Siem Reap Week 6

Week 6

 

It was an early morning departure from Pakse and I was very pleased to leave the place. Wish I had spent more time in Luang Prubang and seen a little more of Vientiane.

A hour later at just after 9 we were flying over Siem Reap and from the air the city looked like one enormous rice field. There was so much water lying around.

There had been some rain in my absence but the waters flowing into Cambodia from the neighboring countries and the rains from the hills from the preceding week had taken their toll. The river was very high and the gates to the canals had been opened to alleviate the river running through town but the outlying villages bore the brunt of it and there was a lot of flooding.

Sunday for me was a domestic day and a day of preparation for the following school week.

The main holiday days were Monday and Tuesday so no students but the plan was for the staff and volunteers to go in and clean the classrooms. A message came through later in the day that the road was impassable, the village under water and the potholes in the road meant school was closed. The waters receded by Tuesday morning but it was a trial getting there as our usual little detour was also under water and unfortunately we had to peddle through the overflowing river. I couldn't wait to wash off my feet once we arrived at school.

 

 

It was a hot and very humid day but all of us set about cleaning. We were all exhausted by the end of the day, I didn't take enough fluids and ended up dehydrated and felt dreadful but the class was sparkling!

The remainder of the week was uneventful, we found an alternative route to school that is actually a more peaceful if not hotter ride as it is away from the river and the heavy traffic. Nice scenery watching the locals fishing, the cattle wandering around and the farmers going about their daily lives.

The flood waters had of course swollen the rivers and with that came a lot of fish. Everywhere you looked there were people fishing with their simple bamboo rods or the more adept casting in their nets to the fast flowing waters. Also a lot of repair work to the new paving that had recently been laid along the banks and much clearing of drains. Sadly there is still a lot of rubbish in the river and this has now collected on the bridges that have been out of commission or is lying along the river bank from where the water has receded. The locals don't seem perturbed about it.

 

 

A few weeks ago prior to the high river there had been a Sunday morning river bank cleanup organized by some of the expats, we didn't participate but apparently the turn out was good and the result great but probably not looking so good now!

Food this week has been uninspiring, I have eaten out on a couple of occasions but nothing to comment favorably about. The big night was Friday where a group of us visited the gorgeous Victoria Hotel for drinks and nibbles at the little buffet followed by more drinks at Miss Wongs our favorite cocktail bar. I believe Saturday was a very quiet day for all of us!

Even my home cooking has been uninspiring which is a reflection of how tired I have felt due to this virus and after a ride home and a swim I just want a quick bite and get into bed. It gets dark around 6.30 which makes for a very long night of very ordinary television. If I go to bed at 8 I am ready to get up at 3 and that it a touch too early, surprised I don't have bed sores!

The volunteer numbers are slowly increasing with 2 more repeat offenders arriving over the past week. My role is changing slightly with teaching the 13 to 15 year olds in the afternoon and assisting the Khmer teachers English class and in the mornings I am going to assist the new library assistant to get the books in order and bar code them plus some

marketing work for the weaving project. Variety is the spice of life it has been said.

 

I really must visit a few more of the restaurants and check out more food or I am going to have to change my blog name! I had intended doing a. Couple of cookery classes but time has flown and there is only one more weekend left before I depart on the 26th and we are planning a day out with the staff which hopefully happens. So much to do and so little time left!

Le suhn hi! ( see you later)

 

Posted with Blogsy

Laos. Pakse and Mekong River Cruise

Laos, Pakse and Mekong River Cruise.

 

I am greeted at the airport by a very upset young woman who explains that she is my escort to the hotel but the driver didn't turn up with everything required and she had to get her sister to drop her to the airport on the back of her motorbike. We waited another 5 or 10 minutes and he arrived to a blistering tongue lash from her. For Laos that is remembering the comatose speed of everything here.

She drops me at the hotel, suggests a cafe over the road for lunch, says she will be back at 9.30 in the morning and that's it! I think very unsatisfactory considering I haven't a clue where I am or what to do. The hotel is very pleasant with the best bed that I have encountered in SE Asia. Nice pool but once again bucketing down with rain. I stroll over to the cafe, half eat a very unappetizing lunch which gives me severe heartburn and that exacerbates my cough so what a miserable afternoon in bed. I am low on ventolin as I have misplaced the new one but do eventually find an antacid that helps a bit. I don't want to be be here!

