I’m feeling sick for more than a week now because of this fucking pizza I had in Vang Vieng. I started to take antibiotics but there is only little effect till now. One day you think you feel better and start eating but then it comes back again. Two good side effects of this are that you lose weight and you save money you would have spent for food otherwise.
On Saturday I took the plane from Vientiane to Pakse. It was a small propeller machine and half of the seats were empty. The flight was super punctual and we even started 15 minutes before schedule. The domestic terminal in Vientiane was really interesting. Very little reminded you of being in an airport, it rather looked like a bus station from a small town.
After arriving in Pakse I took a taxi to the bus station and continued immediately to the Tad Lo waterfalls. The bus ride took about 2 hours and wouldn’t have been too bad if they hadn’t packed it with maybe 100 people and several tons of cargo. Someone had the fantastic idea to keep a 10 litre water deposit under my seat. Unfortunately I don’t speak the language because I wanted to explain them that this space is supposed to be reserved for my legs! I then carried the deposit on my knees together with my small backpack. There was really not a single square centimetre not used for cargo or human livings. I think under these circumstances you cannot say passenger.
My activities in Tad Lo village can be narrated quickly. I spend 2-3 hours every day for swimming and jumping the waterfalls. The rest of the day and night is reserved for sleeping, reading (I finally started reading the Magic Mountain), “eating” and using the toilet (normally after eating). There is one place with internet but it is really expensive, so I have to reduce surfing the web. It’s like wanting to reduce the number of cigarettes when you are a smoker. Yesterday was really tough because I knew that Bayern and Dortmund had played on Sunday but I didn’t know the results. My guesthouse is pretty nice. I have a nice room (with own bathroom!) and a balcony overlooking the river and the lower parts of the waterfall.
When I arrived there were quite a lot of tourists here but now it has become pretty quiet. I will leave tomorrow to 4.000 islands and continue relaxing there. I heard that the area is quite popular among backpackers so I will definitely meet more people than here (although this place here is also quite frequented for being such a laid-back village).
It’s also worth mentioning that on Sunday I witnessed the first rainfalls since my start in Bangkok. It was really refreshing and all the dust was wiped out of the air. The climate is generally more humid here than in the places I have visited before but it is not unbearable. The temperatures are now increasing from week to week and will reach their maximum before the rainy season starts in April/May. I am not planning to stay in this area until May anyway, so I hope that I can avoid the hottest period. The 32°C we have now are enough for me!
Tuesday 28 February 2012
Friday 24 February 2012
Vientiane (February 24)
This entry will be an easy one. I did almost no sightseeing (because there is nothing to see) and slept a lot. The muscle ache from the activities in Vang Vieng and the kayaking tour is still very strong and I felt really low today.
In Vientiane there is a small touristic town centre which is supposed to spread some French flair. For me all the pâtisseries, salons de beauté and boutique hôtels are ridiculous because they were exclusively opened for tourists who like to breathe a bit of the country's French colonial history. Apart from the street names (I guess also for tourists) this French influence is simply non-existing. Lao people rather learn English than French and the menus of international restaurants include rather burgers, sandwiches and continental breakfast than croissants, foie gras or whatever kind of French dish. By the way, is Frappuccino French? I don't think so.
Tomorrow I will take an early flight to Pakse (in Southern Laos). I was really struggling with myself because between here and Pakse there is another highlight, the Kong Lo cave. At the end I am mentally and physically not yet ready for more bus rides in Laos after all my previous experiences so I have to skip the cave and instead take advantage of the air connection further South.
In Vientiane there is a small touristic town centre which is supposed to spread some French flair. For me all the pâtisseries, salons de beauté and boutique hôtels are ridiculous because they were exclusively opened for tourists who like to breathe a bit of the country's French colonial history. Apart from the street names (I guess also for tourists) this French influence is simply non-existing. Lao people rather learn English than French and the menus of international restaurants include rather burgers, sandwiches and continental breakfast than croissants, foie gras or whatever kind of French dish. By the way, is Frappuccino French? I don't think so.
Tomorrow I will take an early flight to Pakse (in Southern Laos). I was really struggling with myself because between here and Pakse there is another highlight, the Kong Lo cave. At the end I am mentally and physically not yet ready for more bus rides in Laos after all my previous experiences so I have to skip the cave and instead take advantage of the air connection further South.
Vang Vieng & Kayaking (February 22-23)
I would say I made the best of my second day in Vang Vieng. I went to the bar area next to the river (without tube) and had a lot of fun with the zip line, the big slide and the trapeze. As I love rivers and jumping into them, this was the perfect leisure activity for me. At the bar with the zip line there was a big group of Koreans. It was so funny watching them using the zip line because they were so clumsy. They were shouting all the time and seemed to enjoy in a lot. I had a few beers and a mojito throughout the day and returned early in the evening. As there were still no people for the tour I finally decided to do it on my own and pay the higher fee. I was looking forward to this kayaking tour for such a long time, so I had to do it. A positive side effect was that they offered me a transfer to Vientiane from the kayaking area, so I didn’t have to go back to horrible Vang Vieng. In the morning there was a surprise because two other people (from Australia) had joined the tour, so I only had to pay 55 instead of 113 USD. You can see that Laos is not the hardcore shoestring travel destination it once used to be. It’s still comparatively cheap but tours are very expensive.
The transfer to the kayaking area took around two hours. Again the road was unbelievably bad and we were shaked like bouncing balls on the pick-up truck. The kayaking was nice but not spectacular. There was only one decent rapid (where the Australians capsized) and the rest was quite calm. We arrived to the rock from where you can jump into the river. In the agency they told me that it is 11 meters high but it was maybe only 7-8 meters. I was a little disappointed but the jumping was still fun. At the end I was glad that the two Australians joined the tour because it wouldn’t have been worth 113 USD. We didn’t even fulfil the promised 4 hours of kayaking. On the other hand I had terrible muscle ache (and still have) from the trapeze and the zip line, so it was ok for me finishing earlier.
We were finally transferred to Vientiane with four Swedish girls who were spending a day at the river. It was comparably comfortable – in a Minivan with air condition. I normally prefer opening the window but in Laos this means breathing the dust from the road. I will tell you later about Vientiane (the country’s capital). What I can say so far is that it’s really hot here.
The transfer to the kayaking area took around two hours. Again the road was unbelievably bad and we were shaked like bouncing balls on the pick-up truck. The kayaking was nice but not spectacular. There was only one decent rapid (where the Australians capsized) and the rest was quite calm. We arrived to the rock from where you can jump into the river. In the agency they told me that it is 11 meters high but it was maybe only 7-8 meters. I was a little disappointed but the jumping was still fun. At the end I was glad that the two Australians joined the tour because it wouldn’t have been worth 113 USD. We didn’t even fulfil the promised 4 hours of kayaking. On the other hand I had terrible muscle ache (and still have) from the trapeze and the zip line, so it was ok for me finishing earlier.
