I've totally slacked on this blog thing since Scott arrived. We were just too busy running around and sightseeing - and I was having more fun catching up with him than trying to find a fast internet connection to write. Even though I'm back home, I'll have a couple more entries since there is a lot to write about. This entry is for my mom and is all about food - yum!
I don't even know where to begin. I have learned that here people will eat pretty much everything - frogs, snakes, insects, dogs, rats, eagles, monkies, various sorts of ocean/river/lake life, etc. I didn't try anything too crazy though I was hoping to try fried crickets. Apparently they're like a salty, crunchy snack to eat with your beer or cold beverage. Not that a truly cold beverage exists there - I was there during the hottest part of the year and cold items turned lukewarm within minutes. No kidding. Minutes. It was 90-95 degrees F with extremely high humidity so it was like putting your soda in a steamy oven. Rats you wonder? Most the rats are living in the fields eating rice, not garbage so I'm guessing it wouldn't be too bad. Probably like squirrel with more meat. Hhhhmmmm...not so sure I'd try though.
Anyway, the food that I ate was delicious! Lots of sticky rice, varieties of tasty curries, fresh and deep fried spring rolls, noodle dishes, yummy sauces, stir-fried veggies (like morning glory!), huge grilled fish, and the freshest and tastiest mango I've ever had - yep, better than Mexico. It was like a big, messy piece of candy!
Here are some of my favorite meals:
In Laos, the night food stalls has assortments of rice, noodles, greens, sauces, fried pork, beef, chicken etc, and you were handed a plate that you'd fill up with whatever you'd like. Then the lady behind the table would throw it all together in a wok and heat it up for you. The guy at the table had assortments of grilled meats - like whole chickens butterflied on a stick and grilled (the size of a cornish hen), or whole grilled fish on a stick. I opted for the whole grilled fish and it was probably the best fish I've had. After I devoured it I realized they stuffed it with whole stalks of lemongrass. With a soda the whole meal cost about $3.50. I'll have pics of it on facebook soon.
In Siem Reap, Cambodia, Scott and I got a sample platter of dishes at a restaurant for $8 total for the both of us. It had Fish Amok (like a fish curry), spring rolls, and something else which I can't remember but it was delicious!! The bowls everything came in were made out of banana leaves. I'll post a pic of that meal on facebook too.
Oh and the fruit - there were loads of fruit hanging from trees and growing everywhere! Mango trees were so full that from a distance it looked like someone hung hundreds of big Easter eggs on the trees. Smelly Durian fruit was massive and looked almost fake in the trees. On our last evening in Cambodia, I bought a package of 2 mangos from the grocery store for only $0.51 so I can only assume that if I purchased it on the street it would have been even cheaper. The mangos were really big but they were yellow. Not like the reddish ones you usually see in American grocery stores. I peeled one up and couldn't believe how much fruit was actually on it! It was like a meal in itself. I had mango running down my arms and all over my face and in my hair - and it was soooo gloriously delicious! I couldn't eat the other one cuz I was already in a sugar coma from the first one.
Scott and I hired a tuk tuk driver for our time in Siem Reap and he took us to the floating village on Tonle Sap lake (a Great Lake of Cambodia). While we were walking around in one of the floating stores our driver was eyeing some shrimp a couple girls had caught in their net. He said they looked really tasty and asked if we'd try them if he bought some. Of course I would! So we went back to the guesthouse he lived at and put the tiny raw shrimp in a bowl with a bunch of ice. He got some dipping sauce from the cook (some sort of lime fish sauce) and cucumbers on the side. Once the shrimp are cold enough you peel them and dip them in the sauce and eat raw! Not bad at all! We sat around the table on the patio with a few other Cambodians eating raw shrimp, drinking beer and enjoying a refreshing rain storm. It was a memorable experience and I didn't get sick!
During the cooking class I took in Laos, the chef took us to the market showed us ingredients that Lao people use. One of them was blocks of congealed blood. I can't remember what they're used for but it was really gross looking. That photo will be on facebook soon too. I'll post more photos of the food such as yummy doughnuts in a basket and bbq'd chicken feet.
Scott and I stayed in a bungalow on an island for a while and one afternoon we went into the local village for a beer/soda. The manager of the bungalows was from Canada so he knew some of the locals and warned us about their love of rice wine and how if offered we shouldn't refuse. Luckily, no one offered it, but we did see a bottle of "Special Muscle Wine" for sale in the shop. It was $3.50 so the Canadian bought a bottle because, well, come on, it's Special Muscle Wine! It tasted like a strong Jaegermeister, but our muscles became huge and toned after drinking!!!! Scott bought a bottle to take home as well as a 750L bottle of Cambodian Whiskey...for a mere $1.50. I have a photo of the Special Muscle Wine so will post that of course. The description of what it does for you is pretty hilarious and totally not FDA approved :)
The Canadian guy told us how the locals had caught a monkey and invited him to dinner the day before we arrived. I guess they were eating the brain straight from it's head and he had to refuse. I think he said he tried the meat, but not sure. The locals there also caught a couple huge eagles. We saw an eagle flying around in the sky the day we left so they probably caught that one too.
Although we were enjoying all the food, we had started to miss the taste of real cheddar cheese. Well, really just cheese in general. They had some soft cheeses but it was reserved for "western food" like sandwiches that just weren't the same as home. Scott and I were craving cheesy breakfast burritos for the last week we were there, so on our first day in Denver we each ordered one at a local diner for lunch and it was some serious good eats. We stayed at a Marriott once we got to Denver (too tired to drive the 2 hours home after the flights) and it had a breakfast buffet. It had a waffle maker, hot oatmeal, biscuits and gravy, assortments of muffins, bagels and bread, egg sandwiches, juice, coffee, tea and pretty much everything else. While Scott was eating breakfast he said a guest came in and complained about everything the breakfast didn't offer. Seriously? I was nearly jumping for joy over just the assortment of milk (after drinking mostly sweet and condensed for the last 5 weeks) and this lady is complaining?? Oh well, I was happy to be home and eating real western food for once. Give me 2 weeks and I'll be craving noodles and rice. I already miss the fruit.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Places to go and travelers to meet - Siem Reap, Cambodia
Somehow I ended up in Siem Reap, Cambodia 2 days earlier than planned. The plan: Scott flies into Siem Reap late Sunday night and I was planning on arriving here via bus by Saturday. That way if the bus breaks down, or I get sick and can't travel for a day, or aliens attack, I'd have 1 full extra day to make it in time to pick him up at the airport. I expected everything else except arriving early. What happened: I got on the bus in Southern Laos headed for Kratie, Cambodia (a tiny town on the Mekong perfect for a stopover on the way to Siem REap). About a half hour before arriving Kratie the bus driver asked if i was sure i wanted to go there cuz Siem Reap is only another 6 hours away. He explained that tomorrow there aren't any busses directly to Siem Reap and there are no foreigners in Kratie. I had 2 -3 full days to make it to Siem reap, but it kind of scared me. I wanted to go to the town with no foreigners but i didn't want to get stuck there. So, I agreed. Ok, take me the rest of the journey. My back is already in a big knot from sleeping on a 2 inch hard mat and a joke of a pillow, I might as well tough it out today. About 4 hours from Siem reap, I met a girl who was planning the same thing and we were both sort of upset we didn't stop because the bus SUCKED!!!! It was about 16 hours of traveling and really, I had plenty of time to figure out the journey. Oh well. So I'm enjoying having extra days in Siem Reap instead and that's fine by me!
Let me explain the journey I had to get here first. Thursday, at 5 minutes to 8am I went to the guy who sold me the bus ticket because he said to be there just before 8:00. This is on the island of Don Det in Laos so he needed to get us across the Mekong by his boat and to the bus station first. Well, I'm realizing that there is a lot of waiting in Laos and Cambodia. After waiting for about 20 minutes he finally was ready to go. He kept telling us to sit down and just wait while he was getting dressed and ready. OK. We hop into his longboat and 3 of us sat on a straw mat on the floor while he steered and scooped water out of the boat all at the same time. I didn't get wet at all but the girl in the middle looked like she peed her pants after we got out and stood up. The 2 other girls were just going on an ATM run because there are no ATMs on the islands, so the guy found a couple motorbike drivers and had each girl get on the back and away they went. They had no idea where there they were going or how far, so as they waved goodbye to me we all had a look of "oh shit, well, have fun!" You can't expect anything to happen as you imagine it might. I would have never guessed that a simple atm run would involve getting on the back of a random persons motorbike and paying them off for the ride.
After about hour of waiting, the VIP bus finally arrives and a whole load of foreigners all pile on. I get a nice seat close to the front and am all comfy with my bag in the outside seat, when a big Lao dude(well, big for being Lao) asks if he can sit here next to me. Ugh, there are a few empty seats in the back and tehre are a lot of other empty aisle seats, but he wants to sit next to me. Before I can even say anything he's already sitting. The guy in front of him has his seat pushed all the way back so the Lao guy has even less room. Again, why did he pick this seat when there are plenty of better ones? But he doesn't care cuz he makes himself very comfortable and is totally in my space touching arms, legs and he's sort of sprawled out. Thanks, cuz my long gangly legs didn't need any space. I was going to say that if he needs more room there are plenty of other seats available, but that could totally backfire in my face. So i got up and moved to the back with my own space. I think it's partially cultural that Asians are used to having less of that personal bubble where we Westerners like our space.
