So today we had an "alpine start", which is odd, since there really is no alpine around here. We got up at 4:30AM, and met our tuk-tuk for 5AM. He drove us over to Angkor Wat, there the crowds were just beginning to gather. I found what seemed like a fairly photogenic location (in front of the reflecting pools), set up our camera, and eagerly awaited the sunrise. It did not disappoint; we watched as the hues of the sky imperceptibly but gradually became brighter and shifted from red to blue, until the brilliant brightness of the sun came into view from behind the temple.
At this point, we went inside the main temple and wandered around it some more, exploring the corridors and looking at the carvings and bas-reliefs at our own leisure. We encountered a number of 'tourist monks' from Vietnam, who were very friendly and we chatted with them for a while.
Once we felt there was nothing more to see, we left and our tuk-tuk driver took us back to the Bayon, where again, we explored at our leisure. Unfortunately, we converged on it with a bunch of tour busses, so it was much busier than the first time when we saw it, so it was not as good an experience.
Our final ruin of the day was Banteay Srei, built in the 10th century, by Rajendravarman. This one was out in the boonies, about 25km north of the main Angkor complex. En route, our tuk-tuk driver got a flat, and we spent a while walking along the country road while he found someone who could do the repair. Our driver found one place that could do the repairs, and while the owner was fixing the tire, his children were somewhat amused with the novelty of white folks. We knew almost no Khmer, and were trying to find a way to connect, when Carole asked them how old they are by holding up fingers and pointing to the youngest one. It is amazing how much communication actually occurs while exchanging ages in this manner.
We then resumed our ride, and within an hour we were there (our tuk-tuk was not the fastest). Banteay Srei is not a particularly big temple complex, but off all the ruins, the carvings and bas-reliefs are among the best preserved. It this regard, it stands out from all the other ruins. It was hard at times to appreciate they were over a thousand years old, and certainly gave a sense of what they other temples were like in their glory days. The quality and detail of the carvings and their coverage of all the walls was astounding.
Afterwards, we got back into our tuk-tuk for the long ride back into town, had dinner, and did a bit of pre-packing for tomorrows departure.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Angkor - Day 3: Yet More Monuments
So today, we decided to see a different set of ruins: the Roluos group. 13km to the East of Siem Reap. Roluos was the imperial capital during the reign of Indravarman I. As a result, these were some of the oldest temples around - all built in the 9th century. Our tuk-tuk driver arrived at 8:30, and we were off.
The first ruin we saw was Preah Ko, dedicated to Shiva. It consists of 100m x 100 m wall enclosing a smaller 60m x 50m wall, which encloses the main temple, consisting of six towers.
The second ruin we saw was Bakong, and is the largest of the group. It was one of the first significant temple-mountains that was built. The temple mountain consists of 5 tiers, representing the mythical Mt. Meru, with a central tower in the temple, and was dedicated to Shiva. This temple is enclosed by a wall, and surrounded by a moat.
One sound that we've become accustomed to over the past few days is amputee bands playing traditional Khmer music for alms, and here was no exception. I think what distressed me about hearing a band here was not the music, but rather the thought of how many such bands we had passed by over the past few days. We find it hard not to donate - these people have really been dealt a poor hand in life.
The final ruin we saw was Lolei. It was the smallest of the temples, consisting of only 4 small towers. It was also in the greatest disrepair; you could only go into one of the towers; the rest were teetering precariously at the point of collapse, and had a number of wooden beams and braces to try and delay the eventuality. Though it didn't seem like much, this temple was actually in the middle of a 3800m x 800m baray (reservoir), and was such was surrounded by a huge rectangular lake.
We returned to town around 12:30, so we spent the afternoon wandering around, and exploring Siem Reap a little, checking out the markets, then went for dinner at the Khmer Kitchen, a nice place we found with good quantities of tasty and inexpensive food.
The first ruin we saw was Preah Ko, dedicated to Shiva. It consists of 100m x 100 m wall enclosing a smaller 60m x 50m wall, which encloses the main temple, consisting of six towers.
The second ruin we saw was Bakong, and is the largest of the group. It was one of the first significant temple-mountains that was built. The temple mountain consists of 5 tiers, representing the mythical Mt. Meru, with a central tower in the temple, and was dedicated to Shiva. This temple is enclosed by a wall, and surrounded by a moat.
One sound that we've become accustomed to over the past few days is amputee bands playing traditional Khmer music for alms, and here was no exception. I think what distressed me about hearing a band here was not the music, but rather the thought of how many such bands we had passed by over the past few days. We find it hard not to donate - these people have really been dealt a poor hand in life.
The final ruin we saw was Lolei. It was the smallest of the temples, consisting of only 4 small towers. It was also in the greatest disrepair; you could only go into one of the towers; the rest were teetering precariously at the point of collapse, and had a number of wooden beams and braces to try and delay the eventuality. Though it didn't seem like much, this temple was actually in the middle of a 3800m x 800m baray (reservoir), and was such was surrounded by a huge rectangular lake.
We returned to town around 12:30, so we spent the afternoon wandering around, and exploring Siem Reap a little, checking out the markets, then went for dinner at the Khmer Kitchen, a nice place we found with good quantities of tasty and inexpensive food.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Angkor - Day 2: More Monuments
This morning our tuk-tuk driver picked us up at 9AM, and we continued our exploration of the Angkor area.
We started off with Baksei Chamkrong, built in the 10th century and it is a small, elegant pyramid temple. Because it is small and near larger ruins, we had this monument to ourselves, which is not an easy thing to achieve in Angkor. Like other pyramid temples, the staircase is a 4th class scramble.
After that, we went past the south gate of Angkor Thom and back to The Bayon to explore it some more, since I liked this temple so much. Unfortunately, it was much busier this time around, so it was harder to enjoy it.
Next, we went to Preah Khan, once again built by JV7 in the late 12th century, to celebrate his victory over the Chams. It is one of JV7s largest projects, and more of a Buddhist university than a temple. The ruins are pretty massive; we spent quite a while wandering through corridors and galleries, admiring the stonework and bas-reliefs.
The next monument we visited was Neak Pean. built by JV7 in the 12th century as a Buddhist temple. It consists of a central monument, in the middle of a large square pool, with four smaller pools (each representing Earth, Wind, Fire and Water), one on each side, forming a quincunx. The pools are now all drained, but it must have looked impressive when they were filled with water.
After a brief lunch at a nearby food stall, we continued on to Ta Som, once again built by JV7 in the late 12th century. It is a fairly small ruin, and is reminiscent of Ta Prohm, with large trees growing out of the ruins.
Given that we wanted to see Sunset at Pre Rup, and that we were ahead of schedule we went back to Ta Prohm again to explore it some more. During this visit, the cicadas were out, making their characteristic, unbelievably loud noise. It is hard to imagine something that small producing a buzz of that volume - a sound volume of 106dB, the equivalent of a jackhammer.
For a moment, you have to wonder why a creature would create such a noise, expending so much energy in the process, and risking life and limb by revealing its position to predators. However, the answer becomes obvious as soon as you think about it: such extravagant efforts and risks only ever undertaken in order to get laid, usually perpetrated (as in this case) by the male of the species. The buzz is its mating call.
We then headed back to Pre Rup, and explored the temple as we awaited the sunset. Built in the 10th century by Rajendravarman, it is a temple-mountain with the standard five towers at the top of it forming a quincunx. This temple was to believed to be used for royal cremations. We sat on the top level of the temple, watch as the sun lazily descended towards its slumber in the distant canopy of trees. One cannot help but wonder how many incredible sunsets this temple has seen over the centuries.
After sunset, we headed back to Siem Reap and our hotel and went out again for dinner, and called it a night.
We started off with Baksei Chamkrong, built in the 10th century and it is a small, elegant pyramid temple. Because it is small and near larger ruins, we had this monument to ourselves, which is not an easy thing to achieve in Angkor. Like other pyramid temples, the staircase is a 4th class scramble.
After that, we went past the south gate of Angkor Thom and back to The Bayon to explore it some more, since I liked this temple so much. Unfortunately, it was much busier this time around, so it was harder to enjoy it.
Next, we went to Preah Khan, once again built by JV7 in the late 12th century, to celebrate his victory over the Chams. It is one of JV7s largest projects, and more of a Buddhist university than a temple. The ruins are pretty massive; we spent quite a while wandering through corridors and galleries, admiring the stonework and bas-reliefs.
The next monument we visited was Neak Pean. built by JV7 in the 12th century as a Buddhist temple. It consists of a central monument, in the middle of a large square pool, with four smaller pools (each representing Earth, Wind, Fire and Water), one on each side, forming a quincunx. The pools are now all drained, but it must have looked impressive when they were filled with water.
After a brief lunch at a nearby food stall, we continued on to Ta Som, once again built by JV7 in the late 12th century. It is a fairly small ruin, and is reminiscent of Ta Prohm, with large trees growing out of the ruins.
Given that we wanted to see Sunset at Pre Rup, and that we were ahead of schedule we went back to Ta Prohm again to explore it some more. During this visit, the cicadas were out, making their characteristic, unbelievably loud noise. It is hard to imagine something that small producing a buzz of that volume - a sound volume of 106dB, the equivalent of a jackhammer.
