Thursday, February 18, 2010
Laos - into oblivion
We cross the Mekong tomorrow in Laos - and so we may be off line for a while. Thailand has been a hub of facilities. Laos will be a little more challenging (goodbye western toilet, hello squat toilet without toilet paper). So we shall return when we can. Till then, we hope you have enjoyed the yarn.
Chiang Kong - bikes on the Mekong
Took the public bus to Chiang Kong, which is on the Mekong and the border of Laos (kind of like Albury Wadonga or Echuca Moama). The bus was awesome, it was quite old with the door jammed open with okky straps, a lovely bus driver, friendly locals to chat to, sticky rice shoved into large bamboo shoots, pre-cooked corn on the cob - we watched 2 hours of rural Thailand which is as dry as Australia in some parts, bad roads and the open windows did provide a lovely breeze when we weren’t sucking in diesel fumes and dust.
Arrived to the always reliable tuk tuk driver as soon as you step off any bus. The Chiang Kong Tuk Tuk was another variation (exposed mototbike with a colorful paint job) from the ones in Bangkok (dollar signs), Autthaya (like frogs), Phisanulok (back to front) and Chiang Rai (mini utes). Paid 40 baht to go 1km to our accommodation, which has a spectacular view of the Mekong River with Laos on the opposite side.
This town is underrated and under visited as most people just cross the river as they can’t wait to get to Laos. After 13 days in Thailand we’re in no hurry to move on. So we hired bikes and went for a leisurely ride down the Mekong. We found a group of oldies playing Botchy, and using outdoor exercise equipment. Uninvited we joined them, and as Thai’s are always obliging (including their cats), they welcomed us with smiles. After working up a little sweat we thought we’d leave them to it as their group exercise class was about to start. Not a bad way to end the day, with an amazing view of the river and a bit of exercise with your old crony mates.
Had a lovely dinner again by the river and enjoyed the quiet, laid back feeling of the place. The people are relaxed and lovely and so is the pace. We also want to get some internet time in before we get sucked into the oblivion that Laos and Cambodia will shroud us in.
Notes on Thailand:
- if you don’t want your Children Mollycoddled, send them here where they will be jammed between mum, sibling and dad on a scooter at 6 weeks old, put in the back of a ute once they can walk and then given a scooter at 7 or 8. It looks to be a normal way to be bringing up kids. In the west we certainly could not place our baby in the basket of our bicycle unless it was a standard government issue basket with a 5 star rating. If anything it’s an interesting comparison!
- If you have have a Ute, actually if you don’t have a Ute, you are nobody. Everyone has a nice shiny new Ute - Nirvara’s, Colorado’s, Hilux’s etc. Not shitty utes and generally there is a group of people, or a family sitting in the tray at all times. If you don’t have a ute, then you have a scooter. Apart from this, the only other way to get around is Bus.
- with a great fear of Malaria and Dengue fever, our skin is systematically getting removed by the layers of 80% Deet Bushmans we put on each day. Mosquito’s are like ninja’s here, they don’t hurt and they are very quiet, so half the time you don’t know you’ve been bitten. But we must sacrifice our outer layer of dermis to ensure we last 6 months.
- Thai TV, dear god. Thai Advertisements - always the same. If you are beautiful, you will find love. To be beautiful, you must be skinny and whiten your skin and teeth. Here are some products to whiten your skin, teeth and to ensure you stay slim. Here’s a product (usually a scooter ) that will help you fall in love without having to whiten your skin and teeth.
Arrived to the always reliable tuk tuk driver as soon as you step off any bus. The Chiang Kong Tuk Tuk was another variation (exposed mototbike with a colorful paint job) from the ones in Bangkok (dollar signs), Autthaya (like frogs), Phisanulok (back to front) and Chiang Rai (mini utes). Paid 40 baht to go 1km to our accommodation, which has a spectacular view of the Mekong River with Laos on the opposite side.
