I had originally intended to go to Malaysia after the Indochina trip, to the northern part of Borneo. My plan was to dive there and spend some time exploring the jungles to see the orang-utans. But, this is not the best time of year for diving in that region and I decided that seeing the orang-utans is something I would rather do when travelling with somebody instead of on my own, so I went back to Zanzibar! I knew I would be back, although I didn't quite expect to be back so soon!
I have flown overnight many times, but I don't ever remember seeing the stars like I did on the flight from Bangkok to Mumbai. And because there was not a cloud in the sky, the twinkling of street lights and cities of India seemed to mirror their counterparts in the firmament. It looked really beautiful.
Having only booked a one way ticket into Zanzibar, there was a bit of fun and games getting onto the plane. I didn't have a visa and planned to just get one on arrival, but technically you need to prove that you are not intending to stay indefinitely to get a tourist visa, by having onward flights arranged, and at the stricter airports like Bangkok and Mumbai, they weren't happy with me just saying I would book the return flight when I was here. Eventually, I managed to persuade them I was only visiting (showing the rest of my itinerary did the trick), so it was all sorted and I was back in familiar surroundings. It was a great feeling watching the scrum of taxi drivers at the airport trying to take the plane load of Italians that arrived at the same time as me, so I just sat back and watched the melee unfold as I waited for a lift from a friend!
My plan here was to catch up with friends, dive at the old sites and visit some parts of the island that I missed last time round. As it turns out, the catching up with old friends - and making some new ones - took over and the first few nights were spent visiting the old haunts of Tatu, Livingstones and Bawani.... Only a few people knew I was coming back, and a lot of jaws hit the floor as I met up with people again (I think David takes the prize for the best look of surprise, but making Emilia speechless is also quite a feat!). There was an added bonus, as Ruben came back to Zanzibar on the same day - it felt like we had gone back in time four months.
My stay also coincided with a full moon, so of course a few of us headed up to Kendwa Rocks for the full moon party. It was much busier than my last full moon party and it was a good (and late) night. Squeezing seven people into a tiny car to drive back down the bumpy back roads to the bungalows seemed like a perfectly sensible idea at the time, but time will tell if the suspension on Laura's car agrees!
The following day, we spent a very relaxing day at the beach in Nungwi. I had been to the village before, but not made it to the beach and it matches Paje and Kendwa for its beauty. The ocean there is very salty and lying back in the water with palm trees swaying in the breeze along the shore is a very agreeable way to recover.
I also went to see the slave chambers and coral caves at Mangapwani. Slavery is self evidently abhorrent wherever it takes place, but the conditions in these illegal holding pens, set up by the arabs when slavery was outlawed on the island, must have been indescribably awful. Today, the caves are home to bats, snakes and jumping spiders and walking through the pitch black caves, over jagged coral rocks in intense heat and humidity was a bit of an adventure! The bats were cute though!
I wasn't sure how long I would stay in Zanzibar this time. My next booked flight was from Singapore to New Zealand on 16 December, but the tickets are - at least theoretically - flexible. However, most of the flight that I could potentially switch to are full with people travelling for Christmas, so I planned to leave Zanzibar on the 14th. As with all best laid plans, that didnt quite work out, as I was persuaded that I couldn't miss Steffi's birthday party on the 14th and so now I leave on the 15th. And my time in Singapore will be just a few hours in the airport. At least I've heard it's a good one!
So, with (another!) farewell dinner at La Taverna, followed by learning a few German birthday songs and sayings at the stroke of midnight for Steffi's birthday, I started saying my goodbyes again to these shores.
I wonder how long I can stay away this time....!
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Monday, December 12, 2011
Thailand: The old and the new
Our return
Our first night back in Thailand was spent at the border town of Chiang Khong. There is nothing much to report from there: a basic hotel, plain food, and meeting a Belgian bar owner who was off his head and just wanted to play the (terrible) music from his band and drive his dog up and down the main street on the back of his motorbike. I am getting quite used to the surreal nowadays!
Chiang Rai
The following day we had a flying visit to Chiang Rai en route to Chiang Mai, to call in at the fascinating white temple. It is completely different to all the other Buddhist temples I have seen (and believe me, I have seen a lot on this tour!); from the mural on the wall with images of Spiderman and Kung-Fu panda, to the sculptured heads hanging from the trees and the hands reaching up from the floor representing souls lost in hell. It is an amazing place - and all paid for by one philanthropist artist who wanted to do something different. I can vouch for the fact that he has achieved his aim!
Chiang Mai
We did not have long in Chiang Mai (about six hours before we had to catch the overnight bus to Bangkok), but what I did see was wonderful. It's another city in which there seem to be temples everywhere, which is not surprising given it is one of the former capitals, including some of most ornate and some of the biggest I have seen. Unfortunately, because of the restricted time we had and rumours of a big traffic jam, we had to skip the most famous temple (Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep). Still, at least it gives me something to look forward to when I come back!
The city has a laid-back feel to it, much like Luang Prabang and Vientiane: it is big enough to keep you occupied, whether that be walking around the temples, visiting the elephant sanctuary, taking a cooking class or just wandering around the old streets, but not so big that it can't be explored for a first taste in a day. Despite the stories of heavy traffic near Doi Suthep, around the old quarter there was very little (perhaps because it was a Sunday) and ambling around the streets, through the weekend market that was springing up around us and one or two of the temples, was a relaxing way to spend the afternoon. In fact, the market was one of the best from the trip, with lots of local-made, good-quality and unusual items and not so much factory produced tat.
It has been quite a while since I went to the south of Thailand, but from what I remember and stories from others, the northern parts are like a different country.
I know you are all waiting for the next massage update and I can confirm that the Thais do know how to give a good one! We splashed out a bit as we were ending the tour and spent nearly a whole £10 at one of the more up-market spas, but it was worth it!
Bangkok
I don't know whether it is me or the city that has changed since my first visit ten years ago, probably both, but it has lost that exotic allure. The Golden Buddha, Great Palace and Wat Pho are still golden, great and, er, pho, but these and the other sights are spread out in the sprawling metropolis. The city looks and feels (and smells!) like a living city. It is probably a great place to live, getting to know the hidden gems of back street restaurants and deserted temples that provide an oasis of calm amongst the thronging city life, but for me it is just another big, modern city.
And then something happens which reminds you that beneath the modern, vibrant exterior, with the debauchery of Khoasan Road and dirty backstreets, beats a traditional heart with the pulse of an ancient culture. It was the king's birthday when we were there and, while political and military powers come and go out of favour, the Thai people are constant in their love of the king, so there was a great celebration. The wats around the city were all lit up and looked magical, especially with candle lanterns floating high above the Chao Phraya in the background. There were exhibition sites all over the centre with what looked like, bizarrely, the king's holiday snaps. About 80% of the people were wearing pink - the king's (current) lucky colour and, at 8.00, all across the country, including the restaurant we were having dinner, all the lights went off, everybody was provided with a candle and the whole restaurant started to sing the king's song. All five verses...
The final day of the trip was spent driving around in a tuk-tuk to see the sites. It was a busy day, calling in at Wat Pho, the White Buddha, the Laughing Buddha in the Marble Temple, the golden mount and Wat Arun.
Exhausted, there was just time for one last dinner with Abby and Jon (the only two that were left from the trip) before heading to the airport to continue the adventures elsewhere....
Our first night back in Thailand was spent at the border town of Chiang Khong. There is nothing much to report from there: a basic hotel, plain food, and meeting a Belgian bar owner who was off his head and just wanted to play the (terrible) music from his band and drive his dog up and down the main street on the back of his motorbike. I am getting quite used to the surreal nowadays!
Chiang Rai
The following day we had a flying visit to Chiang Rai en route to Chiang Mai, to call in at the fascinating white temple. It is completely different to all the other Buddhist temples I have seen (and believe me, I have seen a lot on this tour!); from the mural on the wall with images of Spiderman and Kung-Fu panda, to the sculptured heads hanging from the trees and the hands reaching up from the floor representing souls lost in hell. It is an amazing place - and all paid for by one philanthropist artist who wanted to do something different. I can vouch for the fact that he has achieved his aim!
Chiang Mai
We did not have long in Chiang Mai (about six hours before we had to catch the overnight bus to Bangkok), but what I did see was wonderful. It's another city in which there seem to be temples everywhere, which is not surprising given it is one of the former capitals, including some of most ornate and some of the biggest I have seen. Unfortunately, because of the restricted time we had and rumours of a big traffic jam, we had to skip the most famous temple (Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep). Still, at least it gives me something to look forward to when I come back!
The city has a laid-back feel to it, much like Luang Prabang and Vientiane: it is big enough to keep you occupied, whether that be walking around the temples, visiting the elephant sanctuary, taking a cooking class or just wandering around the old streets, but not so big that it can't be explored for a first taste in a day. Despite the stories of heavy traffic near Doi Suthep, around the old quarter there was very little (perhaps because it was a Sunday) and ambling around the streets, through the weekend market that was springing up around us and one or two of the temples, was a relaxing way to spend the afternoon. In fact, the market was one of the best from the trip, with lots of local-made, good-quality and unusual items and not so much factory produced tat.
It has been quite a while since I went to the south of Thailand, but from what I remember and stories from others, the northern parts are like a different country.
I know you are all waiting for the next massage update and I can confirm that the Thais do know how to give a good one! We splashed out a bit as we were ending the tour and spent nearly a whole £10 at one of the more up-market spas, but it was worth it!
Bangkok
I don't know whether it is me or the city that has changed since my first visit ten years ago, probably both, but it has lost that exotic allure. The Golden Buddha, Great Palace and Wat Pho are still golden, great and, er, pho, but these and the other sights are spread out in the sprawling metropolis. The city looks and feels (and smells!) like a living city. It is probably a great place to live, getting to know the hidden gems of back street restaurants and deserted temples that provide an oasis of calm amongst the thronging city life, but for me it is just another big, modern city.
And then something happens which reminds you that beneath the modern, vibrant exterior, with the debauchery of Khoasan Road and dirty backstreets, beats a traditional heart with the pulse of an ancient culture. It was the king's birthday when we were there and, while political and military powers come and go out of favour, the Thai people are constant in their love of the king, so there was a great celebration. The wats around the city were all lit up and looked magical, especially with candle lanterns floating high above the Chao Phraya in the background. There were exhibition sites all over the centre with what looked like, bizarrely, the king's holiday snaps. About 80% of the people were wearing pink - the king's (current) lucky colour and, at 8.00, all across the country, including the restaurant we were having dinner, all the lights went off, everybody was provided with a candle and the whole restaurant started to sing the king's song. All five verses...
The final day of the trip was spent driving around in a tuk-tuk to see the sites. It was a busy day, calling in at Wat Pho, the White Buddha, the Laughing Buddha in the Marble Temple, the golden mount and Wat Arun.
Exhausted, there was just time for one last dinner with Abby and Jon (the only two that were left from the trip) before heading to the airport to continue the adventures elsewhere....
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Lao: The jewel of Indochina
Sabaidee! Hope you are ready for this - it is fair to warn you that I loved Lao, so brace yourself for a bit of a love-in!
Lao; the land of a million elephants, as the tag-line goes. I'm sure that is not true anymore, but the land of a million smiles may be an appropriate replacement. In fact, with a population of about 6,500,000, a million smiles is an understatement.
All the people I met in Lao were very friendly and there is a pride and open love for their country that I think is rare. Everybody you meet on the street greets you with "Sabaidee!" (hello) and a smile - a marked difference to Vietnam. All the shops fly both the communist hammer and sickle and the national flags. Lao is a one party communist state, but from the conversations I had with people, there is no disquiet and around 30% of the people are a member of the socialist party. I don't think it has always been like this, but in the last twenty years or so there has been more economic freedom and people can run their own businesses and own land. As a consequence, the economy is growing, although average income is still only $1,300 per annum and 90% of the population still work in agriculture. The big growth areas are tourism (especially since Luang Prabang was made a world heritage site and Vang Vieng became a hedonist's Mecca) and hydro-electric power, with Lao a surprising (to me) net exporter of electricity to China, Vietnam and Thailand. Healthcare and education are still in need of improvement, but through organisations like doctors without borders and international aid, it is slowly getting better.
The landscape is a tapestry of different villages (and different tribes) and as we travelled across the country, apart from the cities where we stopped, all the populated areas were small hamlets, rather than towns. The roads on the route we took were some of the best of the entire trip, which for the poorest country was a surprise at first. However, we learnt that the Chinese had provided the investment to upgrade the main infrastructure and, for a country with the natural resources of Lao, you wonder at what cost. So boys and girls, if you too want to see Lao before the forests disappear and the local villages with their own character and charm are replaced with built-up identikit towns and shops packed to the rafters with "Made in China" products, I think you should come sooner rather than later.
On arrival
We crossed the border into Lao at Nam Phao and two minutes later, the rain stopped and the sun came out, revealing the lush tree-covered mountain slopes. (Actually, the journey through northwest Vietnam was also through green mountains, but the rain spoilt the view somewhat.) After a full day travelling, we arrived in Lac Sao just in time to see the sun set behind the limestone mountains that pierce the skyline.
Lac Sao really is a one-horse town, with not much to do except admire the scenery. We had a basic dinner at the town's only restaurant (appropriately named, "Only One") before another early start and the drive to Vientiane.
Luckily, however, our visit coincided with Lac Sao's annual festival, so after dinner we headed out to the grounds of a local high school to join in. The place was packed and, again, we were the only westerners there so became a bit of an attraction ourselves, alongside the fairground stalls and snack bars selling fried chicken feet and the like. The feature event, though, was the beauty pageant with a Lao pop star providing the musical entertainment. It was rather surreal to be sat in the Lao mountains, drinking the local brew, watching a dozen young women in traditional costumes parading up and down a stage - not an experience I expected to have, but fun nonetheless.
Vientiane
The journey down to the capital was through some of the most impressive scenery of the trip; jagged limestone mountains rising up from green forests on the low-lying slopes or swaying tall grasses that cover the plateaus. We stopped at a couple of places for photos or snacks and the thing you most noticed at each stop was just how tranquil the land was.
I hadn't really noticed the rain or lower temperature in northern Vietnam, as neither really spoilt any of the sightseeing too much (perhaps apart from the mist in Halong Bay), but in Lao the sun has been shining and it has been much warmer.
Vientiane is on the Mekong river, which marks the boundary with Thailand, so our drive basically took us across the country from the Vietnam border. Vientiane is possibly the most laid-back capital in the world, with hardly any traffic and a slowly, slowly attitude that the Zanzibaris would be proud of. The city has over 700 temples, so you could easily spend a week or more here, but we only had a couple of days, so focussed on the highlights. There are so few tourists in the city, that even at the main attractions like the golden stupa, the independence gate (an Arc de Triomphe look-a-like) and the Buddhist temples by the palace, you could wander around and see everything you wanted without having to push through crowds.
In the evening, we had dinner in the grounds of a Buddhist temple (which, surprisingly, served alcohol) before a couple of drinks in one of the many modern Lao-meets-West type bars that are scattered throughout the streets. The local (and almost only) beer, Beerlao, is made from rice, apparently, but is actually one of the best beers I have tasted.