For a moment, you have to wonder why a creature would create such a noise, expending so much energy in the process, and risking life and limb by revealing its position to predators. However, the answer becomes obvious as soon as you think about it: such extravagant efforts and risks only ever undertaken in order to get laid, usually perpetrated (as in this case) by the male of the species. The buzz is its mating call.
We then headed back to Pre Rup, and explored the temple as we awaited the sunset. Built in the 10th century by Rajendravarman, it is a temple-mountain with the standard five towers at the top of it forming a quincunx. This temple was to believed to be used for royal cremations. We sat on the top level of the temple, watch as the sun lazily descended towards its slumber in the distant canopy of trees. One cannot help but wonder how many incredible sunsets this temple has seen over the centuries.
After sunset, we headed back to Siem Reap and our hotel and went out again for dinner, and called it a night.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Angkor - Day 1: Some Thoughts and Observations
More than anywhere else I've been, I was thinking it would be fabulous to be able to go back in time and see Angkor 800 years ago, when it was in its prime. - it must have been incredible. The ruins provide a tantalizing glimpse of what it was like, but the imagination can only fill in so many gaps. It was sad to see how many of the ruins had been looted, or simply fallen apart.
Due to the fact it now a major tourist destination, there is much restoration work being done, and consequently there are technical and theoretical issues that have to be addressed. One example of a technical issue: after the buildings were reclaimed by the jungle, trees started growing on top of them, and are now so entwined with the stone, it would be almost impossible to remove them in a number of cases. The theoretical aspect: even if you could remove the tree, should you? Some of the images of trees growing out of the stonework at Angkor Wat have become iconic in their own respect. Or with temples that were refurbished: Do you leave them to be Buddhist, or remove the later Buddha additions to show the temple as is was originally built, with its Hindu motifs?
One thing I noticed was that the Khmers did not know of the Roman Arch, or Vault. Rather, they precariously stacked stones closer together to close the roofs, mandating narrow halls and galleries. You cannot help but wonder how many of the stone roofed buildings would not have collapsed had they known of this architectural technique.
Also, the temple pyramids have staircases that are stupidly steep - typically 60 degrees or so. Between the intimidating angle of ascent and the crumbling, worn stairs, stairclimbing is an extreme sport here in Angkor. Loosing your footing at the top of these staircase would almost certainly be fatal. You can't help but think there must have been such accidents back then, and also wonder about how often such an accident happens today.
Also, I could not help but feel daunted by Hindu mythology (and I use mythology here in it's academic sense - a traditional sacred story, without any implications of its veracity). While Jewish mythology has its one god and its six days of creation, and Christian mythology has its holy trinity and its twelve apostles, and Buddhist philosophy has its four noble truths and its noble eightfold path, Hindu mythology has its bewildering plethora of gods each with numerous incarnations, its 37 heavens and its 32 hells. It is certainly a dense mythological landscape, and it takes much reading to learn to navigate it.
Due to the fact it now a major tourist destination, there is much restoration work being done, and consequently there are technical and theoretical issues that have to be addressed. One example of a technical issue: after the buildings were reclaimed by the jungle, trees started growing on top of them, and are now so entwined with the stone, it would be almost impossible to remove them in a number of cases. The theoretical aspect: even if you could remove the tree, should you? Some of the images of trees growing out of the stonework at Angkor Wat have become iconic in their own respect. Or with temples that were refurbished: Do you leave them to be Buddhist, or remove the later Buddha additions to show the temple as is was originally built, with its Hindu motifs?
One thing I noticed was that the Khmers did not know of the Roman Arch, or Vault. Rather, they precariously stacked stones closer together to close the roofs, mandating narrow halls and galleries. You cannot help but wonder how many of the stone roofed buildings would not have collapsed had they known of this architectural technique.
Also, the temple pyramids have staircases that are stupidly steep - typically 60 degrees or so. Between the intimidating angle of ascent and the crumbling, worn stairs, stairclimbing is an extreme sport here in Angkor. Loosing your footing at the top of these staircase would almost certainly be fatal. You can't help but think there must have been such accidents back then, and also wonder about how often such an accident happens today.
Also, I could not help but feel daunted by Hindu mythology (and I use mythology here in it's academic sense - a traditional sacred story, without any implications of its veracity). While Jewish mythology has its one god and its six days of creation, and Christian mythology has its holy trinity and its twelve apostles, and Buddhist philosophy has its four noble truths and its noble eightfold path, Hindu mythology has its bewildering plethora of gods each with numerous incarnations, its 37 heavens and its 32 hells. It is certainly a dense mythological landscape, and it takes much reading to learn to navigate it.
Angkor - Day 1: A Brief History
This entry provides only a rough synopsis of Khmer history, to give the other entries a bit of perspective. There are numerous on-line resources which cover this topic much more thoroughly.
The early Khmers were heavily influenced by trade with India, beginning around 1st century AD and adopted many things, Hindu Mythology and Sanskrit among them (but not the caste system). From around the 1st to 8th centuries AD, the region of Cambodia was likely a series of small kingdoms, each with shifting alliances to the others.
Jayavarman II was the founder of the Khmer empire, unifying Cambodia's competing kingdoms at the time. He also established himself as a god-king, a title claimed by all subsequent Angkor rulers. One of his successors, Indravarman I, was responsible for building a 6.5 square km (!!) baray (reservoir) that was probably instrumental in helping the empire to flourish, providing the first stage of an extensive irrigation system. The empire went through a number of ups and downs with a succession of kings, some better at helping the empire to flourish than others. In the course of one of the battles with their enemies, the Chams, the incumbent king was killed, and one of the cousins led the Khmers to victory over the Chams. This cousin was subsequently crowned as Jayavarman VII, and became Angkor's most prolific temple builder. He presided over Angkor at the apex of their architectural achievements.
All the older temples are dedicated to the Hindu gods Vishnu and Shiva. Brahma, for whatever reason, was not given equal veneration by the Khmers.. Under the rule of JV7, however, who converted to Mahayana Buddhism, all temples built by him were primarily Buddhist, but still had numerous Hindu themes, since he did not want to alienate the Hindu population. A number of the existing Hindu temples were renovated with Buddhist themes and architecture.
Following JV7's reign, however, the empire went into decline. Reasons cited include an overworked irrigation system, excessive deforestation, an population exhausted by JV7s unparallelled construction spree, as well as subsequent rulers losing control of the peripheries of the empire. Evenually the Thais grew stronger and made repeated attacks against Angkor, finally sacking the city in 1431. Following this, the Khmer empire gradually shifted eastwards to the Phnom Penh area.
The early Khmers were heavily influenced by trade with India, beginning around 1st century AD and adopted many things, Hindu Mythology and Sanskrit among them (but not the caste system). From around the 1st to 8th centuries AD, the region of Cambodia was likely a series of small kingdoms, each with shifting alliances to the others.
Jayavarman II was the founder of the Khmer empire, unifying Cambodia's competing kingdoms at the time. He also established himself as a god-king, a title claimed by all subsequent Angkor rulers. One of his successors, Indravarman I, was responsible for building a 6.5 square km (!!) baray (reservoir) that was probably instrumental in helping the empire to flourish, providing the first stage of an extensive irrigation system. The empire went through a number of ups and downs with a succession of kings, some better at helping the empire to flourish than others. In the course of one of the battles with their enemies, the Chams, the incumbent king was killed, and one of the cousins led the Khmers to victory over the Chams. This cousin was subsequently crowned as Jayavarman VII, and became Angkor's most prolific temple builder. He presided over Angkor at the apex of their architectural achievements.
All the older temples are dedicated to the Hindu gods Vishnu and Shiva. Brahma, for whatever reason, was not given equal veneration by the Khmers.. Under the rule of JV7, however, who converted to Mahayana Buddhism, all temples built by him were primarily Buddhist, but still had numerous Hindu themes, since he did not want to alienate the Hindu population. A number of the existing Hindu temples were renovated with Buddhist themes and architecture.
Following JV7's reign, however, the empire went into decline. Reasons cited include an overworked irrigation system, excessive deforestation, an population exhausted by JV7s unparallelled construction spree, as well as subsequent rulers losing control of the peripheries of the empire. Evenually the Thais grew stronger and made repeated attacks against Angkor, finally sacking the city in 1431. Following this, the Khmer empire gradually shifted eastwards to the Phnom Penh area.
Angkor - Day 1: PM - Angkor Wat
So after lunch, we went to explore the showcase Khmer temple, Angkor Wat, built in the early 12th century by Suryavarman II. Agkor wat is surrounded by a giant moat 1.5km on one side and 1.3km on another, and measuring 190m across. The outer wall surrounding the temple is about 1000m by 800m. The temple itself consists of two concentric galleries surrounding the central temple complex. This central complex was a temple-mountain topped off by five towers arranged in a quincunx, again representing Mt. Meru, the centre of the Hindu Universe. The five towers, one for each cardinal point, plus the larger central one, are perhaps the most iconic image of Angkor Wat itself, and each vaguely resembles a beehive hairdoo.
