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Southeast Asia sensation

February - July 2017
A 156-day adventure by Wandering WordSmith Read more
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  • Wandering WordSmithSoutheast Asia sensation
    Day 35

    "Goooood morning Vietnam!"

    March 30, 2017 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    Motorbikes! Motorbikes and scooters everywhere. As far as the eye can see, on the road, the pavement, the grass... going the right way, the wrong way, whatever way... carrying people, animals (dead and alive), grass, poles, boxes and beds - you get the picture 🛵🛵🛵

    If you thought Cambodia's Phnom Penh was crazy with traffic, the Southern metropolis, Ho Chi Min (Saigon) makes it look like a little village. It's absolutely insane, everywhere you look there are literally hundreds of motorbikes ducking and diving everyone and everything. Apparently out of a population of about 12 million, over seven million use the two-wheeled transport. Crossing the street is a feat in itself, nobody ever stops, so you genuinely have to just do as the locals do and step out into the road (hmm, seems normal...) walk at a steady pace and hope not be hit! The bikes just seem to part like the red sea around you - it's quite surreal and after the first few times, you get kind of used to it, but definitely don't try it at home as you will end up squished the tarmac!

    I went for a walk around the city and quickly realised it was too hot to be walking too far, so jumped on a moped taxi tour - the guy seemed cool, and he was for the day with a solid day of sightseeing and info, but it was definitely slightly soured when he ripped me off at the end saying a different figure than we'd agreed and wouldn't drive me back until I paid - I call kidnap! Nah, more 'annoying dishonesty' as the tour was good and I would have paid a reasonable amount - such a shame as I went back seething.

    Anyway despite that little scam, I visited the main spots around the city, the river, the fancy post office building, the market and the cathedral etc. I sampled the best iced coffee I've ever tasted, and I'm not even much of a coffee connoisseur - but it was absolutely delicious!

    The Independence building was quite interesting as it's where the president coordinated the strategy in the Vietnam war. It had an underground bunker with all the original maps and equipment used. Talking of that, I also visited the War remnants museum that highlighted another pretty sad tale of the USA's involvement in the war between North and South Vietnam - the worst thing is the 'Agent Orange' dioxin which was sprayed across the country; it caused terrible deformities amongst the people and the ramifications are still seen in second and third generations today. It was quite uncomfortable looking at the pictures, and the torture used was also abhorrent. I'm also still not a hundred percent on why it all happened yet, (need to do some research on this one) but it was to do with communism again, so no history lesson today, but it all sounds suitably dire and also wasn't very long ago. I guess It's going to be a bit biased to one side over here mind...you might get a different take in the US.

    The following day I took a tour to the upper Mekong river, where we visited some of the islands along it. One of the islands was like a poor man's Disney Land - it was so bizarre with odd little things to do and was a bit naff to be honest. Some kids were teasing crocodiles with meat tied on string which I thought was a bit cruel and unnecessary - I secretly wanted one to jump up and nearly take the kids arm off to give him a massive scare 😈. It eventually ripped the snack off the string though. I did eat some crocodile the other day which was pretty good so who am I to talk!? But I didn't tease it.

    On the next island, we sampled snake wine, which was actually pretty tasty (like a good whisky) but freaky nevertheless, I also held a masive python which weighed a tonne, tried fresh honey direct from a behive plus some coconut candy which they made on the island.

    The best part of the tour was paddling along the Mekong river through the jungle on a little boat. It was cool being on that and felt really authentic, especially with the little rowing ladies in their classic triangle hats which I found out are mainly for women. I had to try one on for effect though. All in all, a nice, but bit of a random day.

    I also went to the Chu Chi tunnels, these were the famous underground network that were used to infiltrate the enemy. The original ones are tiny! I know the Vietnamese are kinda small but I could barely fit through these things! There were over ten km of original tunnel and the stories of how they were used was amazing. They used the network as a village and also laid some nasty looking traps to catch soldiers then they'd pop out of the tunnel and ambush the enemy. After that I shot a round on an AK47 which felt pretty bad-ass. I think I hit the target maybe once or twice - it was soooo loud, but easier to use than I expected.- boys and their toys eh! 🔫

    It's absolutely lashing it down as I write this and has been for the past four hours - I've not seen rain like this in a while there is thunder and lightning too. The streets are flooded, but the relentless stream of motorbikes keep coming, they have got their little ponchos but are still just as mental!    Read more

  • Wandering WordSmithSoutheast Asia sensation
    Day 40

    From hot to cold - Mui Ne to Da Lat

    April 4, 2017 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Mui Ne was the next stop from Ho Chi Min. I'd heard there were some cool sand dunes to visit as well as a nice beach. I got another sleeper bus, this time it was thankfully a single seat but being designed for the tiny Vietnamese I was scrunched up the entire journey, very comfortable and some quality sleep ...not!

    I arrived in Mui Ne, intending to stay one night, see the sand dunes, explore a little and move on. Well the hostel I was in was a delight, it shared facilities with a much fancier hotel so I opted for a day longer to enjoy these. It had three pools and really nice food and sea views - not something usual in a hostel.