We arrived at the Lao -Cambodian border crossing and we all got our luggage, and went to the Lao departure post. A little shack where we all lined up and burned and sweat in the sun waiting to pay $2.00 to turn in our departure card. Then we walked a few minutes down the semi-dirt road to the Cambodian side. We get in line again to fill out a "Health Assesment card" and we pay $1 for that. The officials don't even look at it but one points an electronic temperature reader at my forehead and says "to take tempture, ok you good." It's just a bullshit document to fill out to get more money. The airport arrivals don't have to do that as far as I know but i"ll ask Scott tomorrow. Then we head across the road to fill out another form to apply for our visas and pay $23 for that. At the very last shack we fill out yet another form for customs and I can't remember if we paid anything for that one but I don't think so. There were so many little shacks to stand in line and wait and pay that it's all a blur in my mind. Finally, we've legally entered Cambodia! But now no one knows what's going on and where our bus is, so we sit in the shade on miniature plastic chairs while Cambodian women try to sell us water and food. Word got around that we have to wait an hour before we start moving again?! Ugh, we're all hot and sweaty and just want to get going, but again we wait. After about 20 minutes, the bus driver comes up and tells us to put our stuff into this different bus parked across the road and then says we'll leave in another 20 minutes. Why? I don't know - maybe he's visiting friends or doing business but the reason why we wait is never explained. When we do get on the bus I end up sitting next to an Aussie guy so it was nice to have some conversation for a while. Then he falls asleep and almost has his head on my shoulder. He wasn't trying to cuz he kept waking up and quick pulling himself back together, but he'd slowly relax into slumber and his head would slump to my side. It was kind of funny.
Out the window of the bus you could see the landscape changing from lush green forests to cultivated rice fields and here and there would be someone's home. They were all raised up on posts/stilts to prevent flooding I suppose and most seemed bare minimum. Like a glorified tree-house without the tree. I should'nt even say glorified because I've seen some pretty decked out tree houses that I'd love to live in. Not these houses. Some had electricity but many of them didn't. They were mostly one room and the structure made of slats of wood and a thatched roof. You could see old women sleeping in them on the floor trying to escape the heat without a fan. You could see little kids here and there playing underneath the house, but I couldn't figure out where they bathed for went to the bathroom. I think I heard something about collecting rain water and splashing it on to bathe but what about the dry season?? I don't know, but seeing this makes me really appreciate what I have and almost disgusted at the amout of it. Even some of America's poorest poor don't live like this. Of course we just take to the city streets so that's no so good either, yet somehow that seems more appealing than living in the middle of nowhere with no services whatsoever and roasting away in the blistering heat. Homeless shelters in Cambodia? yeah right. There's orphanages here for children, but what about adults? There is a disfigured man here in Siem Reap - his legs adn feet are so disfigured that he gets around by crawling on his hands and knees in the street begging. I cringe at anyone kneeling on hard floors but this guy is on the street pavement. If he only had a wheelchair...but this a not a wheelchair accessible country so it's probably easier to crawl. Another disabled man in Laos who couldn't speak correctly and was deformed got on his knees and stooped his head to the ground begging me for something. I was so shocked that I kept walking and that desparate face is bringing tears to my eyes right now - I'm not sure if I should have given him something but I wish I would have. The adult disabled are screwed here.
Anyway, back to the bus ride. So the bus likes to stop a lot along the way - sometimes it's for a few seconds, sometimes it's for 15 minutes, sometimes it's on the side of the road where there is nothing around, sometimes it's in a small village in the middle of the intersection. I'm not sure why, though every time it stops everyone looks around and mumbles "more waiting and wondering" because it happens so often. Once after driving over an unpaved section of the road that filled the inside of the bus with a haze of dust, they stopped and I watched them change the air filter from the window. So I can only assume the bus stops for purposeful reasons, but no one is ever informed of why or how long so you just sit and wait and know that eventually you will get to your destination. Oh, and when the bus driver told me it was only another 6 hours to Siem Reap, it was actually closer to 9 more hours.
We switched out busses again at about 8pm and sat at a dingy open-air restaurant for 30 minutes so we could eat and relax. This time I was the last person on the bus and I knew I was going to pay for it. I had to pee and I couldn't wait so I was last :(. I ended up in the very last seat of the bus and the back is where you can feel every tiny pothole and movement. For the last four hours on the bus it was hell because the road is curvy and filled with potholes and the pavement is not leveled out to be flat and smooth like. Every bump we'd go over my breath would be forced out of me and I'd watch the people in the few seats infront of me and they all looked like bobble-head dolls with extremely springy head. Four hours of this. It sucked. I had a grip on the seat the whole time. Lesson learned=do NOT be the last person on the bus. I also learned to sit in the aisle seat until all the passengers are on so that someone doesn't try to sit next to you and crowd your space.
I made it to Siem Reap around 11:30 or midnight and had no idea where I was going to stay but I had the names of a couple hotels. However, the soft spoken tuk-tuk driver who followed me until I got my baggage mentioned a place as well. His description sounded decent enough and I was too tired to argue. He said that if I didn't like it we could try something else. So we got to the hotel and they showed me a room and it was perfect! SOmetimes it's worth it to trust a tuk tuk drivers suggestion. The bed was the most comfortable since Halong Bay and the pillows were normal!!! There's a pool and it's a pretty social place with a lot of foreigners. SInce i had a couple extra days here before Scott arrives I've been lounding by the pool. Of course yesterday I burned my lower back. I was in the shade and applying sunscreen cuz I"m so ghostly white, but at somepoint my back turned into a lobster.
Siem Reap. The city is very small and very walkable but because it's so darn hot it's better to walk around in the evening or early morning. It's sort of a dirty scruffy city, but there's character. The nightlife is definitely happening. Laos as a country had a curfew of 11pm or something so it seemed the entire country was very quiet (though I didn't get to the capital but apparently that is very small and relatively quiet as well). Cambodia so far is defintely more loud and happenin' but it's still pretty chilled out. I think tomorrow or Tuesday Scott and I are going to see Angkor Wat and all the other temples which is why Siem Reap was made into a town in the first place so it's pretty touristy.
I've met a lot of really intersting people on this trip - most all good, some annoying, but I have yet to have a bad experience with anyone I've met. The first day here in the pool, I joined in the conversation of a few others - a Swedish couple and two British blokes (dudes). Later we met up again and went into town to the bars for .75 cent beers and $1.50 cocktails. Felt like I was in college again. We ended at a bar with dancing where they sprayed cologne or something like Axe into the disco smoke. Westerners smell like old cheese as Asians smell like old seaweed so they must not like how we westerners smell. We compared goofy dance moves such as the sprinkler and the lawn mower. The Swedes had a good one - something like "tall guy, little guy" where you bounce your hand up high then down low. It's fun talking to other travelers cuz you learn a bit about their culture and compare how you say different words. The word "kiss" in English sounds like how Swedes would say shit or poop or something like that.
In Lao I met an American couple who was in the next bungalow so we shared some stories. In Luang Prabang, Laos I met a Greek guy who has been living in London for 15 years who was also traveling alone. We were forced to sit next to each other at one of the food stalls so we started to chat and decided to meet again the next evening to eat for some company. After dinner we wandered around looking for the best fruit shake and chatted. We agreed it's really nice to meet another lone traveler just to have someone to talk to. Hanging out with couples or even 2 friends is fun but you feel a bit like a 3rd wheel and try not to impose too much. A solo traveler is just as desparate for a conversation as I am so they are often the most fun to hang out with.
Tonight, Scott flies in and we're checking into a fancy 4 star hotel. My friends recommended it so I looked it up and booked it quick - it's only $50 total a night and when I went to the hotel to look at it, it's amazing! We'll stay for a couple nights and then probably come back to this hotel where it's a little cheaper. Not that $50 isn't cheap for a 4 star - but this hotel is $15 a night and has a nice pool, air-con and is pretty darn luxury to me compared to everywhere else I've stayed! Considering the last place I stayed - where huge beetles and moths and bees would fly into my room while a gecko would hang out by the light bulb eating all the other little insects - this place is pretty nice.
Speaking of insects, I learned that if you have a light fixture outside and bugs are all over it at night, coat a plastic bag and hang it next to the light bulb and bugs will stay around the plastic bag and get stuck into it. One restaurant I went to had one and the plastic bag was filled with bugs. It was really gross...but the hamburger I had there was quite delicious! (the burger was highly recommended so I gave in - starting to tire of rice).
Angkor Wat and the other temples are next...