This town is underrated and under visited as most people just cross the river as they can’t wait to get to Laos. After 13 days in Thailand we’re in no hurry to move on. So we hired bikes and went for a leisurely ride down the Mekong. We found a group of oldies playing Botchy, and using outdoor exercise equipment. Uninvited we joined them, and as Thai’s are always obliging (including their cats), they welcomed us with smiles. After working up a little sweat we thought we’d leave them to it as their group exercise class was about to start. Not a bad way to end the day, with an amazing view of the river and a bit of exercise with your old crony mates.
Had a lovely dinner again by the river and enjoyed the quiet, laid back feeling of the place. The people are relaxed and lovely and so is the pace. We also want to get some internet time in before we get sucked into the oblivion that Laos and Cambodia will shroud us in.
Photos of the bus ride, views of the river from our room and exercising on the Mekong.
Notes on Thailand:
- if you don’t want your Children Mollycoddled, send them here where they will be jammed between mum, sibling and dad on a scooter at 6 weeks old, put in the back of a ute once they can walk and then given a scooter at 7 or 8. It looks to be a normal way to be bringing up kids. In the west we certainly could not place our baby in the basket of our bicycle unless it was a standard government issue basket with a 5 star rating. If anything it’s an interesting comparison!
- If you have have a Ute, actually if you don’t have a Ute, you are nobody. Everyone has a nice shiny new Ute - Nirvara’s, Colorado’s, Hilux’s etc. Not shitty utes and generally there is a group of people, or a family sitting in the tray at all times. If you don’t have a ute, then you have a scooter. Apart from this, the only other way to get around is Bus.
- with a great fear of Malaria and Dengue fever, our skin is systematically getting removed by the layers of 80% Deet Bushmans we put on each day. Mosquito’s are like ninja’s here, they don’t hurt and they are very quiet, so half the time you don’t know you’ve been bitten. But we must sacrifice our outer layer of dermis to ensure we last 6 months.
- Thai TV, dear god. Thai Advertisements - always the same. If you are beautiful, you will find love. To be beautiful, you must be skinny and whiten your skin and teeth. Here are some products to whiten your skin, teeth and to ensure you stay slim. Here’s a product (usually a scooter ) that will help you fall in love without having to whiten your skin and teeth.
Chiang Rai - Oh My!
Arrived in Chiang Rai via a very comfortable bus, to then take a 6km ride into town via Tuk Tuk (still so cute!) to our accommodation. Got to the Garden House, to be told a double room that we had booked was not available, but a twin was. We inspected, it was a bamboo bungalow, very bohemian, simple but charming to Dave. I was a little less excited to see that a/c was now a fan, there was no fridge or TV. But they did have a very lovely outdoor garden relax area complete with Pets and hammocks.
That night we met an Aussie couple (Stew and Lara) from Sydney who had a really similar outlook to us about what they want from their travels and were really lovely - not the know-it-all backpacker types at all. They have already been to China and India which they raved about. Dave, Stew and Lara sank Leos’s till midnight while I fell in love with ‘spider’ a beautiful soft tiny ginger cat with huge balls and a stubby tail - the most cuddly and sleepy cat ever! We hugged each morning and night and I felt horrible saying goodbye today. ‘Lucky’ the dog and two other cats lived there too, but I wasn’t as in love with them. We hope to run into Stew and Lara again in Laos.
Chiang Rai boasts a Jade Buddha, but it has now been moved to Bangkok. It also has a very bright and shiny clock tower, that at 7pm each night puts on a light and sound show (very Melbourne Central with the big clock), a night Bizarre and a morning market which strangely also goes into the night. So we gave the temple/sight seeing a miss and just relaxed. We met two Aussie men in their 60’s who lived there with their new wives, both very lovely and Australian. A very intelligent ex-Thai navy Captain and his sweet wife. A very talkative Thai Guest house manager. Uncle John a Thai man who has been living in the UK who served delicious food. And a very over-zealous, exaggerating, loving life, long-haired larrikan from QLD - who is going to surf 30 foot waves in Lombok?
