Back to Holiday Matters!!

The first five days in Laos had therefore been pretty intense and both mum and I were looking for a little bit of rest; conscious of the fact that we needed to get moving south. So we had a shower before heading back out into the heat and renting some bicycles just to make getting around a little bit easier. However, short people make for low seat which meant that the bikes were not easy to ride. We headed of to the SNV office, which is the dutch equivalent of AusAid, to get an idea of the types of activities they undertake and if we could held. Turns out there was not much we could do as they prefer to use local resources but it was interesting none the less to sit down and talk with them. After that we headed of to the internet cafe and lunch, followed by another stop brother mouse store, this time for mum and not me.

We finished the day by scouring the night market for silk and gifts and other products. By 9 O'clock however both of us had used up all of our energy and returned to the hotel, our bags a little heavier and our wallets and little lighter.

The next morning we were picked up early for our trip to Phonsavan, in an old van that squeezed ten people in. Lucky I had a front seat so it was more bearable, but you could see the concerned faces of western tourists, packed like sardines, submitting themselves to 10 hours of torture. The driver on the other hand was very cheery, and keen to make conversation with us. After I demonstrated that I could count in Laos he immediately assumed I could speak Laos and proceeded to tell me all kind of wonderful things which I could not understand. The little bit that I did get was that we would only be traveling in this bus for a short time. This turned out to be true, but not fortuitous. The bus driver took us to the bus station just south of the city where the Mini Van's were ready to take us further. However even then once transferred it was still 9 people to a Mini Van, so with resignation I squeezed myself into the back corner for the long driver. After leaving the conversation quickly wilted and the Ipod were switched on as each person coped with the trip in their own way. Luckily the scenery is beautiful and was more dramatic than that which I remember. Other than many corners the trip was uneventful with a short break for lunch.

We arrived in the Phonsavan Valley in the late afternoon and in Phonsavan itself as the sun set. A royal welcome of representatives of the local guesthouses greeted us as we exited the bus, and after consulting a few of them we picked up our bags and headed off. The guest house turned out to be quite nice except for the fact that the screen installed to prevent mosquitoes getting in had a three millimeter gap on one side which raises the question; why bother. Having been to Phonsavan I knew that to food available was not particularly great so we settled for something simple, bought soup for three seemingly homeless boys (who then hassled me every meal for the next two days!!) before again heading for an early night.

The next day My mum went on a tour through the plain of Jars, not the tour she wanted but even though they have 5 different tours, there are not enough people taking tours 2-5 making it too expensive to do by yourself. So I waved goodbye to her, stuck in a early 90's model minivan, and headed off to rent a bike. I had heard there was an orphanage in the town that welcomed assistance so after dropping by the local market to buy some gifts I made my way there. After heading in the wrong entrance and getting many comments and pointing from the locals I headed to the second entrance only to find out that the school was closed for the day and nothing doing. So I handed over my gift, signed the visitors book and head off again. I decided on some random riding through the city. I decided to go look at a new electricity substation project but with a guy seated in a booth at the entrance I took a left turn and headed down some backstreet. 5 minutes later I was confronted with a dead and started hearing a lot of 'falang' commentary and one lady closed her gate after I went passed. I though it probably best to head back to the main road and back to the center of the city.

I had lunch and surfed the net and then headed out north of the town of my bike. The area is nice and I passed a few villages, and skinned pig and a few cemeteries before stopping for a break after about 10km and heading back to the city to meet my mum at the end of her tour.

We had been discussing for a few days whether to head to Vieng Xay (another 10 hour drive from Phonsavan) and decided that the best way to do it would be to hire and guide and driver, enabling us to stop take photos and see some additional sites we would not be able to see, if we traveled by Public transport. So in the evening we negotiated the terms and the price and once all was signed we where invited back to the tour operator's house for a Laos BBQ and beer. Once there we were introduced to his family and found out that it is a trend for Laos people that speak English are encouraging their kids to learn and speak English from a young age. Often speaking English at home, to young children to give them that little bit of advantage in life. Later a group of tourists joined us and I disseminated all I knew about Laos to eager ears (well, they looked eager!) before finishing of the night with the tour operator.

The following morning we had an early start in order to get to the weekly Hmong market that finishes by about 8am. Slightly hung over , I packed my bags and headed out to be greeted by our driver for the next three days. We where concerned about his ability to speak English but these concerns turned out to be unfounded as he was both eloquent in speaking English and knowledgeable about the country and overall we had a great three days.