Vang Vieng
After Vientiane, we made our way north to Vang Vieng, halfway between the capital and Luang Prabang. Originally nothing more than a staging post on the journey, Vang Vieng has become a destination in its own right, albeit one that is very different to the rest of the country.
The longer I live and the more I see, the younger I get, but my reversal of the ageing process has its limits and Vang Vieng is definitely targeting younger travellers. We did have a good night out, moving along the bars that line the streets, before ending up in (another) bucket bar watching the fire dancers and drinking the local firewater (Lao Lao). But, the endless re-runs of Friends - in 2011! - in the majority of the bars is something I could have done without (the only other show that was on was Family Guy, which was much better!), and despite our merry band drinking solidly for several hours, we were definitely the most sober around.
In the daytime, the atmosphere is generally a little more sedate (in most places). We went up into the surrounding hills and, sat in a tube (an inflatable ring) explored the caves under the mountains. Following that, and a quick visit to the local Buddha temple which was set in another cave (the locals didn't have enough money to make a proper temple), we went kayaking down the river Nam Song. After about 7km, a group of us swapped our kayaks for the inflatable tubes again.
The tubing is what the town is famous for. Well, I say tubing, in practice most people don't get past the bars that line that stretch of the river. The bars blast out music, everybody is hammered or spaced out on mushrooms, rope swings, zip lines, ski jumps fling people into the water - three people died last year! We actually made it past the bars, although not before I was fired 20 feet into the air (before gravity kicked in), when somebody jumped on the other end of an inflatable blob. I'm sure I bruised a rib or two as I hit the water front first!
After those bars, because the rainy season had finished, the 'rapids' we were supposed to be tubing through were more like 'slows', so the trip back to the town took about two hours. But that was not such a bad thing, drifting down the river through the beautiful scenery, beer in hand, passing local fishermen working in along the banks and in the water, is not a bad way to spend a couple of hours.
The drive from Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang is through the limestone mountains of northern Lao, and I think the drive is probably the most beautiful I have ever done. Small farms and little hamlets flank the winding road, rolling hills covered by green forests in the middle distance and dark sawtoothed mountains provide the backdrop. You know you are getting used to a place when you can pass by herds of cattle in the road, chickens in the street and goats roaming the roadside without a second glance.
We called in for lunch at a restaurant in the mountains, with a view to kill for and a menu full of dubious meals: anyone for deer meat soaked in liquid faeces in the intestines?! Thankfully, the menu also comes with a warning that it has a "bitter taste", so I wasn't tempted!
Luang Prabang
Luang Prabang is awesome, in the proper sense of the word, rather than the watered-down, overused American version: jaw-dropping scenery, crystal clear waterfalls, friendly people, ancient temples everywhere, Buddhist monasteries buzzing with everyday chores, colourful markets bustle throughout the day and night. Luang Prabang is the unspoilt Indochina that I hoped to see on this trip. After the sullied Eden of Vang Vieng, the city helped restore my senses.
The first thing we did on arrival late afternoon, was to climb Pho Si to watch the sun set over the distant mountains. The temples at Pho Si are not that great, but the view is stunning. After the sun had sunk below the mountains, we had been invited to the home of a local family for some home cooking. It was probably the best food on the trip, although when they said local cooking, I think they went a bit easy on the chillies for us. Before we ate dinner, we took part in a traditional ceremony, where some of the old women from the family bestowed blessings on us.
Having tried out the massages in Cambodia and Vietnam, it was time to try a Lao version. Based on my expert analysis, I'd probably rank it as above the one in Vietnam but not as good as Cambodia. I just need a Thai massage now to complete the set and my research!
There was a slight change of pace after the massage, as we took a visit to the local Lao nightclub. There have been some memorable experiences on this trip, but the nightclub is one I'd like to erase from my mind as soon as possible! It was like a school disco at first, with a live band complete with casio organ grinding out some awful dirge, while a handful of the girls (and a rather seedy old westerner) performed some weird kind of formation dancing, and then the music switched seamlessly to hard core techno - Lao style. Even writing about it now makes me shudder!
The following day, we headed out into the surrounding countryside. In the morning, we took a trip to an elephant sanctuary, where they take in the elephants that have been replaced by machines in the local farms and logging businesses, because otherwise they would be left to starve as they are too costly for people to feed. An elephant ride through the forest was followed by a lunch of bananas and sugar cane (for the elephants) and a quick dip in the Nam Khan (which is the same river as the Nam Song, but rivers get given different names as they pass through different towns). Sitting on top of an elephant, while she sprays water over her head was great fun, although Janine's steed preferred the dunking approach to bathing and I think I got off lightly. As well as the riding, feeding and bathing, there was plenty of elephant farting too - much to Dennis's delight and Abby's disgust!
In the afternoon, we travelled further into the hills for the famous Kuang Si waterfall just outside the city. Climbing the steep, dilapidated stairs carved out of the mountain side was a bit arduous, but the views at the top were worth it. After clambering back down, stopping on one the ledges to have the cascading water splash over us, swimming in the pools at the bottom was too irresistible - as was the option of water buffalo on the menu at the restaurant that evening.
In between the elephants and the waterfall, we had some time to explore the town. Temples line the main street (Wat Xieng Thong was my favourite, partly because it was deserted when we went there but I also think it was the most beautiful, with mirrored mosaics covering the exterior walls of the temple, even with temple fatigue starting to kick in) and, while not on every corner, there was a liberal scattering of them around the rest of the city too.
If you get the chance to visit Lao, Luang Prabang is the place that should top your list of things to see and I could have happily spent a few more days in the city.
Mekong River
However, we had an appointment with Thailand, so we had to leave Luang Prabang for a two-day, 200 mile cruise up the Mekong River to the border crossing. Cutting through the tree covered hills, every now and again passing by small fishing villages on the shore and buffalos, cows and goats grazing on the banks, the backdrop to the cruise was fabulous. Water plays as big a part of the lives of the Laotians as it does the Vietnamese - and although it is mainly a mountainous country, two thirds of the population live within 400m of sea-level on the flood plains that spread out from the rivers that cross the country. As fabulous as the landscape was, even I can only take so many photos of the hills and rocks that flank the river before boredom sets in, so I passed the time taking money off Ed at cards.
On the cruise, we stopped at the Pak Ou caves, an important area for the Lao people as this is where they prayed to the river and sky gods in the past, and subsequently worshipped Buddha. In the caves are hundreds of Buddha statues, showing all the various poses that reflect different aspects of his (or possibly her) life.
Our last night in Lao was spent in Pak Beng, a small town where the main industry is to serve the boats that cruise up and down the Mekong. There is not very much to say about the place, but seeing the monks walking through the streets at dawn to get their food for the day, from donations offered by the local people, is a sight that you don't often see in Manchester.
When we finally made it the border, we left the long boat, took a five minute tuk-tuk ride and then boarded another boat to take us across (rather than along) the river! Having said that, the border crossing at Chiang Khong was actually quite painless and so the tour returned to the country where it had started. But that is another story...
Lao; the land of a million elephants, as the tag-line goes. I'm sure that is not true anymore, but the land of a million smiles may be an appropriate replacement. In fact, with a population of about 6,500,000, a million smiles is an understatement.
All the people I met in Lao were very friendly and there is a pride and open love for their country that I think is rare. Everybody you meet on the street greets you with "Sabaidee!" (hello) and a smile - a marked difference to Vietnam. All the shops fly both the communist hammer and sickle and the national flags. Lao is a one party communist state, but from the conversations I had with people, there is no disquiet and around 30% of the people are a member of the socialist party. I don't think it has always been like this, but in the last twenty years or so there has been more economic freedom and people can run their own businesses and own land. As a consequence, the economy is growing, although average income is still only $1,300 per annum and 90% of the population still work in agriculture. The big growth areas are tourism (especially since Luang Prabang was made a world heritage site and Vang Vieng became a hedonist's Mecca) and hydro-electric power, with Lao a surprising (to me) net exporter of electricity to China, Vietnam and Thailand. Healthcare and education are still in need of improvement, but through organisations like doctors without borders and international aid, it is slowly getting better.
The landscape is a tapestry of different villages (and different tribes) and as we travelled across the country, apart from the cities where we stopped, all the populated areas were small hamlets, rather than towns. The roads on the route we took were some of the best of the entire trip, which for the poorest country was a surprise at first. However, we learnt that the Chinese had provided the investment to upgrade the main infrastructure and, for a country with the natural resources of Lao, you wonder at what cost. So boys and girls, if you too want to see Lao before the forests disappear and the local villages with their own character and charm are replaced with built-up identikit towns and shops packed to the rafters with "Made in China" products, I think you should come sooner rather than later.
On arrival
We crossed the border into Lao at Nam Phao and two minutes later, the rain stopped and the sun came out, revealing the lush tree-covered mountain slopes. (Actually, the journey through northwest Vietnam was also through green mountains, but the rain spoilt the view somewhat.) After a full day travelling, we arrived in Lac Sao just in time to see the sun set behind the limestone mountains that pierce the skyline.
Lac Sao really is a one-horse town, with not much to do except admire the scenery. We had a basic dinner at the town's only restaurant (appropriately named, "Only One") before another early start and the drive to Vientiane.
Luckily, however, our visit coincided with Lac Sao's annual festival, so after dinner we headed out to the grounds of a local high school to join in. The place was packed and, again, we were the only westerners there so became a bit of an attraction ourselves, alongside the fairground stalls and snack bars selling fried chicken feet and the like. The feature event, though, was the beauty pageant with a Lao pop star providing the musical entertainment. It was rather surreal to be sat in the Lao mountains, drinking the local brew, watching a dozen young women in traditional costumes parading up and down a stage - not an experience I expected to have, but fun nonetheless.
Vientiane
The journey down to the capital was through some of the most impressive scenery of the trip; jagged limestone mountains rising up from green forests on the low-lying slopes or swaying tall grasses that cover the plateaus. We stopped at a couple of places for photos or snacks and the thing you most noticed at each stop was just how tranquil the land was.
I hadn't really noticed the rain or lower temperature in northern Vietnam, as neither really spoilt any of the sightseeing too much (perhaps apart from the mist in Halong Bay), but in Lao the sun has been shining and it has been much warmer.
Vientiane is on the Mekong river, which marks the boundary with Thailand, so our drive basically took us across the country from the Vietnam border. Vientiane is possibly the most laid-back capital in the world, with hardly any traffic and a slowly, slowly attitude that the Zanzibaris would be proud of. The city has over 700 temples, so you could easily spend a week or more here, but we only had a couple of days, so focussed on the highlights. There are so few tourists in the city, that even at the main attractions like the golden stupa, the independence gate (an Arc de Triomphe look-a-like) and the Buddhist temples by the palace, you could wander around and see everything you wanted without having to push through crowds.
In the evening, we had dinner in the grounds of a Buddhist temple (which, surprisingly, served alcohol) before a couple of drinks in one of the many modern Lao-meets-West type bars that are scattered throughout the streets. The local (and almost only) beer, Beerlao, is made from rice, apparently, but is actually one of the best beers I have tasted.
Vang Vieng
After Vientiane, we made our way north to Vang Vieng, halfway between the capital and Luang Prabang. Originally nothing more than a staging post on the journey, Vang Vieng has become a destination in its own right, albeit one that is very different to the rest of the country.
The longer I live and the more I see, the younger I get, but my reversal of the ageing process has its limits and Vang Vieng is definitely targeting younger travellers. We did have a good night out, moving along the bars that line the streets, before ending up in (another) bucket bar watching the fire dancers and drinking the local firewater (Lao Lao). But, the endless re-runs of Friends - in 2011! - in the majority of the bars is something I could have done without (the only other show that was on was Family Guy, which was much better!), and despite our merry band drinking solidly for several hours, we were definitely the most sober around.
In the daytime, the atmosphere is generally a little more sedate (in most places). We went up into the surrounding hills and, sat in a tube (an inflatable ring) explored the caves under the mountains. Following that, and a quick visit to the local Buddha temple which was set in another cave (the locals didn't have enough money to make a proper temple), we went kayaking down the river Nam Song. After about 7km, a group of us swapped our kayaks for the inflatable tubes again.
The tubing is what the town is famous for. Well, I say tubing, in practice most people don't get past the bars that line that stretch of the river. The bars blast out music, everybody is hammered or spaced out on mushrooms, rope swings, zip lines, ski jumps fling people into the water - three people died last year! We actually made it past the bars, although not before I was fired 20 feet into the air (before gravity kicked in), when somebody jumped on the other end of an inflatable blob. I'm sure I bruised a rib or two as I hit the water front first!
After those bars, because the rainy season had finished, the 'rapids' we were supposed to be tubing through were more like 'slows', so the trip back to the town took about two hours. But that was not such a bad thing, drifting down the river through the beautiful scenery, beer in hand, passing local fishermen working in along the banks and in the water, is not a bad way to spend a couple of hours.
The drive from Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang is through the limestone mountains of northern Lao, and I think the drive is probably the most beautiful I have ever done. Small farms and little hamlets flank the winding road, rolling hills covered by green forests in the middle distance and dark sawtoothed mountains provide the backdrop. You know you are getting used to a place when you can pass by herds of cattle in the road, chickens in the street and goats roaming the roadside without a second glance.
We called in for lunch at a restaurant in the mountains, with a view to kill for and a menu full of dubious meals: anyone for deer meat soaked in liquid faeces in the intestines?! Thankfully, the menu also comes with a warning that it has a "bitter taste", so I wasn't tempted!
Luang Prabang
Luang Prabang is awesome, in the proper sense of the word, rather than the watered-down, overused American version: jaw-dropping scenery, crystal clear waterfalls, friendly people, ancient temples everywhere, Buddhist monasteries buzzing with everyday chores, colourful markets bustle throughout the day and night. Luang Prabang is the unspoilt Indochina that I hoped to see on this trip. After the sullied Eden of Vang Vieng, the city helped restore my senses.
The first thing we did on arrival late afternoon, was to climb Pho Si to watch the sun set over the distant mountains. The temples at Pho Si are not that great, but the view is stunning. After the sun had sunk below the mountains, we had been invited to the home of a local family for some home cooking. It was probably the best food on the trip, although when they said local cooking, I think they went a bit easy on the chillies for us. Before we ate dinner, we took part in a traditional ceremony, where some of the old women from the family bestowed blessings on us.
Having tried out the massages in Cambodia and Vietnam, it was time to try a Lao version. Based on my expert analysis, I'd probably rank it as above the one in Vietnam but not as good as Cambodia. I just need a Thai massage now to complete the set and my research!
There was a slight change of pace after the massage, as we took a visit to the local Lao nightclub. There have been some memorable experiences on this trip, but the nightclub is one I'd like to erase from my mind as soon as possible! It was like a school disco at first, with a live band complete with casio organ grinding out some awful dirge, while a handful of the girls (and a rather seedy old westerner) performed some weird kind of formation dancing, and then the music switched seamlessly to hard core techno - Lao style. Even writing about it now makes me shudder!
