Loving Laos!

After the intense temple trudging in Cambodia Oliver and I were ready for some serious relaxing and adventure and man was Laos the place to find it.

We took a veeeery long bus ride to Four Thousand Islands in the south of Laos and found ourselves on an island in the middle of the Mekong with very little to do. So we kicked back, emjoyed the rustic nature of our bungalows, got some reading done and just lounged around in hammocks for two and a half days! Bliss....eat, drink, sleep...that was the formula we were after and we found it on the little island called Dong Det!

After our spate of ultimate relaxation we prepared ourselves for our arrival in Vientianne, Laos' capital. But to be honest Vientianne was almost as laid back as the islands, albeit more developed. Vientianne felt like a French town more than a capital city but it was a lovely stop and introduced us to the next part of our adventure, a four day motorcycle trip through Laos.

This wasn't an organised tour, rather, Oliver and I hired a 250CC Baja from a company called  Jules Classic Bike Hire. They were excellent and helped us map out a route from Vientianne to Luang Prabang where we would drop off the bike.

The first stop was the infamous Vang Vieng. We had heard that the place was like Spring Break on steriods and the deaths on that stretch of river paid testament to it. We weren't however prepared for the beauty of the region with flowing rice paddies, endless waterways, and massive, untouched caves. After some proper cave exploring (no lights...just us and torches) we decided it was time to engage in what Vang Vieng is famous for, tubing.

As we climbed on the river it started to rain and we found oursleves sipping beer, cruising down the river and getting drenched by rain, epic! Then it was time for a bar stop and men threw ropes out for us to catch we were reeled in and handed free shots (that's when we knew...today was going to be crazy). So we sat down, had two buckets (made of red bull, sprite and super cheap whiskey) and watched the madness unfold. Before we knew it we too were happily drunk and the sun was setting. We scurried to get off the river and find a tuk-tuk. Once the tube had been returned Oliver and I stumbled around Vang Vieng eating as much as we could and having an all round merry time.

However, we decided to get up at sunrise the following day and despite our best efforts to eat away our hangover we both woke up with shinning barbies. The best cure is a good broth so that's exactly what we had...we ate our share and then got on the open road heading for Phonsovan, which is famous for its Plain of Jars. The day unfolded spectacularily with breathtaking views, friendly villagers and children waving, and close-to-perfect weather. Could life get any better? As Murphey would have it, it wouldn't. Shortly after lunch our bike started making some bizare cracking noises and then the back tire began to feel not too sure of itself. Consequesntly, we found ourselves roling into a tiny village with noone who could speak English and being looked at like we were some strange aliens. Eventually through a series of odd hand gestures and pleading looks we managed to get help and get the message across the we were stuck and needed a phone.

From there on Jules Classic took care of everything from our transport to Phonsovan to getting the bike repaired. We were set back by a day which was far from eventful but one day later we were back on the road.

Itching to go we were up at sunrise yet again. This time we were heading for Plain of Jars Site 1. It was beautiful and quite something to be next to these massive jars (and bomb craters) without another soul in site. It was a good start to the day and it would appear that Murphey was on our side again. The day involved doing 350Km which were amazing to view and incredible to be on one the back of a bike. The only downfall was the pain our butts endured. The agony of our behinds meant that we had to stop every half an hour or so but eventually we arrived in Nong Khiaw (thank heavens because as we arrived we ran out of petrol and the sun had set....eeeeek). We slept like babies!

The next day was the last stretch of our motorbike journey so we had a look at a historic cave and put foot! We landed on a national highway which made for clear sailing and we were in Luang Prabang in no time at all.

Luang Prabang is an amamzng place...the type of place where you let time disappear and your drift into the untimate mix of relaxation and luxury. We had arrived and our bums we ever so pleased!

With limited time in Luang Prabang we decided to make the most of it by shopping in night markets, looking at old temples, swiming in turqoise waterfalls, and indulging in good food and drink. Because we had been set back by the bike we would have to spend less time in either Chiang Mai (Thailand) or Luang Prabang. We opted to stay on in Luang Prabang and do a two day Mahout training course which was epic.

We spent a day and a half learning how to ride bare-back on elephants, washing them and learning about their fate as a result of the logging industry. We went through Elephant Village who were exceptional. The staff were outstanding and from what we could see the elephants were adored and treated so well! We were amazed by the personalities each of these animals had and how gentle they were. It was such a wonderful experience!

