My first day in Pakse, Laos. When I first arrived here yesterday evening, I walked around the tour agencies but to go anywhere or see anything of the area, it was an expensive business. I found out why Laos is not for the budget traveller. But there are always ways around and always local transport. So walking around I asked the various motorbikes and other forms of transport on three wheels if how much it would cost me to get to the nearby towns and the ruins of Wat Phou, an old monastery ruins. Luckily I found a guy who was ready to take me for $10, a bargain and so I decided to go with him. The next morning was an early rise and at 6:00am I was waiting outside the Great Wall hotel where I was staying. By the way for $3 I have a beautifully clean and spacious room at the very top with a huge balcony overlooking the whole of Pakxe. It's an absolute bargain, especially when the other hotels start at $12. Did I not already mention that everything in South East Asia works in dollars. Even though the currency is plummiting, here it is as strong as it ever was.
Anyway, so my guy was late turning up and so I made a deal with another motorbike driver and as we set off the guy from yesterday turned up, following us and chastising him for nicking his day's owrk. Anyway, I swopped back to my original driver, he rode the motorbike and I sat in the umbrella seat that was attatched to it. But he asked if I'd rather sit on the motorbike as a passenger and we could get rid of the umbrella seat and I was all YES. So on our way to the village of Champasak and War Phou we made a detour and stopped at his friends house. A local house on stilts, built in the middle of a forest clearing> I wasn't going to get these experiences sitting on a tour bus. And as the driver and his friends set about detatching the umbrella seat from the motorbike, I sat and watched the daily life. The grandfather and grandmother sat with the daughter-in-law and the grandchildren on the verandah watching from high up, all the excitement of a foreigner being in their compound. It was very early in teh morning. The kids were getting ready for school, sitting with mum eating their sticky rice for breakfast. The teenager who wasn't going to go to school till the afternoon, sat on a bed on under the shade of the house carving himself a spit bullet gun out of wood. And teh grandmother chewing bettle nut. It seems like a lazy life, but I guess the hard work comes when it's time to sow or harvest and not much to do in between.
So leaving the umbrella seat behind, we went on the motorbike, not a moped or anything like that, it was a proper motorbike, on our way to Champasak. It was just the best way to travel. As we got to the river we had to cross over and to do this the locals have built ferries for teh motorbikes. Two wooden canoes, joined together by a platform made of wooden planks and at the end of one of the canoes, a small motor to whizz us across. The same sort of system works for the big ferries that transport cars and buses across too, except instead of two canoes, they join together three.
On the other side we came to the small village of Champasak. Very quaint and very rural at the same time. Bufallos cooling off in water pools, children studying in open air classrooms (schools are just big huts with partitions and holes for windows and doors. beautiful Khmer houses, with ornately carved banisters and people, mostly women again, walking around with their vietnamese cone hats and their tools on their way for some hard work at the rice paddies. The ruins of Wat Phou, after having been to Angkor were just a big disappointment, but nothing is ever that disppointing. I sat down and talked to the local women there, using gestures and drawings of course, and they showed me how they made their banana leaf and flower decorations that they use in their prayers. And then I got blessed by one of the old women with some orange thread around my wrist. Why is orange such a symbolic colour?
And since the day was still young, I decided that we could go to the village of Ban Pha Pho. I had read somewhere that this was where they had working elephants and the ethnic Suay group of people. The driver had never been there before either and so thinking that it was just a few more kilometers away, he agreed to take me there. But we rode and rode and soon the tarmac road turned off onto narrow, jungle dirt trek and we kept going and going. I loved every second of it. It had rained heavily the day before so the dirt track in places had just turned to huge puddles of water, the small hills going up and down were covered in mud and in other places the trek was so narrow that we couldn't help but brush into all the flora and fauna. It was two hours and a water stop at one of the local forest dwellings before we got to Ban Pha Pho. The driver was exhausted, especially since we had been riding in the midday heat. I was exhausted but at the same time absolutely thrilled to have had the ride. The village itself was beautiful, set in the middle of a forest. Buy there were no elephants around and certainly the people did not look any different to the people in Pakse. We were directed to the elephant school where I was told that the war and the bombing had pushed the Suay further into the forest near to the border with Cambodia. The elephants....there used to be 90 of them.....loads for such a small village....but once again with the bombing, there were only 10 left now and they were in the forest. For a small fee, I could go trek and see them, and even though I was hot and tired and completely exhausted, I had come to see elephants and I was not about to leave without seeing them. So one of the trainers/keepers took me into the forest and there were two majestic looking beasts. The elephants were deep in the forest and got a little nervous as we entered their territoty. We could only stay for a short while without disturbing them too much and the leeches were getting to me anyway. So I had seen my elephants, not the way I had pictured in my head, walking around the village carrying wood, but instead in the forest.
After a lunch of sticky rice and vegetables, it was time to make our way back and this time we know the road, if I can call it that, that awaited us. Before we got to Pakxe, we had to pick up the umbrella seat and this time it was the end of the day. All the neighbours had come around for an end of the day gossip and to see what all the excitement was in the compound. The kids were all playing, boys football and the girls jumping rope, literally. Two of them would hold a string stretched out and the the others would jump over it to get to the other side. the string got higher and higher and the acrobati abilities of the girls more amazing, especially since they were jumping with bare feet on a dirt floor. With the umbrella seat back on, I was glad for a proper seat, having ridden on the motorbike from 7 in the morning till 6 in the evening meant that my ass was a little sore:) Not that I am complaining, every second of it was thrilling. Back to Pakxe and all I could think of was a shower and my bed.
Next day was going to be another early start. I had to be up before 6:00 am because that is when all the monks leave the monasteries to go and collect their alms from the local people. Dressed in their orange robes, with their vessels they walk in a line along the streets collecting stick rice and other food and blessing the locals. I walked along the street and found a group of women waiting with tehir baskets of sticky rice and water and a white scarf around their shoulders. I asked if I could wait with them and take a few photos and they were more than happy for me to sit with them. A minute or two later along the horizon we saw appear a line of orange, the women picked up their baskets and went to kneel along the roadside, and tehy asked me to join them. So I did and as one by one the monks walked past opening the lid of their vessels, I put a handful of sticky rice in it. Religious or not it was a very nice way to start the morning. I could take a few photos but at that moment I guess that wasn't so important. And then I spent the rest of the day just walking around town and taking it easy, catching up on my journal and getting ready to take the bus the next morning to the capital of Vientiane.
But this morning, I found out that I did not check my ticket properly and my bus left last night. So I have had to pay for another one and just hang around here a bit more. It's okay I guess, I would easily spend 7 quid on a few drinks back home and this way I get to catch up on my blog.
Thursday, 1 November 2007
Southern Cambodia and entering into Laos.