The following day, we headed out into the surrounding countryside. In the morning, we took a trip to an elephant sanctuary, where they take in the elephants that have been replaced by machines in the local farms and logging businesses, because otherwise they would be left to starve as they are too costly for people to feed. An elephant ride through the forest was followed by a lunch of bananas and sugar cane (for the elephants) and a quick dip in the Nam Khan (which is the same river as the Nam Song, but rivers get given different names as they pass through different towns). Sitting on top of an elephant, while she sprays water over her head was great fun, although Janine's steed preferred the dunking approach to bathing and I think I got off lightly. As well as the riding, feeding and bathing, there was plenty of elephant farting too - much to Dennis's delight and Abby's disgust!
In the afternoon, we travelled further into the hills for the famous Kuang Si waterfall just outside the city. Climbing the steep, dilapidated stairs carved out of the mountain side was a bit arduous, but the views at the top were worth it. After clambering back down, stopping on one the ledges to have the cascading water splash over us, swimming in the pools at the bottom was too irresistible - as was the option of water buffalo on the menu at the restaurant that evening.
In between the elephants and the waterfall, we had some time to explore the town. Temples line the main street (Wat Xieng Thong was my favourite, partly because it was deserted when we went there but I also think it was the most beautiful, with mirrored mosaics covering the exterior walls of the temple, even with temple fatigue starting to kick in) and, while not on every corner, there was a liberal scattering of them around the rest of the city too.
If you get the chance to visit Lao, Luang Prabang is the place that should top your list of things to see and I could have happily spent a few more days in the city.
Mekong River
However, we had an appointment with Thailand, so we had to leave Luang Prabang for a two-day, 200 mile cruise up the Mekong River to the border crossing. Cutting through the tree covered hills, every now and again passing by small fishing villages on the shore and buffalos, cows and goats grazing on the banks, the backdrop to the cruise was fabulous. Water plays as big a part of the lives of the Laotians as it does the Vietnamese - and although it is mainly a mountainous country, two thirds of the population live within 400m of sea-level on the flood plains that spread out from the rivers that cross the country. As fabulous as the landscape was, even I can only take so many photos of the hills and rocks that flank the river before boredom sets in, so I passed the time taking money off Ed at cards.
On the cruise, we stopped at the Pak Ou caves, an important area for the Lao people as this is where they prayed to the river and sky gods in the past, and subsequently worshipped Buddha. In the caves are hundreds of Buddha statues, showing all the various poses that reflect different aspects of his (or possibly her) life.
Our last night in Lao was spent in Pak Beng, a small town where the main industry is to serve the boats that cruise up and down the Mekong. There is not very much to say about the place, but seeing the monks walking through the streets at dawn to get their food for the day, from donations offered by the local people, is a sight that you don't often see in Manchester.
When we finally made it the border, we left the long boat, took a five minute tuk-tuk ride and then boarded another boat to take us across (rather than along) the river! Having said that, the border crossing at Chiang Khong was actually quite painless and so the tour returned to the country where it had started. But that is another story...
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Vietnam: The second week
Hue
After leaving Hoi An, we headed north to the ancient capital of Hue. The drive took us through Da Nang, which has a strange mix of old and very new, with five star hotel complexes and swanky office buildings standing shoulder to shoulder with rickety old wooden shacks serving as shops, restaurants and homes for the local residents.
North of Da Nang, we travelled along the Hai Van Pass - a winding mountain road through dense forests, overlooking the natural harbours and rugged outcrops of rock on the coastline below (at least that was the view when we weren't enveloped in clouds), with small shrines (spirit houses) dotted along the roadside marking the places where people have died. Even with the overcast skies, the views were impressive.
After arriving at Hue, we had another motorbike tour, visiting the various temples, including the royal tombs on the banks of the Song Huong (Perfume River), around the city. The area was at the frontline of the battle between the north and south during the war and one of the views over the river is of the infamous Hamburger Hill. As well as seeing some of the historic sights, we went to a few local places to see demonstrations of the traditional farming methods of gathering and preparing rice (traditional, but still in use today) and a couple of handicraft stores; where they did, of course, try to sell their wares, but the items are very pretty and cost peanuts. It is a good job that I am restricted in luggage space, or I would have plenty of souviners to take back by now - not that a lack of luggage stopped Abby and Taz; new bags are also very cheap here...!
In the morning, we wandered around the city centre and saw the citadel, with it's forbidden purple city (which reminded me of the palaces in Beijing, not just in name, although it is not quite so grand). The city is much less busy than Saigon and the central part of Vietnam (in particular Hue and Hoi An) has been my favourite region of the country.
Halong Bay
My other highlight from Vietnam was the world heritage site of Halong Bay. From Hue, it is a 14 hour night train to Hanoi and then a three hour bus ride, but it is worth the trip.
Halong Bay, recently voted as one of the new seven wonders of the world, is spectacular, with three thousand limestone island jutting out of the waters of the South China Sea. The islands gave the city its name, as legend has it that they are the humps of a dragon that saved the inhabitants from their enemies and then encircled the bay to protect them from future attack. We took a cruise around the islands, where a morning sea-mist added an ethereal touch on the journey out, but on the return trip, the sun was shining.
Under the islands are caves, which were used in ancient times as store rooms and armouries during the wars against the Mongols. We walked through a couple of the caves, where the limestone roofs had mainly been worn smooth by the motion of the tides over the centuries as the islands were pushed up from the ocean, but the stalactites and grooves in the wall gave it an almost alien feel (although the rather gaudy multi-coloured lighting spoilt it a bit).
The less said about Halong City, the better, with its ugly buildings and tasteless food. Thankfully we had just one night here!
Hanoi
Situated on the Red River, Hanoi is one of the oldest cities in the region (1001 years old to be precise). Cosmopolitan and eclectic, with high end fashion stores nestled amongst the rows of local shops, and, like Saigon, the streets buzz with activity and motorbikes (yet despite the volume of traffic, I only saw one accident in the whole country). There is also no road rage, which I think is because there are no (discernible) rules of the road, so everybody *really* pays attention to where they are going. I prefer Hanoi to Saigon, as the old quarter retains a very Asian feel (even the new parts are unmistakably Asian) and it has more of distinctive personality, but the cities in Vietnam have generally been a bit disappointing (apart from the nightlife) and the other parts of the country are much more interesting.
During our stay in the capital, we went to see the water puppet show, which is unique to the region. I'm not quite sure exactly what was happening, despite having a programme, but it was a fun and unusual way to spend an afternoon. The following day was spent exploring the city on foot and in a tuk-tuk, looking at various monuments like the Temple of Literature, the one-pillar pagoda and Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum. Luckily for us, Taz's map reading skills meant that we got to see a few extra ones that weren't on our planned itinerary!
Hanoi also saw the majority of the group that started the tour leave, with just five of those who started in Bangkok joining six new travellers for the rest of the trip. An early start on Saturday for the drive through the mountains into Lao meant that the farewell party took place on the penultimate evening. Buckets of vodka red bull really shouldn't be just £2, especially when there is also free beer being served.... Perhaps that has something to do with Stine biting the driver on the motorbike ride back to the hotel!
Vietnam is 1,000 miles from top to bottom and we virtually went the whole length, probably further with all the zig-zagging, so there has been a lot of travelling on buses and trains and we haven't stayed in one place for very long. There have been plenty of coughs, sniffles and sneezes in the group too, as the omnipresent air conditioning gives the group lots of opportunities to share germs!
The drive to the Lao border was a bit of a hair-raiser. The driver wasn't too keen on braking, so we hurtled along the snaking mountain roads, overtaking trucks on blind bends, dodging the cows that wander the roads and bouncing over the potholes. I'm sure that the most dangerous parts of the trip are these coach rides! Nevertheless, we made it and I have another country to discover......
After leaving Hoi An, we headed north to the ancient capital of Hue. The drive took us through Da Nang, which has a strange mix of old and very new, with five star hotel complexes and swanky office buildings standing shoulder to shoulder with rickety old wooden shacks serving as shops, restaurants and homes for the local residents.
North of Da Nang, we travelled along the Hai Van Pass - a winding mountain road through dense forests, overlooking the natural harbours and rugged outcrops of rock on the coastline below (at least that was the view when we weren't enveloped in clouds), with small shrines (spirit houses) dotted along the roadside marking the places where people have died. Even with the overcast skies, the views were impressive.
After arriving at Hue, we had another motorbike tour, visiting the various temples, including the royal tombs on the banks of the Song Huong (Perfume River), around the city. The area was at the frontline of the battle between the north and south during the war and one of the views over the river is of the infamous Hamburger Hill. As well as seeing some of the historic sights, we went to a few local places to see demonstrations of the traditional farming methods of gathering and preparing rice (traditional, but still in use today) and a couple of handicraft stores; where they did, of course, try to sell their wares, but the items are very pretty and cost peanuts. It is a good job that I am restricted in luggage space, or I would have plenty of souviners to take back by now - not that a lack of luggage stopped Abby and Taz; new bags are also very cheap here...!
In the morning, we wandered around the city centre and saw the citadel, with it's forbidden purple city (which reminded me of the palaces in Beijing, not just in name, although it is not quite so grand). The city is much less busy than Saigon and the central part of Vietnam (in particular Hue and Hoi An) has been my favourite region of the country.
Halong Bay
My other highlight from Vietnam was the world heritage site of Halong Bay. From Hue, it is a 14 hour night train to Hanoi and then a three hour bus ride, but it is worth the trip.
Halong Bay, recently voted as one of the new seven wonders of the world, is spectacular, with three thousand limestone island jutting out of the waters of the South China Sea. The islands gave the city its name, as legend has it that they are the humps of a dragon that saved the inhabitants from their enemies and then encircled the bay to protect them from future attack. We took a cruise around the islands, where a morning sea-mist added an ethereal touch on the journey out, but on the return trip, the sun was shining.
Under the islands are caves, which were used in ancient times as store rooms and armouries during the wars against the Mongols. We walked through a couple of the caves, where the limestone roofs had mainly been worn smooth by the motion of the tides over the centuries as the islands were pushed up from the ocean, but the stalactites and grooves in the wall gave it an almost alien feel (although the rather gaudy multi-coloured lighting spoilt it a bit).
The less said about Halong City, the better, with its ugly buildings and tasteless food. Thankfully we had just one night here!
Hanoi
Situated on the Red River, Hanoi is one of the oldest cities in the region (1001 years old to be precise). Cosmopolitan and eclectic, with high end fashion stores nestled amongst the rows of local shops, and, like Saigon, the streets buzz with activity and motorbikes (yet despite the volume of traffic, I only saw one accident in the whole country). There is also no road rage, which I think is because there are no (discernible) rules of the road, so everybody *really* pays attention to where they are going. I prefer Hanoi to Saigon, as the old quarter retains a very Asian feel (even the new parts are unmistakably Asian) and it has more of distinctive personality, but the cities in Vietnam have generally been a bit disappointing (apart from the nightlife) and the other parts of the country are much more interesting.
During our stay in the capital, we went to see the water puppet show, which is unique to the region. I'm not quite sure exactly what was happening, despite having a programme, but it was a fun and unusual way to spend an afternoon. The following day was spent exploring the city on foot and in a tuk-tuk, looking at various monuments like the Temple of Literature, the one-pillar pagoda and Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum. Luckily for us, Taz's map reading skills meant that we got to see a few extra ones that weren't on our planned itinerary!
Hanoi also saw the majority of the group that started the tour leave, with just five of those who started in Bangkok joining six new travellers for the rest of the trip. An early start on Saturday for the drive through the mountains into Lao meant that the farewell party took place on the penultimate evening. Buckets of vodka red bull really shouldn't be just £2, especially when there is also free beer being served.... Perhaps that has something to do with Stine biting the driver on the motorbike ride back to the hotel!
Vietnam is 1,000 miles from top to bottom and we virtually went the whole length, probably further with all the zig-zagging, so there has been a lot of travelling on buses and trains and we haven't stayed in one place for very long. There have been plenty of coughs, sniffles and sneezes in the group too, as the omnipresent air conditioning gives the group lots of opportunities to share germs!
The drive to the Lao border was a bit of a hair-raiser. The driver wasn't too keen on braking, so we hurtled along the snaking mountain roads, overtaking trucks on blind bends, dodging the cows that wander the roads and bouncing over the potholes. I'm sure that the most dangerous parts of the trip are these coach rides! Nevertheless, we made it and I have another country to discover......
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Vietnam: Stories from a soggy country
Water, water; everywhere. The lives of the Vietnamese and the country
itself are dominated by the wet stuff. From the Mekong Delta in the
south to Halong Bay in the north; from the beaches along the coast to
the paddy fields that cover the rest of the country, from Pho Bo (a traditional
beef noodle soup) to the cocktails and the many rivers that lace the
hills and flats of the landscape, there is water everywhere. Admittedly,
it is currently coming to the end of the rainy season, but I think the
lifestyles of the people here are the same in the drier seasons - just
with a bit less rain to deal with.
Overall, I have to admit that I preferred Cambodia to Vietnam. The Khmer people are a lot more friendly than the Vietnamese, who are generally more aggressive and confrontational, from the market traders to the staff at restaurants and hotels. The Vietnamese are also more likely to try and scam money from you, or more blatantly try to steal from you, so you need to be a bit more on guard. Vietnam is relatively more wealthy than Cambodia too, so there is more development and billboard advertisements line the roads rather than palm trees. At least that is part of the story; some areas are really beautiful and picturesque and, in the countryside, people farm their crops using traditional methods and greet you with a smile.
Chau Doc
After crossing the border, our first port of call was Chau Doc, a small town situated in the Mekong Delta. The visit was just a stopover before a long day of travelling, but we did have some time to explore.
After lunch, we took a boat trip through one of the floating villages and called in at a couple of the workshops that are dotted throughout the village. The wooden homes are a bit ramshackle, with great big rats running along under the floors, and existence there is pretty much hand-to-mouth, but all the homes have TV aerials and one or two even have satellite dishes!
Following the boat trip, the group took a cavalcade of scooters up one of the surrounding hills to catch a view of the sunset, looking back over Cambodia, and saw how the built up areas and connecting roads around Chau Doc are really just islands amidst vast stretches of water.
Saigon
The next day, an eight-hour coach journey, broken by a ferry across the Mekong river and lunch at a roadside restaurant, took us to the main city in southern Vietnam, Saigon. (It's formal name is Ho Chi Minh City, but that is really only for Sunday best, and everybody who lives there still calls it Saigon.)
After the long coach trip, it was good to be able to walk around the city and stretch our legs. Compared to the previous places on the tour, Saigon is a big city and has that big city feel to it. In truth, it is much like any other big Asian city and in the city centre there is nothing that really distinguishes it. Perhaps the exception to this is the number of motorbikes that weave through the streets. There are cars; there are buses and trucks; there are pedal bikes; but the vast majority of vehicles on the road are motorbikes. There are hundreds of them coming from all directions, channeling across the big intersections in big packs or snaking down the narrow backstreets. One of the most important lessons here is how to cross the road, and there is a knack: you simply need to step out into the traffic (open eyes are optional) and keep walking, as the bikes flow around you, and because they are so used to it, they do manage to avoid you (and each other!). At night, the city buzzes with neon and headlights dazzle everywhere you look.