    You can race around on a quad bike on the sand dunes which was great - the guy working there drove us down some steep ones and it was like being on a roller coaster without any of the safety bars - good fun. We also visited the red sand dunes which are frankly orange, but that's being pedantic, and the fairy stream - a scenic shallow river you wade through. Plus a fisherman's village with more boats than the eye could see - some of the boats were literally like round bathtubs.

    It was hot in Mui Ne but now it's freezing! Well actually it's not anywhere near freezing, in fact it's still 17 degrees but coming from 30+ is quite a drop. It's the first time I've felt cold in seven weeks. I'm in mountainous Da Lat, a pretty city set in-land from the coast and high in the hills, hence the slight chill. I'm wearing trousers again.

    I hired a moped with a couple of people and ventured into the Da Lat traffic, thankfully no where near as insane as Ho Chi Min. I got used to riding on the right and navigating around the numerous mopeds and feeling slightly like a local. We rode out to the countryside and took a scenic cable car ride over the green spaces before riding around the area a bit more. We wanted to ride up a mountain route but we got to the bottom and were informed by a guy that we had to walk the 12 km instead of ride. As it was late afternoon we opted for a less strenuous activity and had some food instead. 12 km walk? - nah

    Da Lat is famous for canyoning which is basically abseiling down rocks and waterfalls, it was good fun and I picked it up relatively easy. There was a Chinese couple in our group who were a total liability from start to finish, we were all very nervous for them. First the guy fell down abseiling and was dangling upside down from his rope, then he got lost and the guide had to go and find him in the jungle. We all jumped off a cliff edge into the water and his girlfriend jumped and fell flat on her face - ouch! then announced she couldn't swim so waded around in the water struggling to get out until we helped her. It was all pretty cringe-worthy. They both survived however and seemed to enjoy themselves so no harm done I guess.

    The day included trekking through the jungle a couple of dry abseils near a waterfall plus a natural water slide down some smooth rock. It culminated in the 'washing machine' - you abseil down into a waterfall get drenched and then allow the water to push you down to the bottom and back into the shallow, it was crazy but good fun.

    The following day I did a secret tour which was recommended to me by someone I was chatting to in the hostel. The first half of the day was quite nice, we sampled lots of delicious food that I cant remember the name of unfortunately. I tried cooked crickets which wernt bad and could be the future of farming - they are full of protein too and we also visted a silk farm and a coffee plantation.

    The second half of the day was the 'secret' bit and at the request of the guide I'm not allowed to divulge exactly what I saw on a public forum and we wern't permitted to take any photographs. Suffice to say it was pretty interesting and one of the more culturally relevant things I've seen which gave an insight into traditional Vietnamese customs that tourists don't often get to witness which was great. The tour guide was hilarious and made it really enjoyable too, although him and his compadre insisted on singing old pop songs in broken English the entire journey which got a bit stale.

    I'm now on another long night bus journey to Hoi An, the driver is currently spitting out of the window intermittently which is just lovely. That coupled with him tooting the horn every few minutes, the winding road and the tv playing some sort of Vietnamese X-Factor style show should make for more high quality sleep! At least there is three centimetres more leg room on this one (I think). Nighty night 😴    Read more

  • Wandering WordSmithSoutheast Asia sensation
    1
    Day 48

    Hoi An & the Hai Van Pass

    April 12, 2017 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    The pretty city of Hoi An greeted me the next morning after a surprisingly above average 12 hour sleeper bus journey. Hoi An is a small river city known for its relaxed vibe and quaint streets. Think the French Riveria only in Vietnam. It's shrouded in colourful lanterns and ornate decor with winding lanes and boutique restaurants and bars. We took a bike and went around the city exploring, then to a beach. On the way we passed some wild water buffalo in the rice fields too - it's the hottest it's been so far here - the temperature is pushing 39 degrees! I like the heat but even I'm staying in shade today.

    In the evening I went to see a water puppet theatre show - a famous art form in Vietnam. It was nice to see the tradition but to be honest it wasn't all that special, quite talented and skilful etc and kids would probably like it, but after a while I was ready to go. It was only half an hour though.

    Hoi An is for some reason very famous for personalised tailoring - you can get just about anything tailored here, suits, dresses, bags, wallets etc and there are about 100 stores all offering the service. One street is literally just tailors - the choice is pretty overwhelming. I decided to get a suit as personalised stuff is so expensive in the UK. I don't wear one much though, so in hindsight it's probably quite the 'nice to have' extravagance 💸💸💸

    I picked a place based on a couple of recommendations from other people. The process and choosing the style, materials etc is quite fun although it does involve going backwards and forwards to the same shop again and again for tweaks. It was like popping to a second home after a while. The suit looked nice, my tailor even wanted a photo, hopefully I don't get fat before I get a few chances to wear it . There was a guy who bought ten suits in one go for work, so he better not get fat either otherwise he'll be pretty gutted. On the last day I went in the store, someone was genuinely having a tailored pineapple suit made - as in the whole suit just had images of pineapples on - like a fancy dress outfit. Seemed pretty unnecessary to have that tailored even if it was cheap-ish. I can't imagine he'll be wearing it more than once or twice, how many fancy dress parties does this guy attend?! - whatever floats your boat I suppose.