A bus from Phnom Phen took me to the southern town of Stung Treng. The landscape changed as we entered the southern region of Cambodia. Less populated and a lot more forest area. But There is not much to do in Stung Treng, it's just a sleppy border town and so after an afternoon there, the next day I would take the bus into Laos. It is not as yet so easy to go by River and therefore very expensive but thebus journey was just as fascinating. First I had to cross the Mekong at Stung Treng by river and there on the other side a bus awaited me taking me through jungle trek through to the immigration post for exiting Cambodia. Here to get my exit stamp, they wanted a dollar but I stood firm and the pockets of the officials in this case remained unlined. But the office itself was a little wooden hut on the edge of the forest. Amazing. And then a change of bus and another twenty minutes in and another shack surrounded by forest. I was at the Laos immigration point. Here unfortunately he would not stamp my passport till I gave him the dollar and so I caved in. Both sides are corrupt but I guess on the Laos side they are more sassy and make you pay up first.
After that it was a long bumpy ride through more forest dirt treks and then I was in the southern most town of Laos, Pakse. And here Laos has come alive for me. It is almost an untouched place, mostly french tourists....i guess they have that sense of adventure....but also quite expensive. The Laos government, in order to get ways from the Thai model of cheap backpackers has kept their advertising to only certain coutries and with the prices high, attracts only a certain kind of tourist..in other words, no stingy backpackers I guess. But my first full day here in Laos has been a reminder of why I love Asia.....monks and motorbikes.
After that it was a long bumpy ride through more forest dirt treks and then I was in the southern most town of Laos, Pakse. And here Laos has come alive for me. It is almost an untouched place, mostly french tourists....i guess they have that sense of adventure....but also quite expensive. The Laos government, in order to get ways from the Thai model of cheap backpackers has kept their advertising to only certain coutries and with the prices high, attracts only a certain kind of tourist..in other words, no stingy backpackers I guess. But my first full day here in Laos has been a reminder of why I love Asia.....monks and motorbikes.
Angkor
Watching the sun rise over Angkor was just a breathtaking sight. As I stood there with all the other tourists who could be bothered to get up that early, we watched from across the pond as slowly the sun rose over the 5 towers of Angkor Wat. It was everything I had imagined it would be and more. I guess I hadn't imagined the local cafe owners shouting 'hot coffee' in the background as they touted for customers to serve them hot vietnamese coffee for breakfast. But otherwise it was calm and serene as we all watched the colours of the sky over Angkor change and as soon as the sun was up, the temple loomed majestically over us. Inside the temple, there walls all around were carved with the figures and stories from the myths of Ramayana and Mahabharata. Originally a complex of Hindu temples, it was then taken over by a Buddhist king and then once again returned to Hindu kings. After walking around Angkor Wat, the 'jamboh' a cambodian version of the tuk tuk, took us to Angkor Thom. And this was more stunning than Angkor. The towers of Bayon, the main temple in Angkor Thom are covered with 49 Buddha faces. One of the faces is the one used on the Cambodian currency notes. After walking around this complex we went to the temple of Prea Khan. Now this was what I had pictured in my head. This is how I had seen Angkor on a Tv documentary and decided that one day i had to see it. When I fist saw Angkor in a documentary, it was the French,always the adventurers, who were trekking through dense forest vegetation and they discovered all these boulders with carvings and slowly the whole sight of Angkor was discovered. Before i went into teh Angkor complex, I imagined I would be trekking through dense forest treks to find myself suddenly standing in front of towering temples thousands of years old. Instead it is all very civilized, there is an official entrance where you buy the 2 or 3 day pass which requires a photo. They even have a camera man on sight taking the photo for you if you don't already have one and then you travel via motorbikes or jamboh's or even cars along dirt roads and at some point even tarmaced roads to get to the Various temples. But Prea Khan is stunning because it's the jungle temple. It's where they shot tomb raider and the temple stands untouched. There are huge trees spurting out of the temple walls and roof, roots, hundreds of years old causing havoc to the structure of the temple. We spent the next two days walking around the various temples, always as we entered a temple, there would be a whole group of kids tring to sell us bracelets and water and other crafts that they had made. These kids are really sassy though. It's amazing how much they have absorbed from hanging around the tourists all day. extremely intelligent, they have an answer for every question and their ability to speak the basics in any major foreign language you asked them to, just amazed me.
Having fulfilled my dream and roamed around Angkor for 2 days I was ready to get back to Phnom Phen and them towards the south of CAmbodia from where I would enter Laos. But we deided to stay in Phnom Phen for a few days. We met a dane who had been staying there a while and knew the place well enough to show us around. And there is nothing better to have someone who knows the place show you around it. So we spend the weekend getting to know Phnom Phen. We walked along the riverside and spent the night sipping cocktails along the front which is lined with bars. We saw bats in the middle of the day, hanging from a tree right in the centre of town at one of it's main junctions, walked through the markets, and went to the backpacker area near the lake where we saw the sun set. But the time I was most grateful for having Jacob, the Dane, around was when we visited Tuol Sleng, a former Khmer rouge s-21 prison, not just for the history of it but just as moral support. The prison is actually on the sight of what used to be a secondary school and later also had a primary school next to it. From the outside it looks like all the other regular schools in Phnom Phen, except withhout the kids in white and blue uniforms and the playgrounds full of motorbikes and bicycles. This school houses photo upon photo of the millions, literally, of victims of Pol Pot and the Khmer rouge regime. They documented their crimes so well that these records now provide a light on the horrendous side of humanity. The classrooms with small cells built in them, and the chains still on the floor, are just a horrible place to be in. The graphic pictures and explanations of the torture carried out there is just emotionally scarring. And we were only there for half an hour. Imagine having to live through a regime like that....it's just unimaginable. And I guess still we don't learn and people carry on with wars all over the world. How can people be so greedy for power that they have no qualms about treating people worse than humans?
The prison is somewhere everyone should visit once in their lives.....seeing it in person just brings home the reality of human nature when it seeks power and control.
Having fulfilled my dream and roamed around Angkor for 2 days I was ready to get back to Phnom Phen and them towards the south of CAmbodia from where I would enter Laos. But we deided to stay in Phnom Phen for a few days. We met a dane who had been staying there a while and knew the place well enough to show us around. And there is nothing better to have someone who knows the place show you around it. So we spend the weekend getting to know Phnom Phen. We walked along the riverside and spent the night sipping cocktails along the front which is lined with bars. We saw bats in the middle of the day, hanging from a tree right in the centre of town at one of it's main junctions, walked through the markets, and went to the backpacker area near the lake where we saw the sun set. But the time I was most grateful for having Jacob, the Dane, around was when we visited Tuol Sleng, a former Khmer rouge s-21 prison, not just for the history of it but just as moral support. The prison is actually on the sight of what used to be a secondary school and later also had a primary school next to it. From the outside it looks like all the other regular schools in Phnom Phen, except withhout the kids in white and blue uniforms and the playgrounds full of motorbikes and bicycles. This school houses photo upon photo of the millions, literally, of victims of Pol Pot and the Khmer rouge regime. They documented their crimes so well that these records now provide a light on the horrendous side of humanity. The classrooms with small cells built in them, and the chains still on the floor, are just a horrible place to be in. The graphic pictures and explanations of the torture carried out there is just emotionally scarring. And we were only there for half an hour. Imagine having to live through a regime like that....it's just unimaginable. And I guess still we don't learn and people carry on with wars all over the world. How can people be so greedy for power that they have no qualms about treating people worse than humans?