We wandered inside the compound of the inner wall, exploring some libraries and admiring the reflecting pools on either side of the main causeway that led to the temple.
I've been fortunate enough to see some of the world's great monuments, from European cathedrals and palaces to India's Taj Mahal, and no matter how impressive the architecture itself is, it the finishing and the details of these monuments that truly stagger the imagination, and Angkor Wat is no exception. The inner walls of the outer gallery consist of huge bas-relief carvings, depicting various scenes from the Hindu Mythology (primarily the epics the Ramayana and the Mahabharata).
Each of the four gallery walls (North, East, South, and West) has a doorway in the middle, dividing the wall in two. Thus there are eight bas-relief carvings, each a different scene, and each scene over 100m long.... thus there are almost a kilometer of intricate wall carvings to walk past. And the scenes are dense, consisting of battles of armies with a plethora of historical and mythical figures in them. Anyone with an understanding of history and Hindu Mythology would probably be able to pick out a lot of meaning from these bas-reliefs. Thany did as best he could to explain what was going on in the various scenes without going into too much detail, but after a while, our eyes glazed over.
Following that we explored the inner courtyard, but alas, the central pyramid and its five towers were closed for reconstruction, so were were not allowed to see them. However, at this point we were quite happy to call it a day.
We thus headed back, returning to our hotel at 5PM, then found the old market area and found an appealing restaurant to dine at. We were mentally exhausted, so we had a pretty early night tonight, just hanging out and reading about the temples to fill in some gaps of knowledge that came to mind, and reflecting on all that we saw....
We wandered inside the compound of the inner wall, exploring some libraries and admiring the reflecting pools on either side of the main causeway that led to the temple.
I've been fortunate enough to see some of the world's great monuments, from European cathedrals and palaces to India's Taj Mahal, and no matter how impressive the architecture itself is, it the finishing and the details of these monuments that truly stagger the imagination, and Angkor Wat is no exception. The inner walls of the outer gallery consist of huge bas-relief carvings, depicting various scenes from the Hindu Mythology (primarily the epics the Ramayana and the Mahabharata).
Each of the four gallery walls (North, East, South, and West) has a doorway in the middle, dividing the wall in two. Thus there are eight bas-relief carvings, each a different scene, and each scene over 100m long.... thus there are almost a kilometer of intricate wall carvings to walk past. And the scenes are dense, consisting of battles of armies with a plethora of historical and mythical figures in them. Anyone with an understanding of history and Hindu Mythology would probably be able to pick out a lot of meaning from these bas-reliefs. Thany did as best he could to explain what was going on in the various scenes without going into too much detail, but after a while, our eyes glazed over.
Following that we explored the inner courtyard, but alas, the central pyramid and its five towers were closed for reconstruction, so were were not allowed to see them. However, at this point we were quite happy to call it a day.
We thus headed back, returning to our hotel at 5PM, then found the old market area and found an appealing restaurant to dine at. We were mentally exhausted, so we had a pretty early night tonight, just hanging out and reading about the temples to fill in some gaps of knowledge that came to mind, and reflecting on all that we saw....
Angkor - Day 1: AM - Angkor Monuments
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** Brain Full. Information overload **
** Brain Full. Information overload **
If a human face could emulate the Blue Screen of Death, I think we could do a good job of it this evening. Our heads were spinning with the names of various Khmer Kings, temples, and gods from Hindu Mythology and their interrelationships. I'm not sure how much I want to bore you with details, since you can easily look all of these up on Wikipedia, the de-facto repository for all human knowledge.
Just to keep this blog entry from becoming a Homeric Epic, I think I will divide this day up into several sections:
Note that the various guidebooks I'm using differ slightly in dates / dimensions / interpretations / spellings of the monuments, so details will vary depending on your source.
Just to keep this blog entry from becoming a Homeric Epic, I think I will divide this day up into several sections:
- The morning's Angkor Temples and Monuments
- The afternoon's visit of Angkor Wat
- A bit of a synopsis of Angkor history/religion
- Some overall thoughts impressions
Note that the various guidebooks I'm using differ slightly in dates / dimensions / interpretations / spellings of the monuments, so details will vary depending on your source.
We met our guide, Thany, at the hotel at 8AM. From there, we went to Prasat Kravan. This smallish brick temple with its 5 towers was built in 921 AD (1086 years ago - wow). The temple was dedicated to Vishnu, and the central tower has an impressive brick carving cut into the interior wall of Vishnu, in his incarnation as the dwarf Vamana. The north tower had an equally impressive carving of Lakshmi, Vishnu's consort.
Next we went to Sra Srang, which is a huge 400m x 800m rectangular man-make lake. Originally build in the 10th century as a water reservoir, in the 12th century it was remodelled into a royal swimming pool. Assuming that the pool is 1.5 m deep on average, and topsoil is 1.5 tonnes/cubic metre, that amounts to moving three-720,000 tonnes of dirt. Moved using slave labour with shovels. For a swimming pool. It's good to be king.
Adjacent to Sra Srang was Banteay Kdei, a massive Buddhist monastery built in the 12th Century by Jayavarman VII (henceforth known as JV7). The outer wall measures 500m by 700m and enclosed a small town. The temple itself consists of two galleried enclosures, and was about 58m x 60m.
Following this, we went to Ta Prohm, an even more massive Buddhist temple, also built in the late 12th / early 13th centuries by JV7. The outer wall measures 650m x 1000m. It probably has the most surreal ambiance of all the temples, like a Salvador Dali painting. Over the years massive trees have grown over the temples, the roots intricately intertwining with the masonry. Because they would be very difficult to remove without severely damaging the temple, they have been left in place. Hence, with a bit of imagination, Ta Prohm gives you a pretty good idea of what most of the temples looked like when the first Europeans stumbled across them, that ruins-swallowed-up-by-the-jungle feeling. This temple is where one of the scenes of the Tomb Raider movie was shot, and seems to be quite popular because of it.
Following that, we did a brief stop at Ta Keo, built by Jayavarman V, in the 10th century, and dedicated to Shiva. This was a giant 'temple mountain', and one of the first such temples to be built out of sandstone. It's five temple 'peaks' symbolize the mythical Mt. Meru. Apparently, JV5 died before it was completed, since its carvings had only just begun when all work on it was stopped.
The next temple we saw (and this was becoming a blur now) was Thommanom, built in the early 12th Century by Suryavarman II and dedicated to Shiva and Vishnu. Although a relatively minor temple, the sandstone relief carvings were quite impressive.
Next we came upon Angkor Thom (lit. Great Angkor or Great City), which was actually a walled city, some 9 square km in area. The wall around this city is 8m high, and 3km on a side. This wall was encircled by a moat 100 m wide and was said to contain crocodiles to keep intruders out. Again: 12,000m moat perimeter, 100m wide, 1.5m deep @ 1.5 tonnes/m^3, means that 2.7 million tonnes of dirt had to be shovelled by hand. The manpower used to build these structures staggers the imagination.
There were five monumental gates, each topped with a massive stone Buddha face. We went through the central Victory (East) Gate, and went to see the Terrace of the Leper King, which is a 7m high platform. The retaining wall of the terrace contains stunning sandstone carvings of apsaras, or celestial dancers (a very common, amost iconic motif here in Angkor). On top of the terrace is a mysterious nude, sexless statue, which is believed to be a statue of the Hindu god Yama, the god of Death. Possibly because of the patchy/mossy exterior, resembling someone with leprosy, the statue became known as the Leper King. The naming probably reflects legends that two of the Angkor kings were afflicted with the disease.
Following this, we proceeded to the Terrace of the Elephants, a 350m long terrace which was used as a giant stage for public ceremonies and a base for the king's grand audience. The middle section of the retaining wall is decorated with life-sized garudas (bird-men) and lions. And the outer ends are carvings of the parade of elephants for which the terrace is named. One can imagine the spectacle of soldiers, cavalry, chariots pulled by horses and elephants parading in procession before the terrace, before a god-king in full royal costume attended to by a plethora of servants. It's good to be king.
Next on the itinerary was Phimeanakas, a relatively small (35m x 38m x 12m high) pyramid that was part of the Royal Palace, built by Jayavarman V in the late 10th / early 11th centuries. It was here in the santuary of Phimeanakas that the king would sleep nightly with one of his 3000 girlfriends (that's a different one every night for 8.2 years, folks) . Needless to say, the queen was not allowed inside. I've said it before, and I'll emphasize it again: it's good to be king! (As an aside, you really have to wonder how many karma points you have to save up before you get reincarnated into a station of life like that).
Next we visited the Baphuon, built in the middle of the 11th century by Udaydityavarman II (shortened to Udaydityavar for his friends ;-), and dedicated to Shiva. This is a enormous, five tiered mountain temple (again, representing Mt. Meru), that was probably very impressive in its heyday, being over 43m high. In the late 15th century, it was converted to a Buddhist temple, with a large reclining Buddha being added. Unfortunately, it is undergoing a massive 10 year restoration project, so we could only walk around the temple, as opposed to explore it.
