Luang Prabang

I have spent the last few days in Luang Prabang in the pleasant company of Tom (Welsh), Jenna (English) and Orlagh (Irish). We got two cheap rooms in the same hostel in the centre of town (its called Boupha Guesthouse). Its pretty basic but it suits us pretty well, being dirt cheap. Its run by a friendly elderly couple. Landing here in LP was a bit manic as a couple of boats came in at once and there were a lot of people trying to scramble up rocks to level ground with all their gear. It didn't take long for people trying to flog rooms in guesthouses to descend upon us. We were all still trying to get used to the currency (a euro is a little over 10,000 kip) so it was quite confusing trying to figure out prices. Anyway 6 of us wandered off to find something ourselves. After a while wandering around and not being too impressed by what was on offer me and tom voted to drop the bags and we would watch them while the others went hostel searching. So me and tom had a beer while the others wandered around. Soon enough we found a nice cheap one and four of us stayed there while the other two (a couple from New Zealand) kept looking as they wanted something a bit more upmarket. For the first night we get an overpriced dinner (stupid currency) and head in search of a bar called Utopia that had been mentioned as a good spot. We had heard it was 'by the river' but unfortunately there are two rivers and we guessed wrong. After this little nighttime tour of part of the town we decided to pack it in because we were worn out from travelling and everything shuts at 11.30 anyway. The next morning myself and tom get our own breakfast and let the girls have the morning to themselves. I talked to a few places about doing a tour to the 'Plain of Jars' but get quoted stupidly expensive prices and decide to pass. In the afternoon we bump into the girls again and a few other people from the boat. We all head up the hill (its Phou Si and yes that is how you pronounce it) that is in the centre of the town to the wat on top. There was a great view of the town, the two rivers and the surrounding countryside so it was well worth it, despite the day being quite hot. After descending we grab some cheap, tasty market food and shower and change with the plan being to go to Utopia later. We found out where it was during the day and its a great chill out spot. More people off the boat show up and we have a good time. The bar reluctantly enforces the curfew and we move the party to a nearby hostel one group is staying in. Then in the wee hours us four sheepishly return to our hostel and wake up our elderly hosts.

The next afternoon dawns and we get up for breakfast, mostly hangover free courtesy of Beer Lao (its good like that), which consists of some baguettes. These are quite common in Laos since its a former French colony and we add some fruit shakes to make a tasty little breakfast. Today we are planning to check out the nearby waterfall. I say nearby, its an hour away. We add Warren, a friend of Tom's whom we bump into, to our party to make 5 of us and thus get the ride in the tuk-tuk cheaper. This waterfall is certainly the most beautiful I have seen here in SE Asia but that may be biased by the fact you could swim in this one. There was also a bear sanctuary nearby which Tom got really excited about. We all got a bit separated here so after a while myself and Jenna went in search of the others. We figured they had made their way to the top of the waterfall as there was a rumour of a cool pool up there somewhere. So we climbed to the top and in parts we were literally climbing up a rockface and crossed a shallow pool at the top to begin our descent the other side of the waterfall. We had spotted our friends just below us in a little oasis but we couldn't figure out how to get to them. It turned out we had to climb a small waterfall (not quite as dangerous as it sounds) passing a sign saying 'Don't swimming here' and eventually got to the area where Tom and Orlagh were. So it was quite the little adventure to get there but it was worth it. We were in a hidden little piece of paradise with some small waterfalls cascading down like a natural shower and a pool you could swim in. It was beautiful. We had it almost to ourselves for a good while but then a troop of monks arrived. This was obviously the area where they came to bathe every day as they had shampoo with them. We watched them do some cool somersaults into the pool for a while and then gave them the privacy they needed. Later, we got another cheap dinner and hit Utopia again. This time we were treated to a musical jam session by an American girl on guitar and a variety of people having a go on the bongos. They gave us a few tunes and every now and again people would take a break from chatting to sing along. All in all a great night!

So today is a lazy day here in LP. We are heading to the madness of Vang Vieng next for the tubing so we need to recuperate. Luang Prabang is a nice little town, the curfew is a bit annoying but I think its a national thing so we'll have it everywhere. Its a good place to chill out and meet people. On another point I have never been offered so much weed and opium as I was here. Laos is prolific for it while at the same time laying down a big fine on anyone caught with some. Finally, having tried this 'lao-lao' I had heard about I can attest that it is basically poitin. The town has been good fun, I'm beginning to get the hang of the currency and I've made a few friends to boot. What more can a lone traveller ask?