    Whilst in Hoi An, I also undertook a Vietnamese cooking class; it was great. I learned four simple dishes which theoretically should be easy enough to replicate... I emphasise the word theoretically. The food was delicious; fresh spring roles, Vietnamese pancakes, with a tasty dipping sauce, meat fry and papaya shrimp salad with homemade dressing. Gordon Ramsey eat your heart out!

    I also happened to be in Hoi An for the monthly lantern festival and was looking forward to seeing hundreds of lanterns floating on the river and in the sky, setting the town alight with an amber glow. The reality, rather disappointingly was about 20 tiny lanterns in the river and about a hundred people trying to sell one to you to put in said river - lantern 'festival' it was not. The town still looked great but it really wasn't that different than any other night there.

    The next day I embarked on The Hai Van Pass, the crossing made famous by Top Gear. Known for it's 180 degree twists and turns and beautiful scenery - it's said to be a fantastic route. We hired a bike and decided to undertake the journey to Hue; the next major city. The day was sunny and we set off on the 140km drive up, stopping at a few choice spots on the way. We looked for some food and could literally only find a fish restaurant where the 'menu' was a bunch of large washing up bowls with live fish in. You just had to point and hope you got what you wanted as nobody spoke a word of English. We managed to establish ordering shrimp and something else unidentifiable - tasted alright though.

    The actual Hai Van Pass is only about 25km with its twists and turns, but the journey most of the way is also quite picturesque. The pass was great but seemed so short, it was over just as I was starting to get used to the bends. Arriving in Hue we rode alongside the locals weaving in and out of the traffic almost flowing as one...almost! If you drive how they do here in the West you'd be arrested.

    Hue was nice enough, there is a giant historic Citidal in the middle which is quite interesting to see and the city is pleasant to wonder about. A guy kept trying to get me to ride on his weird cyclo thing. Honestly it was quicker to walk.

    I've been persuaded from talking to a few people that Phong Nha is a good place to go from Hue, so I've booked on the bus for that next.    Read more

  • Wandering WordSmithSoutheast Asia sensation
    Day 53

    Scrapes & japes in Phong Nha

    April 17, 2017 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    I have become an unrecorded statistic, it's happened - I fell off the damn bike and scraped myself up. Annoyingly it wasn't even my fault; a car came round the corner too fast and I had to swerve to avoid it hitting me, so ended up in a heap on the tarmac and a smashed phone. It was a country lane too so it was unfortunate that the car was even on it - I saw about three in a couple of days- typical. You'd think it would be on a main road but no, the quietest road there. The bastard didn't even stop! Anyway I was lucky, I'm absolutely fine, just a few cuts in the arms and legs and will probably sport a small scar or two which makes a story. That's that, it happened, it was painful and annoying, but I'm still alive so onwards!

    On to more interesting things - Phong Nha is stunning, I'd go as far as to say it's one the most picturesque places I've been in Vietnam. Apparently it's where they are filming some of the new King Kong movie - I can see why, it's all lush green jungle and high cliffs encompassing caves and taverns. It's really enjoyable just riding around the area (when you're upright 😶). The weather was overcast but it didn't really matter and gave it an eerie atmosphere.

    There's a number of caves in Phong Nha, some that have only been discovered fairly recently. On the first day I went to the boringly named but beautiful Phong Nha cave. We had to join the locals on a little boat. It was me and one other Westerner - the locals loved it and insisted on taking photos of us with them. The little boat goes along the river then makes its way into the cave for about 20 mins. The cave was huge with loads of interesting rock formations and caverns. We got out for another 20 mins and wandered around it a bit before heading back for lunch.

    In the afternoon, we went to the more creatively named Paradise Cave, previously the largest cave in Asia. It was massive and you could walk 1.5 km within it. Apparently the cave is actually over 30 km long and you can do special tours to see more if you wish. The scale is ridiculous, I'd have been there all week! Paradise Cave was breathtaking though with massive stalagmites and rock formations that looked like frozen waterfalls, it was like walking on an alien planet. People used to think Paradise Cave was the biggest but they have recently found an even bigger one. The catch is you have to pay over $3000 to visit it and trek for miles - I passed on that particular tourist activity.

    The following day apart from my little incident, I also visited the Dark Cave - aptly named becuase it's pitch black inside. This was more of an activity-based visit and included ziplining and venturing down into the cave where there was loads of liquid mud. We were given hard-hats that resembled a childs toy and a headtorch which gave off about as much illumination as a lighter - the group was large though, so the combination of light showed the way. As we descended into the mud, everyone covered themselves and we looked like a bunch of swamp monsters in the dimly lit cavern. It was quite weird and you could float in it strangely - it looked like melted chocolate but I wouldn't reccomend tasting it - it definitely wasn't Wonka's chocolate factory! The way it just naturally occurred in the cave was cool though. After getting outside, we messed around on some climbing frames in the water to clean off a bit before driving back through the breathtaking Phong Nha scenery.