Enough I say, get up, get showered and go into town for some dinner and at least kill some time. Eventually the receptionist finds me a tuk tuk and I set off with my umbrella up to keep dry. The hotel recommended a floating restaurant. I arrive at this 200 seat monstrosity in the middle of nowhere and I am the only customer. This time I am not staying. Am so uncomfortable. I get back to shore, not a tuk tuk in sight so I started walking in what I believe is the direction of town and I am feeling nervous. At least I am right, I get to the centre of this one horse town which really is just a jumping post to other places, and find open the cafe where I am meeting the cruise operator in the morning. I have one mouthful of the red wine vinegar as there is no white , eat 4 or 5 mouthfuls of the rice and leave. It is tasteless and I have lost my appetite. It is still pouring rain, I walk for almost an hour asking for help using the map but everyone looks at me blankly or points and walks off. Finally I come across the hotel and I am seething at being here and being left like this. Thank goodness for the comfy bed.

My transport arrives on time in the morning and I am dropped at the cafe where the next leg begins.

 

I begin the day at the pharmacy and manage to get another ventolin so my mind is at ease. The other 8 passengers are already at the cafe enjoying a very strong but very good Laotian coffee, this area is known for its arabica beans. In fact 80% of Laos is covered in mountains or forest, ideal conditions. Our luggage is taken by tuk tuk, we stroll up the street because we frustratingly never set a decent pace and we wobbled over a little gangplank onto the long boat that is going to deliver us to the cruisboat. We motor downstream for an hour and eventually reach the Vat Phou. This vessel used to be a barge carrying goods and timber from Vientiane to Pakse and was converted some years ago to a floating hotel. It is of course Asian in design and furnishings with lots of beautiful timber and decking highly polished. Our shoes were confiscated once we walked the gangplank on board. The vessel has 12 twin bedrooms each with ensuite. It pays to be slim and not too tall! The rooms are comfy and have what we need, we actually spend most of the time either out sightseeing or on the large covered front deck during the day to,catch the breeze or the rear deck at night where it is a bit more protected. Breakfast and lunch are taken on deck but dinner is a small A/C dining room due to insects. The rooms have A/C from 6pm to 6am but pleasant with the window open and the fan on. My room was like an ice box and I had to cover the vent.

 

 

We ate lunch aboard and the food is fantastic in quality and quantity. Fresh spring tools, fried spring rolls, omelette stuffed with pork and veg. Rice noodle dumplings and stir fry veg followed by tapioca with coconut milk and fruit!!!

The food was walked off in the afternoon by an energetic visit to Wat Phou ( the boats namesake) this is a pre- Angkorian temple complex built in the 5th or 6thC on the natural terraces of a BIG hill with the lingam (plallic symbol) high up. There is a male and female temple where the holy waters wash through and then down to the man made barays which are big lakes. We walked up a gentle paved hill which was the main walk way to the temple, up a few sets of not too big steps but then ............ 7 sets of 11 deep steps . Doesn't seem much if it is said quickly but everyone of those steps was a big step up and breathtaking both physically and because of the view. Coming down was a very slow affair! Worth all the effort and creaking strained knees!!!

My co travelers are a really nice group of people. 4 women accompanied by their guide and John the owner of the tour company. They all live in the states but one is Russian and she is accidentally hilarious, another of French origin and the other 2 Americans through and through. The other couple are from Switzerland and also very nice. We all get along famously and their tour guide named Seuth has adopted all of us and assists the cruise guide, in fact he is better and such a nice guy. I have since discovered that Seuth was a monk for 7 years and his spirituality glows from him. We actually spent one evening with him explaining to us about Buddhism and the rules which he says are not so far from the tenets of the Christian Church. ( killing, telling lies, adultery etc)

We met on deck for per-dinner cocktails made from the local rice whiskey called Lau-Lau. Powerful stuff! Dinner is eaten downstairs in a small air conditioned dining room due to the night insects, of which we saw none! Another fantastic meal. Fish steamed in cabbage, curried beef and eggplant, pork and mushroom stir fry, vegetables and a chicken dish followed by fresh fruit. We can't do the quantity of food justice but we discover that the staff are allowed to eat what we leave in the serving dishes.

We finish the evening with tea or coffee on deck and most people disappear to bed at 8.15. Trouble was, and it was a self fulfilling prophesy, I woke at a ridiculously early hour! Can't go up on deck because we know the staff sleep there at night!