The next stop was the Bayon, built by the prolific JV7 in the late 12th/early 13th centuries. This is also one of the most iconic of the Angkor temples, and one of my favourites. Not only is it fairly large, but quite complex and dense in its design. It is composed of two enclosed galleries, and built on three levels. The galleries contain impressive bas-relief carvings, primarily of various battles between the Khmers and their nemesis, the Chams. For me, the highlight was the upper terrace of the third level. It is here that you can see the 37 remaining towers (there were originally 49), with each tower having a large Buddha face on all 4 sides (technically the face of Avalokitesvara, the bodhisattva of compassion, but suspiciously bearing a strong resemblance to JV7 himself). The faces are simultaneously tranquil and eerie with their subdued smile and eyes closed in contemplation. The terrace's labyrinthine qualities made it easy to lose yourself in the architecture, and winding your way along the corridors, stairwells, and chambers, you would encounter the enigmatic faces at various angles, or though the windows and door frames. The experience of wandering around was almost surreal... it was like being lost in an Escher sketch (as opposed to an etch-a-sketch).Next we went to Sra Srang, which is a huge 400m x 800m rectangular man-make lake. Originally build in the 10th century as a water reservoir, in the 12th century it was remodelled into a royal swimming pool. Assuming that the pool is 1.5 m deep on average, and topsoil is 1.5 tonnes/cubic metre, that amounts to moving three-720,000 tonnes of dirt. Moved using slave labour with shovels. For a swimming pool. It's good to be king.
Adjacent to Sra Srang was Banteay Kdei, a massive Buddhist monastery built in the 12th Century by Jayavarman VII (henceforth known as JV7). The outer wall measures 500m by 700m and enclosed a small town. The temple itself consists of two galleried enclosures, and was about 58m x 60m.
Following this, we went to Ta Prohm, an even more massive Buddhist temple, also built in the late 12th / early 13th centuries by JV7. The outer wall measures 650m x 1000m. It probably has the most surreal ambiance of all the temples, like a Salvador Dali painting. Over the years massive trees have grown over the temples, the roots intricately intertwining with the masonry. Because they would be very difficult to remove without severely damaging the temple, they have been left in place. Hence, with a bit of imagination, Ta Prohm gives you a pretty good idea of what most of the temples looked like when the first Europeans stumbled across them, that ruins-swallowed-up-by-the-jungle feeling. This temple is where one of the scenes of the Tomb Raider movie was shot, and seems to be quite popular because of it.
Following that, we did a brief stop at Ta Keo, built by Jayavarman V, in the 10th century, and dedicated to Shiva. This was a giant 'temple mountain', and one of the first such temples to be built out of sandstone. It's five temple 'peaks' symbolize the mythical Mt. Meru. Apparently, JV5 died before it was completed, since its carvings had only just begun when all work on it was stopped.
The next temple we saw (and this was becoming a blur now) was Thommanom, built in the early 12th Century by Suryavarman II and dedicated to Shiva and Vishnu. Although a relatively minor temple, the sandstone relief carvings were quite impressive.
Next we came upon Angkor Thom (lit. Great Angkor or Great City), which was actually a walled city, some 9 square km in area. The wall around this city is 8m high, and 3km on a side. This wall was encircled by a moat 100 m wide and was said to contain crocodiles to keep intruders out. Again: 12,000m moat perimeter, 100m wide, 1.5m deep @ 1.5 tonnes/m^3, means that 2.7 million tonnes of dirt had to be shovelled by hand. The manpower used to build these structures staggers the imagination.
There were five monumental gates, each topped with a massive stone Buddha face. We went through the central Victory (East) Gate, and went to see the Terrace of the Leper King, which is a 7m high platform. The retaining wall of the terrace contains stunning sandstone carvings of apsaras, or celestial dancers (a very common, amost iconic motif here in Angkor). On top of the terrace is a mysterious nude, sexless statue, which is believed to be a statue of the Hindu god Yama, the god of Death. Possibly because of the patchy/mossy exterior, resembling someone with leprosy, the statue became known as the Leper King. The naming probably reflects legends that two of the Angkor kings were afflicted with the disease.
Following this, we proceeded to the Terrace of the Elephants, a 350m long terrace which was used as a giant stage for public ceremonies and a base for the king's grand audience. The middle section of the retaining wall is decorated with life-sized garudas (bird-men) and lions. And the outer ends are carvings of the parade of elephants for which the terrace is named. One can imagine the spectacle of soldiers, cavalry, chariots pulled by horses and elephants parading in procession before the terrace, before a god-king in full royal costume attended to by a plethora of servants. It's good to be king.
Next on the itinerary was Phimeanakas, a relatively small (35m x 38m x 12m high) pyramid that was part of the Royal Palace, built by Jayavarman V in the late 10th / early 11th centuries. It was here in the santuary of Phimeanakas that the king would sleep nightly with one of his 3000 girlfriends (that's a different one every night for 8.2 years, folks) . Needless to say, the queen was not allowed inside. I've said it before, and I'll emphasize it again: it's good to be king! (As an aside, you really have to wonder how many karma points you have to save up before you get reincarnated into a station of life like that).
Next we visited the Baphuon, built in the middle of the 11th century by Udaydityavarman II (shortened to Udaydityavar for his friends ;-), and dedicated to Shiva. This is a enormous, five tiered mountain temple (again, representing Mt. Meru), that was probably very impressive in its heyday, being over 43m high. In the late 15th century, it was converted to a Buddhist temple, with a large reclining Buddha being added. Unfortunately, it is undergoing a massive 10 year restoration project, so we could only walk around the temple, as opposed to explore it.
From here, we departed Angkor Thom, leaving through the south gate, and headed to just outside Angkor Wat, where we stopped for lunch at 1 PM... yes folks that's right.... all that in 5 hours; it hardly seemed to do it justice. Stay tuned for the afternoon's exploration on Angkor Wat.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Flight to Siem Reap, Cambodia
In a familiar repetition from a couple mornings ago, the alarmed pierced the quiet darkness at a very unnatural time of day. 4AM, to be precise. We packed up, caught a taxi to the airport, and were there for 5AM. The ticket said to be there at least 2 hours early, but we wound up having to wait half an hour until the customs officials arrive. Despite the temptation, we decided it was best not to give him grief over making us wait.
We caught the 6:30 flight to Pakse, then arrived at Siem Reap in Cambodia around 10AM, got a taxi into town, found a place to stay, snoozed for a couple hours. Siem Reap in Cambodian means "Siam Defeated", reflecting a deap seated historical antagonism between the Khmers and the Thais. You gotta love how in-your-face that is. Renaming the town to "Siem Reap" is the diplomatic equivalent of putting your hand in front of your nose, wiggling your fingers and giving a raspberry.
I can't say our initial impression of Siem Reap was a good one. It is a major tourist destination, and reminded us of Phuket, but without the beaches. So why come here?
Angkor Wat; one of the most amazing ancient ruins on the planet. In a proper sense, Angkor Wat refers to the temple which epitomizes the ancient Khmer ruins, built by King Suryavarman II. (Think that's a mouthful of marbles? How about Udayadityavarman II, one of his predecessors). However, the Angkor region was once home to a major civilization, and there are major ruins scattered through a fairly broad area, of which Angkor Wat is but one. At the apex of the Khmer Empire, around the 12th century, there were over one million people living in the area, while at the time, London was still a small town of about 50,000. The region is massive, and you truly have to be here on the ground to get a sense of it.
So around 4PM we took a
tuk-tuk over to the park entrance, and bought ourselves a multi-day pass. We then headed over to Phnom Bakheng, a temple built on a hilltop, to watch the sunset with a legion of other tourists. After watching it gracefully descend below the horizon, we headed back down and overheard someone with an English speaking guide. Having decided earlier that we wanted to get a guide for tomorrow, we politely butted in to the conversation, and asked if he was available. He was, so we agreed to have him meet us at our hotel at 8AM.
We came back home, had dinner and did a cram session over our guidebooks so we could get as much out of tomorrow as possible.
We caught the 6:30 flight to Pakse, then arrived at Siem Reap in Cambodia around 10AM, got a taxi into town, found a place to stay, snoozed for a couple hours. Siem Reap in Cambodian means "Siam Defeated", reflecting a deap seated historical antagonism between the Khmers and the Thais. You gotta love how in-your-face that is. Renaming the town to "Siem Reap" is the diplomatic equivalent of putting your hand in front of your nose, wiggling your fingers and giving a raspberry.
I can't say our initial impression of Siem Reap was a good one. It is a major tourist destination, and reminded us of Phuket, but without the beaches. So why come here?
Angkor Wat; one of the most amazing ancient ruins on the planet. In a proper sense, Angkor Wat refers to the temple which epitomizes the ancient Khmer ruins, built by King Suryavarman II. (Think that's a mouthful of marbles? How about Udayadityavarman II, one of his predecessors). However, the Angkor region was once home to a major civilization, and there are major ruins scattered through a fairly broad area, of which Angkor Wat is but one. At the apex of the Khmer Empire, around the 12th century, there were over one million people living in the area, while at the time, London was still a small town of about 50,000. The region is massive, and you truly have to be here on the ground to get a sense of it.
