service centres were very good and the people were good to talk to. Which brings me to Aussies.... hmmmm... in Sydney they're a pretentious bunch and listening to an Aussie try to sound sophisticated is quite funny cos....well.... they're not. In fact it's pretty dull. I did consider writing about the things I like here but I don't like it enough so sorry!
Anyway, not knowing what to do I decided to book some activities and tours as I had limited time. I decided to fly to Alice Springs and then get a bus and camping tour of the red centre and then another up to Darwin on the Stuart Highway followed by some serious diving on the Great Barrier Reef. I had wanted to do the west coast but couldn't make it work in my schedule if I wanted to dive the Barrier Reef.
The landing in Alice was a bit crazy. I really thought he was gonna smack a wing on the runway and it was like a roller coaster all the down. Thankyou Quantus! Internal flying here is another expensive shock. A similar flight in Europe would cost a lot less. And so another backpacker place called Melanka's which again I didn't like. Alice Springs is the first time I see Aborigonal people and it's very clear that there are some problems here. The Aborigonal people look lost in their own country and there appears to be a lot of racism with a lot of white Australians appearing to be uncomfortable with their barefoot presence in the pristine modern town centre. A lot of Aborigonal people are drunk through the day and ask for cigarettes or money on the street. It's not nice to see and just feels very wrong.
The hostel is again full of pissed up backpackers but the next morning we head out on our tour at 6am. The tour is 3 days camping around Uluru (Ayer's rock), The Olgas, and Kings Canyon. At last I started to relax as we hit the road on long drives and camped out under the stars by the fire in swags which are like a big travelling roll up beds. The campsites are very well organised and setup for tourists and this seems to be the best way to see Oz rather than the hostels.
I enjoyed the travelling and camping more than the sites. The semi arid landscape is interesting but doesn't change much. I have never been able to see so far and see so much sky anywhere else on land before which is especially nice at night as you can see so many stars and at lease 1 or 2 shooting stars each night. I didn't climb Uluru as the Aboriginals don't like it. It's not the climbing that worries them, it's injuries and deaths that are the problem. They believe that the rock is inhabitted by the spirits of their ancestors and if you die there your spirit will stay on the rock with them which could be a bit weird for your spirit I should think as well as the ancestors. The rock is ...well ...a big rock and is another underwhelming site even if it does glow at sunset. Kings Canyon is a rather small Canyon and I actially found the Olgas the most beautiful site but it is all so touristy with coach loads of Japanese people pulling into Uluru, getting off the bus and walking straight up it. Any opertunity to meet with Aborigonal people seems to be through tours unless you want to stay here for a long time as they are understandable very mistrusting of us lot.
I met some nice people on the tour though. After the 3 days we had another very messy night back at Melanka's which ended in us setting fire to Sambuka in our mouths for about 5 rounds after going through several bottles of red wine. I went to bed at 3.30 and got up at 4.30 ready for the 5.30 start on our 3 day trip to Darwin!!! It was quite painful. The bus was big and comfortable. Of course I managed to be the only person to have a stranger next to me and he turned out to be a weirdo. A Danish weirdo who complained about everything. I always get the weirdos! He also snored a lot but only loud enough for me to hear! Bastard! The driver and guide was a bush man called Reg and he would drive whilst giving a dry, relaxed and very well informed comentary. He was a real Mick Dundee type and I found him very funny. On the surface he seemed a bit of a shoveanistic macho Aussie bloke but he actually knew a lot about the country and did a lot of work with Aborigonal kids. We spent the next 3 days looking at the endless bush, hearing about the history of the Stuart highway and stopping in tiny towns 'to say gooday!' some towns have a population smaller than that on the bus. The camping was good and the people on the bus were nice too.
Arriving in Darwin I could feel that I was not well. In fact I had been ill for a few days after we had a couple of snotted germ ridden Brits on the tour with us around Uluru. By the next morning I had a chest infection and had to miss the Kakadoo and Litchfield tour which I had booked and paid for with no refund. I also had to cancel some diving I was due to do 5 days later as I would not be well enough but they refunded me so not all bad. Instead I relaxed at the very nice but pricey hostel called Cavanagh. I spent a couple of days hanging out with a Danish girl called Diana who I had met on the tour. We walked to the Darwin Museum and also hired a car for the day which we spent driving around Litchfield national park. I spent the next day in the pool at the hostel and sat through the torrential rain and thunder storm in the pool with a rather amusing girl from near High Wycombe called Emma. I hired a car again the next day with Alex, Sabrina and Jackie from the tour and we went to the Didg hut which is where you can buy and learn to play a proper didgeridoo. I hadn't wanted to buy one before but then me and Alex, an Italian bloke, seemed to be naturals so I ended buying a rather nice one and posting it home. I am hemouraging money in Oz!
At last I left Darwin having almost recovered and went to Cairns to prepare for some diving on Taka Dive, the most descent boat I could find on the reef and the only one that seemed to be catering for experianced divers rather than throwing people in and out of a Padi course. I got a pretty crap hostel though. It had a damp problem which set my lungs off again and after 2 days there I had to leave and postpone the diving trip for another week which also pushed my flight to New Zealand back 10 days....more time in Oz! Aggghh! So I checked into a better place in the centre of town. It was a nice place and I slept OK but it was another party dorm and one of my Italian room mates brought a girl back for the night whilst my Korean friend who I had met on the Darwin trip was subjected to an all night threesome in his room and a repeat performance foursome the following night. Poor TK is not used to that sort of thing in Korea. 'I wish I could do that he said' he said 'but it's shameful in our culture'. I found this very amusing. He was completely bemused my some of our western behaviour.
Getting a little bored and needing something to do whilst convelessing I hired a car and got out of town. First I headed up the coast to Cape Tribulation. I got a Mazda 2 which turned out to be the most amazing little car I have ever driven. It looks like postman pats van but is like a tardis inside and drives like a rallycar. It had aircon, a great stereo and I could get all my gear out of sight. Sorry I'm getting excited about a Mazda but it was a great car. The road up to Cape Trib was amazing too with a long fast section that follows the coast and I got a bit carried away. Cape Trib itself was very nice and the ferry is sweet if expensive. There are amazing sandy beaches and endless rainforest. It's so tropical and so quiet. A little boring on your own though. I did meet some people but had decided to see as much as I could with the car and moved pretty quick. Next day I drove down again past Cairns to Townsville. The scenery was very good and the drive good too. That was until I got done by a speed camera 1 hour north of Townsville. I was on a long straight section in the middle of the Sugar Cane fields and the copper was sat in his jeep in the pitch black in a ditch off the road. Seeing the flash go off I turned around and went back to have a chat. He was quite happy about it all and informed me with a big smile that the camera was set at 111kph but I had been doing 112kph. I was composed on the outside but wanted to smash the camera on the front of his jeep. That means a $180 fine from the police and a $100 fine from the car hire company!! Bollocks! Later when returning the car I was informed that quite a few people get 5 or 6 in one trip. I got a positive bargain then. I'm still pissed off. I've never been done for speeding.
In Townsville I stopped in the hostel area late. I had been driving for about 8 hours. I saw a funny little place and went in. The woman came to reception smelling like a brewery and I reluctantly took a room but it turned out to be the best place I have stayed. It's called Globetrotters. It was quiet and full of girls!!! Cool. In the morning I recounted my police story to the owners and they spewed venom about the police 'Bloooody Nazi's!!!'....'They f**king take the piss....hiding in the f**king bushes'....'Baaastards!' And off I went down the coast 3 hours to Airlie beach with more lovely scenery and funny little towns like Ayr where country music blares out of the pubs and jeriatric men in hats sit on benches clutching a walking stick. A lot of Oz is like a retirement home. The east coast is a bit like a giant East Anglia. Airlie is the place to get to the Whitsunday islands and whilst I didn't have time to do a tour I did have a look around for the afternoon and it's beautiful with turqoise water, white sands, forrested hills and pristine white yahts in the harbour. I had some fish and chips (not as good as home) and headed back up to Townsville but arriving late I didn't manage to get a room in the same place and went to another small place. Again it was very good. In the morning a young bloke working in the hostel for his keep asked for a lift and I said ok but had to wait. As I checked out I said to the owner I'm giving that lad a lift. The very nice owner said 'Mate just go now!'...'He's a bloody bludger .... I caaan't wait for 'im to leave!!'. 'Oh!!!...cheers mate!!' and off I went. The people in Townsville seemed nicer than anywhere in Oz so far and were very helpful which I have found unusual here. Aussies love rules. It's one of those places where everyone has their own space just how they want it and everyone has rules. 'Ya caaan't paark there!'.... 'That'll be a fine of 2 dollars for staying 2 days longer than you said you would'....'What!!!'. Yes that happened in Sydney. I got fined for giving them more business.
I spent the day driving back to Cairns via the tablelands and more fantastic mountainous roads which I enjoyed in the little Mazda. Cairns is where I am now waiting to get on the dive boat after driving 2000 kms in 4 days. I'm pretty much back to normal health and am looking forward to seeing the reef and diving again. I stayed in a really nice hostel called Bohemia last night and met some nice people too so I'm in a better mood than when I arrived in Oz. I am so glad I never did the year out backpacker thing when I was 18 though. I don't think I would have enjoyed it. Anyway I'd better sign off and prepare myself for the slightly rough seas we've been having up here.
I'm missing you all very much so get in touch with any news.
Love,
Kaveh.
April 09, 2005
Bangkok, The Islands and Myanmar
So we had arrived in Bangkok after a crazy trip. I met up with my cousin Kian which was very nice. I also met up with my Aunt Keyvan who was in Bangkok on some kind of shopping marathon and we too did a load of shopping. It doesn't matter how much time you spend in Bangkok, you will always do more shopping. Also I took Anett to experience some of the fun things in town as she had not enjoyed Bangkok so much in the past. 3 or 4 days is usually enough in Bangkok though and after we had really had enough. We had decided to go to Koh Chiang in the gulf of Thailand and then to Myanmar formerly known as Burma via Bangkok.
After getting our 30 day visas for Myanmar we headed off from Ekammai bus station and took the bus to Trat which was a 5 hour bus ride for 200 BAHT. Then there is a ferry to Koh Chiang. Anett had not been at her best for a couple of days. Whilst she is great fun she often has moods but this time she seems to have hit a travelling wall. Her mood is awful and rather than it being water off of duck's back I've had enough. It's not a good day and in the end I have to confront her about this. Myanmar is a very difficult place and I don't think she is really up to it. After a chat though it all seems ok. I think she is missing her boyfriend very much as well so I guess we'll see how it goes. After finding a bungalow and getting a nights sleep we go looking for stuff to do the next day. To be honest I was very exhausted by Anett's changes of mood and being happy for 2 had made me so tired so my mood didn't pick up. We found a snorkel trip for the next day though and booked it and also decided to change island to Koh Wai after the trip.
In the meantime we got some snorkel gear and hired a Kayak for the afternoon. Koh Chiang was very beautiful but it had left us both quite flat as it felt as though the adventure of travelling was over and we were on a holiday island where couples sunned themselves like sausages on the beach. The kayaking was good fun though and we arsed around a lot and began to laugh again. The sea and beaches here are fantastic and the water is so perfect for swimming. That evening we went along the sea front to a bar with fires and candles and good music. The food was aso fantastic but the place was empty. The previous night we had gone to a much busier place on the beach called Porn's bungalows but it was a bit weird with wealthy tourists trying to be cool now they were out of the office. You know the kind of thing. Everyone dancing like your dad at a wedding. There were very cool looking fire dancers all dressed in black and stuff like that. But tonight the quiet place was much nicer. The food was amazing!!! And the fire dancers, whilst not being all dressed up were seriously good... I've never seen any that good before! They were just in jeans and t-shirts and were local lads. One in particular was incredible! Anett is a real piromaniac and starts a fire at any opertunity, so she loved it.....thank goodness.
Next morning we headed off for our snorkelling trip. There was a group of Thai weekenders on a corporate do on the boat and as we set off they started on the wine! 9.30 am, 36 degrees, on a boat...mmmmm someone's gonna get sick. It took about 45 minutes I think!! Ew! The tour leaders were pretty loud and have a megaphone. One of them is the gayest man I have ever seen. He's quiet tall, and then there was a tall lady boy who screamed all the time, and a short man with thick glasses and a perm that Kevin Keagen would admire. (He reminded me of Ani a bit...those of you from Brunel will know what I mean). He was also wearing cycling shorts and was so camp it's untrue. They were having a riot and the only thing I can liken it too is a Thai version of Hi Di Hi campers! Anett quietly pointed out a German woman who was baking herself on the deck to a crisp who was really quite revolting but just kept on roasting all day despite her skin falling off. It was all very bizarre.
The snorkelling however was great. In the words of Anett, 'Zee vater is piss varm ya!' (Is this 'Hi Di Hi' or 'Allo Allo'). We were out all day and the sea and reefs were very good. The food was good too. After a long day the boat headed back and half way we were summoned to the rib at the back for our transit to our new island....just us 2...it was cool. We climbed in and headed off at very high speed toward the island of Koh Wai. The water was very choppy and it was a very cool ride and a long one too. As we rounded the island the water went dead flat and clear as glass and we zoomed into the most amazing bay and beach I've ever seen and beached the boat in true James Bond fashion. We got a bamboo hut on the beach and got a rest. It had been a great day but we were absolutely shattered having not fully recovered from Laos. I've lost a hell of a lot of weight and our bodies really need some recovery time. Unfortunately the seafood from the snorkel trip has poisoned me again....OH JOY! I had a really rough night.
The beach holiday blues don't go away and we are both bored and soon on our way back. The journey back to Bangkok was a disaster too as the bus ran out of fuel and it took so long to sort out. Eventually switching buses it took 10 hours to get back to Bangkok. We are flying to Yangon in Myanmar the next day so we really needed a break. I had already rescheduled all my flights. I was due to fly to Sydney instead but the Shirdel - Brummer team was not done in Asia.
So we got cleaned up, had a sleep and headed to the airport. What will we find in Yangon? I had no idea but had read as much as I could and knew that it would be a tricky place. The government is very oppressive. We landed in the tiny airport and it was baking hot as we got off the plain. As we walked to the terminal a military fighter flew over reminding me that Myanmar has a military government. All went smoothly and as we went through an Italian man was telling us how he didn't trust the exchange in the airport. He was a total weirdo though so we didn't listen as he was off to trade on the black market. I decided to change $50 into Jet (spelt Kyat). Unfortunately my Lonely Plant was not up to date and this turned out to be a big mistake. We climbed into a taxi and were driven to a guesthouse in the centre of town. The town was very quiet and pretty to start with but got dirtier and crazier as we got near the centre. The taxi driver was mortified that we had changed money in the airport. It turns out that the government use an exchange rate of 450 Kyat to the dollar but the black market rate was 900 kyat!!! So we essentially lost half our money... NICE! I was a little shocked as I had not brought a lot of money with me and realised that to get more money into the country with a credit card I would have to use the governemt exchange rate. The driver tried very hard to sell us his services for the duration of our trip as this is often a good way to get around but we wanted to do our own thing so said goodbye at the guesthouse.
The first guesthouse was very dirty and the people running it looked dirty so we tried another and whilst ok it was not great for the price at $8 for a double room.... well compared to what we were used to anyway. We decided to not make anymore mistakes and to sort everything else out at the guesthouse. We found that we were up against a very difficult and corrupt system though. International flights are all out of Yangon now with none flying from Mandalay and this meant that we would have to come back to Yangon to leave which was a shame. So we booked our flights and the 14 hour night bus to Mandalay for the next day. Looking around the town the first thing you noticed was the strong Indian influence with many Indian people. Also the reaction of the people to a foreigner which was much stronger than we were used to. This is due to the county's internation reputation and the lack of tourism. Also much of the country is inaccessible to tourists espescially the Mon regions in the east where the terrain is too difficult for them to be governed and so the government don't want the outside world to see these areas. People stare at you in the street or in Anetts case, men stare at her breasts literally salovating.
