Sorry it's been a long time we haven't written anything on the blog. It's been a bit difficult to find a fast and reliable internet connection in southern laos.
We are now back to Bangkok, familiar city by now... and it feels good! Nice to have food at the clean and excellent Ricky's Coffee Shop and to find our little New Siam II guesthouse.
Southern Laos was great. We left Siam Reap in Cambodia on Saturday and landed in Pakse. From there we took a songthaew to the island of Don Khong. This part of the trip was probably as close a backpacker experience it would get (at least I hope!)... and for that I almost killed Nick!! Let's just say that in order to save a few bucks Nick thought that it'd be cool to travel with the locals. I was opened to it. When we arrived at the local "bus station" in Pakse (you'll understand the "..." when you will see the photos), we were told to jump in a songthaew for the 4 hours trip. Already 8 people were in it, and we hesitated, thinking that it was already full, but they convinced us that there were enough space available for two more people. We were far from guessing that 20 more people would join in!!! To summarize the experience, we spent 4 hours stuck on a songthaew betweem 28 other people, smelly rotten meat, rice bags, and some other stuff I prefer not to think about (snakes?!)... We were so stucked that people were almost sitting on top of each others, and some had to spend the four hours hanging to the top of the vehicle... The smell was... ughhhh... (I wish I hadn't develop my smelling capabilities by taking evaluation classes at IFF...)
However, even with that, the trip was worth it! (hard to believe, but it is true). Don Khong and the 4000 Islands region in Laos are really amazing. We took a boat down the Mekong to the other islands, saw some great waterfalls, rode bikes around the island, along rice fields, and trying to circle between the goats, chicken and buffalo sharing the road with us. People there really live like 100 years ago --although as Nick would say, some have satellite tv -- living pretty much in autarky, cultivating rice, bathing in the river...
We made our way back to the Thai border yesterday by car and were supposed to fly back last night from Ubon Ratchathani to Bangkok, but encountered again some pretty annoying airlines disagreement (you really need to be VERY patient here to handle customer service people... and let's just say that this is not one of my forte). All in all, we probably lost 8 hours dealing with tickets and airlines issues (and this may not be over yet).
We are not sure yet how long we are going to stay in Bangkok. Ideally, we'd like to leave tomorrow, but booking last minute tickets does not seem to be part of the culture here (can you feel some frustration?). We are thinking of heading to Malaysia but aren't sure yet... La suite bientot...
Showing posts with label Laos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Laos. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Saturday, May 19, 2007
New photos online: Luang Prabang in Laos
Friday, May 18, 2007
Dernier jour a Luang Prabang
Aujourd'hui est notre derniere journee au Laos, ou du moins pour le moment (nous comptons peut-etre y revenir vers la fin de notre sejour pour visiter les "4000 islands"). Nous partons donc demain a 17h pour Hanoi au Vietnam (vol VN864)
Nous avons reserve un hotel pour 3 nuits dans le vieux quartier de la ville. La torture se termine pour Nick: il y a la tele ! Nous suivons depuis le debut de notre voyage les conseils du site trip advisor, et pour le moment, pas de mauvaises surprises (croisons les doigts !). Nous pensons passer 2 / 3 jours a Hanoi et ensuite faire une boucle dans le nord du Vietnam, mais rien n'est sur... les choses changent tres vite.
Nous avons reserve un hotel pour 3 nuits dans le vieux quartier de la ville. La torture se termine pour Nick: il y a la tele ! Nous suivons depuis le debut de notre voyage les conseils du site trip advisor, et pour le moment, pas de mauvaises surprises (croisons les doigts !). Nous pensons passer 2 / 3 jours a Hanoi et ensuite faire une boucle dans le nord du Vietnam, mais rien n'est sur... les choses changent tres vite.
New photos online: Chiang Rai and Mekong
Nous avons poste de nouvelles photos sur notre site. Cliquez sur les liens a droite de l'ecran pour y acceder.
We posted 2 new albums.
- Chiang Rai
- Mekong River
We posted 2 new albums.