Our one night in Saigon was the last night of the trip for Marlen, Nathan and Jo, and it had a bit of everything. It started normally enough, with dinner at an Italian restaurant in the backpackers district, followed by beers and cocktails (served in jam-jars, naturally), before things started to get a bit more unusual. Our search for a dance floor took us from one empty bar to another, before we decided to turn that to our advantage and get one of the DJs to play just our requests, dancing all over the bar while at the same time playing a game of darts with darts that were so blunt, you had to hurl them like a javelin to have any chance of making them stick. Afterwards, in search of somewhere else to drink, we accidentally ended up in a brothel, where a man-mountain of an Aussie offered us free vodka to stay for a while. We politely declined and instead stumbled across a flashy night club with hard core dance music; which was full of locals who wanted to either dance with us, sell us marijuana or hear our views on communism! Amongst the suits and designer dresses, we looked a bit out of place in our travellers garb, so we eventually left and found ourselves in a local "bar", which was nothing more than a few tiny plastic chairs on the roadside and cans of beer from the fridge. Everything was closing up by now, but there was still time for Marlen to join in the road races with the street kids, running barefoot through the backstreets of Saigon in the early hours of the morning.
The following day, along with Kelly, Susan and Mike who had joined our merry band for the Vietnam portion of the tour, we headed out of the city to see the Cu Chi tunnels. As we passed the parks and open areas that are sprinkled around the city, there were lots of people getting their daily morning exercise: tai chi formations, jogging and games of badminton or jianzi (kicking a shuttlecock to each other) were the most common activities.
The Cu Chi tunnels were used by the Viet Cong in their war against South Vietnam and the Americans. If you don't know, the Viet Cong are the southern Vietnamese who sided with the communist north in the war. You hear lots about the Vietnam war, and there are countless films about it, but being from a western country, I always hear the US version and it was interesting to get another take on it.
The Cu Chi tunnels are a network of over 200km of connected tunnels (obviously) on three levels, with fighting trenches and booby traps above ground. Whenever enemy troops came close by, the entire community hid in the tunnels or used them to get behind the advancing enemy and attack from the rear. The tunnels and entrances were tiny and the living conditions must have been atrocious, but because the Viet Cong were fighting for a cause and their country, their dedication, alongside inventive guerilla tactics (booby traps made from bamboo spikes, using human faeces to poison the tips) and industrious work ethic (fighting by day, farming by night) led them to their eventual victory. And rather than being communist propaganda, this view was from our tour guide, who was in the South Vietnam army during the war, working with the US in the Cu Chi area and, after the US withdrew, fighting in the Mekong Delta.
I don't know how widespread this view is within Vietnam, but our guide thinks that everybody who was in the war was a victim, and there is no animosity towards the Americans or between the opposite sides within Vietnam. Nowadays, he and an ex-Viet Cong general drink together, laughing about how lucky they were not to meet in the war because they were both crack shots!
Back in Saigon, we spent the rest of the day sight-seeing although, to be fair, there wasn't that much to see. The Reunification Palace was disappointing, a time-warp from when the north stormed the palace at the end of the war, and has been left pretty much as it was found that day, with lots of 1970s dullness! The central post office is an impressive building, with a giant picture of Ho Chi Minh looking down over the grand hall and next to it is the pretty Notre-Dame Basilica (a relic from when Vietnam was a French colony), but apart from that there is nothing particularly noteworthy. Given the short stay in Saigon, I didn't get the chance to explore any of the museums, but perhaps they would have been a better bet.
Nha Trang
That evening, we took our first night train of the trip to the beach resort of Nha Trang. Nominally four to a cabin, we spent the evening with ten crammed into one (twelve including the mice!), playing cards and chatting. The beds, when they eventually called, were surprisingly comfortable, although perhaps less so for the taller members of the group, as I only just fit into the sleeping space.
We arrived early morning and after a quick walk around the town (similar to many other beach resorts, with a slight Mediterranean feel and lots of tourists, bars and restaurants) we had a day of pampering. Heading out of the town centre to a natural spa in the hills for a (foul-smelling) mud bath and soak in the mineral waters, before returning to the town for a massage.
My dive master confirmation also came through in the afternoon and, as Nha Trang has some of the best diving in Vietnam, I celebrated with a couple of dives around the islands that are scattered off the coast. A six-thirty start was hampered by the more traditional celebration of beers and cocktails the night before (Why Not? as the name of the bar suggests), but the diving was quite good - not much coral, but lots of crustaceans, octopus and reef fish amongst the rocks.
Hoi An
After the diving, our second night train took us to Da Nang, where a three hour bus ride to Hoi An waited for us. The train journey was supposed to be 11 hours, but a couple of delays stretched that to 13, so the drinks before and during the journey, which helped make the time fly, were a good idea. They also made sleeping a bit easier, as the carriage we had on this leg was from older stock and not nearly as comfortable as the first night train.
We eventually arrived in Hoi An in time for lunch at one of the local restaurants. There has been mainly good food throughout Vietnam, although not quite as good as Cambodia and there have been a couple of awful meals, with a mix of Asian and western meals (and, contrary to popular (i.e. my) belief, there are more dogs on the streets than on the menus). However, lunch in Hoi An was probably the most fun, with possibly the most friendly restaurant host in the world. The food was basic, salad, spring rolls and pork skewers wrapped in rice paper and dipped in a chilli beef sauce, but was eaten by hand and the hostess decided that I clearly couldn't manage that by myself, so started hand feeding me and a couple of the others. Then, she took the view that I was also unable to drink by myself or use a serviette. It's a strange experience being hand feed by a complete stranger, but she was relentless and the food kept coming until I was full to bursting. The table after everybody had finished was a scene of carnage!
In the afternoon, we took a bike ride and it was nice to get out of town and not be on a bus. Only 1km out of town, we started riding through the paddy fields and vegetable patches, with farmers working using age old methods, kids playing and waving at us as we passed, cows and water buffalo munching on the verges paying us no attention whatsoever and hundreds of dragonflies buzzing around. The bikes had no gears, hardly any brakes and saddles that felt like they were made out of wood, but we went at such a leisurely pace, none of that mattered. Having been out for a couple of hours, we took a boat ride back to Hoi An centre on Hoi An river. It is such a very slow way of life, and a stark contrast to the hustle and bustle of Saigon and tourist traps of Nha Trang.
The hotel we stayed in had a swimming pool, so after the bike ride we relaxed by the pool until the rain came and then spent the rest of the day playing pool in the bars (pool tables are everywhere here and we've played a lot in the evenings).
So the first week in Vietnam was a bit of a mixed bag: nondescript cities and unremarkable (but nice) beach resorts, alongside interesting history lessons and, in Hoi An, a beautiful insight into a different way of life.
In the next post, I'll have an update from the northern part of the country.
Ta ta for now.
Overall, I have to admit that I preferred Cambodia to Vietnam. The Khmer people are a lot more friendly than the Vietnamese, who are generally more aggressive and confrontational, from the market traders to the staff at restaurants and hotels. The Vietnamese are also more likely to try and scam money from you, or more blatantly try to steal from you, so you need to be a bit more on guard. Vietnam is relatively more wealthy than Cambodia too, so there is more development and billboard advertisements line the roads rather than palm trees. At least that is part of the story; some areas are really beautiful and picturesque and, in the countryside, people farm their crops using traditional methods and greet you with a smile.
Chau Doc
After crossing the border, our first port of call was Chau Doc, a small town situated in the Mekong Delta. The visit was just a stopover before a long day of travelling, but we did have some time to explore.
After lunch, we took a boat trip through one of the floating villages and called in at a couple of the workshops that are dotted throughout the village. The wooden homes are a bit ramshackle, with great big rats running along under the floors, and existence there is pretty much hand-to-mouth, but all the homes have TV aerials and one or two even have satellite dishes!
Following the boat trip, the group took a cavalcade of scooters up one of the surrounding hills to catch a view of the sunset, looking back over Cambodia, and saw how the built up areas and connecting roads around Chau Doc are really just islands amidst vast stretches of water.
Saigon
The next day, an eight-hour coach journey, broken by a ferry across the Mekong river and lunch at a roadside restaurant, took us to the main city in southern Vietnam, Saigon. (It's formal name is Ho Chi Minh City, but that is really only for Sunday best, and everybody who lives there still calls it Saigon.)
After the long coach trip, it was good to be able to walk around the city and stretch our legs. Compared to the previous places on the tour, Saigon is a big city and has that big city feel to it. In truth, it is much like any other big Asian city and in the city centre there is nothing that really distinguishes it. Perhaps the exception to this is the number of motorbikes that weave through the streets. There are cars; there are buses and trucks; there are pedal bikes; but the vast majority of vehicles on the road are motorbikes. There are hundreds of them coming from all directions, channeling across the big intersections in big packs or snaking down the narrow backstreets. One of the most important lessons here is how to cross the road, and there is a knack: you simply need to step out into the traffic (open eyes are optional) and keep walking, as the bikes flow around you, and because they are so used to it, they do manage to avoid you (and each other!). At night, the city buzzes with neon and headlights dazzle everywhere you look.
Our one night in Saigon was the last night of the trip for Marlen, Nathan and Jo, and it had a bit of everything. It started normally enough, with dinner at an Italian restaurant in the backpackers district, followed by beers and cocktails (served in jam-jars, naturally), before things started to get a bit more unusual. Our search for a dance floor took us from one empty bar to another, before we decided to turn that to our advantage and get one of the DJs to play just our requests, dancing all over the bar while at the same time playing a game of darts with darts that were so blunt, you had to hurl them like a javelin to have any chance of making them stick. Afterwards, in search of somewhere else to drink, we accidentally ended up in a brothel, where a man-mountain of an Aussie offered us free vodka to stay for a while. We politely declined and instead stumbled across a flashy night club with hard core dance music; which was full of locals who wanted to either dance with us, sell us marijuana or hear our views on communism! Amongst the suits and designer dresses, we looked a bit out of place in our travellers garb, so we eventually left and found ourselves in a local "bar", which was nothing more than a few tiny plastic chairs on the roadside and cans of beer from the fridge. Everything was closing up by now, but there was still time for Marlen to join in the road races with the street kids, running barefoot through the backstreets of Saigon in the early hours of the morning.
The following day, along with Kelly, Susan and Mike who had joined our merry band for the Vietnam portion of the tour, we headed out of the city to see the Cu Chi tunnels. As we passed the parks and open areas that are sprinkled around the city, there were lots of people getting their daily morning exercise: tai chi formations, jogging and games of badminton or jianzi (kicking a shuttlecock to each other) were the most common activities.
The Cu Chi tunnels were used by the Viet Cong in their war against South Vietnam and the Americans. If you don't know, the Viet Cong are the southern Vietnamese who sided with the communist north in the war. You hear lots about the Vietnam war, and there are countless films about it, but being from a western country, I always hear the US version and it was interesting to get another take on it.
The Cu Chi tunnels are a network of over 200km of connected tunnels (obviously) on three levels, with fighting trenches and booby traps above ground. Whenever enemy troops came close by, the entire community hid in the tunnels or used them to get behind the advancing enemy and attack from the rear. The tunnels and entrances were tiny and the living conditions must have been atrocious, but because the Viet Cong were fighting for a cause and their country, their dedication, alongside inventive guerilla tactics (booby traps made from bamboo spikes, using human faeces to poison the tips) and industrious work ethic (fighting by day, farming by night) led them to their eventual victory. And rather than being communist propaganda, this view was from our tour guide, who was in the South Vietnam army during the war, working with the US in the Cu Chi area and, after the US withdrew, fighting in the Mekong Delta.
I don't know how widespread this view is within Vietnam, but our guide thinks that everybody who was in the war was a victim, and there is no animosity towards the Americans or between the opposite sides within Vietnam. Nowadays, he and an ex-Viet Cong general drink together, laughing about how lucky they were not to meet in the war because they were both crack shots!
Back in Saigon, we spent the rest of the day sight-seeing although, to be fair, there wasn't that much to see. The Reunification Palace was disappointing, a time-warp from when the north stormed the palace at the end of the war, and has been left pretty much as it was found that day, with lots of 1970s dullness! The central post office is an impressive building, with a giant picture of Ho Chi Minh looking down over the grand hall and next to it is the pretty Notre-Dame Basilica (a relic from when Vietnam was a French colony), but apart from that there is nothing particularly noteworthy. Given the short stay in Saigon, I didn't get the chance to explore any of the museums, but perhaps they would have been a better bet.
Nha Trang
That evening, we took our first night train of the trip to the beach resort of Nha Trang. Nominally four to a cabin, we spent the evening with ten crammed into one (twelve including the mice!), playing cards and chatting. The beds, when they eventually called, were surprisingly comfortable, although perhaps less so for the taller members of the group, as I only just fit into the sleeping space.
We arrived early morning and after a quick walk around the town (similar to many other beach resorts, with a slight Mediterranean feel and lots of tourists, bars and restaurants) we had a day of pampering. Heading out of the town centre to a natural spa in the hills for a (foul-smelling) mud bath and soak in the mineral waters, before returning to the town for a massage.
My dive master confirmation also came through in the afternoon and, as Nha Trang has some of the best diving in Vietnam, I celebrated with a couple of dives around the islands that are scattered off the coast. A six-thirty start was hampered by the more traditional celebration of beers and cocktails the night before (Why Not? as the name of the bar suggests), but the diving was quite good - not much coral, but lots of crustaceans, octopus and reef fish amongst the rocks.
Hoi An
After the diving, our second night train took us to Da Nang, where a three hour bus ride to Hoi An waited for us. The train journey was supposed to be 11 hours, but a couple of delays stretched that to 13, so the drinks before and during the journey, which helped make the time fly, were a good idea. They also made sleeping a bit easier, as the carriage we had on this leg was from older stock and not nearly as comfortable as the first night train.
We eventually arrived in Hoi An in time for lunch at one of the local restaurants. There has been mainly good food throughout Vietnam, although not quite as good as Cambodia and there have been a couple of awful meals, with a mix of Asian and western meals (and, contrary to popular (i.e. my) belief, there are more dogs on the streets than on the menus). However, lunch in Hoi An was probably the most fun, with possibly the most friendly restaurant host in the world. The food was basic, salad, spring rolls and pork skewers wrapped in rice paper and dipped in a chilli beef sauce, but was eaten by hand and the hostess decided that I clearly couldn't manage that by myself, so started hand feeding me and a couple of the others. Then, she took the view that I was also unable to drink by myself or use a serviette. It's a strange experience being hand feed by a complete stranger, but she was relentless and the food kept coming until I was full to bursting. The table after everybody had finished was a scene of carnage!