The prison is somewhere everyone should visit once in their lives.....seeing it in person just brings home the reality of human nature when it seeks power and control.
Wednesday, 31 October 2007
Cambodia
I entered Cambodia via the Mekong. Three days on a range of boats from small canoes to big luxurious boats .....tricky but the best way I have entered a country so far. We stopped along a few small towns, saw the hustle and bustle of the floating markets and local industries like where they made coconut candy and rice paper. We had breakfast on the river as the women rowed her canoe from boat to boat making a living selling delicious Vietnamese coffee and noodle soup. We went through a maze of small mangrove canals and through places where the river was so wide it seemed like a sea. It was fascinating to see how life along the river, with it's gentle pace, works, and how people who live near the river are so completely dependant on it for everything but also use it in the most creative ways to earn a living. The floating fish farms and teh floating markets were just amazing to see. And it seems all along these cultures the women work the hardest. We saw mostly women along the floating markets, rowing their canoes packed with fruits and vegetables. The men also do some of the hard work but apparently once again, they see themselves playing the role of the parent who teaches their child 'culture'.
On the third day we approached the Cambodian border. Leaving Vietnam was just walking past a wooden pole while a man in shorts and Tshirt had a quick glance at your passport. It was hilarious how easy it was. But funnier still was when the boat left us at the Cambodian immigration. We would have to leave the Vietnamese boat and take a Cambodian one. None of us had Visas so we walked into this compound where there were official looking personnel. No sign saying this was the immigration office...and I use the word very loosely. It was a beautiful open bamboo bungalow with hammocks at the sides, palm trees for shade and a view of the river. We saw the sign saying 'Visa here' and for a few minutes wondered whether this scenic location would be where we would actually get our Visa. As I sat across the table from the official...at least this time he had the uniform shirt on even if he was wearing shorts to go with it, I had the view of teh Mekong river infront of me, he checked my Visa form, wrote out the Visa in front of me and stuck it in my passport, I paid him the $20 and that was it. I was officially allowed to enter Cambodia. If only all Visa formalities and offices were this nice.
We got the cambodian boat and as we entered the mekong on the Cambodian side, we immediately noticed the difference. The houses were now distinctly Khmer houses. Beautiful
wooden houses built on very high stilts and with roof decorated in the traditional Khmer tyres. But the biggest difference was seeing all the cows and water buffallos. I was told that Vietnam gets all it's cheap meat from the Cambodian side. And then also along the river spots of orange, monks in their robes hanging out near the river...we were in Cambodia and I was that much closer to seeing Angkor Wat.
It was night time when we arrived to Phnom Pehn and we went for dinner in a local place near the guest house. The atmosphere was just something else. It was what we assume a beer and seafood place. There were tables full of men, and only men, with big jugs of Ancor beer next to each table and all sorts of plates filled with 'delicacies' The atmosphere was one of being jolly and just having a good old time. As we walked in, being the only woman there I first got stared at and then impecable service. The guys were jealous at how I got all my food and drink delivered first and always with a huge smile. Even with it thundering and pouring it down outside, it was just great being in Phnom Pehn.
The next day, I decided to go sight seeing, took a motorbike to the killing fields and it was the first rude awakening to the history of the Cambodians. How could one man, turn so many minds into pure evil and end up killing so many people in the most horrendous of ways. It was just incomprehensible. And after that I walked to the riverside and went to see the Royal Palace. What a contrast to my morning. The palace is architecturally Khmer style and absolutely beautiful. The grounds are really well maintained and walking around I got an insight into just how royal life would have been in there.
And then I couldn't wait any longer, I had to go see Angkor, I have been waiting so long to see it.
So the next day we took the bust to Siem Reap. Got there by lunchtime so we could explore the town a little. A much smaller and nicer town. Quieter and mainly in exsistence on the tourist trail because it is a perfect base for going into Angkor.
A 4:00 am rise the next morning meant that we would see the sun rise over Angkor wat.
On the third day we approached the Cambodian border. Leaving Vietnam was just walking past a wooden pole while a man in shorts and Tshirt had a quick glance at your passport. It was hilarious how easy it was. But funnier still was when the boat left us at the Cambodian immigration. We would have to leave the Vietnamese boat and take a Cambodian one. None of us had Visas so we walked into this compound where there were official looking personnel. No sign saying this was the immigration office...and I use the word very loosely. It was a beautiful open bamboo bungalow with hammocks at the sides, palm trees for shade and a view of the river. We saw the sign saying 'Visa here' and for a few minutes wondered whether this scenic location would be where we would actually get our Visa. As I sat across the table from the official...at least this time he had the uniform shirt on even if he was wearing shorts to go with it, I had the view of teh Mekong river infront of me, he checked my Visa form, wrote out the Visa in front of me and stuck it in my passport, I paid him the $20 and that was it. I was officially allowed to enter Cambodia. If only all Visa formalities and offices were this nice.
We got the cambodian boat and as we entered the mekong on the Cambodian side, we immediately noticed the difference. The houses were now distinctly Khmer houses. Beautiful
wooden houses built on very high stilts and with roof decorated in the traditional Khmer tyres. But the biggest difference was seeing all the cows and water buffallos. I was told that Vietnam gets all it's cheap meat from the Cambodian side. And then also along the river spots of orange, monks in their robes hanging out near the river...we were in Cambodia and I was that much closer to seeing Angkor Wat.
It was night time when we arrived to Phnom Pehn and we went for dinner in a local place near the guest house. The atmosphere was just something else. It was what we assume a beer and seafood place. There were tables full of men, and only men, with big jugs of Ancor beer next to each table and all sorts of plates filled with 'delicacies' The atmosphere was one of being jolly and just having a good old time. As we walked in, being the only woman there I first got stared at and then impecable service. The guys were jealous at how I got all my food and drink delivered first and always with a huge smile. Even with it thundering and pouring it down outside, it was just great being in Phnom Pehn.
The next day, I decided to go sight seeing, took a motorbike to the killing fields and it was the first rude awakening to the history of the Cambodians. How could one man, turn so many minds into pure evil and end up killing so many people in the most horrendous of ways. It was just incomprehensible. And after that I walked to the riverside and went to see the Royal Palace. What a contrast to my morning. The palace is architecturally Khmer style and absolutely beautiful. The grounds are really well maintained and walking around I got an insight into just how royal life would have been in there.
And then I couldn't wait any longer, I had to go see Angkor, I have been waiting so long to see it.
So the next day we took the bust to Siem Reap. Got there by lunchtime so we could explore the town a little. A much smaller and nicer town. Quieter and mainly in exsistence on the tourist trail because it is a perfect base for going into Angkor.