- Chiang Rai
- Mekong River
Thursday, May 17, 2007
The People and the Culture
- As discussed previously, religion (and Buddhism in particular) is an integral part of the environment here in Laos. 82% of all Lao people live in self-sustaining farming villages. For food, people in the community go fishing in the Mekong, raise chickens and cows, and farm rice and other vegetables. The majority of villages do not have electricity, and good luck finding any "consumer products".
- The most popular way to "move out of the village" is to become a Buddhist Novice (somewhat analogous to an altar boy). Essentially, around the age of 10, boys/young men begin training to become monks. They start in the local village, then move out, and the monkhood helps provide their education (most villages do not have schools). I suspect only a small number of novices go onto become proper monks, but its clear if you want to learn, its the only game in town, err, the village.
- Getting into work mode for a moment, there is ONE bank in Luang Prabang, the 2nd largest city in the country!!! Villagers have ZERO access to financial services and more importantly, the philanthropic and capital markets industry that would be more than willing to assist. In the US, if the town needs to build a new school, the municipality will simply put out a bond to raise the money. These folks don't have access to any of those services. Presumably, that's one of the roles of the Asian Development Bank, but I suspect that's not enough. Ideally, someone (obviously smarter than me) will figure out how to provide the villages themselves with access to the capital they need.
- People don't get angry. Here, the old "patience is a virtue" is in full force. Expanding on the previous point, people act very calmly no matter how frustrating the situation. And the considering the horrible state of roads, the extreme poverty, crazy heat, and UXOs that continue to impact growth/development, the people have a lot of frustrating things to deal with!!!! Khan from King of the Hill does not demonstrate these qualities.
- The most popular way to "move out of the village" is to become a Buddhist Novice (somewhat analogous to an altar boy). Essentially, around the age of 10, boys/young men begin training to become monks. They start in the local village, then move out, and the monkhood helps provide their education (most villages do not have schools). I suspect only a small number of novices go onto become proper monks, but its clear if you want to learn, its the only game in town, err, the village.
- Getting into work mode for a moment, there is ONE bank in Luang Prabang, the 2nd largest city in the country!!! Villagers have ZERO access to financial services and more importantly, the philanthropic and capital markets industry that would be more than willing to assist. In the US, if the town needs to build a new school, the municipality will simply put out a bond to raise the money. These folks don't have access to any of those services. Presumably, that's one of the roles of the Asian Development Bank, but I suspect that's not enough. Ideally, someone (obviously smarter than me) will figure out how to provide the villages themselves with access to the capital they need.
- People don't get angry. Here, the old "patience is a virtue" is in full force. Expanding on the previous point, people act very calmly no matter how frustrating the situation. And the considering the horrible state of roads, the extreme poverty, crazy heat, and UXOs that continue to impact growth/development, the people have a lot of frustrating things to deal with!!!! Khan from King of the Hill does not demonstrate these qualities.
Just can't leave Luang Prabang
So here we are... Still in Luang Prabang. Not easy to leave this city, and this, for different reasons. First, we don't want to take Lao Airlines (at least I don't... Apparently Nick doesn't really mind risking his life in chinese planes...) and travelling by bus in this country doesn't seem like the most comfortable thing (unless you enjoy vomiting or traveling with chicken and pigs -- personally I am used to traveling with a pig, but chicken I don't know :-). The second reason is that Luang Prabang is probably one of the greatest city we have ever been to. It is a bit difficult to explain... There is nothing special to see here, but the overall atmosphere of the city is very unique: not crowded, clean, laid back, with a mix of French and Laos influences. As I mentioned in my previous post (in french), it seems that the city has been stucked in time... You'll see on the pictures soon, even though I am sure they won't do it justice.
During our boat trip in the Mekong, we met an Irish couple, John and Nessa, with whom we spent some time. Today we went to the Kuang Si Waterfalls, about 30 kilometers away from Luang Prabang. What surprised us the most was that we didn't see one single car during the two hours drive (1 hour each way at 30 km/h) -- only bicycles, songthaews, tuk tuks, and scooters.