We were finally transferred to Vientiane with four Swedish girls who were spending a day at the river. It was comparably comfortable – in a Minivan with air condition. I normally prefer opening the window but in Laos this means breathing the dust from the road. I will tell you later about Vientiane (the country’s capital). What I can say so far is that it’s really hot here.
Wednesday 22 February 2012
Vang Vieng (February 20-21)
To be fair I have to say that I have been warned in advance. I think Vang Vieng can be described as horrible without exaggerating. The town is dominated by 20-year old Australians who stay here one or two weeks in order to get drunk every day. The clashing of cultures couldn’t be greater: Young international party folks on the one hand and Lao people on the other hand, selling food and drinks on the street in order to earn a little money. I think there should at least be a minimum of respect being in a country with a completely different culture. If the locals here were rich, they’d probably throw all these people out of their country.
You may ask yourself why I came here. Actually the plan was to take advantage of the countless water sports activities. There is a very nice kayaking route 60 km from here but I need to hook up with more people to get a reasonable price.
I arrived Monday evening after 7h30 of horrible bus ride (for 180 km!). The “V.I.P.” bus was a joke. The leg room was worse that on an Easyjet flight. Whatever kind of transport you use in this country, minivan, local bus, V.I.P. bus, it’s just horrible! The street was in a deplorable shape with holes everywhere. Sometimes the road surface was completely missing. By the way this road is the country’s main connection between Northern and Southern Laos; it’s not a province road. In Vang Vieng I found a very nice guest house with river view and terrace – really luxury! The awakening came later in the night when I realised that the open air night clubs were all located at the river banks in front of my terrace! I first thought that they maybe have to turn off the music at midnight or so but it was not the case. The party continued until around 4am. This is one story. The other story is that I had a pizza that same evening, the first real Western food since I started my trip. I won’t go into details, only to say that the night was not nice.
Yesterday I tried the main attraction in Vang Vieng – the famous tubing. The principle is fairly simple; you take a big truck tube and float down the river, sitting on it. In dry season this is not very exciting because the river is very calm and slow. Anyway, the main objective here is not the tubing itself but rather stopping at one of the countless bars which are located at the river and getting drunk. I have to say that some of the bars are really fun because they have a zip line, a slide or a tower to jump into the river. Nevertheless a strange feeling remains being here. It’s not that I don’t like party but after all I have seen previously in Laos it just feels wrong.
I will stay one day more in order to check the kayaking options. If there is no tour available for Thursday (for Wednesday there wasn't), I will definitely leave this place.
You may ask yourself why I came here. Actually the plan was to take advantage of the countless water sports activities. There is a very nice kayaking route 60 km from here but I need to hook up with more people to get a reasonable price.
I arrived Monday evening after 7h30 of horrible bus ride (for 180 km!). The “V.I.P.” bus was a joke. The leg room was worse that on an Easyjet flight. Whatever kind of transport you use in this country, minivan, local bus, V.I.P. bus, it’s just horrible! The street was in a deplorable shape with holes everywhere. Sometimes the road surface was completely missing. By the way this road is the country’s main connection between Northern and Southern Laos; it’s not a province road. In Vang Vieng I found a very nice guest house with river view and terrace – really luxury! The awakening came later in the night when I realised that the open air night clubs were all located at the river banks in front of my terrace! I first thought that they maybe have to turn off the music at midnight or so but it was not the case. The party continued until around 4am. This is one story. The other story is that I had a pizza that same evening, the first real Western food since I started my trip. I won’t go into details, only to say that the night was not nice.
Yesterday I tried the main attraction in Vang Vieng – the famous tubing. The principle is fairly simple; you take a big truck tube and float down the river, sitting on it. In dry season this is not very exciting because the river is very calm and slow. Anyway, the main objective here is not the tubing itself but rather stopping at one of the countless bars which are located at the river and getting drunk. I have to say that some of the bars are really fun because they have a zip line, a slide or a tower to jump into the river. Nevertheless a strange feeling remains being here. It’s not that I don’t like party but after all I have seen previously in Laos it just feels wrong.
I will stay one day more in order to check the kayaking options. If there is no tour available for Thursday (for Wednesday there wasn't), I will definitely leave this place.
Sunday 19 February 2012
Luang Prabang (February 17-19)
In my opinion Luang Prabang is really overhyped. It’s a very nice city, true, but it doesn’t offer great architecture or temples which are a lot more impressive than elsewhere in Southeast Asia. The city is UNESCO world heritage and attracts tourists from all over the world, backpackers but also a lot of package tourists. If you want to enjoy Western lifestyle after having had a trip full of privations, then maybe it’s the perfect place. There are French bakeries, pizzerias, bars, night clubs, everything! Do you see anything from Laos here? Clearly no! Anyway, I don’t want to be negative but the name “Luang Prabang” for me was associated to something very impressive. What I found was a tourist enclave and I don’t even know why all these people are here. If Luang Prabang is on your way while travelling Laos (and it normally is), then it’s absolutely worth stopping here. In change, it’s not worth it flying in here only to visit the city.
I arrived the day before yesterday together with the Polish couple I met on the trekking in Luang Nam Tha. In the evening I went to the night market and met again Mario from Zaragoza, whom I have met the first time at the border. We hooked up with a couple from Chile and had a good time speaking Spanish. Yesterday I did the obligatory sightseeing, without great enthusiasm because I didn’t feel very good, a little sick from the bus ride the day before. In the evening I met again with Mario, Juan and Valeria (the two Chilean). We ate a great grilled Mekong fish at the night market and took some beers later in the evening. Today I continued my sightseeing tour without stress. I met Torsten from Bremen in the Internet café. We had lunch together and agreed on having dinner at the night market later in the evening. I also met other people here I have already met previously on my trip. It’s really funny because it seems as if Luang Prabang is one of the main meeting points for travellers in Southeast Asia. You just have to walk the streets and you find someone you already know.
Tomorrow morning I will go to Vang Vieng in a “V.I.P.” bus. For Laos it’s really expensive but I am almost ready to pay every price for having more leg space. Travelling would be so cool if I wasn’t so tall! OK, there are also advantages, but not too many. Vang Vieng is the place I was most looking forward to because it offers a lot of water activities such as kayaking, tubing, rafting, etc. I hope that water levels are still sufficient. That’s the other side of the coin when you are travelling in dry season, you have nice weather all the time but the nature is more abundant in rainy season.
I arrived the day before yesterday together with the Polish couple I met on the trekking in Luang Nam Tha. In the evening I went to the night market and met again Mario from Zaragoza, whom I have met the first time at the border. We hooked up with a couple from Chile and had a good time speaking Spanish. Yesterday I did the obligatory sightseeing, without great enthusiasm because I didn’t feel very good, a little sick from the bus ride the day before. In the evening I met again with Mario, Juan and Valeria (the two Chilean). We ate a great grilled Mekong fish at the night market and took some beers later in the evening. Today I continued my sightseeing tour without stress. I met Torsten from Bremen in the Internet café. We had lunch together and agreed on having dinner at the night market later in the evening. I also met other people here I have already met previously on my trip. It’s really funny because it seems as if Luang Prabang is one of the main meeting points for travellers in Southeast Asia. You just have to walk the streets and you find someone you already know.