Breakfast of fresh fruit, juice, baguette, eggs, bacon if you want it. The boat sets off down the river again. At around 9am we disembark and set off for a stroll through a little village and into the forest to find the riverbank ruins of an old temple. Peaceful, cool and a gentle bit of exercise to walk off breakfast. I am a bit confused as my itinerary has us off exploring one of the larger of the 4000 islands then setting off somewhere else by bike for a little trip finally sightseeing on the Cambodian- Laos border. We return to the boat for a very quiet morning sitting around reading, snoozing and watching the riverbank go by as we cruise along until lunch time. Every few minutes we hear yelling from the riverbank and see the local children running along to a clearing and waving frantically, my arms were aching by lunch! Another amazing feed of traditional larb which is minced pork cooked with herbs and spices- delicious. A delicious chicken curry with pumpkin, vegetables, a noodle dish, sticky and steamed rice followed by pomelo which is a cross between grapefruit and I believe tangerine. Enough sweetness to reduce the bitterness of the grapefruit, a new find for me!

The afternoon was spent lounging around the deck and watching the heavy rain on the river then at 4 we once again disembarked for a VERY muddy and wet walk through a local village which the cruise line supports by donating to the school. I personally found it a non event and I suspect nobody was particularly impressed. Once back on board the staff took our shoes from us as they were caked in mud and this morning we know we are going to find them gleaming at the back of the boat.

Pre-dinner drinks again taken with some traditional Laos snacks supplied by the delightful Seuth. The previous nights were nuts pan roasted with a smokey fish which didn't excite me and last nights were a riceflour and coconut milk mix rolled in palm sugar and fried. The name delightfully interpreted as cat shit! Never having eaten cat shit before I can't compare the taste but it is more to do with the shape, the taste was sweet and quite pleasant! Dinner was another event with the Laos version of Amok, the spiced and steamed fish mousse in banana leaf, heaven! An amazing sweet and sour fish, a different type of chicken curry, vegetables and rice. Certainly cannot complain about the quality and quantity of food served.

We lasted up on deck until 9 pm sitting talking, being taught how to dance Laos style by Seuth, accompanied by tea and coffee.

Our last day on the boat started in the usual manner of a good breakfast and a cruise up the river until 9 am when we disembarked and were loaded onto a long boat so that we could safely cruise amongst the 4000 islands. We motored along for an hour or so until we arrived at Donkhone Island where we walked for a while, visited the Old FrenchBridge and observed the locals. Back to the long boat and cruised our way to a water side restaurant for lunch. Food was fine but we have been spoilt on the boat.

After hanging around for far too long we were loaded onto a small bus for our trip to the Phapheng waterfalls. The falls trip was far too short and we were only given a 30 minute visit which wasn't long enough to explore the area. Loaded back on to the bus for our 2 and a half hour drive back to Pakse.

Said goodbye to my fellow travelers around 4.30 and returned to my hotel.

Overall a nice but over priced trip boat trip and the activities were nothing like what was on my itinerary and I feel a bit duded. The boat was great, the food excellent but the beds very uncomfortable and I didn't see what I was expecting.

Laos is a lovely country, beautiful scenery with less rubbish and mess than Cambodia. The food is good, people charming and gentle and a much slower pace of life than what us Westerners live and I would certainly recommend a visit.

My mini break is over and I am ready for my return to Siem Reap.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Laos 2013. Luang Prubang and Vientiane

Laos, Luang Prubang and Vientiane.

 

Arrived in Luang Prubang on time after a very uneventful flight. The airport is brand new and minimally staffed! We got through quickly enough to discover that everyone else has a car to pick them up but mine doesn't arrive! Plenty of taxis and I am delivered to my hotel 15 minutes later. What a lovely place. Originally the home of one of the members of the royal family before the communist military overthrow. Very welcoming staff, nicely furnished, pretty pool and outdoor restaurant next to it. Room clean, elegant, nicely furnished and the balcony had a nice view over the garden and pool. I ate at the restaurant for ease and wasn't disappointed.

 

Early night ready for my 9 am pick up. All organized thanks to the hotel staff who located the travel agent and sorted things out.

9a.m. and the tour guide is full of apologies and we head off for the Mekong river trip to the Pak Ou Caves. A complex discovered discovered many years ago when a group of boat people fleeing problems higher up the Mekong used them for shelter. They became religious in context and are now crammed full of Buddhas in all shapes and sizes. The oldest and most precious are now housed elsewhere for safety due to their value.