    The amusingly named Tam Coc was next - a tiny picturesque town near Ninh Bin. Arriving at 4 AM from the sleeper bus - we waited for an hour before being transferred to the hostel. The waiting room was half finished and looked more like a crack den than a bus office - somebody get the builders in! Once in Tam Coc we went on a boat ride which was pleasant despite the nagging for tips. Loads of Asian tourists on the passing boats kept taking sly photos of us. They love it - I must be in so many random photos. If I did it the other way round I'm not sure it would go down too well. 🤔

    We had to drive to Ninh Bin town to find an ATM. It was like a pilgrimage for the elusive cash machine, we finally found one tucked away on the side of a small road. I thought Ninh Bin town was a bit rubbish so was glad to get back to the beauty of Tam Coc. In the afternoon we rode to a massive Pagoda, it was awesome, relatively new and very ornate. There were hundreds of Buddha statues there and a couple of huge golden ones that rivalled Bangkok. It was also much less touristy and the views at the top were brilliant - worth the ride.

    Back on another bus to Hanoi next.    Read more

  • Wandering WordSmithSoutheast Asia sensation
    1
    Day 60

    Hanoi, Ha Long and Sa Pa

    April 24, 2017 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    I'm not the biggest fan of Hanoi. It's the big bustling capital of Vietnam but I think it lacks a bit of character and there didn't seem to be that much to do. I visited an old prison which was ok and had an egg coffee by the lake - yes you read that right; egg coffee. Although it sounds like something you wouldn't give your worst enemy, this coffee is famous here and it was actually very good - I don't think I'll try and replicate it mind.

    I wanted to go to go the Musaliam to see a mummified king, but it was closed so couldn't see that. I tried again another day and was greeted with a queue as long as the whole of Vietnam and hundreds of school kids saying hello to me - plus the place opened for only a couple of hours. I gave up on the Musaliam. The hostel I stayed in was however very nice with an amazing rain shower! I don't know what it was doing in a backpackers hostel, but I wasn't complaining - so every cloud! The evening was better, we went for dinner and drinks and to a few clubs before chomping down on a Bahn Mi, a delicious French style bread roll with loads of filling - not exactly the most cultural couple of days though.

    Ah, Ha Long Bay, the natural wonder of the world. I was looking forward to seeing it but of course the weather had other ideas. The day we sailed around the bay, it was so foggy you had to get up close to the cliff before they came into view. It was still beautiful but was unlucky not to see it more clearly (A reason to return). We kayaked around a bit before heading to an island as part of the tour. Now, I've not been annoyed much at all on this trip, but this 'island' was a literal construction site, with unfinished buildings everywhere and a rubbish-strewn beach with five wicker chairs that looked like something from a jumble sale for about 30 people! It was pretty shocking and the room and food was also naff. We were paying a considerable amount for this 'island' so we were understandably a bit vexed.

    The next day the weather was a lot better and we trekked to the top of the island for a nice view after breakfast. That was it though - for the rest of the day we were left alone on the 'beautiful' (crap) beach. It's a paid tour - I'd expect some sort of organised activity. I don't want to sound petty but if I wanted to laze around on the beach I could do that for next to nothing and on a much nicer one! At 4 PM the 'tour' re-commenced and we trekked again to the other side of the island - this was waaaay better, the beach was actually decent - why not come here earlier?! 😡 In the evening, back on camp construction we had a meal and drinks and managed to get ourselves transferred to a marginally better room that didn't resemble a cell block - result.

    The final day was definitely the best (probably because we left the island). We went to Cat Ba island and trekked to the top in a national park - the views were amazing. I wish I'd just took a tour to the main bay from there - nevermind, you win some, you lose some. The group was nice and it was a fun experience just not particularly good value for money. I feel a Trip Advisor review and a strongly worded letter brewing... 📝

    Following Ha Long Bay, we took a night bus up to Sa Pa in the far North of the country. Arriving in terrible weather, my mood remained slightly sour. We met our hill tribe guide and started to trek in the rain - annoyingly we could see precisely nothing because the mist was so thick. As we descended down the hill the scenery finally came into view and it was amazing. Rice fields as far as the eye could see dotted with little villages and water buffalo - definitely worth the slog. We walked around for another hour or so before stopping at our guides house for a tasty home cooked lunch and trying on some of the hill tribe clothing for no obvious reason. After this we trekked a bit more to our homestay and on the way we passed what must have been a six year old child leading a massive water buffalo up a hill - standard!

    I woke up freezing the following day - it's really cold in the mountains and the weather was still unfortunately still very bleak. Our final trek was tough but good fun - we slipped and slided our way through ridiculously muddy tracks, a bamboo forest and wet rice paddies. I managed to not fall over despite having a couple of close shaves much to the guides' amusement. We also went through a little village where a two year old was messing around with a large machete totally unsupervised - standard again I guess!

    After making it down the slopes with the ludicrously strong tribes women leading the way and embarrassing our pathetic efforts, we headed back to the homestay for a hot shower before getting back on the bus for the long drive back to Hanoi.