So around 4PM we took a
tuk-tuk over to the park entrance, and bought ourselves a multi-day pass. We then headed over to Phnom Bakheng, a temple built on a hilltop, to watch the sunset with a legion of other tourists. After watching it gracefully descend below the horizon, we headed back down and overheard someone with an English speaking guide. Having decided earlier that we wanted to get a guide for tomorrow, we politely butted in to the conversation, and asked if he was available. He was, so we agreed to have him meet us at our hotel at 8AM.We came back home, had dinner and did a cram session over our guidebooks so we could get as much out of tomorrow as possible.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
A Contrast of Cultures: Safety and Responsibility
After spending some time here in Asia, it is interesting to ponder some of the cultural differences between here and North America. Two differences that are quite apparent are those of personal responsibility and personal safety.
North America, for example, is obsessed with personal safety, while doing everything to avoid taking any sort of responsibility about it. There are all sort of rules about what you can and cannot do. The average Asian driver, were they plopped onto a North American highway, would probably stare dumbfounded at being given a ticket for not staying in their lane, or using their horn excessively.
And at the same time, when someone thinks of some novel way to maim themselves that has not been addressed by existing rules, they feel they need to be rewarded. This Patent Office for Inventors of Stupid Actions is known as the liability lawsuit. As a result, owners manuals these days are prefaced with eight or more pages of "Warning! Death or Serious Injury may result if..." disclaimers. And we're not talking about owners manuals for chainsaws or shotguns here. But rather, MP3 players and toasters. Worse, our society actively encourages this travesty. If you are so stupid as to kill or maim yourself with an MP3 player or toaster, you should be given an ignominious Darwin Award, not rewarded with a cash settlement.
Conversely, Asia is big on personal responsibility, but not personal safety. Want to rent a scooter? No license? No problem? If your lack of skill makes you crash into a bridge abuttment, that's your problem. And you owe us for a new scooter, thank you very much.
Here in Asia, it is assumed you know what you're doing. The average North American will never know how refreshing it is not to have your intelligence continually insulted every time you buy a coffee by having to read the cup's disclaimer: "Warning! Coffee is hot! Death or Serious Injury may result if you pour over your head or spill on your gonads while driving down the highway."
At the same time, you sometimes have to wonder if everyone here does know what they're doing: construction workers hauling bricks with flip flops, welders working without eye protection, vehicles backing up on highways, busses passing on blind corners of windy mountainous roads, shooting fireworks over crowds... there is no shortage of Darwin Awards to be handed out here either. It's just that rewarding stupidty is not so enthusasitically embraced as in North America.
One thing is clear, however: Asia will overtake us in the near future, not just economically, but from an evolutionary standpoint as well.
North America, for example, is obsessed with personal safety, while doing everything to avoid taking any sort of responsibility about it. There are all sort of rules about what you can and cannot do. The average Asian driver, were they plopped onto a North American highway, would probably stare dumbfounded at being given a ticket for not staying in their lane, or using their horn excessively.
And at the same time, when someone thinks of some novel way to maim themselves that has not been addressed by existing rules, they feel they need to be rewarded. This Patent Office for Inventors of Stupid Actions is known as the liability lawsuit. As a result, owners manuals these days are prefaced with eight or more pages of "Warning! Death or Serious Injury may result if..." disclaimers. And we're not talking about owners manuals for chainsaws or shotguns here. But rather, MP3 players and toasters. Worse, our society actively encourages this travesty. If you are so stupid as to kill or maim yourself with an MP3 player or toaster, you should be given an ignominious Darwin Award, not rewarded with a cash settlement.
Conversely, Asia is big on personal responsibility, but not personal safety. Want to rent a scooter? No license? No problem? If your lack of skill makes you crash into a bridge abuttment, that's your problem. And you owe us for a new scooter, thank you very much.
Here in Asia, it is assumed you know what you're doing. The average North American will never know how refreshing it is not to have your intelligence continually insulted every time you buy a coffee by having to read the cup's disclaimer: "Warning! Coffee is hot! Death or Serious Injury may result if you pour over your head or spill on your gonads while driving down the highway."
At the same time, you sometimes have to wonder if everyone here does know what they're doing: construction workers hauling bricks with flip flops, welders working without eye protection, vehicles backing up on highways, busses passing on blind corners of windy mountainous roads, shooting fireworks over crowds... there is no shortage of Darwin Awards to be handed out here either. It's just that rewarding stupidty is not so enthusasitically embraced as in North America.
One thing is clear, however: Asia will overtake us in the near future, not just economically, but from an evolutionary standpoint as well.
A Casual Day
Today we had a very casual day: we slept in, then met Steve and Tracey again for another liesurely 10 - 12 breakfast (OK, brunch really), then said farewell to them, as they catch a plane for Hanoi this afternoon.
We blogged for a while, went to the same Indian restaurant as last night, then got a Tuk-tuk and went back to That Luang. I was hoping to take some night pictures of it without the hordes of people, but alas, it was not lit up like it was last night.
I must say we very much enjoyed Laos; the people were extremely friendly and polite (no Phuket-style hastling here) and I would certainly like to come back and explore it a little more, getting off the backpacker trail next time.
We blogged for a while, went to the same Indian restaurant as last night, then got a Tuk-tuk and went back to That Luang. I was hoping to take some night pictures of it without the hordes of people, but alas, it was not lit up like it was last night.
I must say we very much enjoyed Laos; the people were extremely friendly and polite (no Phuket-style hastling here) and I would certainly like to come back and explore it a little more, getting off the backpacker trail next time.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Bombing for Democracy - the Answers
So here's the answer to the questions I posted in a previous blog entry.
Q1) Of the 24 countries the United States has bombed since World War II, how many of those became democracies as a result?
Answer: Zero.
Q2) Of the 67 countries where the population used non-violent protest as a means to increase their freedom, how many succeeded?
Answer: Fifty.
The moral of this observation is that you can't bomb a country into freedom. It has to come from within. Also, given that a country's population can be instrumental in effecting political change, does it make sense to bomb them in an attempt to support your cause?
Granted, the questions posed is not exactly the same (became democratic vs. increased freedom), but you get the basic idea. And Q1 does not give credit to the fact that Japan and Germany both emerged as successful democracies after WW II. However, the trend is clear.
One can only hope that Myanmar joins the ranks of the other 50 in the near future.
Q1) Of the 24 countries the United States has bombed since World War II, how many of those became democracies as a result?
Answer: Zero.
Q2) Of the 67 countries where the population used non-violent protest as a means to increase their freedom, how many succeeded?
Answer: Fifty.
The moral of this observation is that you can't bomb a country into freedom. It has to come from within. Also, given that a country's population can be instrumental in effecting political change, does it make sense to bomb them in an attempt to support your cause?
Granted, the questions posed is not exactly the same (became democratic vs. increased freedom), but you get the basic idea. And Q1 does not give credit to the fact that Japan and Germany both emerged as successful democracies after WW II. However, the trend is clear.
One can only hope that Myanmar joins the ranks of the other 50 in the near future.
That Luang Festival
Ugh. The alarm startled me into consciousness at 5:45 this morning. I quickly got ready and headed out to meet Steve. We flagged down a tuk-tuk and headed to the That Luang Festival, which happens (like so many Buddhist festivals), on the 11th full moon of the year (i.e. today).
We arrived at the outside Pha That Luang, a towering gilded stupa, which is also the country's national monument. The road and main compound were lined on both side by a continuous series of tables, behind which were a seeming continous orange line of monks. On the table in front of each monk was a bowl for accepting alms.
As we arrived, people were
continously streaming in, and spreading out their prayer mats in the massive compound before the monument, and the 
speakers were blaring, reciting morning prayers to the crowds. The sun was slowly climbing into the sky behind That Luang. At some point, the ceremony ended, and people got up and began wandering around, making their donations to the monks - sticky 
rice, fruit, cookies, money - it was a colourful ritual.
We headed back around 9AM. I picked up Carole and we met Steve and Tracey for a leisurely 9:30-11:30 breakfast. Afterwards, Carole and I went browsing at one of the local markets.
We met up with Steve and Tracey again at 4:30, and headed back to That Luang. Though this is a large festival, it was hard to get information on what was going on and when. We heard rumours of some sort of candle procession, but this never materialized as far as we know. We wandered around, waiting for the fireworks which begain at 8:30. The place was packed with people and was noisy, with speakers everywhere blaring on some topic unknown to us.
Fireworks here certainly lack the armageddon-like intensity
they have North America; they were sent up one at a time. We amusingly wondered if there was only one guy at the launch area with a lighter. However, there was a definite repetition pattern to it, so perhaps the fireworks hard a religious protocol to follow. Also, unlike North America, there are no qualms about sending the fireworks up over a crowd. A few times we felt our eyes burn as particle debris came down.
We left half an hour later. The place was now totally packed; we were swimming against the current in a sea of humanity. It was almost overwhelming at times. We tuk-tuked back downtown and had dinner at an wonderful Indian restaurant.