We are still debating about where we are heading next. We should be in Luang Prabang until Saturday morning and then leave to either Hanoi (Vietnam), the Plain of Jars (Laos) or Vientiane.
During our boat trip in the Mekong, we met an Irish couple, John and Nessa, with whom we spent some time. Today we went to the Kuang Si Waterfalls, about 30 kilometers away from Luang Prabang. What surprised us the most was that we didn't see one single car during the two hours drive (1 hour each way at 30 km/h) -- only bicycles, songthaews, tuk tuks, and scooters.
We are still debating about where we are heading next. We should be in Luang Prabang until Saturday morning and then leave to either Hanoi (Vietnam), the Plain of Jars (Laos) or Vientiane.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Laos: Are you Chinese or Japanese?
Bonus points to anyone that can name that reference...
In all seriousness, this is an absolutely fascinating place. Perhaps the average person that listened in history class knows (not me), but apparently the US military saturated northern Laos with bombs during the Vietnam war (their way of ensuring communism doesn't spread throughout the region). In fact, Northern Laos has the highest number of UXOs (unexploded bombs) in the world (more than Afghanistan and Iraq).
Having said that, words can't describe how beautiful and peaceful it is. We took a 2 day cruise down the Mekong River from a small border town called Houeisay to Luang Prabang (the 2nd largest town in Laos). We'll post pictures shortly, but suffice to say, it feels like you're in a movie. The landscape is completely undeveloped and unspoiled, and the people dirt poor but incredibly happy and friendly.
Luang Prabang is the town that time forgot. Worldwide economic sanctions from the 1970s through 2004 severely limited socioeconomic development in the country (in fact, its on the UN's least developed nation list). What it lacks in economy, it more than makes up for in old world charm. Laos was a former French colony (became independent in the mid-1950s), and it really blends both French and Lao cultures. Everything from the cuisine, to the language, to the buildings to the sports, are all clearly have both influences. The very cool part is the town in officially a UNESCO World Heritage site, which means it'll retain its charm for many years to come.
In all seriousness, this is an absolutely fascinating place. Perhaps the average person that listened in history class knows (not me), but apparently the US military saturated northern Laos with bombs during the Vietnam war (their way of ensuring communism doesn't spread throughout the region). In fact, Northern Laos has the highest number of UXOs (unexploded bombs) in the world (more than Afghanistan and Iraq).
Having said that, words can't describe how beautiful and peaceful it is. We took a 2 day cruise down the Mekong River from a small border town called Houeisay to Luang Prabang (the 2nd largest town in Laos). We'll post pictures shortly, but suffice to say, it feels like you're in a movie. The landscape is completely undeveloped and unspoiled, and the people dirt poor but incredibly happy and friendly.
Luang Prabang is the town that time forgot. Worldwide economic sanctions from the 1970s through 2004 severely limited socioeconomic development in the country (in fact, its on the UN's least developed nation list). What it lacks in economy, it more than makes up for in old world charm. Laos was a former French colony (became independent in the mid-1950s), and it really blends both French and Lao cultures. Everything from the cuisine, to the language, to the buildings to the sports, are all clearly have both influences. The very cool part is the town in officially a UNESCO World Heritage site, which means it'll retain its charm for many years to come.
Laos... Magnifique
Nous sommes arrives hier soir a Luang Prabang, au Laos, apres deux jours en bateau. C'est magnifique.
Nous sommes partis Lundi matin de Chiang Khong en Thailande pour rejoindre Houeisay, du cote laotien du fleuve ( 5 minutes de traversee). La, apres avoir passe "l'immigration", nous avons embarque sur le Luang Say. Nous avions le choix entre trois types de bateaux:
- Slow boat: traversee de 2 jours entasses dans un petit bateau, dans des conditions assez inconfortables.
- Speed boat: traversee de 9 heures dans un bateau a moteur rapide ou il et recommande de porter un casque et des boules quies... Apparement ce type de bateau, en plus d'etre inconfortable, est tres dangereux (il y a des morts chaque annee...)