Our first stop was the Hmong market after about 20 minuted drive. This market is loved because of the fresh produce the Hmong people bring to ti from the surrounding country side, but you have to be there early because its all gone by 8:30. Walking through the market I could not fault the quality of the produce, exceeding Australian quality and would have been quite happy to pick some up and eat it right there and then. Even the meat and fish in the wet market looked fresh and there were very few flies around for an open air market. Surrounding the fresh market is a wide
array of other stalls selling clothes, cleaning product and imported Hmong style clothing, that while pretty is definitely not original.

By the time we left many people had gone and Sawng Thiew's (Meaning 'Two Rows')[i.e tuk-tuks] packed to the rafters with people and Chickens hung on the side headed off back home. We bough some banana and some battered banana's for snacks on the way, however our driver had the same idea and also bought banana's; so with banana's a plenty we headed further up the road.

The next stop was a Hmong village were they used unexploded ordinance from the war to build houses and fences. Unfortunately high scrap metal prices mean that a lot of it has been sold, but there are a few remaining houses and buildings that still use bombshells as fences. In particular one family had a large stock of 20 odd shells a $50 each. It almost felt like an personal banking system. What was most striking about the village was the flowering of the Christmas stars and other plants in the village which gave it a lush and vibrant feel. We spent around 40 minuted wandering the village, observing the kids and the local pet monkey an a chain before getting back in the car.

After a brief stop at a silk weaving village, were no-one was currently working and a hot spring that looks like a development project gone wrong, even though the water is really hot, we stopped at Muang Kham for lunch. At the same time a Korean Cyclist heading in the other direction, finishing the mountain climbing we were about to commence, perched his bike on a camera tripod, checked his GPS and also settled in for some rice fro lunch.

Back in the car we headed further up the winding roads of Laos into the far north west that is only just opening up to tourism. I think I have said in my blog previously that Laos is the land of 10,000 turns, as you wind you way through the mountains, up and then along the ridge before descending down to a river and then back up onto the ridge. We passed many villages occasionally stopping for photos including those villages that are hooked up to solar power. We passed a village were our driver had stayed fora while and hoped to meet the family. the family was out but one of the children let us in and showed us around their simple accommodation, including the battery pack that accompanies the solar panel. Generally they can get a full night of light and TV out of a single battery charge. We admired the deer heads on the walls before stepping outside and continuing on our way. The night we spent in Nam Noen, a small town along the river Noen, with two guesthouses and little more. Sign around the town indicate that it is trying to be a model village. The guesthouse was basic with shared bathrooms and not hot water but this was offset by the peaceful atmosphere with people playing volleyball at the local temple and others sorting rice, watering gardens and doing other chores at the end of a long days work. We sat down for dinner and we joined by four cyclist from the Netherlands who had just completed a very tough day from Vieng Thom to Nam Noen. One of them wasn't feeling well and plans were being made to get transport rather than ride the next day.

Dinner was pleasant, though in a touch of sad news, on of the waiters was calmly nursing a baby the whole evening and when we returned to the village 2 days later we found out that the child had passed away, as we watched a small funeral procession pass through the town. After dinner it was time for bed, which turned out to be the worst night sleep I have had.

Ceremony's and Relaxation

It had been a busy day, and we were tired coming back to Houay An, Tee's village. When we arrived after dark to the bemused looks of the local, Tee's wife wa already starting to cut the white string they use for the Basi Ceremony. This is a ceremony used to celebrate happy occassions and also to provide thanks and goodluck. This was my forth such ceremony, but it was my mum's first and so I made sure I didn't tell her what was going on. After a while we were invited into the livining room where about 15 or so people had arrived to participate in the ceremony, that after four times I have still not been able to record the chanting that occurs during the ceremony. The ceremony concludes with the placing of strings by each person on the wrist of the guests and those that brought them here (i.e. Tee), and then eating of chicken and the drinking of Lao-Lao before starting the main meal. AFter dinner we were given an extra special treat of Khmu whisky which is drunk using a strw directly out of the clay pot it is fermented in. Mum wasn't all to impressed with the Lao=Lao and whisky, but then again most of the Lao women don't like it either.

Anyway after all this alchohol and a long day, we went to bed reasonably early and looking forward to a more relaxing day.

Waking in the morning to the sound of roosters (to be honest they never stopped all night) we had breakfast (stewed bird, whole, and sticky rice). Before we headed off however we had one thing to do, and that was to deliver some of the things we bought to the School in Houay An. Waited for the teachers to arrive and then in a very short inconspiquous ceremony we handed over book and pens, balls and a net to the Teacher who accepted the gifts greatly with many thank you's. As we left the school we could see the urgency as the school books were immediately distributed amongst the children and at the first play time the new net went up immediatelywith eagerness and care, ensuring exactly the right tension, they started to play with more skill than I could ever have.