Leaving Chiang Mai, Entering Laos

I am writing this on my second day on the slow boat from Huay Xia to Luang Prabang down the Mekong river in Laos. I left Chiang Mai on the evening of the 17th of April. I had booked a package trip that was to take me to the border with Laos and onto this boat all the way to Luang Prabang. But before I talk of that I want to say farewell to Chiang Mai. I have spent so much time in this little city, so many weekends with friends over the last 6 months and I would love to come back again. I would most certainly urge anyone visiting Thailand not to skip it. It is tourist friendly without all the hassle of South Thailand and is somewhere I could feasibly envisage myself living for a while so im sure I will be back.

Anyway I was at 'A little bird' hostel waiting for my minibus to the border town when I bumped into Tom, whom I had met during my previous stay here before I went to Chiang Rai. He was going on the same trip as me so I had a new travel buddy for the forseeable future. Our minibus was over an hour late which was a little worrying but it did allow me the opportunity to stream the Manchester Derby on my netbook. I caught everyone's attention when the goal was scored and they all came over to see what the commotion was about. Once the bus finally arrived we were squashed into it with a gang of other people and their luggage. This made for a not so comfortable journey of four hours at night to a hostel in Chiang Khong where we got about 3 hours sleep. The we were woken up and told to eat breakfast before being herded to the ferry crossing. Here we officially left thailand and jumped across the river to Laos where we got our visas, not without its problems. A long time later we got to the slow boat and were squashed onto this. Things dont happen quickly in Laos so it was around 11am by the time we took off having been up since 7. The boat itself was little more than a barge with small and hard wooden benches so no comfort was spared for us here! We were due to get to the halfway stage of Pak Beng in the evening so that meant a whole day on a cramped boat. It doesnt take long for boredom to set in and pretty soon people are drinking and chatting and singing songs. Me and Tom get talking to some of the gang seated around us and meet Jenna and Orlagh, an English and Irish girl travelling together for a bit. Time passes pretty slowly on the boat, broken by conversation, drinking, eating snacks and looking at the scenery. The scenery is quite pretty, we are after all on one of the most important rivers in the world going through rugged, mountainous country. Lots of green and lots of rocks. But this too loses its appeal after a while. There was one moment which broke the boredom nicely. We stopped at some random point where an army of kids with snacks and drinks boarded us and tried to ply their wares. Each one tried to outdo the others and those that could shout “Beer Lao very cold” without lying did the best. It made for an entertaining break.

At long last we arrive in Pak Beng, a small village dug into the mountainside which seems to rely on this slow boat trade for its survival. Here we are greeted by a horde of people trying to sell us rooms in guesthouses and people came on the boat to try and “help” with our bags. Tom and I had arranged something on the boat that morning so just ignored all these guys. Getting the bags, however, proved tricky as there are so many people swarming about. Eventually we get them and scale the rocks to the town and find our hostel. Along the way the guy leading us there kept trying to sell me weed and even pressed some in my hand. I just said 'maybe later' and kept plodding on up the hill to my room where I collapsed for a while. It was nice to be on something soft.... Hunger soon brought me to my feet and down to the resteraunt and we meet the girls again. We have some food with them in the midst of a the power going on and off. A monsoon blew in and knocked the power out one last time which was the cue to go to bed. The next morning is a bit nuts as I try to get breakfast, my bag packed and supplies for the day as well as waking Tom up (no mean feat) all in time to catch the boat. Eventually we manage all this and I have now been sitting on it bored for some time. Roll on Luang Prabang!

Songkran

Songkran is the Thai new year. It is celebrated over 3 days from the 13th-15th April (officially). It is celebrated by splashing water over other people for luck and to wash away bad things (I think). But in Chiang Mai it takes on a bigger role. Here and other areas with big tourist populations it turns into a giant waterfight. In Chiang Mai it kicked off on the 12th, the day I arrived and there were big barrels of water at almost every shop, resteraunt and bar for revellers to dip into. They would usually have a hose as well to keep the supply up. On top of this you have a few stages in the main areas which blare out music and provide entertainment for the days. Then there are the innumerable food sellers alongside stalls with every type of watergun imaginable. My weapon of choice was the humble bucket on a string. This allowed me to throw large quantities in one go and refill quickly, from the moat if I liked (hence the string). Now add to this mix a few thousand people, thai and farang alike and you get mayhem, absolute mayhem. For four days the streets turned into rivers and nothing stayed dry. People were running around spraying anything they could see. There was no such thing as mercy, if you were on the street then you were fair game. From small kids to older people everyone got involved. I lost count of how many kids ran up behind me with a little bucket of cold water, poured it down my back and ran away laughing! There were also motorbikes, pickups, songthaews and tuk-tuks travelling the waterfilled streets. All were well aware of the consequences and everyone just laughed so it was all good fun. Most of these vehicles had armed passengers anyway, especially the pickups which usually had a family on the back surrounding a barrel and drowning and being drowned in kind. Everyone is just having a blast, dripping wet and firing water left, right and centre. A favourite pastime of mine turned out to be walking up behind a slow moving songthaew and firing a bucket of water at the trapped passengers inside, and I wasnt the only one! Then there was the large blocks of ice that people had in their barrels. Great when you are throwing it but not so great when its coming your way. This was how the days panned out but when the sun went down most people went back to their places, showered and changed and went out. It has to be one of the best festivals out there and would be a great thing to have back home. I've got some great memories of the last week such as: A small kid on a truck, totally soaked, with a giant grin on his face as he fires ice cold water at passersby; a songthaew full of passengers that slows down as it approaches a line of people with buckets so that they can fling it at the passengers trapped within; of a girl who for some reason chose to wear white shorts and a white top to a waterfight getting absolutely doused by every guy on the street and of the dance groups who as soon as they came on stage were subjected to a firing squad of waterguns and buckets of water but got on with their routine regardless. There were so many hilarious and amazing moments I cant put them all down and it was difficult to get pictures as my camera isnt waterproof. All in all it was the best thing ive done in ages and will try to come back for it again. If you go to Thailand then Songkran in Chiang Mai is an unmissable event.

