River deep- mountain high

We arrived at Luang Prabang ('LP') on a plane that seemed to dwarf the  tiny airport. Getting visas was as expected, bureaucratic but reasonably efficient. It was hard to fathom out the difference in the cost of visas though. Visitors from England/USA/France for example pay $35, visitors from Luxembourg only pay $30 & Canadians pay $42. Not sure what Canada has done to offend Laos!

We headed straight to the night market where they have some great street food at v cheap prices - washed down with the obligatory bottle of Lao beer. LP is not  like any other place we have visited in SE Asia. Not wishing to offend its incredibly clean. The architecture is heavily influenced by the French & is a Unesco world heritage site so many of the original buildings have been beautifully preserved. We explored LP on bicycles-ambling along the banks of the Mekong River in the sunshine - a perfect way to enjoy this town. But we are not all about ambling – we had exploring to do so we booked ourselves on to a 2 dy trek. The night before we set off we had a great eve with a lovely couple A&S, which resulted in1 too many Lao beers but was all good fun.
Our jungle trek was shared with our guide & a Canadian couple. We set off on a boat down the Nam Khan River then began our hike in dense jungle, very quickly ascending into the hills/mountains. We stopped for lunch in what had been a  village but is now a small holding, where 2 small children appeared from nowhere & promptly set up market stalls with handmade goods. They drove a hard bargain, but we were a captive audience. After we had completed our purchases they promptly packed up ran back into the woods.Back on the trail  the sun was extremely hot & the track  uneven, slippery in places & dusty in others, but the stunning views more than compensated for the wear & tear to our knees. About 4.30pm we arrived at the village where we were to spend the night; home to 68 families, school, water buffalo & a menagerie of animals. We were all allocated to a different family so that the money we had paid for our stay could be shared. Accommodation was a bamboo hut. The sleeping area was 3 sided about 3 ft off the ground with a bamboo floor which served as the bed, a blanket for a mattress, bedding & all contained inside a mosquito net.  the toilet/shower facilities were bleak. Thankfully I had bought my trusty ‘she-pee’. We sat in the family courtyard  watching in amusement as the 3yr old  poked a long stick into the fire &  attempted to set fire to one of the puppies (without success I should say) , whilst the grandfather smoked from a bamboo bong & the grandmother carried the baby on her back whilst doing chores. To us observing it seemed a very simple lifestyle, unfettered by boundaries or rules & the family seemed content.
We shared our breakfast with a whole array of animals – a cat, several dogs, chickens – even 2 piglets all gathered around our feet, with 2 children (the fire starter & her sister)watching as we ate .
Back on the trail we walked for an hour or so until we arrived at a lovely waterfall where we went for a swim. It was bracing but refreshing & necessary -  we were starting to smell! A short walk away & we were in an elephant camp. These are our favourite animals & so we were both v excited. We went for an elephant ride in the jungle initially with us both on the back on a chair then Mr L moved onto sit on the elephant itself & then I did. It was so lovely as the elephant gorged her way through numerous branches & bushes as we went, even ripping a banana tree apart with ease. The  Mahood had v little control  & she only moved when she wanted. Eventually she took us to the river where she cooled off & we got off & said our goodbyes
The last part of our trip was a 2hr kayak on the Nam Khan River where there were quite a few rapids. we got through the first few okay & enjoyed ourselves. The last 2 sets were bigger & we nearly went over, but Mr L’s expert steering got us through them safely. Where we landed there was a loud group of people having quite a party. A man came over & gave Mr L a beer. He identified himself as a local police commador & told us this was their Christmas party!
Back in LP our guesthouse has a balcony that overlooks the river & is an ideal setting to spend Christmas Eve & Christmas Day before we move on. We would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy Christmas and thank you for sharing our journey thus far. To our family & friends we send our all our love.

If you're a little off colour & out for the count ....

We landed in Yangon in the early evening & thankfully the traffic was just slow  as opposed to complete gridlock. This was to be our last night in Myanmar and We were staying the at the sort of hotel we would usually try to avoid – a huge hotel, very western & completely over the top but it was only for one night. The reception area was adorned with Christmas decorations, lights, several christmas trees - even santas sleigh with reindeer – all accompanied by piped Christmas music (one album played on a loop), something we had managed to avoid up to this moment. We decided to go out for a walk and some fresh air.

