Tuk-Tuk Knows Best...

Luang Prabang, Laos

July 14, 2007
N 19°53.486
E 102°08.302

During our walk the previous day we heard every tuk-tuk driver offer trips to the waterfall. “A must see,” they all said. I guess when you hear something enough times you start to believe it. So, we figured we had to see the much hyped waterfall. We negotiated a rate with a tuk-tuk driver who roamed around in front of our guesthouse and he said he would be at our place the next morning at 9:00 AM. Perfect.

Our tuk-tuk driver was waiting for us as we walked out the door at 9:02 AM. The plan was to pick up another couple and stop at a local village before the main event, Kwang Si Waterfall.

After our driver made a quick stop at the local temple for his daily prayer, we stopped at a small village where they sold handicrafts. The crafts were sold by young children most of them girls from 3-7 years. On a few occasions the young children were barely able to walk, too young to talk, but they were holding up the handicrafts and pushing them on the tourists.

Little boys ran around rolling bicycle tires with sticks, others pushing long sticks through the hard dirt; imitating their fathers plowing rice fields with their water buffalo and wooden plow. We thought of kids at home around their age; worried about getting the next Nintendo or PlayStation, not money for their next meal.

During our drive up the mountain to the waterfall we passed lush green forests, perfectly terraced rice fields up the side of the mountain and small villages with a dozen thatched roof houses and children running around naked. The countryside of Laos is different than Vietnam and Cambodia because of the numerous mountains which are visible from every angle.

We didn’t expect much from the waterfall. Yes, we heard it was a must see, but after waterfalls in other countries, including our own, we think we have seen the best of the best. We walked through the gates of the waterfall, a popular picnic place for locals (similar to the one in Cambodia), and headed out on the 10 minute trek to the falls.

Before we even reached the falls we came across a cage filled with Asiatic Black bears. The bears were saved from poachers who believe their organs have medicinal value. After we watched the bears play for a few minutes we walked closer to the falls; however, we didn’t get very far before we met Phet, an Indochinese tiger, also rescued from poachers. We loved the signs all around the tiger’s cage—“Danger. The tiger bites.” “Don’t put fingers in fence.” Uhhhh…. No shit!

We finally started up the trail toward the falls. We reached a small, crystal blue pool of water with a small fall trickling into it. “This can’t be it,” we said to each other. We kept walking and came to another pool of water, just as pristine as the first. Both of these pools were labeled “swimming areas” and there were several picnic tables in the area. The majority of the tables were still available since it was around 10:30 AM.

We kept walking up the path still expecting more. About 100 meters later, we saw the real waterfall, a 80 meter drop into another aquamarine pool. There were bridges stretched across the pool of water for optimal viewing and small foot-paths leading to the top of the falls.

We decided to follow one of the paths even though Marc said waterfalls don’t look like anything from the top—think about Nevada Falls or Vernal Falls in Yosemite. Yes, good point, but I was out for the exercise after a few days of being under the weather. Marc was right, the view sucked, we told others coming up, but they still had to see it for themselves.

After our climb to the summit of the falls we headed back down to one of the swimming areas for a dip in the water. The water was actually cool and Marc commented that it was the coolest his core body temperature has been in over a month. We stayed in the water for awhile enjoying the break from the humidity before climbing out to dry off.

We relaxed at the pool for several hours chatting with a couple that shared the tuk-tuk with us; a French lady and Swiss man. After several hours of relaxing and watching the local children play in the pools we were ready to head back to Luang Prabang. However, the couple was obviously very relaxed, still had at least a half a pack of cigarettes each to smoke, and were generally enjoying themselves.

At around 3:00, and down to their last 2-3 cigarettes, the couple decided to jump back into the water. We told them we would meet them at the park entrance—we were going to get a sandwich. We just finished our sandwiches when they finally exited the park to the relief of our driver, who was obviously ready to roll.