Tomorrow morning I will go to Vang Vieng in a “V.I.P.” bus. For Laos it’s really expensive but I am almost ready to pay every price for having more leg space. Travelling would be so cool if I wasn’t so tall! OK, there are also advantages, but not too many. Vang Vieng is the place I was most looking forward to because it offers a lot of water activities such as kayaking, tubing, rafting, etc. I hope that water levels are still sufficient. That’s the other side of the coin when you are travelling in dry season, you have nice weather all the time but the nature is more abundant in rainy season.
Saturday 18 February 2012
Luang Nam Tha Trekking (February 15-16)
I finally found a tour group to hook up with for a 2 days/ one night trekking including two French, two Polish and two Israeli. The first day was really easy, only 3,5 hours of walking including breaks. It was all uphill but not very demanding from my perspective. We had our first lunch in the jungle, served on banana leaves on the ground, really authentic. We didn’t even have chop sticks, so we had to eat with our hands. As a joke I asked if everyone had washed hands before eating (I mean who would waste drinking water to wash hands?). When the Israeli responded seriously that of course they did, I didn’t know how to react and changed the topic!
We arrived at the village in the early afternoon. Let’s say that the village was the most authentic thing I have ever seen in my life. The people were really living like hundreds of years ago! They were not yet corrupted by tourism. They were just staring at us all the time, especially the children. When we tried to get closer to them they sometimes ran away, they were really shy. The village itself was situated at the top of a mountain (the views were fantastic!) and had like a dozen of bamboo houses. They told us that the total population was 135. Animals were just moving everywhere without fences – buffalos, cattle, pigs, chicken, dogs, cats, all the animals you know from a farm. There was no electricity (only some small solar panels to recharge torches for the night) and no water. Around 5 minutes downhill there was a small trickle which served as water supply for the whole village.
The night was a lot warmer than down in the valley. Really strange because you would expect the temperature to be lower in higher altitudes. I guess it’s because humidity concentrates down in the valley. We slept in a bamboo house all together with the guides. When they prepared the mattresses they gave a lot of space to the three couples and offered me to sleep next to them. I had no problem with that and prepared everything for the night. When everybody was already about to sleep, a fourth guy came and wanted to sleep also in our corner. I was really pissed off because they knew how many people we were and could have at least distributed the space equally. I don’t care sleeping without comfort but I need a little bit of privacy without a strange guy snoring next to my head! The night was horrible, I maybe slept 2 hours. Fortunately I brought my iPod and was able to drown the snoring sound. I started with German music, then Queen, then R.E.M. but without effect. I mean R.E.M. has some slow ballads and not even that makes me sleep? I then decided to switch to classical music, but Beethoven is maybe too animating. In the early morning hours I tried electronic tango but this was already for “wake-up”. The roosters started crowing too early (as always in Southeast Asia), more than two hours before sunrise. Little bastards! Finally I noticed the dawn – I have never been happier to see a sunrise! Watching sunrise in this village made me forget the horrible night. I went down to the trickle to wash me and brush my teeth. I had to queue 20 minutes because the women were refilling the water deposits they carried on their backs. They were looking at me as if I was an alien when I brushed my teeth (they obviously don’t do that) but they also smiled after they got used to my presence.
After having noodle soup for breakfast (even French colonisation didn’t help to explain them the difference between breakfast, lunch and dinner), we continued our way. It was six hours of walking, but without any big highlights. In dry season you cannot see much wildlife and the guide didn’t explain very much neither about what you could theoretically see in wet season. There were originally 2 guides and 2 helpers but one guide went back to the starting point with the Israeli couple. The girl had problems with her feet and couldn’t continue the second day. The remaining guide who went with us was getting on my nerves because he stopped every 15 minutes in order to give us a break. I then told him that stopping so often is contra productive because you lose your rhythm and that we can tell him if someone needs a break. In the late afternoon we finally arrived at the road and went back to Luang Nam Tha. The trekking itself was really worth it because of the village stay. The “jungle” trek in change was not so exciting.
In the evening we met with the trekking group to have some beers (after having a shower!). Yesterday I went from Luang Nam Tha to Luang Prabang together with the Polish couple. It was an 8 hours ride in a minivan and the road was sometimes in really bad conditions. In Laos there are two types of roads, the good Chinese roads and the bad Lao roads. Yesterday we had both of them and the difference couldn’t be greater! I arrived at Luang Prabang late in the afternoon. I later went to the night market to get some food, read the latest news from Germany in the Internet (finally Wulff has resigned!) and went to bed early. I think I have caught a cold on the bus ride but I still feel ok for exploring the city, which some say is the most beautiful in Southeast Asia. I will tell you!
We arrived at the village in the early afternoon. Let’s say that the village was the most authentic thing I have ever seen in my life. The people were really living like hundreds of years ago! They were not yet corrupted by tourism. They were just staring at us all the time, especially the children. When we tried to get closer to them they sometimes ran away, they were really shy. The village itself was situated at the top of a mountain (the views were fantastic!) and had like a dozen of bamboo houses. They told us that the total population was 135. Animals were just moving everywhere without fences – buffalos, cattle, pigs, chicken, dogs, cats, all the animals you know from a farm. There was no electricity (only some small solar panels to recharge torches for the night) and no water. Around 5 minutes downhill there was a small trickle which served as water supply for the whole village.
The night was a lot warmer than down in the valley. Really strange because you would expect the temperature to be lower in higher altitudes. I guess it’s because humidity concentrates down in the valley. We slept in a bamboo house all together with the guides. When they prepared the mattresses they gave a lot of space to the three couples and offered me to sleep next to them. I had no problem with that and prepared everything for the night. When everybody was already about to sleep, a fourth guy came and wanted to sleep also in our corner. I was really pissed off because they knew how many people we were and could have at least distributed the space equally. I don’t care sleeping without comfort but I need a little bit of privacy without a strange guy snoring next to my head! The night was horrible, I maybe slept 2 hours. Fortunately I brought my iPod and was able to drown the snoring sound. I started with German music, then Queen, then R.E.M. but without effect. I mean R.E.M. has some slow ballads and not even that makes me sleep? I then decided to switch to classical music, but Beethoven is maybe too animating. In the early morning hours I tried electronic tango but this was already for “wake-up”. The roosters started crowing too early (as always in Southeast Asia), more than two hours before sunrise. Little bastards! Finally I noticed the dawn – I have never been happier to see a sunrise! Watching sunrise in this village made me forget the horrible night. I went down to the trickle to wash me and brush my teeth. I had to queue 20 minutes because the women were refilling the water deposits they carried on their backs. They were looking at me as if I was an alien when I brushed my teeth (they obviously don’t do that) but they also smiled after they got used to my presence.