Later that evening we had a FaceTime link up to a gathering take ng place  at home with friends & family which was a pretty dire connection but at least we could see them, which was wonderful and they could see we were ok (& apparently looking well). 
The following morning we discovered that the hotels penchant for excess, spread to breakfast. You could have anything and everything including (rather randomly) beef wellington. And cheese. A whole lot of cheese. A while ago my friend A had asked me what food I was  missing; “nothing” was my reply. Until I saw the cheese. We realised how much we had missed it in the almost 12 weeks we have been travelling and It was delicious. We had a plateful,  a bit of everything & far too much but it was so nice.
Sadly it was time to head to get back on the road,  sit  in traffic and eventually get to the airport. The 8km journey took almost 1 ½ hrs. Our time in Myanmar had come to an end and we had loved it. If you have ever considered going – do it soon. 

We flew to Bangkok and spent 6 hours killing time until our connecting flight, which was pretty dull although they do have a Boots the chemist which was an absolute delight to me as I love Boots (Mr L is not a fan). We arrived at Siem reap in Cambodia at 9pm & got a tuk tuk to our hotel.

Our Plan was to stay in Siem Reap  for 3 days to give ourselves time to get laundry done, visit the local attractions particularly Angkor Wat & the temples before heading up the country.. However our plans had to be revised as  I  wasn’t v well – some sort of viral thing – which left me laid up for several days and meant  we had to keep extending our time until I was well enough. It was day 6 before we got to the temples but they were definitely worth the wait. We were a bit concerned we might be ‘templed out’  after Myanmar but these structures were quite different in size, design & feel. No glitzy gold topped pagodas just incredible ancient buildings that made you marvel at how, thousands of years ago,  it was possible to create such complex and huge structures. Our particular favourite was Ta Prohm where much of the temple has become over grown with huge trees and the roots have become entwined with the building. It's an incredible sight to see. With my energy levels restored, the following day we hired bicycles to explore & get off the beaten track a little. Mr L had been a great carer during my bout of illness but had a serious case of cabin fever & so we took a leisurely ride to explore some of the local villages and see some of the countryside.

There is still so much of this country yet to see but  we have decided we cannot do it justice on this trip and so exploring Cambodia will have to wait for another time and another trip.  Our next destination is Laos. 
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Float, float on.

We arrived at Inle Lake in the early evening- too late to enjoy the spectacular views of the lake but they were waiting for us the following morning – my birthday! We had breakfast & I opened my presents from Mr L and from our guide Khet, before heading out on one of the long wooden boats across the lake  to visit  the local market. We have visited a few markets on our travels but this was by far the best. So bright & vibrant & full of an amazing mixture of smells & of locals from different villages/ ethnic groups in their own traditional dress selling the sort of  produce that we had seen growing  in the fields the previous day,  as well as fish from the lake. 
The lake is 22km long & 10km at its widest & not particularly deep – max 12ft in the rainy season & is home to more than 40,000 people who reside in the 4 villages that are built on the lake; homes, huts, schools, shops, workshops - all built on stilts above the water & only accessible by boat. It was incredible going up & down the waterways in between these villages. More amazing are the crops of tomatoes & other vegetables/fruit they grow on the lake. They do this by adding soil and seaweed to the floating water hyacinth to create a floating piece of land & then anchor it to the bottom of the lake with long sticks of bamboo & plant the crop – vast quantities of it. Genius 

In the afternoon we headed back to the hotel & following a “discussion” with the tour company we were moved to a deluxe waterfront bungalow which afforded us amazing views of the beautiful lake. Perfect. Well it was my birthday! In the evening, on Khet’s recommendation we headed into downtown Nyaung Shwe 4km away but  30mins drive due to terrible roads, to a restaurant that had live music. When we arrived we were shown to a table with birthday balloons on each of the 6 chairs. For the two of us. It was v kind of them but looked like the saddest birthday ever. Everyone was so sweet though & after we had eaten the lights went out & they brought over a plate of fresh fruit with candles in it & all the staff, customers & the band Sang happy birthday – lovely but hugely embarrassing. After a delicious g&t & several Myanmar beers I decided it was time for me to sing with the band.
They were initially delighted & my rendition of ‘country roads’ went down well but after I slaughtered ‘wonderful tonight’ they wrestled the microphone off me & my short lived career with the band was over. Ah well their loss. 