    My time in Vietnam comes to an end now - a month has gone so quickly but it's been great with a lot of highlights - Laos beckons next.    Read more

  • Wandering WordSmithSoutheast Asia sensation
    1
    Day 66

    Landlocked Laos - Vientiane & Vang Vieng

    April 30, 2017 in Laos ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    I landed in Vientiane, Laos and the sun was shining which was great after the overcast weather in North Vietnam. There is an eerie silence here - oh, no there isn't, it's just because no-one toots their horn every two seconds! What a relief after Vietnam's mental roads - too bad there is very little to do. Vientiane is actually the capital of Laos, but it's about the size of a small town in the UK, so I wandered round it in pretty quickly. It's a pleasant place but there's not a lot going on. I cycled to a temple and a sort of Asian Arc de Triomphe which was also quite nice. One of the main things, Buddha Park, is ironically about 20 miles away from the city. It's basically a football pitch-sized field with lots of different Buddha statues. Apparently a monk one day just went a bit rougue and started building them all; must have taken him a while as there are about 100 and some are massive.

    The following day I boarded the bus to Vang Vieng, and an uncomfortable and bumpy ride later we arrived. What a contrast - although less mad than it used to be, it's still definitely a party town. It was once famous for it's insanity with drugs, booze and tubing on the river, but when about 30 backpackers died one year, the government shut a lot of the madness down - understable, death probably isn't the best tourist attraction.☠ You can still go tubing i.e. floating down the river to a few bars which was good fun and a nod to the towns history, plus you can still find drug menus in some of the cafes which is quite weird to see so blatantly promoted alongside pizza. The tubing was cool but less floating and more bar-crawl. I would have liked to stay in the tube for a bit longer as no sooner did you get in and settled you got out again.

    Vang Veing is also really beautiful with massive karst rocks and a selection of caves and stunning mountains - riding around it was really nice and I can't not mention the sandwiches. Yes that's right sandwiches - unbelievable! Vietnam's were good but these were something else - massive rolls filled to the brim with meat, salad, cheese, sauces etc. They are some of the best sandwiches I've ever had and for about £1.50, I must have had about ten in the few days I was there.

    On one day we cycled to a cave based on a sign that suggested you could swim in clear water at the bottom, the cave was ridiculously dark and narrow and the swimming 'lake' was actually a tiny muddy puddle so we passed. False advertising me thinks! There's also a few lagoons in Vang Vieng. Arriving at the first one, we were greeted with literally hundreds of Asian tourists, many wearing a full set of clothes to avoid the sun - one guy was genuinely swimming in jeans! There was a big jump you could do into the water about eight meters high so we did that then watched the other tourists clumsily jumping in. A girl took hold of a rope swing and two seconds later fell flat on her face in the water. 😂 She was fine and repeated the fall again almost immediately.

    The next day we rented mopeds and went to the third lagoon - apparently the better one. It took ages and was a very laborious journey as the roads are poor with rocks and potholes everywhere, so you could only go very slowly - moped scooters are definitely not made for off-roading. The lagoon was nice though, and a little less busy with just a smattering of fully clothed Asian tourists this time, although one man was wearing a thick hoody, it was 38 degrees! 😩 There was a cool rope swing into the water and a raft that might as well have been made out if bricks it was so badly tied together - still a nice place to spend the day.

    I nipped out in the evening for my obligatory sandwich and on the way back a mother was attempting to hit her misbehaving child with a broom - she kept missing him and he cheekily taunted her untiil she managed to whack him on the head pretty hard, he cried the entire street down - I could still hear him as I walked back around the corner, poor fella.

    Another (likely) uncomfortable bus journey awaits to Luang Phra Bang now.    Read more

  • Wandering WordSmithSoutheast Asia sensation
    Day 71

    Luang Phrabang & a very slow boat

    May 5, 2017 in Laos ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    Dan: (to fellow backpacker on bus) "What's your plans in Luang Phrabang?"
    Backpacker: (Looks confused) "Luang Phrabang?"
    Dan: "Yes, how long are you staying?"
    Backpacker: "Does this bus go to Luang Phrabang?"
    Dan: ... "Errr hope so"
    Backpacker: "I thought it goes to Vientiane"
    Dan: "I just came from there a few days ago..."
    Dan: (to driver): "Is this to Luang Phrabang"
    Driver: (silence)
    Dan: "Luang Phrabang?"
    Driver "Vientenee"
    Dan: "Vientiane, wrong bus" (shit 😲) "can you stop please?"
    Driver  (silence)
    Dan and backpacker in unison: "Hello stop please"
    Driver (finally stops, confused)
    Dan: (gets off bus, hauls backpack through bemused Chinese tourists, apologies, thanks fellow backpacker and trudges back to hostel) - luckily we only went a couple of blocks.

    After nearly ending up where I started in Laos the man at the hostel was very apologetic and says he thought the bus was for Luang Phrabang - he arranges another bus for the following morning and I spend the rest of the day hanging around. I head down to the river and lie in hammock - after a while a heavy rainshower occurs for an hour or so, I wait it out - a strange (possibly high) woman is frolicking about in the river dancing, spinning around and talking to herself. I watch her amused for a while before the rains cease, weirdly she sits down quietly when the sun returns.