In the afternoon, we took a bike ride and it was nice to get out of town and not be on a bus. Only 1km out of town, we started riding through the paddy fields and vegetable patches, with farmers working using age old methods, kids playing and waving at us as we passed, cows and water buffalo munching on the verges paying us no attention whatsoever and hundreds of dragonflies buzzing around. The bikes had no gears, hardly any brakes and saddles that felt like they were made out of wood, but we went at such a leisurely pace, none of that mattered. Having been out for a couple of hours, we took a boat ride back to Hoi An centre on Hoi An river. It is such a very slow way of life, and a stark contrast to the hustle and bustle of Saigon and tourist traps of Nha Trang.
The hotel we stayed in had a swimming pool, so after the bike ride we relaxed by the pool until the rain came and then spent the rest of the day playing pool in the bars (pool tables are everywhere here and we've played a lot in the evenings).
So the first week in Vietnam was a bit of a mixed bag: nondescript cities and unremarkable (but nice) beach resorts, alongside interesting history lessons and, in Hoi An, a beautiful insight into a different way of life.
In the next post, I'll have an update from the northern part of the country.
Ta ta for now.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Cambodia: Horrors, history and hanging-out
Sorry guys and gals, it's a long one! Hope you are sitting comfortably. Perhaps you should get a nice cup of tea before you start reading!
Siem Reap
After arriving in Siem Reap, the first evening was spent visiting a project that GAP supports: www.newhopecambodia.com where they have been building a school and clinic to help the very poor.
I didn't see the worst of the poverty in Zanzibar, although I know it exists. Here, though, it is very evident, especially in the villages and it is difficult to grasp just how little these people have. It is also uncomfortable going on trips to see the worst areas; it feels like the villagers are a tourist attraction, as if they some kind of poverty freak show. However, I don't think the villagers see it like that. The Khmer have a similar outlook to life as Zanzibaris, as the children's faces light up with a smile when they see you, waving at you and trying out their English, and the people you meet in hotels, restaurants or around town (beggars aside) always seem happy. (There's that word again - desperate poverty and happiness seem to be perversely good bedfellows.) The joyful demeanour of the people is all the more surprising when you consider the recent history of this country, with its unwanted involvement in the Vietnam war and then suffering long-running civil wars, including the Pol Pot regime of the late seventies. It is amazing to think that this country was in the midst of a bloody civil war just 12/13 years ago. As this trip involves moving around from place to place, I haven't got to know any Khmer like I got to know the Zanzibaris, but if happiness is measured in smiles, then they are doing ok on that front.
The first day of the tour started with a 6:00 pick-up for the drive to Cambodia. The second day was even earlier, boarding our minibus at 4:45 to head to Angkor Wat to watch the sunrise. Unfortunately, the gods had other plans and the sunrise over Angkor Wat was scuppered by rain clouds, but the sight is impressive nonetheless.
Angkor Wat is the most famous of several temples in an enormous complex. It does not have the most intricate carving of temples I have seen, but the sheet scale of it and its age (built in the early 12th century) makes it very impressive. For one of the more famous wonders of the world, the crowds were actually rather sparse. Of course, tourism is still fairly new here, so this means that the infrastructure around the temple (the paths, the kiosks etc.) is very basic and the tour guides are still learning their trade. Our guide wanted us to ask questions rather than have a pre-prepared brief and, when we didn't, he would put people on the spot to come up with a question. At the end, we were told off because we didn't ask the right questions to get the information he wanted to tell us! One of the bonuses of not having swarming throngs of people is that, as the temple is surrounded by forests, we shared the sightseeing with a family of monkeys who were quite content running up and down the steps and walls of the temple. (A couple of the monkeys were clearly very happy, as we were treated to an impromptu sex show on the steps of the temple!) The lack of commercialisation and relative isolation that you get to wander around the grounds adds to the charm of the place.
After the visit to Angkor Wat, we spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon exploring three of the other temples: Ta Prohm, Ta Keo and Bayon.
Ta Prohm is known colloquially as the jungle temple. For those of you that have seen the film, it is the one used in the making of Tomb Raider. It is unusual; the surrounding forest has devoured parts of the temple and the walls are draped with roots and branches. Because it is so unusual, I think I preferred this temple to Angkor Wat, although it is much smaller so the tourists were more concentrated.
Ta Keo is one of the oldest temples in the complex, built around the start of the 11th century. Unbelievably, after who-knows how many years building the site, it was left unfinished after a lightning strike hit it and the locals considered it to be unlucky to continue with it! The steps that lead up the temple were so steep, they would not be allowed in the UK and I'm sure that when tourism does take off here, there will be restrictions on where you can go.
The final temple that we visited was Bayon, in the ancient capital city of Angkor Thom. The temple is famous for the hundreds of Buddha faces which decorate the towers and, as an ex-monastery, there were several monks there which gave the place an added sense of authenticity.
After spending half the day exploring temples, we had a change of pace on the late afternoon, going on a cruise on Tonle Sap lake. We were told it is the second biggest lake in the world, although I'm not sure this is correct. The lake is very shallow - it is at its biggest in the wet season (naturally) but even then it is only ever 10m deep. In the dry season, the majority of the lake is less than a couple of meters deep. I would have believed them if they said it was the world's biggest puddle! Having said that, it is currently the rainy season here and so a few of the group went for a swim in the warm waters. After a quick dip, we headed to the floating villages to watch the sunset, visit a floating crocodile farm and try some of the local delicacies, like fried snake (which is quite salty, but nice). Like the sunrise, the sunset was almost spoilt by clouds again, but it eventually broke through before we set off back to town for a night out.
Because we had had two early starts on the trip, it was the first time the group had gone out for a party and it was a really fun night out. We went to the appropriately, but unimaginatively, named Pub Street, where cocktails were two dollars a throw, so we started to work our way down the list, before having a bit of a boogie. It was good to start to get to know the rest of the group better, including discovering that 21 year olds can't drink as much as they used to! Sorry Kio! And I must admit, to my disgust, my tolerance of shit dance music is improving.
In the morning, after the biggest mango smoothie in the history of mankind, Marlen and I went for a massage. In a virtually open plan parlour, the modesty towel lasted about five minutes before being whipped away as it was getting in the way - Cambodia is a lot more liberal than I imagined! I thought it would be the perfect preparation for the seven hour bus ride to Phnom Penh but actually, as far as massages go, it wasn't the most relaxing. I don't think it helped having the two girls who were giving me a massage constantly chatting with each other and to the two that were with Marlen. But the aches and pains the following day must mean that it was good for me. Right?!
Phnom Penh
The landscape between Siem Reap and the capital is very flat, with endless farms stretching as far as the eye can see. Alongside the road, the people live in basic huts, built on stilts to keep the homes out of the water in the wet season. My first impression of Phnom Penh was that it is very busy, with lots of people, bikes and vehicles crisscrossing on the roads and pavements, but this is mainly due to the fact that we arrived in the city when the annual water festival was on, which also coincided with a full moon celebration (I'm not sure if that happens every year). The government had decided that they would not have a big festival this year, with the money saved going to help those affected by the floods, but there were still lots of people out celebrating. The only organised entertainment I saw was a firework display and some live music but, much like Forodhani at Eid, the celebrations seemed to be people meeting up with their families, sitting on rugs by the river eating together.
S21 and the Killing Fields
Hmmm. Where to start? The story of what happened during the Khmer Rouge regime from 1975 to 1979 is horrific beyond comprehension. Our tour guide on the day had lived through it, as a boy forced to work in the fields, so the stories were delivered with an added poignancy.
I do not intend to tell the story of the Khmer Rouge here; there are better informed reports available elsewhere and I could not do it justice in such a brief note. Suffice to say, 2 to 3 million Khmer (from a population of 7 million) were killed in under five years. Anybody who was regarded as a threat to the regime was killed. This includes soldiers from the previous regime, soldiers from the Khmer Rouge regime who knew too much or started to question orders and the country's intelligentsia who may challenge the regime or start an uprising. Everybody from the cities was driven from their homes to work in the fields, so how did the soldiers identify the educated classes? It was by taking a no-risk approach: if you wore glasses, you were deemed a threat; if you could speak a foreign language, a threat; if you had soft hands, a threat; if you had paler skin (indicating you spent time working in an office rather than fields), a threat. And if one member of a family was regarded as a threat, the rest of the family was also condemned by association - even the babies. All were killed. The country's population is now about 14 million and the fact that over half are under 18 highlights how the country had to rebuild itself following the years of civil wars.
Tuol Sleng or Section 21 (S-21) is one of the prisons in Phnom Penh used to incarcerate and interrogate people before they were taken to the Killing Fields to be murdered. S-21 used to be a school and, from the outside, it is not very foreboding. However, for 17,000 people it was their torture chamber and final home. There is barbed wire covering the front of the buildings, but it was not to prevent escape. No one escaped. It was put in place to prevent suicides, as the prisoners would rather die than endure the rape and torture that waiting for them inside. Of the 17,000 that were taken in for interrogation, not one was released and, when the city was liberated by the Vietnamese in 1979, there were just 7 survivors. Two of those survivors are still alive today and we met them. They work at the site of their torture in S21, selling books that tell their stories, explaining to tourists in broken English the horrors that they went through. It made the experience very, very real and helped you realise how recently these atrocities took place.
After the visit to S-21, we took a short drive to an area called Choeung Ek just outside town where the prisoners were taken on their final journey. At this site, there are over 100 mass graves. Around 80 have been excavated, but the rest are being left - the survivors do not need any more reminders. There is no mawkish sentimentality at the site - everything is just presented as matters-of-fact. The focal point is a giant stupa, where the skulls and bones of the excavated graves have been collected. The bones are stored in an enormous cabinet, perhaps ten meters square, with over 15 shelves, each shelf about 2 meters deep and stacked with skulls. The skulls have been separated into various categories: 15-20 year old females; 20-40 year old males etc. It is not a sight for the faint of heart.
The most disturbing aspect of the tour is that, as you walk around the site, you are walking over teeth and bones of the dead. Quite literally. As the rains wash away top soil, bone fragments and teeth rise to the surface on the paths around the site, and they are everywhere. There are also partially buried rags - the clothing that the murdered were wearing when they were sent to their death. And this is just one of the killing fields - there are over 300 throughout the country, with 20,000 mass graves in total.
And of all the horrific aspects, the most shocking is still taking place today. The killers have had an amnesty and are free to walk the sites, selling their stories to journalists. Others have positions high up in the current government. Only four of the highest command from the Khmer Rouge regime are facing trial for crimes against humanity (and this only after having an initial amnesty, where for 10 years they lived a life of luxury in the city where they were responsible for the deaths of so many) and Pol Pot himself died without being captured. The tour guide was not able to talk freely about politics when we were outside the coach, because there is still a fear of those in power. The scars on this country will take some time to heal.
As we left, the group was understandably very quiet, driving back to the city each with their own thoughts.
Rest of Phnom Penh
It was a day of contrasts, straight from the Killing Fields, we went to the Russian Market where the girls tried their best to buy one of everything. After that, we went to the national museum (which to be fair was not that great, lots of statutes of Buddha and Hindu deities and some artefacts, but compared to Siem Reap it wasn't too interesting). After a late lunch overlooking the river, we went to a local tv station to watch some kick boxing. As the only foreigners in town, the cameras were trained on us half the time! It was strange to mingle with the boxers as they came out of the ring, with one of the victors posing for photos with Sabine and Camilla. It sums up the openness and welcoming nature of the country.
Tuk-tuks have been the mode of transport here for all journeys up to about 45 minutes. It's funny how the local cheap transport varies from country to country. Same same, but different. They are a great way to see a new city and the several rides we had give a real insight to how the locals live their lives.
Sihanoukville
As we headed south to the coast of the Gulf of Thailand at Sihanoukville, the landscape changed. Endless flat plains were replaced by rolling hills, paddy fields disappeared and in their place were rows of palm trees and other fruit trees.
Our first day in Sihanoukville was spent playing pool, walking down the beach and drinking in the bars; because, to be honest, there is not much else to do there. It is a bit if a tourist place, bar after bar after bar lined the beach (which is not the most pretty I've seen) and kids and traders wander along trying to sell various souvenirs and snacks. The beach was very busy by the bars and restaurants and, perhaps surprisingly, the customers were mainly locals. The water festival was still going on, so lots of families were out celebrating.
On our second day, we took a boat to visit three of the islands in the bay. The snorkelling was the worst I have ever seen: next to no visibility, next to no fish and the water was full of all kinds of rubbish. After the snorkelling, we had lunch on another island and spent a few hours chilling on the beach or playing games in the sea. After the hectic and non-stop start to the tour, it was a nice break.
After two nights in Sihanoukville, it was time to head over to Vietnam at the border crossing at Phnom Den. The border is just a bridge with a few wooden shacks for immigration, customs etc. I hadn't previously crossed an international boundary on foot before this trip and now have done it twice in a week. It is remarkably straightforward, even in the more restrictive countries, despite a hiccup with the visa for one of the group.
That's it for now. The next blog will be full of stories from Vietnam.
Bye!
Siem Reap
After arriving in Siem Reap, the first evening was spent visiting a project that GAP supports: www.newhopecambodia.com where they have been building a school and clinic to help the very poor.
I didn't see the worst of the poverty in Zanzibar, although I know it exists. Here, though, it is very evident, especially in the villages and it is difficult to grasp just how little these people have. It is also uncomfortable going on trips to see the worst areas; it feels like the villagers are a tourist attraction, as if they some kind of poverty freak show. However, I don't think the villagers see it like that. The Khmer have a similar outlook to life as Zanzibaris, as the children's faces light up with a smile when they see you, waving at you and trying out their English, and the people you meet in hotels, restaurants or around town (beggars aside) always seem happy. (There's that word again - desperate poverty and happiness seem to be perversely good bedfellows.) The joyful demeanour of the people is all the more surprising when you consider the recent history of this country, with its unwanted involvement in the Vietnam war and then suffering long-running civil wars, including the Pol Pot regime of the late seventies. It is amazing to think that this country was in the midst of a bloody civil war just 12/13 years ago. As this trip involves moving around from place to place, I haven't got to know any Khmer like I got to know the Zanzibaris, but if happiness is measured in smiles, then they are doing ok on that front.
The first day of the tour started with a 6:00 pick-up for the drive to Cambodia. The second day was even earlier, boarding our minibus at 4:45 to head to Angkor Wat to watch the sunrise. Unfortunately, the gods had other plans and the sunrise over Angkor Wat was scuppered by rain clouds, but the sight is impressive nonetheless.
Angkor Wat is the most famous of several temples in an enormous complex. It does not have the most intricate carving of temples I have seen, but the sheet scale of it and its age (built in the early 12th century) makes it very impressive. For one of the more famous wonders of the world, the crowds were actually rather sparse. Of course, tourism is still fairly new here, so this means that the infrastructure around the temple (the paths, the kiosks etc.) is very basic and the tour guides are still learning their trade. Our guide wanted us to ask questions rather than have a pre-prepared brief and, when we didn't, he would put people on the spot to come up with a question. At the end, we were told off because we didn't ask the right questions to get the information he wanted to tell us! One of the bonuses of not having swarming throngs of people is that, as the temple is surrounded by forests, we shared the sightseeing with a family of monkeys who were quite content running up and down the steps and walls of the temple. (A couple of the monkeys were clearly very happy, as we were treated to an impromptu sex show on the steps of the temple!) The lack of commercialisation and relative isolation that you get to wander around the grounds adds to the charm of the place.