The following morning the promise of seeing a beautiful sunrise from our bed didn’t materialise as there was a thick fog but it still looked amazing. Back on the boat we visited a small village where, up until 10 yrs ago no-one was allowed to enter – even people from Myanmar. They still resist elements of the outside though & it's people are very poor and uneducated. The area attracts tourists because it has a hundreds of pagodas  clustered together; many in a poor state of repair, some even  have trees growing out of the middle of them & most have been robbed of any valuables by treasure hunters over the centuries. A few have been renovated. It was like Bagan but crammed into a small space. 

As our time in Inle Lake came to an end we headed to the tiny  Heho airport where we were given a sticker (not sure why) & our flight was announced by a lady carrying a board around like they do at the start of each round of a boxing match. Our flight with Nok Airways back to Yangon took a little over 1hr –plenty of time to enjoy our complimentary rice crackers. 

The hills are alive with the sound of music

We left Bagan at 8am, making a quick stop at a workshop which uses  palm to make a number of products including some v tasty coconut sweets &  palm wine, before heading  to Kalaw.  The 6 hr drive took us along some badly made/maintained roads, up through mountains with magnificent views &  passing through v rural villages . Which is wonderful if you don't have an upset tummy which I did! Every bump threatened danger. Thankfully, before Something quite embarrassing happened, our driver stopped at what looked like a motorway service area, which appeared randomly and offered timely & significant relief. 
We arrived at our hotel mid afternoon & explored downtown Kalaw, quite a wealthy town, which used to be a retreat for the English during the colonial period to get away from the hot city. 
The following day we met our guide – Khet  and headed out for fabulous day of trekking for 20km off the beaten track. The first stretch of our walk – about 2 1/2hrs -  took us through a thick forest area and alongside a quiet, secluded lake with the trees reflecting in the water. To cross it we had to remove our boots & socks & walk along the top of a dam which was a little hairy as it was quite slippery & nothing to hold onto. The track then led us up quite steep terrain which, once we got to the top,  gave great views of completely unspoilt countryside & just the sound of the birds. Then onto a local village where we were to have lunch. On arrival in the village, music was being played at ear bleeding volume. Khet told us that this was a traditional wedding song so we headed up the hill to the highest part of the village to investigate &  were warmly greeted by locals &  invited to join them for tea & fruit which we accepted. They were so kind & friendly. outside we met the bride and groom sitting in what I can only describe as a wooden pay booth similar to one you might see in a car park. The bride wore a turban made up of different coloured ribbons each edged with beads and an embroidered jacket and belt. The groom also had an embroidered jacket. Next to them squeezed into the booth were too young girls- bridesmaids- described as the prettiest girls in the village. Khet told us that it was only in the last 10yrs, since education was introduced to the village that couples stopped marrying at 14yrs – this couple were in their 20’s (older than Mr L & I were when we got married). They were both from the local tribe which meant they could remain in the village otherwise they would have had to leave.
The bride and groom were delighted when Mr. L made a contribution to their money pot and as a thank you we were given a sachet of shampoo! Nothing says thank you more.

We went on to the home of our hosts for lunch who had a cute 2yr old boy who took a shine to Mr L. & his beard. Lunch was delicious although I struggled with the etiquette of sitting on the floor cross legged - I'm not built for it! As we left the village the children, all dressed in traditional clothing, were heading back to school & came to say hello and see us off. 
Back on the trail our route took us down onto the railway line. No sooner had I  asked Khet if this was safe, when I heard a train coming & we leapt off the tracks as it rumbled around the corner & flew past us– one of only 3 per day so weren't we lucky.  As we walked Khet pointed out all the crops being grown; ginger, garlic, avocado, sesame seeds, oranges etc – all things I have only ever seen in the supermarket. We also walked past terraced fields with water buffalo- grazing- fast becoming our second favourite  animal – then up through a bamboo forest. Every so often we would pass a small hamlet with traditional bamboo buildings, one being used as a shop/coffee shop. It was all so peaceful & unspoilt. We finished our trek at about 3.30pm, hot & dusty & ready for a shower but we would have to wait several hours, as we were heading straight  off to our next destination-  Inle Lake. It was a wonderful  day & one we will both remember with fondness .