A 4:00 am rise the next morning meant that we would see the sun rise over Angkor wat.
Tuesday, 30 October 2007
Vietnam
For me Vietnam, came and went very quickly. Two reasons, I did not stick around there for a long time were the floods approached and it meant that there was a lot I could not do and then it seemed extremely touristic compared to all the other places i had been to so far. Two places, made Vietnam special to me....the two cities of Hanoi and Saigon. I guess I am a city girl at heart. But entering Hanoi to find all the thousands of motorbikes and a city so vibrant in Culture and also it was our first look into Vietnam, that was pretty special and arriving in the evening Rush hour meant that we saw a Hanoi in Rush hour traffic with hundreds of motorbikes racing through the streets, carrying anything between 2 to 4 passengers. And then it was the evening prayer time and people burning fake $100 bills in luck that the next days earning would bring them the real $100. It was dinner time too and time to catch up with friends at the end of the day and so on the pavements groups of young and old sat on tiny, low stools enjoying all sorts of local 'delicacies' and strong and delicious cups of cold Vietnamese coffee. In Hanoi we saw the water puppet show but it wasn't as impressive...it was more laid on for the tourists whereas I would have preffered to see the original thng in some little village, I guess. But I can't always have it all.
After Hanoi, my first Vietnamese train took me to teh coastal town of Hoi An. The train journey, hard sleeper again, showed me the warmth and friendly character of the Vietnamese. They are just lovely people. And because I was on the Hard sleeper, it meant i was sharing the cabin with the locals. It's really crap,excuse the language, that I cannot speak the language, but they old woman sharing the cabin with me was able to show her warmth and hospitality anyway. Big smiles and sharing food...just came so easily to her. But the trains themselves are the worst so far. They are comfortable and clean, especially with no spitting (unlike the chinese), but they are very old and the dining cart..well it was just a tiny space where I really would not want to spend any time or eat anything.
Anyway, Hoi An was flodded the day after I got there so I could not really do much. The 'My Son' temple complex, similar to Angkor, was flooded, and so I just sat near the riverside and watched as all sorts of vehicles and people wlaked through the floods. It was great to just sit there and take photos....a beautiful town.
Another train journey and with some more Vietnamese looking after me, I arrived in Saigon. I shared a cabin with a Caodai believer..which in itself was fascinating, two engineers, one who spoke very good english, a guy who was going to his fiance's town to get married and the saddest looking Vietnamese lady i think I will ever see. A funny mix, but so nice. Vietnamese trains have meals included and so as we sat all together, eating our sice and eggs, I found out more about Vietnam than I have staying in any of the cities. I knew about Caodai being a religion only found and having originated in Vietnam but actually coming in contact with a veliever was just enlightening. Both her, and the woman who was mourning because she had lost her son in a motorbike accident a month ago (more that 30 people die everyday from motorbike accidents in saigon) were on a vegetarian diet. Most caodaist were vegetarian but these women were just giving up meat and fish for a month. One to wash away her sins, the other because she was mourning her son, and I guess asking god to look after him. Arriving into Saigon, it was crazier that Hanoi. triple or even quadruple the number of motorbikes in Hanoi. I loved it, the constant roar of the motorbikes but also there was the constant hooting and once again crossing the road was an adventure everytime. You just walk slowly across, praying that you don't die any second soon but as you walk slowly across the traffic just goes around you..it is just a skill, an artform the way they ride their motorbikes in the city.
The lady on the train had given me an address of a Caodai temple I could visit. It was pretty far away from the backpacker area where I was staying and so I decided to take a long motorbike ride to it. But I guess the motorbike driver just thought I wanted to see any odd temple and since he didn't exactly know where the temple was he took me to what he thought was a temple in the nearby are. What he took me to, and I guess I will be forever grateful to him for this mistake, was a buddhist university at a time when classes were about to begin. I didn't want to just walk around so I grabbed a passing nun and asked her if I could walk around, thinking it was a temple and not knowing it was a university at all. She spoke very little English but she took my hand and walked me up the stairs. We passed monks and nuns in their grey and marroon robes sitting in the balconies, reading, talking to each other and smiling as we passed them by. She took me outside her classroom and we sat on the balcony exchanging names and other basic information. She shared her plastic bag coke with me and as we sat there soon other nuns came to greet us and before I knew it I was surrounded by nuns holding satchels waiting to go to class and begin their afternoon studies. One of the nuns, Nimh, who spoke quite good english invited me to spend the next day with her. I was more than willing and with the address in hand agreed to meet her at 8 in the morning the next day. I wished them a good class and as I walked back down to my waiting motortaxi, I beheld a sight, an image that i will hold in my head forever. The gate was filled with nuns in their gray habits and monks in their orange and marroon robes coming to afternoon classes in motorbikes and mopeds. They were all ridng in, filing the parking space, hanging out with fellow classmates and freinds for a few minutes before class began....it was just great standing there watching school begin, but for a different sort of student, I guess for the students of the highest order.
So next morning, I was up early and left for another long motorbike ride to District 12 of Saigon, a half an hour motorbike ride away from Disctrict 1, which is where my hotel was. The staff and the motorbike driver wondered why I wanted to go so far away, nothing there for you to see they told me, only how wrong they were. This time I was at a temple. Nimh had invited me to where she lived, a temple and a nunnery. She was waiting for me even though the rushhour traffic meant that I was a little late. That was the best motorbike ride I have had and everyone going to Saigon should at least one just ride around in the Saigion rush hour because it is an experience in itself. Hundred of motorbikes, going in all different directions and when they all get stuck at a roundabout, they move an inch at a time, slowly bumping into each other and inching their way into the direction they want to go to, out of the traffic.
Anyway, Nimh was waiting for me and I started the morning by helping her to clean one of the rooms in preparation for an unexpected visit from the monks. They she found me two young children who were learning to show me around. They were absolutely amazing. So intelligent and so outgong, I was amazed at their openness, their ability to welcome me so easily and put me completely at ease. I did a little maths and english with them while I waited for Nimh to finish preparing the room and they were quicker in their mental calculations that I was, my maths isn't that amazing but it is quick enough and these kids were only 8 and 9 years old. I halped prepare lunch, ate with the nuns and just hung around with them for the day. It amazed me and it was an experience that was just unrivaling. The strength of character, the strong sense of self identity, the complete lack of insecurities and the absolute focus on and thirst for knowledge. They knew, even the youngest of them all, with absolute certainty and no doubts at all, who they were as individuals, what they wanted out of life and a sureness that they were heading in the right direction. I was amazed and don't think I have ever come across before such a strong sense of self identity. They knew exactly who they were and were a hundred per cent content and happy with it. Another day with the nuns, and then a day visiting a couple of the sights around the city and I was ready to move on.
I was going to take a boat on the Mekong, for 3 days to enter Cambodia and finally fulfill my long standing dream of getting to see the sun rise over Angkor Wat.