    I'm on a bus again, well it's actually a rather cramped mini van but at least it's going the right way. Had I not chatted to that backpacker I'd be back in the capital 😕. The journey to Luang Phrabang is very steep and the roads are quite windy, but it's also very beautiful reaching high up into the Laotian hills. Luang Phrabang is a quaint little city in Northern Laos known for a relaxed vibe. I spend the first day around the hostel and make use of the pool. It's 38 degrees here and without the sea air it feels above 45. The simple act of laying still produces a river of sweat.

    I venture out for lunch and they have sandwiches again. But what's this?... avocado! I've not had avocado for the past two and half months (first world problems) I gobble down a sandwich layered in the stuff. A bunch of other backpackers are also crowding around the stall - avocado is obviously a real draw.🥑

    Unlike Vang Vieng, Luang Phrabang is quite a sleepy place and as such isn't big on nightlife. There are a couple of bars but they close early and the only place that serves alcohol any later is oddly a bowling alley (as it's considered a 'sporting venue'). Many travellers congregate here - where there's booze, there's backpackers. I had a couple of games and managed a score of 136 on one which wasn't bad.

    The next day I did the main tourist activity in Luang Phrabang which is again miles out of the city but totally worth it. Kuang Si Falls is an absolutely stunning waterfall with bright pools turned turquoise by the natural limestone - it's one of the best waterfalls I've seen. You can swim there (cold, but refreshing in the heat) and also hike to the top for a great view. Brilliant day. In the evening we went to a vegetarian buffet, it was delicious, you could basically fill a bowl to the brim. I didn't even know what half of it was but it was very tasty.

    I had another pool day before a few people I'd met decided to take the slow boat out of Laos to the border of North Thailand. The slow boat is a popular journey from Thailand to Laos and there were also a few backpackers going our reverse way. It takes two days but the scenery is lovely and the journey very pleasant. Time to think, read, listen to music etc or just watch the world go by. You get off the boat and go to a guest house for the night halfway through and then jump back on in the morning for the rest of the journey. The only issue was the food I.e the boat didn't have any unless you count instant noodles as such - they were revolting. I wisely picked up a sandwich for the following day.

    We got to the Thai border in the evening and it couldn't have been easier. They didn't even bother scanning the cases at this one - I could have have had a small child in there! The guy was so lax, unusual as normally they have been pretty strict so far in my experience - it was nearly 8 PM so I guess he wanted to get off to eat his Pad Thai or something.

    So I'm back in Thailand and plan to explore the popular Chiang Mai. I'm on a rickety local bus which stops every few minutes to squeeze a few more locals on, hopefully we'll arrive sometime today.    Read more

  • Wandering WordSmithSoutheast Asia sensation
    11
    Day 78

    Chiang Mai and controversial visits

    May 12, 2017 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    Before I arrived in Chiang Mai we stopped in smaller Chiang Rai to see the White Temple. Pretty awesome, it looks like it could be something out of the ice age or maybe more likely Disney's 'Frozen' movie - it was definitely not frozen temperature however! The temple is shaped almost in a gothic style and glistend in the sun. Like many temples it depicts both good and evil themes, this one had skulls and bones at the front to represent evil. After that I took the three hour ride to Chiang Mai - this time it was a coach rather than a local bus (a bit more pleasant).

    Arriving there, for some unknown reason I was greeted with the warble of Celine Dion's 'My heart will go on'. Why? It seemed so out of place amongst the typical chart hits that dominate SE Asia. It wouldn't be the last time I heard that here either... odd.

    The next day I got my bearings and wandered around the city a bit. It's a nice place with the main area surrounded by a large moat, the people here seem more friendly too. The North is also famous for a great dish called Khao Soi; a soup with a chilli flavour and soft and crispy noodles - it was very tasty. In the evening I wondered around the night market and tried not to buy anything much to all the vendors' annoyance.

    So, the controversial part: I was slightly conflicted about going to the Tiger Kingdom. I'd read a few things and heard a few differing opinions but knew a number of people who had visited. I'd spoke to people previously who recommended it too and a couple of backpackers I'd met on the boat from Laos were also keen to see it. So much to my mother's probable horror (I imagine), we decided to go and see it for ourselves and play with tigers. 🐯

    Verdict: it was actually pretty cool, I was pleased to see the tigers wern't drugged, some were running around and two of them were play fighting each other quite aggressively. The place and pens could have been a little larger ideally and obviously they were quite tame - for tigers! When it came time to step into the cage with one I was slightly anxious but I'd watched a few other people do it and emerge unscathed so we headed in and had our photo with a couple of massive tigers and stayed in their presence for a while. One was asleep but woke up and looked at me, it wasn't bothered but it's pretty freaky being face to face with one. The trainer said to pet it firmly on its back as otherwise they might think you are a fly and swat you which probably isn't the best outcome for a successful visit. I petted as hard as you'd pat a large dog. It behaved like my cat, just a giant one - it was yawning and rolling around and occasionally it would take interest in something else - at least it didn't scratch! It was amazing to be so close to it.

