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Saturday, August 31, 2013

Email to Friends: Pursat and off to Phnom Penh‏

My moto driver in Battambang took me to the bus station for my departure to Pursat. He didn't want any money but I made him take a few dollars. The bus was nice and the little old woman next to me switched seats so I could see out the window and shared her roasted peanuts with me. I was the only one that got off in Pursat. I could tell a huge storm was on the way, so I had a tuktuk driver drive me the two minutes to one of the only hotels in town (although they are building what looks to be a nice one across the street). Best dollar I have spent, as the skies opened up a few seconds after I arrived and there was a torrential downpour.

The room is pretty rustic, but clean and has a fan, ac, and tv for $13 ($6 without ac). And who needs hot water, any way (or apparently toilet paper, which I will have to go buy in the morning)?!? Waited a couple hours until the rain stopped and then went to explore and get my bearings. People just stare at me when I am walking which is a little disconcerting, but most eventually smile. Lots of people do double takes on their bikes or motorbikes or ox and cart. Battambang was pretty rural outside the town center, but this is even more so. And almost no one speaks English. At times, it reminds me a little of Africa.

Found a pool hall consisting of two tables covered in green felt, one without pockets. So if you hit the balls too hard, they rolled off the deck into the river! I decided I shouldn't play, with my poor pool skills. A woman pulled over on her motorbike as I was walking and she spoke a little English (I maybe understood a third of what she said, but nodded my head a lot). She told me to hop on and dropped me off at the bustling market. Walked around a bit and then headed off across the river to try and find dinner. Looked for a while and finally found a place with pots of food and rice. It had a fair amount of people, so pointed to some kind of meat and egg dish. A couple of older men motioned for me to sit at their table, so I joined them. They spoke very little English (knew "thank you very much" and "your name?" which is more than I know in Cambodian). The rest of the conversation consisted of smiles and hand gestures. When they got up to leave, they paid for my meal, much to my protest. But you pretty much always lose the protest when they speak the same language as the cashier and you don't. On my way back to the hotel, another woman (probably a few years younger than me) motioned me over and we sat by the side if the road. She spoke a little English as well, so we chatted for a bit and she made me eat half of her baguette sandwich she was eating. She give me tips on where to go and where to avoid and told me to "take good care". Probably still much safer than what I have heard about Phnom Penh. Watched the clouds turn colors as the sun set behind a temple (wanted to take a picture but thought it would be rude to interrupt our conversation) and then she drove me the rest of the short way back to the hotel on her motorbike.

Yesterday morning at breakfast, I met a couple from San Francisco that has been traveling for 14 months. They are super nice and may be the only other tourists in town. They were heading for Kompong Luong, a floating village of both Khmer and Vietnamese people that is about 60km out of town, so I joined them (boats only go with a minimum of 2-3 people). The tuktuk ride to the floating village goes along the main highway, past rice fields with the Cardamom Mountains in the distance. Then we get on a small boat and putter around the floating village. There is everything from a barber shop, petrol station, temple, church, lumber shop, gas station, and even a pool hall but they are all on separate floating boats! The kids all wave hello and blow kisses out their boat house windows as people go on about their daily lives, relaxing in hammocks, buying produce from floating vendors, or washing clothes off their boat deck. I love all the colors! Get back late afternoon and have a nice lunch of ginger chicken and rice and wander around town some more. Watched sunset again over the temple by the river and found some yummy steamed buns on the street near the hotel for dinner.

Today, I was going to catch the bus to Phnom Penh, but after the other tourists' story about someone trying to rob them and dragging her down to the street (she was still pretty shaken and jumpy whenever a motobike goes by), I decide to stay in this quiet little town one more night. It is probably cheaper here, since I will have to find a hotel in Phnom Penh with an in-room safe to lock up my passport, credit cards, and cash, just to be on the safe side. And I still feel like I need to get to know this little town better. So grabbed breakfast and had the best fresh squeezed orange juice (Pursat is known for their oranges) and head off for more exploring. Crossed the river and just walked as far as I could, watching women making fresh rice noodles by the road, townspeople moving their cows or water buffalo up and down the road, and looking in on some of the stone carving this town is known for. The heat of the day was too much, so bought some cold juice and water from a roadside stand outside a village. They invited me to sit down and I ended up hanging out there most of the afternoon. They give me fried treats from the house next door (thinly sliced potato or yam and bananas with sesame seed batter). Several ladies from the nearby village came by and we all sat giggling and pointing to stuff in the store (old bottles full of gasoline for passing motorbikes, live fish, chicken, vegetables, cleaning supplies, pharmacy items, and of course... lotto tickets). They gave the Cambodian word and I gave the English word. As I try to pronounce the Cambodian words, everyone laughs and I am told by Pech, the one that spoke the most English who calls herself my Cambodian sister, that I "have a big tongue" as my pronunciation is apparently bad. Ha!

Finally, I say my goodbyes and start walking back the few miles back to town, but only make it a few yards before one of the ladies had borrowed a motorbike and insists on giving me a ride back. Have I mentioned how much I love Cambodian people? Not that I don't love seeing new sights and hitting up recommended guidebook things, but some times, the most memorable travel days are spent doing nothing with complete strangers.

Tomorrow morning, I head for my 7:30am bus to Phnom Penh. Museums, Killing Fields, and maybe a day trip out of the city are the tentative plans. And just in case you catch wind of it over there... yes, I am aware of the political stuff going on here right now and should be out of Cambodia and into Borneo, lounging at a scuba diving island resort well before the planned September 7th Phnom Penh protest (leave for Borneo via Kuala Lumpur on September 4th.