After having noodle soup for breakfast (even French colonisation didn’t help to explain them the difference between breakfast, lunch and dinner), we continued our way. It was six hours of walking, but without any big highlights. In dry season you cannot see much wildlife and the guide didn’t explain very much neither about what you could theoretically see in wet season. There were originally 2 guides and 2 helpers but one guide went back to the starting point with the Israeli couple. The girl had problems with her feet and couldn’t continue the second day. The remaining guide who went with us was getting on my nerves because he stopped every 15 minutes in order to give us a break. I then told him that stopping so often is contra productive because you lose your rhythm and that we can tell him if someone needs a break. In the late afternoon we finally arrived at the road and went back to Luang Nam Tha. The trekking itself was really worth it because of the village stay. The “jungle” trek in change was not so exciting.
In the evening we met with the trekking group to have some beers (after having a shower!). Yesterday I went from Luang Nam Tha to Luang Prabang together with the Polish couple. It was an 8 hours ride in a minivan and the road was sometimes in really bad conditions. In Laos there are two types of roads, the good Chinese roads and the bad Lao roads. Yesterday we had both of them and the difference couldn’t be greater! I arrived at Luang Prabang late in the afternoon. I later went to the night market to get some food, read the latest news from Germany in the Internet (finally Wulff has resigned!) and went to bed early. I think I have caught a cold on the bus ride but I still feel ok for exploring the city, which some say is the most beautiful in Southeast Asia. I will tell you!
Tuesday 14 February 2012
Luang Nam Tha (February 13-14)
One month is over now. Every day I enjoy it more. I like the cultural diversity in Asia and that the people are incredibly friendly. I have also met a lot of interesting people from Western countries who are either on holiday or live here permanently. In very few occasions I felt lonely or bored, so I can say that my first month was a success, although the beginning was not very smooth.
The border crossing to Laos was really straightforward. Actually I thought there was a bridge between Chiang Khong on the Thai side of the Mekong and Huay Xai on the Lao side but after passing Thai emigration we were brought to the other side by long-tail boat. The visa on-arrival procedure and immigration in Laos worked really well. I had to pay 30 USD for the visa and that’s it. Huay Xai is not really exciting so I decided to continue to Luang Nam Tha in North-eastern direction. In Huay Xai I met Mario from Zaragoza. He travelled all the way by land and started in his hometown last March. He crossed Europe, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, China (including Tibet), Nepal, India, Thailand and finally Laos. I guess he was over 60 years old, really impressive! He only had to take one flight from Kolkata to Bangkok, because you cannot cross Myanmar by land.
I forgot to mention that I am a millionaire now. I changed 70 USD and 3400 Baht (85 EUR) and got 1.440.000 Kip in change. You can easily get confused with all the decimals when 1 EUR corresponds to more than 10.000 Kip, crazy!
The trip from Huay Xai to Luang Nam Tha was really nice. We were only 5 people on the minibus and had a lot of space. I was really surprised because in developing countries they normally wait until the bus is full in order to save gasoline. The landscape was very nice with great views from above the mountains. I really noticed a difference to Thailand because the villages we passed were quite poor. The houses were exclusively built with bamboo and other material from nature, no concrete or stones. Children were running along the street naked, something you wouldn’t see in Thailand. The road was in pretty good shape because China is investing heavily in Laos. You could see the signs indicating that construction is funded by China. Obviously they do that not because of charity reasons but rather to be able to better exploit the country’s resources. Laos still has a vast jungle area compared to other Southeast Asian countries but it seems as if these days are now counted. Deforestation is clearly visible along the road. Once more you can see how human greed destroys this planet.
Yesterday evening I was about to book a trekking tour but I was so tired that I decided to take one day off. It’s funny to say “one day off” but travelling is really a full time job. At the end I wasn’t able to do nothing so I rented a motor scooter to discover Luang Nam Tha and surroundings. It’s nice but the landscape is more less the same as in Northern Thailand. It’s interesting to drive through all the villages (on the right side, not on the left!). The people were really nice and started to smile when they saw me and all the children were waving to me when I passed with the motor bike. Suddenly a group of teenagers walking along the street indicated to me that I should stop. I first didn’t know what they wanted but then I realised that they ran out of gasoline and wanted some of mine. I had no problem with that because I thought I had enough so one of the guys started with the tank-to-tank fuel transfer with the help of a tube and his mouth. I have no idea how much fuel was transferred but when they finished my tank was almost empty. I had another 20 km to the next gas station! At the end fortunately I made it! This was my contribution to development aid in Laos!
Tomorrow I will go on a 2-days trekking (if the group size is big enough), otherwise I will continue to Luang Prabang.
The border crossing to Laos was really straightforward. Actually I thought there was a bridge between Chiang Khong on the Thai side of the Mekong and Huay Xai on the Lao side but after passing Thai emigration we were brought to the other side by long-tail boat. The visa on-arrival procedure and immigration in Laos worked really well. I had to pay 30 USD for the visa and that’s it. Huay Xai is not really exciting so I decided to continue to Luang Nam Tha in North-eastern direction. In Huay Xai I met Mario from Zaragoza. He travelled all the way by land and started in his hometown last March. He crossed Europe, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, China (including Tibet), Nepal, India, Thailand and finally Laos. I guess he was over 60 years old, really impressive! He only had to take one flight from Kolkata to Bangkok, because you cannot cross Myanmar by land.
I forgot to mention that I am a millionaire now. I changed 70 USD and 3400 Baht (85 EUR) and got 1.440.000 Kip in change. You can easily get confused with all the decimals when 1 EUR corresponds to more than 10.000 Kip, crazy!
The trip from Huay Xai to Luang Nam Tha was really nice. We were only 5 people on the minibus and had a lot of space. I was really surprised because in developing countries they normally wait until the bus is full in order to save gasoline. The landscape was very nice with great views from above the mountains. I really noticed a difference to Thailand because the villages we passed were quite poor. The houses were exclusively built with bamboo and other material from nature, no concrete or stones. Children were running along the street naked, something you wouldn’t see in Thailand. The road was in pretty good shape because China is investing heavily in Laos. You could see the signs indicating that construction is funded by China. Obviously they do that not because of charity reasons but rather to be able to better exploit the country’s resources. Laos still has a vast jungle area compared to other Southeast Asian countries but it seems as if these days are now counted. Deforestation is clearly visible along the road. Once more you can see how human greed destroys this planet.
Yesterday evening I was about to book a trekking tour but I was so tired that I decided to take one day off. It’s funny to say “one day off” but travelling is really a full time job. At the end I wasn’t able to do nothing so I rented a motor scooter to discover Luang Nam Tha and surroundings. It’s nice but the landscape is more less the same as in Northern Thailand. It’s interesting to drive through all the villages (on the right side, not on the left!). The people were really nice and started to smile when they saw me and all the children were waving to me when I passed with the motor bike. Suddenly a group of teenagers walking along the street indicated to me that I should stop. I first didn’t know what they wanted but then I realised that they ran out of gasoline and wanted some of mine. I had no problem with that because I thought I had enough so one of the guys started with the tank-to-tank fuel transfer with the help of a tube and his mouth. I have no idea how much fuel was transferred but when they finished my tank was almost empty. I had another 20 km to the next gas station! At the end fortunately I made it! This was my contribution to development aid in Laos!