The caves are at the junction of the Mekong and the Nam (river) Ou which is a narrow river surrounded by cliffs and only traversable by boat when the river is at its highest. My guide says it is the most beautiful river.

On the way to the caves we stopped at a little village called Ban Xanghai which is all part of a temple and the villagers are the rice wine and whiskey makers in the area. The white rice wine was drinkable but didn't much fancy the red ( made from red rice) nor the whiskey which almost blew my head off. I succumbed to a bottle in a wovejacket just to support the community. The village was quiet as it is only the beginning of the high season and I was the only falang ( white person but actually means of French origin) in the village. It was peaceful and even though there was product to buy nobody hassled me, all very laid back! The village and river were very clean with no rubbish lying around and walkways clear and swept. The government is apparently pretty strong on aesthetics and pollution. Checked out the foods for sale some of which looked quote appetizing, the charcoal BBQ is a favorite but passed on the skewered chickens feet!!!!

The river is beginning to recede from the high it reached during the wet season and the locals make the most of this fertile bank by fencing off and cultivating land where they grow their vegetables until the following wet season. Every man woman and child in the family is involved and the soil is turned over and the fencing goes up rapidly.

After the caves we headed across river to a little village of restaurants. The guide had previously booked here including my food but I wasn't impressed. I ate Lao food in the form of stir fry veg, acceptable, deep fried Mekong fish which was more like fish bones and after one getting lodged I ate no more. I slept most of the way back which was a quicker trip due to moving with the current. ( didn't sleep so well the night before due to feeling so unwell).

After the boat trip we headed off for a walk through the town. Wow what a pretty place, beautiful colonial architecture influenced with Laotian features, clean clean streets, clear walkways, quiet traffic which moved at a steady pace and no screaming rush. UNESCO have done a great job here. The cages looks inviting and the people very gracious.

We arrived at the Royal Palace museum which was formerly the Royal Palace! Very discreet for a palace and charming, once agin lovely colonial architecture, lovely frescoes and the rooms maintained as they were when royalty was there. Also a room of the religious artifacts. Simple but interesting.

This was followed this by a visit to the very elaborate and very old Wat Xienthong, then a trip to a local market. I called it a day and reneged on the hilltop sunset climb. Didn't want anyone having to resuscitate me!! Back to the hotel for a pleasant swim in the 20 meter pool.

In the evening I walked from the hotel through the night market which sadly to say is the same as every other night market I have experienced, to a recommended restaurant called coconut garden. You would think by now i would have learnt to ignore the recommendations of a guide!! It was OK without being startling and I am feeling cheated in the food stakes particularly when I know the produce and herbs are all so good here. Another early night. This eating on my own is becoming very boring!

Day 2 and feeling a little better but very happy that in discussion with the guide we changed the days activities to avoid the 3 hour trek to the waterfalls. I had read about the elephants and so off we headed. A 30 minute drive through the outlying villages of Luang Prubang, a short walk down a dirt road to the river bank where the guide called over and within a few minutes the park manager whizzed over in a traditional long boat with a small outboard motor. A slippery few meters down the river bank and I am plonked in the middle of the boat, getting up and off the other side was a challenge as I am not as agile as the south East Asians!

The sanctuary is serene, green and delightful, it is possible to stay here in the nice looking raised suites built in a traditional style, for 2 to 5 days and train to be a mahout. That is how to ride and care for an elephant. The elephants can be ridden in the mornings which brings in funds for their care and rescue and in the afternoons are set free in the surrounding jungle to do what elephants do best - EAT!!!

We trotted over to where I was to be loaded onto the elephant whilst trying to avoid enormous elephant droppings and big elephant foot holes. A raised and covered platform has been built where we removed our shoes , avoided standing on an elephants trunk and loaded onto the seat strapped onto the elephants back. Let me tell you, it is a long way down to the ground! Then off we set, swaying along. Well everyone else was, Thom just wanted to meander in his own direction and at his own speed. The mahout slid down and instructed me to slide off the seat and perch on the elephants neck with my legs behind the ears, achieved Oh so gracefully!!!! Elephants have very prickly hair on their heads and its like pine needles sticking into your hands. Nothing to hold onto to, just need a strong core, and reasonable balance and hang on with your knees. Though I must use say the elephant kept its ears back and practically locked my legs to its head!