Hope all is well with everyone!

Love,
Betsy

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Email to Friends: Battambang‏

I decided to take the boat to Battambang, since I have spent a lot of time on buses and the river is high enough to make it in about 7 hours. It left from a floating village outside of Siem Reap called Chong Kneas. It was really a fun trip, even though I was exhausted. Went through lots of floating villages. Mainly tourists on the boat, but we occasionally stop in a little village to pick up or drop villagers off, with padded seats for about 20 people (plus, we are also allowed to sit on the boat roof). Lots of colors and children all stop to wave hello as the once a day boat passes by. They have everything you would expect in a village: Temple, gas station, mechanic, corner store... except it is all floating on water. Want to visit the neighbor? Row on over! Even saw pets (cats, a monkey chained to a tree, and a guard dog paddling around chasing another dog). There are little waterways cut through thick brush. The boat operators quickly roll down canvas over the boat to keep the branches from thwacking us too hard, and it is kind of like a thumping massage. Some guy thought I was Cambodian and took pictures of me, but all in all, an enjoyable ride.

Once we hit Battambang, I found a hotel in the city center, right across from the local market where I could get my $1.25 noodle soup for breakfast. They claimed to have wi-fi, but it was slow an unreliable. So the next morning, a moto driver said he would take me to look for a better place. I told him what I wanted, and he took me to a perfect spot right across the river. Quieter, much cleaner, newer and nicer rooms, a quick walk over the bridge, and they matched the price of my old hotel (since it is low season and they have lots of empty rooms). Made plans for the moto driver to take me outside the town center the next morning and dropped off my stuff. Looked like it was going to rain so spent the day goofing off around town. Walked up and down the river and through all the streets. Went to a museum with old artifacts (big contrast to the high security of the Smithsonian, as these artifacts are guarded with the same glass and lock that they use to store their potato chips and snacks at the local bars). Visited a few temples and chatted with folks. One had a tiny, little kitten that curled up in my hand an seemed content to stay there, so just walked around the monastery with him for a while, much to the monks amusement. Saw a funeral down a side street (funerals can last several days, depending on how far the relatives have to travel).

The next day, my moto driver came to pick me up at 9am and we headed for the bamboo train. It is really just for tourists now, but it was actually a lot of fun (and will be gone in a few years when they build a real train from Phnom Penh). It only one set of tracks (which are run down and not very straight) and you have to get off when a train comes in the other direction so they dismantle the train and take it off the tracks so the other train can pass and then reassemble it. But it goes through beautiful, lush, green rice fields and the driver let me drive the train for a little while (much to the other passengers dismay).

After the train ride, we went to visit a narrow, rickety village suspension bridge that looked out over the river. It bounced as motorbikes passed and I squished up against the sides to let them pass (until a moto carrying a bunch of cargo came and I ran to the other side, as it was clear we both would not fit and I didn't want to create a traffic jam) My driver laughed an called it the Batttambang Golden Gate Bridge. Then we headed to a temple with 354 steps up to the top. There were five crumbling temples built before Angor Wat. I liked the feel of the unrestored temples, but didn't explore too much, as my driver warned me that the area around it may still have landmines. Then a basic roadside lunch of tomatoes, chicken, and rice and a coconut water to quench my thirst after all those stairs.

As we through little villages towards another temple that I had to climb up a small mountain to get to, my driver stopped to get me a freshly picked dragonfruit from a roadside fruit stand run by a lovely, old Khmer woman. She and my driver said somme words and he laughed. he explained to me that she said I talked like a foreigner but was dark like a Cambodian. She let me try all the delicious fruit and we went on our way. Made it down the muddy pot-hole filled dirt road to the next temple and started the climb. Halfway up was another temple over run by monkeys. Stopped and had a coke (which I inadvertently shared with a monkey who decided it was his turn and took it right out of my hand). So continued up to the top. Beautiful view off the area and a monk invited me to sit down. We had a nice long talk and it was very peaceful. He told me of being orphaned and becoming a monk. He now runs a school for village children and orphans because "it makes his heart feel good and when you die you can't take things with you, but the good and the bad you have done can live on."

My driver took me to meet his family. He has a wonderful year and a half year old boy that he found sick and abandoned by the side of the road. He took him to the hospital and stayed with him for 18 days. When they were going to send him to an orphanage, he took him in instead. He and his wife married six months later. He and his whole family are full of kindness and love and I feel really lucky that out of the hordes of tuktuk and moto drivers here, I found him. He also took me to the bus terminal to get me a ticket for my continuing journey to Pursat (my hotel said it would be $10, the same to Phnom Penh, which I knew was not true as it is only a third of the way... when I protested, they said "well no one has ever asked to go there!"). He got me on a local bus for $3.75.

This morning, I woke up to chanting monks, grabbed breakfast at a place (have to just point at something someone else is having that looks good, since there is no English menu and only locals that don't speak English), and watched the fishermen along the river wall. Now, packing the backpack and off to the bus station.