Tomorrow I will go on a 2-days trekking (if the group size is big enough), otherwise I will continue to Luang Prabang.
Sunday 12 February 2012
Chiang Rai & Golden Triangle (February 11-12)
This morning I wanted to rent a motor scooter in the guest house. They told me that the price is 150 Baht per day and then they said something I didn’t understand! I chose the Honda click 110cc automatic (the standard motor scooter in Thailand) and then waited for the bike rental guy while having breakfast. The guy turned out to be a woman, she came 10 minutes later and said the price was 300 Baht. I protested because in the guest house they said 150 Baht. They told me that 150 Baht was the price for a gear bike and 300 Baht for automatic. I really thought that they wanted to rip me off because that this is 3 times the price I paid in other towns (such as Pai) and that it is not logical that automatic is double the price of a 4 gear bike. Anyway, it didn’t help and so I had to look in town for a better deal. I then found out that 300 Baht is the standard price everywhere so it didn’t really matter where to rent. I went to a bike rental shop where they were about to give me a brand new Yamaha bike, it had like only 300 km on the tachometer. The guy asked me where I wanted to go and I said Chiang Saen. Suddenly the brand new Yamaha bike disappeared in the garage. Obviously he didn’t want to give me the bike for this trip (strange behaviour!). He called someone by phone and 5 minutes later the woman who wanted to rent the scooter at my guest house showed up! It was a little embarrassing for me because I finally accepted the 300 Baht and it was obvious that she didn’t want to rip me off. She was laughing when she saw me. It seems as if they all work together here and that they are not so stupid to distort prices as in other places. I finally got the Honda click, quite new with good tyres, so it was ok!
The way to Chiang Saen was not very nice. There were settlements all along the way (around 60km), so I had to concentrate a lot with the traffic. The road was like a highway with sometimes even 3 lanes per direction, totally oversized! This must be the famous Thai corruption. Someone told me that they build roads where it’s not necessary just to support a buddy’s construction company. Due to all the road construction there was a lot of dust and I breathed quite a lot of it when buses or trucks overtook me. I finally arrived at Chiang Saen and spotted the Mekong River for the first time. The water level was quite low; don’t know if because of the dry season or because the Chinese have closed their dams upriver. I drove another 10 km in northern direction and arrived at the “official” Golden Triangle. There were loads and loads of busses with package tourists, really unbelievable. At the end it’s not so exciting, you see a small river (Nam Ruak) flowing into a big river (Mekong). If mankind hadn’t decided some day that these two rivers separate three different countries (Thailand, Laos and Myanmar), the sight would probably still consist of unspoiled nature.
After that I decided to go back to Chiang Rai via an alternative route in order to avoid the horrible construction areas along the road I have taken before. I had to drive first in the direction of Mae Sai and then turn left somewhere. I didn’t really find the turn and when I asked for the way it was already 10 km behind me. As I was only like 15 km away from Mae Sai, I decided to go there before going back to Chiang Rai.
Mae Sai is the northernmost city in Thailand and also a legal entry point to Myanmar (crossing the “Friendship” bridge). Many people go to Mae Sai when their visa for Thailand expires. They cross the border, go back and get another 15 days for Thailand (you only get 30 days when you arrive by air). To be honest, I don’t think that many tourists go to Mae Sai for something else than extending the visa. It’s only a chaotic border town with a market full of Chinese plastic articles. You can now think that entering into Myanmar is easy but if you cross the border in Mae Sai, you can only visit Tachileik, the town on the opposite side of the Nam Ruak River. You are not allowed to continue from there. The only way to regularly enter Myanmar as a tourist is via air to Yangon or Mandalay.
At the end of my trip today I visited the White Temple (main highlight in and around Chiang Rai), situated 13 km south of the town. It took me like 90 minutes to go there from Mae Sai so at the end of the day I really made use of the motor bike! The White Temple is white (what a surprise) and has a lot of adornments. It’s really nice but also a bit cheesy. It will not surprise you that the tourists were mainly Thai and other Asians.
Today was my last day in Thailand. I have a feeling that I will go back to Thailand during my trip. I like this country, the people are very kind and there is a friendly and relaxed atmosphere! Also it is very easy to meet people, an important factor if you are travelling alone!
I will finally go to Chiang Khong tomorrow and cross border to Laos. I hope that the visa on arrival procedure will be smooth. I have some extra dollars just in case there is “delays”.
The way to Chiang Saen was not very nice. There were settlements all along the way (around 60km), so I had to concentrate a lot with the traffic. The road was like a highway with sometimes even 3 lanes per direction, totally oversized! This must be the famous Thai corruption. Someone told me that they build roads where it’s not necessary just to support a buddy’s construction company. Due to all the road construction there was a lot of dust and I breathed quite a lot of it when buses or trucks overtook me. I finally arrived at Chiang Saen and spotted the Mekong River for the first time. The water level was quite low; don’t know if because of the dry season or because the Chinese have closed their dams upriver. I drove another 10 km in northern direction and arrived at the “official” Golden Triangle. There were loads and loads of busses with package tourists, really unbelievable. At the end it’s not so exciting, you see a small river (Nam Ruak) flowing into a big river (Mekong). If mankind hadn’t decided some day that these two rivers separate three different countries (Thailand, Laos and Myanmar), the sight would probably still consist of unspoiled nature.
After that I decided to go back to Chiang Rai via an alternative route in order to avoid the horrible construction areas along the road I have taken before. I had to drive first in the direction of Mae Sai and then turn left somewhere. I didn’t really find the turn and when I asked for the way it was already 10 km behind me. As I was only like 15 km away from Mae Sai, I decided to go there before going back to Chiang Rai.
Mae Sai is the northernmost city in Thailand and also a legal entry point to Myanmar (crossing the “Friendship” bridge). Many people go to Mae Sai when their visa for Thailand expires. They cross the border, go back and get another 15 days for Thailand (you only get 30 days when you arrive by air). To be honest, I don’t think that many tourists go to Mae Sai for something else than extending the visa. It’s only a chaotic border town with a market full of Chinese plastic articles. You can now think that entering into Myanmar is easy but if you cross the border in Mae Sai, you can only visit Tachileik, the town on the opposite side of the Nam Ruak River. You are not allowed to continue from there. The only way to regularly enter Myanmar as a tourist is via air to Yangon or Mandalay.
At the end of my trip today I visited the White Temple (main highlight in and around Chiang Rai), situated 13 km south of the town. It took me like 90 minutes to go there from Mae Sai so at the end of the day I really made use of the motor bike! The White Temple is white (what a surprise) and has a lot of adornments. It’s really nice but also a bit cheesy. It will not surprise you that the tourists were mainly Thai and other Asians.