The city is busy, hot and very very very dirty. Oh and it smells like shit too. Anett's not happy here and I have to say there's not a lot to do or see. The city has not really got any charm. Visually it's very interesting but the atmosphere is one of decay and poverty and all of this in a very rich country. Laos is much poorer but there is a great dignity to the people there and in Vietnam. The people here seem so sluvnely and down trodden. The food is pretty bad too unless you like bad Indian food served cold. We did't stay long though and the next day we took the overnight bus to Mandalay. The bus was big and comfortable and as we set off, the roads were flat. The drive was fast and there was some crazy western music sung in Burmese on the TV. As it got dark we moved across some incredible scenery with fields and palm trees and people travelling my cow and cart. The country was looking much more interesting now.
We were the only foreigners on the bus and the locals weren't sure how to take us. They looked at us shily without saying much. The bus made a food stop in the late evening and we were hearded off into the road stop. Several bus loads were there eating and again we were the only foreigners as most people fly this trip. The old man who owns the place was very happy to see us and his English was very good. He was a big like an Indian Santa Clause with lots of kids running around serving tables like little helpers. The food was cold but smelt ok and tasted good. Burmese food is the meanest and least sophisticated I've ever had. It's like slop with badly cooked rice with a plate full of roar dry vegetables and a watery curry. It always comes with a soup though and tastes ok but leaves you wondering when, rather than if, you will be sick. The journey carried on through the night and we made many more food stops which are also a chance for me to warm up from the ice cold air conditioning on the bus which has been freezing me. The journey felt fast and almost as if we are running away from something as we passed convoys of goods in trucks, changing tires by the side of the road. Punctures are very frequent it seems.
Mandalay in the morning is chilly and a blue taxi (tiny blue Mazda pick up seen all over the towns)took us to our guesthouse. We found a room and it was very clean and a nice place. Needing to change money we found a black market exchange. This felt very dodgey and the owner was very nervous about being caught. It would be big trouble for them if they were. I got a good rate and after unsuccessfully trying to access our email through an illegal proxy service we went to look around town. Things are expensive here compared to what we have become used to, especially food. Money is going to be a problem I think.
Mandalay has an amazing fort in the centre which is now also a baraks. It's where the palace was before the British came and is amazing to look at and huge. We spent a day looking round and took a trishaw after climbing Mandalay Hill. The next day we took a tour and were joined by an elderly Indian lady who was very jolly. The tour took us to a monastary where the monks have a daily ceremony collecting there food. If Myanmar has one thing it's monks. They're everywhere and the money invested by the government in temples is way of appeasing the people. There is a fantastic bridge over the river too which is a tourist spot and men working the fields with 2 cows and a wooden plough. It's like going back 500 years.
Mandalay is also very dirty and the food hadn't gotten any better. We went for a meal at a local place and were pleased that the food looked good. We ate a lot and it did taste good but some of the vegetables smelled of putrid water and the lamb was definately mutton having gone blue! I seemed to be ok but the next day Anett was having problems. We were off to Bagan by bus and being ill was not good. It's an 8 hour bus ride through the midday sun. The landscape is incredible with barron sandy desert broken by huge palm trees and with bright scorching sunshine. It's very hot but the draft through the bus was plenty to keep us cool. Bagan is a plane in the desert where for hundreds of years the rulers of the country have built stuppas and temples so now there are literally hundreds as far as the eye can see. We checked into a local guesthouse which was very basic but really nice and clean with nice people. Tourists don't stay there which was better for us. We were tired though and Anett went to sleep while I went to get some dinner and look around. At last I found a good place to eat with Indian, Nepalese, Tibetan and Myanmar food called 'Wonderful Tastey Resaurante'. It's run by a stocky happy man who says 'People come here and have a big meal and feel happy so I am happy...mmmm!' It's only a wooden hut with some tables and chairs outside but he is very proud of the fact that he has his own vegetable garden and cleans everything with purified water. Also he makes the food after you order it so it's hot and fresh and you get plenty too. He makes no appologies for it taking time as this is the only way to prepare good food and the food is excellent.
On returning to the guesthouse the owner came to me and said 'I think your friend has Malaria!'....'WHAT!'.. In Anett's room I found her curled up in agony on her bed, drenched in sweat and in tears. Turned out that she had pretty bad food poisoning. It was a long night and in the morning it was clear that she didn't want to go on and we would have to get to Bangkok ASAP so while she recovered I went off to try and make arrangements to leave Myanmar. It was not going to be as easy as I thought though. We had bought a bus ticket to Lake Inle which was not refundable and if we couldn't change the flight we would have to take a 16-18 hour bus to Yangon as we only had enough money for 1 flight and a couple of nights accomodation. We would just about manage to eat on what we had. I managed to change the flight the next day and not needing to book another flight out of the country we booked an internal flight with Yangon airways. Sounds dodgey but it's a private airline which is much better than Air Myanmar who have a quite outstanding record for letting their planes fall out of the ski. This all happened in the space of an hour and we were booked on a flight leaving in an hour and a half so we got in a taxi and waved the very helpful guesthouse owner goodbye.
The flight went well but the approach into Yangon was very hairy. It really felt like we were gonna fall out of the ski in the small ATR72 turbo prop. There were only 6 passengers in the nearly empty plane and I don't think I was the only one to grab a sick bag. We got down ok though. The guesthouse staff were a little surprised to see us and we asked for our plane tickets which they handed over. I told the woman we had changed them. We had asked her to change them when in Bagan but she said she had not been successful which is why I had rung and changed them myself. She looked very worried and hurridly called the agent. It seemed that the person I had spoken didn't know the system and had told me I had changed the flight but in truth nothing had happened and Phuket airlines had no idea about the change. This was such bad news as we had very little money left apart from some Thai Baht. Also Anett really wanted to get out and the prospect of 7 days in Bagan and the dreadful exchange rates on credit cards was too much. Our upset was very obvious and so the woman took us across town on the bus to sort a new flight in person. Thankfully an hour later the situation was resolved without the need for a 'little present' or a bribe in our language. You often pay little presents in myanmar without knowing and I'm sure that the money skimming on top of normal fees has hindered our situation more than anything.
We had a day to kill in Yangon and so I suggested that we try blagging some free luxury. We went for a coffee and snack and then crossed over to the Trader's Hotel, the poshest place in town, and went up to the pool. We looked pretty shitty next to everyone else. I was asked for my room number but just told them I had just checked out. The girls English was not so good so when she persisted I fained confusion and an inability to understand which left her flustered and so we got some ice water brought over and I dipped into the roof top pool to cool in the hot midday sun. After an hour though she was back with a clip board and paper. We'd been rumbled. I fained confusion which worked but I knew it wouldn't for long so we scarpered and had afternoon tea downstairs. We checked out the shopping mall which consisted of about 12 shops one of which had a ruby necklace for $500,000!!! with children sleeping on the street outside. so strange. We then walking past the cinema and decided to see a film. We had a little wait so we went to the coffee shop and I realised we were very short of cash and a bit more would make for a fun day so I left Anett in the shop and went to find a black market money changer on a street corner. They see you before you see them and I negotiated as I walked with a man who took me to a side street where he spoke to a man who said 'you have Baht'....'Yes'.....'Wait here'. Whilst he was gone the other man said...'You know this is illegal'....'Yes don't worry I'll be descreet'....'It's very dangerous for us', he was very nervous and understandably so. But I got my Kyat and some dollars for the exit tax at the airport and went back for a coffee and some cake after exchanging thanks. It was well worth the poor exchange rate of Baht to Kyat as we needed cheering up. Anett was much cheerier after our cheeky adventure in the hotel.
We went to the cinema and 'National Treasure' was showing in English. The cinema was really nice and had super cold air conditionijng which was welcome in the 40 degree heat. To our surprise the national anthem started and everyone stood up and we followed. Very funny! Then there was 30 minutes of millitary marching display shot on really bad super 8 with commentary. This is compulsory (I had also seen it on kids TV that day with missle displays and tank drills!!!!) and another reminder of the state of the government. The film was great!!!! Such good fun. The Myanmar people don't wait for a film to finish though and got up and started leaving. When the lights came on the place was trashed with a carpet of sunflower seed shells and the cleaning process began. Ahhh!...that was the crunching noise though the film!
In great mood we popped over to the Traders to crash the lobbies daily live piano music and then headed home for an early night along the dirty streets covered with fresh, bright red beetle nut spit. Burmese people have such bad teeth because of that stuff. Their mouths are stained bright red. Next morning we take the most smashed up falling apart car I have ever seen to the airport. The drivers anoying detour is a major annoyance and makes us nervous as the road turns out to be blocked meaning the journey is twice as long....I'm getting really fed up with this place!! But sure enough we get there and the plain goes. The relief of being in Bangkok is so great. When the plane touches down the feeling is fantastic and we were even shoved in 1st class .... never been in 1st class before! I managed to bring my flight to Sydney forward but Anett couldn't change hers and so we had another 3 days in which to relax and enjoy Bangkok before saying goodbye. Anett was very happy to be out of Myanmar and I guess I was too. I would have liked to have stayed and seen Inle but Anett has been a fantastic travel companion and there's no way I'd have left her to leave on her own. For me it had been interesting to see the place and although some people say it's wrong to go there I think it's important to come out and tell people what you have seen. Things are very bad there and something desperately needs to be done. We had been careful not use government services or hotels and the people had often been very sweet. We had seen the temples of Bagan (oooops left that bit out, we did actually get to see them) and I will remember the little dumb girl who showed us around. She was very sweet and had an amazing smile, and was a pretty good business woman too!
So anyway the asian adventure was coming to a close and I would soon be off to Sydney and Australia which I hope to tell you about soon.
I hope you're all well. I'm still not sure when I'll be home as plans keep changing.
Love Kaveh.
After getting our 30 day visas for Myanmar we headed off from Ekammai bus station and took the bus to Trat which was a 5 hour bus ride for 200 BAHT. Then there is a ferry to Koh Chiang. Anett had not been at her best for a couple of days. Whilst she is great fun she often has moods but this time she seems to have hit a travelling wall. Her mood is awful and rather than it being water off of duck's back I've had enough. It's not a good day and in the end I have to confront her about this. Myanmar is a very difficult place and I don't think she is really up to it. After a chat though it all seems ok. I think she is missing her boyfriend very much as well so I guess we'll see how it goes. After finding a bungalow and getting a nights sleep we go looking for stuff to do the next day. To be honest I was very exhausted by Anett's changes of mood and being happy for 2 had made me so tired so my mood didn't pick up. We found a snorkel trip for the next day though and booked it and also decided to change island to Koh Wai after the trip.
In the meantime we got some snorkel gear and hired a Kayak for the afternoon. Koh Chiang was very beautiful but it had left us both quite flat as it felt as though the adventure of travelling was over and we were on a holiday island where couples sunned themselves like sausages on the beach. The kayaking was good fun though and we arsed around a lot and began to laugh again. The sea and beaches here are fantastic and the water is so perfect for swimming. That evening we went along the sea front to a bar with fires and candles and good music. The food was aso fantastic but the place was empty. The previous night we had gone to a much busier place on the beach called Porn's bungalows but it was a bit weird with wealthy tourists trying to be cool now they were out of the office. You know the kind of thing. Everyone dancing like your dad at a wedding. There were very cool looking fire dancers all dressed in black and stuff like that. But tonight the quiet place was much nicer. The food was amazing!!! And the fire dancers, whilst not being all dressed up were seriously good... I've never seen any that good before! They were just in jeans and t-shirts and were local lads. One in particular was incredible! Anett is a real piromaniac and starts a fire at any opertunity, so she loved it.....thank goodness.
Next morning we headed off for our snorkelling trip. There was a group of Thai weekenders on a corporate do on the boat and as we set off they started on the wine! 9.30 am, 36 degrees, on a boat...mmmmm someone's gonna get sick. It took about 45 minutes I think!! Ew! The tour leaders were pretty loud and have a megaphone. One of them is the gayest man I have ever seen. He's quiet tall, and then there was a tall lady boy who screamed all the time, and a short man with thick glasses and a perm that Kevin Keagen would admire. (He reminded me of Ani a bit...those of you from Brunel will know what I mean). He was also wearing cycling shorts and was so camp it's untrue. They were having a riot and the only thing I can liken it too is a Thai version of Hi Di Hi campers! Anett quietly pointed out a German woman who was baking herself on the deck to a crisp who was really quite revolting but just kept on roasting all day despite her skin falling off. It was all very bizarre.
The snorkelling however was great. In the words of Anett, 'Zee vater is piss varm ya!' (Is this 'Hi Di Hi' or 'Allo Allo'). We were out all day and the sea and reefs were very good. The food was good too. After a long day the boat headed back and half way we were summoned to the rib at the back for our transit to our new island....just us 2...it was cool. We climbed in and headed off at very high speed toward the island of Koh Wai. The water was very choppy and it was a very cool ride and a long one too. As we rounded the island the water went dead flat and clear as glass and we zoomed into the most amazing bay and beach I've ever seen and beached the boat in true James Bond fashion. We got a bamboo hut on the beach and got a rest. It had been a great day but we were absolutely shattered having not fully recovered from Laos. I've lost a hell of a lot of weight and our bodies really need some recovery time. Unfortunately the seafood from the snorkel trip has poisoned me again....OH JOY! I had a really rough night.
The beach holiday blues don't go away and we are both bored and soon on our way back. The journey back to Bangkok was a disaster too as the bus ran out of fuel and it took so long to sort out. Eventually switching buses it took 10 hours to get back to Bangkok. We are flying to Yangon in Myanmar the next day so we really needed a break. I had already rescheduled all my flights. I was due to fly to Sydney instead but the Shirdel - Brummer team was not done in Asia.
So we got cleaned up, had a sleep and headed to the airport. What will we find in Yangon? I had no idea but had read as much as I could and knew that it would be a tricky place. The government is very oppressive. We landed in the tiny airport and it was baking hot as we got off the plain. As we walked to the terminal a military fighter flew over reminding me that Myanmar has a military government. All went smoothly and as we went through an Italian man was telling us how he didn't trust the exchange in the airport. He was a total weirdo though so we didn't listen as he was off to trade on the black market. I decided to change $50 into Jet (spelt Kyat). Unfortunately my Lonely Plant was not up to date and this turned out to be a big mistake. We climbed into a taxi and were driven to a guesthouse in the centre of town. The town was very quiet and pretty to start with but got dirtier and crazier as we got near the centre. The taxi driver was mortified that we had changed money in the airport. It turns out that the government use an exchange rate of 450 Kyat to the dollar but the black market rate was 900 kyat!!! So we essentially lost half our money... NICE! I was a little shocked as I had not brought a lot of money with me and realised that to get more money into the country with a credit card I would have to use the governemt exchange rate. The driver tried very hard to sell us his services for the duration of our trip as this is often a good way to get around but we wanted to do our own thing so said goodbye at the guesthouse.
The first guesthouse was very dirty and the people running it looked dirty so we tried another and whilst ok it was not great for the price at $8 for a double room.... well compared to what we were used to anyway. We decided to not make anymore mistakes and to sort everything else out at the guesthouse. We found that we were up against a very difficult and corrupt system though. International flights are all out of Yangon now with none flying from Mandalay and this meant that we would have to come back to Yangon to leave which was a shame. So we booked our flights and the 14 hour night bus to Mandalay for the next day. Looking around the town the first thing you noticed was the strong Indian influence with many Indian people. Also the reaction of the people to a foreigner which was much stronger than we were used to. This is due to the county's internation reputation and the lack of tourism. Also much of the country is inaccessible to tourists espescially the Mon regions in the east where the terrain is too difficult for them to be governed and so the government don't want the outside world to see these areas. People stare at you in the street or in Anetts case, men stare at her breasts literally salovating.