After Hanoi, my first Vietnamese train took me to teh coastal town of Hoi An. The train journey, hard sleeper again, showed me the warmth and friendly character of the Vietnamese. They are just lovely people. And because I was on the Hard sleeper, it meant i was sharing the cabin with the locals. It's really crap,excuse the language, that I cannot speak the language, but they old woman sharing the cabin with me was able to show her warmth and hospitality anyway. Big smiles and sharing food...just came so easily to her. But the trains themselves are the worst so far. They are comfortable and clean, especially with no spitting (unlike the chinese), but they are very old and the dining cart..well it was just a tiny space where I really would not want to spend any time or eat anything.
Anyway, Hoi An was flodded the day after I got there so I could not really do much. The 'My Son' temple complex, similar to Angkor, was flooded, and so I just sat near the riverside and watched as all sorts of vehicles and people wlaked through the floods. It was great to just sit there and take photos....a beautiful town.
Another train journey and with some more Vietnamese looking after me, I arrived in Saigon. I shared a cabin with a Caodai believer..which in itself was fascinating, two engineers, one who spoke very good english, a guy who was going to his fiance's town to get married and the saddest looking Vietnamese lady i think I will ever see. A funny mix, but so nice. Vietnamese trains have meals included and so as we sat all together, eating our sice and eggs, I found out more about Vietnam than I have staying in any of the cities. I knew about Caodai being a religion only found and having originated in Vietnam but actually coming in contact with a veliever was just enlightening. Both her, and the woman who was mourning because she had lost her son in a motorbike accident a month ago (more that 30 people die everyday from motorbike accidents in saigon) were on a vegetarian diet. Most caodaist were vegetarian but these women were just giving up meat and fish for a month. One to wash away her sins, the other because she was mourning her son, and I guess asking god to look after him. Arriving into Saigon, it was crazier that Hanoi. triple or even quadruple the number of motorbikes in Hanoi. I loved it, the constant roar of the motorbikes but also there was the constant hooting and once again crossing the road was an adventure everytime. You just walk slowly across, praying that you don't die any second soon but as you walk slowly across the traffic just goes around you..it is just a skill, an artform the way they ride their motorbikes in the city.
The lady on the train had given me an address of a Caodai temple I could visit. It was pretty far away from the backpacker area where I was staying and so I decided to take a long motorbike ride to it. But I guess the motorbike driver just thought I wanted to see any odd temple and since he didn't exactly know where the temple was he took me to what he thought was a temple in the nearby are. What he took me to, and I guess I will be forever grateful to him for this mistake, was a buddhist university at a time when classes were about to begin. I didn't want to just walk around so I grabbed a passing nun and asked her if I could walk around, thinking it was a temple and not knowing it was a university at all. She spoke very little English but she took my hand and walked me up the stairs. We passed monks and nuns in their grey and marroon robes sitting in the balconies, reading, talking to each other and smiling as we passed them by. She took me outside her classroom and we sat on the balcony exchanging names and other basic information. She shared her plastic bag coke with me and as we sat there soon other nuns came to greet us and before I knew it I was surrounded by nuns holding satchels waiting to go to class and begin their afternoon studies. One of the nuns, Nimh, who spoke quite good english invited me to spend the next day with her. I was more than willing and with the address in hand agreed to meet her at 8 in the morning the next day. I wished them a good class and as I walked back down to my waiting motortaxi, I beheld a sight, an image that i will hold in my head forever. The gate was filled with nuns in their gray habits and monks in their orange and marroon robes coming to afternoon classes in motorbikes and mopeds. They were all ridng in, filing the parking space, hanging out with fellow classmates and freinds for a few minutes before class began....it was just great standing there watching school begin, but for a different sort of student, I guess for the students of the highest order.
So next morning, I was up early and left for another long motorbike ride to District 12 of Saigon, a half an hour motorbike ride away from Disctrict 1, which is where my hotel was. The staff and the motorbike driver wondered why I wanted to go so far away, nothing there for you to see they told me, only how wrong they were. This time I was at a temple. Nimh had invited me to where she lived, a temple and a nunnery. She was waiting for me even though the rushhour traffic meant that I was a little late. That was the best motorbike ride I have had and everyone going to Saigon should at least one just ride around in the Saigion rush hour because it is an experience in itself. Hundred of motorbikes, going in all different directions and when they all get stuck at a roundabout, they move an inch at a time, slowly bumping into each other and inching their way into the direction they want to go to, out of the traffic.
Anyway, Nimh was waiting for me and I started the morning by helping her to clean one of the rooms in preparation for an unexpected visit from the monks. They she found me two young children who were learning to show me around. They were absolutely amazing. So intelligent and so outgong, I was amazed at their openness, their ability to welcome me so easily and put me completely at ease. I did a little maths and english with them while I waited for Nimh to finish preparing the room and they were quicker in their mental calculations that I was, my maths isn't that amazing but it is quick enough and these kids were only 8 and 9 years old. I halped prepare lunch, ate with the nuns and just hung around with them for the day. It amazed me and it was an experience that was just unrivaling. The strength of character, the strong sense of self identity, the complete lack of insecurities and the absolute focus on and thirst for knowledge. They knew, even the youngest of them all, with absolute certainty and no doubts at all, who they were as individuals, what they wanted out of life and a sureness that they were heading in the right direction. I was amazed and don't think I have ever come across before such a strong sense of self identity. They knew exactly who they were and were a hundred per cent content and happy with it. Another day with the nuns, and then a day visiting a couple of the sights around the city and I was ready to move on.
I was going to take a boat on the Mekong, for 3 days to enter Cambodia and finally fulfill my long standing dream of getting to see the sun rise over Angkor Wat.
Friday, 19 October 2007
Ok my last day in Vietnam, and from Saigon I go to Cambodia via boat for three days. Saigon has been amazing. First it's great to be in a city again and especially one where there are so many motorbikes and you can constantly hear the beautiful roar of the engines. For anyone who loves motorbikes, you must have gathered that I do, this is a perfect city. There are thousands of motorbikes everywhere and I suppose after a while the noise might get too much and with the pollution too...well i wouldn't want to live here long term but for a while it's a great city to spend time in and observe how Vietnam lives and breathes.
I spent a few days in the quieter and calmer city of Hoi An, near the coast and it was a great place to chill. Boat rides on the river and french cafes and beautiful french architecture to admire. Old traditional houses and pagodas but the main reason everyone goes there is to get a new wardrobe. I had a beautiful, red, made to measure, winter coat stitched for me in under 10 hours. there are shops everywher, selling the latest styles. You can sit with the latest next catalogue and choose from a range of material, vietnamese silk, thai silk to cotton and linel. This is the perfect place for a foreigner to rent a bike and go around town. the big cities are just to crazy to ride in by yourself. But unfotunately for me the rain and floods meant that I could neither rent a bike nor do much walking around. All I could do was sit in the cafe and watch school children, rubbish collectors and everone else walk, and drive through the floods.