Returning to our hotel, the hotel manager invited us to join him in a beer as he celebrated his birthday with some friends and other customers. Carole was tired and went to bed, but I joined them for a while, and ate and drank for another hour, having a chance to chat with some locals about life in Lao.
We arrived at the outside Pha That Luang, a towering gilded stupa, which is also the country's national monument. The road and main compound were lined on both side by a continuous series of tables, behind which were a seeming continous orange line of monks. On the table in front of each monk was a bowl for accepting alms.
As we arrived, people were
continously streaming in, and spreading out their prayer mats in the massive compound before the monument, and the 
speakers were blaring, reciting morning prayers to the crowds. The sun was slowly climbing into the sky behind That Luang. At some point, the ceremony ended, and people got up and began wandering around, making their donations to the monks - sticky 
rice, fruit, cookies, money - it was a colourful ritual.We headed back around 9AM. I picked up Carole and we met Steve and Tracey for a leisurely 9:30-11:30 breakfast. Afterwards, Carole and I went browsing at one of the local markets.
We met up with Steve and Tracey again at 4:30, and headed back to That Luang. Though this is a large festival, it was hard to get information on what was going on and when. We heard rumours of some sort of candle procession, but this never materialized as far as we know. We wandered around, waiting for the fireworks which begain at 8:30. The place was packed with people and was noisy, with speakers everywhere blaring on some topic unknown to us.
Fireworks here certainly lack the armageddon-like intensity
they have North America; they were sent up one at a time. We amusingly wondered if there was only one guy at the launch area with a lighter. However, there was a definite repetition pattern to it, so perhaps the fireworks hard a religious protocol to follow. Also, unlike North America, there are no qualms about sending the fireworks up over a crowd. A few times we felt our eyes burn as particle debris came down.We left half an hour later. The place was now totally packed; we were swimming against the current in a sea of humanity. It was almost overwhelming at times. We tuk-tuked back downtown and had dinner at an wonderful Indian restaurant.
Returning to our hotel, the hotel manager invited us to join him in a beer as he celebrated his birthday with some friends and other customers. Carole was tired and went to bed, but I joined them for a while, and ate and drank for another hour, having a chance to chat with some locals about life in Lao.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Bombing for Democracy
Laos has the dubious distinction of being one of the most heavily bombed countries on the planet (in per capita terms). Between 1964 and 1973, the United States flew over 10,000 missions over the country, dropping over one million bombs, in an attempt to distrupt the Ho Chi Minh Trail and undermine the Viet Cong supply route into Vietnam. At the time, this bombing was done in secret, as the administration at the time suspected congress or the American people might get upset if they knew their government was bombing a neutral country. (What a drag it must be for leaders that people get upset over things like that!)
The country is still living with the aftermath of this destruction. Over 30% (i.e. 300,000) of these bombs did not detonate on impact and are littered across the countryside, and are still periodically detonated by someone unfortunate enough to pass by.
So here's a couple of questions to ponder:
Q1) Of the 24 countries the United States has bombed since World War II, how many of those became democracies as a result?
Q2) Of the 67 countries where the population used non-violent protest as a means to increase their freedom, how many succeeded?
Stay tuned shortly for the answers.
The country is still living with the aftermath of this destruction. Over 30% (i.e. 300,000) of these bombs did not detonate on impact and are littered across the countryside, and are still periodically detonated by someone unfortunate enough to pass by.
So here's a couple of questions to ponder:
Q1) Of the 24 countries the United States has bombed since World War II, how many of those became democracies as a result?
Q2) Of the 67 countries where the population used non-violent protest as a means to increase their freedom, how many succeeded?
Stay tuned shortly for the answers.
Travel Day to Vientiane
Today was another travel day. We got up early and went to the nearby street market where I had regularly bought sandwiches from a very kind and matronly Lao woman the past few days (delicious chicken baguettes for $1.50). We both ordered a double round of sandwiches (for breakfast and lunch). She asked us what we were doing today, and we said we were leaving. She then came around her stall and gave us a farewell hug and kiss! It was truly touching.
After breakfast, we were picked up by our minivan for our trip to Vientiane. This driver was was a lot more typical of Asian bus drivers, as we went screaming around the corners of a windy road as fast as the laws of physics would allow, arriving in Vientiane around noon.
We found ourselves a place to stay, and proceeded to explore the town. We wandered around the town a bit, exploring it, then walked over to Patuxai, a fairly gaudy miniature version
of Arc de Triomphe that the French built. We ascended it to the observation deck - Vientiane's skyline is nothing to write home about. And once again, we were approached by talkative monks eager to practice their English. Much as we enjoy talking with them, sometimes they don't know when to stop, and after half an hour we find ourselves trying as tactfully as possible to extricate ourselves from the situation.
Afterwards, Carole went for a snooze, and I watched the sun set on the Mekong; it was a glorious sight watching its fiery crash into the distant
river bank. Following that, Carole and I met up with Steve and Tracey at 6:30, and we went to a Chinese restaurant, which featured do-it-yourself spring rolls. Quite a feast. We then wandered around some more before calling it a night.
Bus driver's crazy
No choice but to hope there is
Reincarnation
After breakfast, we were picked up by our minivan for our trip to Vientiane. This driver was was a lot more typical of Asian bus drivers, as we went screaming around the corners of a windy road as fast as the laws of physics would allow, arriving in Vientiane around noon.
We found ourselves a place to stay, and proceeded to explore the town. We wandered around the town a bit, exploring it, then walked over to Patuxai, a fairly gaudy miniature version
of Arc de Triomphe that the French built. We ascended it to the observation deck - Vientiane's skyline is nothing to write home about. And once again, we were approached by talkative monks eager to practice their English. Much as we enjoy talking with them, sometimes they don't know when to stop, and after half an hour we find ourselves trying as tactfully as possible to extricate ourselves from the situation.Afterwards, Carole went for a snooze, and I watched the sun set on the Mekong; it was a glorious sight watching its fiery crash into the distant
river bank. Following that, Carole and I met up with Steve and Tracey at 6:30, and we went to a Chinese restaurant, which featured do-it-yourself spring rolls. Quite a feast. We then wandered around some more before calling it a night.Bus driver's crazy
No choice but to hope there is
Reincarnation
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Tham Phu Kham Cave
Today we decided to walk to the Tham Phu Kham Caves, about 6km west of town. 
The walk through the countryside was wonderful, as we walked past a couple small villages and rice paddies with the stunning Karst cliffs forming a panoramic backdrop.
After about 6km, the road ended, and we hiked up to the caves, and then went exploring inside. I must say these were some of the largest undeveloped caves I have been to. There is supposedly a loop you can do, but once I got 3/4 way around, there was a abyss that seemed uncrossable, and it seemed I would have to
retrace my steps. However, in a surrealistic moment, a orange robed monk appeared on the other side, saw my predicament, and directed me to a small crossing point where I could make my way across. As mentioned, monks 
here are ever keen to practice their English, so I wound up talking to him and his friend for a while. Following that, I completed the loop, and headed back to the entrance.
Afterwards we had a bit to eat, jumped into the lagoon to cool off, then walked back to our guesthouse, catching a motorcyle ride with some people we knew partway. We watched the sunset along the river with
Matt, an American we met on the boat. We then went for dinner (and a game of pool on a rickety table) with Steve and Tracey, who we met in Luang Prabang. They're from England, and are also taking an extended sabbatical, which will include spending this winter in Banff. Awesome - more people to ski with midweek!
The walk through the countryside was wonderful, as we walked past a couple small villages and rice paddies with the stunning Karst cliffs forming a panoramic backdrop.After about 6km, the road ended, and we hiked up to the caves, and then went exploring inside. I must say these were some of the largest undeveloped caves I have been to. There is supposedly a loop you can do, but once I got 3/4 way around, there was a abyss that seemed uncrossable, and it seemed I would have to
retrace my steps. However, in a surrealistic moment, a orange robed monk appeared on the other side, saw my predicament, and directed me to a small crossing point where I could make my way across. As mentioned, monks 
here are ever keen to practice their English, so I wound up talking to him and his friend for a while. Following that, I completed the loop, and headed back to the entrance.Afterwards we had a bit to eat, jumped into the lagoon to cool off, then walked back to our guesthouse, catching a motorcyle ride with some people we knew partway. We watched the sunset along the river with
Matt, an American we met on the boat. We then went for dinner (and a game of pool on a rickety table) with Steve and Tracey, who we met in Luang Prabang. They're from England, and are also taking an extended sabbatical, which will include spending this winter in Banff. Awesome - more people to ski with midweek!Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Haiku, Part Three
And for your continued reading frustration, some more Haiku:
Economize words
Haiku in Japanese means:
"Frustratingly terse"
Peacock Mantis Shrimp
I'm glad I'm bigger than you
Killer of The Deep
Overcrowded boat.
On the Mekong, sardines are
above the water
Got the engine room blues
but it passes, once you get
high on diesel fumes
Vang Vieng's great beauty
best enjoyed with group of friends,
not reruns of "Friends"
Floating downriver
on a tube, sunshine on face
beer in hand. Life's good.
