Bangkok - 2

Surprised to say - I really enjoyed Bangkok! So much for chilling out at the pool - there's too many better things to do! On my first day, I went for a walk at 11am and didnt get back until midnight! Found the skytrain which is a bit like the London tube except its over ground not under. Its a great way to travel around,  very efficient (never had to wait more than 1 min), very clean and air conditioning which is a great relief from the outside sauna. The views are great as its zooms around Bangkok and unlike the London tube faces, if you make eye contact with any of the locals they always smile back! Here'a a pic of one of the carriages....

Bangkok rush hour....

You can 'shop til you drop'  in bangok, I went to the 'Siam Paragon' - a huge shopping mall with all the main brands, very swanky but also very expensive so I crossed the road to the 'MBK' which is the opposite! Its like an indoor market where you can buy almost anything fairly cheap (a lot of copies!). Its a huge place and great fun walking around, best of all I got a really good facial and an hour long foot massage (at the same time - 2 people!), it was bliss and only cost 20e! There's a brilliant international food court there - this is not your typical shopping mall food court but all kinds of food (Indian, Japanese, Italian, American etc) of restaurant quality and cooked from fresh in front of you. After a month of rice and noodles it was a sight for sore eyes! I ended up having a thai dish though! There's a bar too!

Yesterday I done the tourist things and went to see "Wat Phra Kaew" which is the temple of the Emerald Buddha, here's a pic - its not a great picture because they dont allow pictures inside the temple and you just have to take them outside which is a challenge with all the tourists (especially yer man in this with the black t-shirt who stood there for ages posing while his friend stood outside taking his picture!), the emerald budda looked pretty impressive from inside, apparantly it is the country's most "revered" Buddha!

Here's a pic taken  in the area outside it...loads of bling!

There was heavy security in this whole area - I reckon if you disrespected Buddha they'd lock you up - seriously!

The Palace is in the same grounds...

These fellas guard it...

The royal family no longer live here but it is sometimes used for 'ceremonies'.

Went to see 'Wat Pho' next which has a very long reclining Buddha (46m long and 15m high)...

Travelled back to my hotel on the river express which is a just a boat bus.  All the locals use it and its a nice way to travel, it pulls into various stops along the way.

                                                              Aboard the river express...

 A restaurant called "Cabbages & Condoms" (http://www.cabbagesandcondoms.com/) was recommended to me as a good place to eat so I decided to check it out. The money made here goes back into the community. They also run sex education and AIDS prevention programs and give condoms instead of mints at the end of the meal. Food was ok here and its for a good cause but it was a bit touristy and full of what the Asians refer to as "Fa rang" (Foreigners)!

So.....last few hours in Bangkok, heading to the airport shortly, had a great time but time to get back to reality!

Bangkok

Arrived in Bangkok yesterday - flight from Luang Prabang only takes 1.5 hours, staying in a nice enough hotel  (http://www.presidentsolitaire.com/)  although had to argue at reception to get the deal I booked on their website of a 3rd night free (didnt spend all those years at Lake without picking up a few tips on how to be a whinging customer), this was after the taxi driver tried to rip me off with the fare and sell me some dodgy jewelry-  Welcome to Thailand!

Initial opinion of Bangkok is that its a dirty busy city. It also seems quite sleazy with loads (and I mean loads!) of men (most with bald heads and big beer bellies!) walking around with young Thai girls, some of them holding hands....

Hotel has a nice swimming pool so not planning on doing much but chilling out for a few days. Big difference in the food in Thailand,better quality and more choice than Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. Had a green curry last night - it was really good (almost as good as Kevins!) and very spicy, burned the mouth off me. Other 3 countries dont make food spicy as they dont want to ruin the taste, instead they serve with a couple of chilis on the side.

Luang Prabang - 3

Heard a few people raving about cookery courses in Luang Prabang so decided to give it a go! (http://www.tamarindlaos.com/). It was very interesting, first we went to a food market where the locals buy food..

                                                  
                                                    Different than a trip to superquinn!

eels and beetles!

Spices...

Laos tuk-tuks

The cookery school was in a really nice location - 20mins drive from town, had to travel up dirt tracks to get to it - lovely place....

Ready for action..

My creation - fish steamed in banana leaves with herbs and spices (its hard to wrap it and tie it but as its low season there was only 4 of us on the course (normally 12) so I had loads of help!

Lemon grass stuffed with chicken, herbs and spices - this tasted the best (probably because it was deep fried!) you dont eat the lemongrass but you can taste the citrus which permeates on the chicken..

We also made buffalo soup but I didnt eat that. One guy wanted to try frog so they bought him a frog at the market, showed him how to kill it, chop it up and cook it! It was gross, the poor frog, horrible too because he waa doing it on the table opposite me. Yuk.

                                                                          Lunchtime.....

Must admit I didnt particularly like any of the food I cooked! (but I was feeling very queasy after watching the demise of Kermit). Desert was good though...tropical fruit with coconut and purple (!) rice..