With news of more flood, the town of Hue suffering as badly as the floods in 1999, and a typhoon too, I decided to get as far away from the coast as I could. Most foreigners here seem to travel by bus, cheaper and more convenient as the bus stops at different towns along the coast, but I'm told by the locals that the buses are dangerous bothe because of the crazy driving and also because of the people using them. So I decided for the safer and obviously the nicer option and take the train. Fortunately, my train was neither delayed nor cancelled. loads of other were because of the floods. I was on the hard sleeper again, sharing my cabin with 2 civil engineers travelling on work, a guy going to meet his way to get married, a woman who belonged to the caodai faith, indegenous to vietnam, and another who had just a month ago lost her son in a motorbike accident and me. It was interesting combination and i laernt alot especially as one of the engineers spoke English. It's amazing how sadness makes itself so visible. the woman mourning her son was on a special vegetarian diet. She had given up meat and fish and I'm told that this was quite common in Vietnam. When people wanted to ask god for something they abstained from meat and fish for a while. The train journeys are much more fun here in Vietnam, the people are so much nicer, friendlier and warm but the trains are pretty old. But I shouldn't be complaining, they look old but they are clean (or are they, there was a rat in our cabin) but at least there aren't people spitting all over the place. That is one habit that the chinese really need to ger rid off. I was thoroughly disgusted by it and am so pleased to have gotten away from it. Arriving in Saigon, I took a motorbike to the hotel:) There are no hostels in most of Vietnam, it's so touristic that they have hotels with varying price ranges but not many big hostels which i am so used to. I am staying at Madame Cuc's .."tea, coffee, juice" you get asked everytime you walk in and with breakfast and dinner included for $12 it's a great deal. i love being in the city again but the days here in Saigon have passed really quickly. I haven't done most of the touristic things that are recommended. haven't made it to the war museum or the pagodas but I have had a fascinating time here. I have been able to get out of the touristic area and move around bits of Saigon that few other tourists have experienced. I have spent my time with the Vietnamese buddhist nuns and they have shared their life with me. I have been amazed at their strength in character and a little sadenned by my own materialistic weaknesses. Yesterday I decided to take a motor taki and just ride around and I ended up at a Buddhist university. Here I met nuns and monks and they were happy to see me and one of them who spoke english really well invited me to her home/temple/nunnery the next day. So this morning I went from district 1 to district 12.....a half an hour motorbike ride away...very, very far the locals told me and wondered why I wanted to go there. But I left at 7:30 in the morning which meant I had a ride in the morning rush hour.......
Sunday, 14 October 2007
Hanoi City
I ought to be dedicating whole sections to food, currency, language and transport. There are literally thousands of motorbikes on the roads here and to cross the road is an adventure in itself. Yesterday we went to Halong bay and the guide there told us that at least a 1000 people die every year from motorbike accidents. He said that motorbikes are so precious here that when lovers escape to the banks of the lake to kiss they kiss with one eye open. One eye to feel the kiss and the other to keep an eye on their bike.
Food is another huge deal here and there are once again thousands of things to try, taste and eat on the streets and in the markets. Everything is food, from delicious mangoes and paw paws to worms and creatures I can’t even imagine where they come from or what they are called. There is something for everyone’s taste buds I guess…..from the wonderful to the weird. And where and when and how they prepare it is also a whole culture on its own. All day long women walk around balancing on their shoulder baskets pots of hot water, noodles and vegetables; others set up with small little stools and everything else they will need, on pavements and in corners and everyone gathers on around on these to sit and gossip and eat.
Currency, wow, I think my mind has stopped working. I am not a millionaire. Everything here is American dollars!!! or in Vietnamese Don…$1 is 16,000 don and a pound is 30,000. There are 100,000 don notes and 5000don coins. After so many languages and so many different currencies and I know I still have more to go through….my mind feels like a big jumble …..but a nice jumble.
Food is another huge deal here and there are once again thousands of things to try, taste and eat on the streets and in the markets. Everything is food, from delicious mangoes and paw paws to worms and creatures I can’t even imagine where they come from or what they are called. There is something for everyone’s taste buds I guess…..from the wonderful to the weird. And where and when and how they prepare it is also a whole culture on its own. All day long women walk around balancing on their shoulder baskets pots of hot water, noodles and vegetables; others set up with small little stools and everything else they will need, on pavements and in corners and everyone gathers on around on these to sit and gossip and eat.
Currency, wow, I think my mind has stopped working. I am not a millionaire. Everything here is American dollars!!! or in Vietnamese Don…$1 is 16,000 don and a pound is 30,000. There are 100,000 don notes and 5000don coins. After so many languages and so many different currencies and I know I still have more to go through….my mind feels like a big jumble …..but a nice jumble.
Friday, 12 October 2007
Vietnam.
I wonder how I got so lucky. A few nights ago I was dancing to Naxi music with the locals and tonight we watched the water puppets performing here in Hanoi. I can't imagine how I ever went day after day to school and followed the same routine....or how i'm going to adjust to it again. Here it's a new experience everyday and an unbelievable freedom. I am constantly amazed by the sights I see and the people I meet. Who would have ever thought that I would discover in China that the swiss are such gentleman and that I would end up walking into Vietnam from China. Sometimes I think I need a pinch because it's so hard to believe that this is my life at the moment. The last week in China was amazing. The southern province of Yunnan is absolutely stunning and the people I met along the way made it even more special.
And then we took the night sleeper bus to the border town of Hekou. The conductor was a little shit and as soon as he saw us with our backpacks, it was his chance to make a bit more money. He said we had to pay extra for the extra petrol that would be used up by carrying our luggage and tried to get lots of money out of us. He abused the Japanese guy travelling with us just because a long time ago the 'Japanese and chinese had a revolution' but we soon put him in his place and even managed to strangle an apology out of him. For a while this left a bad taste in our mouth and it felt like we were leaving China on a negative but the memories of the last few days soon erased all the bad experiences and we left China, feeling it's definitely a place to return to.