    Obviously the conflicting part is they aren't in the wild and are bred in captivity as unfortunately they are poached relentlessly. They seemed relatively happy - I guess they are used to relying on humans for everything but it's a shame for them. We also went into a small lions pen and had a few pics there. This was a young lion and it was pretty lively - it was probably about the size of a big dog but way more powerful. I got the best selfie with it. I'd wanted to see the baby tigers too but they wernt being bred during this season so unfortunately there was none there, we did see a baby lion being played with by the staff though - it ran around like a puppy. All in all I was ok with the visit - whilst it was awesome to be in the animals presence, ultimately they should be wild and free, but they are in danger so I guess this is one way to keep the species going - definitely wouldn't be allowed in the UK - once again health and safety is Asia's top priority... not! 🙄

    The next day I attended a Thai cooking class, it was excellent. I made a Pad Thai, a Tom Yom soup and a Massaman curry - delicious. We got a cook book too which was great so maybe I can actually recreate a couple of things if I can get hold of the ingredients. Good luck finding a kaffir lime Dan! I think mine may have to substituted a little, and I reckon not quite so spicy! 😰

    One of the most popular activities to do in Chiang Mai is to go to an elephant sanctuary. I mean they call them sanctuaries but you can never be sure. There's literally dozens and they all seem to offer a similar formula. I was keen to go to one where you don't ride them, as the ones that are ridden are very often really abused. I picked a camp (Elephant Jungle Sanctuary) based on chatting to a few people and good ol Trip Advisor. I chose a half day experience - we fed the elephants (you had to wear this odd outfit so they recognised you had food) surely holding the food would have been enough...? We also had a mud bath with them and then washed them off in the river - it was great. They are cheeky animals always attempting to steal food. A baby elephant stood on my foot the little bugger (At least it wasn't his mum, otherwise I wouldn't have a foot anymore!) The elephants seemed happy enough here too. The trainers said that some had been rescued from riding. I don't know, like the tigers, elephants are wild animals and really ought to stay as such but they looked healthy and were certainly getting plenty to eat. I swear every one of them went through about ten big bunches of bananas and they were still hungry. 🍌🍌🍌

    I got back to the hostel and went to the pool for a while. I got involved with a game of water volleyball with a ridiculously competitive American - he might as well have been in the Olympics the way he was behaving (it's just a game man).

    Went for dinner and what do you know... Celine Dion's playing again... perplexing.    Read more

  • Wandering WordSmithSoutheast Asia sensation
    Day 83

    Pai and attempting to reach Nirvana

    May 17, 2017 in Thailand ⋅ 🌧 24 °C

    "Go to Pai, it's really cool", "have you been to Pai? it's awesome", "Man you should check out Pai", "Dude you gotta head out to Pai, it's great". Numerous sentences to that effect flowed from quite a few people I'd met, so Pai, as well as sounding delicious, seemed a popular place, so I decided it was worth a look. Worth a look it was, although getting there was a bit mad - to say the road had a few twists and turns would be the understatement of the year. It's literally just 180 u-bend after u-bend for about three hours 🤢. It was like being on a roller-coaster that didn't go upside down.

    There's really nothing much to do in this hippy town, just a lot of good vibes and a chilled atmosphere with beautiful surroundings. I rented a moped and visited a couple of waterfalls but I've been spoiled by the one in Laos so they wern't quite as stunning - still pleasant though. Pai does have a large canyon which is pretty cool and randomly there's also a land split (basically a big hole that cuts the land in half). It just appeared one day so it's become a place of interest - anything for a tourist attraction. The other thing Pai had is a couple of hot springs, you could visit. I went to one and the water looks freezing but when you step in it's pretty warm which is unusual for a what is effectively a small brook.

    I took the roller-coaster journey back to Chiang Mai. It decided to rain heavily on the way so the road was even more precarious. It continued to rain hard in Chiang Mai for 24 solid hours - I ended up playing quite a few games of cards that day! ♠♥♣♦

    Whilst I was in Chiang Mai I decided I'd try something a little different to the typical backpacker activity. I embarked on a taster Buddhist meditation retreat for two days. Basically it was an introduction to Buddhism and meditation run by Thai monks. It consisted of learning a little about Buddhism in Thailand and around the world and practising different meditation techniques. It was also a silent retreat so you weren't allowed to speak while you were there (except when you were chanting). It was strange being silent for that length of time and this was just a taster, the full retreats are for a minimum of ten days! They are supposed to be really good for you though so maybe I can progress to it one day. Shhhhhhhh. 🤐

    Anyway, despite the constant rain, it was really good. Buddhism is a fascinating and admirable philosophy (it's not a religion either, so whatever you do/dont believe, you can still practice). Like myself, most people in the group hadn't really done much meditation so we all learned it together. It's a simple concept but it is quite hard to keep focus. We did sitting meditation initially for ten minutes, by the end I could just about do a half hour although I still can't sit in the full lotus position, I'm not flexible enough, so it was more the school assembly crossed legs look for me!

    We also did walking meditation which is as ridiculous as it sounds, but surprisingly calming - you have to walk stupidly slowly and concentrate on your placing. It focuses your mind on just one thing - you definitely look like an idiot but there's something to it. Finally we did lay down meditation, it's quite difficult as you find yourself falling asleep which isn't the objective.