Economize words
Haiku in Japanese means:
"Frustratingly terse"
Peacock Mantis Shrimp
I'm glad I'm bigger than you
Killer of The Deep
Overcrowded boat.
On the Mekong, sardines are
above the water
Got the engine room blues
but it passes, once you get
high on diesel fumes
Vang Vieng's great beauty
best enjoyed with group of friends,
not reruns of "Friends"
Floating downriver
on a tube, sunshine on face
beer in hand. Life's good.
Tubing Down the Nam Song
One notable feature of Vang Vieng is that it is surprisingly subdued considering the average age of visitors is 25. Everyone here is either drunk, stoned, hung over, or some combination of the above.
We had a very slow start this morning, and thought a day of cycling around might be
too ambitious. So we decided to join the masses, and go inner tubing down the Nam Song river, a rite of passage for anyone who stays in this town.
We had a very slow start this morning, and thought a day of cycling around might be
too ambitious. So we decided to join the masses, and go inner tubing down the Nam Song river, a rite of passage for anyone who stays in this town.We got our inner tubes, and were tuk-tuked 5km upstream, where we put in. After tubing about 5 minutes, we floated besides the first bar, and had our first beer (hey, it was past noon). The bars are not at random locations along the river, but rather strategically placed at its deep spots, where you can 
jump in with the help of a rope swing.
After a few practice jumps on the first swing we continued down river, and on to the main attraction, a fairly large bar with a large swing. Its starting platform was about 10m above the water, and when it swung you out over the water the first time, you were about 7m up.
jump in with the help of a rope swing.As I was looking around, I realized this type of activity would never exist in North America. The
combination or rickety swings, deep water and flowing alcohol would have liability lawyers salivating faster than you could say 'class action lawsuit'.After dinner this evening, we went drinking with some other people (Steve Tracey, Donna, and Jeremy and Todd) to one of the bars. Carole eventually called it a night, and I stayed up a bit longer with the group.
After the bars closed, we hooked up with some Irish and drank some more at their place. They have such lovely lilts when they speak. You have to wonder if compulsory subjects in the Irish school system include, besides math and social studies, drinking and just generally being upbeat and funny. Does a glum Irishman exist? Even their wakes are like a big party.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Vang Vieng: Heaven and Hell
While the landscape in this region is a heavenly paradise, the town of Vang Vieng is surreal, and not entirely in a good way. Is is a small town that has become saturated with tourist infrastructure: guesthouses, restaurants, internet cafe's. Also, the Lonely Planet mockingly mentioned in passing the endless episodes of Friends playing in the bars. When reading a remark like this, we kind of thought this was one of the writer's jaded impressions of the place. But it's not. It's literally true. There are a half dozen bars, one beside the other, continuously playing episodes of Friends. Hell isn't necessarily fire and brimstone. Just imagine being chained to one of the chairs in these pubs for all eternity.
Of course, it's not a stretch to see how this could have happened. Probably at the time the first bars here were getting satellite TV, Friends was probably at the height of its popularity. So some bar owner switched it on, drew a good crowd, and made some good money selling drinks. Eager to get in on the action, everyone else followed suit. And of course, once you have success, you don't mess with it; in the years since, no one has dared change the dial, for fear of losing a day's business. It's just unimaginable that no one has the entrepreneurial daring to actually try playing something else. Of course, at this point, it's so cheesy, it's become a cliche unto itself.
Travel to Vang Vieng
This morning we met our minibus and were whisked away to Vang Vieng; a supposed 5 hour trip. Actually, 'whisked away' is not really the right phase, 'slow grinding, mountainous windy slog' would be a more accurate description.
However, the treacherous ride was more than made up for by the outstanding scenery. We didn't have time to do the Mae Hong Son region of Thailand, which is also supposed to be spectacular, but this was definitely one of the most amazing stretches of road we've ever been on. The minibus hugged this serpentine road as it ascended so far into the heavens, we were wondering if we would ever come back down. The bus trudged past small villages with thatched houses hugging the side of the road, just on the edge of steep slopes that fell away below. Villagers squatting, watching the day go by, hens chasing after their chicks, piglets trotting across the road: it was a true Asia moment that lasted the entire day. It was also sobering to think how these people manage to eke out an existence here, farming on the steep slopes above and below.
We descended, then re-ascended a number of valleys and mountain ranges, then began our long descent down to Vieng Vang. Here the landscape became Karst again, mountainous terrain with impossibly vertical cliffs plunging down abruptly into rice paddies. More than once I lamented that my camera was inoperative.
We arrive and Vang Vieng, and once unpacked, begain drinking on the balcony with some Irish travelers (Irish and drinking - there's a dangerous combination), and eventually went for dinner. I tried out my camera. Luckily, it is working again, and all the photos are still there.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Kuang Si Waterfalls
This morning was a slow one, as we had breakfast overlooking the Mekong river, then spent the rest of it wandering around town some more, taking in the ambiance of this town.
At 12:30, we met Ute and Klaus, and took a Tuk-tuk to Kuang Si waterfalls, about 30km south of Luang Prabang. The tuk-tuk whisked us past small villages and through rainforest to the park entrance. I have to say, we've seen lots of waterfalls of various distinctions over the years,
the tallest, the most water volume, etc but these are probably the most beautiful. As we followed the stream upwards there were a series of smaller 2 -4 metre steps, and and below each was a lovely aquamarine pool, which you could swim in, and all enshrouded in trees. After 3 or 4 of these steps was the main attraction, a huge 25 metre fall crashing into its own turquoise pool. As we circled around, we realized that there was bench, and above that a semi-circular cliff (another 30m) with a whole series of falls around it.
We climbed a trail which took us to the section between these falls; en route, the trail crossed another stream, with water cascading across the trail, and from here we got to the bench, which of course had another beautiful pool of water.
Everyone we talked to here agreed that this place was almost too beautiful to be real - that we were living in someone's Photoshop fantasy.
We went to explore another trail, and while crossing some loose logs over a stream, I lost my footing and fell in. No real big deal, but unfortunately, it was deep, and I was wearing my camera! Once I recovered from my shock at falling it, I threw it towards Carole, but alas, it got water logged. I was really bummed. We opened it up and dried it out as much as we could, but it obviously didn't work, so we'll dry it out overnight and hope for the best.
One the way back down, we enjoyed one of the pools, jumping of a tree swing someone constructed, as well as off one of the smaller falls itself.
We headed back to LP for dinner and got ready for our travel day to Vang Vieng tomorrow.
At 12:30, we met Ute and Klaus, and took a Tuk-tuk to Kuang Si waterfalls, about 30km south of Luang Prabang. The tuk-tuk whisked us past small villages and through rainforest to the park entrance. I have to say, we've seen lots of waterfalls of various distinctions over the years,
the tallest, the most water volume, etc but these are probably the most beautiful. As we followed the stream upwards there were a series of smaller 2 -4 metre steps, and and below each was a lovely aquamarine pool, which you could swim in, and all enshrouded in trees. After 3 or 4 of these steps was the main attraction, a huge 25 metre fall crashing into its own turquoise pool. As we circled around, we realized that there was bench, and above that a semi-circular cliff (another 30m) with a whole series of falls around it.We climbed a trail which took us to the section between these falls; en route, the trail crossed another stream, with water cascading across the trail, and from here we got to the bench, which of course had another beautiful pool of water.
Everyone we talked to here agreed that this place was almost too beautiful to be real - that we were living in someone's Photoshop fantasy.We went to explore another trail, and while crossing some loose logs over a stream, I lost my footing and fell in. No real big deal, but unfortunately, it was deep, and I was wearing my camera! Once I recovered from my shock at falling it, I threw it towards Carole, but alas, it got water logged. I was really bummed. We opened it up and dried it out as much as we could, but it obviously didn't work, so we'll dry it out overnight and hope for the best.
One the way back down, we enjoyed one of the pools, jumping of a tree swing someone constructed, as well as off one of the smaller falls itself.
We headed back to LP for dinner and got ready for our travel day to Vang Vieng tomorrow.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Luang Prabang
Today we slept in, recovering from the previous few days. After breakfast, we went and changed a travelers cheque, and were amused to find ourselves Laotian millionaires. US$100 * 9530 
kip/USD = 953, 000 kip.
Luang Prabang is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, renowned for its cultural significance. The town, its temples, palaces, and colonial buildings all contribute to a
wonderful ambiance.We spent the day wandering around the city, exploring some of the Wats (Buddhist temples). The majority of Laotian monks are quite young (14-20), and are quite eager to practice speaking English with anyone who even shows a modicum of interest. We were suckered in more than a few times.
This
place definitely does have a more relaxing vibe, though it is hard to put into words. Part of it is the Laotians vendors are a bit less aggressive, but one other subtlety is the distinct the lack of cars. Though there are streets here, most of the traffic is pedestrian and motorbike. It is hard to describe what a difference this makes unless you experience it. Missing is the continuous frantic traffic, such as the roads around the moat in Chiang Mai.