Our first night on a sleeper bus and actually it wasn't so bad. I had a bed next to the window and I think that helped a lot. Also being short and small is a huge advantage in China, the boys had their legs hanging out and i think not a very comfortable night. The sleeper buses have beds on eitherside, bunk beds, one on top of another and then another row of bunk beds in the middle. The beds are quite narrow and short so not as comfortable for the tall. Anyhow, we arrived in the border town of Hekou at 8:30 the next morning and once we walked out of the bus station we could see vietnamese hats and faces. Bicycles with huge woven baskets carrying goods across the border. We went through the chinese immigration, walked across the bridge into Vietnam, went through the Vietnamese immigration and we were in Vietnam! in a little town called Lao Cai. It was just amazing. One morning I wake up in a nice big bed in the hostel in Kunming and the next morning on a little narrow bed in a sleeper bus. That morning I am in Hekou in China and then within a matter of minutes, I am in Lao Cai in Vietnam and then that same evening I am in Hanoi. And here I am greeted with amazing sights, smells and sounds. Literally hundreds of motorbikes zooming all over the place, people gathered on small plastic stools on pavements gathered together to share a strong vietnamese coffee and some gossip, and then in another corner, a fire with the locals burning fake $100 bills and insence in prayer, holding beautifully decorated trays with flowers and candles. The sound of the motorbikes, the locals carrying fruits in baskets balanced on their shoulders, the smells of all different kinds of street food, a million different things being balanced and transported in these motorbikes...immediately Vietnam has left an amazing impression on me and the people here are just so warm and friendly and always smiling. It's a really nice place to be and once again there is just somuch to take in. Luzma, I see all these mopeds here and the vietnamese women dressed beautifully riding around and I think of how you would love Vietnam. It's a perfect place for you... a world fullof mopeds. Tomorrow we rent one and see if we can join in or do we disrupt the flow completely?
And then we took the night sleeper bus to the border town of Hekou. The conductor was a little shit and as soon as he saw us with our backpacks, it was his chance to make a bit more money. He said we had to pay extra for the extra petrol that would be used up by carrying our luggage and tried to get lots of money out of us. He abused the Japanese guy travelling with us just because a long time ago the 'Japanese and chinese had a revolution' but we soon put him in his place and even managed to strangle an apology out of him. For a while this left a bad taste in our mouth and it felt like we were leaving China on a negative but the memories of the last few days soon erased all the bad experiences and we left China, feeling it's definitely a place to return to.
Our first night on a sleeper bus and actually it wasn't so bad. I had a bed next to the window and I think that helped a lot. Also being short and small is a huge advantage in China, the boys had their legs hanging out and i think not a very comfortable night. The sleeper buses have beds on eitherside, bunk beds, one on top of another and then another row of bunk beds in the middle. The beds are quite narrow and short so not as comfortable for the tall. Anyhow, we arrived in the border town of Hekou at 8:30 the next morning and once we walked out of the bus station we could see vietnamese hats and faces. Bicycles with huge woven baskets carrying goods across the border. We went through the chinese immigration, walked across the bridge into Vietnam, went through the Vietnamese immigration and we were in Vietnam! in a little town called Lao Cai. It was just amazing. One morning I wake up in a nice big bed in the hostel in Kunming and the next morning on a little narrow bed in a sleeper bus. That morning I am in Hekou in China and then within a matter of minutes, I am in Lao Cai in Vietnam and then that same evening I am in Hanoi. And here I am greeted with amazing sights, smells and sounds. Literally hundreds of motorbikes zooming all over the place, people gathered on small plastic stools on pavements gathered together to share a strong vietnamese coffee and some gossip, and then in another corner, a fire with the locals burning fake $100 bills and insence in prayer, holding beautifully decorated trays with flowers and candles. The sound of the motorbikes, the locals carrying fruits in baskets balanced on their shoulders, the smells of all different kinds of street food, a million different things being balanced and transported in these motorbikes...immediately Vietnam has left an amazing impression on me and the people here are just so warm and friendly and always smiling. It's a really nice place to be and once again there is just somuch to take in. Luzma, I see all these mopeds here and the vietnamese women dressed beautifully riding around and I think of how you would love Vietnam. It's a perfect place for you... a world fullof mopeds. Tomorrow we rent one and see if we can join in or do we disrupt the flow completely?
Kunming
From Shangri-la,we took the bus all the way back to Lijang and enjoyed a few days ofjust walking around the town and soaking up the idyllic atmosphere. We even made it to the snow mountain musicfestival in the nearby twin town of Sushe but instead of chinese rock we saw two french travellers earning their travelling money by juggling in the street and playing the accordian. It was just crazy to see the chinese tourists being so generous. In about 20 minutes the guys had earned 600 yuan. In one week they would save 400$ just performing in the squares and in 'La Petit Paris', a french restaurant in Lijang. What a way to travel.
And then it was time to get back to Kunming and on to Vietnam. A few days in Kunming and it was just what the doctor ordered. A few days to chill, late nights and even later mornings and being pampered by the swiss. Another bus ride which I'll not forget in a hurry.
And then it was time to get back to Kunming and on to Vietnam. A few days in Kunming and it was just what the doctor ordered. A few days to chill, late nights and even later mornings and being pampered by the swiss. Another bus ride which I'll not forget in a hurry.
Wednesday, 3 October 2007
Chengdu, Kunming, Dali, Lijang and Shangri-La
Chengdu is actually a beautiful city now that I look back on it. It was great walking in the parks and watching people dancing, singing opera and doing their daily exercises. This sort of a thing is such a big thing in China and the parks are beautiful and make it so easy for the locals to escape the city noise and get into a calm, peaceful and beautiful environment again. The chinese really love their flowers and their plants and the daily exercise whether it's in the form of dancing or Tai Chi is done in the parks which are nestled all over the cities. Chengdu also has streets with very old architecture and beautiful pagodas but like everywhere and everything in China, everything old gets a facelift and even though it looks gorgeous the old charm is lost. But it was nice to spend a day walking through these parks and old streets.
And then I was ready for Kunming. The capital of the southern state of Yunnan. I have been hearing loads about this southern state and it's beauty and it being so close to Tibet I was excited to mo move on. I think a night under the stars seemed like a great idea at the time but the train ride to Kunming was not a pleasant one. I was on hard sleeper all the way and trying to get rid of the cold i'd caught. Anyway, arriving in Kunming was like arriving in just another big chinese city. But it was nice because here I met some old friends that I had made in Beijing and Namtso. But there isnot much to see in Kunming itself and it would be a bad idea to get stuck here for a whole week so I decided to join the guys and go to Dali and Lijang. Every traveller I have met along the way has told me how beautiful these places are. On thebus ride to Dali I found Alex, Anthony, Matt and Oliver, who were to look after me for the rest of the week. It's great travelling with them because they all speak a bit of chinese. French students living and working in China. They have helped me to see the nicer side of China and I think I am finally starting to like it here. There are a lot of foreigners coming to China to work and study. Great opportunities here I'm told. But I still can't see myself living here for a long time. Anyway, the guys are great, funny and easy going and we had a great bus ride. Arriving in Dali I also met Irish Angela and so now we have a new team. Another great one.
Angela and I walked to the fields where we saw the harvest in full progress. The women here work really hard. A lot of the ethnic minorities we saw along the way to Shangri-la have the same lifestyle. The women work really hard on the fields, looking after the children and the men teach the children 'culture':) After the walk through the hills we went to the lake and had a boat ride in a little green canoe. It was great to be on the lake in the evening. The lake is surrounded by mountains and the scenery all around is just stunning. Dali is a beautiful little town. It's nice to be away from the big cities and in the countryside and there small little, beautiful places. The 1st was National day so we spent the monday walking around Dali and got to see lots of traditional dances which was great. Such colourful costumes. This week all the chinese are travelling and onMonday Dali was absolutely packed with chinese tourists and also people in traditional dress who had come from the nearby villages. It was just great to walk around and take it all in.