Getting our things together we quietly headed off to the Elephant Park and Tad Sae waterfall meeting some other dutch tourists heading the other as we crossed the river. Tee drove us to the Elephant part were due to that fact that he worked there prviously was able to arrange a special deal for us with a short elephant ride and washing in the river. I hopped on to my Elephant with relative ease as I had done it before, howeer Mum needed to use a raised platform to get on. as we walked toward the river and down the embankment mum wasn't all that impressed and looked like she
would rather be somewhere else. You don't realise how high an elephant is until you are on one. But once we were in the river and falling off didn't seem so problematice, we both had a good time cleaning the elephants. They Particularly like a good scrub behind the ears, where they can't easily get to. Just like your own household pet.

After cleaning the animals for about 15min we headed back to the park, were we sat and had a drink while waiting for the boat ride to the Tad Sae waterfalls. The boat trip was nice, with the occasional water snake swimming passed and many butterflies flying around with the occasional Laotian fishing near the banks of the river. We arrived at the aterfall which has a bit the feel of an expat enclave, as the mingle around the many cascading pools where you can swim and dive or just pose. The watr was a little cold so after about 20min in the water we got out to have lunch. Climbing stairs that was almost a ladder we sat in the restaurant and order beer and food. The beer came, the food did not, and when it was time to leave, it turnedout our order had got lost. So we cancelled and left still hungry. Arriving back at the Elephant park Tee was there to meet us after completing some work in Luang Prabang. As we were still hungry we stopped at a road side restaurant for some noodle soup. Were a friend of Tee's dropped by and asked for a lift to the city and to try out my Ipod. With lunch finally out of the way we headed back into Luang Prabang by purchase a few extra thing after taking stock the day before.

We again arrived back in Tee's village. Houay An, after dark and had to wait for someone to come from the village to take us over. This time the evening was quiet and after dinner I talked with Tee about the delivery of the materials to the other schools and negotiated a rate of pay for him. He will deliver the remaining items to the schools when he finishes three weeks of bicycle tour work he already had lined up. He will hopefully take fotos and send them to me. The following morning he would leave at 6:30am so we said out goodbye's and went to bed.

In the morning, Tee, knocked on the door to say thank you and good bye one more time before he left and we stumbled out of bed an hour later for breakfast. At around 9am Tee wife and mother in law accompanied us across the river to the main road and joined us for the Tuk-Tul drive into the city. After sorting out some remaining financial matters we said our last goodbye's and went to find a guest house for the night.

A great day Shopping

So we (Mum and I) arrived in Vientienne after an early (4:30) start and last minute stress at the airport as I was a little confused about where to check in. But the stress was all fo no reason as the flight was delayed by an hour in the end. The flight as usual; uneventful and we arrive mid morning. Thoroughly exhausted we had to relax by spending the afternoon on the banks of the Mekong, drinking beer and eating Larp with Sticky rice and slowing down to Laos time. Needless to say this didn't take long as KL was downright stressful compared to Laos. Having previously arranged a return trip to the airport on the way; dutifully our taxi arrived at quarter to three, to whisk us back to the Airport for our trip to Luang Prabang. Checking in with an "e-ticket" (i.e show your passport) seemed dubious when we were told, but ended up not being a problem. So we waited for another hour so we could board as this place was also late.

The trip to Luang Prabang is a short 40min hop by plane and as we flew in through the late afternoon sky with the mountains on your right and the Mekong on your left you can but help feel the Luang Prabang that is increasingly getting attention. It is now listed as one of the top ten travel cities in the world. However the more you talk to people here the more you think that it may not last long and development is going ahead at pace. The city and Laos might even get its first golf course soon as a multi billion dollar Taiwanese investment plan is gaining traction.

We grabbed a taxi and traveled to the same hotel that I stayed at last time I was here but they were unfortunately full, so they sent us next door where they looked after us for the same price. A nice 2 bed room with own shower for a healthy 10 dollars. We both had a quick shower before heading to the night market, but neither of us were in the mood to shop and were ready to go to bed after starting the day at 4:30 am. While we were out we came across Mellisant, who we had met somewhat distraught in the travel office in Vientienne. She had planned a four day holiday in Laos for her birthday, and was getting frustrated with the amount of time she had to wait in various places. We had a quick chat on the street and she recommended a crepe stall up the road, so we parted and went looking for some crepes for ourselves. After mum got her crepe we walked to the river and had beer (causes it is what you do in Laos) and dinner before walking back to the hotel for a well earned
sleep.