We made idle chit-chat with the couple before we arrived back in Luang Prabang. They asked to meet us for dinner, but we gave them a very non-committal response—not because we didn’t like them, they seemed like nice people, but after a day in the sun, and two packs of second hand smoke, we were ready to relax and cool off some more.

The trip to the waterfalls was definitely a must see in Luang Prabang; tuk-tuk drivers always know best.

Ahhh, the Sound of Silence...

Luang Prabang, Laos

July 13, 2007
N 19°53.486
E 102°08.302

It was 6:30 PM, 32 degrees Celsius and at least 90% humidity. It felt like it was only getting hotter.

Luckily, we didn’t have any “complications” with Marc’s passport and Visa upon entry into Laos. W didn’t even have to pay an extra “convenience” fee like in Cambodia.

However, after we struck-out at our first two picks for lodging we were scrambling. We looked around and saw we were just one of at least half a dozen backpackers looking for a place to stay for the evening. Unfortunately, I was getting a major rumbling down below and a there was an extreme sense of urgency. We knew we needed a room with a private bathroom (which is uncommon) for obvious reasons and it had to be least under $25 a night.

After wandering the streets of Luang Prabang for at least 45 minutes a young boy on a bicycle approached us, “You need room? $6?.” Marc asked him if the room had a private toilet and he said yes... that was all it took. We followed our young savior to the Kinnesy Guesthouse. Marc took a quick tour of the Spartan room and hollered out to me on the street, “This is where we’re staying tonight.” No air-conditioning, but it does have a ceiling fan, clean sheets, and a private bathroom with lukewarm water. Luxury!

Our first day in Luang Prabang was very low key. After waking up with a few kinks in my back and neck, I decided to take advantage of one of the several massage spas in the area. The average cost for one hour is around $3—very difficult to turn down. I went to the spa nearest to our guest house and told them I wanted work done on my neck and shoulders. Yes, we have been through this before in Vietnam.

I was pleased to discover the typical massage in Laos is similar to the Thai Massage where you dress in a little cotton suit prior to the massage. The massage consists of a lot of stretching; exactly what I needed after climbing the temple stairs in Siem Reap for a few days and frantically trudging around with my backpack the day before.

The best part of the whole massage was I didn’t have the uncomfortable feeling that I got from “Bob’s Place” in Vietnam. There was no need to clinch the butt cheeks or look over my shoulder and find a gnat with a towel over his head vigorously shaking my boot—all very legit.

The city has a unique layout centered between two rivers—the Mekong Delta and Nam Khan. We took a walk along the Delta side until we reached the round-about that took us on the Nam Khan side of town. We stopped on occasion to admire the vegetation and beautiful countryside in the near distance and just listen to the quiet.

The French, who colonized much of South East Asia, have a famous quote about the people in the region… “The Vietnamese plant rice, the Cambodians watch it grow, and the Lao listen to it grow.”

As we walked around today, we found the Lao people to be extremely laid back, relaxed, and without much outward emotion. A very nice change from other cities we have been in during the past month.

The Big D Shuffle...

Siem Reap, Cambodia

July 11, 2007
N 13°24.747
E 103°51.822

We’ve been on the road for a little shy of six months and have fortunately stayed very healthy. We had a few sniffles in Chile and I fought off a cold on my trip back to the States recently, but we haven’t had any stomach problems… until now.

We expected at least a little food illness in South America, but we walked away clean after 2 ½ months. When we took the risk and ate on the streets of Hanoi and Nha Trang, we thought we might catch something—nope. We were fine until we hit Cambodia.

We are pretty sure the meal that did us in was with the locals the other night. They served a plate of fresh vegetables—peeled carrots, cucumbers, and something called banana leaf (we don’t really remember)—a big no, no when traveling in foreign countries. Yes, everything was peeled, but we don’t know if they were washed again in local water. We dipped the fruit in the dried fish, lemongrass, chili and lime concoction; however, there probably wasn’t enough lime juice to kill any thriving bacteria.