The city is busy, hot and very very very dirty. Oh and it smells like shit too. Anett's not happy here and I have to say there's not a lot to do or see. The city has not really got any charm. Visually it's very interesting but the atmosphere is one of decay and poverty and all of this in a very rich country. Laos is much poorer but there is a great dignity to the people there and in Vietnam. The people here seem so sluvnely and down trodden. The food is pretty bad too unless you like bad Indian food served cold. We did't stay long though and the next day we took the overnight bus to Mandalay. The bus was big and comfortable and as we set off, the roads were flat. The drive was fast and there was some crazy western music sung in Burmese on the TV. As it got dark we moved across some incredible scenery with fields and palm trees and people travelling my cow and cart. The country was looking much more interesting now.
We were the only foreigners on the bus and the locals weren't sure how to take us. They looked at us shily without saying much. The bus made a food stop in the late evening and we were hearded off into the road stop. Several bus loads were there eating and again we were the only foreigners as most people fly this trip. The old man who owns the place was very happy to see us and his English was very good. He was a big like an Indian Santa Clause with lots of kids running around serving tables like little helpers. The food was cold but smelt ok and tasted good. Burmese food is the meanest and least sophisticated I've ever had. It's like slop with badly cooked rice with a plate full of roar dry vegetables and a watery curry. It always comes with a soup though and tastes ok but leaves you wondering when, rather than if, you will be sick. The journey carried on through the night and we made many more food stops which are also a chance for me to warm up from the ice cold air conditioning on the bus which has been freezing me. The journey felt fast and almost as if we are running away from something as we passed convoys of goods in trucks, changing tires by the side of the road. Punctures are very frequent it seems.
Mandalay in the morning is chilly and a blue taxi (tiny blue Mazda pick up seen all over the towns)took us to our guesthouse. We found a room and it was very clean and a nice place. Needing to change money we found a black market exchange. This felt very dodgey and the owner was very nervous about being caught. It would be big trouble for them if they were. I got a good rate and after unsuccessfully trying to access our email through an illegal proxy service we went to look around town. Things are expensive here compared to what we have become used to, especially food. Money is going to be a problem I think.
Mandalay has an amazing fort in the centre which is now also a baraks. It's where the palace was before the British came and is amazing to look at and huge. We spent a day looking round and took a trishaw after climbing Mandalay Hill. The next day we took a tour and were joined by an elderly Indian lady who was very jolly. The tour took us to a monastary where the monks have a daily ceremony collecting there food. If Myanmar has one thing it's monks. They're everywhere and the money invested by the government in temples is way of appeasing the people. There is a fantastic bridge over the river too which is a tourist spot and men working the fields with 2 cows and a wooden plough. It's like going back 500 years.
Mandalay is also very dirty and the food hadn't gotten any better. We went for a meal at a local place and were pleased that the food looked good. We ate a lot and it did taste good but some of the vegetables smelled of putrid water and the lamb was definately mutton having gone blue! I seemed to be ok but the next day Anett was having problems. We were off to Bagan by bus and being ill was not good. It's an 8 hour bus ride through the midday sun. The landscape is incredible with barron sandy desert broken by huge palm trees and with bright scorching sunshine. It's very hot but the draft through the bus was plenty to keep us cool. Bagan is a plane in the desert where for hundreds of years the rulers of the country have built stuppas and temples so now there are literally hundreds as far as the eye can see. We checked into a local guesthouse which was very basic but really nice and clean with nice people. Tourists don't stay there which was better for us. We were tired though and Anett went to sleep while I went to get some dinner and look around. At last I found a good place to eat with Indian, Nepalese, Tibetan and Myanmar food called 'Wonderful Tastey Resaurante'. It's run by a stocky happy man who says 'People come here and have a big meal and feel happy so I am happy...mmmm!' It's only a wooden hut with some tables and chairs outside but he is very proud of the fact that he has his own vegetable garden and cleans everything with purified water. Also he makes the food after you order it so it's hot and fresh and you get plenty too. He makes no appologies for it taking time as this is the only way to prepare good food and the food is excellent.
On returning to the guesthouse the owner came to me and said 'I think your friend has Malaria!'....'WHAT!'.. In Anett's room I found her curled up in agony on her bed, drenched in sweat and in tears. Turned out that she had pretty bad food poisoning. It was a long night and in the morning it was clear that she didn't want to go on and we would have to get to Bangkok ASAP so while she recovered I went off to try and make arrangements to leave Myanmar. It was not going to be as easy as I thought though. We had bought a bus ticket to Lake Inle which was not refundable and if we couldn't change the flight we would have to take a 16-18 hour bus to Yangon as we only had enough money for 1 flight and a couple of nights accomodation. We would just about manage to eat on what we had. I managed to change the flight the next day and not needing to book another flight out of the country we booked an internal flight with Yangon airways. Sounds dodgey but it's a private airline which is much better than Air Myanmar who have a quite outstanding record for letting their planes fall out of the ski. This all happened in the space of an hour and we were booked on a flight leaving in an hour and a half so we got in a taxi and waved the very helpful guesthouse owner goodbye.
The flight went well but the approach into Yangon was very hairy. It really felt like we were gonna fall out of the ski in the small ATR72 turbo prop. There were only 6 passengers in the nearly empty plane and I don't think I was the only one to grab a sick bag. We got down ok though. The guesthouse staff were a little surprised to see us and we asked for our plane tickets which they handed over. I told the woman we had changed them. We had asked her to change them when in Bagan but she said she had not been successful which is why I had rung and changed them myself. She looked very worried and hurridly called the agent. It seemed that the person I had spoken didn't know the system and had told me I had changed the flight but in truth nothing had happened and Phuket airlines had no idea about the change. This was such bad news as we had very little money left apart from some Thai Baht. Also Anett really wanted to get out and the prospect of 7 days in Bagan and the dreadful exchange rates on credit cards was too much. Our upset was very obvious and so the woman took us across town on the bus to sort a new flight in person. Thankfully an hour later the situation was resolved without the need for a 'little present' or a bribe in our language. You often pay little presents in myanmar without knowing and I'm sure that the money skimming on top of normal fees has hindered our situation more than anything.
We had a day to kill in Yangon and so I suggested that we try blagging some free luxury. We went for a coffee and snack and then crossed over to the Trader's Hotel, the poshest place in town, and went up to the pool. We looked pretty shitty next to everyone else. I was asked for my room number but just told them I had just checked out. The girls English was not so good so when she persisted I fained confusion and an inability to understand which left her flustered and so we got some ice water brought over and I dipped into the roof top pool to cool in the hot midday sun. After an hour though she was back with a clip board and paper. We'd been rumbled. I fained confusion which worked but I knew it wouldn't for long so we scarpered and had afternoon tea downstairs. We checked out the shopping mall which consisted of about 12 shops one of which had a ruby necklace for $500,000!!! with children sleeping on the street outside. so strange. We then walking past the cinema and decided to see a film. We had a little wait so we went to the coffee shop and I realised we were very short of cash and a bit more would make for a fun day so I left Anett in the shop and went to find a black market money changer on a street corner. They see you before you see them and I negotiated as I walked with a man who took me to a side street where he spoke to a man who said 'you have Baht'....'Yes'.....'Wait here'. Whilst he was gone the other man said...'You know this is illegal'....'Yes don't worry I'll be descreet'....'It's very dangerous for us', he was very nervous and understandably so. But I got my Kyat and some dollars for the exit tax at the airport and went back for a coffee and some cake after exchanging thanks. It was well worth the poor exchange rate of Baht to Kyat as we needed cheering up. Anett was much cheerier after our cheeky adventure in the hotel.
We went to the cinema and 'National Treasure' was showing in English. The cinema was really nice and had super cold air conditionijng which was welcome in the 40 degree heat. To our surprise the national anthem started and everyone stood up and we followed. Very funny! Then there was 30 minutes of millitary marching display shot on really bad super 8 with commentary. This is compulsory (I had also seen it on kids TV that day with missle displays and tank drills!!!!) and another reminder of the state of the government. The film was great!!!! Such good fun. The Myanmar people don't wait for a film to finish though and got up and started leaving. When the lights came on the place was trashed with a carpet of sunflower seed shells and the cleaning process began. Ahhh!...that was the crunching noise though the film!
In great mood we popped over to the Traders to crash the lobbies daily live piano music and then headed home for an early night along the dirty streets covered with fresh, bright red beetle nut spit. Burmese people have such bad teeth because of that stuff. Their mouths are stained bright red. Next morning we take the most smashed up falling apart car I have ever seen to the airport. The drivers anoying detour is a major annoyance and makes us nervous as the road turns out to be blocked meaning the journey is twice as long....I'm getting really fed up with this place!! But sure enough we get there and the plain goes. The relief of being in Bangkok is so great. When the plane touches down the feeling is fantastic and we were even shoved in 1st class .... never been in 1st class before! I managed to bring my flight to Sydney forward but Anett couldn't change hers and so we had another 3 days in which to relax and enjoy Bangkok before saying goodbye. Anett was very happy to be out of Myanmar and I guess I was too. I would have liked to have stayed and seen Inle but Anett has been a fantastic travel companion and there's no way I'd have left her to leave on her own. For me it had been interesting to see the place and although some people say it's wrong to go there I think it's important to come out and tell people what you have seen. Things are very bad there and something desperately needs to be done. We had been careful not use government services or hotels and the people had often been very sweet. We had seen the temples of Bagan (oooops left that bit out, we did actually get to see them) and I will remember the little dumb girl who showed us around. She was very sweet and had an amazing smile, and was a pretty good business woman too!
So anyway the asian adventure was coming to a close and I would soon be off to Sydney and Australia which I hope to tell you about soon.
I hope you're all well. I'm still not sure when I'll be home as plans keep changing.
Love Kaveh.
March 31, 2005
Back into Thailand and beyond
So we were collapsed in Si Pan Don in southern Laos near the Cambodian border in a bamboo hut on the Mekong.
Having decided to leave after just 1 day we prepared for the boat ride at 7am the next day. I slept ok ... and it rained a lot through the night. We had hired a couple of bikes the day before and when I woke up one was gone!!! but thankfully the guesthouse owner had just taken it to do some shopping. People down here seem to have even less than the people in the north. They are sweet but a little more difficult sometimes. The Mekong is very beautiful as usual. It does have a certain magic. Having taken the bikes back we got on the boat with a Scottish girl who was also leaving. As we boarded the boat it began to drissle lightly. I thought nothing of it as it had rained through the night and so I thought it was done raining. I had gotten used to the northern weather which had been so dry through February but by now it was March. As we set off the heavens opened. Of course Anett had suggested I wore a rain coat but of course I knew better. I got completely and utterly soaked like I've never been soaked before. I cradled my extremely non waterproof camera bag and wrapped myself around it in a attempt to keep it dry. Of course Frau Brummer (Anett) had a rucksack with a rain cap, she had a rain coat too with a hood. All my bagage was from Bangkok and was cheap imitation but I have to say it worked pretty well!!! Well sometimes....it didn't do my back much good.
Although we were being soaked, the Mekong was actually offering us one more extra special treat before we left. The heavy rain made the river even more beautiful. It looked fantastic! The rain was so heavy it made a mist which hung over the river and in this spray small wooden boats floated on the now completely flat surface with fisherman wearing only shorts sitting on the boats looking after their lines or making a break for the shore. In the background the palm trees were silhouetted by the sun. As we arrive at shore I climbed out into the water and pulled the boat to sure. The boat driver was bailing frantically by now. The rain of course stopped as soon as we got there. Now we had the long walk up to the bus again... still makes no sense. The bus driver had no tickets so the driver scribles Pakse on a piece of paper, tears it off and gives it to me. 'There you ticket!'....erm ok....I hope so! Anett is very amused when I give her the ticket. I think she still has it.
The bus was meant to leave at 9 but we have the usual wait until they have found a customer for every space which means sitting in a grubby food shop out of the intermittant rain until the bus looks like it might go. Whilst sipping my cafe lao (if that doesn't wake you up you're dead!) we are joined by a French man about my age, who has just come through Turkey, Iran, India, Vietnam and Cambodia. We have a chat about Iran for a while. He seems to have loved Iran and tells me it is easier to travel there than Cambodia! Cool.... think it's time to go back maybe?! Hmmm. Anyway the bus starts to look like it might go, so we get on. After a while another bus from Pakse pulls up and we spot Craig sitting on it. I call him over and tell him we're off. He's a bit surprised 'So it's that interesting here huh?!'...'fraid so.... byyyeeee!'. And we're off.
The bus conductor on this trip is interesting. He's built like a Thai boxer and is imaculately turned out in jeans and a white t-shirt. Very James Dean. He's very talkative to the locals and seems to love his job. It looks as if he's a retired contender who has packed up the gloves and is happy to work away on the buses. He is so switched on and makes sure everything runs right. I like it when these people are around as you have a sense of security about the trip. 3 hours later as we approach Pakse we stop and a tuk tuk driver gets on. He's poaching passengers. I recognise him..... it's the same dodgey driver with no papers that we had the other day. I warned a couple of interested tourists off and we're on our way again. Arriving at the southern bus station it's more of the same and we jump into the least chaotic tuk tuk to take us to the another bus station. Our plan is to get to Thai border at Chong Mek and cross by land. There is a pick up bus waiting to go when we arrive but we decide to slow things down a bit and refuse the shared pick up so that we can get fed and watered. Allegedly the next one leaves in an hour and after a rest we stroll through the very smelly market to find some Thai or Lao pop music. The language barrier had gotten huge down south and it was a struggle to get what we wanted so we headed back to the bus to negotiate. Problem is a bus left a short while ago and now are probably gonna have to wait till the bus is full before it goes. The taxis are pricey but we're getting impatient and would like to go now. A taxi driver took advantage and offered a good price and I asked to get our bags down but I've caused a problem now... the driver won't take the bags down and wants to do a deal. I try my best to wriggle out but I can't and realise quickly that this could get ugly and I remember giving Anett a very helpless look..... Help! We ended up chartering the whole pickup for a few dollars and to be honest who cares it. It was worth it. It's a long drive and we're tired and it's a welcome relief not to have our knees up around our ears for a change. Or have chickens pecking you or rat pee drip on you or..... (Lonely Planet's 'South East Asia on a shoe string suggests avoiding places where you may come into contact with live poulty in order to prevent contracting avian bird flu... In South East Asia!? Yeah OK!!! Are you taking the piss!?!?).
The earlier break in the weather and the massive rain fall has caused a real drop in temperature. For the first time in a long while it's very chilly even though it's midday. I'm still damp too and feeling the cold. The open pickup makes this even more noticeable. Arriving at the border we pass a massive queue of very old trucks waiting to transport goods across the border and are plonked at the barrier where there are stalls setup selling liquer and cigarettes. It's very like one of the dodgey Asian or Middle Eastern borders or frontier towns you see in Bond movies. In no mans land between the 2 gates there are dozens of stalls selling everything from Lao Lao to DVD players and at knock down prices. I bought a bottle of Lao Lao, sticky rice basket and some bangin' Lao tunes. Well actually a CD of cheesey Thai pop music of the type we have gotten used to hearing on the busses.