Love,
Betsy

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Email to Friends: Susdaai from Siem Reap!‏

I really like Cambodia! The people are friendly and nice and there is lots of exploring to be had. My parents hooked me up with an amazing hotel in Siem Reap and it has been sooo nice to have a comfortable bed, a pool to relax in and cool off from the heat, and super hot showers and baths. It is amazing how the red SE Asia dirt sticks to you. It took a bit to adjust from the small village in Lao with a population of probably less than number of employees at this hotel and riding in a bus with a chicken in a burlap sack at my feet to luxury accommodations with business travelers (including a group from Microsoft). But it provided a much needed break from living out of my backpack for the last month! And while I didn't get my clothes professionally laundered, the hot water got them much cleaner than they were, and I got to do bathtub laundry instead of sink laundry... Movin' on up!!!

The first day, I purchased a three day pass for the temples. Tried to visit Angkor Wat at around 9:30am and it was horrible. Tour bus after tour bus of mainly Japanese and Chinese tourists. You could barely even take pictures as they shove you out of the way and get in every shot you are trying to take. So I left and found a much quieter temple with a climb up and nice view and called it a day.

The next day, I got up a little before 5am and found a tuktuk driver to take me to Angkor Thom. Most groups go to Angkor Wat at sunrise, so being the only person climbing around these temples was breathtaking. It is where several shots in Tomb Raider were apparently filmed. Lots of separate structures within the walls, my favorites being one with huge faces made of crumbling rock, another with long mazes of dark hallways and high walls with murals. Spent hours running around alone before the first tour groups showed up.

Decided to walk and just stop whenever I found a temple. Each was a little different, made in different times and by different rulers. After walking several kilometers, some Australian guys that had hired a tuktuk insisted I hitch a ride with them, so went to a place called Ta Prohm. Oh, and that Google maps camera car happened to be over here right now so I may show up walking on multiple dirt roads in Siem Reap. These temples were also neat, as they are being engulfed by huge trees. They are also doing restoration work on some, which was interesting to watch. Took a lunch break for some traditional Khmer coconut curry soup with fish, vegetables, pineapple and a side of rice. It was a delicious roadside lunch! Walked further on the loop of temples and finally felt templed-out for the day, so hired a guy with a motorcycle to take me back to my hotel.

Later that night, I set off for town to hit the night market and food stalls, but got side-tracked as usual. My tuktuk driver from the morning was hanging out with a bunch of other drivers in a parking lot on the way to town, enjoying some Angkor beer and chicken skewers with papaya salad. They invited me to join them and treated me to dinner and a few beers. Afterward, they were heading to a disco club and invited me along. I played it safe and let people I had met in the hotel know who I was going with first and they gladly have their tuktuk number. It was definitely an experience. Only locals (mainly men and a random kid brought with his mom and dad) are there. It is dark with lots of fog machines, music, and light shows. Oh, and a line of women "paid for their company" all stand up and greet you when you enter. But everyone was really nice (even the women that were chosen as company), the beer was cheap (I ordered a draught beer and they bring a whole, big dispenser for the table for $6), and everyone took good care of me and made sure I felt safe and was okay.

The next morning, I slept in until 8, a luxury for me. Had breakfast at the delicious hotel buffet (they have cheese... and real cheese is almost impossible to get in SE Asia due to refrigeration issues). Decided to run errands and wander around, so walked to town and explored, booked my boat ticket, and found and signed up for the cooking class someone had recommended. Around lunchtime, I decided to try Angkor Wat again. The tuktuk drivers gave me a tip to go during lunch, as many tour groups head back during lunch. Found a motorcycle driver who said he could drive me, wait for as long as I wanted to stay, and drive me back to my hotel for $5. I had a much better time... a fraction of the people and got to explore for hours. Really impressive piece of architecture and very different from the previous temples visited. Took an afternoon swim to cool off during the afternoon rain and tried to go to see a local boxing match at the arena, but they are apparently only on Monday and Wednesdays.

Today, I took another cooking class to compare the spices and flavors used to Laos. We each got to choose one appetizer and one main dish, with a shared dessert. I chose spicy shrimp salad and my favorite traditional dish of samlor kteas (the spelling varies since their alphabet, like every country I have visited, is different) which is a spicy coconut milk/vegetables/pineapple and meat or fish soup I have been eating every day. Went to market to pick our ingredients and had lots of fun. Soaked in the last of the sun at my nice pool (trying to get rid of my flip flop and sarong tan lines from staying covered around locals everywhere else). Meeting my parents' sweet friend who I met the first day who is a student and driver for dinner and drinks after wandering the night market and them promise the hotel bartender and staff I would come have one last beer to say goodbye before catching my 6:30am ride to the 7:30am boat to Battambang.

Cambodia is wonderful, but also has a very sad side. People in Laos worked hard but were very poor, but Cambodia seems even worse (especially in the low season). As always when traveling, I am trying to spread my money around as best I can and not haggling too much, since they can use the few extra dollars way more than I can. There are also many orphans here and people with missing limbs and deformities from land mines that are trying to make an honest living. The men injured by landmines playing beautiful music outside the temples for money make me cry. I better harden up before going to see the Killing Fields outside of Phnom Penh.

Hope you are well. I will find a guesthouse with wifi in Battambang, so I can be reached if needed.