The good news is we aren’t puking our brains out and burning through rolls of toilet paper. Instead we’re just a little uncomfortable at times, eating light, and keeping a strategic eye-out for the closest bathroom at all times. I guess this is when the SEAsia 10 will finally come off!

We were able to stroll around and explore the rest of Siem Reap during our last day, but we also did a lot of relaxing. This was perfect after three jammed-packed days of temples, waterfalls, and floating villages; plus we really weren’t in the mood to do the Big D shuffle.

We’re off to Laos on Thursday where we’ll spend four nights exploring Luang Prabang before heading north into the countryside (PLEASE NOTE: internet access WILL NOT be available).

What a Beautiful Country...

Siem Reap, Cambodia

July 10, 2007
N 13°24.747
E 103°51.822

It was a good thing we went to bed early last night since we had another early morning with Mey and Lin for our trip to the mountains. We were headed to Phnom Kulen National Park which is located roughly 2 hours from Siem Reap. Promised sights for the day included a fabulous waterfall, a temple with a giant sleeping Buddha and the river of 1000 Lingas.

After the long, curvy, drive up the pot-holed mountain road we headed straight to the temple of the sleeping Buddha. The Buddha was discovered after the Pol Pot regime was finally dissolved. Nearly 25 years ago the mountain area was a camp for the soldiers of the regime and many of the religious monuments were banished or destroyed. Additionally, the army decimated the surrounding jungles by planting thousands of landmines in order to deter the Vietnamese army from aiding Cambodia; we were told to stay on the marked paths since many active mines still exist. Today the area is once again a thriving hub of dedicated Cambodians that come to pray to their beloved Buddha.

After a quick stop at the river of 1000 Lingas we headed to the waterfall area. The waterfall, a very popular spot for locals to come and picnic after visiting the temple, has covered, wooden platforms about 10’ x 10’ with sitting mats on the floor. It’s common to bring an ice chest full of cold drinks and order lunch from the locals; famous for their roasted chicken.

During our picnic we were entertained by the local kids. They ran around butt naked, - swam in the river, and jumped up and down shaking a suspension bridge every time an adult or tourist tried to cross and, well, we watched them be kids. Every now and then one would walk by us, smile and say hello. After we responded, they would giggle, and run away.

It was also during lunch when we met a young lady snapping pictures of the local children. We could tell she was American. She stopped to talk to us and told us she was from Cleveland. She was traveling with her childhood friend and her friend’s family. The family escaped from Cambodia in 1980 after leaving an internment camp set-up by the Pol Pot regime. The family experienced first hand the devastation handed down to the local people by the crazy government. They were lucky enough to live through the experience, unlike the three million people who were killed by the government.

However, the whole family didn’t make it to the USA, and part of the reason for the return was to pay respect to their father. The father stepped on a landmine as the family escaped Cambodia, on foot, to the Thai border. This was their first visit back to Cambodia since 1980 and they held a small memorial service in honor of him. The short conversation was very touching, hearing first hand how the government destroyed a life, but luckily the family was able to start a new one in America.

The Pol Pot regime is such recent history that it still impacts the country, setting them back in time, making it harder to catch up technologically and economically to their neighboring countries. When we visited the Killing Fields, one of the smaller ones in the country, we left with tears in our eyes as a young man told us of his hardship. He explained he was going to school and getting an education, something his people couldn’t do under the Pol Pot regime. The regime that wanted to start a Communist state beginning at Year Zero—killing doctors, lawyers, teachers and anyone else with an education or opinion that may bring dissent.

It was another long day for us, we were exhausted at the end, but we had a great time and experienced more of the rich Cambodian culture. Our time in Cambodia was short; however, we saw a lot in our time here… every minute was worth it.

A Day at the Temples...