It's a fair walk and at immigration we fill out a few forms and get stamped out. This is it. Bye bye Laos but it's by no means the end of the adventure. At immigration we pass a group of what I would call the 'beautiful people'. Travellers who really can't get over themselves cos they are so cool. 'Here look everyone I've got a guitar!' Anyway we've seen these guys on and off through Laos but only in the easier places. Never off the beaten track and always in bar with a cigarette (and never actually playing the bloddy guitar!). They're not very cool today though. They thought that the visa was for 60 days because it said 30 days on it or cos they forgot what month it was. They are slapped with a huge $250 fine..... wooohoooo! 'What are we gonna do man?'... 'Bye now, have a nice trip'. Amused me anyway. They had always been too cool to talk to us before. Oh I'm being mean aren't I.
The Thai side of the border is being heavily moderised which is a sign of the kind of goods traffic flowing into an increasingly free Laos. Seeing this I realise I came just in time. For now though you have to walk around the modern terminal, which is under construction, and through a muddy market with live fish, almost live meat and all the other usual Asian Market goodies. You can get a live eel or a set of neon lights for your scooter just like duty free back home?! It's another long walk to the bus stop. We had planned to try and get as far as Ubon Ratchethani and then get the night train to Bangkok maybe stopping at Ayuthaya on the way. There's not direct bus to Ubon. We have to get a 2 hour pickup to Pik Bun and then a local bus, 1 hour, to Ubon. It's cheap though which is good cos we're low on Thai cash and I have to do a crafty dollar exchange. There isn't much cover here either and we're cold so Anett cracks open a bottle of Lao Lao, she really is East German, and takes a big swig! I'm quite shocked but it's a bloody good idea and gives instant warmth. Before long though we're on our way in a very chilly Sawngthaew (pickup if you remember... or literally translated 2 bench). It's obvious we are back in Thailand as the people are so lovely and we are chatted to by a few interested locals. It's still unusual for travellers to cross this border. They are amused by us. A little surprised by the swigging from the lao lao bottle in the brown paper bag too.
There's a quick transfer to a small bus at Pik Bun and there's a monk on board too! That must be good luck. We evetually pull into the train station and it's getting dark now. The bus driver goes without being paid though...oh well? Enquiring about the night train we find it's full but we can come back when it departs at 7 and go on standbye if someone cancels. The man is very helpful and gives us numbers for flights and buses and after a call we find there is a flight to Bangkok in 1 1/2 hours. I couldn't seem to get through to the book on the phone so we thought we'd have a gamble and go to the airport forfitting the bus and train. I had rung my uncle in Bangkok and my cousin who I had never met was over from LA but leaving that night. Also my aunt from Iran who I hadn't seen for about 20 odd years was over from Tehran so it was a good idea to go say Hi. It was gonna be close though. A Hilux pickup was touting for business outside and I had a haggle. A big friendly Thai policeman who had given us directions kindly helped us get the price down and with a wink waved us towards the pickup. 30 minutes later we were at the airport but the last Thai airways flight was full. We were offered the chance to go on standby and with nothing better to do we took it. We were last on the list though. We got some money grabbed some food and waited. I wasn't too hopeful but what the hell. the flight left at 20.15 and we had to come back at 20.00 to find out if we had a seat. At 20.00 the man went slowly through the list and finally got to us. He said 'Go buy a ticket quick!' so we bought a ticket, XRay'd the bags, checked in went through xray, ran to the plain, buckled up and took off in 10 minutes flat. On the plane Anett and myself had a good giggle even though we were sat in different rows. It was very amusing to us that we had been in a bamboo hut on the beach that morning and after an amazing journey were now on a 737 smelling like shit with a load of Thai business men on our way to Bangkok.
Arriving in Bangkok the contrast of the days journey was amazing. We queued for a taxi and luckily got a really good one. He flew across town to my uncles going on the tolled express way and we arrived in time to have a few drinks with my cousin Kian and see my aunt Keyvan. We were nackered but it didn't seem to matter. It was an fantastic journey as we started with no real idea where we would get to. After 30 minutes in a wooden boat with a single cyclinder engine, 3 hours on a local bus, a tuk tuk, a 2 hour Sawngthaew, a 30 minute walk across the border, a 2 hour Sawngthaew, a 1 hour local bus, a 30 minute pickup, a 1 hour flight, and a 45 minute taxi ride we had gone from a bamboo hut on the Mekong in Laos to my uncles chique abode in Bangkok. It's a journey I will never forget and was great fun. Mind you half a bottle of Lao Lao had dissappeared. We laughed about it a lot and slept very well that night.
At that point we didn't know there was a lot more craziness to come.
Again I'm behind with emails and am now in Sydney getting ready to go to Alice Springs in the morning but I'll catch up ASAP.
Lotsa love,
Kaveh.
Having decided to leave after just 1 day we prepared for the boat ride at 7am the next day. I slept ok ... and it rained a lot through the night. We had hired a couple of bikes the day before and when I woke up one was gone!!! but thankfully the guesthouse owner had just taken it to do some shopping. People down here seem to have even less than the people in the north. They are sweet but a little more difficult sometimes. The Mekong is very beautiful as usual. It does have a certain magic. Having taken the bikes back we got on the boat with a Scottish girl who was also leaving. As we boarded the boat it began to drissle lightly. I thought nothing of it as it had rained through the night and so I thought it was done raining. I had gotten used to the northern weather which had been so dry through February but by now it was March. As we set off the heavens opened. Of course Anett had suggested I wore a rain coat but of course I knew better. I got completely and utterly soaked like I've never been soaked before. I cradled my extremely non waterproof camera bag and wrapped myself around it in a attempt to keep it dry. Of course Frau Brummer (Anett) had a rucksack with a rain cap, she had a rain coat too with a hood. All my bagage was from Bangkok and was cheap imitation but I have to say it worked pretty well!!! Well sometimes....it didn't do my back much good.
Although we were being soaked, the Mekong was actually offering us one more extra special treat before we left. The heavy rain made the river even more beautiful. It looked fantastic! The rain was so heavy it made a mist which hung over the river and in this spray small wooden boats floated on the now completely flat surface with fisherman wearing only shorts sitting on the boats looking after their lines or making a break for the shore. In the background the palm trees were silhouetted by the sun. As we arrive at shore I climbed out into the water and pulled the boat to sure. The boat driver was bailing frantically by now. The rain of course stopped as soon as we got there. Now we had the long walk up to the bus again... still makes no sense. The bus driver had no tickets so the driver scribles Pakse on a piece of paper, tears it off and gives it to me. 'There you ticket!'....erm ok....I hope so! Anett is very amused when I give her the ticket. I think she still has it.
The bus was meant to leave at 9 but we have the usual wait until they have found a customer for every space which means sitting in a grubby food shop out of the intermittant rain until the bus looks like it might go. Whilst sipping my cafe lao (if that doesn't wake you up you're dead!) we are joined by a French man about my age, who has just come through Turkey, Iran, India, Vietnam and Cambodia. We have a chat about Iran for a while. He seems to have loved Iran and tells me it is easier to travel there than Cambodia! Cool.... think it's time to go back maybe?! Hmmm. Anyway the bus starts to look like it might go, so we get on. After a while another bus from Pakse pulls up and we spot Craig sitting on it. I call him over and tell him we're off. He's a bit surprised 'So it's that interesting here huh?!'...'fraid so.... byyyeeee!'. And we're off.
The bus conductor on this trip is interesting. He's built like a Thai boxer and is imaculately turned out in jeans and a white t-shirt. Very James Dean. He's very talkative to the locals and seems to love his job. It looks as if he's a retired contender who has packed up the gloves and is happy to work away on the buses. He is so switched on and makes sure everything runs right. I like it when these people are around as you have a sense of security about the trip. 3 hours later as we approach Pakse we stop and a tuk tuk driver gets on. He's poaching passengers. I recognise him..... it's the same dodgey driver with no papers that we had the other day. I warned a couple of interested tourists off and we're on our way again. Arriving at the southern bus station it's more of the same and we jump into the least chaotic tuk tuk to take us to the another bus station. Our plan is to get to Thai border at Chong Mek and cross by land. There is a pick up bus waiting to go when we arrive but we decide to slow things down a bit and refuse the shared pick up so that we can get fed and watered. Allegedly the next one leaves in an hour and after a rest we stroll through the very smelly market to find some Thai or Lao pop music. The language barrier had gotten huge down south and it was a struggle to get what we wanted so we headed back to the bus to negotiate. Problem is a bus left a short while ago and now are probably gonna have to wait till the bus is full before it goes. The taxis are pricey but we're getting impatient and would like to go now. A taxi driver took advantage and offered a good price and I asked to get our bags down but I've caused a problem now... the driver won't take the bags down and wants to do a deal. I try my best to wriggle out but I can't and realise quickly that this could get ugly and I remember giving Anett a very helpless look..... Help! We ended up chartering the whole pickup for a few dollars and to be honest who cares it. It was worth it. It's a long drive and we're tired and it's a welcome relief not to have our knees up around our ears for a change. Or have chickens pecking you or rat pee drip on you or..... (Lonely Planet's 'South East Asia on a shoe string suggests avoiding places where you may come into contact with live poulty in order to prevent contracting avian bird flu... In South East Asia!? Yeah OK!!! Are you taking the piss!?!?).
The earlier break in the weather and the massive rain fall has caused a real drop in temperature. For the first time in a long while it's very chilly even though it's midday. I'm still damp too and feeling the cold. The open pickup makes this even more noticeable. Arriving at the border we pass a massive queue of very old trucks waiting to transport goods across the border and are plonked at the barrier where there are stalls setup selling liquer and cigarettes. It's very like one of the dodgey Asian or Middle Eastern borders or frontier towns you see in Bond movies. In no mans land between the 2 gates there are dozens of stalls selling everything from Lao Lao to DVD players and at knock down prices. I bought a bottle of Lao Lao, sticky rice basket and some bangin' Lao tunes. Well actually a CD of cheesey Thai pop music of the type we have gotten used to hearing on the busses.
It's a fair walk and at immigration we fill out a few forms and get stamped out. This is it. Bye bye Laos but it's by no means the end of the adventure. At immigration we pass a group of what I would call the 'beautiful people'. Travellers who really can't get over themselves cos they are so cool. 'Here look everyone I've got a guitar!' Anyway we've seen these guys on and off through Laos but only in the easier places. Never off the beaten track and always in bar with a cigarette (and never actually playing the bloddy guitar!). They're not very cool today though. They thought that the visa was for 60 days because it said 30 days on it or cos they forgot what month it was. They are slapped with a huge $250 fine..... wooohoooo! 'What are we gonna do man?'... 'Bye now, have a nice trip'. Amused me anyway. They had always been too cool to talk to us before. Oh I'm being mean aren't I.
The Thai side of the border is being heavily moderised which is a sign of the kind of goods traffic flowing into an increasingly free Laos. Seeing this I realise I came just in time. For now though you have to walk around the modern terminal, which is under construction, and through a muddy market with live fish, almost live meat and all the other usual Asian Market goodies. You can get a live eel or a set of neon lights for your scooter just like duty free back home?! It's another long walk to the bus stop. We had planned to try and get as far as Ubon Ratchethani and then get the night train to Bangkok maybe stopping at Ayuthaya on the way. There's not direct bus to Ubon. We have to get a 2 hour pickup to Pik Bun and then a local bus, 1 hour, to Ubon. It's cheap though which is good cos we're low on Thai cash and I have to do a crafty dollar exchange. There isn't much cover here either and we're cold so Anett cracks open a bottle of Lao Lao, she really is East German, and takes a big swig! I'm quite shocked but it's a bloody good idea and gives instant warmth. Before long though we're on our way in a very chilly Sawngthaew (pickup if you remember... or literally translated 2 bench). It's obvious we are back in Thailand as the people are so lovely and we are chatted to by a few interested locals. It's still unusual for travellers to cross this border. They are amused by us. A little surprised by the swigging from the lao lao bottle in the brown paper bag too.
There's a quick transfer to a small bus at Pik Bun and there's a monk on board too! That must be good luck. We evetually pull into the train station and it's getting dark now. The bus driver goes without being paid though...oh well? Enquiring about the night train we find it's full but we can come back when it departs at 7 and go on standbye if someone cancels. The man is very helpful and gives us numbers for flights and buses and after a call we find there is a flight to Bangkok in 1 1/2 hours. I couldn't seem to get through to the book on the phone so we thought we'd have a gamble and go to the airport forfitting the bus and train. I had rung my uncle in Bangkok and my cousin who I had never met was over from LA but leaving that night. Also my aunt from Iran who I hadn't seen for about 20 odd years was over from Tehran so it was a good idea to go say Hi. It was gonna be close though. A Hilux pickup was touting for business outside and I had a haggle. A big friendly Thai policeman who had given us directions kindly helped us get the price down and with a wink waved us towards the pickup. 30 minutes later we were at the airport but the last Thai airways flight was full. We were offered the chance to go on standby and with nothing better to do we took it. We were last on the list though. We got some money grabbed some food and waited. I wasn't too hopeful but what the hell. the flight left at 20.15 and we had to come back at 20.00 to find out if we had a seat. At 20.00 the man went slowly through the list and finally got to us. He said 'Go buy a ticket quick!' so we bought a ticket, XRay'd the bags, checked in went through xray, ran to the plain, buckled up and took off in 10 minutes flat. On the plane Anett and myself had a good giggle even though we were sat in different rows. It was very amusing to us that we had been in a bamboo hut on the beach that morning and after an amazing journey were now on a 737 smelling like shit with a load of Thai business men on our way to Bangkok.
Arriving in Bangkok the contrast of the days journey was amazing. We queued for a taxi and luckily got a really good one. He flew across town to my uncles going on the tolled express way and we arrived in time to have a few drinks with my cousin Kian and see my aunt Keyvan. We were nackered but it didn't seem to matter. It was an fantastic journey as we started with no real idea where we would get to. After 30 minutes in a wooden boat with a single cyclinder engine, 3 hours on a local bus, a tuk tuk, a 2 hour Sawngthaew, a 30 minute walk across the border, a 2 hour Sawngthaew, a 1 hour local bus, a 30 minute pickup, a 1 hour flight, and a 45 minute taxi ride we had gone from a bamboo hut on the Mekong in Laos to my uncles chique abode in Bangkok. It's a journey I will never forget and was great fun. Mind you half a bottle of Lao Lao had dissappeared. We laughed about it a lot and slept very well that night.
At that point we didn't know there was a lot more craziness to come.
Again I'm behind with emails and am now in Sydney getting ready to go to Alice Springs in the morning but I'll catch up ASAP.
Lotsa love,
Kaveh.
March 28, 2005
Through Laos to the south
Oh dear I've left it too long without emailing again. This email is gonna be huge. The last month has been a little mad.
Last time I was in Luang Prabang waiting for the lens to turn up. I clicked send, walked next door and a big package was sitting on the counter with my name on it. Thank goodness!!! Mr. Bee had sent a bike to pick it up from the airport which was very nice. After a day with nothing to do but relax and get cleaned up I was now back in moving mode again and I contemplated the late bus which left in an hour.... it was now about 7pm. The bus runs through the night along the infamous route 13 and arrives in Vang Vieng at 3am. It was an unsavoury thought so I got in bed and decided to go for the 6.30 am bus instead the next morning.