Love,
Betsy

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Email to Friends: A Little Slice of Lao Paradise

I have been pretty lukewarm on Laos. But I found a little spot of perfection for my last four days. As I left the guesthouse in Luang Prabang, I met a Dutch guy who was heading south who said he had just come from Nong Khiaw. He had forgotten to leave his room key, so I said I would return it. Took a roller coaster minibus ride, speeding up the mountain roads, past small towns along the river. Arrived in Nong Khiaw, a sleepy little town with not much character. Looked for the hotel to return the keys, and nobody seemed to have heard of it. Walked through town and over the bridge into the next town, Ban Saphpoun, but still no one had heard of it. Noticed they had an ATM machine, and the guy had said I needed to bring in all the cash I needed, since they didn't have any ATMs. Finally, a man at a restaurant said it might actually be in Muang Ngoi, which was only accessible by boat and was about an hour upriver. Since I had said I would return the key, I figured what the heck... might as well jump on a boat and check it out. Heard the last boat leaves at 2pm and of course it is 1:50, so I hot-foot it back over the bridge to the boat jetty... luckily it leaves at 2pm Lao time (which is more like 3pm).

Head up the Nam Ou river through beautiful cloud covered limestone mountains. The weather moves fast, bringing sunshine and then downpour. Arrive in the little village, and instantly liked it. Ask around and am pointed down the main road (there is only one road with a temple at one end and the end of the road within sight). Of course the place is at the far end, and it starts to pour as I carry my backpack through the muddy street. Since there is no road access to this village, there are no tuktuks (the only time I would have really liked one) and I only see one motorbike) but lots of chickens and ducks. An elderly man allows me to duck into his house as it really pours for a few minutes. I see a sign for the ever elusive Suan Phao Guesthouse and Bungalows on the road, but it doesn't look like much and is attached to the pharmacy. Stepping in, a neighbor goes to find the owner. A woman comes from across the way and thankfully, she speaks some English. I explain what happened and return the key and she is very appreciative. She asks I need a room, and I am a little apprehensive, based on the look of the house, but say I will take a look. She takes me a few meters around the side dirt path and it opens to a garden and five bungalows, right on the river. It is perfect. She gives it to me for 50,000 kip (about $7) a night. They recently got 24 hour electricity in the village (used to only run from 9am til 6pm) and it has an indoor shower and toilets (still have to fill with the water bucket to flush but beats going outside with the rest of the town and bathing on the side of the main road in one of the few town faucets). But there is a big bed with mosquito net, the roof doesn't leak, and there is a balcony with a hammock overlooking the garden, river, and mountains (and I LOVE hammocks... I would probably live in one if I could). I spend the rest of the afternoon and evening swaying on my hammock, watching small hummingbirds and butterflies feed on the garden flowers until night brings out the loud sound of cicadas, crickets, frogs, and fun jungle insects, and bats fly by occasionally, with flashes of lightening in distant mountains.

The next three days was mainly spent relaxing in the hammock, reading, watching the villagers and their pigs or other livestock walk around, drinking the Lao tea and coffee and ginger tea that the owner brought me or heading down the street to her sister Ning Ning's restaurant. There can't be more than 100 people in this town and a handful of tourists during rainy season, so if a restaurant isn't open, you just wait or wander down the street looking for the owner. The first night there are a couple other tourists in the bungalows and the second night are a few more that I helped bring when the afternoon boat comes in (you can hear it puttering up the river long before it gets here). The last two nights, it is just me and family members. Turns out the reason the pharmacy is here is because her husband is the village doctor and she used to be a nurse in Vientiane and Luang Prabang. They also have a wonderful 12 year old daughter who knows little English, but visits with me. We occasionally draw pictures to communicate (she is a pretty good artist) and she likes wearing my hoodie sweatshirt a friend gave me for my travels. In the evening, I find a nice little restaurant and bar with excellent Lao whiskey cocktails and a nice owner.

With several days here, I am in no rush to go trekking, so I wait until a sunny day. The red road occasionally goes through cold mountain streams and goes up and down the mist covered mountains, alongside green rice and corn fields. There are little dirt paths that seem hidden until people pop out or disappear down them that lead to small villages. Butterflies are everywhere, and land on me as I explore. Cows, chickens, and pigs run around. Shoeless village women carrying machetes walk beside me for a ways and then smile and disappear into fields. Stop in to a small village for a break and watch the kids play. I am given some type of bamboo drink by a friendly family that is shared amongst several other villagers that stop by. It was refreshing and a little peppery (hopefully the water used to make it was safe, but it would have been rude to turn down their hospitality... stomach of iron, don't let me down!) Hung out for a bit and then continued further on the road. After about 5 hours of the up and down road, the villagers try to get me to pass in this deep river (past their waists) as some strip down to cross it. But I decline, as I figured I would not be able to keep my bag and camera dry and the hill after it appears to be a steep, endless incline. Turn back and head back to town.

After a small incident with a local village guy showing up at my bungalow wanting a kiss (one of the issues with being one of the only tourists in a small place is that everyone knows where you are staying and that you are alone), now I am back at my guesthouse in Luang Prabang. Mrs. Joy surprised me this morning with a travel care package for today's boat and bus ride with homemade banana pancakes and it was nice to be greeted warmly by my guesthouse family in Luang Prabang. Last night in Laos! Off to watch the sunset over the Mekong, eat my last Lao food for a while, and spend the last of my Lao money. Flight to Siem Riep, Cambodia in the morning via Pakse, Laos. Good timing, as I was getting a little homesick, but I think a new country with new adventures will cure it. And after more than a month of doing sink laundry, it is probably also time to turn my clothes over to a professional laundry service while I have a pool day. I was doing well until the last four days, where nothing ever really has a chance to dry, and then got shoved back in the backpack!

Laos trip photos are online or you can view them as a slideshow.