After the visit to Angkor Wat, we spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon exploring three of the other temples: Ta Prohm, Ta Keo and Bayon.
Ta Prohm is known colloquially as the jungle temple. For those of you that have seen the film, it is the one used in the making of Tomb Raider. It is unusual; the surrounding forest has devoured parts of the temple and the walls are draped with roots and branches. Because it is so unusual, I think I preferred this temple to Angkor Wat, although it is much smaller so the tourists were more concentrated.
Ta Keo is one of the oldest temples in the complex, built around the start of the 11th century. Unbelievably, after who-knows how many years building the site, it was left unfinished after a lightning strike hit it and the locals considered it to be unlucky to continue with it! The steps that lead up the temple were so steep, they would not be allowed in the UK and I'm sure that when tourism does take off here, there will be restrictions on where you can go.
The final temple that we visited was Bayon, in the ancient capital city of Angkor Thom. The temple is famous for the hundreds of Buddha faces which decorate the towers and, as an ex-monastery, there were several monks there which gave the place an added sense of authenticity.
After spending half the day exploring temples, we had a change of pace on the late afternoon, going on a cruise on Tonle Sap lake. We were told it is the second biggest lake in the world, although I'm not sure this is correct. The lake is very shallow - it is at its biggest in the wet season (naturally) but even then it is only ever 10m deep. In the dry season, the majority of the lake is less than a couple of meters deep. I would have believed them if they said it was the world's biggest puddle! Having said that, it is currently the rainy season here and so a few of the group went for a swim in the warm waters. After a quick dip, we headed to the floating villages to watch the sunset, visit a floating crocodile farm and try some of the local delicacies, like fried snake (which is quite salty, but nice). Like the sunrise, the sunset was almost spoilt by clouds again, but it eventually broke through before we set off back to town for a night out.
Because we had had two early starts on the trip, it was the first time the group had gone out for a party and it was a really fun night out. We went to the appropriately, but unimaginatively, named Pub Street, where cocktails were two dollars a throw, so we started to work our way down the list, before having a bit of a boogie. It was good to start to get to know the rest of the group better, including discovering that 21 year olds can't drink as much as they used to! Sorry Kio! And I must admit, to my disgust, my tolerance of shit dance music is improving.
In the morning, after the biggest mango smoothie in the history of mankind, Marlen and I went for a massage. In a virtually open plan parlour, the modesty towel lasted about five minutes before being whipped away as it was getting in the way - Cambodia is a lot more liberal than I imagined! I thought it would be the perfect preparation for the seven hour bus ride to Phnom Penh but actually, as far as massages go, it wasn't the most relaxing. I don't think it helped having the two girls who were giving me a massage constantly chatting with each other and to the two that were with Marlen. But the aches and pains the following day must mean that it was good for me. Right?!
Phnom Penh
The landscape between Siem Reap and the capital is very flat, with endless farms stretching as far as the eye can see. Alongside the road, the people live in basic huts, built on stilts to keep the homes out of the water in the wet season. My first impression of Phnom Penh was that it is very busy, with lots of people, bikes and vehicles crisscrossing on the roads and pavements, but this is mainly due to the fact that we arrived in the city when the annual water festival was on, which also coincided with a full moon celebration (I'm not sure if that happens every year). The government had decided that they would not have a big festival this year, with the money saved going to help those affected by the floods, but there were still lots of people out celebrating. The only organised entertainment I saw was a firework display and some live music but, much like Forodhani at Eid, the celebrations seemed to be people meeting up with their families, sitting on rugs by the river eating together.
S21 and the Killing Fields
Hmmm. Where to start? The story of what happened during the Khmer Rouge regime from 1975 to 1979 is horrific beyond comprehension. Our tour guide on the day had lived through it, as a boy forced to work in the fields, so the stories were delivered with an added poignancy.
I do not intend to tell the story of the Khmer Rouge here; there are better informed reports available elsewhere and I could not do it justice in such a brief note. Suffice to say, 2 to 3 million Khmer (from a population of 7 million) were killed in under five years. Anybody who was regarded as a threat to the regime was killed. This includes soldiers from the previous regime, soldiers from the Khmer Rouge regime who knew too much or started to question orders and the country's intelligentsia who may challenge the regime or start an uprising. Everybody from the cities was driven from their homes to work in the fields, so how did the soldiers identify the educated classes? It was by taking a no-risk approach: if you wore glasses, you were deemed a threat; if you could speak a foreign language, a threat; if you had soft hands, a threat; if you had paler skin (indicating you spent time working in an office rather than fields), a threat. And if one member of a family was regarded as a threat, the rest of the family was also condemned by association - even the babies. All were killed. The country's population is now about 14 million and the fact that over half are under 18 highlights how the country had to rebuild itself following the years of civil wars.
Tuol Sleng or Section 21 (S-21) is one of the prisons in Phnom Penh used to incarcerate and interrogate people before they were taken to the Killing Fields to be murdered. S-21 used to be a school and, from the outside, it is not very foreboding. However, for 17,000 people it was their torture chamber and final home. There is barbed wire covering the front of the buildings, but it was not to prevent escape. No one escaped. It was put in place to prevent suicides, as the prisoners would rather die than endure the rape and torture that waiting for them inside. Of the 17,000 that were taken in for interrogation, not one was released and, when the city was liberated by the Vietnamese in 1979, there were just 7 survivors. Two of those survivors are still alive today and we met them. They work at the site of their torture in S21, selling books that tell their stories, explaining to tourists in broken English the horrors that they went through. It made the experience very, very real and helped you realise how recently these atrocities took place.
After the visit to S-21, we took a short drive to an area called Choeung Ek just outside town where the prisoners were taken on their final journey. At this site, there are over 100 mass graves. Around 80 have been excavated, but the rest are being left - the survivors do not need any more reminders. There is no mawkish sentimentality at the site - everything is just presented as matters-of-fact. The focal point is a giant stupa, where the skulls and bones of the excavated graves have been collected. The bones are stored in an enormous cabinet, perhaps ten meters square, with over 15 shelves, each shelf about 2 meters deep and stacked with skulls. The skulls have been separated into various categories: 15-20 year old females; 20-40 year old males etc. It is not a sight for the faint of heart.
The most disturbing aspect of the tour is that, as you walk around the site, you are walking over teeth and bones of the dead. Quite literally. As the rains wash away top soil, bone fragments and teeth rise to the surface on the paths around the site, and they are everywhere. There are also partially buried rags - the clothing that the murdered were wearing when they were sent to their death. And this is just one of the killing fields - there are over 300 throughout the country, with 20,000 mass graves in total.
And of all the horrific aspects, the most shocking is still taking place today. The killers have had an amnesty and are free to walk the sites, selling their stories to journalists. Others have positions high up in the current government. Only four of the highest command from the Khmer Rouge regime are facing trial for crimes against humanity (and this only after having an initial amnesty, where for 10 years they lived a life of luxury in the city where they were responsible for the deaths of so many) and Pol Pot himself died without being captured. The tour guide was not able to talk freely about politics when we were outside the coach, because there is still a fear of those in power. The scars on this country will take some time to heal.
As we left, the group was understandably very quiet, driving back to the city each with their own thoughts.
Rest of Phnom Penh
It was a day of contrasts, straight from the Killing Fields, we went to the Russian Market where the girls tried their best to buy one of everything. After that, we went to the national museum (which to be fair was not that great, lots of statutes of Buddha and Hindu deities and some artefacts, but compared to Siem Reap it wasn't too interesting). After a late lunch overlooking the river, we went to a local tv station to watch some kick boxing. As the only foreigners in town, the cameras were trained on us half the time! It was strange to mingle with the boxers as they came out of the ring, with one of the victors posing for photos with Sabine and Camilla. It sums up the openness and welcoming nature of the country.
Tuk-tuks have been the mode of transport here for all journeys up to about 45 minutes. It's funny how the local cheap transport varies from country to country. Same same, but different. They are a great way to see a new city and the several rides we had give a real insight to how the locals live their lives.
Sihanoukville
As we headed south to the coast of the Gulf of Thailand at Sihanoukville, the landscape changed. Endless flat plains were replaced by rolling hills, paddy fields disappeared and in their place were rows of palm trees and other fruit trees.
Our first day in Sihanoukville was spent playing pool, walking down the beach and drinking in the bars; because, to be honest, there is not much else to do there. It is a bit if a tourist place, bar after bar after bar lined the beach (which is not the most pretty I've seen) and kids and traders wander along trying to sell various souvenirs and snacks. The beach was very busy by the bars and restaurants and, perhaps surprisingly, the customers were mainly locals. The water festival was still going on, so lots of families were out celebrating.
On our second day, we took a boat to visit three of the islands in the bay. The snorkelling was the worst I have ever seen: next to no visibility, next to no fish and the water was full of all kinds of rubbish. After the snorkelling, we had lunch on another island and spent a few hours chilling on the beach or playing games in the sea. After the hectic and non-stop start to the tour, it was a nice break.
After two nights in Sihanoukville, it was time to head over to Vietnam at the border crossing at Phnom Den. The border is just a bridge with a few wooden shacks for immigration, customs etc. I hadn't previously crossed an international boundary on foot before this trip and now have done it twice in a week. It is remarkably straightforward, even in the more restrictive countries, despite a hiccup with the visa for one of the group.
That's it for now. The next blog will be full of stories from Vietnam.
Bye!
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Bangkok and the road to Cambodia
Getting there
The round-the-world part of my sabbatical did not get off to the most auspicious of starts. My night-time London to Bangkok flight was brought forward by about one hour, so STA kindly decided that I would appreciate eight hours shopping at Heathrow and switched me from an evening flight from Manchester to London to a lunchtime one. The main problem was, by the time I found this out (by trying to check-in to the evening flight online) I had only just got back from the wedding in Sheffield. I still needed to pack and the early flight was already taking off! Cue a bit of a mad panic and a hurridly drawn up contingency plan to drive to London for the Bangkok flight, before a quick dash to Manchester airport sorted it all out, as the BA staff were able to get me another seat on my original evening flight. Not the most relaxing last day in the UK, but it was pretty much in keeping with the rest of my brief visit!
Although I have been "travelling" for three months, I have only been in one place so far and it was actually a bit daunting to head off again, not knowing who I will meet or what lies ahead at the other end of the flight. Daunting, but also exciting: countries I have not seen before, new cultures to be experienced and new sights to see, new stories to tell and new photos to take! And I was also looking forward to starting to say "hello" to people again. It had felt like the previous week had all been about goodbyes, both in Zanzibar and the UK, so I was ready for a change. I had also said goodbye to technology (or at least some of it). I am now sans computer, so will be relying on internet cafes and whatever mobile coverage I can get to keep in touch with the rest of the world. I know how disappointed you would be if I could not keep my blog updated!
Bangkok and joining the tour
After a 19 hour journey, the last 90 minutes of which were spent in a taxi crawling through Bangkok's rush hour traffic, I arrived at my hotel just in time for the final five minutes of the tour briefing. Ten minutes later, we were heading out to a local restaurant.
I admit that starting my proper travels on an organised tour is a bit of a coward's way of doing it. Having a ready made group of friends sounds so much easier than pitching up at one of the many hostels in Bangkok and having to work to get to know people. The group seems like a good mix; everybody is in their 20s or 30s and quite a few different countries are represented. It is mainly solo travellers in the group, like me, plus three couples and a couple of girls travelling together from Denmark (Sabine and Camilla). The three solo blokes on the trip, (me, Jon (Canadian) and Kio (English)) will be alternating shared room and private room. The are also four girls travelling alone (Abbey and Tasmine, both English, Marlen (Swiss, but currently lives in Moscow) and Stine (Danish)). Of the couples, Nathan and Jo are from Melbourne, while Dennis and Janine & Peter and Stefanie are all from Germany. I'm not certain yet, but think I am the eldest. Again! But as I already knew and was confirmed in Zanzibar, age is just a number!
Once we get to Vietnam, some of this group will leave and other people will join our party. I think throughout the trip, there will be about 15 people on the tour, which seems like a good size.
On the second day of the tour, we set off at 7.00 on the four hour bus ride to the Cambodian border at Poipet (in case the floods had made travelling even more difficult than usual). As it turned out, on the route we took there were very few signs of the floods, apart from sandbags piled up outside shops and restaurants and lines of parked cars on the freeway (one of the highest points in the city). The floods have been a disaster though and Amy, our tour guide, who lives on the outskirts of Bangkok currently has her car underwater. The journey itself was very straightforward: tarmac roads, roadsigns showing the way, lanes being used properly; I must admit I thought I had gone deaf at one point when we hit some traffic and I did not hear a single car horn. The surrounding countryside in Thailand was made up of thick clumps of trees and lush green fields, with the paddy fields of the rice farms dotted here and there by the roadside.
Cambodia border crossing
Seven days. Five flights. Four countries. Three continents. One wedding. My body clock lost three hours for three days, then gained seven. No wonder I was so bloody knackered by the time we reached Cambodia!
In Cambodia, we had another 2.5 hours to travel to reach Siem Reap, our first port of call. Here, there have been die straight roads that stretch for miles flanked by vast plains of rice fields, with local farmers up to their waist in the water or children swimming, with the odd shrine or temple scattered among the populated areas alongside cattle and water buffalo grazing at the verges.
I thought the accommodation on the tour was going to be very basic, but the the first two hotels we have stayed in have been good. Let's hope this is a good sign for the rest of the tour.
Sorry, there are not many photos just yet, but I promise I'll make it up in the coming weeks!
Sawadee khráp.
The round-the-world part of my sabbatical did not get off to the most auspicious of starts. My night-time London to Bangkok flight was brought forward by about one hour, so STA kindly decided that I would appreciate eight hours shopping at Heathrow and switched me from an evening flight from Manchester to London to a lunchtime one. The main problem was, by the time I found this out (by trying to check-in to the evening flight online) I had only just got back from the wedding in Sheffield. I still needed to pack and the early flight was already taking off! Cue a bit of a mad panic and a hurridly drawn up contingency plan to drive to London for the Bangkok flight, before a quick dash to Manchester airport sorted it all out, as the BA staff were able to get me another seat on my original evening flight. Not the most relaxing last day in the UK, but it was pretty much in keeping with the rest of my brief visit!
Although I have been "travelling" for three months, I have only been in one place so far and it was actually a bit daunting to head off again, not knowing who I will meet or what lies ahead at the other end of the flight. Daunting, but also exciting: countries I have not seen before, new cultures to be experienced and new sights to see, new stories to tell and new photos to take! And I was also looking forward to starting to say "hello" to people again. It had felt like the previous week had all been about goodbyes, both in Zanzibar and the UK, so I was ready for a change. I had also said goodbye to technology (or at least some of it). I am now sans computer, so will be relying on internet cafes and whatever mobile coverage I can get to keep in touch with the rest of the world. I know how disappointed you would be if I could not keep my blog updated!