We have decided once again to put off the trekking in light of greener pastures ahead in Laos and Vietnam. I am just excited that Laos is apparently the land of Elephants, so very happy to wait.
Photos - our Garden House Guesthouse - the door to our room and Dave at the table. Spider the Ginger Cat and Lucky and his mate (some other cat). The clock tower turns into a light show at 7pm each night.
That night we met an Aussie couple (Stew and Lara) from Sydney who had a really similar outlook to us about what they want from their travels and were really lovely - not the know-it-all backpacker types at all. They have already been to China and India which they raved about. Dave, Stew and Lara sank Leos’s till midnight while I fell in love with ‘spider’ a beautiful soft tiny ginger cat with huge balls and a stubby tail - the most cuddly and sleepy cat ever! We hugged each morning and night and I felt horrible saying goodbye today. ‘Lucky’ the dog and two other cats lived there too, but I wasn’t as in love with them. We hope to run into Stew and Lara again in Laos.
Chiang Rai boasts a Jade Buddha, but it has now been moved to Bangkok. It also has a very bright and shiny clock tower, that at 7pm each night puts on a light and sound show (very Melbourne Central with the big clock), a night Bizarre and a morning market which strangely also goes into the night. So we gave the temple/sight seeing a miss and just relaxed. We met two Aussie men in their 60’s who lived there with their new wives, both very lovely and Australian. A very intelligent ex-Thai navy Captain and his sweet wife. A very talkative Thai Guest house manager. Uncle John a Thai man who has been living in the UK who served delicious food. And a very over-zealous, exaggerating, loving life, long-haired larrikan from QLD - who is going to surf 30 foot waves in Lombok?
We have decided once again to put off the trekking in light of greener pastures ahead in Laos and Vietnam. I am just excited that Laos is apparently the land of Elephants, so very happy to wait.
Photos - our Garden House Guesthouse - the door to our room and Dave at the table. Spider the Ginger Cat and Lucky and his mate (some other cat). The clock tower turns into a light show at 7pm each night.
Chiang Mai - land of the Farang
We took a 7 hour train with average a/c and annoying Aussie sitting behind us talking to some equally annoying Germans, from Phitsanulok to Chiang Mai. Arrived to a platform full of Farang (Foreigners) which up until this point we may have seen just 1 a day, generally an old man with a thai lady on a scooter. But here they are everywhere. This is the next Bangkok - heaps of bars and western places to eat. So we were a little put off at the start.
Our accommodation was excellent, clean, modern and great value for the 650 baht per night. Found the Australia Network channel again and settled into a comfy night in. The next day we awoke to delicious complimentary coffee and went for a walk in search of a Trekking offer we couldn’t resist. Unfortunately there are SO many people, shops, travel agents, scooter merchants and street vendors offering 1-4 day treks, that it became all to confusing and overwhelming. So much so that we have decided to wait till Chiang Rai for the trekking, to ensure a less cluttered and Farang invaded experience.
Instead we hired a scooter and the next day saw 4 amazing sites. First Bhuphing Palace, a winter residence for a few weeks a year for the royal family. Amazing gardens and very cool in temperature as it’s further up in the mountains. Next we scootered another 4km up the hill (very good roads most of the way) to the Dui Pui Hill tribe village. Where I bought some jewellry and Dave was happy to witness some poppies in action, as well as try out a village cross-bow. After looking at some stunning views, we scootered back down the hill a couple of km’s to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep - which is one of Northern Thailand’s most sacred temples. It was incredibly busy and beautiful - even if it was hard work up the stairs to reach it.