shifting sands

We were tired & weary when we arrived in Mandalay. Thankfully we were whisked swiftly across town to our hotel. We really perked up when we saw our room – a lovely bungalow with terrace overlooking a manicured garden – and inside a huge comfortable bed which we both just wanted to collapse on to after our 15 HR train journey. However Hoi wanted to show us Mandalay so after a quick shower & de-louse we were up and out. We spent an action packed day visiting workshops to see traditional crafts including gold leaf making (for people to put on the Buddha statues) , tapestries & wood carving. We also visited some temples, the newly restored Kings Palace surrounded by a 1 sq mile moat & saw the worlds largest book – the teachings of Buddha carved on over 700 tablets of stone, each placed in their own mini temple. An incredible sight & hard to comprehend how much time & effort went into each one. Later, we headed up into the hills to a temple overlooking the city to watch the sunset. There were quite a few gathered to see this spectacular, particularly when the sun hits the gold on the temples & pagodas below. 

Our time in Mandalay was brief & the following morning we were up before sunrise & heading to the Irrawaddy River on a boat to Bagan. We made two schoolboy errors here – 1. We didn't bring any food 2. We didn't put on enough clothing. The boat was open sided & as it set off at speed we huddled together in our windbreakers which didn’t do much breaking. There were about 25 others on the boat mostly French with their hotel provided breakfasts. we were starving . Eventually some food arrived & the sun warmed us up.  It took about 8 hrs to get to Bagan & it was quite relaxing to watch the local boats &  barges & see the villages that were dotted along the riverside whilst enjoying a Myanmar beer in the sun.  Arriving at Bagan was a bit of a frenzy. There is no Jetty, as much of the city is built on sand which erodes in monsoon season but the locals are great at improvising. A plank was placed between the land & the boat whilst 2 lads stood in the water each holding the end of a piece of bamboo to create a makeshift handrail. It was brilliant. Then we had to negotiate the steep climb up the sandbank to the road. We arrived at our hotel &  headed to the swimming pool to enjoy the last of the sun. We were delighted to read that there was a happy hour  but that was short lived when we saw the price -  $6 for a beer. We headed out to find where the locals drink! 
The following morning we met our guide. He was very knowledgeable about the area & the buildings but he was a sniffer & a snorter so every time he cleared his nasal passages or throat in between imparting information I felt myselF wince.

It's so difficult to sum up Bagan –an ancient city surrounded by temples & pagodas – lots of them. There were over 4000  now still over 1000 in various states of repair. Unesco has been advising on restoration particularly since the recent earthquake in August so some of the pagodas are embraced with bamboo scaffold. Please look on line at the place – it's incredible and still so untouched. We kept thinking if it was anywhere else there would be restrictions & fences etc but there is none of that.  you can walk in all of them or around them or climb some & when you do,  you are afforded views across  the vast area where the landscape is filled  with these magnificent structures that are many many hundreds of years old, some with original wall paintings  inside.  Quite breathtaking. We spent 2 full days here & it was enough to explore with a guide but it would have been nicer to have another day to look around ourselves on bikes but there was the rest of Myanmar still to see. 