Today was my last day in Thailand. I have a feeling that I will go back to Thailand during my trip. I like this country, the people are very kind and there is a friendly and relaxed atmosphere! Also it is very easy to meet people, an important factor if you are travelling alone!
I will finally go to Chiang Khong tomorrow and cross border to Laos. I hope that the visa on arrival procedure will be smooth. I have some extra dollars just in case there is “delays”.
Saturday 11 February 2012
Chiang Mai & Trekking (February 8-10)
As I announced in my last entry, I did a trekking tour on Wednesday and Thursday. It started chaotic because I first got onto the wrong vehicle. There are so many tourists and different tours that one can easily get confused, especially when several people are starting at the same time from the same guest house.
Our group was really nice. We were six French girls, three Germans (a couple and me) and one American guy and had a lot of fun together. The first day we separated because part of the group had booked walking only and the other part walking plus elephant riding and bamboo rafting. I was on the walking only tour and our guide was really good, he explained a lot of stuff and was able to answer all questions. The jungle here is not spectacular because you don’t see animals but it’s still worth doing the trip because the landscape is very nice. We spent the night in a small village, all together in a bamboo room. It was not the most comfortable night because the mattresses were very thin and lying on the ground. The thin blanket plus my silk sleeping bag wasn’t really enough during the cold night but I won’t complain, I had worse nights in my life.
The second day started turbulent. The man from the German couple got lost on the way. He was walking at the end of the group taking pictures everywhere and didn’t notice that the group had already advanced quite a bit. We waited for him but he didn’t show up. We were first doing jokes but it got more serious when time advanced. The two guides were looking after him but couldn’t find him. We really started to worry (especially his girlfriend) and didn’t know what to do. One guide was staying with us and he seemed really worried either. He always told us that he was so sorry that we couldn’t go on but we told him that sticking to the programme is really not important in this moment. After more than an hour the other guide found him. He took the wrong trail and instead of waiting he went on walking and walking without realising that he is wrong. Anyway, after we got the news via telephone we continued our way to the waterfalls. It was really cool to swim there and jump into the pool (maybe you saw the picture on Facebook). We had a little puppy with us who was really tough. They told us that he would be perfect to become a hunting dog. He tried to cross the river at the upper part of the waterfalls but he didn’t make it and was flushed down the same waterfall I was jumping (I suppose like 4-5 meters high!). I really thought that this is impossible to survive for a puppy dog but he didn’t have any injuries!
Our part of the group was then supposed to separate from the rest of the group (like the day before) in order to walk but we didn’t have the time anymore. Instead we went to the bamboo rafting with all the other people. I had enough of walking anyway so it was ok for me. The bamboo rafting was a relaxed thing without rapids or so. We saw some elephants from the elephant camps drinking at the riverside, so at least I have a picture of them.
As our group was really cool, we decided to go out in Chiang Mai in the evening. Together with another German couple I met at the guest house in Chiang Mai, we went to a more upscale riverside restaurant (really good food!) and then to a roof top bar. It was really sad our ways separated the next day. I could really have spent more time with them!
Yesterday I took it easy, slept long and did some sightseeing in the afternoon (with a bicycle without motor!). I also went to a Thai massage for the first time. When she took my leg, I thought: What the hell is she doing? Thai massage has nothing in common with what we understand of massage. First, it is a full body massage, second she is really pressing deep into your muscles and third she is using elbows, knees and feet to have more power! I cannot really say that I enjoyed it a lot but it was an experience! To conclude my stay in Chiang Mai, yesterday evening I had some beers with Dan from Canada who I met in the guest house. Before I visited the night market in another part of the city. I must say that I really enjoyed Chiang Mai, it's a city you like because of its atmosphere and not because there is so much to see.
I have finally arrived in Chiang Rai, close to the Golden Triangle (border between Thailand, Laos and Myanmar). It will be my last destination in Thailand before entering Laos. The plan is to rent a motor scooter tomorrow to discover the area (the city itself doesn’t look particularly interesting) and cross the Mekong river the day after tomorrow.
Our group was really nice. We were six French girls, three Germans (a couple and me) and one American guy and had a lot of fun together. The first day we separated because part of the group had booked walking only and the other part walking plus elephant riding and bamboo rafting. I was on the walking only tour and our guide was really good, he explained a lot of stuff and was able to answer all questions. The jungle here is not spectacular because you don’t see animals but it’s still worth doing the trip because the landscape is very nice. We spent the night in a small village, all together in a bamboo room. It was not the most comfortable night because the mattresses were very thin and lying on the ground. The thin blanket plus my silk sleeping bag wasn’t really enough during the cold night but I won’t complain, I had worse nights in my life.
The second day started turbulent. The man from the German couple got lost on the way. He was walking at the end of the group taking pictures everywhere and didn’t notice that the group had already advanced quite a bit. We waited for him but he didn’t show up. We were first doing jokes but it got more serious when time advanced. The two guides were looking after him but couldn’t find him. We really started to worry (especially his girlfriend) and didn’t know what to do. One guide was staying with us and he seemed really worried either. He always told us that he was so sorry that we couldn’t go on but we told him that sticking to the programme is really not important in this moment. After more than an hour the other guide found him. He took the wrong trail and instead of waiting he went on walking and walking without realising that he is wrong. Anyway, after we got the news via telephone we continued our way to the waterfalls. It was really cool to swim there and jump into the pool (maybe you saw the picture on Facebook). We had a little puppy with us who was really tough. They told us that he would be perfect to become a hunting dog. He tried to cross the river at the upper part of the waterfalls but he didn’t make it and was flushed down the same waterfall I was jumping (I suppose like 4-5 meters high!). I really thought that this is impossible to survive for a puppy dog but he didn’t have any injuries!
Our part of the group was then supposed to separate from the rest of the group (like the day before) in order to walk but we didn’t have the time anymore. Instead we went to the bamboo rafting with all the other people. I had enough of walking anyway so it was ok for me. The bamboo rafting was a relaxed thing without rapids or so. We saw some elephants from the elephant camps drinking at the riverside, so at least I have a picture of them.
As our group was really cool, we decided to go out in Chiang Mai in the evening. Together with another German couple I met at the guest house in Chiang Mai, we went to a more upscale riverside restaurant (really good food!) and then to a roof top bar. It was really sad our ways separated the next day. I could really have spent more time with them!
Yesterday I took it easy, slept long and did some sightseeing in the afternoon (with a bicycle without motor!). I also went to a Thai massage for the first time. When she took my leg, I thought: What the hell is she doing? Thai massage has nothing in common with what we understand of massage. First, it is a full body massage, second she is really pressing deep into your muscles and third she is using elbows, knees and feet to have more power! I cannot really say that I enjoyed it a lot but it was an experience! To conclude my stay in Chiang Mai, yesterday evening I had some beers with Dan from Canada who I met in the guest house. Before I visited the night market in another part of the city. I must say that I really enjoyed Chiang Mai, it's a city you like because of its atmosphere and not because there is so much to see.
