16/03/2010 A real Thai Town

We headed off to the hairdressers in the morning and Tracey managed to get in. As she was going to be some time Grahame was sent on a mission to find some real coffee.

 This did prove to be an adventure similar to Lord of the Rings. After fighting his way through the unrelenting traffic and avoiding most of the grotesque Hawker stands he managed to fight his way through the carnivorous hoards to a familiar place. The wonderful land of KFC. Once he had entered the protection of its Magical walls he had to use every one of his keen abilities to order some coffee. After much waving and pointing he managed to procure some coffee although the mystical version he ended up with was loaded down with solid blocks of water rendering the coffee amazingly cold. This would have to do! Finding his way out of the land of KFC and into the unknown he was pounced upon by a fair maiden who managed to seduce him into buying 6 donuts of various flavours. Once he had these items he then had to make the treacherous journey back Queen Tracey who was being pampered in air-conditioned comfort oblivious of the terror Grahame had been facing as he went forth on his quest to satisfy her needs.

Only with the thought of his Queens parched mouth was he able to leap forth and battle overbearing heat and the ever increasing urban population. Though sheer determination he fought his way back and burst into the hairdressers to save Queen Tracey from certain death. Upon receiving her life saving drink she was a little concerned that the new colour of her hair was not up to speed. Never fear my fair Queen “I love you no matter what colour you are!! Including your hair” I said with love in my heart and my glasses not on. After the shop keeper had extracted a Kings ransom we headed back to the motel to pickup my Manly Bag as it was in need of repair from many days of overloaded service. We managed to get a Tailor from one of the many tailors who set up their shops along the street. A wonderful job was done on the spot with cost of only 1 gold and silver coin (10baht). We continued our journey and set forth to explore the area. As many of the locals had seen me on my previous quest they did little to interfere with our travels. We managed to wander past many of the local monuments but learnt little as the inscriptions were in an unreadable ancient script.

Earlier I has seen an entrance to a “Amazing Cave” We soon discovered the cave was indeed amazing as they had removed many natural Staligtites ,staligimites and crystals from a former beautiful natural cave and stuck them in a room under some Monks lodgings and tried to convince us it was a natural formation. We soon saw through their treachery and after taking some photos we departed the area. On our way out we stumbled across a temple that would have been fantastic if they had completed the structure. As the temperature was getting a little out of hand we headed back to the cool sanctuary of our lodgings. Later that evening we realized we had to print out our documents so we could gain entry to the next foreign land.

This also proved to be a challenge as this strange place had little need to provide this service as they were rarely visited by the fabled “backpacker people” When we learnt we would have to travel long and hard to get our passes printed Tracey enlisted the help of a local learning establishment. The local owner was most obliging and saved the day by printing out our requirements. She was actually married to a guy from our Great Land Down Under. She also suggested that we check out the large local market. We conscripted a local Tuk Tuk driver who thought he was Nigel Mansell. After an exhilarating trip to the market we simply wandered around. Grahame attempted to buy some more shorts but all of a sudden they were not the advertised price they were twice as much because of his massive size. Refusing to yield to their demands and insults a transaction did not take place. Tracey attempted to buy something to eat from the food hall but as it contained many unusual and foreign items she settle on some commonly found French Fries.

These would have been better hot so she sent them back much to the dismay of the shopkeeper. When the hot ones arrived these were safely consumed and we wandered around some more. Grahame was trying to figure out how to smuggle BB Pistols back home but decided spending time in a dungeon was not a good idea. We then headed back to our waiting speedy Tuk tuk for the quicker than light delivery back to our lodging. The driver stopped near a sort of drinking establishment called “The Pub”. We were surprised to find people with similar shade of skin to us, so we got some ale of the bar wench and decided to have to food. Tracey managed to shoot some pool and beat her challenger. He turned out to be a merchant sailor and spent his two months of his time sailing the Caribean and the next two months on fully paid leave with the rest of the landlubbers. After a few ales and our quest completed we headed to our lodgings as an early start was required to journey to the next Kingdom.