Let me explain the journey I had to get here first. Thursday, at 5 minutes to 8am I went to the guy who sold me the bus ticket because he said to be there just before 8:00. This is on the island of Don Det in Laos so he needed to get us across the Mekong by his boat and to the bus station first. Well, I'm realizing that there is a lot of waiting in Laos and Cambodia. After waiting for about 20 minutes he finally was ready to go. He kept telling us to sit down and just wait while he was getting dressed and ready. OK. We hop into his longboat and 3 of us sat on a straw mat on the floor while he steered and scooped water out of the boat all at the same time. I didn't get wet at all but the girl in the middle looked like she peed her pants after we got out and stood up. The 2 other girls were just going on an ATM run because there are no ATMs on the islands, so the guy found a couple motorbike drivers and had each girl get on the back and away they went. They had no idea where there they were going or how far, so as they waved goodbye to me we all had a look of "oh shit, well, have fun!" You can't expect anything to happen as you imagine it might. I would have never guessed that a simple atm run would involve getting on the back of a random persons motorbike and paying them off for the ride.
After about hour of waiting, the VIP bus finally arrives and a whole load of foreigners all pile on. I get a nice seat close to the front and am all comfy with my bag in the outside seat, when a big Lao dude(well, big for being Lao) asks if he can sit here next to me. Ugh, there are a few empty seats in the back and tehre are a lot of other empty aisle seats, but he wants to sit next to me. Before I can even say anything he's already sitting. The guy in front of him has his seat pushed all the way back so the Lao guy has even less room. Again, why did he pick this seat when there are plenty of better ones? But he doesn't care cuz he makes himself very comfortable and is totally in my space touching arms, legs and he's sort of sprawled out. Thanks, cuz my long gangly legs didn't need any space. I was going to say that if he needs more room there are plenty of other seats available, but that could totally backfire in my face. So i got up and moved to the back with my own space. I think it's partially cultural that Asians are used to having less of that personal bubble where we Westerners like our space.
We arrived at the Lao -Cambodian border crossing and we all got our luggage, and went to the Lao departure post. A little shack where we all lined up and burned and sweat in the sun waiting to pay $2.00 to turn in our departure card. Then we walked a few minutes down the semi-dirt road to the Cambodian side. We get in line again to fill out a "Health Assesment card" and we pay $1 for that. The officials don't even look at it but one points an electronic temperature reader at my forehead and says "to take tempture, ok you good." It's just a bullshit document to fill out to get more money. The airport arrivals don't have to do that as far as I know but i"ll ask Scott tomorrow. Then we head across the road to fill out another form to apply for our visas and pay $23 for that. At the very last shack we fill out yet another form for customs and I can't remember if we paid anything for that one but I don't think so. There were so many little shacks to stand in line and wait and pay that it's all a blur in my mind. Finally, we've legally entered Cambodia! But now no one knows what's going on and where our bus is, so we sit in the shade on miniature plastic chairs while Cambodian women try to sell us water and food. Word got around that we have to wait an hour before we start moving again?! Ugh, we're all hot and sweaty and just want to get going, but again we wait. After about 20 minutes, the bus driver comes up and tells us to put our stuff into this different bus parked across the road and then says we'll leave in another 20 minutes. Why? I don't know - maybe he's visiting friends or doing business but the reason why we wait is never explained. When we do get on the bus I end up sitting next to an Aussie guy so it was nice to have some conversation for a while. Then he falls asleep and almost has his head on my shoulder. He wasn't trying to cuz he kept waking up and quick pulling himself back together, but he'd slowly relax into slumber and his head would slump to my side. It was kind of funny.
Out the window of the bus you could see the landscape changing from lush green forests to cultivated rice fields and here and there would be someone's home. They were all raised up on posts/stilts to prevent flooding I suppose and most seemed bare minimum. Like a glorified tree-house without the tree. I should'nt even say glorified because I've seen some pretty decked out tree houses that I'd love to live in. Not these houses. Some had electricity but many of them didn't. They were mostly one room and the structure made of slats of wood and a thatched roof. You could see old women sleeping in them on the floor trying to escape the heat without a fan. You could see little kids here and there playing underneath the house, but I couldn't figure out where they bathed for went to the bathroom. I think I heard something about collecting rain water and splashing it on to bathe but what about the dry season?? I don't know, but seeing this makes me really appreciate what I have and almost disgusted at the amout of it. Even some of America's poorest poor don't live like this. Of course we just take to the city streets so that's no so good either, yet somehow that seems more appealing than living in the middle of nowhere with no services whatsoever and roasting away in the blistering heat. Homeless shelters in Cambodia? yeah right. There's orphanages here for children, but what about adults? There is a disfigured man here in Siem Reap - his legs adn feet are so disfigured that he gets around by crawling on his hands and knees in the street begging. I cringe at anyone kneeling on hard floors but this guy is on the street pavement. If he only had a wheelchair...but this a not a wheelchair accessible country so it's probably easier to crawl. Another disabled man in Laos who couldn't speak correctly and was deformed got on his knees and stooped his head to the ground begging me for something. I was so shocked that I kept walking and that desparate face is bringing tears to my eyes right now - I'm not sure if I should have given him something but I wish I would have. The adult disabled are screwed here.
Anyway, back to the bus ride. So the bus likes to stop a lot along the way - sometimes it's for a few seconds, sometimes it's for 15 minutes, sometimes it's on the side of the road where there is nothing around, sometimes it's in a small village in the middle of the intersection. I'm not sure why, though every time it stops everyone looks around and mumbles "more waiting and wondering" because it happens so often. Once after driving over an unpaved section of the road that filled the inside of the bus with a haze of dust, they stopped and I watched them change the air filter from the window. So I can only assume the bus stops for purposeful reasons, but no one is ever informed of why or how long so you just sit and wait and know that eventually you will get to your destination. Oh, and when the bus driver told me it was only another 6 hours to Siem Reap, it was actually closer to 9 more hours.
We switched out busses again at about 8pm and sat at a dingy open-air restaurant for 30 minutes so we could eat and relax. This time I was the last person on the bus and I knew I was going to pay for it. I had to pee and I couldn't wait so I was last :(. I ended up in the very last seat of the bus and the back is where you can feel every tiny pothole and movement. For the last four hours on the bus it was hell because the road is curvy and filled with potholes and the pavement is not leveled out to be flat and smooth like. Every bump we'd go over my breath would be forced out of me and I'd watch the people in the few seats infront of me and they all looked like bobble-head dolls with extremely springy head. Four hours of this. It sucked. I had a grip on the seat the whole time. Lesson learned=do NOT be the last person on the bus. I also learned to sit in the aisle seat until all the passengers are on so that someone doesn't try to sit next to you and crowd your space.
I made it to Siem Reap around 11:30 or midnight and had no idea where I was going to stay but I had the names of a couple hotels. However, the soft spoken tuk-tuk driver who followed me until I got my baggage mentioned a place as well. His description sounded decent enough and I was too tired to argue. He said that if I didn't like it we could try something else. So we got to the hotel and they showed me a room and it was perfect! SOmetimes it's worth it to trust a tuk tuk drivers suggestion. The bed was the most comfortable since Halong Bay and the pillows were normal!!! There's a pool and it's a pretty social place with a lot of foreigners. SInce i had a couple extra days here before Scott arrives I've been lounding by the pool. Of course yesterday I burned my lower back. I was in the shade and applying sunscreen cuz I"m so ghostly white, but at somepoint my back turned into a lobster.
Siem Reap. The city is very small and very walkable but because it's so darn hot it's better to walk around in the evening or early morning. It's sort of a dirty scruffy city, but there's character. The nightlife is definitely happening. Laos as a country had a curfew of 11pm or something so it seemed the entire country was very quiet (though I didn't get to the capital but apparently that is very small and relatively quiet as well). Cambodia so far is defintely more loud and happenin' but it's still pretty chilled out. I think tomorrow or Tuesday Scott and I are going to see Angkor Wat and all the other temples which is why Siem Reap was made into a town in the first place so it's pretty touristy.
I've met a lot of really intersting people on this trip - most all good, some annoying, but I have yet to have a bad experience with anyone I've met. The first day here in the pool, I joined in the conversation of a few others - a Swedish couple and two British blokes (dudes). Later we met up again and went into town to the bars for .75 cent beers and $1.50 cocktails. Felt like I was in college again. We ended at a bar with dancing where they sprayed cologne or something like Axe into the disco smoke. Westerners smell like old cheese as Asians smell like old seaweed so they must not like how we westerners smell. We compared goofy dance moves such as the sprinkler and the lawn mower. The Swedes had a good one - something like "tall guy, little guy" where you bounce your hand up high then down low. It's fun talking to other travelers cuz you learn a bit about their culture and compare how you say different words. The word "kiss" in English sounds like how Swedes would say shit or poop or something like that.
In Lao I met an American couple who was in the next bungalow so we shared some stories. In Luang Prabang, Laos I met a Greek guy who has been living in London for 15 years who was also traveling alone. We were forced to sit next to each other at one of the food stalls so we started to chat and decided to meet again the next evening to eat for some company. After dinner we wandered around looking for the best fruit shake and chatted. We agreed it's really nice to meet another lone traveler just to have someone to talk to. Hanging out with couples or even 2 friends is fun but you feel a bit like a 3rd wheel and try not to impose too much. A solo traveler is just as desparate for a conversation as I am so they are often the most fun to hang out with.