I have finally arrived in Chiang Rai, close to the Golden Triangle (border between Thailand, Laos and Myanmar). It will be my last destination in Thailand before entering Laos. The plan is to rent a motor scooter tomorrow to discover the area (the city itself doesn’t look particularly interesting) and cross the Mekong river the day after tomorrow.
Tuesday 7 February 2012
Chiang Mai (February 7)
I have been asked if I actually enjoyed my trip. Absolutely yes! I don't know how one could actually start doubting after all I have written in this blog. Maybe I have to try a more emotional style of writing. Naturally when you are travelling alone there is ups and downs and enjoying or not depends heavily on who you meet. The last four days in Pai were absolutely great because I met so many nice people. Yesterday afternoon for instance I got invited to a beer in the guest house by Dave, Claire and Andrew (from Liverpool and Portsmouth) and then all ended up at around 1 am (which for Pai is actually early). I have to complete the group by adding Magdalena from Austria, Krystyna from Vancouver and Hannes also from Austria who I already met the first day. In Pai you don't even need to do an effort to meet people. That's also why most of the travellers end up staying a lot longer than planned. In some cases it can be weeks or months, in other cases a whole lifetime. For me it was also hard to leave because you get infected by the great mood of the people.
I have finally arrived in Chiang Mai, the main city in Northern Thailand and also the transportation hub for activities in this region. It's not particularly nice but there is quite a relaxed atmosphere. I visited the obligatory temples but they all quite similar, so you don't need to have a bad conscience if you skip one or two. I have booked a trekking tour for tomorrow (2 days, 1 night). It's a tour without elephant riding, rafting and visits to hill tribe villages, only walking and waterfalls. I don't like riding on elephants abused for tourism, visiting villages which sell Coca-Cola and rafting in dry season is not so much fun neither. I don't expect too much, the tour is rather aimed at moving my ass because I was too lazy recently and my lifestyle was not very healthy. You can really get used to a motor scooter! I also hope to meet some nice people. My tour experiences in from Latin America were all very positive and I hope it will be the same here.
I have finally arrived in Chiang Mai, the main city in Northern Thailand and also the transportation hub for activities in this region. It's not particularly nice but there is quite a relaxed atmosphere. I visited the obligatory temples but they all quite similar, so you don't need to have a bad conscience if you skip one or two. I have booked a trekking tour for tomorrow (2 days, 1 night). It's a tour without elephant riding, rafting and visits to hill tribe villages, only walking and waterfalls. I don't like riding on elephants abused for tourism, visiting villages which sell Coca-Cola and rafting in dry season is not so much fun neither. I don't expect too much, the tour is rather aimed at moving my ass because I was too lazy recently and my lifestyle was not very healthy. You can really get used to a motor scooter! I also hope to meet some nice people. My tour experiences in from Latin America were all very positive and I hope it will be the same here.
Monday 6 February 2012
Pai (February 3-6)
I had an inner conflict this morning: Should I stay or should I go? Pai is a small town in Thailand’s northern mountains and its touristic infrastructure has been built up 10 to 15 years ago by some hippies and alternatives. Then 6 years ago they filmed the movie “Pai in love”, which was a huge success in Thailand and suddenly Pai turned out to be a favourite destination also for Thai people. Now, there is an interesting mixture of people here who come from all over the world, mainly backpackers and then there are also the Thai tourists and ex-backpackers who decided to live here permanently, who I think are quite a lot. In Pai there is everything from a steakhouse to French cuisine restaurants, hundreds of bars and also open air discotheques. Nevertheless it has still preserved its calmness and is a perfect place for hanging out. I have a small bungalow in a garden with hammock and Wi-Fi connection, really nice. Taking all this together and considering the fact that meeting people is very easy, you might understand why leaving is so difficult. My personal trade-off this morning was staying one day more but in change I already bought tickets to Chiang Mai for tomorrow, so I cannot change my mind any more.
Friday evening after arriving in Pai I met Gaby from Québec. She is travelling for the first time in her life and has saved money from 4 years of working in a bar. She told me that besides the fact that she wanted to travel, she also needed a break from drinking too much alcohol (because of working in a bar). I didn’t really notice her abstinence because she was already drinking a gin tonic when I met her. We had some more drinks that evening and agreed on visiting a piranha fishing farm the next day. The site is about 10 km from Pai, so we rented a motor bike. The place is run by Dave, an Englishman who settled in Thailand 10 years ago. It’s really nice, you can even fish from the bar while having a drink. Good point, because Gaby ordered gin tonics from 1 pm on. At Dave’s place there is happy hour all day long, so one must take advantage. I was very unsuccessful with fishing, I didn’t catch a single fish. Gaby was already an expert because in Canada fishing is quite common. She was surprised that I have never done this in my life.
Yesterday we went to Dave’s place a second time because there is a famous Sunday roast barbecue. That was my first real Western food since I arrived in Thailand, really delicious. After the barbecue we went back to Pai and the evening turned out to be related to drinking a lot. We went to the Yellow Sun Bar where I met more people between the bar and the pool table. Gaby was in her element and ordered B52 shots, for me one of the ugliest things in the world. Then later in the evening she became less communicative and suddenly disappeared when I was playing pool. OK, no big drama, I guess she found the way to bed. I met some Austrians and we went later to one of the open air discotheques. Because of the cold there was no real dancing. People were rather meeting at fire places which they installed for these cold “winter” nights. Seems strange but they really call that winter, 32°C the day and 10°C in the night. Anyway, I had to give up at 2 am because 2 days with Gaby have left their mark on me.
Today is for hanging out and writing. This evening I will go back to the Yellow Sun Bar to play some pool and tomorrow leave for Chiang Mai, the biggest city in Northern Thailand. I am finally in the mood to go on a larger trekking tour, so I will check out there.
I think it really turned out to be a good idea to skip Myanmar. I have finally found a nice and slow travel mode and I think I wouldn’t have had time to do so if I had gone to Myanmar for more than three weeks. From what I have heard so far, Laos will be a perfect place for me with lots of nature, rivers and waterfalls, so my plan is to spend there maybe three weeks or even a whole month.
Friday evening after arriving in Pai I met Gaby from Québec. She is travelling for the first time in her life and has saved money from 4 years of working in a bar. She told me that besides the fact that she wanted to travel, she also needed a break from drinking too much alcohol (because of working in a bar). I didn’t really notice her abstinence because she was already drinking a gin tonic when I met her. We had some more drinks that evening and agreed on visiting a piranha fishing farm the next day. The site is about 10 km from Pai, so we rented a motor bike. The place is run by Dave, an Englishman who settled in Thailand 10 years ago. It’s really nice, you can even fish from the bar while having a drink. Good point, because Gaby ordered gin tonics from 1 pm on. At Dave’s place there is happy hour all day long, so one must take advantage. I was very unsuccessful with fishing, I didn’t catch a single fish. Gaby was already an expert because in Canada fishing is quite common. She was surprised that I have never done this in my life.