Sansabai House, 335,337 Suranaree Rd. T Maimusang A.Mueang, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand Ph: 0-4425-5144/5855(450 Baht, Air con, TV, Wi-Fi)

15/03/2010 Back to Thailand

As flights from Laos to Cambodia were expensive Tracey worked out we could actually travel back through Thailand by road a direct way and not like the Travel agents tried to sell you a trip all the way back to Bangkok. Seeing as Thailand gave you a visa at the border for free and we could get a local International Bus to a town in the centre of East Thailand.(80,000 Riel) it seemed like the way to go.

Caught the early morning bus from Vientiane, Laos across Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge to Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand. The border crossing by bus turned out to be really easy. The bus stops on the Laos side and they point you were you have to go. It was a simple matter of a small wait in the migration line to get out passports stamped and then we piled back on the bus and headed across the border. It’s a bit funny as when you cross the border you have to drive on the opposite side of the road. The bus drives over the bridge and stops again at immigration on the Thailand side. We weren’t sure what was going on at the immigration booths as a lot of people off the bus were getting in a line and getting copies of their passports. We just got in line to a booth and handed over our passport and entry card with no problem instant 15 day visa at no charge and stamp in the passport and we were back in Thailand. Jumped back on the waiting bus and off we went.

When we arrived at Nakhon Ratchasima we did not have any a hotel booked so we rang somewhere out of the Lonely Planet. As we were trying to work out where to catch the bus to Cambodia we met up with a guy who was headed to a different hotel so we decided to share a taxi to the motel he had booked as it was only 60 Baht to share the taxi. We checked out the rooms at his booking and decided to stay there as they were clean and tidy. We had a bit of rest then went out later to have a bit of a look around and find some food. The street was lined with dodgey food sellers but we could not find anywhere to sit down and have a meal. We went for blocks before finding an actual restaurant that you sat inside. Obviously they don’t get many westerners as they couldn’t speak much English and they had to run around to find an English menu. We must have been a bit of a curiosity as the chef actually served us the food and all the staff came to have a look. After dinner we walked around the town centre and saw the Red Shirts having a bit of a rally.

There was only a few of them and the police soon left as they were no trouble at that stage anyway. We also saw the local young guys practicing their rap dancing moves. Some of them were actually fairly good. Tracey attempted to book in a hair cut and colour but just decided to give up as the staff spoke zip English. She resigned herself to just turning up in the morning to see what happens.

We wandered around a bit more and headed back to our motel where we recorded a little message for Nikki’s birthday.

Sansabai House, 335,337 Suranaree Rd. T Maimusang A.Mueang, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand Ph: 0-4425-5144/5855(450 Baht, Air con, TV, Wi-Fi)

14/03/2010 Local Waterpark

It is so hot in the city that today we have decided to go to the waterpark.

After lunch of delicious curry pizza then picking up our glasses and getting Grahame’ clip-ons (fitted exactly to his glasses on the spot!). Anticipating a wet’n’wild type experience based on the advertising we arrived at the park that looked like it was closed down! It wasn’t but there were just two simple slides and a pool operating and there were no more than a dozen guests all afternoon! We stayed the longest – leaving at 6pm because it was closing – and made friends with a couple of young Lao girls who adopted me after I shared all my biscuits with them! They decided to teach me to count on Lao so I learnt to count to ten. They then kept translating every page number of my book as I tried to read. It was fun but a bit frustrating as we couldn’t really communicate although they had no problem letting me understand that they wanted more biscuits!

After picking up our laundry (we are paranoid after leaving the last lot in Thailand) we found a nice restaurant – Lotus Restaurant – just up the road from our guesthouse and there we ran into Marco and Maxim with whom we had shared a bus trip from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng and a few beers in Vang Vieng. After dinner we hooked up with an Aussie chap Clinton who had just arrived in Lao – his first stop on his first ever overseas trip. He had a bad time both getting out of Australia and arriving in Vientiane but finally made it through the customs and immigration battle and was checking out the cultural centre when Grahame ran into him.

We wandered into town where we indulged in a few beers, checked out the night market (Grahame bought a cool Laos t-shirt for about $2 aussie) on the riverbank and discovered where the locals hang out for cheap eats at the impromptu restaurants on the riverbed!

Khampiane Hotel, Rue Hengbounnoy, Vientiane

13/03/2010 Vientiane in a day and new glasses

After taking advantage of our free internet for a few hours and hoeing into some lasagna for lunch we set off to explore the city.