The next morning we woke up, got dressed and headed out for some Pho (pronounced 'Foe')with extra chilli to help make you sweat. After calling my friend Tee to see what he was doing, we went for a walk around the city, heading out to the main road before returning along the Nam Khan river visiting some temples and shops on the way. We also bought Postcards which we are yet to complete. Tee, who was doing a half day cycling tour, finished at about 2pm and we met him at the cafe next to where he worked. He then gave us a quick tour of the city, including Waty Pha Phon Phao which is a gold painted temple on the top of a hill just outside of Luang Prabang, Wat Xieng Thong, the largest of the temples in Luang Prabang and finishing the day walking up Pousi Mountain to watch the sunset with about 200 other people. We did actually see the sunset, framed by the heads of the other people. All in all a much longer day than we had envisaged. Again we met our stalker Mellicent and invited her to have dinner with us. Tee dropped us off at our hotel and after a shower and a changed of clothes we headed out for dinner. Mellicent took some time to get our message so we started dinner without her, however when she did respond it took 15 minutes find her and bring her to the restaurant as the lack of distinguishing feature of the 20 odd restaurants along that strip, makes it difficult to direct someone, but it all worked out in the end. We introduced her to some Laotian food and then after dinner went for a beer (or two) at a local bar to celebrate her birthday. Arriving home after the front door had closed, I knocked quietly in the hope that someone would open the door. I think I startled the guy sleeping in the foyer but he kindly opened the dorr and let me in.

The next day thing had to get serious and I had to do some of the work I had come here for, but unfortunately my guide had to work again for a few hours. So we had breakfast with Mellicent and said our goodbye's, did some internet before walking into the city. I was on my way places, when Tee called and came to pick me up. This was the day to check prices and estimate costs for the Nam Fen Schools Project (see Facebook page). We traveled to the Pousi Market which is the local markets where you can buy almost everything except large mechanical and electrical imports from China. We got all the prices for school books, pens and pencils, etc... From there we went to look for the prices of soccer balls, before heading to the Big Brother Mouse a local Laos childrens book publishing company.

Having checked out the prices I then sat down with an Dutch ex-patriot that operates a cycling tour company in Laos, to talk about his experience of doing business in Laos. He had very good knowledge of some of the many difficulties of doing business in Laos and was very helpful. Also providing some insight into some of the thing happening in the background in Luang Prabang.

That night we spent in Tee local village so we drove out of town about 15 kilometer south of Luang Prabang and after throwing out bags on our shoulder walked down to the river and crossing b y boat to the other side. The evening light was again stunning as in filtered through the reeds onto the calm water of the Nam Khan. We had fully reached Laos time as we stopped on the bank to watch the unfolding scene of activity on the river. We walked along the dusty path to Tee's house where I had been twice before but this was the first time for my mum. I introduced my mum to the extended family living with Tee and sat down for some water and beer. With the children playing and a steady stream of local returning from the field we sat and watched while catching up with Tee about all that had happened in the last while. Dinner was served and as usual even though cooked on a wood fire, it was exquisite in quality; by far the best food you can get in Laos. Tonight we went for an early sleep after a few long days.

This morning we woke up with a plan to got to a waterfall before heading into the city to buy things for the schools having set our budget and itemized list of what to buy. On the recommnedation of the dutch ex-patriot, Robert, we made a stop past the ministry of education for the region to talk with the officials about what we were doing. At first I was apprehensive as Laos is in the region to 144th on the corruption and transparency lists but was happily surprised when the officials were very supportive of the idea. They wanted no commission and only to know exactly what we were providing to the schools. This was in part so that they could check that what were providing was actually getting to the schools, which is good news in terms of accountability. We took photos with the head of the office and said our thank you's and goodbyes before heading to the waterfall for a bit of R & R. A short walk up to the top of the waterfall and getting a little lost on the way back down was enough excercise for the day and we headed into town.

We started at a shop on the road where we bought 7 Soccer balls, 14 bamboo balls for the Thai style volleyball, 7 nets and butchers paper. After that we headed to the Pousi Market where we bought 350 books, 350 pens, 250 pencils, 48 boxes of coloured pencils, some large books and whiteboard markers for the teachers and tape to hang the butchers paper on the walls. Finally we stopped off at the Big Brother Mouse where we bought 98 reading books of various types. All this for less than $400!!.