Love,
Betsy

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Email to Friends: Luang Prabang‏

Luang Prabang is relaxing and easy, probably due to the number of tourists that flock to this UNESCO World Heritage town. It is set in a valley in the mountains with the Mekong and Nam Khan river running through it. My accomodation, Ho Xiang I Guesthouse turned out to be perfect! Spotlessly clean, located a half a block from the Mekong and a few blocks from sights and the night market, and the family speaks little English but is wonderful (especially the grandmother, who is apparently 88 years old and doesn't speak any English, but has a kind face and always smiles at me and looks after me). Okay, maybe I just had to kill a huge roach or water bug (which would also explain why geckos are 6-7 inches here instead of the normal cute little ones) right after I wrote that, but in this climate right next to the river, it probably can't be helped... and I am sure there is only one, yes?!? Whatever helps me sleep at night, right? Luckily, I didn't see another one.

The first day, I was just going to walk around and get my bearings, but Add, a super nice hotel guest who is from Thailand but does business in Laos and spends a lot of time here, offers to drive me around and show me some sights. He takes me to a waterfall that is heavily touristy (they have elephants to ride and zip lines and such), but still nice. We take a boat to reach it. He speaks and if I don't say anything, I get charged the local price. He treats me to a lovely lunch overlooking the falls and I go explore the area later while he waits below. He also takes me to the Royal Palace Museum, which is full of interesting history about Luang Prabang and then Phousi temple that is 355 steps up to beautiful 360 degree views of the town. We part ways and I wander the street looking for a spot for dinner. I found the guidebook-recommended Luang Prabang sausage and sticky rice and a pineapple shake for dinner at a place along the Mekong and it was really yummy. Chatted with an English teacher who is from Thakhek (but now lives in northern China and sometimes Florida) who was home for his nephew's funeral, who was a famous monk in that town. He was excited that I had just visited his home town.

As with other good service and guesthouses I have found while traveling, I recommend my guesthouse to others I meet to try to help their business. The English teacher, Joe, from last night switches guest houses this morning to mine. We make plans for lunch and I go off to explore the town by foot. Saw the market and more temples and looked at different cooking classes to decide which to sign up for. Met Joe for lunch and we had a lovely traditional Lao meal of minced fish with mint, spices, and peppers, and steamed watercress and garlic which we eat with our hands and sticky rice. After, I went for more walking around town and visit where the Mekong meets the Nam Khan River. Still haven't really gotten my bearings, as most streets don't have names and there are both little and big streets. It is super hot and I may have gotten a bit of heat exhaustion, so had to head back to the guesthouse to load up on water, eat the dragon fruit I picked up at the market, and cool off. Went to enjoy sunset along the Mekong and wander the night market for a small bite. There may have been a few BeerLao consumed later that evening, as Add heads back to Bangkok in the morning.

I was going to head by bus up north to Nong Khiaw and further up river by boat, but my body seems to be telling me it is tired, and I think I will try to recharge a bit more here. Wandered the little side streets and ate at the baguette stands on the street. To avoid yesterday's heat exhaustion, I return to the guesthouse at noon, and the family invites me to join them for lunch and fresh fruit by the grandma. Watched the neighborhood boys play "kick the water bottle" and hide and seek as one tries hiding behind my skirt, giving me the universal "shhhhh" sign (but I think my smiling gave him away to the other boys when they look at me). Another boy decides it is too hot for shorts today, so just runs around in his shirt and underpants (not unlike my neighbor across the street from me). Went to walk the bridge in the afternoon, but got side tracked, as usual, as some monks invited me in to watch their evening chanting. Back at the guesthouse, grandma motions for me to come sit next to her and she shares her roasted corn with me while we sit smiling at each other in silence.

Today, I woke up at sunrise to watch the monk procession. Much different from Myanmar, as this one is full of tourists and people are taking flash photos and not following any of the other requested rules that are posted everywhere and say makes them lose a bit of their culture and tradition every day. So enjoyed the beautiful morning light over the misty mountains surrounding the Mekong instead, as people shuttled in and out by boat to villages across the river. Then headed to my Lao cooking class at Tamarind Restaurant. First we went to the market. The morning hustle and bustle was mainly over, but I still had that guilt of being like that annoying tourist in Pike Place Market who get in the way of everything. Then we headed to the class kitchen, which was in a beautiful setting outside of town, beside a river and a pond. Learned to cook a spicy roasted eggplant dish to dip sticky rice into, lemongrass stuffed with chicken and then fried, and a buffalo dish with a bit if tripe and bile (sorry cute water buffalos, which I love so much). We finished the meal by making coconut milk and boiling it with sugar and purple rice with fresh mangosteens, pineapple, lychee, and dragon fruit. We each got a recipe book, so I hope to try more at home. Back at the guesthouse, it started to rain and the father asked for help with his computer and setting up Skype (which he tried while sitting right next to me). They invited me to join in the family dinner, but I was still too full from lunch. The rain let up so I went to watch the sunset from my favorite spot on the wall along the Mekong. Afterwards, I watched the men gamble and play a game similar to Bocce ball, but I declined the offer to play (mostly because none of them spoke English to explain the rules).

I am heading off north to Nong Khiaw tomorrow morning, so will likely lose Internet (and luxuries such as hot water, and maybe indoor showers and bathrooms... oh well, the better to help me appreciate my resort hotel my parents gifted me with in Siem Riep). May go trekking or may just explore the little town, depending on the weather and the cost (heard it was expensive). Then back to my favorite guesthouse family in Luang Prabang on the 20th for a night before my flight to Siem Riep on the 21st.

Hope all is well with everyone! And hope this email goes through, as Hotmail seems to be intermittent for me lately.