The next morning I got up at 5 and headed for the bus station in the dark of morning. I was just in time as there was a husstle going on at the ticket office for the last tickets between a few travellers and some strange competition for tickets between some locals who were buying bulk tickets for other buses? Never worked that out, but they were irritating the man in the office. Anyway I got one of the last 5 tickets which meant a ride on the dreaded back seat. The back seat is the worst as it suffers the most from the bumpy roads, twists and bends. We pulled out early. The bus was a bigger long distance bus. It was fast too and the driver really got a move on. Again he was an excellent driver. Route 13 is notoious and regarded as the most dangerous journey in Laos amongst travellers thanks to Lonely Planets relentless promotion of attacks on vehicles by Mong bandits. In 2003 a few Swiss tourists were killed when the bus was ambushed and a number of passngers were shot. There were many attacks like this but Lonely Planet have over publicised this and travellers have over romanticised about it I think. The government have stamped these attacks out pretty much and we have a guard with a Kalashnikov on the bus as do all buses on this route. He's very relaxed dressed in civilian clothes with the gun hanging from his index finger as he merrily helps people with their bags using the other hand. It is a genuine risk though. The Mong are very anti government and generally live in villages in the hills where it has been very difficult to govern them. They are also famed for being the same tribe recruited by the CIA during Americas secret war on Laos to fight the cummunist Pathet Lao and the Vietnamese coming across the border. Many of these people are still hiding in the hills in the north near China and have been hunted for 40 years by the Lao government because of this.
Previously I hadn't described the landscape of northern Laos very much as I hadn't found good words. Basically if you imagine the harsh mountainous hills of Afganistan notorious for their difficulty. Now take the densest most beautiful Thai jungle and rice paddies and drop it onto the mountainous landscape and you're getting close and this is why the bus rides in the north had been so harsh. To take a picture that shows the beauty of Laos is very difficult. I have poured over any photographic book I can find while here and very few images really capture it. Many are very good but you have to be here. It's beauty isn't merely visual. It's harshness adds something that you can't capture in an image. The only images have seen that really get it are the portraits of the people in the fields taken by my good friend 'Cheeseburger'. Going south now, I expected the landscape to flatten fairly quickly as I thought the difficulty associated with route 13 was the banditry but the landscape gets even more mountainous and harsh. The road follows the land faithfully and this makes for a rough ride. Along the road there are many stilted villages perched precariously on the hillside. The scene is extraordinarily beautiful. After some time we pass a wrecked bus the same as ours. It has been at the layby for sometime. The small gathering of houses and huts around it have also been abandoned and the damage to the bus looks like that caused by gun fire. I wonder if it is the notorious bus from 2003??? I never find out but after a short while we pass several very young civilian clothed men carrying Kalashnikovs and as we stop for a pee break, more pass the bus, some uniformed some not so. Any ambush on a vehicle in these hills would impossible to escape from. The road is too difficult to make a hasty get away and the dangers feel very real when in such close proximity to these weapons, but this is exagerated in the mind by the Lonely Planet stories which amount to 1 attack 2 years ago. I have gotten used to seeing the home made hunting rifles Lao people often carry but these are a very different kind of gun.
Later we pass an overturned truck full of motorbikes and guarded by more men with guns and I become relaxed. It appears to just be how things are. The road begins to relent a little and after what seems like far too long and an unexpected food break we get to Vang Vieng. The journey took it's toll on me a little as I had been sat next to an American journalist intent on talking politics and as with all Asian busses the driver had played dreadful Asian pop music as load as possible the whole way. After 7 hours we pull into Vang Vieng and it's not what I had expected and is basically an abandoned American airstrip, quite a large one, surrounded by a small town next to the river on a flat plane between limestone hills. I eventually met up with Anett and Craig who had been tubing all day. This is a famed local attraction and involves sitting in truck tyre inner tube and flowing down river stopping every once in a while to drink beer or smoke yourself stupid on Opium or weed served from the river bank. Whilst waiting for them to arrive one man stands in the river giggling insanely at the water and making strange noises. He does this for a good half hour whilst elephants cross the river and backpackers sunbathe. Basically Vang Vieng is Laos trying to be Thailand and I instantly want to leave. Tubing for 4 hours is too boring for me and it also seems to be a little too long for Anett.
As the evening goes on Craig makes it known that he is coming all the way with us. For me however the old saying 'two's company, three's a crowd' couldn't be more true. Anett and myself have developed a travelling system which works so well and which suits what we want very well but Craig's presence just throws it off balance. He has no real plan or idea and is very happy to just get stuck in places. We decide to go to Vientiane the next morning very early at 6 and he expresses his dislike but I want to get a move on and we know the advantages of getting the 1st bus. Not sure how Anett feels I ask later and she too is not happy with him tagging on.
Sure enough, the next morning Craig oversleeps and we are left waiting. He then produces Thai baht at the bus station having had 2 days to change money so I am left paying for his food and bus ticket. I then find out that he owes Anett money too which is just not on. It is important that you travel with people who you an understanding with and it's clear that Craig wants to travel with us to save money rather than because we get on well so we decide that we will have to leave him in Vientiane.
The journey to Vientiane is very different, for a start it's only 3-4 hours. We are on the local bus rather than the Express I was on the previous day and I feel much more comfortable even though there is a motorbike filling the ayle along with the now standard sacks of rice. The road is also flatter and straighter and the scenery as usual is very good. I am also happier as I missed Anett's company the day before (Having a travel buddy has many hidden benefits. You don't have to talk to the person next to you if you don't want but if you do you can). As we pull into Vientiane I am surprised to find a very visually interesting town it is the most westernised part of Laos we have been to... well being the capital it is the most westerised part of Laos period. The town is very relaxed and has a really nice feel. It has visual aspects of Saigon, Hanoi and Phnom Phen but with a very relaxed Laos atmosphere. There is also a hint of the middle east about it???. A very nice tuk tuk driver takes us to a guest house and we check in before taking a look at the town. In order to press on and to shake off Craig myself and Anett book a VIP night bus to Pakse in the south for the following evening but are left wondering if we will want more time here.
By day Vientiane is very nice with a great climate, lovely food and friendly relaxed people. The Mekong river is also very pretty in the warm red sunset and on the other side Thailand is almost close enough to touch, this being a border point with crossings being made on the friendship bridge over the river. At night the town changes very much and there is very little to do... well not much anyway. This is when the NGO population are very visible. They drive around in $50,000 Land Cruisers and sip cool Beer Lao in bars whilst doted on by very pretty local dirls eger to hook a Farang man. Relations out of marriage with a foreigner are illegal in Laos but this seems to be overlooked here. NGO's apparently earn huge salaries to do very little from what I hear. I had experienced them further north. When waiting for my boats to leave they would pull up in a 4x4 dressed like jungle Jim in matching Kaki and smuggly charter a whole boat for 4 people whilst looking on at us with smugg smerks. I don't like what the NGO's are doing here. While the Laos people have so little and don't even have pens for schools, NGO's prance around earning 6 figure salaries to take surveys on how many children go to school or... what people thing of sanitation... or something rubbish like that.
Anyway after we spend 1 night and 2 days in Vientiane we are satisfied that we have seen enough. Another day would be ok but not necessary. A tuk tuk picks us up from the guest house and after saying goodbye to Craig, we are taken to a small bus by the river... is this a VIP bus!!?? Thankfully no. This bus takes us to the bus terminal where we board a very nice coach. The bigger towns in Laos all operate like this with a north and south bus station and tuk tuks shuttling you between them. The bus heads out of town and we settle down to try and sleep. 30 mins later the pop music starts and a large number of baby faced 18 year old spotty backpackers in the back, resite very boring travel stories largely consisting of the words 'maaaannn', 'ya know', 'like' and 'yeaaahhhh' with so few other words being used that I can't establish if any information is actually being exchanged. So not much sleep for me. I find the drive amazing though as the driver is very good and very fast, apexing corners on the wrong side of the road. He is on a real mission and after a couple of hours it's clear why. We stop to deliver parts and fix another VIP bus. We make many stops in the night including 1 at Savanakhet, a large town half way down.
After 10 hours and some very flat rural landscapes we pull into Pakse. As soon as the door opens a tuk tuk driver gets on and starst harassing me! I ask him to get off and I'll think about it when I get off so he waits by the door and as soon as my foot touches the ground he starts again!!! Oh god. Our proximity to Cambodia is all of a sudden all to obvious and the relaxed Laoness as I call it has gone. Anett negotiates a tuk tuk and we take off. On the way the police pull all the tuk tuks over to do a license check and ours is the only one with no papers! Great. Eventually we give and jump into another. He then gets stopped by a bus going to Si Pan Don, trying to poach passengers before they get to the station. We turn him down as it seem a little suspect and get to the station where the 1st bus going appears to be pickup for the same price as the nice bus we turned down....DAMN!! Ah well. We get on, but the legit bus behind is really pissed off as the pickup has poached all his passengers. We don't want to wait for that bus though as we want to get a room but the bus driver attempts to ram us and then to cut us off but we make a quick get away...phew! 3 hours later we are chucked out and told to walk down to the boat pier. There is a road but he won't go down it.... this is a real nonsense and irritates as we are tired and have big packs. At the pier we have another haggle on our hands. Me and Anett want to go to the smaller quieter island but they won't take us unless we charter a whole boat.. although he doesn't tell us this and it gets very confusing. In the end it works out and we just pay up and go.
This is where the Mekong river seperates into an archipelago forming 'Si pan don' or '4000 islands'. It's very shallow and we bottom out the tiny wooden long tail boat frequently. Bit scarey!!! Arriving I just give in to the first guest house we find and we have a bamboo hut on the river. And so we crash with exhaustion. Whilst the river is beautiful here we are left feeling uninspired as it does not hold the same magic as the north. On further inspection there is little to do and the place is full of backpacker types who are only interested in smoking themselves silly including an English guy who arrived 6 months ago and decided this was the place to start a guest house. Since then he has been making a lot of plans. This seems to involve waking up, smoking, havinjg a nap, smoking, walking around, smoking, having another smoke and then...... smoking! A unanimous decision is made that we will leave the next day... despite the huge effort made to get here we have had enough and will head to Thailand.
That was nearly a month ago and will have to carry on in another email as my eyes are too tired.
Missing you all a lot.
Love, Kaveh
Last time I was in Luang Prabang waiting for the lens to turn up. I clicked send, walked next door and a big package was sitting on the counter with my name on it. Thank goodness!!! Mr. Bee had sent a bike to pick it up from the airport which was very nice. After a day with nothing to do but relax and get cleaned up I was now back in moving mode again and I contemplated the late bus which left in an hour.... it was now about 7pm. The bus runs through the night along the infamous route 13 and arrives in Vang Vieng at 3am. It was an unsavoury thought so I got in bed and decided to go for the 6.30 am bus instead the next morning.
The next morning I got up at 5 and headed for the bus station in the dark of morning. I was just in time as there was a husstle going on at the ticket office for the last tickets between a few travellers and some strange competition for tickets between some locals who were buying bulk tickets for other buses? Never worked that out, but they were irritating the man in the office. Anyway I got one of the last 5 tickets which meant a ride on the dreaded back seat. The back seat is the worst as it suffers the most from the bumpy roads, twists and bends. We pulled out early. The bus was a bigger long distance bus. It was fast too and the driver really got a move on. Again he was an excellent driver. Route 13 is notoious and regarded as the most dangerous journey in Laos amongst travellers thanks to Lonely Planets relentless promotion of attacks on vehicles by Mong bandits. In 2003 a few Swiss tourists were killed when the bus was ambushed and a number of passngers were shot. There were many attacks like this but Lonely Planet have over publicised this and travellers have over romanticised about it I think. The government have stamped these attacks out pretty much and we have a guard with a Kalashnikov on the bus as do all buses on this route. He's very relaxed dressed in civilian clothes with the gun hanging from his index finger as he merrily helps people with their bags using the other hand. It is a genuine risk though. The Mong are very anti government and generally live in villages in the hills where it has been very difficult to govern them. They are also famed for being the same tribe recruited by the CIA during Americas secret war on Laos to fight the cummunist Pathet Lao and the Vietnamese coming across the border. Many of these people are still hiding in the hills in the north near China and have been hunted for 40 years by the Lao government because of this.
Previously I hadn't described the landscape of northern Laos very much as I hadn't found good words. Basically if you imagine the harsh mountainous hills of Afganistan notorious for their difficulty. Now take the densest most beautiful Thai jungle and rice paddies and drop it onto the mountainous landscape and you're getting close and this is why the bus rides in the north had been so harsh. To take a picture that shows the beauty of Laos is very difficult. I have poured over any photographic book I can find while here and very few images really capture it. Many are very good but you have to be here. It's beauty isn't merely visual. It's harshness adds something that you can't capture in an image. The only images have seen that really get it are the portraits of the people in the fields taken by my good friend 'Cheeseburger'. Going south now, I expected the landscape to flatten fairly quickly as I thought the difficulty associated with route 13 was the banditry but the landscape gets even more mountainous and harsh. The road follows the land faithfully and this makes for a rough ride. Along the road there are many stilted villages perched precariously on the hillside. The scene is extraordinarily beautiful. After some time we pass a wrecked bus the same as ours. It has been at the layby for sometime. The small gathering of houses and huts around it have also been abandoned and the damage to the bus looks like that caused by gun fire. I wonder if it is the notorious bus from 2003??? I never find out but after a short while we pass several very young civilian clothed men carrying Kalashnikovs and as we stop for a pee break, more pass the bus, some uniformed some not so. Any ambush on a vehicle in these hills would impossible to escape from. The road is too difficult to make a hasty get away and the dangers feel very real when in such close proximity to these weapons, but this is exagerated in the mind by the Lonely Planet stories which amount to 1 attack 2 years ago. I have gotten used to seeing the home made hunting rifles Lao people often carry but these are a very different kind of gun.
Later we pass an overturned truck full of motorbikes and guarded by more men with guns and I become relaxed. It appears to just be how things are. The road begins to relent a little and after what seems like far too long and an unexpected food break we get to Vang Vieng. The journey took it's toll on me a little as I had been sat next to an American journalist intent on talking politics and as with all Asian busses the driver had played dreadful Asian pop music as load as possible the whole way. After 7 hours we pull into Vang Vieng and it's not what I had expected and is basically an abandoned American airstrip, quite a large one, surrounded by a small town next to the river on a flat plane between limestone hills. I eventually met up with Anett and Craig who had been tubing all day. This is a famed local attraction and involves sitting in truck tyre inner tube and flowing down river stopping every once in a while to drink beer or smoke yourself stupid on Opium or weed served from the river bank. Whilst waiting for them to arrive one man stands in the river giggling insanely at the water and making strange noises. He does this for a good half hour whilst elephants cross the river and backpackers sunbathe. Basically Vang Vieng is Laos trying to be Thailand and I instantly want to leave. Tubing for 4 hours is too boring for me and it also seems to be a little too long for Anett.
As the evening goes on Craig makes it known that he is coming all the way with us. For me however the old saying 'two's company, three's a crowd' couldn't be more true. Anett and myself have developed a travelling system which works so well and which suits what we want very well but Craig's presence just throws it off balance. He has no real plan or idea and is very happy to just get stuck in places. We decide to go to Vientiane the next morning very early at 6 and he expresses his dislike but I want to get a move on and we know the advantages of getting the 1st bus. Not sure how Anett feels I ask later and she too is not happy with him tagging on.
Sure enough, the next morning Craig oversleeps and we are left waiting. He then produces Thai baht at the bus station having had 2 days to change money so I am left paying for his food and bus ticket. I then find out that he owes Anett money too which is just not on. It is important that you travel with people who you an understanding with and it's clear that Craig wants to travel with us to save money rather than because we get on well so we decide that we will have to leave him in Vientiane.