    The retreat was held in purpose-built centre, with simple meals and accommodation. It was run by a young guy who for a monk was very cool. He was calm (naturally) but also really engaging to listen to. On the second day we had an hour's break where we were allowed to ask him questions.

    When we finished the retreat it was slightly odd to start chatting again. Getting back to the hostel I was greeted with a wall of sound which was a bit much initially but got used to it again pretty quick. I'll definitely try and incorporate some of the meditation in day to day life though as I feel it could have some benefits. Might struggle to reach enlightenment mind! We spend a lot of time taking care of our bodies but not our mind. As the monk said "meditation is the medication of the mind"... food for thought!
    Ohm☮☯    Read more

  • Wandering WordSmithSoutheast Asia sensation
    1
    Day 87

    Birthday and Bans scuba diving resort

    May 21, 2017 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Happy birthday to me 🎂🎉, I decided to head back down south to Koh Tao, I'd missed out the popular island when visiting the Thai islands before and was keen to do my open water Padi diving certification, so what better time than around my birthday.

    Getting there wasn't the most pleasent of journeys - I grabbed a flight from Chiang Mai to Bangkok then an overnight coach and boat to the island. The coach looked lovely, however unlike the Vietnamese night buses, it wasn't exactly a bed you could lay on, just a standard reclining chair, not great for nine hours. I managed about one hour of sleep. 😪

    Finally arrived on Koh Tao and settled into a hostel. The island is very beautiful and really small so easy to get around. On my birthday I visited Koh Nanhgum (an even smaller island with an amazing view and crystal clear water). In the evening a bunch of us went on the Koh Tao pub crawl (apparently it's pretty well known). It was a laugh and a good way to celebrate my ripening age. The locals were spinning and throwing fire sticks. Some tricks were pretty good but one guy in particular kept dropping his... #embarrassing

    Although I guess this trip is sort of one big present to myself - I decided to do my Padi diving course here. Koh Tao is very famous for diving (and also reasonably priced) so I signed up with one of the many centres on the island, there is at least 100, so I went with a recommended and well known place (Bans). The following day we started the course - the first day was just a couple of hours of intro and cheesy videos, then the next day we got in the swimming pool and learned the ropes. There's a lot to take in. You learn about how air is affected underwater, nitrogen levels, hand signals, equalising etc but everyone did well and the instructor was satisfied we were ready to enter the sea and not all immediately start drowning.

    Up at 6.30 AM for a spot of breakfast then straight onto the boat; we'd be in the water by 9.00 AM. The first sea dive was understandably a little nervy, but as time went on we all got used to the feeling. We had to do a few skills in the water to pass the course then continued the dive. We did another dive an hour later in similar conditions and it was a bit easier.

    The following day we went down to 18 metres (the max on this course) again much easier for the third dive. We did a few more skills including an emergency ascent and some breathing techniques to ensure you stay level in the water. The final dive was just a recreational dive and most enjoyable as there were no skills and we were just going around the area. Loads of fish and coral plus some unusual creatures. Upon surfacing, we signed the paper work and were officially certified open water divers. 👌

    I'd enjoyed the diving a lot and there was an opportunity to do the advanced course at a discount with the same instructor who I thought was excellent. I therefore decided to take it. This time there are five dives including a 30 metre one plus a navigation and night dive as mandatory. I also opted for a shipwreck dive.

    30 metres is quite a scary thought as it's a long way down, but it didn't seem too bad as the visability was good. I may have got a touch of the gas narcosis (a common condition at deeper levels) where you you feel slightly high underwater - I couldn't do the simple math problem that they use to test it, so either I had it or I'm just an idiot (maths isn't my strong suit to be fair).

    The deep dive happened to be in the shipwreck too - it was very cool. As you decended suddenly this large blurry outline started to appear and as we went lower the shipwreck comes into view. We swam around the wreck site - there are still guns on the top of it too. After that we did the navigation dive. We had to plan where to enter and exit and navigate underwater with a compass - it's quite hard but I managed the basics. I won't be steering any teams around dive sites yet though. We went over a colourful coral garden too which was pretty cool.

    The next day I had to complete three more dives, two standard ones and one night dive. The standard ones were great and by now I was a little more used to the feeling of diving. On one we swam through literally hundreds of small fish and they surrounded you. When it came to do the night dive everyone was slightly more apprehensive. There were a few special procedures to follow and obviously we had to have some lights down there. If you don't it's completely pitch black. It was one of the best dives though - you see a few different things and it's really freaky being in the water in the dark. We saw some big barracuda hunting smaller fish, a couple of purple spotted rays and various other things.

    So after that, I'm now an Advanced Open Water diver which means I can dive to 30 metres, dive shipwrecks and dive at night. Hopefully I can squeeze one more in on this trip.

    I'm heading to Myanmar next - I've heard it's definitely more challenging to travel than the typical backpacker route and it's technically the start of rainy season there, but lots of people have said positive things about it despite that - so lets see how it goes.    Read more

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