Love,
Betsy

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Email to Friends: Sabaidee from Laos!‏

The flight from Mandalay through Bangkok to Vientiane wasn't too bad. Much like the rest of my trip through Myanmar, all the tourists try to help each other out (since there is really very little current guide book information as the country is changing at such a rapid pace). We all traded currencies as we all head into different countries to avoid the high money changing rates at the airport. Had time to kill between flights so grabbed a delicious bowl of Thai chicken green curry Bangkok. The change from little villages in Myanmar to the loudness of Bangkok was actually quite jarring. Arrived in Vientiane late, but got my Visa on arrival so didn't need to stay in the airport.

Spent the next day sleeping in past 4 or 5am for the first time in two weeks (no monks chanting or early buses to catch). Walked around Vientiane and up and down the Mekong River. But this city doesn't have much to do. Lots of NGO workers and creepy dudes looking for Asian women (one at the airport last night that I watched walk up to all the women traveling alone kept trying to share a cab with me, but I didn't want him know my guesthouse). May have to do with the fact that Soukxana Guesthouse where I am staying is right across the street from the nicest hotel in the city. They all seem to sit around drinking and talking about how awesome they are. I am sure you can imagine the face I give them as they are talking. Lots of restaurants for Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, French, and Italian food when all I want to try is Laotian food. Found a bit at the night market, but the street stalls here don't have seats (you have to take the food to go), which is half the fun. Oh, and lots of shopping here... And everyone knows how much I despise shopping. It is raining, but I just pop into coffee shops to enjoy a delicious Lao coffee whenever it was a real downpour, which never lasted long.

I wanted to like Vientiane, but just didn't. It is hard coming from such a wonderful Myanmar experience where life is relaxing and the people were so quick with a smile to a city where everyone is so serious looking, people speak less English, and are not horribly friendly. But one of the bonuses of traveling alone and having no set plan is that if I don't like somewhere, i can just pick up and leave. Looked up the destinations of the local buses and just pointed to somewhere south about 6 hours away called Thakhek in southern central Laos that is suppose to be a more sleepy town with caving and trekking.

Thakhek has very few tourists and is a good little town (the center of town is a small few block of a few shops). It is in a thin strip of Laos, with Thailand right across the Mekong and Vietnam a motorbike drive away. Laos is proving to be far more expensive than I thought, and people are not very helpful at times. Booked a $15 room at Southida Guesthouse in the center of town that is cleanish with only a few bugs, one block off the Mekong River. Ran into a Japanese businessman that was on the bus with me who had helped me negotiate with the tuk tuk driver and we went to sit by the river. We joined a couple sitting next to us, and as luck would have it, they were just the right people in town to know. He is an ex-military mountain ranger from the German army turned teacher and she is a native Laos, Vietnamese/Chinese woman he married. They own Mad Monkey Motorbikes and rent motorbikes and do tours of the area. We drank beer Lao and ate a lovely dinner of noodles and papaya salad, watching the twinkling lights of Thailand across the river. A mini carnival was across the street with a bouncy house slide and kids throwing darts at balloons. The couple invited us to their house/shop and we stayed up talking and playing with their very friendly yellow lab, Lucky, who sits by my feet and rests his head in my lap so I will continually pet him. The power goes on and off in this town pretty often since apparently they are all running off one small cable, but who cares... we have a bouncy house slide! They offered to give me a motorbike tour in the morning and said they would only charge me for the bike and gas, and not the tour. I said that would be okay, as long as they would make some money.

In the morning, I woke up and chose one of the busiest shops for my morning coffee and noodle soup for breakfast across from the tourist restaurant. People were very friendly. Bing took me out on her motorbike for 8 hours, deftly avoiding chickens, goats, cows, pigs, geese, dogs, and whatever else seems to be walking the road. The big trucks carrying stuff to Vietnam and Thailand are horrible, and even ran us off the road once. We went and saw the hydroelectric dam (where 95 percent goes to Thailand and only 5 percent stays in Laos) and little towns in the mountains. Occasionally you can hear land mines being detonated by a group called MAG that finds them in a nearby province and blows them up (her husband had told me that during the war, the B52 bombers had to drop them undetonated in order to land in the smaller airport, but now farmers pick them up and try to unsuccessfully unarm them for the metal). We went to local food markets where they sell all things from the mountain forest... snail, land crab, bamboo shoots, cricket, river fish, something that looked like chipmunk that was swarming with flies, and some kind of large forest mouse (which were still alive and kind of cute, so maybe they are being sold as pets? Yeah, that's what I will tell myself). I didn't buy anything there, since my doctor made me promise to TRY not to eat anything with too many flies on it.

On the way back, we went to a cave that you boat and then climb through. Since it is rainy season, the light pours through holes in the cave where waterfalls flow in. Very beautiful and very slippery. I was lucky to have Bing there with me, as our tour guide got lost in the cave and she luckily remembered the way out from when she was younger. After getting out, we headed back to town, watching the children swim in rivers and blue green ponds. As we return through the mountains, there were several rainbows.

They took me to a wonderful dinner at their favorite restaurant and then we met up with a few other guys from Germany and a local guy and had more Lao beer on the roadside tables along the Mekong. They offered me a ride further south and I am sure it would have been fun, but I decided I should start the long bus ride north. The Mekong is looking pretty full, and some roads are washing out already. The north is full of narrow mountain roads, and I hear they can get dangerous in the wet season.