A white temple, a waterfall, a bicycle and a sweaty me

I had heard that the 'White temple' here was worth a look and that not too far away was a decent waterfall as well. So having had a bad experience with motorbikes and being too cheap to get a tuk tuk there and back i resolved to get a bicycle for the day. So i rented a mountain bike and hit the road towards the temple which was around 11km outside town. The road was big and wide so i didnt have any hassle with traffic and got there easily enough. I was drenched in sweat as this is the hot season so it was around 36 degrees. It was definitely worth the journey though. This place has been built by a modern thai artist out of his own pocket and he has mixed old buddhist art with newer traditions. Most temples are decked in gold and red but he decided to make this one pure white for something different. Some of the sculptures are weird too, none more so than the sea of hands rising from the depths of hell. But it is the inside that really blows me away. It has an image of buddha like all other temples but on the wall that the entrance is on they have a very modern painting. It is of buddha rising to heaven and leaving all the trappings of modern society behind him. It contains pictures of bin laden and bush fighting as well as missiles and mobile phones flying round the place. The most odd thing is the image of Keanu Reeves in full Matrix getup staring at you. I got a booklet containing a lot of the images since i wasnt allowed take pictures inside. There is also a gallery of the artists drawings and another building called the 'Golden Toilet'. I didnt use it but got a photo of the outside. All in all it was a cool spot and all free so i was pretty happy. I grabbed some lunch and jumped back on the bike to go to the waterfall.


This waterfall was supposedly less than 20km away but it felt like double that. The heat and the hills i was now cycling on took their toll and since i wasnt exactly at peak fitness i really struggled. I took plenty of water breaks and eventually made it to the waterfall, exhausted and much later than i had planned. Upon arrival i see a sign that says "waterfall 1400m", which meant i still had a lot of hiking ahead of me. I was in a foul humour by the time i got the the waterfall proper so wasnt in any mood to be impressed. I took a quick dip in the freezing water and made my way back to my bike as i was worried about how long it would take me to get the bike back to the shop. Heading back was initially easy as i just zipped down the hills that caused me such heartbreak an hour earlier and then i was back on the flat road back to the city of Chiang Rai. On the way i got my first taste of songkran as there were groups on the roadside just waiting for someone like me to come along. A farang on a bicycle? It would have been sacrilege not to soak me. So dripping wet from a mixture of sweat and buckets of water i got the bike back in time and collapsed on my bed for a while. A quick shower and a quick meal and i was pretty much ready for bed. I got an early night after a pretty good day and started to contemplate what songkran was going to be like in Chiang Mai if i was getting drowned already, a week before it was officially due to kick off. So watch out for the next post about a week of waterfighting in Chiang Mai!

Chiang Rai

I came up to Chiang Rai for a few days to see the sights after a few relaxing days in CM The plan was to base here and go visit a few spots. Things didnt quite pan out like that though. I arrived in CR without having managed to prebook any cheap hostel. They also seem to have done a Ryanair on things since there is a new bus terminal about 20 mins outside of CR proper thus requiring a tuk tuk to get in. The driver proceeded to try and get me to stay in a place that would have given him a tip for his troubles. Sadly i was in no mood to be ripped off so i wandered 5 mins up the street an found a cheap dorm bed. This, however, was not the best thing about this little gem. I was shown a room with four big mattresses on the floor that were clean and comfy and the showers looked quality too. But this wasnt the best thing about this place either. After dumping my gear and heading downstairs to check in and the owner found out i was irish. "Conas ata tu?" he says. My jaw nearly hit the floor as this is a middle-aged thai guy in Chiang Rai, a place as far from Ireland as im likely to get asking me 'How are you?' in Irish! This, clearly, was the best thing about this place. The guy, Mr Noo, proceeded to ask me my name and said 'thanks' all 'as gaeilge' when i paid for the night. After overcoming my shock and getting a quick shower in i made my way to the night bazaar for some cheap dinner. On the way back i bump into an aussie guy who is staying in the same place and we grab some beers.