We first walked along the Mekong right on the Thai border, where they are working on a major development to both protect the city from flooding and to provide some green areas for eating and entertaining – a multi-million dollar project. Past the presidential palace and several Wats we came across the only high-rise in the city – an international standard hotel called Don Chan Palace. You could be mistaken for thinking it actually was a palace given its scale! From here we walked north to Wat Sisaket, the oldest temple in Laos and home to hundreds of Buddhist statues, some of which had been damaged during the war. After a bit of time here we went up to check out the shopping centre which was a bit like something you might find in a rural town in Australia – not a major centre. There are only 250,000 residents in Vientiane with a total population for Laos of just over 6 million. After we checked out the bus stop to find out prices and times for our bus to Thailand we stumbled across an optometrists shop.

On learning that we could get frames and transitions lenses fully made up for $80AUD I ordered some new glasses (my old ones are ready for the trash) and were told they would be ready in an hour! This was 5pm on a Saturday evening! The optometrist had the latest testing equipment so I didn’t even need to get my script and the consultation was included in the price! We walked from here up to the Patouxay Monument – a replica of the Arc d’triomphe in Paris and cooled out tired feet in the fountain (until some official told us off of course!) We walked the long trek home (we weren’t prepared to pay the tourist prices that the tuk-tuks were asking at the fountain) and on the way found a cool little pub area for tea.

Khampiane Hotel, Rue Hengbounnoy, Vientiane (The hotel was great except for the bloody barking dog and they did warn us about the building site across the road)

12/03/2010 Bruised & Battered!

Woke up this morning to discover the incredible bruising I had sustained from yesterday’s tubing adventure – no wonder I couldn’t sleep!

We were thinking of staying another day but when Grahame went to inquire about getting the room for an extra night he was told that the cabins were booked out but we could stay in the hotel section for double the price. We decided that was a sign to get moving – seeing as we would have to pack up anyway so we walked into town to get breakfast and a bus ticket south. Back at the guesthouse we boarded the mini-bus – we had booked the VIP coach but apparently that was full due to overbooking so they crammed 12 of us onto a dilapidated mini-bus and we set off for the windy trip through the mountains to Vientiane. The trip was pretty uneventful – just travelled through numerous small villages on the side of the cliffs and arrived at the bus station about 6km from central Vientiane. Of course the tuk-tuks were ready & waiting to get us into town so we hopped on one of these and were immediately accosted by a hotel sales rep on arrival in the city centre.

                                                                                    
We checked out a couple of dodgy guesthouses before settling on a recently renovated room with a good bathroom and TV just a couple of streets back from the river. Vientiane is very small so you can walk around easily. Checked out an Italian place for tea – pasta and red wine although Grahame was still hung-over and not up to sampling the local vino!

Khampiane Hotel, Rue Hengbounnoy, Vientiane Wi-Fi, TV $23 US

11/03/2010 Tubing!

Today was the day for tubing which, besides hiking and rock-climbing is the major tourist attraction in this town. At breakfast we met up with Ali who also wanted to go tubing so we arranged to meet at the tube hire shop at 1.30pm.

Took a tuk-tuk home to get our swimmers and leave any valuables behind (well nearly all our valuables of course Grahame took his expensive prescription sunglasses and lost them. He also lost his cool Bandana not once but twice after he retrieved it off the head of a local kid he managed to lose it again but the expensive sunnies were never seen again) and then it was straight back into town where we also met up with Josephine an American who lives in India (Jo & Ali if you are reading this send us an email to tracey.lonergan@thecru.com.au and let us know how you ended up!).

It is all very organised – your tube hire includes a tuk-tuk ride (crammed with 10 people and 10 giant truck tubes) upstream to the first bar on the riverbank. Here you get stuck into your first bucket of alcohol for the day! It goes downhill from here as you can imagine! Basically there are bars all the way down the Nam Song river for about a km and you float/paddle your tube from bar to bar where the bar staff throw you a rope to reel you into their bars with enticement of free shots; food, slides and flying foxes. By the second bar we were attacking the flying foxes with gusto and downing shots made from scorpions, snakes and hornets. It was the greatest fun although at the end it was getting quite dark and was probably very dangerous as we were flying off slides about 10m above the river where they would throw you up in the air and just drop you in the river. Luckily for us we had heaps of alcohol in our system to deal with the pain of that last landing!