The next morning I got up to try to catch the 5:30am bus to Vientiane and then start heading further north. Of course, the local buses leave on their own schedule, so we didn't leave until after 7am. We creep along through the small. Towns, stopping at each so the driver can try to find more passengers (as if people might have been late for a bus that is over an hour and a half late). I have to remind myself that I am on vacation, and it doesn't really matter if I don't make my destination. At some point, some woman says something to me in Laotian and sets her little boy almost in my lap and leaves the bus to go buy food. Not that the kid wasn't cute, but glad she returned! It starts to rain and the bus starts leaking through the roof. Ah, travel days...

Had to go back through Vientiane and I have to say, the people I interact with are again, not very helpful and out to take advantage of tourists. But switch bus stations and spend the next four hours drinking and eating random meat on sticks with the mechanics and bus drivers who invite me to sit down (thankfully, not my bus drivers, as they are drunk when I leave). One had sliced his finger pretty bad, so I did my best to fix it up with my first aid kit. The sleeper bus wasn't too bad, although made for people much shorter than me.

Thought about stopping in Vang Vieng, but I heard the town was full of drunk tourists looking for drugs and intertubing down the river (apparently 14 tourists died last year). So headed straight for Luang Prabang. Already liking it here and found a nice guest house for $13 (although I may try to talk them down a buck or two since I will likely stay here for at least 5 nights). Finally had a hot-ish shower and now off to explore!

Love,
Betsy

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Email to Friends: The Road to Mandalay (And Off to Laos)‏

Caught an early bus from Mandalay to Hsipaw. Once I got there, someone laughed and said I was on the cargo bus, which would explain the cheaper but pretty uncomfortable seats on a run down old school bus full of lumber and pipes and things on the aisle. The drive was pretty through mountain winding roads, passing motorbikes with baskets full of flowers heading for the Mandalay flower market. But treacherous, as the driver goes very fast. The driver also closes his eyes to pray when we pass temples, and there are only about a bagazillion temples here. Now I'm not one to judge anyone's driving, since I can't drive, but pretty sure you should try to keep your eyes open! But arrived safely and checked in to Mr. Charles' Guesthouse, one of the only guesthouses in town for tourists.

Walked around the small town (told the total population is around 10,000). Saw the noodle factory and stopped for these fried batter things made with coconut milk, scallions, and a small chickpea bean in the center and topped with chopped peanuts and a tamarind and fish sweet and sour sauce from a roadside stand for four for 10 cents. Met a French guy who was here in 1997 and in 2006. Interesting to hear how it has changed. He also had a local friend with him from Mandalay who had interesting conversation about the country and tips on where to stay and where there was a free shuttle to the airport once I return to Mandalay. We all had a delicious dinner at a roadside stop I had found exploring the town earlier. The local man said I found a good place where the food tasted like his mother's cooking. There are lots of fresh fruits and vegetables grown in this area that are delicious to try. I think my favorite is the dragon fruit that is bright magenta, even on the inside (stains your fingers with the color), that has way more flavor than the typical white ones. Topped off the evening with local rum made in town and fruit juice.

Took a two day trek through the mountains to a little tribal village with two really nice Italian guys and a local guide. The first day was really rainy, so it was slow going as everything was really slippery (passed the Scottish ER nurse coming down who said one tourist had already broken her leg and they had to splint it with bamboo). But the scenery was so green and beautiful and I love seeing the rice fields and water buffalo. We reached our home stay at a small village of about 900 people to a wonderful home cooked lunch. We all just talked into the night, listening to the rain fall.

In the morning, we woke up early and headed next door to the monastery. Instead of other towns I have been in where the monk processions go around town collecting alms, all of the village women come with flowers and food and the monk comes out and they all put their offerings in a basket. Sadly, I didn't get many photos because my camera lens was foggy inside the camera from all the moisture. I was afraid I would have to buy a new one in Bangkok, but my awesome guide had a great idea to put it in a bag of rice. It drew the water out in a half hour as we ate breakfast, and good as new! Later we walked trough the town. We all took photos, mainly of the cute kids who love seeing their picture in the camera.

Hiked back down the mountain to Hsipaw and tried to wash all the red mud off myself and my clothes and said goodbye to my new Italian friends who caught the night bus. Ran into the French guy again and we went back to the same restaurant, and the family was happy to see us. They took us out back to the garden and let me try all different kinds of fruit from their trees. They made us a special plant an root drink that was suppose to be good for high blood pressure and vision. They invited us into their home next to the restaurant and we had a lovely chat, even with the language barrier. The woman was 62 and her husband was in his 70s and was a retired police officer. We headed back to the hotel to bring the woman some French perfume that the French guy brought and ran into the Scottish woman and a woman from Holland and brought them back to the restaurant for the delicious traditional Myanmar fish soup. The family sat with us, gave us treats, and then put the anica face paint on all of us (and ground some as a present for the Scottish girl who wondered where to buy it). We took a picture and said goodbye, and they said we were family and that we must come back to visit.

The next morning, we all were on the same bus to Mandalay. The tour guide from Mandalay booked a shared room for Sarah, the Scottish girl and I at the good hotel, Royal City. He is so kind and is always treating us to things, even though we both would rather pay. Mandalay is really hot! Sarah and I wandered the city looking for yummy street food. We visited the Mahamuni Temple, a gold pounders shop where they make the gold foil that people rub on the temples, a workshop where they weave the silk traditional clothing, and a working Monastery where many monks come to learn to be monks. Sarah laughs when she sees how many do the "What are you?" stare or walk up to me and speak to me in Burmese (a monk at the monastery actually stopped in the middle of his prayer studies to ask where I came from). We ended with a trip to U Thein bridge, an old teak bridge over the river and relaxed, watching the wooden boats pass, kids jumping into the river, and many people walking the bridge as the sun set. We tried more street food, including the fried crab that I had wanted to try.