Siem Reap, Cambodia

July 9, 2007
N 13°24.747
E 103°51.822

The many temples, including the famous Angkor Wat, around Siem Reap are what draw the tourists to the area—they were the main draw for us too. However, after arriving we were also pleased to find a more serene town without the mad frenzy of Saigon. The locals are friendly, have a sense of humor and are more than willing to show you around the town and surrounding temples.

We decided to give one of the local tuk-tuk drivers a job for the day, allowing us to see the temples, and enjoy the fresh air from the carriage being pulled by his motorbike. Our driver putted along the country roads, passing rice fields and schools located in tiny villages throughout the countryside.

As soon as we stepped out of our tuk-tuk at our first stop, the Lady Temple, a group of young girls came up with their trinkets. “Lady, Lady… you buy a cold drink from me?” or “Lady, Lady… you buy a star, flute, tiny Buddha (fill in the blank) from me?” I politely declined, but they persisted “if you buy a drink, trinket, etc. you buy from me, my name is Thaliah.” As they each told me their name, I tried to make it clear I didn’t need any goods… except for maybe the cold drink.

The Lady Temple, or Banteay Srei, was truly amazing with all of the intricate detail. The perfectly sculpted sandstone changed colors from rose, to grey, to black throughout the temple since it was built between 967-1000 AD. This was our first temple and it already exceeded our expectations. Marc and I were snapping pictures like crazy; trying to capture the experience as much as possible, but at the same time knowing words and photos will never capture the beauty of the temple. We knew the rest of the day would be special.

After we left Lady Temple the young girls were still outside waiting for us. I found my “cold drink girl” and made my purchase. This did not go over well with the other darlings who were selling trinkets I didn’t need. They stood around me, melting me with their sad eyes, telling me they don’t have money for books, pens, paper or food for school. I had a tear in my eye as we drove away from the beautiful children knowing we can’t help all of them and giving cash encourages begging.

We visited several other temples throughout the day including Ta Prohm which is best known from the movie “Tomb Raider.” The temple, built from 1186, is in the beginning phases of a much needed restoration. Currently, the temple is rubble and jungle with the exception of the Tomb Raider Tree, a tree growing out of the top of the temple. It was worth the stop, but not necessarily our favorite temple of the day.

We climbed back into the tuk-tuk, passed by a few more temples and started to focus on the grand finale, Angkor Wat. However, before we made the entrance to the crème-de-crème we had to make a stop at Angkor Thom.

Angkor Thom has three temples within the two spectacular gates to the compound. Our tuk-tuk driver took us through the East Gate which had less traffic and allowed better photo opportunities. We drove past a few of the highlights before coming to Bayon. Bayon, one of the newest temples, was constructed from 1177 to 1230. The intriguing design consists of numerous faces looking down upon the people in the temple and the surrounding countryside. From every angle it’s possible to see a full face, a profile, or at least the back of a head. The faces are rumored to resemble the face of the King who ordered the construction. From the temple he could look down and keep an eye on all of his subjects.

It was getting late in the afternoon at this point and we wanted to allow enough time to enjoy Angkor Wat, so we jumped back in the tuk-tuk to make the drive for our final stop of the day which we were hoping to hit at sunset.

When we drove up to the temple of all temples, Angkor Wat, we immediately noticed the very large moat filled with water surrounding the temple. The moat, 627 feet wide, is a rectangle that actually measures 1.5 KM by 1.3 KM. The moat itself is larger than any other moat in history.

As we walked across the giant moat we looked at the temple standing in front of us. It looked impressive; however, it appeared to be smaller than we expected. As soon as we walked through the main gate and gazed down the long promenade, we knew the view from the outside was very deceiving. The promenade must have measured at least 1 KM with libraries, wading pools and the headquarters for the ongoing restoration efforts. It was simply enormous!

When we finally reached the main entrance we turned upon the bas-reliefs, stretching along the walls of the halls. Intricate murals, chiseled directly into the sandstone and lacquered for protection, stretched from floor to ceiling, outlining a different part of ancient Angkor history. For example, one of the murals depicted the separation between heaven and hell, whereas others portrayed parts of history including battles. The three dimensional designs extended the entire perimeter of the main complex.