And Booom! Just like that 13 days were up and we found ourselves on a bus heading for the border. Next stop, Chiang Mai, Thailand~

This is long overdue. Cambodia.

So the last time anyone heard from us we were somewhat planning our way into Cambodia, via Nha Trang and then Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Nha Trang was a fantastic little stopover, allowing us to spend a day on the beach, lying under a thatched sunshade, sipping on cold beer and doing some long overdue relaxing. Claudia even had herself massaged for about 5 Dollars for 35 minutes, not a bad deal for a beachfront massage.

The following day was spent in Saigon, or outside of it, at least. I made it a point to go and visit the infamous Cu Chi Tunnel system. The Cu Chi Tunnels are without a doubt one of the greatest 'systems of war' ever used. A roughly 250km network of underground tunnels, dug out and used by the Viet Cong and surrounding villages, that served as the headquarters for the VC during the 1968 Tet Offensive, and managed to elude the 'mighty USA' throughout the entire length of the Vietnam War. Incredibly interesting, and one of my highlights from Vietnam.

Following day ---> Cambodia!

We entered Cambodia and headed straight through to Phnom Penh. Wow. A very definite change from Vietnam. The basic layout of the streets is very similar, as is the fact that everyone and their mothers is doing business on the side of the road, or in front of their shop (as opposed to *in* it).

The biggest change from Vietnam to Cambodia? Without a doubt the people. Where people in Vietnam seemed at times (especially further North) to be very unreceptive and cold, using us as nothing but a source of income, the folks here in Cambodia are warm and welcoming, and will almost always greet you with a smile and open arms. A very welcome change indeed.

In Phnom Penh we visited the by now very well known 'Killing Fields' at Choeung Ek, which is one of the better known sites that still bears witness to the attrocities that happened under the Khmer Rouge. There are many reminders there that show us how sickening and detestable humans can be to one another.

Definitely a part of history that we can only hope will be resigned to the books forever.

Unfortunately, as luck would have it, Claudia got struck down by a mysterious illness, which was as good an excuse as we needed to do some relaxing, and in Claudia's case, healing.

Next stop, Battambang.

This is Cambodia's second biggest city, but walking or driving around the town, you really wouldn't believe it. The town itself does not offer all too much, but the surrounding countryside has its fair share of seductions.

A definite must-do is the Bamboo Train, which is a rickety piece of hand made transportation that runs along a very warped and unused piece of railway, and is used to transport everything from motorbikes and dead pigs, to groups of willing tourists. We were lucky enough to have a proper rainshower erupt and drench us while riding shotgun on this soon to be defunct piece of history. Properly proper!

A definite must-see is Ba Nan temple which is located about 15 kms from the town, and is a pleasent drive from the front seat, or back seat, of a locally hired motorbike! We made the commute there quite early and were lucky enough to experience the temple in its state of morning peace, before anyone else was able to intrude and interrupt our time of zen. Beautiful.

The way up to the temple is a roughly 365 stair staircase, which is dispatched in about 10 minutes or so. Once again we were reminded of Cambodia's grim past, with signs posted up and nailed to many of the trees around us, no more than 5 metres from where we were walking.

Danger Mines!

At night we watched a show put on by former street kids in the area. A mixture of acrobatics and performance art, a definite must-see, and of course all the proceeds go towards a good cause!

Two of the performers

After Battambang we headed off to Siem Reap, to spend a few days exploring the world famous temples of Angkor. The first morning we set off at 5AM in order to catch the famous sunrise at Angkor Wat...what a terrible disappointment. The temple itself is beyond impressive, but a huge part of the front facade was covered by green netting, which of course defaced the temple completely. We were just some of the unlucky sods to catch Angkor Wat during one of many ongoing restoration projects.

The next 2 days were also spent at various temples throughout the huge temple complex. My highlight...definitely Ta Prohm, which shows just how awesome the power of nature is, and gives you a glimpse of what the temples looked like when they were first 'discovered' by the French.

A view of Angkor Wat

One of many overgrown structures at Ta Prohm

Today will be spent sitting and relaxing somewhat, and doing some much needed drinking with our good mate Mike, one of our compadres from our year in Korea. And then tomorrow it's off to Laos. *insert feeling of sadness and of joy*.

Goodbye Cambodia and hello Laos!