Bangkok and joining the tour
After a 19 hour journey, the last 90 minutes of which were spent in a taxi crawling through Bangkok's rush hour traffic, I arrived at my hotel just in time for the final five minutes of the tour briefing. Ten minutes later, we were heading out to a local restaurant.
I admit that starting my proper travels on an organised tour is a bit of a coward's way of doing it. Having a ready made group of friends sounds so much easier than pitching up at one of the many hostels in Bangkok and having to work to get to know people. The group seems like a good mix; everybody is in their 20s or 30s and quite a few different countries are represented. It is mainly solo travellers in the group, like me, plus three couples and a couple of girls travelling together from Denmark (Sabine and Camilla). The three solo blokes on the trip, (me, Jon (Canadian) and Kio (English)) will be alternating shared room and private room. The are also four girls travelling alone (Abbey and Tasmine, both English, Marlen (Swiss, but currently lives in Moscow) and Stine (Danish)). Of the couples, Nathan and Jo are from Melbourne, while Dennis and Janine & Peter and Stefanie are all from Germany. I'm not certain yet, but think I am the eldest. Again! But as I already knew and was confirmed in Zanzibar, age is just a number!
Once we get to Vietnam, some of this group will leave and other people will join our party. I think throughout the trip, there will be about 15 people on the tour, which seems like a good size.
On the second day of the tour, we set off at 7.00 on the four hour bus ride to the Cambodian border at Poipet (in case the floods had made travelling even more difficult than usual). As it turned out, on the route we took there were very few signs of the floods, apart from sandbags piled up outside shops and restaurants and lines of parked cars on the freeway (one of the highest points in the city). The floods have been a disaster though and Amy, our tour guide, who lives on the outskirts of Bangkok currently has her car underwater. The journey itself was very straightforward: tarmac roads, roadsigns showing the way, lanes being used properly; I must admit I thought I had gone deaf at one point when we hit some traffic and I did not hear a single car horn. The surrounding countryside in Thailand was made up of thick clumps of trees and lush green fields, with the paddy fields of the rice farms dotted here and there by the roadside.
Cambodia border crossing
Seven days. Five flights. Four countries. Three continents. One wedding. My body clock lost three hours for three days, then gained seven. No wonder I was so bloody knackered by the time we reached Cambodia!
In Cambodia, we had another 2.5 hours to travel to reach Siem Reap, our first port of call. Here, there have been die straight roads that stretch for miles flanked by vast plains of rice fields, with local farmers up to their waist in the water or children swimming, with the odd shrine or temple scattered among the populated areas alongside cattle and water buffalo grazing at the verges.
I thought the accommodation on the tour was going to be very basic, but the the first two hotels we have stayed in have been good. Let's hope this is a good sign for the rest of the tour.
Sorry, there are not many photos just yet, but I promise I'll make it up in the coming weeks!
Sawadee khráp.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Back to Blighty
The last few days
My final week in Zanzibar turned out to be a bit of a topsy-turvy one. As well as having mixed feelings about leaving the island and going on the next leg of my trip, the week just had a strange feel about it. There were some good nights out (and accompanying recovery mornings) and the sunset cruise was really good, but I managed to catch a bug that was going round, so diving opportunities were limited, and a couple of other things didn't turn out quite how I hoped or planned. On top of that, the floods in Bangkok and Qantas's decision to ground its flights meant that the Indochina part of my trip was in jeopardy for a while. I did, though, finish the diving course which was my main goal for my stay here.
The sunset cruise was a great night, although the lack of wind was a bit of a worry as we gently drifted towards the container ships moored at the docks, and a big ugly ship blocked the last few moments of the sunset, but it was a fun leaving do (and, to be honest, big ugly ships are just as typical of Zanzibar as beautiful sunsets).
The Halloween party was a drunken affair, with some very inventive costumes, especially given how difficult it can be to get unusual things here (and I must give a special mention to Len/Tim who went dressed as a condom), and lots of cat outfits. After failing to find what I was looking for in Darajani (which in no way was due to Steffi and Uli browsing for shoes and dresses), my costume was quite a tame one (for me!) and I had to settle for a face painted with various eye-shadow colours.
One of the things you are taught very early in your diving education is that you shouldn't dive with a cold or blocked sinuses. But it was the last few days of my stay, so what did I do? Of course I did. Equalising my ears on the way down was actually fine, but the blood streaming from my nose after surfacing was a bit more of a worry! It stopped (eventually) but lessons have been learnt! The two stamina tests that I had been dreading, the 800m snorkel and 100m tired diver tow, were saved for my last few days, but I surprised myself and managed to score 4 out of 5 on both, even beating the time of the new, 18-year old, dive master trainee. There's life in the old dog yet! And with those stamina tests completed, so too was the dive master course, so now I am a fully fledged professional scuba diver. Poa sana!
With the course completed and my sinuses not up to diving, I stayed out of the water on my last day on the island. I did, though, have a lovely day, returning to Paje for a day at the beach with Steffi, before a farewell dinner at La Taverna with lots of the friends from my stay. Steffi had an hilariously wonderful "Do you know who I am?!" moment on the way back from Paje, berating and shouting at the police officer who dared to stop her and ask for her driving papers. I think news of her mood must have travelled quickly, because when we were stopped a second time nearing Stone Town, the officer just wished us (me?!) good luck and waved us on!
My final day would not have been complete without visits to Tatu and Livingstones, so we duly obliged, although this time some of the more dedicated fun-seekers topped the night off with a trip to Bwani for (yet) more drink and a boogie, eventually leaving at about 3:00. Getting in at 3:30 in the morning, not absolutely sober, does not make for the best packing, but I somehow managed. I really should be well practiced at it by now!
Speaking of packing, I found an ideal solution to the problem of avoiding ridiculous excess luggage fees on the return trip. I have simply left half my gear in Zanzibar! More specifically, I have left all my heavy diving equipment. Although I generally prefer visiting new places rather than returning to previous destinations, I decided a few weeks ago that I would be going back to Zanzibar next year and this saves me having to carry it out again. Besides which, I cannot take it with me on the rest of my travels and, when I'm back in the UK, I would need to be really desperate for a dive to force me to face the icy waters, so I'm not going to need any of it in the meantime. So, for all the adopted Zanzibaris reading this, sorry, but you've not got rid of me yet!
I was a bit subdued in the final few days as my time on the island drew to a close, but actually leaving was an unexpectedly unemotional affair. I'll confess to a couple of tears when I was dropped off after Bwani, but leaving day itself and the flights home were fine. Laura and Nell were at the airport to wave me off and I managed to get the co-pilot seat on the Zanzibar to Dar flight (courtesy of Iain). I met up with David for lunch in Dar before heading to the airport. And when I was on the Dar to Doha flight (which, I kid you not, left about 30 minutes early - not very Tanzanian at all!) it felt like I was going away to somewhere, rather than returning from somewhere. Whilst it was sad to think about the people I won't see for a while, I think that knowing I am returning soon means it is only a temporary farewell and not a final goodbye - which is so much easier.
And so to England
Cold. Wet. And, most of all, grey. From the grey-green grass to the grey-blue sky, with its watery grey sun and (mainly) grey clouds. Grey. But it is also home; and I have had a great time seeing my family and people I love, catching up with friends who I have missed while in Africa and who I will miss again when I head off to Asia. It has also been nice to hear the birdsong in the garden, which even under the heavy November skies are much more melodic than the screeching crows which abound in Zanzibar.
The three and half days spent back in England involved a lot of rushing around. I managed to head down to London to get my visa for Vietnam, pick up some money for travelling, visit Helen and her beautiful new baby boy, finish all my laundry, arrange house insurance, download all my photos, do a bit of shopping, pack (again) and see lots of family and friends, as well as celebrate Matt and Jon's wedding. At least all that rushing helped to keep me warm!
One thing that wasn't grey was the celebration for Matt and Jon's wedding. It was a gloriously colourful affair, although not quite extravagantly camp as I expected (music aside). I think I surprised a few people with the amount of time I spent on the dance floor - it's a good job they didn't play Rihanna, or I think they may have had even more of a shock!
It has been really good seeing my family again. I know it has been said many times before, but babies grow up fast and Jack, Harry and Poppy have all changed in the three months I have been away, so it was nice to see them a little bit older.
On the road again
For those of you that have travelled with me before, you know that I am not a particularly light traveller. Too many cameras and other toys! So you will be impressed at the backpack I am taking for the next three months (or at least I am impressed!). Everything I am taking fits into my hand luggage, so I can avoid wasting time at airport carousels, reduce the chance of losing my stuff in transit and make moving around cities much simpler. It waits to be seen whether I can cope like this, and there is a chance I will be buying another bag before too long!
One thing I will have to stop doing, is using my pidgin Swahili with everybody that I meet. That, and greeting people with a fist pump, which is all very natural in Zanzibar but gets you a very strange look from the ticket collector on the train to London! In fact, fuck them, I don't think I will stop - there is a little piece of Zanzibar inside me now so they will just have to deal with it!
Ta ta for now
Next stop Bangkok and the floods...
My final week in Zanzibar turned out to be a bit of a topsy-turvy one. As well as having mixed feelings about leaving the island and going on the next leg of my trip, the week just had a strange feel about it. There were some good nights out (and accompanying recovery mornings) and the sunset cruise was really good, but I managed to catch a bug that was going round, so diving opportunities were limited, and a couple of other things didn't turn out quite how I hoped or planned. On top of that, the floods in Bangkok and Qantas's decision to ground its flights meant that the Indochina part of my trip was in jeopardy for a while. I did, though, finish the diving course which was my main goal for my stay here.
The sunset cruise was a great night, although the lack of wind was a bit of a worry as we gently drifted towards the container ships moored at the docks, and a big ugly ship blocked the last few moments of the sunset, but it was a fun leaving do (and, to be honest, big ugly ships are just as typical of Zanzibar as beautiful sunsets).
The Halloween party was a drunken affair, with some very inventive costumes, especially given how difficult it can be to get unusual things here (and I must give a special mention to Len/Tim who went dressed as a condom), and lots of cat outfits. After failing to find what I was looking for in Darajani (which in no way was due to Steffi and Uli browsing for shoes and dresses), my costume was quite a tame one (for me!) and I had to settle for a face painted with various eye-shadow colours.
One of the things you are taught very early in your diving education is that you shouldn't dive with a cold or blocked sinuses. But it was the last few days of my stay, so what did I do? Of course I did. Equalising my ears on the way down was actually fine, but the blood streaming from my nose after surfacing was a bit more of a worry! It stopped (eventually) but lessons have been learnt! The two stamina tests that I had been dreading, the 800m snorkel and 100m tired diver tow, were saved for my last few days, but I surprised myself and managed to score 4 out of 5 on both, even beating the time of the new, 18-year old, dive master trainee. There's life in the old dog yet! And with those stamina tests completed, so too was the dive master course, so now I am a fully fledged professional scuba diver. Poa sana!
With the course completed and my sinuses not up to diving, I stayed out of the water on my last day on the island. I did, though, have a lovely day, returning to Paje for a day at the beach with Steffi, before a farewell dinner at La Taverna with lots of the friends from my stay. Steffi had an hilariously wonderful "Do you know who I am?!" moment on the way back from Paje, berating and shouting at the police officer who dared to stop her and ask for her driving papers. I think news of her mood must have travelled quickly, because when we were stopped a second time nearing Stone Town, the officer just wished us (me?!) good luck and waved us on!
My final day would not have been complete without visits to Tatu and Livingstones, so we duly obliged, although this time some of the more dedicated fun-seekers topped the night off with a trip to Bwani for (yet) more drink and a boogie, eventually leaving at about 3:00. Getting in at 3:30 in the morning, not absolutely sober, does not make for the best packing, but I somehow managed. I really should be well practiced at it by now!
Speaking of packing, I found an ideal solution to the problem of avoiding ridiculous excess luggage fees on the return trip. I have simply left half my gear in Zanzibar! More specifically, I have left all my heavy diving equipment. Although I generally prefer visiting new places rather than returning to previous destinations, I decided a few weeks ago that I would be going back to Zanzibar next year and this saves me having to carry it out again. Besides which, I cannot take it with me on the rest of my travels and, when I'm back in the UK, I would need to be really desperate for a dive to force me to face the icy waters, so I'm not going to need any of it in the meantime. So, for all the adopted Zanzibaris reading this, sorry, but you've not got rid of me yet!
I was a bit subdued in the final few days as my time on the island drew to a close, but actually leaving was an unexpectedly unemotional affair. I'll confess to a couple of tears when I was dropped off after Bwani, but leaving day itself and the flights home were fine. Laura and Nell were at the airport to wave me off and I managed to get the co-pilot seat on the Zanzibar to Dar flight (courtesy of Iain). I met up with David for lunch in Dar before heading to the airport. And when I was on the Dar to Doha flight (which, I kid you not, left about 30 minutes early - not very Tanzanian at all!) it felt like I was going away to somewhere, rather than returning from somewhere. Whilst it was sad to think about the people I won't see for a while, I think that knowing I am returning soon means it is only a temporary farewell and not a final goodbye - which is so much easier.
And so to England
Cold. Wet. And, most of all, grey. From the grey-green grass to the grey-blue sky, with its watery grey sun and (mainly) grey clouds. Grey. But it is also home; and I have had a great time seeing my family and people I love, catching up with friends who I have missed while in Africa and who I will miss again when I head off to Asia. It has also been nice to hear the birdsong in the garden, which even under the heavy November skies are much more melodic than the screeching crows which abound in Zanzibar.
The three and half days spent back in England involved a lot of rushing around. I managed to head down to London to get my visa for Vietnam, pick up some money for travelling, visit Helen and her beautiful new baby boy, finish all my laundry, arrange house insurance, download all my photos, do a bit of shopping, pack (again) and see lots of family and friends, as well as celebrate Matt and Jon's wedding. At least all that rushing helped to keep me warm!
One thing that wasn't grey was the celebration for Matt and Jon's wedding. It was a gloriously colourful affair, although not quite extravagantly camp as I expected (music aside). I think I surprised a few people with the amount of time I spent on the dance floor - it's a good job they didn't play Rihanna, or I think they may have had even more of a shock!
It has been really good seeing my family again. I know it has been said many times before, but babies grow up fast and Jack, Harry and Poppy have all changed in the three months I have been away, so it was nice to see them a little bit older.
On the road again
For those of you that have travelled with me before, you know that I am not a particularly light traveller. Too many cameras and other toys! So you will be impressed at the backpack I am taking for the next three months (or at least I am impressed!). Everything I am taking fits into my hand luggage, so I can avoid wasting time at airport carousels, reduce the chance of losing my stuff in transit and make moving around cities much simpler. It waits to be seen whether I can cope like this, and there is a chance I will be buying another bag before too long!