Tonight, Scott flies in and we're checking into a fancy 4 star hotel. My friends recommended it so I looked it up and booked it quick - it's only $50 total a night and when I went to the hotel to look at it, it's amazing! We'll stay for a couple nights and then probably come back to this hotel where it's a little cheaper. Not that $50 isn't cheap for a 4 star - but this hotel is $15 a night and has a nice pool, air-con and is pretty darn luxury to me compared to everywhere else I've stayed! Considering the last place I stayed - where huge beetles and moths and bees would fly into my room while a gecko would hang out by the light bulb eating all the other little insects - this place is pretty nice.
Speaking of insects, I learned that if you have a light fixture outside and bugs are all over it at night, coat a plastic bag and hang it next to the light bulb and bugs will stay around the plastic bag and get stuck into it. One restaurant I went to had one and the plastic bag was filled with bugs. It was really gross...but the hamburger I had there was quite delicious! (the burger was highly recommended so I gave in - starting to tire of rice).
Angkor Wat and the other temples are next...
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Feeling like a piece of sticky rice in Si Phan Don, Laos
After temple exploring, cafe lounging, and relaxing in Luang Prabang, I flew to Southern Laos to a place called Si Phan Don - aka 4,000 islands - on the Mekong River. I thought Luang Prabang was relaxed, this place has forced laziness upon me! However getting here was not fun.
The flight was easy enough - one tiny international airport to another tiny international airport. So tiny that the international departure area was one tiny room and to use the bathroom you had to exit security. No problem cuz you're the only one there so it takes mere seconds. And they don't give a crap about liquids, or your belt or shoes. The bathroom itself has just a cloth handtowel to dry your hands off. Once exiting the airport in Pakse I had to take a taxi to the South Bus Terminal to catch a 3-4 hour bus ride to the boat landing and then a boat to the islands. I didn't even know which island I was going to stay at but I figured I'd talk to other travelers on the way and figure it out.
So at the airport I caught a ride with a few other travellers all heading the same way. They were going to Don Khon Island - I was thinking about going to Don Khong, but Don Det sounded good too. Once at the bus terminal (which was a large dirt lot with a whole lot of randomness - small busses, large busses, vendors on foot, vendors in stalls, cows, more cows, music blaring) we immediately found our bus. It wasn't really a bus as much as it was a 12 foot truck with the box replaced with an open air frame and long benches running down each side and packed FULL of supplies...and FULL of people. My knees were ground into the box in front of me which held a tractor motor and there was absolutely no other place for them. The middle of the truck bed was filled with cans of sweet and condensed milk (which they put in their coffee instead of normal milk) and other goods and the little kids were sleeping on top of the rice bags there as well. I have a good picture I'll try to post on facebook at some point. I was touching the person on each side and it was hot and dusty and uncomfortable. Once in a while we'd stop to let someone on or off or deliver something and women would come to the bus trying to sell us food or drinks. One lady carried a bunch a skewers with roasted beetles - like a beetle bouquet! Yes, they were for eating and I didn't feel like trying one at the moment. The ride was made ten times better because of the company of a guy named Lance. He and his wife, both Americans, now permanently live on Don Det Island in a rented bungalow. His wife, Donna, is staying in Pakse where the only hospital is because the 14 year old boy of the family they're staying with broke his arm and it started to heal incorrectly because the family didnt' think it was necessary to bring him to the hospital. They thought blowing on his arm would heal it??!! Anyway, Lance and I chatted for most the time and I found out that the bungalows and the family who own them have a few open to rent for 30,000 kip - about $3.75 a night! And they're right over the mekong and have a nice balcony and a hammock. Another couple who was on the bus also decided to stay at the bungalows - Paradise Bungalows to be exact. They're primitive, but paradise nonetheless.
We took the family's boat over to "Paradise" and by this time we were sweaty, dirty, sticky and tired. Pretty much the whole time I've been here I've felt like a piece of sticky rice cuz it's ridiculously hot and humid. Colorado dryness has made me weak to humidity. Lance showed us where the best spot for swimming in the Mekong was and it was glorious!!!! I know the Mekong is as dirty as any other major river but I was so disgustingly filthy that I couldn't get any worse. And really, this is where the local people bathe and the water in this region is so clear. Yes, there is loads of garbage and plastic bags stuck in the shrubbery that poke through the water, but I don't care.
So one of the boys herein the family is named Bong. He's 19 years old and has down syndrome and if I ever had down syndrome this is the place I'd want to live. Bong isn't his real name but everyone calls him that because "bong" loosely means "retarded kid." And Bong is hilarious! He can't speak any Lao and looks more like hes 14 years old and he sings and sings and sings his own little jibberish songs. He's happy as can be and his family lives and works at the bungalows so theres always someone there watching him. The neighbors watch over him too. This island is pretty small and everyone knows everyone so they all know Bong. I danced with him a little bit and got my picture with him. Apparently he loves the ladies. You know when Bong is around cuz he does this funny jibberish talk pretty loud. Lance has him on YouTube so try to look up "Bong dances Paradise Bungalows Dong Det Laos" or something like that and you should be able to find him.
The house the family lives in (and every other family here) is raised up on beams/stilts. Like a glorified tree house almost. Under the "floor" is just dirt and they have hammocks strewn up all over and I see them hanging out there often - it's probably cooler the closer you are to the bare ground. I see the little 1 year old girl sleeping in a hammock that has a rope attached so someone else can pull the rope and keep the hammock rocking. Our version of the rocking chair. I also watched as their 3 year old boy, Sompon, held a huge knife - more like a machete - and was shaving bark of sticks - he never cut himself and it seemed he knew exactly what he was doing. His parents were right there and didn't seem to mind one bit. Lance said that once the Sompon was chopping the knife on the ground and caught his fingers under the blade. It didn't cut him but he was wailing hard. Lance asked if the family should take away the knife and they said "no-he'll learn not to do that again".
The bathrooms here are interesting - they always are in foreign countries. Every single toilet I've seen on this trip has had a kitchen like sprayer hooked up next to it. Some have had toilet paper, others no TP at all. At the bungalow there are neither. They are a ways back from the bungalows which is good to keep the stink away, but it sort of sucks in the middle of the night. So, in the bathroom next to the toilet there is a large trough of water with a bowl sitting next to it. I've been instructed to either buy TP in town and throw the TP in a waste basket, or use the bowl and water. I've mainly opted for the TP in case you were wondering. To use the water, you're suppose to hold the bowl with water in your right hand and pour it down your bum. Then at the same time reach with your left hand to gently cleanse the areas. There is a faucet around the corner to wash your hands. And about 10 feet from that faucet is a tiny wooden hut with a pig inside grunting little piggy sounds. It took me a while to figure out where the pig was cuz it's sort of camoflaughed (sp?). I like to pretend that I'm camping in the deep south.
Also the shower is cold water, but because there really is no such thing as "cold" here it's really lukewarm with no heating device. Fine by me cuz it's sweltering. A couple days ago I was ill for most the day and nearly passed out from the heat on the way back from the bathroom so I went to Lance and Donna's bungalow and hung out on their porch so I wasn't alone. It's good to know nice people in each location. Lance got me a mat to lay down on and gave me some tunes he's created to listen to. Later I told him that if we went the kilometer into town to get me an ice cream I'd buy him one too. I was too dizzy headed to move much. By the time he got back the ice cream was completely melted. Completely. It still tasted good.
Lance and Donna are from Tennessee and Lance makes some rockin good music. I'm going to get a couple of his CD's and will have to post their website on facebook once I figure out what it is :).
Oh, the electricity has gone out 3 times in the past 3 days. The first night I was here there was a major rain storm. It was so loud in that little bungalow but it sounded wonderful. I had to use the bathroom so I ran out with my rainjacket on but by the time I got back my shorts were soaking wet. Then the fan in my room went out and noticed nothing else would work either. The electricity came back on later the next afternoon. You couldn't buy any ice cream cuz no one would open up the freezers to let any hot air in. So I was forced to swing in my hammock, swim in the river, read and repeat. I've been doing just that since. I did rent a bike this morning to check out the waterfalls. Again I felt like a scrubby piece of sticky rice and jumped in the river after an hour. Every pore on my face was sweating profusely it probably looked like I was sobbing. Anyway, each night it seems like a minor storm blows through and the electricity goes out for a few hours. During those hours my fan is off, I stare at my mosquito net trying to get comfortable on the hard mats I sleep on and sweat some more. The beds are killing me here. Oh well, I will appreciate everything I have at home 100 times more.
Yesterday I bought some yogurt cuz I need some of that good bacteria (the doxycycline I take for malaria kills all the good and the bad). I didn't look to see what flavor it was and for the most part you just look at the picture of what's on the label to figure it out anyway. I thought I grabbed honey flavor or maybe pineapple, but nope, it was corn!!!! Took me a few bites to figure it out and thought "did they accidently get corn into this yogurt?" Reading the fine print in English, it says "Cereal, beans and Lotus Pods". I tried one more bite after knowing what it was and just couldn't do it.