shaking all over

Day two in Yangon & Bobo our guide took us on a tour of the city & markets, filling our heads with facts about Myanmar. On the street I noticed people buying leaves. Bobo explained this was a sort of stimulant that many people were hooked on. Of course we had to try some! It's a beetlenut dipped in various flavours & wrapped in a leaf. It tasted slightly liquorice- with leaf. It didn't do much for me & Bobo was clearly not a fan as it apparently causes mouth cancer. It went swiftly into the gutter. We wandered around the Indian quarter & the colonial area. As Myanmar has been a closed country over the years with no outside investment or influence, many of the original buildings remain but in a poor state although there are now plans to restore some. In someways it reminded us of Cuba- with architecture frozen in time. We learned about the student uprising in 1988 where many were killed & that the university in Yangon only  reopened 3 yrs ago with students being required to sign an agreement that they will not protest. Mobile phone shops are everywhere but again this is new - until a few years ago they were expensive &  totally unattainable- now a SIM card costs a few pence. The most bizarre thing is that all the cars are right hand drive but they drive on the right hand side of the road! Apparently the generals decided to change the law for no apparent reason & so most cars have a stick on the front left bumper to help them to see where they are driving. 

In the late afternoon we boarded the train to Mandalay. Bobo told us it would be a 10 hr journey. It was in fact nearly 15 hrs on the worst train we have ever been on. As we walked along the platform we passed the carriages with hard seats so were delighted when we stopped at a carriage which announced itself to be an ‘upper class sleeper’. Clearly we have a different understanding of what that means.. The cabin had 2 bunk beds & a metal shelf unit. The whole thing was filthy. I set about trying to clean the unit with hand gel & many many tissues. How I wished I had some bleach wipes & marigolds . There was a sheet on each of the beds & a pillow. Thankfully Mr L planned for just this type of occasion & ensured that we packed sleeping bag liners that keant no one part of us came into contact with anything. This train made the Trans Siberian seem like the orient express. Whilst we got settled in there was a continual stream of porters/hawkers opening our door offering us beer. We had decided to have a few days alcohol free so declined. After about the 15th time we locked the door only for one of the girls to swing round on the carriage door & poke her head through the window to ask if we wanted beer! 

As the train pulled off the sun was setting and once we were out of Yangon & the run down shanty towns we got our first glimpse of the countryside.  By 6.30pm it was pitch black so we settled down to read then to sleep. Wishful thinking. First, our carriage was right over the wheels so the noise was horrendous- even with earplugs in. Secondly the tracks are so uneven & badly maintained that the carriage shook so much our bodies jerked as if we were being bought back to life with defibrillator paddles. Continuously. I am not sure how but at some point we managed to sleep for An hour or so & from about 5 am we sat there waiting  to be back on terra firma. We were unsure if we had arrived in Mandalay due to the lack of signage, as we looked out the window the door swung open again & young faces appeared wanting  our plastic bottles. We exited the train & joined the crowds to who knew where when we were met by a welcome sight – a man holding a sign  – “welcome to Mandalay Mr & Mrs L”. We had made it.

we're on the road to nowhere....

We arrived at HCMC airport with our Myanmar visa's in hand. As a reader of previous blogs you will know that this part of a journey is always the most anxious for me. I was even more nervous this time as there were two things wrong with our visas. 1) I had entered the wrong passport expiry date for Mr L's visa and 2) we had stated our point of entry was Mandalay when in fact we were flying into Yangon. We had booked a tour for this leg of our trip and the company had advised that entering at a different aiport was ok provided it was an approved point of entry which it was. I played it cool at the check in desk but the eagle eyed lady (I thought of other names for her but she was just doing her job) was onto us immediately. After 20 minutes discussion & debate with the supervisors,  it was looking like we might not be able to fly then suddenly, with 5 mins left to check in,  they agreed we could. The flight there - about 2 hrs - was uneventful save for a man in the seats across the aisle from us decided to cut his finger and toe nails during the journey. in what world is that acceptable??

On arrival after we past through security without incident we were greeted by a man in a skirt. It was Bobo our guide for this part of the trip. The skirt is in fact a longyi,  traditional wear for men in Myanmar & worn by the vast majority of them. The ladies also wear long skirts & have their faces painted in a yellow liquid which comes from the bark of a tree & protects them from the sun as well as being fashionable. 

I should explain a few things. We decided to book a trip in Myanmar as we wanted to learn about its history, about the culture/political changes & to see all the key sights so it made sense to have a guided tour. We booked the trip a few weeks earlier but as we set off I couldn't find the itinerary so could only go by the highlights on the website. So we had no real idea of where we were going in any detail, no idea where/which hotels we were staying at, how we would get from place to place. However it was a tour so we were confident it would all be organised for us. We also thought we would be with other people but lucky for us it turned out to be  a private tour. 