After nearly 40 minutes of getting lost in the intricacy of the bas- reliefs, we continued to explore the different sections of the temple. We made sure to stop and sit several times, simply attempting to take in the awesome project. There were a few times we even found a corner of the temple without any other tourists where we sat in amazement while pointing out the dark jungle just outside of the compound walls.

We continued to stroll around the temple, at times crawling on our hands and knees to ascend and descend steep flights of stairs, for nearly three hours. Finally we had to admit we were too exhausted to continue and made our way back towards the main gate, looking back over our shoulders every few minutes. Stunning.

Overall, the temples exceeded our expectation; especially the vast size and elaborate designs, making us ask the question… how did they do this so many years ago? I guess that is what makes the visit to a historical site so special and leaves us with the desire to see more.

A Day On the River...

Siem Reap, Cambodia

July 8, 2007
N 13°24.747
E 103°51.822

Today was our first full day in Siem Reap and we were ready to explore. Originally, we planned to hit the temples for a half-day. However, after our driver explained that a half-day would only scratch the surface we decided to take a city tour and a cruise of the floating markets.

We’ve been to other cities with floating markets, like Bangkok, but those are set up more for the tourists, they aren’t true living situations for the locals. In Cambodia, the people who live in the floating markets are for real—that is where they live, go to school, eat, and struggle to make a living. The majority of the families fish the river and sell their catch to the local markets.

Shanty villages, surrounded by rice patties, lined the roads during our drive to the floating village. We instantly realized we were in a country far poorer than any other we have visited to date with the possible exception of Nepal. However, the people are rich in life and most appear happy even though no one knows what tomorrow may bring.

There were two types of houses on the road to the market—those on stilts above the water and houses that floated on the river. Regardless of the house, the children ran around frolicking in the afternoon sun and swimming in the river, most wearing nothing but their birthday suit. For the majority of the children this wasn’t by choice. Most families don’t have the money to buy their children clothes until they’re older and won’t quickly outgrow them.

When we reached the market, the majority of the proprietors were young girls who were very skilled at selling postcards, bananas and cold drinks. They would give you a look that made you melt inside, we could almost feel their suffering… how can you not help them? Of course we realize we can’t help them all and did what we could for the few who approached us.

After we returned from our city tour, we relaxed in our room for a few hours before we searched for internet access. We didn’t make it very far, Lin and Mey, our guides for the day, were eating at a local restaurant a few doors down from our guesthouse and insisted we join them for dinner.

We sat down at the table and food instantly started arriving. Lin and Mey had been there for awhile and had already finished a pitcher of beer, but we arrived just in time for the food and a second pitcher of beer. Mey grabbed us a couple glasses full of ice and poured us a cold one; beer is best on ice in Cambodia because this is the only way to keep it cold.

Next, he then politely showed us how to mix the fermented fish sauce, lemongrass, chilies, peanuts and fresh lime. This concoction served as a tasty dip for all of the grilled meats served to our table. Throughout the evening we tried grilled beef, cow intestines, squid and shrimp mixed with a tray of vegetables. Of course we also shared several more pitchers of beer. The guys preferred a mix of beers, similar to a black and tan (Guinness and Bass), providing a stronger taste, but not as strong as Guinness.

With each new pitcher of beer our sweet waitress would drop two or three more ice-cubes in our glasses and placed another plate below the pitcher signaling the total number of pitchers for the table. I think I counted 7 when we finally staggered out. Lucky for us, beer on ice, as strange as it sounds, actually “waters down” the beer and allows you to function in the morning.

We were happy we tried the local place with the locals; otherwise I don’t think we would have figured out the fish sauce concoction. Plus, the numerous toasts and stories shared will last a lifetime. We booked another trip with the guys for Tuesday when we will head up to the mountains where we will see one of Cambodia’s National Parks—which, of course, also includes a few temples.