Did I mention the kids here? They're so cute - from my porch I can see little kids playing and bathing in the river below and I just want to pinch their cute faces! Sompon, the 3 year old, and I were playing the other night and he was crawling up on the table I was sitting at. We'd play "hi-five, down-low, too-slow" and I didn't know what he was saying and he didn't know what I was saying. But that's the beauty of playing with a 3 year old. They don't care. I would point to him and say "Sompon" and then point to myself and say "Suzanne" but he would just say "Falang" Falang literally means French but it's used for all fairskinned foreigners I guess. So no, I'm not Suzanne, I'm Falang along with the rest of them. It was pretty funny. His mom was laughing too. I'm sort of afraid to leave Lao for Cambodia because I've never felt safer in a foreign country before. Lao are not pushy when at the market bargaining, they're soft spoken and honest. I've never felt like I was scammed to pay a higher price. Yes, foreigners pay higher than locals but it amounts to pennies and completely worth paying a little extra for. Exact change was always given and I never felt someone was going to rip me off. I've heard different of Cambodia, but that's the next adventure. Gotta embrace it!
The only other thing I meant to write about was the taxi ride I had from Hanoi to the airport. The taxi driver was taking the long way around and I couldn't figure it out until he came to the Ho Chi Mihn Masoleum (I think) where there were a ton of people standing in the square. Music was playing and everyone was at quiet attention. The taxi driver rolled down the window, stopped and watched from the car until it was over. It only took a couple minutes but it was interesting to see that many people at attention. I prepaid the driver so I wasn't getting charged extra.
Tomorrow I'm off to Cambodia. I'm trying to make my way slowly to Siem Reap by Saturday, that way if Saturday doesn't work out (bus gets a flat, the road washes out, aliens attack, whatever) then at least I'll be there on Sunday by the time Scott flies in. I'll stay in the town of Kratie, Cambodia then another town the next night.
Stay tuned!...
The flight was easy enough - one tiny international airport to another tiny international airport. So tiny that the international departure area was one tiny room and to use the bathroom you had to exit security. No problem cuz you're the only one there so it takes mere seconds. And they don't give a crap about liquids, or your belt or shoes. The bathroom itself has just a cloth handtowel to dry your hands off. Once exiting the airport in Pakse I had to take a taxi to the South Bus Terminal to catch a 3-4 hour bus ride to the boat landing and then a boat to the islands. I didn't even know which island I was going to stay at but I figured I'd talk to other travelers on the way and figure it out.
So at the airport I caught a ride with a few other travellers all heading the same way. They were going to Don Khon Island - I was thinking about going to Don Khong, but Don Det sounded good too. Once at the bus terminal (which was a large dirt lot with a whole lot of randomness - small busses, large busses, vendors on foot, vendors in stalls, cows, more cows, music blaring) we immediately found our bus. It wasn't really a bus as much as it was a 12 foot truck with the box replaced with an open air frame and long benches running down each side and packed FULL of supplies...and FULL of people. My knees were ground into the box in front of me which held a tractor motor and there was absolutely no other place for them. The middle of the truck bed was filled with cans of sweet and condensed milk (which they put in their coffee instead of normal milk) and other goods and the little kids were sleeping on top of the rice bags there as well. I have a good picture I'll try to post on facebook at some point. I was touching the person on each side and it was hot and dusty and uncomfortable. Once in a while we'd stop to let someone on or off or deliver something and women would come to the bus trying to sell us food or drinks. One lady carried a bunch a skewers with roasted beetles - like a beetle bouquet! Yes, they were for eating and I didn't feel like trying one at the moment. The ride was made ten times better because of the company of a guy named Lance. He and his wife, both Americans, now permanently live on Don Det Island in a rented bungalow. His wife, Donna, is staying in Pakse where the only hospital is because the 14 year old boy of the family they're staying with broke his arm and it started to heal incorrectly because the family didnt' think it was necessary to bring him to the hospital. They thought blowing on his arm would heal it??!! Anyway, Lance and I chatted for most the time and I found out that the bungalows and the family who own them have a few open to rent for 30,000 kip - about $3.75 a night! And they're right over the mekong and have a nice balcony and a hammock. Another couple who was on the bus also decided to stay at the bungalows - Paradise Bungalows to be exact. They're primitive, but paradise nonetheless.
We took the family's boat over to "Paradise" and by this time we were sweaty, dirty, sticky and tired. Pretty much the whole time I've been here I've felt like a piece of sticky rice cuz it's ridiculously hot and humid. Colorado dryness has made me weak to humidity. Lance showed us where the best spot for swimming in the Mekong was and it was glorious!!!! I know the Mekong is as dirty as any other major river but I was so disgustingly filthy that I couldn't get any worse. And really, this is where the local people bathe and the water in this region is so clear. Yes, there is loads of garbage and plastic bags stuck in the shrubbery that poke through the water, but I don't care.
So one of the boys herein the family is named Bong. He's 19 years old and has down syndrome and if I ever had down syndrome this is the place I'd want to live. Bong isn't his real name but everyone calls him that because "bong" loosely means "retarded kid." And Bong is hilarious! He can't speak any Lao and looks more like hes 14 years old and he sings and sings and sings his own little jibberish songs. He's happy as can be and his family lives and works at the bungalows so theres always someone there watching him. The neighbors watch over him too. This island is pretty small and everyone knows everyone so they all know Bong. I danced with him a little bit and got my picture with him. Apparently he loves the ladies. You know when Bong is around cuz he does this funny jibberish talk pretty loud. Lance has him on YouTube so try to look up "Bong dances Paradise Bungalows Dong Det Laos" or something like that and you should be able to find him.
The house the family lives in (and every other family here) is raised up on beams/stilts. Like a glorified tree house almost. Under the "floor" is just dirt and they have hammocks strewn up all over and I see them hanging out there often - it's probably cooler the closer you are to the bare ground. I see the little 1 year old girl sleeping in a hammock that has a rope attached so someone else can pull the rope and keep the hammock rocking. Our version of the rocking chair. I also watched as their 3 year old boy, Sompon, held a huge knife - more like a machete - and was shaving bark of sticks - he never cut himself and it seemed he knew exactly what he was doing. His parents were right there and didn't seem to mind one bit. Lance said that once the Sompon was chopping the knife on the ground and caught his fingers under the blade. It didn't cut him but he was wailing hard. Lance asked if the family should take away the knife and they said "no-he'll learn not to do that again".
The bathrooms here are interesting - they always are in foreign countries. Every single toilet I've seen on this trip has had a kitchen like sprayer hooked up next to it. Some have had toilet paper, others no TP at all. At the bungalow there are neither. They are a ways back from the bungalows which is good to keep the stink away, but it sort of sucks in the middle of the night. So, in the bathroom next to the toilet there is a large trough of water with a bowl sitting next to it. I've been instructed to either buy TP in town and throw the TP in a waste basket, or use the bowl and water. I've mainly opted for the TP in case you were wondering. To use the water, you're suppose to hold the bowl with water in your right hand and pour it down your bum. Then at the same time reach with your left hand to gently cleanse the areas. There is a faucet around the corner to wash your hands. And about 10 feet from that faucet is a tiny wooden hut with a pig inside grunting little piggy sounds. It took me a while to figure out where the pig was cuz it's sort of camoflaughed (sp?). I like to pretend that I'm camping in the deep south.
Also the shower is cold water, but because there really is no such thing as "cold" here it's really lukewarm with no heating device. Fine by me cuz it's sweltering. A couple days ago I was ill for most the day and nearly passed out from the heat on the way back from the bathroom so I went to Lance and Donna's bungalow and hung out on their porch so I wasn't alone. It's good to know nice people in each location. Lance got me a mat to lay down on and gave me some tunes he's created to listen to. Later I told him that if we went the kilometer into town to get me an ice cream I'd buy him one too. I was too dizzy headed to move much. By the time he got back the ice cream was completely melted. Completely. It still tasted good.
Lance and Donna are from Tennessee and Lance makes some rockin good music. I'm going to get a couple of his CD's and will have to post their website on facebook once I figure out what it is :).
Oh, the electricity has gone out 3 times in the past 3 days. The first night I was here there was a major rain storm. It was so loud in that little bungalow but it sounded wonderful. I had to use the bathroom so I ran out with my rainjacket on but by the time I got back my shorts were soaking wet. Then the fan in my room went out and noticed nothing else would work either. The electricity came back on later the next afternoon. You couldn't buy any ice cream cuz no one would open up the freezers to let any hot air in. So I was forced to swing in my hammock, swim in the river, read and repeat. I've been doing just that since. I did rent a bike this morning to check out the waterfalls. Again I felt like a scrubby piece of sticky rice and jumped in the river after an hour. Every pore on my face was sweating profusely it probably looked like I was sobbing. Anyway, each night it seems like a minor storm blows through and the electricity goes out for a few hours. During those hours my fan is off, I stare at my mosquito net trying to get comfortable on the hard mats I sleep on and sweat some more. The beds are killing me here. Oh well, I will appreciate everything I have at home 100 times more.