We plodded through a lightly treed area for about 20 minutes then into the shade except Thom didn't want to be in the shade, he wanted to walk down the bank and across the garden stomping the new magnolia trees and pulling out the newly planted shrubs! Mahout Singh had disappeared by this stage and I am left on the back of his elephant who had a will of his own. Eventually we joined,the rest of,the group who were now walking through the shallows of the river. Thom took a lot of encouragement and we arrived back tot the platform a very slow last but ai had a wonderful time.

After re-crossing the river we got back into the van and I was taken to a local,weaving coop which was lovely and it was authentic. The product was made by the women selling it and the money went to them instead a large factory. We headed back to. Town for another lunch picked by the guide and once again I wasn't impressed. I wanted one of the delicious baguettes I had seen in a local baker but no, we have to support businesses owned by locals.

Next stop was a drive instead of the trek to the Kuang Si waterfalls. I got a big surprise when we entered this park area because in the grounds was a bear rescue centre which was started up some years so by an Australian woman. The bears are rescued from illegal ownership and trade and sent to this centre for rehab, these bears looked like the best kept and happiest bears you would ever see! On to the waterfalls with a gentle up hill walk. The falls are natural and flow into smaller falls which allow for 3 separate pools or swimming areas, magnificent. Changing sheds are provided and by the time I was ready to take the plunge everyone had left and I had the upper pool all to myself, a wonderful if not freezing experience! A quick dip was enough, I was turning blue!

The end to a lovely day, back to the hotel for my pre- planned ( in fact offered) late check out so,that I could shower before I left. My flight was due to leave for Vientiane at 6.15 so a day well planned.

 

The plane took off on time and just as we gained altitude we started to nose dive down to land, it was that quick! Picked up b my charming guide Mon and taken to my hotel. He had been told that I had been unwell and he suggested a quick dinner at the hotel and an early night as we had a full day of sightseeing ahead starting at 9 am. I ate an expensive but mediocre meal at the hotel and crashed. The Setta Palace hotel was converted in the late 1990s after having been the residence of the high up military personnel following the Indo china war and the overthrow. What a gorgeous place, enormous pool, very tastefully furnished in a French/ Asian tradition with beautiful reception rooms. Pity about the lack of love with the cooking. Once again I felt uncomfortable with an over abundance of staff observing every mouthful I took.

Slept relatively well, feeling a little bit better every day and rose early intending a swim but it was bucketing down with rain so went back to bed!

Mon was there at reception to meet me at 9 as organized and we set off for some time at the Thongkhankham produce market. He had an excellent knowledge of all the herbs and spices and informed me he did most of the shopping and cooking for his little family. The food looked wonderfully fresh and this market was not a tourist market and I was the only westerner there. This was followed by a city tour taking in the magnificent Wat Sisaket which houses thousands of miniature Buddhas followed by Wat Prakeo which was the former royal temple. Last stop for the morning was a visit to the Lao Arc de Triopmphe! The Patuxay monument was built using concrete that the USA had donated for a new runway at the airport ( which by the way is a very modest affair). The monument is quite nice though as it is surrounded by park and the former Roal Palace can be seen down the boulevard and though the trees. I decided not to visit the COPE centre as it is a museum showing the issues caused by land mines and I have seen this on several occasions before in different countries.

Returned to the hotel for a couple of hours est and lunch of MY choice! I wondered down to the fountain park where Mon told me I would have a choose of bakeries serving nice sandwiches and good coffee. He was correct!

In the afternoon we jumped on the minibus to Buddha Park which is an area along the river where one man had a dream of celebrating the Gods of Hinduism and Buddhism. Personally I found the place a ridiculous folly and of no spiritual meaning. I felt like a heathen as I found a lot of the statues quote comical and I am sure that is not the response they are meant to invoke!

The day ended up along the river bank in the old quarters. Here the road running parallel to the riverside walk me closed off every night at 5 pm to allow the population to walk, ride, roller blade, whatever you want to do for exercise. There are aerobic classes, dance classes, kite flying, a night market and food stalls. The place was buzzing.,we were there to see the sunset over the Mekong but it was too cloudy.

I returned to the hotel, had a lovely long swim and headed out for dinner to a restaurant Mon recommended, I trust him after lunch! He was right again and I had a very local meal of 2 Mojitos, a Thai red chicken curry followed by a magnum icecream on my walk home!

My short time in Vientiane has come to an end as I am due to leave for Pakse on the 11am flight.

 

 

Posted with Blogsy