We promised another dinner after our next trip. I think we have to limit the number of pitchers to 4! (They are small jugs.)

The Power of the $....

Siem Reap, Cambodia

July 7, 2007
N 13°24.747
E 103°51.822

The media has built up the anticipation of 07/07/07, a day of luck, in a similar fashion to the millennium. For us the day meant a new country, a day of change, and most importantly it meant the escape from Saigon after a few days walking through the dirty, rain drenched streets.

For others, like my cousin Michelle, it means a new life as she ties the knot with her longtime boyfriend. We wish her well from our new country, Cambodia. And of course, Tour de France fans are welcoming the start of this year’s tour which happens to fall on the lucky day—maybe it will bring luck to another American cyclist (no dopers, please).

Upon arrival in Siem Reap, we weaved our way through the line for those applying for Visas, filled out our paperwork, paid our $20 fee, and supplied a passport photo. We were then told to wait in another queue as the authorities processed our Visas; basically applying a little sticker in our passports.

Every few minutes, with a stack of passports from all over the world in hand, a stern looking immigration official would attempt to read the names from each passport and hand them back to the respective owners.

When Marc’s name was called it wasn’t by the stern looking head guy, but rather a guy early on in the “process”. “Oh shit,” I thought and followed Marc up to the window. The guy explained to Marc that he didn’t have a full page in his passport to place the Visa. Marc and I each pointed out a few pages that were completely blank; however, we were told that those pages didn’t have the word “visa” on them. After several minutes of pointing, discussions, and stern lectures… we knew where this was headed. Marc finally asked, “Well, what can I do?” The guy flipped through the passport one more time and found a visa from Turkey in 2004. He decided he could place the sticker there if Marc approved and, of course, “contributed” a little extra money to the Cambodian government.

Marc wrote on the back of his Visa application that he approved the Cambodian government to place the Visa on page 16 of his passport. He then had to sign this statement and pay the $10 levied on him for this privilege. We were happy to see a little extra money got the job done. Now we hope Laos has the same "policy" for this type of situation until he can get more pages added to his passport in Bangkok.

07/07/07 was lucky for us after all. It not only saved us from Saigon, it also kept Marc out of airport limbo. Plus, now that we are in a new country with new sites, I am back in travel mode!

Good Night Vietnam...

Saigon, Vietnam

July 6, 2007
N 10°46.071
E 106°41.665

I woke up at 5:00 AM unable to go back to sleep no matter how hard I tried. I quietly got out of bed, trying my best not to wake Marc; I wanted to finish my story from San Francisco. I stroked the keyboard stealth like, without making a peep.

Not only was I suffering from jet lag, but I was afflicted with a mean case of culture shock. When I left Vietnam ten days ago I had become accustomed to the sea of scooters, bikes and cars forcing their way through the wet Saigon streets, with their horns blaring. I had adapted to dodging scooters, cyclos and cars, sidestepping piles of garbage, and fending off street vendors; my skills of navigating through chaos were honed. However, after being in the States for a week, where laws matter and chaos doesn’t reign supreme, I was stuck between two worlds—one at home, one as a traveler.

I had a tough day re-adjusting. I was happy to be back with Marc, of course, but the busy streets of Saigon were overwhelming. Street peddlers sold everything… during dinner, in a matter of 45 minutes; we were approached by at least a dozen people selling everything from bootlegged books, fake Zippo lighters, hashish, mushrooms, opium, to chocolate chip cookies. Don’t worry—we didn’t touch any of that stuff—but we did grab a few cookies.

We loved our time in Vietnam, but one can only handle so much time in Saigon. Saigon is a city that is on top of you all the time, forcing you to stay on your toes every minute outdoors.

I know we have so much more to see and my family and friends will be at home when I return. A good night’s sleep and a new country will help me get back in the travel state of mind. I know Marc will play a huge role in my quick recovery too.