Friday was a cloudy day so I walked up the 360 steps of Mount Phu Si. Great views of Luang Prabang from the top...better view on a clear day but its so hot and clammy in Luang Prabang I wouldnt chance walking up the hill with the sun blasting, as it was the sweat was dripping off me after 10 steps!

One of the main  streets in Luang Prabang - you can see how quiet it is, not much traffic and thankfully no 'beep beep'!

Looking at the pictures of the houses it looks like Laos is not as poor a country as Cambodia or Vietnam but it is probably the poorest as once you go outside the town there is a lot of poverty. People who work in the rice fields only earn about 500 US dollars a year and that has to support a whole family. Lao people also seem very honest and its the one place I didnt feel I had to guard my bags and carry my money in a money belt. Ho Chi Minh city in Vietnam is probably the worst for muggings - fellas on motorbikes grap bags and speed off, met a few people this happened to.

Bangkok is  next....looking forward to Ireland!

Luang Prabang - 2

Luang Prabang is lovely - its protected with world heritage status, 10 years ago it was mainly backpackers who came here but now its popular with all kinds of people. You can stay in a 5 star hotel or a cheap hostel. There's loads of restaurants too - a meal at the night market for 1e, the average cost of a meal with a beer in a restaurant is 5e and there's some really good high quality restaurants - I tried one the other night, the food was as good as any top restaurant in Europe for a fraction of the price (15e incl drinks!) . But the only problem is that its roasting hot here, went for a walk earlier - had to use an umberella to keep the sun off me and drink gallons of water.  I reckon it would be paradise here from November to March when its cooler.

I moved from the hotel into a guesthouse - its cheaper, quieter and as its low season I was able to get a room with a good view.....check this out..

the view from my balcony..breakfast is served right beside the river (you can see the brown tables and chairs in  the photo) - not a bad way to start the day (pity about the sweltering heat and the millions of ants)!

The guesthouse is really nice, run by a local family with only 8 rooms, there is a list of rules in the room. One rule is that all guests have to be in their rooms by midnight (there is a curfew in Luang Prabang and all bars have to close by 11.30pm). Another rule is no drugs/gambling or brnging another man/woman into your room that isnt your husband/wife for making love! These rules are not made by the guesthouse owner but by the 'Tourism Police Office" - there's similar rules in Vietnam and Cambodia. I'm certainly not messing with the rules - I've seen "banged up abroad"!

Yesterday I went to visit the Royal Palace, there's no longer a Royal family in Laos - they were overthrown in 1975 and the Palace is now a museum. It was interesting to see it, the bedrooms are exactly as they were when the royal family had to leg it in 1975. I wasnt allowed take any pictures inside the museum - even had to leave my bag in a locker outside and there's a dress code - no shoes, hats,  have to cover upper arms and upper legs.  This is the same dress code for visiting temples although I dont think they are that strict about enforcing it.

After the palace it was time for a cocktail so I went to a bar across the river - there's free transport....

then you follow the lights up a slippery hill...

It was happy hour at the bar so I had 2 banana daiquiris for the price of 1. 'Floated' back across the mekong river and straight in for an hour long foot massage - happy days!

here's a picture of the night market...

For dinner had a lao set menu -  cat fish wrapped in banana leaves, stir fry veg, chicken salad (which was really good - it didnt look that appetising but was one of the nicest dishes I've tasted here) it was also very spicy which is unusual - most of the food in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia isn't spicy at all - but  a bit bland.

One of the main streets in Luang Prabang..

Went to see the "Kuang Si" waterfalls today, about 30kms from Luang Prabang, scenery on the way was very nice, very green and mountainous.....

On the way stopped off at a "Ban Tat Paen" a village where "Khamu" people live. I had barely got out of the car when this group of little entrepreneurs set themselves up and by the time I got to the village I heard that familiar chant "buy from me, buy from me"....

 

Was kinda sorry I didnt stay in the car but too late! I knew from Cambodia that if I bought from one of them the others would freak and there would be a riot - so I done a deal where I would buy something small from all of them (11) for a total of 5e. They were happy with that and even posed for a picture...

The waterfall was worth the trip and weather was even  a "bit"cooler there, still hot but at least a bit of a breeze and best of all - the coolness from the spray of the waterfalls. You can swim there too but it looked flithy, all brown, apparantly its normally clean and crystal clear but because its the rainy season the muddy river is flowing into it

                                             

There's a bear sanctuary beside the waterfalls, these bears have all been rescued from poachers who use them to extract bile from their gall bladders (very painful for the bears) and sell the bear bile to China for use as a traditional medicine to treat headaches etc. There are 23 bears in this sanctuary.

                                                      See the bear swinging in the hammock!

2 more days in Luang Prabang and then fly to Bangkok on Sunday.

Luang Prabang

Enjoying Luang Prabang, its a great place to do nothing! The town is small enough to walk around. The only problem is the heat - its hard going walking during the day but at least there's loads of cafes and bars to stop off in, like this one called 'Utopia'..the seats are loungers so you can just lie there admiring the view (and try to ignore the millions of ants crawling all over the place!)