That evening we all took the bus to Lijang and when we arrived there it felt like we were in a fairytale city. It was just so pretty. And we all felt that we wanted to stay there forever. Red chinese lanterns lighting our paths, traditional chinese roofs everywhere and little canals with fishes and bridges all through the town. It was just idyllic in a setting in the hills among the trees and as we came into Lijang, the sight was just breathtaking. It gave us all such a high. Arriving in a beautiful city in China, we walked around, found beds, dumped our stuff and went to explore the town further. Dinner, a few beers and we had a great night. Next day, though the reality kicked in. This old part of Lijang, renovated and rebuilt after the earthquake is just a one image. When we walked out of the old walls and out of this fairytale part to go get bus tickets we saw that outside of the walls, it waslike any other chinese city, poor, dirty, and everyday life carrying on as normal.
We got our tickets...moving on to Tiger Leaping Gorge, walked around the market, had noodles at the local stall and got ready to leave on the evening bus. It's so much nicer travelling with the guys,not just coz they are funny and warm but also because they speak chinese. We see a different side of China,a nicer side.
Taking the bus that evening we got to a little ghost town that night, managed to get ourselves a really nice hotel for only 20 yuan, and get ready for the trek the next day. It was going to a very early start. We were up and ready to walking at 4 in the morning. We didn't wanna pay the entrance fee to the gorge and this early in the morning the ticket office would be closed and the people sleeping.
We were ready for a long 2 days of trekking in the gorge but instead Angela and I are in Shangri-la this evening. I love travelling this way. I never ever know what's coming next. The trek along the gorge was breathtaking and since we were up so early, we managed todo it all in a day.
Shangri-La however, was a bit of a dissapointment after being in Tibet. It's supposed to be a Tibetan city but really it's just a big specially built city to bring in more tourism and it's built by the chinese as their versionof Tibet.
But as night felt, there was a great atmosphere and everyone gathered in the main square. Suddenly there was Naxi (the localethnic minority in the region) music playing and all the locals started to form circles and dance. It was amazing to watch, each dance had a special choreography and it was the old dancing alongside the young, women in traditional dress alongside those in the latest western fashion. Everywhere in the world it seems somehow people manage to come together and create a sense of community. We joined in and the locals tried their best to teach us but I guess they had been dancing those dances all their lives and most of us foreigners had two left feet. But it was just warming to be there and share a few moves with the locals. It's so rare for us to find such an atmosphere back home.
And then I was ready for Kunming. The capital of the southern state of Yunnan. I have been hearing loads about this southern state and it's beauty and it being so close to Tibet I was excited to mo move on. I think a night under the stars seemed like a great idea at the time but the train ride to Kunming was not a pleasant one. I was on hard sleeper all the way and trying to get rid of the cold i'd caught. Anyway, arriving in Kunming was like arriving in just another big chinese city. But it was nice because here I met some old friends that I had made in Beijing and Namtso. But there isnot much to see in Kunming itself and it would be a bad idea to get stuck here for a whole week so I decided to join the guys and go to Dali and Lijang. Every traveller I have met along the way has told me how beautiful these places are. On thebus ride to Dali I found Alex, Anthony, Matt and Oliver, who were to look after me for the rest of the week. It's great travelling with them because they all speak a bit of chinese. French students living and working in China. They have helped me to see the nicer side of China and I think I am finally starting to like it here. There are a lot of foreigners coming to China to work and study. Great opportunities here I'm told. But I still can't see myself living here for a long time. Anyway, the guys are great, funny and easy going and we had a great bus ride. Arriving in Dali I also met Irish Angela and so now we have a new team. Another great one.
Angela and I walked to the fields where we saw the harvest in full progress. The women here work really hard. A lot of the ethnic minorities we saw along the way to Shangri-la have the same lifestyle. The women work really hard on the fields, looking after the children and the men teach the children 'culture':) After the walk through the hills we went to the lake and had a boat ride in a little green canoe. It was great to be on the lake in the evening. The lake is surrounded by mountains and the scenery all around is just stunning. Dali is a beautiful little town. It's nice to be away from the big cities and in the countryside and there small little, beautiful places. The 1st was National day so we spent the monday walking around Dali and got to see lots of traditional dances which was great. Such colourful costumes. This week all the chinese are travelling and onMonday Dali was absolutely packed with chinese tourists and also people in traditional dress who had come from the nearby villages. It was just great to walk around and take it all in.
That evening we all took the bus to Lijang and when we arrived there it felt like we were in a fairytale city. It was just so pretty. And we all felt that we wanted to stay there forever. Red chinese lanterns lighting our paths, traditional chinese roofs everywhere and little canals with fishes and bridges all through the town. It was just idyllic in a setting in the hills among the trees and as we came into Lijang, the sight was just breathtaking. It gave us all such a high. Arriving in a beautiful city in China, we walked around, found beds, dumped our stuff and went to explore the town further. Dinner, a few beers and we had a great night. Next day, though the reality kicked in. This old part of Lijang, renovated and rebuilt after the earthquake is just a one image. When we walked out of the old walls and out of this fairytale part to go get bus tickets we saw that outside of the walls, it waslike any other chinese city, poor, dirty, and everyday life carrying on as normal.
We got our tickets...moving on to Tiger Leaping Gorge, walked around the market, had noodles at the local stall and got ready to leave on the evening bus. It's so much nicer travelling with the guys,not just coz they are funny and warm but also because they speak chinese. We see a different side of China,a nicer side.
Taking the bus that evening we got to a little ghost town that night, managed to get ourselves a really nice hotel for only 20 yuan, and get ready for the trek the next day. It was going to a very early start. We were up and ready to walking at 4 in the morning. We didn't wanna pay the entrance fee to the gorge and this early in the morning the ticket office would be closed and the people sleeping.
We were ready for a long 2 days of trekking in the gorge but instead Angela and I are in Shangri-la this evening. I love travelling this way. I never ever know what's coming next. The trek along the gorge was breathtaking and since we were up so early, we managed todo it all in a day.
Shangri-La however, was a bit of a dissapointment after being in Tibet. It's supposed to be a Tibetan city but really it's just a big specially built city to bring in more tourism and it's built by the chinese as their versionof Tibet.
But as night felt, there was a great atmosphere and everyone gathered in the main square. Suddenly there was Naxi (the localethnic minority in the region) music playing and all the locals started to form circles and dance. It was amazing to watch, each dance had a special choreography and it was the old dancing alongside the young, women in traditional dress alongside those in the latest western fashion. Everywhere in the world it seems somehow people manage to come together and create a sense of community. We joined in and the locals tried their best to teach us but I guess they had been dancing those dances all their lives and most of us foreigners had two left feet. But it was just warming to be there and share a few moves with the locals. It's so rare for us to find such an atmosphere back home.
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