I could barely crawl back up the ladder to retrieve my tube and decided that was enough bravado for one day. Around 6pm it was quite dark so we dragged ourselves out of the river at a bridge and waited for a tuk-tuk (they have radar) to find us and take us back into town. If you didn’t stop at the bars then you could probably float all the way into town in only a couple of hours but that is not the point of tubing on the Nam Song (Song River).

We went out for dinner with some newly acquired young friends. We spent about $10 aussie on food and did not pay for any alcohol all night. In fact everybody on our table did not pay for anything unless it was bottled beer, they kept on giving us free shots and vodka all night! I am not sure how they actually make money by giving so much away for free.

Thavisouk Guesthouse, Vang Vieng
http://www.laophanthaongtour.com/ ph: 023 511340/511124 (80,000 kip w hot water and fan)

10/03/2010 - Friends: real and on TV!

We were up early this morning as we had booked a mini-can to Vang Vieng. Before we left we had breakfast at our guesthouse’s little outdoor café overlooking the misty Mekong. The ride to Vang Vieng was bumpy, windy and crowded but made fun by the people we met on the bus.

Behind us were Maxim, from Italy, Debbie from the UK, Vicki from NZ & Marco from Spain. In front of us were Wilma & Wolfgang from Rheinstetten in Germany. We chatted and played 20 questions which made the trip go quickly. After checking in to our guesthouse and having a drink overlooking the river we walked into town and quickly took in the sights of this small rural town (basically a couple of Wat’s and dozens of establishments catering to foreign tourists). That evening we checked out the town – it was only small and found a bar for dinner (pizza) that played friends DVD’s continuously! We curled up with a glass of wine on the bed-style booths and pretended we were at home!

Thavisouk Guesthouse, Vang Vieng
http://www.laophanthaongtour.com/ ph: 023 511340/511124 (80,000 kip w hot water and fan)

09/03/2010 - Swimming in natural pools

After breakfast at ‘The Pizza’ we hopped onto a tuk-tuk for the bumpy forty minute ride out to the Kuangsi Waterfall.

We are a bit dubious about waterfalls because we have trekked to so many that have no water but we were assured that there was plenty at this one and we were not disappointed. This has to be one of the most spectacular set of waterfalls and swimming pools we have ever seen. Well worth the painful ride and the short walk. We spent the afternoon swimming in the various pools and taking endless photographs of the falls. Grahame was convinced that the pools were manmade as it seemed too good to be true but then nature often is. We finally surmised that it was the limestone that made it look surreal – as if it they were formed out of concrete. On the way we also met Hege and Hoogen (not sure of the spelling) a young couple from Norway who had just finished high school in Oslo and were moving north to go to university at the end of their four month trip.

Back in town after showers we wandered back to the main street and found a little restaurant that served the most amazing whole fish plus we managed to get onto Matthew and mum on skype for the first time. The connection wasn’t great as the conversation was a bit delayed plus it was 1am in Sydney so Mum was half asleep (of course Matt was wide awake as he had just finished work). We had a good chat and then wandered home via the night markets who were just packing up to find our favorite banana pancake stall for dessert!

View Khem Khong Guest House, Th. Khem Khong, Luang Prabang, Laos
(100,000 Kip w fan & hot water ensuite – simple but clean & opposite the river)
Ph: 856-71 213032 / m: 856-20 6783080.

08/03/2010 - Ramayana Told in Dance

Both had a bad night’s sleep – Grahame from too much beer and Tracey from waking up in the middle of the night and remembering that we hadn’t picked up the last bit of laundry before we left Thailand! Sounds like not much of a problem as clothes are so cheap until you need a sports bra in a land of flat-chested midgets!

Tracey made a call to the old guesthouse in the hope that someone was flying to LP today but no such luck. Then we got dressed and headed into town for our daily dose of banana shake and a late breakfast at JoMa Bakery Café. While the food was reasonable it was way over our budget so that will be the last cappuccino for a while! We had missed the early session at the museum so we wandered down the main street for a bit of temple-viewing and people watching. Back at the Royal Palace Museum we checked out the opulent reception rooms of the King, Queen and the King’s secretary which were filled with sculptures, murals and other artworks plus numerous gifts to Laos from countries around the world including a gold Buddha after which the town is named – Pha Bang. There was a particularly interesting collection of drawings depicting a local legend that you could read and follow as you walked from room to room and the bedrooms were set up as they would have been when it was the King’s summer palace. This was prior to the 1975 revolution when the last king was exiled to northern Laos and he was imprisoned with his family in the caves of Vieng Xai.