The journey to Vientiane is very different, for a start it's only 3-4 hours. We are on the local bus rather than the Express I was on the previous day and I feel much more comfortable even though there is a motorbike filling the ayle along with the now standard sacks of rice. The road is also flatter and straighter and the scenery as usual is very good. I am also happier as I missed Anett's company the day before (Having a travel buddy has many hidden benefits. You don't have to talk to the person next to you if you don't want but if you do you can). As we pull into Vientiane I am surprised to find a very visually interesting town it is the most westernised part of Laos we have been to... well being the capital it is the most westerised part of Laos period. The town is very relaxed and has a really nice feel. It has visual aspects of Saigon, Hanoi and Phnom Phen but with a very relaxed Laos atmosphere. There is also a hint of the middle east about it???. A very nice tuk tuk driver takes us to a guest house and we check in before taking a look at the town. In order to press on and to shake off Craig myself and Anett book a VIP night bus to Pakse in the south for the following evening but are left wondering if we will want more time here.
By day Vientiane is very nice with a great climate, lovely food and friendly relaxed people. The Mekong river is also very pretty in the warm red sunset and on the other side Thailand is almost close enough to touch, this being a border point with crossings being made on the friendship bridge over the river. At night the town changes very much and there is very little to do... well not much anyway. This is when the NGO population are very visible. They drive around in $50,000 Land Cruisers and sip cool Beer Lao in bars whilst doted on by very pretty local dirls eger to hook a Farang man. Relations out of marriage with a foreigner are illegal in Laos but this seems to be overlooked here. NGO's apparently earn huge salaries to do very little from what I hear. I had experienced them further north. When waiting for my boats to leave they would pull up in a 4x4 dressed like jungle Jim in matching Kaki and smuggly charter a whole boat for 4 people whilst looking on at us with smugg smerks. I don't like what the NGO's are doing here. While the Laos people have so little and don't even have pens for schools, NGO's prance around earning 6 figure salaries to take surveys on how many children go to school or... what people thing of sanitation... or something rubbish like that.
Anyway after we spend 1 night and 2 days in Vientiane we are satisfied that we have seen enough. Another day would be ok but not necessary. A tuk tuk picks us up from the guest house and after saying goodbye to Craig, we are taken to a small bus by the river... is this a VIP bus!!?? Thankfully no. This bus takes us to the bus terminal where we board a very nice coach. The bigger towns in Laos all operate like this with a north and south bus station and tuk tuks shuttling you between them. The bus heads out of town and we settle down to try and sleep. 30 mins later the pop music starts and a large number of baby faced 18 year old spotty backpackers in the back, resite very boring travel stories largely consisting of the words 'maaaannn', 'ya know', 'like' and 'yeaaahhhh' with so few other words being used that I can't establish if any information is actually being exchanged. So not much sleep for me. I find the drive amazing though as the driver is very good and very fast, apexing corners on the wrong side of the road. He is on a real mission and after a couple of hours it's clear why. We stop to deliver parts and fix another VIP bus. We make many stops in the night including 1 at Savanakhet, a large town half way down.
After 10 hours and some very flat rural landscapes we pull into Pakse. As soon as the door opens a tuk tuk driver gets on and starst harassing me! I ask him to get off and I'll think about it when I get off so he waits by the door and as soon as my foot touches the ground he starts again!!! Oh god. Our proximity to Cambodia is all of a sudden all to obvious and the relaxed Laoness as I call it has gone. Anett negotiates a tuk tuk and we take off. On the way the police pull all the tuk tuks over to do a license check and ours is the only one with no papers! Great. Eventually we give and jump into another. He then gets stopped by a bus going to Si Pan Don, trying to poach passengers before they get to the station. We turn him down as it seem a little suspect and get to the station where the 1st bus going appears to be pickup for the same price as the nice bus we turned down....DAMN!! Ah well. We get on, but the legit bus behind is really pissed off as the pickup has poached all his passengers. We don't want to wait for that bus though as we want to get a room but the bus driver attempts to ram us and then to cut us off but we make a quick get away...phew! 3 hours later we are chucked out and told to walk down to the boat pier. There is a road but he won't go down it.... this is a real nonsense and irritates as we are tired and have big packs. At the pier we have another haggle on our hands. Me and Anett want to go to the smaller quieter island but they won't take us unless we charter a whole boat.. although he doesn't tell us this and it gets very confusing. In the end it works out and we just pay up and go.
This is where the Mekong river seperates into an archipelago forming 'Si pan don' or '4000 islands'. It's very shallow and we bottom out the tiny wooden long tail boat frequently. Bit scarey!!! Arriving I just give in to the first guest house we find and we have a bamboo hut on the river. And so we crash with exhaustion. Whilst the river is beautiful here we are left feeling uninspired as it does not hold the same magic as the north. On further inspection there is little to do and the place is full of backpacker types who are only interested in smoking themselves silly including an English guy who arrived 6 months ago and decided this was the place to start a guest house. Since then he has been making a lot of plans. This seems to involve waking up, smoking, havinjg a nap, smoking, walking around, smoking, having another smoke and then...... smoking! A unanimous decision is made that we will leave the next day... despite the huge effort made to get here we have had enough and will head to Thailand.
That was nearly a month ago and will have to carry on in another email as my eyes are too tired.
Missing you all a lot.
Love, Kaveh
February 27, 2005
Lovely Luang Prabang and Northern Laos
So we arrivied in Luang Prabang.
Having pulled up at the side of the river and climbed the sandy bank to street level we found a tuk tuk and went with a German woman who knew a good guesthouse. We checked in to our 4 dollar room and went out to see a bit of the town. I made a list of good photo opertunities as well for the next day so that I could do some work. On the way we hired bicycles and went to the night market. I had a Lao meal called Orlam with deer which was very tastey and very different to the other asian food I've had so far. The night market is fantastic and is totally hastle free and peaceful with lots of stalls selling local handicrafts. It's lit with naked bulbs cabled to local shops and buildings. Generally the stalls are run by women and are neatly laid out on the ground along the street.
The whole town looks fantastic. It is apparent that tourism has had a big effect and is still on the slow increase. There are many internet cafes but the architecture is very old and mostly from the days of the French colonies. After a not so good sleep from the noise I went out with the camera but as I set up by the river the camera jammed. On closer inspection it was clear that one lens had taken a knock on the boat trip and was now broken. This was very bad as it was my favourite lens for that camera and the landscape lens which was what I wanted in Laos. It would take a few days of calls and emails interupted by power cuts and an 8 hour time difference to arrange another to be sent from London.
In the evening we went to the night market to eat at the food stalls. The grilled mekong fish was delicious and we also had a big noodle soup prepared by a big lady with a small girl of about 8 wealding a knife as big as herself. They start young out here! After a couple of gin and tonics we headed home. Unfortunately the next morning Anett's stomach was not happy and had dissagreed with the Mekong fish. The room was also too noisey to sleep so we moved to the very nice Mano guest house at 8 dollars for a very nice room. We got alot of sleep and Anett got better. She agreed to take a short trip north and come back for the package and so we spent our last day cycling to the grave of Henri Mouhot who is known for descoverig Ankor What and exploring Laos. It was a strange place and a long bike ride.... very long. On the way back we played with some sweet kids. One was very cheeky and about 3 or 4. He kept winking and smiling and then came up and threw a broken bottle at me with a big smile on his face. No damage though.
In the afternoon we got a tourist bus to the local waterfalls. This is a very touristy thing to do but you can swim in them and they are very nice. There is also a rope swing which is good fun. They keep a tiger in a cage there also. He/she is very beautiful and quite docile. It's a real tourist trap and on the way back we stop at a whiskey village where they make the local Lao Lao which is very like vodka. It's not a nice place and the kids are pushy when trying to sell stuff. One girl makes a gesture of cutting my throat when I say no thanks! NICE!
After several days exploring the area it's time to move on though and we get up early for the morning bus to Nong Kiew. It's a 3 hour drive and the bus is packed with sacks of rice and bags are piled high on the roof. The seats all fill and then there are people on the floor and next to the driver. It's uncomfortable but the road is not bad and we get there in good time. Anett has left it till we get on the bus though to tell me she hates busses and her mood slowly deteriorates. Nong Kiew isn't the nicest place in the world until you sample the view of the Nam Ou river from the bridge and watch the locals fishing and washing in the river. We book into a very very basic guest house and get some food and I take a look around leaving Anett to find out where she put her sense of humour ;).
We only stay for one night and the next morning we take the 1 hour boat to Muang Noi Neua having heard it is a beautiful area with no road access and all transport via river or foot. The river journey is nice and in much smaller boats than on the Mekong. Arriving in Muang Noi Neua we find a very quiet town with a lot of bamboo bungalows for hire with hamocks on the balcony. It's a struggle to find one so we head to the end of town and finally get the 2 very last ones on the river bank right at the end with a great view of the river. From this village you can trek to some other villages which can only be reached by foot. A local girl convinces us to go fishing with her instead though and we arrange for her and her brother to take us fishing the following afternoon. There are only a few hours of electricity a day and all lights go out at 10pm which is very nice as candle light is used and so we spent the evening with a german girl and an american man and have a few laughs over some Lao Lao.
Next day I get up early and take some pics of the river valley and then relax in my hammock for most of the morning before we make our way to the river for a few hours fishing and with Noi and Eng. They take us up river in their wooden kayak which we all paddle and then lay the nets. Noi encourages the fish into the net by thumping the water with a large bamboo pole and we get quite a few after laying the nets 3 times. We then prepare a BBQ on the sandy river bank and grill the fish which we eat with sticky rice and some vegetables picked by from the bank. It's a great day and the views are amazing as people pass in kayaks singing away. Lao people love singing. We decided to try the big trek to Ban Phong the next day. This involves leaving Muang Noi very early and trekking into the jungle and rice fields to Ban Na 1 hour away. In Ban Na you rent a bungalow and trek the 3 hours to Ban Phong which is a Mong village in the hills. You have to allow 7 hours for this trip as there is no guaranteed accomodation in Ban Phong so time must be allowed for the trek back to Ban Na in daylight and so we set out early the following morning. Arriving in Ban Na we get a bungalow at Chantanom guest house, one of 2 in the village and after a break we set off for Ban Phong. It's a hard trek and we have decided if we have any problems or get lost we will turn back. After one hour we have crossed the river 4 times and it is looking as if we may have made a wrong turn somewhere. The path forks into 3 ahead and trying each we find they don't match the description and so both feeling apprehensive we turn back. This is no bad thing as 7 hours is hard going and on our return to Ban Na we walk to another village 'Ban Huay Bo' 1 hour away. It's a big village with stilted bamboo houses and naked kids running round asking for pens and sometimes money. The locals are keen for us to spend money and it is clear that they are quite poor but also quite happy. It is like being in a time warp and going back 500 years with pigs and chickens wandering around freely. We speak to one woman and she asks if either of us have children. She tells us she has had 8 babies of which only 3 survived. This is a reminder of how poor Laos is and how poor healthcare is. Also reminders of the American bombardment are everywhere. Bomb casings are used as steps or building materials or ornaments etc and there are many. Earlier in Muang Noi I had seen a man preparing breakfast on a fire where he used shell casings to put his pot on. I wasn't sure and asked him and he happily nodded and then with a stick drew a picture and wrote 105 saying 'boooom boooom' to indicate that they were 105 shells. These casing were from the Indochina war and can also be found everywhere. He was very nice as are most people and very jolly.
We spend 2 nigths at Ban Na and get some very good sleep. The guesthouse is run by a very nice family and though we don't want to leave we have to head back for my package in Luang Prabang. Also the experience is being spoiled by an old Swedish sailer who has decided to stay for a while and also seems to think he is the boss round here. He's a real pratt and adores the sound of his own drunken voice so in the morning we get up for the 1 hour walk starting at 7 am and then catch the 6 hour boat down to Luang Prabang. It's a good trip and we are joined by Inis from germany who we had met a few nights before. We don't waste too much time in Luang Prabang and have to make a new plan as the package has not arrived, deciding to go north west this time towards the Chinese border to Luang Namtha via Oudomxai. This involves a 5 hour bus to Oudomxai followed by another 4 hour bus to Luang Namtha and so we split the journey into 2 halves. The road is very rough and unfinished in places and we get to Oudomxai very tired.
Oudomxai is a weird place and very much a frontier town with travellers remaining unhasstled as they are not of much interest to these locals who trade goods with the Chinese. Unsure what to do we take a look at the Stuppa and get chatting to several monks who are incredibly keen to practise their English and learn more and so we exchange english lessons for lessons in Lao culture for 5 hours as well as having a photo session of poloroids and portraits which is great fun. That evening we get some food and notice a big wedding celebration is going on in the restaurant. The people are very nice in Oudomxai and we are invited in but feering a Lao Lao session we kindly decline and head back for an early night.
Our guest house looks very respectable and we are very comfortable but in the night I'm woken to find Anett standing on my bed shreeking...'It's a rat It's a rat Kaveh!' I think I'm dreaming and go back to sleep but she wakes me again and when I realise what's going on I jump up and stand on the bed too. I can hear it moving. It had been wriggling under her pillow after finding a lolly pop on the table...YUK!!! And it was big! Like a cat. I went downstairs and tried to tell the uninterested staff which involved doing a rat impression that made them wet themselves and the drawing a picture which horrified them and so we swapped rooms. Apparently rats dig holes in the mattresses and hide there...EW! So no sleep after that and a 6 am start to Namtha. I felt like crap. It's a long very hard drive which makes some locals throw up out of the window and when we arrive I'm nackered so we grab the closest guesthouse. I'm now so tired that it's my turn for a sense of humour failure and so I sleep the day away top make it up.
I'm a little unsure of Namtha at first. The place is ugly and the Acka tribes women pester you. One very agressive woman comes up to sell me bracelets. She's about 45 and when I refuse whispers cager cager in an evil voice with an equally evil smile. I don't know what she's on about and look in the bag she's russtling to see a large bundle of Ganga... Oh ganga ganga! No thanks! ...... Opium? No!!! She mimics taking a drag off a joint and says...mmmmhhh good ganga ganga! No no no!! Why no no no!!??? Oh god! I actually find her very amuzing and can't help laughing as the days go by and she keeps trying with her pals. Even the locals hate them and she often pretends to cry.
We manage to find out that a local black Thai village is holding a festival and we cycle there to see it. It's great. Tribal music and dancing with games and plenty of Lao Lao being consumed by very happy people dressed in the tribal costume which they wear normally. It only happens every 3 years and we are very lucky to see it by accident. It's a good day and we cycle many miles and come to many villages. In one particular village they are very much still a traditional tribe and when I get my camera out they run scared. It takes a while to show them that it's a polaroid and I will give them a photo of themselves. Once they realise I have a queue of women with the babies standing waiting for a portrait and realising that I am gonna run out of film we make a quiet exit after taking about 10 pics. It was very funny especially when one baby burst into tears everytime I went near him with the camera. His mother so wanted a picture.
The day is spoiled a little by Anett's agressive attitude. I feel like I'm getting a constant ear bashing and we get on each others nerves a little but I guess that's what happens when you travel with someone for this long. I hope it will subside as we have decided to head back to Ban Na and it's a long trip. Sure enough after the 4 hour bus to Oudomxai it's getting better. We meet some people who are going the same way which is fortunate as we know there is no scheduled transport to Nong Kiew and so we group up and arrange to go by Sawngtheang. These are converted pickups run by the bus stations which ,when enough are travelling, make unscheduled and scheduled journeys between towns. I am surprised how much better they are to travel in than the bus. There is a rack on the back so extra passengers can hang off too and the bags get piled on top. The journey is going well until the driver stops to inspect a large rodent being offered by a tribal woman. It's a type of rat with a beaver like head and it has a noose round it's neck which it wriggles to get free from. He buys it, probably for dinner, and it is not happy. We refuse to have it in the back and so he ties it to the roof but after 10 minutes it pees down the open sides of the truck and all over us which stinks. Then later after dropping some people off he tries to put it in the back and it is very pissed off and ready to bite anyone if it gets free. We ask him to move it as one bite would mean a rabies jab and probably a 3 day trip to Bangkok which the locals don't realise and so they laugh but equally he doesn't want it in the cab and drops it off at his house on the way, then dumps us all into a tuk tuk which takes us the rest of the way. I guess he couldn't wait to stick it on the barby. Another sleepless night in Nong Kiew and the 1 hour boat trip to Muang Noi. While waiting 3 hours for the boat I get roped into helping carry an engine down to the river to be fitted to a speedboat taxi. That'll teach me to stand there taking pictures. Good fun though. On arrival we dump the big bags in a bungalow and trek the 1 hour to Ban Na which we take steadily. I have noticed that we are beginning to walk like Lao people. Small steps at a steady pace carrying fairly large loads and though tired we make it in good time, but we find Alf is still there. Ah well, the family are surprised and happy to see us which is nice.