Yesterday I bought some yogurt cuz I need some of that good bacteria (the doxycycline I take for malaria kills all the good and the bad). I didn't look to see what flavor it was and for the most part you just look at the picture of what's on the label to figure it out anyway. I thought I grabbed honey flavor or maybe pineapple, but nope, it was corn!!!! Took me a few bites to figure it out and thought "did they accidently get corn into this yogurt?" Reading the fine print in English, it says "Cereal, beans and Lotus Pods". I tried one more bite after knowing what it was and just couldn't do it.
Did I mention the kids here? They're so cute - from my porch I can see little kids playing and bathing in the river below and I just want to pinch their cute faces! Sompon, the 3 year old, and I were playing the other night and he was crawling up on the table I was sitting at. We'd play "hi-five, down-low, too-slow" and I didn't know what he was saying and he didn't know what I was saying. But that's the beauty of playing with a 3 year old. They don't care. I would point to him and say "Sompon" and then point to myself and say "Suzanne" but he would just say "Falang" Falang literally means French but it's used for all fairskinned foreigners I guess. So no, I'm not Suzanne, I'm Falang along with the rest of them. It was pretty funny. His mom was laughing too. I'm sort of afraid to leave Lao for Cambodia because I've never felt safer in a foreign country before. Lao are not pushy when at the market bargaining, they're soft spoken and honest. I've never felt like I was scammed to pay a higher price. Yes, foreigners pay higher than locals but it amounts to pennies and completely worth paying a little extra for. Exact change was always given and I never felt someone was going to rip me off. I've heard different of Cambodia, but that's the next adventure. Gotta embrace it!
The only other thing I meant to write about was the taxi ride I had from Hanoi to the airport. The taxi driver was taking the long way around and I couldn't figure it out until he came to the Ho Chi Mihn Masoleum (I think) where there were a ton of people standing in the square. Music was playing and everyone was at quiet attention. The taxi driver rolled down the window, stopped and watched from the car until it was over. It only took a couple minutes but it was interesting to see that many people at attention. I prepaid the driver so I wasn't getting charged extra.
Tomorrow I'm off to Cambodia. I'm trying to make my way slowly to Siem Reap by Saturday, that way if Saturday doesn't work out (bus gets a flat, the road washes out, aliens attack, whatever) then at least I'll be there on Sunday by the time Scott flies in. I'll stay in the town of Kratie, Cambodia then another town the next night.
Stay tuned!...
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Luang Prabang, Laos
Again - excuse my punctuation - the keyboards here have keys in different places.
I love this place! But who wouldn't. After spending a few days in crazy and hectic hanoi, the laid back life of laos is just what i needed. From the window of the plane i could only see 1 dirt road and a lush, green and hilly landscape. Luang Prabang has one landing strip, and a tiny building for their airport. I got my visa, took out some local currency and fully expected to walk out to mobs of taxi drivers trying to get your attention like you'd find in so many other 3rd world countries. Instead i walked out and nothing. a couple taxi drivers but there was actually a system! you pay at the taxi booth and the driver will take you to town - no hassle. i shared a ride with a couple french canadians so it cost me a couple bucks to go about 5-10 minutes into town.
After about 30 minutes of walking around, getting a fruit shake for $0.60, and asking other tourists their recommendations i found a little guesthouse with aircon and a bathroom for $10 a night. That afternoon i wandered everywhere - this would totally be a typical laid back beach town if it had a beach. But instead it has interesting views of the Mekong River, many buddist temples and those saffron-robed monks this place is popular for. There is a curfew at about 11 or midnight, and everything is pretty quiet. Perfect after spending a few days in crazy Hanoi.
Laos isn't known for the happy ending massage but i was a little concerned after my hanoi massage. i figured a foot massage couldn't go wrong. For less than $7, i got the best foot massage in my entire life! And i'm kind of a massage snob! I have been getting foot massages everyday since then and i will continue for as long as i'm here. after the massage i had a nice dinner and dance show of typical lao tribe dances. I tried hibiscus rice wine and some more delicious food. It was just a couple japanese women and I in the restaurant so i talked to them a little bit.
Yesterday I figured I'd try my hand at a Lao cooking class. There were 2 other people signed up - a guy and girl living in London but the girl, Ana, was from Poland and the guy, Marcel, was from Czech Rep. The class was great - we went to the market to learn about lao ingredients and then got to cooking. For about 4 hours we cooked and ate delicious food. Scott says he's going to grade me when i get home. ha! I hung out with Ana and Marcel a bit and they were nice and interesting to talk to but they were obviously at their breaking point with each other. They argued a lot and were disagreeing on what and how to do things. This is one good thing about traveling on your own - you may get lonely, but you're never bored enough to fully realize much loneliness. I can go where ever I want when ever i want. There are enough tourists here to chat with for a while and even locals are friendly and will talk to you. But it would be nice to share the experience with someone. I'm really excited for Scott to meet me in Cambodia. By then maybe the loneliness will hit. Oh, I met an American girl in teh Hanoi airport. She was born in Laos but totally western so we hung out for a while in the airport and she taught me some basic words in Laos. She is volunteering in the capital of Vientiane for 2 weeks -could be interesting to learn more about.
My days here will continue to consist of massages, many fruit shakes, shopping, and getting lost. I figure that after spoiling rich people at the Ritz for over a year, I can spoil myself! Saturday I fly to southern Laos so I got a couple more days here...
I love this place! But who wouldn't. After spending a few days in crazy and hectic hanoi, the laid back life of laos is just what i needed. From the window of the plane i could only see 1 dirt road and a lush, green and hilly landscape. Luang Prabang has one landing strip, and a tiny building for their airport. I got my visa, took out some local currency and fully expected to walk out to mobs of taxi drivers trying to get your attention like you'd find in so many other 3rd world countries. Instead i walked out and nothing. a couple taxi drivers but there was actually a system! you pay at the taxi booth and the driver will take you to town - no hassle. i shared a ride with a couple french canadians so it cost me a couple bucks to go about 5-10 minutes into town.
After about 30 minutes of walking around, getting a fruit shake for $0.60, and asking other tourists their recommendations i found a little guesthouse with aircon and a bathroom for $10 a night. That afternoon i wandered everywhere - this would totally be a typical laid back beach town if it had a beach. But instead it has interesting views of the Mekong River, many buddist temples and those saffron-robed monks this place is popular for. There is a curfew at about 11 or midnight, and everything is pretty quiet. Perfect after spending a few days in crazy Hanoi.
Laos isn't known for the happy ending massage but i was a little concerned after my hanoi massage. i figured a foot massage couldn't go wrong. For less than $7, i got the best foot massage in my entire life! And i'm kind of a massage snob! I have been getting foot massages everyday since then and i will continue for as long as i'm here. after the massage i had a nice dinner and dance show of typical lao tribe dances. I tried hibiscus rice wine and some more delicious food. It was just a couple japanese women and I in the restaurant so i talked to them a little bit.
Yesterday I figured I'd try my hand at a Lao cooking class. There were 2 other people signed up - a guy and girl living in London but the girl, Ana, was from Poland and the guy, Marcel, was from Czech Rep. The class was great - we went to the market to learn about lao ingredients and then got to cooking. For about 4 hours we cooked and ate delicious food. Scott says he's going to grade me when i get home. ha! I hung out with Ana and Marcel a bit and they were nice and interesting to talk to but they were obviously at their breaking point with each other. They argued a lot and were disagreeing on what and how to do things. This is one good thing about traveling on your own - you may get lonely, but you're never bored enough to fully realize much loneliness. I can go where ever I want when ever i want. There are enough tourists here to chat with for a while and even locals are friendly and will talk to you. But it would be nice to share the experience with someone. I'm really excited for Scott to meet me in Cambodia. By then maybe the loneliness will hit. Oh, I met an American girl in teh Hanoi airport. She was born in Laos but totally western so we hung out for a while in the airport and she taught me some basic words in Laos. She is volunteering in the capital of Vientiane for 2 weeks -could be interesting to learn more about.
My days here will continue to consist of massages, many fruit shakes, shopping, and getting lost. I figure that after spoiling rich people at the Ritz for over a year, I can spoil myself! Saturday I fly to southern Laos so I got a couple more days here...
Halong Bay and Eating Dog
Apparently, if you felt you had an unlucky month you can eat dog on the last sunday of that month so you can have good luck the following month. i've eaten cow brains and fried earthworms but, call me crazy, i won't eat dog. it's a good thing i'm generally a lucky person!
sorry, this key board is strange and trying to use the shift key to make uppercase letters is only slowing me down. no caps today.
so, halong bay. after a 4 hour drive from hanoi, through rice fields with workers wearing conical hats and water buffalo, the tour bus arrived at halong city to board the boat to the bay. i had a 3 day/2night tour and the first night was on a boat called the poseidon sails. the boat was beautiful and my room had nice big windows with quite the view. it was just low enough to the water so that i could reach out my window to buy a cold beer from one of the ladies selling goods from her little boat. there were about 12 people on the tour - a mix of british, vietnamese-american, malaysian, swiss and a local couple from hanoi. once on board we were served lunch and i ended up sitting with the british girls and getting to know them for most the evening. they are teaching english in hong kong for a year and came out to halong bay for a quick weekend. i would love to do that someday.
our first stop was at a very large cave called sung sot cave (suprising cave). i read all about this cave and how its a very popular stop for tourists on halong bay cruises. it was completely massive, but all the stalactites/mites were "dead". so many people had been in the cave that their formation has completely ceased. so yes, it was suprising at how insanely huge the cave was but the real suprise came when our guide led us to the cave at the very end and yelled "suprise!!" and there in the middle of the cave was a massive formation of what looked like a man's penis! ha! there was even a red spotlight on it so it was very noticeable.
after the cave stop we got to kayak around for awhile- it was cool but there were so many boats and tourists that it didn't feel very serene. I got a 2-person kayak to myself and out-paddled most the other people just trying to figure out how to steer - yes i'm bragging. The rest of the night was spent swimming off the boat, eating dinner and singing karaoke. nothing crazy, but it was a good time.