Buddhism is the biggest religion in Laos with most men joining a monastry at some stage - may only be for a month and some stay for life. Monks are highly respected in Laos and one of the main things to see in Laos is the "Morning Alms Giving Ceremony". This is when the monks walk through the streets of Laos and the local people offer food and pay respect - its a religious ceremony and a big part of Lao culture. I had to get up at 5.30am to see it!! but I could watch it from the balcony in  the hotel room..

                                                   Local woman giving rice to the monks

Afterwards I went for a walk to the food market...big choice!

                                                even "fresh" frogs - poor fellas were trying to escape.

Went for a walk over this bridge...its only for pedestrials and motorbikes and its scary walking over as its very wobbly!

Perfect way to end the day...watching the sun go down  over the Mekong river with the "Dom Perignon" of beer - Beer Lao!

Goodbye Cambodia....Hello Laos!

I really liked Cambodia and would loved to have spent more time there - the people there are great, very friendly and always smiling despite the poverty. Here a picture of some houses along the river, just behind these houses is a 5 star hotel "Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor", 1 night in this hotel is equivalent to 3 months wages for the people who live in these houses...

Here's a picture I took on the way to the airport..George was right about the amount of people that can fit on  a honda 50! This is typical of Vietnam and Cambodia.

After my experience on the bus from Vietnam to Cambodia I decided to fly to Laos (its a bit long to travel by bus anyway). The flight was another experience! The plane took off 30mins early (luckily I was in the airport in time!) it stopped after 1 hour and we all got off, I assumed we had arrived but it was only to let some people off  in a place called Pakse and collect others, so we all had to wait in a tiny room and went back on the same plane, this time for 40mins then we had to get off again and wait. Eventually we arrived in Luang Prabang - a place I've wanted to come for years. Too soon to tell what its like but it seems to be what I expected - laid back. Nobody rushes here. Its all very relaxed. Here's a picture of  the hotel I am staying in...

Its right in the middle of all the action, here's the website for it  http://www.ancientluangprabang.com/,   because its low season at the moment I got a good deal to stay here, instead of room nmbers they use the chinese aninal zodiac signs, the first room they gave me was the 'rat' but the rat room was at the back so I asked for a room with a view and fair play to them they gave me a room at the front with a balcony - its the cow room...its a bit strange collecting the key in reception when the fella there looks at me and says ' ah yes, the cow'! The room is a bit quirky - the bath is in the same room as the bed! (apparantly this is common in  Laos)..you can see it in this picture just behind the bed - I'm not complaining - its luxury compared to some of the places I've stayed!

it  has a great view of  the night market...

Angkor Temples and Floating Villages

Angkor Wat is described in the guide book as the "heart and soul of Cambodia". Its the largest religious structure in the world, appears on Cambodia's flag and is the no.1 tourist attraction and the reason most people come to Siem Reap. So...I decided I better check it out! It was built around the 12th century and is fairly impressive. There's hundreds of other temples in the area of Angkor and there are all faily close to each other so its easy enough to check a few of them out in a tuk tuk. Here's some pics...
                                            
                                                      see the trees growing aound the ruins...

At the entrance to each of the temples, there are kids selling stuff and mine victims playing music - all looking for money. The kids are very persistent, they follow you around asking questions, these kids were smart - they knew that Dublin is the capital of Ireland! They are selling things very cheap - $1 for 10 postcards or a flute but the problem is when you buy off one of them you are suddenly surrounded by 20 little kids all pleading 'buy from me' and you cant give all of them money.

The kids dont take any cr*p either! I heard one woman lose it with them and told them to "go away", they replied "why you speak to me so mean, I ask you nicely to buy and why you treat me so bad"!

It was really hot walking around the temples - 40+ deg C! Some people spend 3 days going to see them all but the heat was too much for me so I just went there for a day. Today I went on a tour around tbe lake (Tonle Sap) and saw floating villages which was great, really enjoyed it. It was only a half day tour and most of the time was spent in a boat around the lake so it wasnt too hot. The people who live on the river are very poor and any money they make is from fishing, its all they know how to do so they couldnt (and wouldnt want to) survive on land. The water levels are low at the moment and are highest at the end of the Monsoon in October, the changing water levels causes the houses to move up and down the river, they are made of barrels and bamboo and never sink. The water is very dirty at the moment because there is a lot of mud at the bottom but as the water rises it becomes cleaner. Here's some pics of the floating houses...

The tour boat...

There was a lot of people begging - like these people

The boy in red was a character! He had a snake on the boat and put it around his neck and came up to the area where we were standing and he kept saying ' one dollar....one dollar'.                           

One of the women on the tour was terrified of snakes and she was screaming her head off! The little kid wasnt trying to scare anyone though he just wanted a dollar! Someone eventually gave him one and some sweets - he was thrilled and tried to further impress by doing somersaults into the dirty water!

There's even a Catholic floating church..

and a floating school!

When I got back to Siem Reap I went for a walk and saw these people doing their daily workout..they get together in the mornings and evenings and exercise to music - beats the gym!

I passed a stall selling the famous fried crickets and some other insects and took these photos especially for Christopher....

Fried crickets

Not sure what these insects are - but they dont look appetising to me!

I didnt try any of them but the guy selling them tells me they are delicious!