With the car packed and a little exhausted, we went down to a cafe on the mekong and, you guessed it, had some Beer. By this stage the sun was setting of the river, a light breeze was heading northward and a little kitten with infected eyes and no mother was probably spending its last few painful days lying in the sun, and hoping for a little peace and respite. We headed back to Tee's village arriving after dark to the bewilderment of the local washing in the river as we carted boxes and bags of stuff across the river to the other side.

It was a very satisfying day and I felt relieved that something had actually been achieved and purchased after so much time. My big thank goes to Tee, who I could not have done it without. There is more to tell, but I need and you need a break. Please keep and eye out for the next edition.

Also full list of what was purchased and what will go to which school will be made available on the facebook page in due course. Bye for now

One day in Malaysia

We'll the last few hectic weeks are over with uni and work and we made it safely off the plane to Malaysia. No real drama's but planning there has been little off particularly in the financial department.

As you may or may not know this trip through Malaysia and into Laos, is partly a holiday, but also to deliver kindly donated monies to school kids in Laos. Tomorrow I fly out to Vientienne before heading straight north to Luang Prabang were I will meet up with my guide and assistant, Tee.

Of course all the thing I should have done such as obtain Travellers checks, I didn't get to do so there may be some joys in actually getting the Money into Laos through the still emerging electronic systems there. But it should be possible without to much exchange rate loss (which I will cover for).

That was the initial disclaimer, now onto what has actually happened. I woke up at 6am, packed a few final things, had some breakfast, before being picked up by Renee at 8am. A quick stop at work for some last minute photocopies and then on to the bus station, only to arrive rediculously early. Better early than late is what I always say. Anyway, onto the bus (no spare room) and settled in for a nap until Goulburn before twiddling my thumbs for the next two hours to the Airport. On arrival got a text from mum my that she was still at home, Great!! Another 45min twiddling of thumbs and she was there and we checked in and completed to formalities without any troubles. 2hours later after a Beer and G&T we were airborne. The flight; suprisingly; uneventful. I introduced mum to 'Up'before settling to watch 'Chocolat' and 'The boat that rocked'; both good movies.

We arrived late in KL and decided to front up the money and taxi to our hotel; again no dramas.

The next morning, slow rise and free breakfast made it a good start, though the rain was a little concerning. Not that it is cold! About 28 degrees, 90% humidity. We decided to start the day with a walk to Chinatown were mum did her initial haggling from which the price agreement was way too easy, suggesting a still inflated price range. From there we walked through some of the food markets and wet markets, stroked a pig snout, before heading outback for some food and drink. Unfortunately no Rotti Chenai, so it was just tea with sweetened condensed milk. Forgot to order 'tarik', i.s. Black. From there I decided to go to the mosque which is only a short 200 meters away, however there is a river and a train line in between so it took us about an hour to walk up and down the step, and walk through tunnels intended for cars for us to get there. (On the way back we realised that there was an underpass that would have made the whole walk easier. With both looked dumbfounded at eachother that we didn't see it on the way there.)

At the national Mosque we stopped for some Chilli soup and talked with a son on Indonesian expats that now live in Holland, who work in some really funk agricultural technology that mean that people don't have to plant seeds anymore, they can just monitor computer screens that monitor robots. A pleasant suprised given that he immediately started talking to us in Dutch, without even asking if we could speak it. Coincidence?

Returning back to the city, taking the underpass, we took a left turn at the intersection which sent us on a loop in another direction. This is were we realised that KL isn't really for walking and decided to get on a train to the Petronas Towers, which compared to all the walking we had done was easy.

I admired the towers from the base spent some time in the park behind it playing Yahtzee. Mum won. Whoops, I should have said something earlier, but I Mum is travelling with me for this trip, bravehearted soul that she is!! From there we decided to head home as the day was getting on. We walked passed a hawker centre and picked up a quick meal and chatted to one to stall owner before catching the monorail. We decided to take the thing to the end of the line before returning to our station, which was near where we started just to get another view of the city.

Then there was some planning to do, as none was done before we left. Passport foto's to get visa, kind of important. Money in right currency to actually pay for Visa; very important. Cash to get to airport; really important. So after some effort we managed to get all that sorted and get mum a pair of shoes and her face half cleansed and watch the indoor rollercoaster and have a cup of sweet bitter tea, before heading back to the guest house for a beer. And that is were I am now and if the prices weren't so high I would be having more beer. We'll, I guess that is waht Beer Laos is for.

So tomorrow the flight leaves and the real adventure begins. Stay informed and win prizes (unlikely but possible) right here on 'Is this the real life?
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