It was pretty hot by the time we left the palace, after purchasing our tickets for the evening’s performance of the Lao National Ballet, so we headed down to the juice stand for a fresh pineapple juice and then on to see a few more Wats. We were in luck as it must have been bell-ringing o’clock and the young monks at two neighboring temples – Wat Sop and Wat Siboun Heang were having a bit of a competition at who could gong longest and loudest! Actually it was quite impressive to see and took a lot of strength from the monks who took turns at the drum and other instruments.

After this show of strength we wandered further down the peninsula to check out Wat Xieng Thong. This Wat was built in 1560 by King Settathirat and also houses the Royal Funeral Chapel – a 12m high chariot that looks like a boat on wheels. This chapel also houses a lot of Buddhas brought by locals from their homes after the Chinese stole hundreds of Buddhas from Lao temples.

After this visit it was back to our room to get changed for the Laos National Ballet – the 600 year old Ramayana Ballet. After a quick pizza we headed up to the Royal Ballet Theatre and took our seats in the stifling theatre. (Luckily we had chosen one class up from the plastic seats against the back wall!) The costumes and the dancers were beautiful but it was all a bit slow in the storytelling and we found ourselves urging the characters to ‘get on with it’. It didn’t help that we were so hot – even the musicians sitting on the side of the stage kept wandering off (probably to get drinks and cool down). Anyway it was an experience and we found out what the story was after we found some fliers after the performance (would have been useful beforehand) but our imaginations were working hard and our story was quite amusing! Back into the throngs of the night market we did a little gift shopping and Grahame bought yet another cane – although not as expensive as his one’s at home!

 Then we wandered off for a nightcap – pineapple juice and vodka – and listened to the shop owners sing and play guitar before a long walk home via the river to bed. We did check out the cruise ship on the way but discovered that it only runs when the river is much higher so we are out of luck at getting a boat down south along the Mekong – another time maybe.

View Khem Khong Guest House, Th. Khem Khong, Luang Prabang, Laos
(100,000 Kip w fan & hot water ensuite – simple but clean & opposite the river)
Ph: 856-71 213032 / m: 856-20 6783080.

07/03/2010 Luang Prabang on the Mighty Mekong

Got up earlyish so that we could get in some internet time to pay bills and update the blog (finally).

Also had a final swim in the pool (it gets warmer every time you get in surprisingly!) and chatted to a New Zealand guy who was teaching his little girl to swim. Finally had to get out and check out before we got charged extra. Then it was off to the airport in no time at all and after a very quick check-in and a bit more blogging were up, up and away to Laos – Luang Prabang to be exact.

The numerous palm trees were a surprise when looking out as we landed after the forests of Chiang Mai only an hour west. On arrival in Laos (it was a ghost town at her international terminal) we caught a taxi into town although on the way the driver had to take us to see his ‘friends’ guesthouse as it was ‘high season’. However this is quite normal in Asia as drivers get commissions for diverting you to particular guesthouses and we had a look anyway to compare to the one we wanted. Turns out that two of the ‘friends’ guesthouses were booked out anyway and the third was a dodgy room out of town with a mattress on the floor and a filthy shared bathroom. Luckily we are used to saying no and headed into our preferred option where we got the last room in a simple guesthouse in the old town opposite the Mekong River. It turned out that the driver was correct and it was busy – however when pressed he told us that by ‘high season’ he meant from December to May which is rubbish.

Despite the busyness of the accommodation options, the town seems quiet and laid back. A lot of the buildings are French Colonial, reflecting the French occupation of the area when it was known as Indo-China. It has quite beautiful architecture and a lovely riverside resort feel with all the timber verandahs overlooking the two rivers that converge in town – the Mekong and the Nam Khan Rivers converge to create a peninsula where the old town has evolved. We wandered up to the night market for a look and discovered that they had quite a lot of good quality local handicrafts. This is unusual as most of the places we have been in Asia serve up the same cheap garbage and just stick their town’s name on it if you are lucky (or unlucky enough to purchase it). After this we went back down to the street where our guesthouse, View Khem Khong, sits across from the river and picked out a riverside restaurant for dinner. We had a lovely night chatting by the river and watching the boat lights twinkling offshore. Food was average and we need to remember to ask for filleted fish but the beer was cold and cheap!