After our sightseeing, we rang our new tour guide friend and he met us for dinner. I ran into an older French couple I had met at Hsipaw who had also been helped by the tour guide and we all enjoyed dinner together for my last night in Myanmar (lamb and potato curry, tamarind relish, green beans with crushed peanuts, bamboo shoots, and lentil soup). Sarah, our guide friend and I jumped on the back of his motorbike to go get coconut ice cream. We drove past the entrance to the Royal Palace which was lit up with lights, making it almost look like Christmas.

This morning, I eat my last Shan noodle soup for breakfast and head to the airport. I am really quite sad to have to leave this wonderful country. It is definitely on my top 3 countries I love, and maybe even top 2 (Colombia, here, and Botswana). But Laos adventures await, and I fly from Mandalay to Bangkok and then to Vientiane tonight. I hope to visit Myanmar again someday and see how it changes over time. I really hope that it stays as full of friendly, honest, genuine, and kind-hearted people as I did this trip.

Myanmar trip photos are online or you can view them as a slideshow.

Love,
Betsy

Friday, August 2, 2013

Email to Friends: I'm On a Boat! (Okay, Well I Was...)‏

The slow local boat from Bagan to Mandalay was fun. Downstream, the other direction, it takes about 15 hours. But heading to Mandalay takes 2 days. We left Bagan at 5:30. Watched the sunrise over the Arewaddy. The boat is full of mainly older women, two 16 year olds, and a couple adorable small children, and the cutest pudgy, smiley baby. Everyone takes very good care of me, sharing food and buying me treats. I played with the babies and kids and made paper fans out of the Lonely Planet pages I was finished with to help us all try to cope with the hot sun and humidity. When a vendor didn't give me my change after buying a pineapple, the older women used hand gestures and their very expressive eyes to let me know I needed to go get it back (I had chalked it up to a $4 learning experiences and was going to let it go). It helped knowing they had my back, and the change was given back without question.

We stop at lots of small villages along the river as the boat loads up. Some villages are right on the water and you can see they make ceramics or floating huts and some stops seem like empty fields or jungle-ey forests, but the loud boat horn has people running out of seemingly no where to catch or greet the boat. The bottom of the boat is full of rubbish (empty bottles, plastic, cardboard) being taken out of the villages and the top is where we all hang out. They have the tourists area with plastic chairs.

There is another couple on the boat who took up part of the tourist area and took up space in the locals area with their mat. The girl is dressed in shorty shorts with her butt hanging out and an off the shoulder top with bra showing and they are being very rude to people on the boat. Everyone on the boat stares at them and makes faces begin their backs. After about 10 hours of this, I finally had enough. The guy and I had words as I tried to convince him to move his mat to the tourist area to give some of the families squished up against the wall more room, since they were not allowed in our area and they were essentially taking up two spots. He refused, and I wanted to throw their backpacks, him, and his skanky girlfriend into the river, but I showed restraint (for me, any way) and left it alone and said he could choose to be whatever kind of traveler he wanted to be. But it makes me really angry and sad that in a country that has been closed off to tourism for so long, that this is the impression of tourists that they were going to leave. While the rest of the boat couldn't understand a word of our discussion, the people were even nicer to me after. I was invited into the captain's chamber, was given a wonderful meal of rice, veggies, pickled mango, chicken, and papayas. Sunset on the river was beautiful.

Docked in a tiny village around 8pm for the night. Someone loaned me a tarp to sleep on. Can't say it was the most comfortable sleep on the uneven wooden boat deck. There were a ton of little moths that were drawn to the boat lights as people prepared for sleep. It was to the point where the whole canvas roof was crawling with them and they dropped off into your hair and flew in your eyes and mouth. I made a cocoon out of my sleep sac and fell asleep, trying to ignore all the critters I could hear moving around me.

The boat set off again around 5am. Bought a coffee and watched everyone wake up. Some of the older women decided they were going to do my face like a Myanmar woman. They hand grind this wood to make this yellow stuff to paint their cheeks and forehead in designs with a fine brush. They have me sit down and all take turns making the designs. Much laughter and smiles had by all. My area has turned into the kids play area. I remembered the little bag of super balls and tops that are in my backpack for kids to play with (although in a place full of cheap toys made in China, my toys are not that interesting). I give each kid a toy and we play with them on the boat deck. We only lost one overboard (toy, not child) and the kids climb on me and chatter away at me in Burmese and I just nod my head in agreement. I have to say, Burmese children may just be the cutest kids ever... maybe even cuter than Vietnamese kids :) I have a picture of one if my favorites on my camera that I will download when I get home.

Grabbed a trishaw at the boat dock and checked into a more expensive hotel in Mandalay. It kind of sucks, but the location is near the bus terminal and there is hot water (which I haven't had in quite a while) with a tub, which was probably not intended to do laundry in, but that is what they get for being overpriced. I don't know that I have ever been this grimy and dirty, so it is worth it for the two showers I needed just to clean up. And now time to get dirty again! Up before the crack of dawn once more to head to Hsipaw by bus and do some mountain trekking in tribal villages.

Love,
Betsy