The following day everyone except the 2 swiss girl and i went back to hanoi. so the 3 of us got off on the large island of Cat Ba with a ton of other tourists. our guide brought us to cat ba national park (with all the other tourists) where we did a hike to the summit. took about an hour to get to the top and i out-hiked everyone. yes-i'm braggin again. i attribute it to my massive lung capacity from living at 8000 feet and now only being at sea level. anyway, it was a good thing i got there first cuz the view was amazing and it was only ruined by the nearly 50 people that arrived shortly after. there wasnt any sort of platform on top - just a little area with a bunch of rocks so once everyone started to come up it got ridiculously crowded. to get down was to squeeze past a ton of people trying to get up on this pretty technical path.
the 2 swiss girls (angela and sabrina) and i checked into a hotel on the island and it sort of sucked. i won't go into details but i wish i would have only done the 2day/1 night on the boat tour. we had lunch, dinner and breakfast included in the hotel cafeteria where there were a group of vietnamese men getting drunk. one of them snapped a photo of angelas chest. she said she was really tired of men here staring at her chest cuz it's pretty big compared to asian women. lucky for me i don't have that problem! That and i'm taking care to cover up a bit more.
Back in hanoi i had just a few hours left to enjoy the city before heading to my next destination. there are all the makeshift sidewalk eateries with little plastic step stools to sit on and tiny plastic tables to eat on. it's amazing to see the streets filled with business men and women squatting down at these tiny tables with nice suits on slurping their food and practically sitting on the floor. so i had to try it. it took me a lot of courage cuz i'm on my own and feel a little intimidated but i squeezed in and ordered a delicious meal and a beer for only $2.50! after my meal, i took in a water puppet show which was really fun! nothing is made for the western size though. the theater seats were tiny with no leg room, the bus to halong bay had no leg room, the regular clothes here are tiny. i could go on and on. i'm such giant here.
tuesday morning i got on a flight to luang prabang, laos. i'll start a new posting for that...
sorry, this key board is strange and trying to use the shift key to make uppercase letters is only slowing me down. no caps today.
so, halong bay. after a 4 hour drive from hanoi, through rice fields with workers wearing conical hats and water buffalo, the tour bus arrived at halong city to board the boat to the bay. i had a 3 day/2night tour and the first night was on a boat called the poseidon sails. the boat was beautiful and my room had nice big windows with quite the view. it was just low enough to the water so that i could reach out my window to buy a cold beer from one of the ladies selling goods from her little boat. there were about 12 people on the tour - a mix of british, vietnamese-american, malaysian, swiss and a local couple from hanoi. once on board we were served lunch and i ended up sitting with the british girls and getting to know them for most the evening. they are teaching english in hong kong for a year and came out to halong bay for a quick weekend. i would love to do that someday.
our first stop was at a very large cave called sung sot cave (suprising cave). i read all about this cave and how its a very popular stop for tourists on halong bay cruises. it was completely massive, but all the stalactites/mites were "dead". so many people had been in the cave that their formation has completely ceased. so yes, it was suprising at how insanely huge the cave was but the real suprise came when our guide led us to the cave at the very end and yelled "suprise!!" and there in the middle of the cave was a massive formation of what looked like a man's penis! ha! there was even a red spotlight on it so it was very noticeable.
after the cave stop we got to kayak around for awhile- it was cool but there were so many boats and tourists that it didn't feel very serene. I got a 2-person kayak to myself and out-paddled most the other people just trying to figure out how to steer - yes i'm bragging. The rest of the night was spent swimming off the boat, eating dinner and singing karaoke. nothing crazy, but it was a good time.
The following day everyone except the 2 swiss girl and i went back to hanoi. so the 3 of us got off on the large island of Cat Ba with a ton of other tourists. our guide brought us to cat ba national park (with all the other tourists) where we did a hike to the summit. took about an hour to get to the top and i out-hiked everyone. yes-i'm braggin again. i attribute it to my massive lung capacity from living at 8000 feet and now only being at sea level. anyway, it was a good thing i got there first cuz the view was amazing and it was only ruined by the nearly 50 people that arrived shortly after. there wasnt any sort of platform on top - just a little area with a bunch of rocks so once everyone started to come up it got ridiculously crowded. to get down was to squeeze past a ton of people trying to get up on this pretty technical path.
the 2 swiss girls (angela and sabrina) and i checked into a hotel on the island and it sort of sucked. i won't go into details but i wish i would have only done the 2day/1 night on the boat tour. we had lunch, dinner and breakfast included in the hotel cafeteria where there were a group of vietnamese men getting drunk. one of them snapped a photo of angelas chest. she said she was really tired of men here staring at her chest cuz it's pretty big compared to asian women. lucky for me i don't have that problem! That and i'm taking care to cover up a bit more.
Back in hanoi i had just a few hours left to enjoy the city before heading to my next destination. there are all the makeshift sidewalk eateries with little plastic step stools to sit on and tiny plastic tables to eat on. it's amazing to see the streets filled with business men and women squatting down at these tiny tables with nice suits on slurping their food and practically sitting on the floor. so i had to try it. it took me a lot of courage cuz i'm on my own and feel a little intimidated but i squeezed in and ordered a delicious meal and a beer for only $2.50! after my meal, i took in a water puppet show which was really fun! nothing is made for the western size though. the theater seats were tiny with no leg room, the bus to halong bay had no leg room, the regular clothes here are tiny. i could go on and on. i'm such giant here.
tuesday morning i got on a flight to luang prabang, laos. i'll start a new posting for that...
Friday, April 22, 2011
Jingle Bells in Vietnam
Finally made it to Hanoi, Vietnam last night so today I spent all day wandering around this crazy and wonderous city. Even after traveling for 48 hours, I still woke up at 5am wide awake because of the time change (13 hours ahead of Mountain Time). And this comes from someone who can never get out of bed until 10:30am!
I started my day with a shower and a little orange lizard joined me! Thought it was an insect at first cuz I wasn't wearing my glasses and when I took a closer look he scampered back behind the mirror. All day I've been waiting for him to come back out and scare me again...maybe tomorrow morn. Then I took a walk around Hoan Kiem Lake and everyone was out doing their exercises...many still in what looked like their pajamas! It's been a dreary but extremely humid and warm day. Good thing it wasn't sunny or I'd melt. Going from intense dry in the mountains to what feels like 99% humidity has made my hair really wavy and full- sort of wish it'd do this back home!
Anyway, crossing the streets here is NUTS! Traffic doesn't follow any rules and even one way streets have motorbikes going the wrong direction. Heck, the side walks are full of motorbikes and it's easier to just walk in the street than it is any sidewalk. So to cross the street you're suppose to walk very slowly and just keep the same pace while the traffic dodges you. And yes, traffic will dodge you but I nearly had a heart attack the first couple times I did it. At one very large and busy intersection an older lady saw that I was a little scared and she helped me get across.
People here are definitely very nice. I really don't feel unsafe or like people are trying to scam me. The staff at the hotel is great and very helpful. They booked me a trip to Halong Bay leaving tomorrow and one guy said that he was raised there and he knows which boats are good.
After walking for a few hours and feeling tired a motorbike taxi offered a ride so I decided to take him up on it. He gave me a wonky helmet to put on and away we went in the opposite direction of traffic, zooming and dodging everything. However, he was a good driver (relative to everyone else here) and I got to my next destination safely and quickly. Often we were wedged between cars, pedestrians, bicycles and other motorbikes while on the sidewalk waiting for someone to move and make some space. Next time I'll video record it.
What is eveyone's favorite pastime while in SE Asia? Massages! I found myself a legit spa because my happy ending does not consist of inappropriate touching. Um, it was still a little inappropriate. This spa is recommended by Lonely Planet as well as top-end hotels here, but culturally, things are just a bit different. I should have figured since that spa treatment I had in Morocco was also a bit strange. So I book a 70 minute deluxe salt body scrub and massage for $35 - cheap! The lady leads me to a room that has 2 massage beds. She tells me to take off everything and put on these plastic underwear. Ok. She stays in the room while I get undressed until she realizes I'm sort of fidgeting around. The language barrier prevents us from understanding each other so it's real awkward. She starts on my back and it's awesome. Literally though, she's on my back and climbing all over the place. Then she gets out the salt scrub and that is awesome as well, until she rubs all my skin off. My legs are next and I don't get the massage before the salt so my leg skin is pretty much non-existant now. Then my arms. I flip over and she does the top of my legs and feet. Then she pulls the sheet down so my top is fully exposed. OH, did I mention that now there is someone else in the other massage bed? I knew she was female, but it was weird. Then I get a full upper body massage - and I mean full. Holy crap! I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time it was extremely awkward! Anyway, I go rinse off and when I get back to the room the other girl in the room was getting the same treatment. Made me feel better that it wasn't just me and they're obviously not modest here. Then the girl (American too) and I both got dressed in front of the 2 massage ladies and we're looking at each other like "uh hi, nice to meet you, uh, or something." We had a laugh about it once we both got to the waiting room.