- Le Luang Say boat
Autant dire que pour des routards comme nous, le choix n'a pas ete tres difficile... ;-)
Le voyage sur le Mekong est fabuleux... Les paysages sont intacts. On rencontre de temps en temps des petits pecheurs en barques qui pechent le poisson chat, ou des gens qui lavent leur linge dans le fleuve. C'est tres montagneux, mais aussi tres verdoyant. Les enfants dans les villages sont adorables (Nick m'a fait remarque que je devais probablement avoir plus de photos d'enfants que de photos de paysages !)
Lundi soir, nous avons dormi dans un lodge au bord du fleuve. C'etait tres bien, mais il y avait beaucoup d'insectes. Durant le diner, un insecte d'une quinzaine de centimetres (!!) a atterri dans notre sauce pimentes. Ca fait un drole d'effet.
Nous sommes arrives hier soir a Luang Prabang, deuxieme ville du Laos. Cette ville donne en fait plutot l'impression d'etre un village. Elle fait partie du patrimoine Mondial de l'Unesco depuis 1995 car c'est une des villes coloniales d'Asie les mieux conservees. On y ressent vraiment l'impact de la colonisation francaise. Sur les bords du fleuve des civils et militaires laotiens jouent a la petanque, il y beaucoup de restaurants francais et l'architecture des maisons est clairement francaise. Dans la rue on voit aussi pas mal de vieilles voitures europeennes (Mercedes des annees 50).
On a vraiment l'impression que le Laos est reste fige dans le temps... Bref, c'est assez difficile d'expliquer dans un email l'impression que donne ce pays (surtout quand on a aucun talent d'ecriture, comme moi), mais ce pays vaut vraiment la peine d'etre visite.
Nous sommes partis Lundi matin de Chiang Khong en Thailande pour rejoindre Houeisay, du cote laotien du fleuve ( 5 minutes de traversee). La, apres avoir passe "l'immigration", nous avons embarque sur le Luang Say. Nous avions le choix entre trois types de bateaux:
- Slow boat: traversee de 2 jours entasses dans un petit bateau, dans des conditions assez inconfortables.
- Speed boat: traversee de 9 heures dans un bateau a moteur rapide ou il et recommande de porter un casque et des boules quies... Apparement ce type de bateau, en plus d'etre inconfortable, est tres dangereux (il y a des morts chaque annee...)
- Le Luang Say boat
Autant dire que pour des routards comme nous, le choix n'a pas ete tres difficile... ;-)
Le voyage sur le Mekong est fabuleux... Les paysages sont intacts. On rencontre de temps en temps des petits pecheurs en barques qui pechent le poisson chat, ou des gens qui lavent leur linge dans le fleuve. C'est tres montagneux, mais aussi tres verdoyant. Les enfants dans les villages sont adorables (Nick m'a fait remarque que je devais probablement avoir plus de photos d'enfants que de photos de paysages !)
Lundi soir, nous avons dormi dans un lodge au bord du fleuve. C'etait tres bien, mais il y avait beaucoup d'insectes. Durant le diner, un insecte d'une quinzaine de centimetres (!!) a atterri dans notre sauce pimentes. Ca fait un drole d'effet.
Nous sommes arrives hier soir a Luang Prabang, deuxieme ville du Laos. Cette ville donne en fait plutot l'impression d'etre un village. Elle fait partie du patrimoine Mondial de l'Unesco depuis 1995 car c'est une des villes coloniales d'Asie les mieux conservees. On y ressent vraiment l'impact de la colonisation francaise. Sur les bords du fleuve des civils et militaires laotiens jouent a la petanque, il y beaucoup de restaurants francais et l'architecture des maisons est clairement francaise. Dans la rue on voit aussi pas mal de vieilles voitures europeennes (Mercedes des annees 50).
On a vraiment l'impression que le Laos est reste fige dans le temps... Bref, c'est assez difficile d'expliquer dans un email l'impression que donne ce pays (surtout quand on a aucun talent d'ecriture, comme moi), mais ce pays vaut vraiment la peine d'etre visite.
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