Next stop, Chiang Mai zoo, which is huge and cheap to get into. Apparently one of the better Zoo offerings in Asia. We jumped on a little bus that takes you to each section of the Zoo, first stop was the Elephants and Giraffe’s. Thailand is so awesome as you can pay to do almost anything, and that includes feeding and touching animals that are normally off limits. We paid 20 baht to feed and touch the elephant - who was huge and absolutely beautiful, smart and overwhelmingly magnetic for the both of us. We just stood and stared and gushed and took pictures and a video and had our photo taken next to him, while he snorted and flapped his ears and wiped his amazing eyes with his trunk. I am absolutely in love with Elephants and I suspect Dave is too. We scratched a Giraffe on the head while kids fed him beans, took a bus to the Gibbons and assorted Monkey’s, which Dave loved and I did not (yuk!). Then debated whether the crocs that were completely inanimate, were alive or dead.
That night we went to another market, where we actually bought a lot - a antique monk pendant, fisherman’s pants, a hand made cotton top, an elephant key ring and a light cotton top. I am also starting to get obsessed with Elephant silver jewelery, I already have a bracelet and a jade elephant necklace. Dave is obsessed with linen shirts and finding them cheap. He is always bartering and as he says ‘it’s insulting if you don’t’. We always hear the thai’s say ‘I like you, so I will discount’, which is generally a little drop from the asking price. It’s hard not to drive a bargain, and not to forget your are scwabbling over a couple of dollars. I hate bartering with Tuk Tuk drivers now, as they are becoming the most entertaining way to travel, always funny, always cute, always asking too much, always polite!
Off to Chiang Rai today on a 3 hr bus!
Our accommodation was excellent, clean, modern and great value for the 650 baht per night. Found the Australia Network channel again and settled into a comfy night in. The next day we awoke to delicious complimentary coffee and went for a walk in search of a Trekking offer we couldn’t resist. Unfortunately there are SO many people, shops, travel agents, scooter merchants and street vendors offering 1-4 day treks, that it became all to confusing and overwhelming. So much so that we have decided to wait till Chiang Rai for the trekking, to ensure a less cluttered and Farang invaded experience.
Instead we hired a scooter and the next day saw 4 amazing sites. First Bhuphing Palace, a winter residence for a few weeks a year for the royal family. Amazing gardens and very cool in temperature as it’s further up in the mountains. Next we scootered another 4km up the hill (very good roads most of the way) to the Dui Pui Hill tribe village. Where I bought some jewellry and Dave was happy to witness some poppies in action, as well as try out a village cross-bow. After looking at some stunning views, we scootered back down the hill a couple of km’s to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep - which is one of Northern Thailand’s most sacred temples. It was incredibly busy and beautiful - even if it was hard work up the stairs to reach it.
Next stop, Chiang Mai zoo, which is huge and cheap to get into. Apparently one of the better Zoo offerings in Asia. We jumped on a little bus that takes you to each section of the Zoo, first stop was the Elephants and Giraffe’s. Thailand is so awesome as you can pay to do almost anything, and that includes feeding and touching animals that are normally off limits. We paid 20 baht to feed and touch the elephant - who was huge and absolutely beautiful, smart and overwhelmingly magnetic for the both of us. We just stood and stared and gushed and took pictures and a video and had our photo taken next to him, while he snorted and flapped his ears and wiped his amazing eyes with his trunk. I am absolutely in love with Elephants and I suspect Dave is too. We scratched a Giraffe on the head while kids fed him beans, took a bus to the Gibbons and assorted Monkey’s, which Dave loved and I did not (yuk!). Then debated whether the crocs that were completely inanimate, were alive or dead.
That night we went to another market, where we actually bought a lot - a antique monk pendant, fisherman’s pants, a hand made cotton top, an elephant key ring and a light cotton top. I am also starting to get obsessed with Elephant silver jewelery, I already have a bracelet and a jade elephant necklace. Dave is obsessed with linen shirts and finding them cheap. He is always bartering and as he says ‘it’s insulting if you don’t’. We always hear the thai’s say ‘I like you, so I will discount’, which is generally a little drop from the asking price. It’s hard not to drive a bargain, and not to forget your are scwabbling over a couple of dollars. I hate bartering with Tuk Tuk drivers now, as they are becoming the most entertaining way to travel, always funny, always cute, always asking too much, always polite!
Off to Chiang Rai today on a 3 hr bus!
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