View Khem Khong Guest House, Th. Khem Khong, Luang Prabang, Laos
(100,000 Kip w fan and hot water ensuite – simple but clean and opposite the river)
Ph: 856-71 213032 / m: 856-20 6783080.

06/03/2010 Zip Lines !!

We got picked up in the morning for our trip to the zip lines in the jungle north of Chiang Mai (about an hour north). The trip took us into the jungle along a fairly steep rough mountain road. We arrived at the starting point with our new friends we had met on the bus on the way. Everybody had to wear hair nets except Grahame who was able to wear his cool bandana. After they had fitted us with our harnesses we left all our gear in a locker and headed off to the jungle. There were other groups in front of us but our guides pushed us through so we didn’t have to wait for heaps of people. The first line is only short to get used to the setup. As you progress along they get longer and some are steeper so you have to brake (the brake is a stick with a bend on the end that you pulled down onto the cable!!!) otherwise you smack into the landing zone. It was pretty darn scarey and Tracey had a bad landing and smacked her foot. The longest line was 300 metres and went across a small valley. In between some of the lines you had to absail straight down.

The guides thought this was amusing and played drop you like a rock but stopped you in time before you crashed into the ground. Seeing as we were slightly heavier than everybody else Grahame had to use his brake a lot more but still managed to smack into a tree. They also made the mistake of sending us down one of the long double lines together and we did not make the landing with Tracey crashing her already sore foot again. As we did not make it to the landing you basically roll all the way back along the line until you stop in the middle. The rescue involves one of the 50 kilo guys coming back down the line and towing you back to the platform. They have to clip a small line to you and by grabbing the line with their hands and dragging you back. Considering its uphill all the way they were pretty much wrecked by the time they had managed to get us both back to the platform. Apart from one massive walk up hill it’s a great experience and would recommend it.

After you finish you have to walk back but you do get an included lunch which is ok. On the way back you get to go to some hot springs which we thought you could swim in but you can’t as they are actually nearly boiling hot and are crap anyway. Pretty much a waste of time as they turned out to be a couple of sulphur smelling pools surrounded by a fence. So if you go talk them out of going to the hot pools and get home early for a beer!!! When we got home we hit the super cool pool and that’s about it.

SK House, 30 Moonmuang Rd., Soi 9 Chiang Mai, Thailand
Ph: 053 418396 / 053 210690; email: sk_house@hotmail.com; www.theskhouse.com
(700 Baht w Air and Hot Water Ensuite – very good quality and a refreshing pool)

05/03/2010 Exploring Chiang Mai

We extended our bike rental and headed out to the Tribal Museum north of the city – it was a bit tough at first with all the one-way streets (some of the roads actually went from driving on one side of the road to reverse on the other side !!!! this was a little nerve racking) and the freeway ring roads but we finally sorted ourselves and spent a couple of hours in this great little museum dedicated to the lives and culture of the hill tribes. Had a late lunch/dinner on one of the little floating restaurants at the adjacent lake!

Went to the night markets near the Ping River (outside the city walls) and Grahame bought some new shorts with heaps of pockets including one for his mobile phone. About $12 aussie and well made. (Should have bought more)

We heard about this zip lining, which is basically where they have hundreds of meters of steel cable attached the the 40 or 50 metre high trees in the jungle. They then put you in a rock climbing harness and clip you onto the steel cable with a set of mini high speed wheels that runs along the cable. Once you are clipped on the let you zoom through the air between the trees. We decided to give it a go so we busted the motel for the best price. 1800 baht each for the full 32 zip lines. They run a shorter one of only 21 zip lines but its not that much cheaper and you don’t get to go on the really long lines if you only do the short version.

SK House, 30 Moonmuang Rd., Soi 9 Chiang Mai, Thailand
Ph: 053 418396 / 053 210690; email: sk_house@hotmail.com; www.theskhouse.com
(700 Baht w Air and Hot Water Ensuite – very good quality and a refreshing pool)