We get the last 2 bungalows and chill out for the rest of the day with a plan to make the 1 1/4 hour trek to Huoyxen, a neighbouring village, the next day and then have another go at the 7 hours to Ban Phong and back the following day. We make Huoyxen and it's a nice walk passing a 65 to 70 year old woman carrying a tree (I'm not kidding) but both of us have to admit that the travelling has made us too tired to take on Ban Phong. This is also down to the food which is in short supply. You can have sticky rice and vegetables, stick rice and chicken (grisstle), sticky rice and chicken (grisstle) curry, sticky rice and potato curry and the meals are small. Up hear they run out of food quite quickly (especially eggs and bread) as everything is brought from the fields or the villages including bottled water and beer lao for the tourists. This involves Mama at 49 and Peng her daughter in law trekkiing the one hour to Muang Noi and carrying up to 20 kilos each in bamboo back pacs or on bamboo poles on the shoulder. They are a wealthy family. The poorer people carry a lot more and at much older ages. You can see the people from Ban Phong making the 3 hour journey to the Market every week bare foot. They also have to walk an our every day to get water from the river which is used for the toilet and for drinking.
When I started travelling I was about 90-92 kilos. When I left Thailand I was 85 kilos and I have no idea what I weigh now but the loss is very visible in the mirror. I have also become a walking machine and have become much better at walking on the uneven paths from village to village. They are real ankle breakers and so you don't rush. I have done all the trekking in sandles which I find much better than my shoes especially when crossing rivers.
In the evening we have a full moon party Lao style on the river bank and drink a lot of Lao Lao. It's good fun but Alf is spoiling the atmosphere spewing venim about the western world and all this crap he loves talking about. He doesn't realise that like our Lao friends we just want to have a relaxing evening by the river and would really like him to shut up! The following day we make a few trips, in order to get away from Alf, with Craig from Canada and in the evening we are invited to join the village at a wedding which is a huge event. They have a big stereo which they crank up with asian techno music and do they're silly dance which involves boys and girls standing in front of each other in a long line and shoffeling their feet. It's hillarious. The stereo is powered by a generator as it is a special occasion. Normally electricity is supplied by a few propellor powered generators which Papa and others drop into the river when they go down for their evening bath. Each one is at a little damn in the river made from tree branches.
The locals are incredibly generous feeding us and plying us with Lao Lao and inviting us to dance. The children have games to play and we have couple of friends who can't afford to play so we pay. The teenager I pay for insists that I have the sweet he won. His family are very well liked in the village but have no money. They are trying to build a house but can't afford nails and so as Craig has become part of the family they ask him for help which is embarrasing and hard for them to do. Of course he does and they are very grateful. Thong, the eldest can't afford to get married which involves paying a Dawry of 700 dollars. After a lot of Lao Lao Anett and I turn in quietly avoiding Alf and preparing for the Trek and boat ride back to Luang Prabang which we make in the morning after a sad goodbye to the family. Mama gives us a bag of sticky rice and a couple of bananas each for the trip.
And Luang Prabang is where I am now. Anett has gone ahead while I wait for my lens which still has not arrived and I will have to catch her up. It is in Lao and has been promissed for today but who knows. I hope it comes as we only have 9 days left on our visas and have plans for the south and have become a fairly slick travelling team so it would be a shame to part company now. It does however give me a chance to enjoy the fantastic steaks at my guesthouse but my body is not used to the meat and digestion is a little painful. Still good though ;)
Anyway that's the story so far. I know it's a long one but I hope you enjoy it.
Lots of love,
Kaveh
Having pulled up at the side of the river and climbed the sandy bank to street level we found a tuk tuk and went with a German woman who knew a good guesthouse. We checked in to our 4 dollar room and went out to see a bit of the town. I made a list of good photo opertunities as well for the next day so that I could do some work. On the way we hired bicycles and went to the night market. I had a Lao meal called Orlam with deer which was very tastey and very different to the other asian food I've had so far. The night market is fantastic and is totally hastle free and peaceful with lots of stalls selling local handicrafts. It's lit with naked bulbs cabled to local shops and buildings. Generally the stalls are run by women and are neatly laid out on the ground along the street.
The whole town looks fantastic. It is apparent that tourism has had a big effect and is still on the slow increase. There are many internet cafes but the architecture is very old and mostly from the days of the French colonies. After a not so good sleep from the noise I went out with the camera but as I set up by the river the camera jammed. On closer inspection it was clear that one lens had taken a knock on the boat trip and was now broken. This was very bad as it was my favourite lens for that camera and the landscape lens which was what I wanted in Laos. It would take a few days of calls and emails interupted by power cuts and an 8 hour time difference to arrange another to be sent from London.
In the evening we went to the night market to eat at the food stalls. The grilled mekong fish was delicious and we also had a big noodle soup prepared by a big lady with a small girl of about 8 wealding a knife as big as herself. They start young out here! After a couple of gin and tonics we headed home. Unfortunately the next morning Anett's stomach was not happy and had dissagreed with the Mekong fish. The room was also too noisey to sleep so we moved to the very nice Mano guest house at 8 dollars for a very nice room. We got alot of sleep and Anett got better. She agreed to take a short trip north and come back for the package and so we spent our last day cycling to the grave of Henri Mouhot who is known for descoverig Ankor What and exploring Laos. It was a strange place and a long bike ride.... very long. On the way back we played with some sweet kids. One was very cheeky and about 3 or 4. He kept winking and smiling and then came up and threw a broken bottle at me with a big smile on his face. No damage though.
In the afternoon we got a tourist bus to the local waterfalls. This is a very touristy thing to do but you can swim in them and they are very nice. There is also a rope swing which is good fun. They keep a tiger in a cage there also. He/she is very beautiful and quite docile. It's a real tourist trap and on the way back we stop at a whiskey village where they make the local Lao Lao which is very like vodka. It's not a nice place and the kids are pushy when trying to sell stuff. One girl makes a gesture of cutting my throat when I say no thanks! NICE!
After several days exploring the area it's time to move on though and we get up early for the morning bus to Nong Kiew. It's a 3 hour drive and the bus is packed with sacks of rice and bags are piled high on the roof. The seats all fill and then there are people on the floor and next to the driver. It's uncomfortable but the road is not bad and we get there in good time. Anett has left it till we get on the bus though to tell me she hates busses and her mood slowly deteriorates. Nong Kiew isn't the nicest place in the world until you sample the view of the Nam Ou river from the bridge and watch the locals fishing and washing in the river. We book into a very very basic guest house and get some food and I take a look around leaving Anett to find out where she put her sense of humour ;).
We only stay for one night and the next morning we take the 1 hour boat to Muang Noi Neua having heard it is a beautiful area with no road access and all transport via river or foot. The river journey is nice and in much smaller boats than on the Mekong. Arriving in Muang Noi Neua we find a very quiet town with a lot of bamboo bungalows for hire with hamocks on the balcony. It's a struggle to find one so we head to the end of town and finally get the 2 very last ones on the river bank right at the end with a great view of the river. From this village you can trek to some other villages which can only be reached by foot. A local girl convinces us to go fishing with her instead though and we arrange for her and her brother to take us fishing the following afternoon. There are only a few hours of electricity a day and all lights go out at 10pm which is very nice as candle light is used and so we spent the evening with a german girl and an american man and have a few laughs over some Lao Lao.
Next day I get up early and take some pics of the river valley and then relax in my hammock for most of the morning before we make our way to the river for a few hours fishing and with Noi and Eng. They take us up river in their wooden kayak which we all paddle and then lay the nets. Noi encourages the fish into the net by thumping the water with a large bamboo pole and we get quite a few after laying the nets 3 times. We then prepare a BBQ on the sandy river bank and grill the fish which we eat with sticky rice and some vegetables picked by from the bank. It's a great day and the views are amazing as people pass in kayaks singing away. Lao people love singing. We decided to try the big trek to Ban Phong the next day. This involves leaving Muang Noi very early and trekking into the jungle and rice fields to Ban Na 1 hour away. In Ban Na you rent a bungalow and trek the 3 hours to Ban Phong which is a Mong village in the hills. You have to allow 7 hours for this trip as there is no guaranteed accomodation in Ban Phong so time must be allowed for the trek back to Ban Na in daylight and so we set out early the following morning. Arriving in Ban Na we get a bungalow at Chantanom guest house, one of 2 in the village and after a break we set off for Ban Phong. It's a hard trek and we have decided if we have any problems or get lost we will turn back. After one hour we have crossed the river 4 times and it is looking as if we may have made a wrong turn somewhere. The path forks into 3 ahead and trying each we find they don't match the description and so both feeling apprehensive we turn back. This is no bad thing as 7 hours is hard going and on our return to Ban Na we walk to another village 'Ban Huay Bo' 1 hour away. It's a big village with stilted bamboo houses and naked kids running round asking for pens and sometimes money. The locals are keen for us to spend money and it is clear that they are quite poor but also quite happy. It is like being in a time warp and going back 500 years with pigs and chickens wandering around freely. We speak to one woman and she asks if either of us have children. She tells us she has had 8 babies of which only 3 survived. This is a reminder of how poor Laos is and how poor healthcare is. Also reminders of the American bombardment are everywhere. Bomb casings are used as steps or building materials or ornaments etc and there are many. Earlier in Muang Noi I had seen a man preparing breakfast on a fire where he used shell casings to put his pot on. I wasn't sure and asked him and he happily nodded and then with a stick drew a picture and wrote 105 saying 'boooom boooom' to indicate that they were 105 shells. These casing were from the Indochina war and can also be found everywhere. He was very nice as are most people and very jolly.
We spend 2 nigths at Ban Na and get some very good sleep. The guesthouse is run by a very nice family and though we don't want to leave we have to head back for my package in Luang Prabang. Also the experience is being spoiled by an old Swedish sailer who has decided to stay for a while and also seems to think he is the boss round here. He's a real pratt and adores the sound of his own drunken voice so in the morning we get up for the 1 hour walk starting at 7 am and then catch the 6 hour boat down to Luang Prabang. It's a good trip and we are joined by Inis from germany who we had met a few nights before. We don't waste too much time in Luang Prabang and have to make a new plan as the package has not arrived, deciding to go north west this time towards the Chinese border to Luang Namtha via Oudomxai. This involves a 5 hour bus to Oudomxai followed by another 4 hour bus to Luang Namtha and so we split the journey into 2 halves. The road is very rough and unfinished in places and we get to Oudomxai very tired.
Oudomxai is a weird place and very much a frontier town with travellers remaining unhasstled as they are not of much interest to these locals who trade goods with the Chinese. Unsure what to do we take a look at the Stuppa and get chatting to several monks who are incredibly keen to practise their English and learn more and so we exchange english lessons for lessons in Lao culture for 5 hours as well as having a photo session of poloroids and portraits which is great fun. That evening we get some food and notice a big wedding celebration is going on in the restaurant. The people are very nice in Oudomxai and we are invited in but feering a Lao Lao session we kindly decline and head back for an early night.
Our guest house looks very respectable and we are very comfortable but in the night I'm woken to find Anett standing on my bed shreeking...'It's a rat It's a rat Kaveh!' I think I'm dreaming and go back to sleep but she wakes me again and when I realise what's going on I jump up and stand on the bed too. I can hear it moving. It had been wriggling under her pillow after finding a lolly pop on the table...YUK!!! And it was big! Like a cat. I went downstairs and tried to tell the uninterested staff which involved doing a rat impression that made them wet themselves and the drawing a picture which horrified them and so we swapped rooms. Apparently rats dig holes in the mattresses and hide there...EW! So no sleep after that and a 6 am start to Namtha. I felt like crap. It's a long very hard drive which makes some locals throw up out of the window and when we arrive I'm nackered so we grab the closest guesthouse. I'm now so tired that it's my turn for a sense of humour failure and so I sleep the day away top make it up.
I'm a little unsure of Namtha at first. The place is ugly and the Acka tribes women pester you. One very agressive woman comes up to sell me bracelets. She's about 45 and when I refuse whispers cager cager in an evil voice with an equally evil smile. I don't know what she's on about and look in the bag she's russtling to see a large bundle of Ganga... Oh ganga ganga! No thanks! ...... Opium? No!!! She mimics taking a drag off a joint and says...mmmmhhh good ganga ganga! No no no!! Why no no no!!??? Oh god! I actually find her very amuzing and can't help laughing as the days go by and she keeps trying with her pals. Even the locals hate them and she often pretends to cry.
We manage to find out that a local black Thai village is holding a festival and we cycle there to see it. It's great. Tribal music and dancing with games and plenty of Lao Lao being consumed by very happy people dressed in the tribal costume which they wear normally. It only happens every 3 years and we are very lucky to see it by accident. It's a good day and we cycle many miles and come to many villages. In one particular village they are very much still a traditional tribe and when I get my camera out they run scared. It takes a while to show them that it's a polaroid and I will give them a photo of themselves. Once they realise I have a queue of women with the babies standing waiting for a portrait and realising that I am gonna run out of film we make a quiet exit after taking about 10 pics. It was very funny especially when one baby burst into tears everytime I went near him with the camera. His mother so wanted a picture.
The day is spoiled a little by Anett's agressive attitude. I feel like I'm getting a constant ear bashing and we get on each others nerves a little but I guess that's what happens when you travel with someone for this long. I hope it will subside as we have decided to head back to Ban Na and it's a long trip. Sure enough after the 4 hour bus to Oudomxai it's getting better. We meet some people who are going the same way which is fortunate as we know there is no scheduled transport to Nong Kiew and so we group up and arrange to go by Sawngtheang. These are converted pickups run by the bus stations which ,when enough are travelling, make unscheduled and scheduled journeys between towns. I am surprised how much better they are to travel in than the bus. There is a rack on the back so extra passengers can hang off too and the bags get piled on top. The journey is going well until the driver stops to inspect a large rodent being offered by a tribal woman. It's a type of rat with a beaver like head and it has a noose round it's neck which it wriggles to get free from. He buys it, probably for dinner, and it is not happy. We refuse to have it in the back and so he ties it to the roof but after 10 minutes it pees down the open sides of the truck and all over us which stinks. Then later after dropping some people off he tries to put it in the back and it is very pissed off and ready to bite anyone if it gets free. We ask him to move it as one bite would mean a rabies jab and probably a 3 day trip to Bangkok which the locals don't realise and so they laugh but equally he doesn't want it in the cab and drops it off at his house on the way, then dumps us all into a tuk tuk which takes us the rest of the way. I guess he couldn't wait to stick it on the barby. Another sleepless night in Nong Kiew and the 1 hour boat trip to Muang Noi. While waiting 3 hours for the boat I get roped into helping carry an engine down to the river to be fitted to a speedboat taxi. That'll teach me to stand there taking pictures. Good fun though. On arrival we dump the big bags in a bungalow and trek the 1 hour to Ban Na which we take steadily. I have noticed that we are beginning to walk like Lao people. Small steps at a steady pace carrying fairly large loads and though tired we make it in good time, but we find Alf is still there. Ah well, the family are surprised and happy to see us which is nice.