The next day myself and Clint (the aussie) take a wander around CR. He wants to do some trekking but im not as keen (its a bit hot) so we decide to wander by some of the hostels and see can we round up any more people to make it cheaper for all involved. We make our way to one spot where we bump into a few people and try to talk them into going trekking. This fails but we hang about and start chatting away. Before you know it its getting dark and my stomach is growling so we get food in this place (Chat Guesthouse) and spend a few more hours talking and drinking. This for me is what all this travelling is about. In the last 2 weeks i have met some really interesting and fun people all with different stories to tell about where they have been and what they have seen as well as where they want to go and what they want to see. A good example is Jen, an aussie girl i met in this guesthouse. We hit it off really well and i ended up taking a vacant spot on a day trip she was on the next day. We spent the whole next day visiting almost all the places on my list (and i had planned to visit in a week!). We most importantly saw the Golden Triangle and got a boat trip on the Mekong river, one of the great rivers of the world. Having done all this in one day i was beginning to wonder what i would do for the rest of my stay but Jen told me about a few other places i should go like the White Temple and the crazy colour changing clock (see pic). So here we have a person who i not only got on really well with but was able to tell me some things to do and see in the city i was in but is also going to keep in touch (could be reading this right now....) and help me out when i go to Australia. She wont be there herself, she is off to Africa (why not?) but is going to get her friends in Sydney to befriend me. I tried to repay some of this by telling her some useful things about thailand and introducing her to 'Khao Soi' which is a signature dish of Northern Thailand. So i made a really valuable connection with someone and by complete chance, simply because another person i met wanted to go trekking. How fickle are the whims of fate.

I would like to finish this piece by noting that in the last week i have preached the gospel of the Galway Cycle and found two new converts. Tom, an English guy i met in CM and Jen. If you are reading this and i have not already told you about it then check out the following site: www.galwaycycle.ie. Anyway i have a few more days here and then back to CM for the madness that is Songkran or as it is now becoming known "the weeklong waterfight".

Last days as a teacher

Ok ive been a bit lazy with the blog the last while so here is a brief summation of the last few days as a teacher. The last week in Li was quiet with little to do in the school since the exams are done and graded. I just had to finish up a few bits and pieces. We had a parent teacher meeting coming up and the plan was to put on a bit of a show for the parents so we started to get the kids practicing to sing songs. I also got my stuff together and sent a few bits and bobs home. I also sent myself one of the thai triangle or axe cushions with a few other souvenirs. I put together some stuff that i thought would be of benefit to the guy replacing me, so anything i used during the year like books or lesson plans. Once that was done i offered to help out the others but even then i was pretty bored till the last day rolled around.

On the final day of March the parents came to school to see how wonderful (cough) their kids were at english. We had two students prepped to MC the mornings shenanigans which included a few songs, a video cataloging the year and a Q&A session if there were any questions. I quickly realised most of the parents couldnt speak english so most of it was lost on them. The kids did well and the songs seemed to get a good reception. At the end there was a short farewell from the staff for me where i got a gift from the staff and the kids which was nice. After that i sent my bag of souvenirs home via boat and packed my bag (barely). I then had a last supper with Richard, Faith and Ricci (their 7 month old daughter) followed by drinks with Reya and Rita. A fun way to spend my last night in Li.


The following day i (struggle to) sling my bag over my shoulder and get the bus to Chiang Mai. Plan is to stay a few days here, move on to Chiang Rai and then get back to CM for Songkran (week long waterfight). I spent my few days in Chiang Mai mostly sitting around the hostel chatting to people and sweating profusely. It was close to 40 degrees celsius most days (a temperature a simple Irishman like myself is not cut out for) but i did venture as far as Doi Inthanon one of the days. This the highest peak in thailand and it was a good day out. I got to see the top of the mountain, some pagodas built in honour of the king and queen with a good waterfall and a hill tribe village. Well worth it. But mostly i stayed in the hostel, in the shade with a fan in my face constantly. Every now and again some of us would get up and go 'outside' for food but that was the most challenging thing most of us did! I did make some cool friends out of it though so was a great way to spend a few days :)

I'll get my Chiang Rai blog up as soon as i can, this socialising thing is taking up a lot of time though.......