One thing I will have to stop doing, is using my pidgin Swahili with everybody that I meet. That, and greeting people with a fist pump, which is all very natural in Zanzibar but gets you a very strange look from the ticket collector on the train to London! In fact, fuck them, I don't think I will stop - there is a little piece of Zanzibar inside me now so they will just have to deal with it!
Ta ta for now
Next stop Bangkok and the floods...
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Zanzibar: Farewell Zanzibar......for now
Well, I have just one week left in Zanzibar, so it is
time for the next instalment of my blog (which will probably be the last from
these islands).
Since the previous post, the low season has really hit
and, apart from the odd couple of days, the dive shop has been very quiet. So,
for the last few weeks I have spent more of my time sitting in cafes and bars
or on the beach. The temperature is steadily increasing too, which can be
very draining (sorry to rub it in!), so it has really felt like being on holiday
here (although almost everybody else that I know here has to work during the
days, unfortunately).
I am still meeting new people and making new friends,
like Steffi (from Germany, working for a tour company in Stone Town), a group
from London here to learn Swahili and a few more of the local beach
boys. With my mindset firmly in holiday mode, there have been some big
days and nights out at Tatu, Livingstones and Mtoni. I managed to make it to
Kendwa Rocks for the full moon party with Steffi and Laura too, although after
three big parties in a row, with perhaps ten hours sleep in total, I was in
need of a rest after that. The following weekend had another all-nighter, at
the local nightclub (Bwani), which was also a bit of an eye-opener!
On top of that, I had my first (and only) experience
of the local police force, visiting the police station in Malindi with Steffi
to help get her driving licence back. This is how it works:
1. The traffic police stop you for a minor
misdemeanour and confiscate the driving licence.
2. It is illegal to drive without your licence, so you
need to go to the court or police station to get it back.
3. The first time you go, they send you away saying
come back tomorrow.
4. On the second visit, they’ll keep you waiting
around to get you pissed off at the inefficiencies and ineptitude of the staff
(which they have taken to an art form).
5. Then they tell you that, although they have the
licence with them, it is too late to go to court to pay the fine.
6. You ask to pay the fine there and then, which they
are more than happy to agree to - provided there is no receipt.
7. The police get in your car and you drive around the
corner to pay the bribe and then go on your way!
The funny thing is that it works, in a corrupt and
slow sort of way!
My diving course is almost completed. All the theory
has been done (with one exam left to sit) and all the workshops and practical
assessments finished (bar one final day in the pool). Swimming 400m for the
first time in about 30 years - against the clock - was a bit of a killer, and I
still have the 800m swim in the ocean to complete before I finish the course,
which I am not looking forward to. I did, though, pass my physical exam at the
local doctors - apparently I am "a healthy young man fit for scuba
diving"! It's been quite a while since I have been called young!
What next?
Of course I'm excited about the rest of my planned
travels, but I will be sad to leave. I think, in part, that is why I have been
putting off going to the mainland to get my visa for Vietnam. That is not the
main reason though - although Zanzibar is technically a part of Tanzania,
Zanzibaris still tend to think of the archipelago as a country in its own
right, so I may have struggled to get back to the island from Dar if I had to
leave my passport at the Vietnamese embassy for a few days (and for those of
you that have not been, being stuck in Dar for more than a day is quite a
depressing proposition). It is just one of the small day to day problems that
you come across here - it is like needing a passport to go to or from Wales.
Come to think of it, that may not be such a bad idea...! It looks like I will
need to make a flying visit to London when I am in the UK to get my visa sorted
there.
There are things that I won't miss about Zanzibar,
like the daily power cuts and calls to prayer at all hours, which sound like
air-raid sirens going off. But mainly, as you may have guessed, I have loved my
time here and there is a lot more that I will miss. As well as all the friends I
have made and the general lifestyle, there are small things too, like speed
bumps that get less effective the faster you go, or having bush-babies
scurrying around in the trees in the garden at night. Dining like the
locals has been a fun experience as well: eating chapattis, kebabs and samosas
by the roadside at Darajani, or chipsi maya sitting under a tree in the middle
of nowhere, or drinking and eating from a freshly hewn coconut down a Stone
Town backstreet.
It is the people I will miss most though: from
Rueben’s pneumatic laughter to Rich’s Manc sense of humour; from Esther’s love
of the water to Mark’s love of the beer; from Emilia’s psychoanalysis sessions
to David’s kindly Irishness; from Laura’s bubbly approach to life to Helen’s
love of being photographed; from Amani’s cheeky grin to Faridu’s screeching
laugh; from Nell’s care for the environment to Steffi’s smiling eyes; and all
the other people that I have met, sometimes briefly, but always with a warm
welcome. I know I will keep in touch with lots of them, and maybe even see them
again later on my trip or beyond.
For the rest of my final week, there are a few nights
out planned – Laura and Iain’s Kiwi pub quiz at Mercury’s, a Halloween fancy
dress party at Mbweni Ruins, which should be a good laugh, and I hope to fit in
a sunset cruise with all the friends I have made here. After that, before
my next leg of the trip, I'm off back to England to visit family and friends
for a few days and to celebrate Matt & Jon's wedding. I wonder if I can get
away with shorts and a t-shirt.......
Monday, October 17, 2011
Zanzibar: Jozani Forest, Spice Tour & Paje (...and happiness)
Hello!
Just a quick update this time, with photos and stories from a couple of trips I have had around the island.
Jozani Forest
Taking advantage of the fact that my friend Laura runs a tour company and needed to try out the tours that they offer (and so I got to go for free!), I spent a day at Jozani Forest and on the ubiquitous spice tour. Jozani is situated in the south east of the island, and is made up of ancient forests, plantations and mangroves, where locals can get all their medicines, food, clothing and just about everything else they need to survive. It is also home to the rare and endangered red colobus monkey, which is indigenous to Zanzibar.
There are only around 2,500 of these monkeys left in the world; half of which live in Jozani. Luckily, despite the best efforts of the Finnish monkey killer, there were lots of monkeys around and they were out in force. The main road from Stone Town to Paje runs through Jozani Forest and the monkeys were congregated only a few yards from the roadside. Although they are wild, they are used to humans (and traffic) so were happy to come quite close and allow me to get some photos.
Spice Tour
To be honest, I wasn't really that bothered about going on the spice tour beforehand and probably wouldn't have done so if Laura didn't need to see it. I've been on these kinds of trips before, where the guide tells you that spices and fruit grow on plants and trees and then try to sell you packs of spices at silly inflated prices. Perhaps it was because the tour guides were already known to Laura and so everything was very informal, but it actually turned out to be a very good tour - both informative and entertaining - and I enjoyed it. Of course they did take you to their shop at the end of the tour, but there was very little hassle and, besides which, the prices weren't too ridiculous. I still didn't buy anything - old habits die hard! - but I can recommend the tour to anybody who comes to Zanzibar.
Around Stone Town, you can always tell who has been on the spice tour because of the woven palm leaf paraphernalia they are adorned with. It doesn't hurt to look like an idiot every once in a while, and Laura and I took that to heart (although she did manage to carry off the look a lot better than me!).
Paje
Of course, these thoughts are a bit (a lot?) of a generalisation and I know people back home to whom these comments don't really apply, so it may be more of a reflection on me than on the differences between the UK and Zanzibar. But I do think there is something endemic in the respective societies that results in more smiles and laughter in Zanzibar, despite the (material) poverty and tragedies that occur from time to time, than back home.
Just a quick update this time, with photos and stories from a couple of trips I have had around the island.
Jozani Forest
Taking advantage of the fact that my friend Laura runs a tour company and needed to try out the tours that they offer (and so I got to go for free!), I spent a day at Jozani Forest and on the ubiquitous spice tour. Jozani is situated in the south east of the island, and is made up of ancient forests, plantations and mangroves, where locals can get all their medicines, food, clothing and just about everything else they need to survive. It is also home to the rare and endangered red colobus monkey, which is indigenous to Zanzibar.There are only around 2,500 of these monkeys left in the world; half of which live in Jozani. Luckily, despite the best efforts of the Finnish monkey killer, there were lots of monkeys around and they were out in force. The main road from Stone Town to Paje runs through Jozani Forest and the monkeys were congregated only a few yards from the roadside. Although they are wild, they are used to humans (and traffic) so were happy to come quite close and allow me to get some photos.
Spice Tour
To be honest, I wasn't really that bothered about going on the spice tour beforehand and probably wouldn't have done so if Laura didn't need to see it. I've been on these kinds of trips before, where the guide tells you that spices and fruit grow on plants and trees and then try to sell you packs of spices at silly inflated prices. Perhaps it was because the tour guides were already known to Laura and so everything was very informal, but it actually turned out to be a very good tour - both informative and entertaining - and I enjoyed it. Of course they did take you to their shop at the end of the tour, but there was very little hassle and, besides which, the prices weren't too ridiculous. I still didn't buy anything - old habits die hard! - but I can recommend the tour to anybody who comes to Zanzibar.Around Stone Town, you can always tell who has been on the spice tour because of the woven palm leaf paraphernalia they are adorned with. It doesn't hurt to look like an idiot every once in a while, and Laura and I took that to heart (although she did manage to carry off the look a lot better than me!).
Paje
The kite-surfing season ended at the start of October and there was a big end-of-season party planned in Paje. So, Helen, Emilia and I joined Ipyana and a few other friends for a weekend away at Teddy's Place. Staying in a traditional makuti banda set just back from the ocean, we spent two days and nights on the beach, at Teddy's or in the nearby bars, and it was the most wonderful weekend break.
Paje is located on the south east coast, with long white beaches flanked by palm trees and mangroves, and a fairly constant wind from the south meaning that the blue-green ocean is a Mecca for kite-surfers (which seemed to please Helen and Emilia for some reason!). As it turned out, the big end-of-season party mainly passed us by, but we were having such a great time in our small group that it wasn't until the day after that anybody noticed. I don't know whether it because it is a bit of a back-packers' place, or just because of the setting and the fact it was the end of the season, but the atmosphere was very chilled - the place has a different feeling when compared with the equally beautiful Kendwa.
The days in Paje were like a throwback to childhood holidays. We idly passed the time swimming in the turquoise ocean, jumping around like school kids in the soft sand while strolling down the beach or just sitting in the sun watching the waves roll in. The evenings started by drinking colourful cocktails with who-knows-what in them (they tasted good, but they certainly had a kick!) and continued in the local "nightclubs" or on the beach; having moonlit seaweed fights or sitting under the stars, waiting for the expected meteor shower (which I think we missed due to the aforementioned cocktails!). We then stayed up until near-dawn, lay in the hammocks, chatting about life, the universe and everything. It turns out the answer is not 42 as I long believed, but it may be 23......
Nothing that we did was particularly exhilarating, or unique to Paje, or would ordinarily be unforgettable, even though it was all good fun. What really made the weekend so special was the company. Not just the people I was with, although they are good friends and that helps, but more the fact that everybody was, quite simply, happy.
Sitting on the beach or in Stone Town gives you lots of time to think and I have been considering why people are happier here - not just in Paje, but in Zanzibar in general. I'm sure I don't have the answer, I don't think there is an "answer" to such philosophical questions, but here is some backstreet psychology based on my musings. (I won’t be offended if you choose to stop reading here!)
The happiness of Zanzibar
The weather here is (usually) fantastic, the island is beautiful and, compared to western societies, the cost of living is cheap - all of these factors help - but there is also something more fundamental. If I were to try and put it in a nutshell, I would say that that people in Zanzibar (both locals and those people who have made it their home) have a better sense of priorities. That is not to say that people here are inherently "better", because I don't think that is the case, but the environment and circumstances of life help (or even force) people to focus on what is important.
As an example, in the UK (and, I would guess, in most of the developed world) people, and societies in general, place a higher value on having the latest gadgets or fashion. I have certainly been as guilty as anybody of the first and possibly the second, although people may - and regularly have - questioned my choice of clothes! But here, getting hold of the newest toy or this season's must-have clothes is, if not impossible, then difficult. So people don't think about it too much or worry about whether owning these material things will make their life better. Instead, they focus their attention on the people they love, make the most of what they do have and enjoy living in the moment.
It is not just luxury items either. Basic day-to-day essentials (like food) can be easily bought here, but although there are lots of stalls in the market, they all sell broadly the same things. There isn’t a lot choice and if something is not available, then you simply need to make alternative plans for dinner or do without. Shortages of food items, as with the power cuts, are just accepted; as far as I can see, there is no (or, at least, less) time spent worrying about what might have been or over things that a person cannot influence. And I think it is healthy. Filling a mind with unnecessary worries about the trivial things in life crowds out the thoughts about family and friends, whereas collectively giving priority to the latter leads to a greater sense of community, and that in turn leads to happier individuals and a happier society.
As well as the (general) lack of a culture of materialism, there are other values that lead to these different priorities. In western societies, there is a tendency for people to focus too much on their work and careers (another confession!). At home, it is common for those in high-pressured jobs to worry about getting the right work/life balance, but all too often it is only paid lip service. Here, the pressure and urgency at work doesn't seem to exist in quite the same way. I have seen people get frustrated by the length of time that things take to get done, and I can understand this, but I think it is a consequence of applying a western value to a different culture whereas, when everything moves slowly, who really cares if things take longer or if you meet or miss an arbitrary deadline for a task. Especially if, by missing the deadline, you get to spend more time doing the things that are important to you or being at home with those that you love.
That is not to say that a career or job is unimportant. A lot of people spend a big chunk of their life at work and job satisfaction can be a major influence on whether or not a person is happy. It is therefore important for people to care about their work, but what I have seen here is that where people do care about their work, it is because it aligns with their values, rather than just caring about work because they want to do a good job. The prevailing laissez-faire attitude can and does hinder progress but, despite this, they are happier than those in developed societies who live life under constant stress about work or money. Who is to say which is right? I think I know which I would prefer
Of course, Zanzibar is not Utopia. There is sadness here too, and poverty, sickness (especially with the accompanying poor level of health care), and wanting to have some life's luxuries all lead to a degree of unhappiness - it is just that it does not seem to be to the same extent as at home. Status is a big thing here too and there are some people here for who status (which can include career progression) is very, maybe overly, important. I actually think this is the root of a lot of the corruption that undoubtedly exists and, tellingly, a lot of the status symbols that people have are based on owning material possessions. I think it is also telling that those who are always trying to move up the social or career ladder are perhaps those who are least happy.
To be fair, I haven't met many of Zanzibar's high flyers, so my view is based more on hearsay and supposition. The people I have met here are, almost without exception, extremely considerate of others and will try to help if they can. In a society where the prevalent attitude is to care about others, you know that others care about you, and so the challenges you face can be more easily overcome (and so they are less of a worry). It allows a person to think more about the internal values by which they want to live their life, and it reinforces the value that the people in your life are more important than "stuff", so friends and loved ones are placed, without caveats, at the top of the list of priorities. When material possessions are less of a concern, and work doesn’t dominate your thoughts, you just need to get the people part of your life right to be happy. It is a cliché, and just a bit soppy, but of all the wonderful sights I have seen here, the most beautiful is that of a girl falling in love (even if it is not with me!). Onnea hunaja pupu!
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