We get the last 2 bungalows and chill out for the rest of the day with a plan to make the 1 1/4 hour trek to Huoyxen, a neighbouring village, the next day and then have another go at the 7 hours to Ban Phong and back the following day. We make Huoyxen and it's a nice walk passing a 65 to 70 year old woman carrying a tree (I'm not kidding) but both of us have to admit that the travelling has made us too tired to take on Ban Phong. This is also down to the food which is in short supply. You can have sticky rice and vegetables, stick rice and chicken (grisstle), sticky rice and chicken (grisstle) curry, sticky rice and potato curry and the meals are small. Up hear they run out of food quite quickly (especially eggs and bread) as everything is brought from the fields or the villages including bottled water and beer lao for the tourists. This involves Mama at 49 and Peng her daughter in law trekkiing the one hour to Muang Noi and carrying up to 20 kilos each in bamboo back pacs or on bamboo poles on the shoulder. They are a wealthy family. The poorer people carry a lot more and at much older ages. You can see the people from Ban Phong making the 3 hour journey to the Market every week bare foot. They also have to walk an our every day to get water from the river which is used for the toilet and for drinking.
When I started travelling I was about 90-92 kilos. When I left Thailand I was 85 kilos and I have no idea what I weigh now but the loss is very visible in the mirror. I have also become a walking machine and have become much better at walking on the uneven paths from village to village. They are real ankle breakers and so you don't rush. I have done all the trekking in sandles which I find much better than my shoes especially when crossing rivers.
In the evening we have a full moon party Lao style on the river bank and drink a lot of Lao Lao. It's good fun but Alf is spoiling the atmosphere spewing venim about the western world and all this crap he loves talking about. He doesn't realise that like our Lao friends we just want to have a relaxing evening by the river and would really like him to shut up! The following day we make a few trips, in order to get away from Alf, with Craig from Canada and in the evening we are invited to join the village at a wedding which is a huge event. They have a big stereo which they crank up with asian techno music and do they're silly dance which involves boys and girls standing in front of each other in a long line and shoffeling their feet. It's hillarious. The stereo is powered by a generator as it is a special occasion. Normally electricity is supplied by a few propellor powered generators which Papa and others drop into the river when they go down for their evening bath. Each one is at a little damn in the river made from tree branches.
The locals are incredibly generous feeding us and plying us with Lao Lao and inviting us to dance. The children have games to play and we have couple of friends who can't afford to play so we pay. The teenager I pay for insists that I have the sweet he won. His family are very well liked in the village but have no money. They are trying to build a house but can't afford nails and so as Craig has become part of the family they ask him for help which is embarrasing and hard for them to do. Of course he does and they are very grateful. Thong, the eldest can't afford to get married which involves paying a Dawry of 700 dollars. After a lot of Lao Lao Anett and I turn in quietly avoiding Alf and preparing for the Trek and boat ride back to Luang Prabang which we make in the morning after a sad goodbye to the family. Mama gives us a bag of sticky rice and a couple of bananas each for the trip.
And Luang Prabang is where I am now. Anett has gone ahead while I wait for my lens which still has not arrived and I will have to catch her up. It is in Lao and has been promissed for today but who knows. I hope it comes as we only have 9 days left on our visas and have plans for the south and have become a fairly slick travelling team so it would be a shame to part company now. It does however give me a chance to enjoy the fantastic steaks at my guesthouse but my body is not used to the meat and digestion is a little painful. Still good though ;)
Anyway that's the story so far. I know it's a long one but I hope you enjoy it.
Lots of love,
Kaveh
February 20, 2005
Into Laos
Hello everyone,
It hasn't been so long since my last email but it has been very busy and very interesting so I thought I would email again before I forget it all.
Last email I was in Chiang Mai in northern Thailand preparing to travel into Laos with Anett. We had booked the bus to the border and an overnight stay with food and the boat to Luang Prabang for very little money at our guest house and were picked up by the minibus in the morning for the drive to Chiang Khong on the Thai border. The bus ride took a good 4 hours and was easy going. The last 2 hours were especially nice going through the very north of Thailand which is beautiful with large rice farms and big houses in small tidy villages. The people here seemed wealthy and very warm and relaxed with a good lifestyle. The sun was going down as we approached the border and the hills and fields were very pretty with bamboo shelters dotted everywhere. We arrived in Chiang Khong on the Mekong river which seperates Laos and Thailand for a lot of the border. The town was very nice and the people very relaxed. The guesthouse was setup for the border crossing with minivans for Chiang Mai and it's own fuel supply, a small restaurante and rooms on the river bank constructed from bamboo with a terrace overlooking the river. It was nearly 2 months since I was last on the Mekong in Vietnam and it was very nice to be back especially as the Northern end is very different.
We had our meal and looked around town where no-one was pushing to sell us stuff. It was so relaxed and a good sign of things to come. I also had the best bacon baguette ever... it's so long since I had real bacon!!! In the morning we had breakfast on the terrace over the river as dawn broke and then climbed into a pickup truck for the short drive to the immigration point where we filled a form in and walked down the key to get on a boat taxi and make the 5min crossing to Huay Xai on the Laos border. It's funny as it feels like it's just one town with a river running through it but it is 2 countries and 2 towns. The whole process is very friendly and very organised with one official politely guiding you to whatever you need. Not what I expected at all.
After a short tuk tuk ride we were on the key waiting to board our slow boat to Luang Prabang. This was an interesting process as the tickets have numbers on so they know how many people they have but some tourists as in Cambodia are adament that they are seat numbers. Myself and Anett have our own word for this lot, 'Special!'. Again I'm affraid it seemed to be the French but more about that later. Whenever these moments occur we say 'Oh, a little bit special huh!' which amuses us immensely. In the end I pipe up and inform the most 'special' travellers that these are not seat numbers and that if they want to sit in that seat everyone in the boat will have to move probably turning the boat over. I didn't make any new friends but they stopped being a pain in the arse!!! In asia you have to be early and get on the boat, bus, plane and sit and wait if you want a seat. No prancing off for an iced coffee or a leasurely cigarrette.
Anyway the boat became overloaded very quickly with many people complaining but sure enough another boat was quickly provided. I have found that if you wait a bit and let the locals do things their way it generally works out ok and they are very smart, organised and have very ingenious ways of solving problems, but you have to be patient. We depart eventually and head down the mighty Mekong. The trip is 6-7 hours. As we progress the river becomes quite amazing, boiling and bubbling with a strong current as it is low and dry. The surrounding scenery just gets more and more beautiful and after a couple of hours I cannot believe how amazing Laos looks. along the banks of the river river there are big white sandy beaches sometimes with the odd person who has paddled there in a boat to fish or to work in the steep jungle. The banks climb steeply into huge hills covered in dense jungle which are very impressive in scale and climb into more hills growing into the distance. Occasionally a small bamboo village appears often with beautiful vegetable gardens on the river bank above a sandy beach. This is the most beautiful place I have ever seen and I'm affraid a photo or words can't really do it justice.
The river does run fast and into rapids in places and the driver often requests that we sit low or move to even out the weight of the boat. It is quite dangerous and the driver expertly manouvers the long narrow boat through the rapids. It is a little hair raising but great fun. We are often overtaken by the insane speed boats, passengers packed in with helmets and life jackets, eyes wide as they rocket in the very load boats down the river. It is a long journey with a hard seat but there is space to move around. Many 'Special' people are a little fed up though. There is a very sweet lady selling beer on the boat and I can't resist a picture or 10. In the evening after 6 hours we pull into a town and it becomes apparent that I have misunderstood a little. This is a 2 day trip with 2 6-7 hour boats. Pulling in to the town of Pak Beng it's clear many people are not so happy but myself and Anett are enjoying the boat ride so much we are quite happy to go on another day. I have to run up the steep bank to get a room quickly and we get a good guesthouse overlooking the river. On my return I find Anett has done a deal with a couple of kids to carry our bags up which is very welcome. They are brothers, one about 18-20 and the other perhaps 10-12. The little one speaks better english so they work as a team and this little guy carries my bag sometimes breaking into a run with such ease I can't really believe it. Bloody thing is so heavy.
Electricity is a random affair and after 10pm the lights go out with candle light only. We have dinner on a terrace over the river and meet a very nice Dutch couple going the other way. After the best sleep we have had in a long time we wake up and have breakfast as dawn breaks over the steep hills/mountains and the river. Again it's an amazing sight. We go down to the river and get on a different boat for the 2nd leg. Again I'm affraid the French have forgotten their tickets. Now my gripe with the French isn't that they make mistakes. It's that when they do they are so rude and make such little effort to make themselves understood. They seem to think it is implicit that they should be understood and have what they want. They appear to believe it is still a colony. I find it amazing that they behave in this way and it is a constant source of amazement/irritation to me considering what they have done to South East Asia in the past. Whatever happens I find it impossible to be so rude to the local people as they try so hard and are so nice, most of the time ;0). Sometimes you must give as good as you get but it must be in good humour and with some patience.
The 2nd leg is again very beautiful, maybe even more so. The lifestyle of the people is incredible with little wooden boats and small bamboo villages with no road access. We chat to some other tourists and sleep a little. After 5 hours the landscape begins to flatten and we come to larger villages until we eventually reach a beutiful lush area of vegetable gardens on the banks with old French colonial buildings between the palm trees. This is Luang Prabang and it is very beautiful. I am already very impressed with Laos and connot believe that I was originally going to skip it.
I had to devote a whole email to this journey as it was so impressive and easily the highlight up to that point. That was 2 weeks ago now but I'll have to catch up in the next few emails.
Again I hope you're all well and have enjoyed all the news from home so do send more.
Lots of love Kaveh.
It hasn't been so long since my last email but it has been very busy and very interesting so I thought I would email again before I forget it all.
Last email I was in Chiang Mai in northern Thailand preparing to travel into Laos with Anett. We had booked the bus to the border and an overnight stay with food and the boat to Luang Prabang for very little money at our guest house and were picked up by the minibus in the morning for the drive to Chiang Khong on the Thai border. The bus ride took a good 4 hours and was easy going. The last 2 hours were especially nice going through the very north of Thailand which is beautiful with large rice farms and big houses in small tidy villages. The people here seemed wealthy and very warm and relaxed with a good lifestyle. The sun was going down as we approached the border and the hills and fields were very pretty with bamboo shelters dotted everywhere. We arrived in Chiang Khong on the Mekong river which seperates Laos and Thailand for a lot of the border. The town was very nice and the people very relaxed. The guesthouse was setup for the border crossing with minivans for Chiang Mai and it's own fuel supply, a small restaurante and rooms on the river bank constructed from bamboo with a terrace overlooking the river. It was nearly 2 months since I was last on the Mekong in Vietnam and it was very nice to be back especially as the Northern end is very different.
We had our meal and looked around town where no-one was pushing to sell us stuff. It was so relaxed and a good sign of things to come. I also had the best bacon baguette ever... it's so long since I had real bacon!!! In the morning we had breakfast on the terrace over the river as dawn broke and then climbed into a pickup truck for the short drive to the immigration point where we filled a form in and walked down the key to get on a boat taxi and make the 5min crossing to Huay Xai on the Laos border. It's funny as it feels like it's just one town with a river running through it but it is 2 countries and 2 towns. The whole process is very friendly and very organised with one official politely guiding you to whatever you need. Not what I expected at all.
After a short tuk tuk ride we were on the key waiting to board our slow boat to Luang Prabang. This was an interesting process as the tickets have numbers on so they know how many people they have but some tourists as in Cambodia are adament that they are seat numbers. Myself and Anett have our own word for this lot, 'Special!'. Again I'm affraid it seemed to be the French but more about that later. Whenever these moments occur we say 'Oh, a little bit special huh!' which amuses us immensely. In the end I pipe up and inform the most 'special' travellers that these are not seat numbers and that if they want to sit in that seat everyone in the boat will have to move probably turning the boat over. I didn't make any new friends but they stopped being a pain in the arse!!! In asia you have to be early and get on the boat, bus, plane and sit and wait if you want a seat. No prancing off for an iced coffee or a leasurely cigarrette.
Anyway the boat became overloaded very quickly with many people complaining but sure enough another boat was quickly provided. I have found that if you wait a bit and let the locals do things their way it generally works out ok and they are very smart, organised and have very ingenious ways of solving problems, but you have to be patient. We depart eventually and head down the mighty Mekong. The trip is 6-7 hours. As we progress the river becomes quite amazing, boiling and bubbling with a strong current as it is low and dry. The surrounding scenery just gets more and more beautiful and after a couple of hours I cannot believe how amazing Laos looks. along the banks of the river river there are big white sandy beaches sometimes with the odd person who has paddled there in a boat to fish or to work in the steep jungle. The banks climb steeply into huge hills covered in dense jungle which are very impressive in scale and climb into more hills growing into the distance. Occasionally a small bamboo village appears often with beautiful vegetable gardens on the river bank above a sandy beach. This is the most beautiful place I have ever seen and I'm affraid a photo or words can't really do it justice.
The river does run fast and into rapids in places and the driver often requests that we sit low or move to even out the weight of the boat. It is quite dangerous and the driver expertly manouvers the long narrow boat through the rapids. It is a little hair raising but great fun. We are often overtaken by the insane speed boats, passengers packed in with helmets and life jackets, eyes wide as they rocket in the very load boats down the river. It is a long journey with a hard seat but there is space to move around. Many 'Special' people are a little fed up though. There is a very sweet lady selling beer on the boat and I can't resist a picture or 10. In the evening after 6 hours we pull into a town and it becomes apparent that I have misunderstood a little. This is a 2 day trip with 2 6-7 hour boats. Pulling in to the town of Pak Beng it's clear many people are not so happy but myself and Anett are enjoying the boat ride so much we are quite happy to go on another day. I have to run up the steep bank to get a room quickly and we get a good guesthouse overlooking the river. On my return I find Anett has done a deal with a couple of kids to carry our bags up which is very welcome. They are brothers, one about 18-20 and the other perhaps 10-12. The little one speaks better english so they work as a team and this little guy carries my bag sometimes breaking into a run with such ease I can't really believe it. Bloody thing is so heavy.
Electricity is a random affair and after 10pm the lights go out with candle light only. We have dinner on a terrace over the river and meet a very nice Dutch couple going the other way. After the best sleep we have had in a long time we wake up and have breakfast as dawn breaks over the steep hills/mountains and the river. Again it's an amazing sight. We go down to the river and get on a different boat for the 2nd leg. Again I'm affraid the French have forgotten their tickets. Now my gripe with the French isn't that they make mistakes. It's that when they do they are so rude and make such little effort to make themselves understood. They seem to think it is implicit that they should be understood and have what they want. They appear to believe it is still a colony. I find it amazing that they behave in this way and it is a constant source of amazement/irritation to me considering what they have done to South East Asia in the past. Whatever happens I find it impossible to be so rude to the local people as they try so hard and are so nice, most of the time ;0). Sometimes you must give as good as you get but it must be in good humour and with some patience.
The 2nd leg is again very beautiful, maybe even more so. The lifestyle of the people is incredible with little wooden boats and small bamboo villages with no road access. We chat to some other tourists and sleep a little. After 5 hours the landscape begins to flatten and we come to larger villages until we eventually reach a beutiful lush area of vegetable gardens on the banks with old French colonial buildings between the palm trees. This is Luang Prabang and it is very beautiful. I am already very impressed with Laos and connot believe that I was originally going to skip it.
I had to devote a whole email to this journey as it was so impressive and easily the highlight up to that point. That was 2 weeks ago now but I'll have to catch up in the next few emails.
Again I hope you're all well and have enjoyed all the news from home so do send more.
Lots of love Kaveh.
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