Our journey from the aiport to the hotel was 16 km/10 miles so in normal circumstances should have taken 20-30mins.  It took us 1 3/4hrs & we had to walk the last 200m. The traffic was complete gridlock. It wins the award in my book for the worst traffic we have experienced so far. Motorbikes are not permitted in Yangon so everyone has a car. At one point we sat at traffic lights for 10 mins waiting for them to change. 

When we got to the hotel, we headed out to get some food from the street vendors. There was one at the end of the road but the sighting of a rat running along the gutter made us move on to the next street where we had the most delicious chicken in coconut with rice. We sat with some locals on some small tables and little stools who were quite pleased to see us and they handed us pots with chilli and coriander to add to our food. It cost us under a pound.Bobo met us and we drove across town to the Shwedagon Pagoda which sits on a hill in the centre of Yangon so where ever you are you can see it. It's an absolutely incredible sight. We walked around and then watched as the sun set and disappeared behind it. The colours were wonderful. Quite a special place. After we went to dinner on a ridiculously over the top boat where they have a show clearly aimed at the tourists of traditional dancing, puppets and, my favourite, a dancing elephant. Not real but pretty impressive. Tourism only started back up four years ago so the country is still finding its way but we both warmed to it & look forward to exploring more.

Going underground....

We did as we had planned to do for the five days we spent on Phu Quoc Island – precisely nothing. We sat by the pool, swam in the pool, looked at the pool and for a change in the late afternoon we walked to the beach, sat by the beach, walked along the beach and swam in the sea. We watched some amazing sunsets from the comfort of a bar seat with a Saigon Beer  in hand & we ate dinner on the beach under the stars. We ventured into  downtown Duong Dong  one evening and mooched about the market but it was too exciting for us so we headed back. All too soon it was time to pack our bags again and head to the airport-  back to Ho Chi Min City (HCMC).

We were staying just around the corner from where we had stayed previously and, can you believe it, we were allocated Room 101 again. Why? How? Is here some deep meaning to all of this? We headed straight out to visit the market, buy some crazy pantaloon shorts (Mr L announced ‘she's gone all ethnic on me’ ) then to the post office.  Now I know that back home the very thought of going to the post office fills you will dread especially this time of year but this post office is quite a sight. Left over from the French period,  it has a  huge arched ceiling, some great murals & original wooden phone booths which now house ATM’s. 

The following day we were up early & headed off to visit the Cu Chi tunnels. These were originally built for the war against France & expanded further during the Vietnam/ American war & allowed the Vietnamese to operate largely undetected by the Americans.   We watched a video on the bus on the way  to give a bit more background. Well actually Mr L & I watched it along with perhaps 2 other people. The rest of the bus promptly fell  asleep.

I was a little nervous about this visit I must confess- I'm not really a tunnel kind of gal. I became more nervous when we were told how narrow they get and some stretches are in complete darkness. Then a chance came for me  to bale out – anyone with asthma shouldn't go down.I'm not a quitter so went in. Mr L behind me. This level of tunnels were approximately 3 meters below ground. As soon as you enter you cannot stand up in fact you have to walk bent at the waist, with your sides brushing past the walls, back/head touching the ceiling  In this section there were a few lights intermittently along the tunnel.There is very little air , it's very hot and very claustrophobic. I managed just 20 meters – more than some. It was enough to get the experience. Mr L, braved a further section.  Nearby you are offered the opportunity to fire some guns including  AK47’s for the price of a couple of nights in a hotel. We declined. Then we were back on the bus & back to HCMC.

And so we have come to the end of our time in Vietnam. it's been more manic than we had expected and I think we under estimated the vastness of it. It's been fun to meet the locals. So many, especially out of the big cities want to talk to you and practice their English & they are delighted & at times bewildered that you are visiting their country. We have met some great fellow travellers too; many great tips on where to go & what to do shared & emails exchanged but we are ready to move on. Our next stop is Myanmar or Burma as it used to be known.