Yesterday we went to Dave’s place a second time because there is a famous Sunday roast barbecue. That was my first real Western food since I arrived in Thailand, really delicious. After the barbecue we went back to Pai and the evening turned out to be related to drinking a lot. We went to the Yellow Sun Bar where I met more people between the bar and the pool table. Gaby was in her element and ordered B52 shots, for me one of the ugliest things in the world. Then later in the evening she became less communicative and suddenly disappeared when I was playing pool. OK, no big drama, I guess she found the way to bed. I met some Austrians and we went later to one of the open air discotheques. Because of the cold there was no real dancing. People were rather meeting at fire places which they installed for these cold “winter” nights. Seems strange but they really call that winter, 32°C the day and 10°C in the night. Anyway, I had to give up at 2 am because 2 days with Gaby have left their mark on me.
Today is for hanging out and writing. This evening I will go back to the Yellow Sun Bar to play some pool and tomorrow leave for Chiang Mai, the biggest city in Northern Thailand. I am finally in the mood to go on a larger trekking tour, so I will check out there.
I think it really turned out to be a good idea to skip Myanmar. I have finally found a nice and slow travel mode and I think I wouldn’t have had time to do so if I had gone to Myanmar for more than three weeks. From what I have heard so far, Laos will be a perfect place for me with lots of nature, rivers and waterfalls, so my plan is to spend there maybe three weeks or even a whole month.
Friday 3 February 2012
Mae Hong Son (January 31 - February 2)
I tried to start February without stress. I finally left Mae Sariang on Tuesday because there was no good option for trekking. Apart from paying more for a tour if you are alone, it’s not very funny being two days or more without the companionship of a group.
Mae Hong Son is a province capital but no very big. The difference to Mae Sariang is that there are a lot more tourists. Many package tours have Mae Hong Son in their programme because there are some interesting villages in the surrounding mountains. I quickly figured out that there is no need for booking an organised tour because paved roads go to almost every corner and it’s funnier to rent a motor bike and do it by your own. Renting a motor bike is ridiculously cheap here. I paid like 4 euro per day. Anyway, Mae Hong Son is really nice, with a good touristic infrastructure but not too touristic. With good touristic infrastructure I mean nice guest houses and a great variety of food and drinks, including the famous fruit shakes you can get everywhere.
On Wednesday I first went to Mae Aw (also called Ban Rak Thai), a village situated in the mountains at the Thai-Burmese border. Its population is dominated by the Shan people, a minority in Burma, Thailand and China. They produce a fantastic tea which you can try when you get there. It’s needless to say that the food is also very good. Then I went to Ban Ruam Thai, a village supported with funds from the king personally. It belongs to a recreation area, which calls itself “Switzerland in Thailand” (I guess because there is a lake and some bigger trees). Due to the pine trees it more reminded me of Spain. The area is famous for its coffee so I tried the famous Arabica blend in one of the nice guest houses. There was an older man who spoke some English, so I learned a lot about this king’s project and why there were workers everywhere cleaning the streets and making the village look nice. The reason is that the king is going to visit this area in a few days. It seemed strange to me that I was the only tourist up there. I thought that even package tourists go there. On my way back to Mae Hong Son, I stopped at an orchid farm which had a very nice pavilion next to the street. I had a great orange-lime fruit shake. The owner told me about his German gay boyfriend whom he met in Bangkok. They both decided to move to the north but obviously for the German guy it was too quiet there, which I think is understandable. There was also a woman who didn’t pronounce a word. I don’t know what her role is but as far as I understood the situation, it’s not his wife or girlfriend. OK, in Thailand everything is possible!
On Thursday, I decided to go to the hot springs with the motor scooter, some kilometres south of Mae Hong Son. When I arrived there I noticed that it was completely different from what I have expected. Instead of finding a lovely spot of nature with hot water sparkling out of the earth, there were some artificial swimming pools (maybe with hot water) and a broad variety of treatments was on offer, such as foot massage and face massage. I mean in Germany we call that taking a bath, here obviously they call it hot springs. In any case I didn’t really need a hot bath when the outside temperature is around 30°C. I met Justine from France who was a least as disillusioned as me. She told me that she hitch-hiked to the “hot springs” from Mae Hong Son and that some German guys took her by car. I offered her to take her back with the motor scooter and she accepted happily. On the way back we decided to enter a national park which had its entrance some kilometres away from the main road. First we visited some not so exciting waterfalls and then we drove further up the small road. It started as a paved road and ended up being a dirt road. The scenery was really great up there so the trip was absolutely worth it. We decided to leave the scooter at one place and walk a little bit. After some minutes I decided to go back for the scooter and catch up with her later because I didn’t want to leave the vehicle alone for such a long time. That’s when it happened. Driving down the dusty road I fell down. Apart from some bloody hands nothing happened to me. A small part from the scooter’s left hand brake was broken off and the vehicle ended up having some more scratches than before but there was no bigger damage. I told Justine that it’s time to go back when she saw me. The way down was really difficult (a lot more than going up). My 100 kg together with Justine’s weight in the back was a hard-core test for the scooter’s brakes. They were getting so hot that we had to stop several times in order not to risk losing the braking effect on our way down. We came back to Mae Hong Son in the afternoon. The first thing I wanted to do was returning the scooter. I had to pay a fine of 140 Baht for the break (3,50 euro!) and got my passport back (that’s the way they assure that you bring the vehicle back – 100% safe!). If the bike rental guy knew what we did with his scooter, he’d probably rethink his pricing policy!
In the evening I saw a funny group of package tourists who arrived with two buses. I don’t know if all of them were Germans but at least some of them. I was standing next to one of the food stands and ordered a banana-chocolate crepe (hmmm) when suddenly one of the package tourists came very close to take a picture with his huge camera, with the lady preparing Crepe and me waiting for her. I mean what the hell is that for? Is preparing a Crepe really so exciting? I have seen that in Germany many times.
At the end I decided to skip a possible trip to the famous long-neck Karen villages. Maybe you have seen that in TV: Women who achieve stretching their necks with rings. These villages are the number one destination for package tours but I prefer leaving them in peace. The villages are not a zoo and I am sure they can perfectly live without photo dollars; they have done so for ages.
Now I am sitting in a beautiful guest house with garden bungalows in heavy touristic Pai. I will tell you later!
At the end I decided to skip a possible trip to the famous long-neck Karen villages. Maybe you have seen that in TV: Women who achieve stretching their necks with rings. These villages are the number one destination for package tours but I prefer leaving them in peace. The villages are not a zoo and I am sure they can perfectly live without photo dollars; they have done so for ages.
Now I am sitting in a beautiful guest house with garden bungalows in heavy touristic Pai. I will tell you later!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)