It's just so strange that we're so un-modest with our clothing in the US and UK. We can wear midriff shirts, short skirts, show a load of skin and it's ok. But once you get women in the locker room, many of us still try to keep mostly covered and private, whether with strangers or family or friends. But here and many other countries women are a lot more conservative with their dress in public, but you get women together in private and they totally don't care.
Lastly, the night market is going on tonight so I had a wander through. Lots of knock-off clothing, belts, cell phone covers, etc. People are blaring both American and Vietnamese music, but probably the loudest song was a pop version of Jingle Bells with a couple little kids dancing to it. Love it!
Off to Halong Bay tomorrow for a 3 day/2 night cruise. Will write again then.
I started my day with a shower and a little orange lizard joined me! Thought it was an insect at first cuz I wasn't wearing my glasses and when I took a closer look he scampered back behind the mirror. All day I've been waiting for him to come back out and scare me again...maybe tomorrow morn. Then I took a walk around Hoan Kiem Lake and everyone was out doing their exercises...many still in what looked like their pajamas! It's been a dreary but extremely humid and warm day. Good thing it wasn't sunny or I'd melt. Going from intense dry in the mountains to what feels like 99% humidity has made my hair really wavy and full- sort of wish it'd do this back home!
Anyway, crossing the streets here is NUTS! Traffic doesn't follow any rules and even one way streets have motorbikes going the wrong direction. Heck, the side walks are full of motorbikes and it's easier to just walk in the street than it is any sidewalk. So to cross the street you're suppose to walk very slowly and just keep the same pace while the traffic dodges you. And yes, traffic will dodge you but I nearly had a heart attack the first couple times I did it. At one very large and busy intersection an older lady saw that I was a little scared and she helped me get across.
People here are definitely very nice. I really don't feel unsafe or like people are trying to scam me. The staff at the hotel is great and very helpful. They booked me a trip to Halong Bay leaving tomorrow and one guy said that he was raised there and he knows which boats are good.
After walking for a few hours and feeling tired a motorbike taxi offered a ride so I decided to take him up on it. He gave me a wonky helmet to put on and away we went in the opposite direction of traffic, zooming and dodging everything. However, he was a good driver (relative to everyone else here) and I got to my next destination safely and quickly. Often we were wedged between cars, pedestrians, bicycles and other motorbikes while on the sidewalk waiting for someone to move and make some space. Next time I'll video record it.
What is eveyone's favorite pastime while in SE Asia? Massages! I found myself a legit spa because my happy ending does not consist of inappropriate touching. Um, it was still a little inappropriate. This spa is recommended by Lonely Planet as well as top-end hotels here, but culturally, things are just a bit different. I should have figured since that spa treatment I had in Morocco was also a bit strange. So I book a 70 minute deluxe salt body scrub and massage for $35 - cheap! The lady leads me to a room that has 2 massage beds. She tells me to take off everything and put on these plastic underwear. Ok. She stays in the room while I get undressed until she realizes I'm sort of fidgeting around. The language barrier prevents us from understanding each other so it's real awkward. She starts on my back and it's awesome. Literally though, she's on my back and climbing all over the place. Then she gets out the salt scrub and that is awesome as well, until she rubs all my skin off. My legs are next and I don't get the massage before the salt so my leg skin is pretty much non-existant now. Then my arms. I flip over and she does the top of my legs and feet. Then she pulls the sheet down so my top is fully exposed. OH, did I mention that now there is someone else in the other massage bed? I knew she was female, but it was weird. Then I get a full upper body massage - and I mean full. Holy crap! I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time it was extremely awkward! Anyway, I go rinse off and when I get back to the room the other girl in the room was getting the same treatment. Made me feel better that it wasn't just me and they're obviously not modest here. Then the girl (American too) and I both got dressed in front of the 2 massage ladies and we're looking at each other like "uh hi, nice to meet you, uh, or something." We had a laugh about it once we both got to the waiting room.
It's just so strange that we're so un-modest with our clothing in the US and UK. We can wear midriff shirts, short skirts, show a load of skin and it's ok. But once you get women in the locker room, many of us still try to keep mostly covered and private, whether with strangers or family or friends. But here and many other countries women are a lot more conservative with their dress in public, but you get women together in private and they totally don't care.
Lastly, the night market is going on tonight so I had a wander through. Lots of knock-off clothing, belts, cell phone covers, etc. People are blaring both American and Vietnamese music, but probably the loudest song was a pop version of Jingle Bells with a couple little kids dancing to it. Love it!
Off to Halong Bay tomorrow for a 3 day/2 night cruise. Will write again then.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Travel problems =1, Suzanne =0
It's a good thing I'm so darned prepared and organized or this day could have been a lot worse. My connection today in San Franciso was only an hour, therefore I missed the connecting flight to Seoul, Korea (then on to Hanoi, Vietnam). If I received a boarding pass for this leg of the flight in Denver I probably would have made it, but Asiana Airlines made me get the pass in San Fran...and their ticket counter was closed by the time I got there. After spending an hour on the phone with Asiana and their reservations agency I was told "Come back for tomorrow's flight and pay $100 for a new ticket and hope there is space available." WHAAAAT? The res guy also kept telling me to go to the Asiana ticket counter and I kept telling them they were closed and no one is there. And again he would tell me to just talk to agent at the counter. After the 3rd or 4th time he told me that (No exaggeration!) I opened up a can on him. He was absolutely no help and had me on hold for about 40 minutes while he checked with his supervisor who was also no help. After that phone call, I called talked to someone else from Asiana and they said the same thing "Go talk to the ticket agent at the ticket counter or come back tomorrow and pay for a ticket and the res office will reimburse you once you make a claim." After crying on the phone to her she said to talk to United Airlines since it's a codeshare flight. I went to United and two other passengers were having the same issue! Long story short, United got me onto a flight for tomorrow, rerouted my baggage, called Asiana to release my tickets with them, and didn't charge me a dime! Even the United agent was super frustrated with the Asiana agent she talked to and kept telling them that it was not my fault and that the connection time they booked for me was too short for international flights, so it's their fault. Scott flies to Cambodia in less than 3 weeks and he has the same connection time in SFO so hopefully he is able to change it before the same thing happens to him. I've never in my all my travels had such an awful experience with an airline's customer service. I could continue to go on and on, but I'll save that for the letter Asiana is going to receive. United seriously saved my ass, so they'll get one too...a nice one :)
So good news? At the very last minute I decided to bring my cell phone and my Ritz/Marriott employee ID. I also packed an extra outfit and my swim suit in my carry-on bag for those "just in case" scenarios. Well, this is a "just in case" moment and lucky for me I'm lounging at the SFO Courtyard Marriott for cheap and I'm going to test out my new swim suit in the hot tub!
So good news? At the very last minute I decided to bring my cell phone and my Ritz/Marriott employee ID. I also packed an extra outfit and my swim suit in my carry-on bag for those "just in case" scenarios. Well, this is a "just in case" moment and lucky for me I'm lounging at the SFO Courtyard Marriott for cheap and I'm going to test out my new swim suit in the hot tub!
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Getting Ready
Ahhhhh, another big trip in the works - I'm almost choking on my own excitement! Starting next Tuesday April 19th, I'll be hanging out in Southeast Asia for nearly 5 weeks. It will be another planes, trains and automobiles type of trip...well minus the trains and add a few boats in there. I'm starting out in Hanoi, Vietnam, then on to Luang Prabang, Pakse, & Si Phan Don in Laos, Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville and some other random places in Cambodia. I'll be on my own for the first 2.5 weeks then my boyfriend Scott is meeting me in Siem Reap, Cambodia for the last 2 weeks. Woo hoo! Once again I'm pretty overwhelmed with getting all ready and packed. Not only do I need to pack for this trip, but I am also packing to move out of the place I'm renting. I should be used to this considering I've done it for the last few years, but I'm not. Also, I've noticed that the older I get the more of an organizational freak I become and seem to waste more time on making sure everything is in order than on just letting things be. Oh, and the internet isn't helping either! There are so many travel websites with so much info that I just feel like I should look up and know everything about everywhere I'm going. Just 10 years ago I packed my bags for Costa Rica with just a guidebook in hand and listened to advice from other travelers I met along the way and it was the best trip I've had. Now I'm more confused than ever about which of the million hotels, restaurants, and places I should go to. So, my note to self is to relax and go with the flow, man! I know that no matter where I end up I'll enjoy it more if it's not totally planned out...because nothing ever goes as planned on a trip like this - ever!
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