This evening we met up with a German couple we met on the boat, Ute and Klaus. They are very nice and I was more than eager to amuse them with my poor German. We wandered around and stopped for dinner at this Indian restaurant (oddly, Laos has more Indian restaurants than Thailand, despite being further away). Our waiter was so rude, it was almost amusing. From the way he took our orders with disdain to rolling the eyes when we asked for the bill, it was like a cliche from a bad sitcom. Following that, the four of us found a pub and downed a few Beerlao.
Beerlao is definitely the proudly touted national brand here, and seems to be more ubiquitous than water. Goodness knows were drinking more beer than water since we crossed the border.
Mekong day 1 was 3 bottles, yesterday was 4, and today was 3. And these are big (640 mL) bottles, by the way.
kip/USD = 953, 000 kip.Luang Prabang is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, renowned for its cultural significance. The town, its temples, palaces, and colonial buildings all contribute to a
wonderful ambiance.We spent the day wandering around the city, exploring some of the Wats (Buddhist temples). The majority of Laotian monks are quite young (14-20), and are quite eager to practice speaking English with anyone who even shows a modicum of interest. We were suckered in more than a few times.This
place definitely does have a more relaxing vibe, though it is hard to put into words. Part of it is the Laotians vendors are a bit less aggressive, but one other subtlety is the distinct the lack of cars. Though there are streets here, most of the traffic is pedestrian and motorbike. It is hard to describe what a difference this makes unless you experience it. Missing is the continuous frantic traffic, such as the roads around the moat in Chiang Mai.This evening we met up with a German couple we met on the boat, Ute and Klaus. They are very nice and I was more than eager to amuse them with my poor German. We wandered around and stopped for dinner at this Indian restaurant (oddly, Laos has more Indian restaurants than Thailand, despite being further away). Our waiter was so rude, it was almost amusing. From the way he took our orders with disdain to rolling the eyes when we asked for the bill, it was like a cliche from a bad sitcom. Following that, the four of us found a pub and downed a few Beerlao.
Beerlao is definitely the proudly touted national brand here, and seems to be more ubiquitous than water. Goodness knows were drinking more beer than water since we crossed the border.
Mekong day 1 was 3 bottles, yesterday was 4, and today was 3. And these are big (640 mL) bottles, by the way.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Slow Boat Down the Mekong Day 2
Just to add to our amusement from yesterday, the dogs of Pak Beng decided to practice their
howling together at 4AM.
Last night we decided we were getting a seat this morning, so I was packed and on the boat at 7AM as Carole searched for lunch. Mercifully, the Lao 'boat police' do periodic spot checks, and it we got switched us to a larger boat and a second one was added.
The
boat left at 9AM, and it was mercifully half full this time. Having had such a grim experience yesterday, we were totally elated to be able to enjoy the beautiful landscape in relative comfort. The rolling hills enshrouded in lush rain forest, the numerous rock formations protruding from the surface of the water, the riverside villages with their thatched stilt houses, all under a lovely blue sky. We also enjoyed chatting with our fellow travelers (now that we were able to converse) and played drinking games in the open back section of the boat.
Speaking of those numerous rock formations protruding from the surface of the water, it became quite apparent why the 'speedboat option' often touted by the travel agencies has a reputation as a novel form of suicide. The fact the speedboat skippers wear crash helmets also does not lend a warm fuzzy feeling to this mode of transport.
We arrived in Luang Prabang at 5PM, found a fairly nice place to stay in the Nok Noi Guesthouse, then went for dinner at the local market. We found a stall that sells a one-plate buffet of vegetarian food for $0.50.... our beer was double that price.
Following that, we went to a local pub and met up with some of the people we met on the boat, and whiled away the evening with conversation.
howling together at 4AM.Last night we decided we were getting a seat this morning, so I was packed and on the boat at 7AM as Carole searched for lunch. Mercifully, the Lao 'boat police' do periodic spot checks, and it we got switched us to a larger boat and a second one was added.
The
boat left at 9AM, and it was mercifully half full this time. Having had such a grim experience yesterday, we were totally elated to be able to enjoy the beautiful landscape in relative comfort. The rolling hills enshrouded in lush rain forest, the numerous rock formations protruding from the surface of the water, the riverside villages with their thatched stilt houses, all under a lovely blue sky. We also enjoyed chatting with our fellow travelers (now that we were able to converse) and played drinking games in the open back section of the boat.
Speaking of those numerous rock formations protruding from the surface of the water, it became quite apparent why the 'speedboat option' often touted by the travel agencies has a reputation as a novel form of suicide. The fact the speedboat skippers wear crash helmets also does not lend a warm fuzzy feeling to this mode of transport.
We arrived in Luang Prabang at 5PM, found a fairly nice place to stay in the Nok Noi Guesthouse, then went for dinner at the local market. We found a stall that sells a one-plate buffet of vegetarian food for $0.50.... our beer was double that price.
Following that, we went to a local pub and met up with some of the people we met on the boat, and whiled away the evening with conversation.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Slow Boat Down the Mekong Day 1
This morning at 8AM we were picked up by minivan from our guesthouse and we headed to Chiang Khong, a small town on the Thai/Lao Border. From here, we took a short boat ride across the Mekong river, went through border checkpoint to the town of Huay Xai, and were thus officially in Laos.
We were driven to our 'slow boat', the large long boats that c
arry around 100 people up and down the mighty Mekong River. Alas, we arrived around 11AM, and were among the last passengers to arrive. I had heard about the boats being overcrowded, and now had the sinking feeling we were going to experience this first hand. All the seats were full. The floors were full. The luggage area was full. The engine room area was only moderately crammed, so we grabbed a spot on top of some backpacks while the g
etting was good. Unknown to us at the time, there was a rebellion up front by some passengers who were trying to convince the crew to get a second boat. Had we known, we would have joined them.
So the engine fired up, and it was deafening in the small room; luckily we had ear-plugs on hand (an essential travel accessory in Asia).
The smell of diesel permeated the room. So we spent the next 6 hours plying our way down the Mekong river. Luckily we were near a small window, so we could at least distract ourselves from our discomfort with the stunning scenery.
We arrived in Pak Beng, the halfway
point, around 5:30PM, got ourselves a room, and waited almost an hour for a dinner which arrived cold. We were not completely impressed with our first day is Laos.
We were driven to our 'slow boat', the large long boats that c
arry around 100 people up and down the mighty Mekong River. Alas, we arrived around 11AM, and were among the last passengers to arrive. I had heard about the boats being overcrowded, and now had the sinking feeling we were going to experience this first hand. All the seats were full. The floors were full. The luggage area was full. The engine room area was only moderately crammed, so we grabbed a spot on top of some backpacks while the g
etting was good. Unknown to us at the time, there was a rebellion up front by some passengers who were trying to convince the crew to get a second boat. Had we known, we would have joined them.So the engine fired up, and it was deafening in the small room; luckily we had ear-plugs on hand (an essential travel accessory in Asia).
The smell of diesel permeated the room. So we spent the next 6 hours plying our way down the Mekong river. Luckily we were near a small window, so we could at least distract ourselves from our discomfort with the stunning scenery.We arrived in Pak Beng, the halfway
point, around 5:30PM, got ourselves a room, and waited almost an hour for a dinner which arrived cold. We were not completely impressed with our first day is Laos.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Waterfalls and White Temples
This morning we booked our trip to Luang Prabang in Laos. Gotta love that name, the 
way it rolls off the tougue - quite anomalous compared to the tongue-twisting tone-trickyness of Thai.
Following that, we rented a scooter. We rode out to Kuhn Kohn waterfall, about 30k from town, and hiked the trail to the waterfall. It was quite impressive. It was so powerful that it was quite difficult to get close to the bottom of the falls - there was so much spray and wind blast. I went for a swim in the pools further downstream. It was incredible: we had the place to ourselves, and as I looked around and saw this massive waterfall in a lush tropical rainforest, swimming in the refreshingly cool water, I thought to myself: life is good.
We then
headed over to Wat Rong Khun (aka, The White Temple). En route I set a new personal best - 70km/h on a scooter. 
As the temple came into view, our jaws dropped; it was stunning. This is a recent temple, begun in 1998, and though it employs a lot of classical Thai architectural elements, it was also quite avant gard. For starters, unlike all other wats which multi-coloured and gold-gilded, this one is completely white. It looked like an ice palace that belonged on the South Pole. 
Carole and I both agree that is one of the most amazing temples we've seen here in Thailand. It is still a work in progress, though, as the interior it still being completed.
The front of the interior is the standard massive buddha statue and associated shrines with smaller statues. The back wall, was quite unconventional. It was a large mural which seemed to personify the battle between good and evil, and had such elements as Skylab, Neo from the Matrix, jet fighters, and Terminator-like characters. One of the most interesting sections was a smouldering set of WTC towers, with a snake body wrapped around one that metamorphosed into a gas pump hose, with the nozzle of the pump dripping gas onto the tongues of emaciated faces.
I kind of wondered about the 'classiness' of having pop images and icons on a mural like that, but that's probably always been the case - today's pop images are tomorrows classics. However, I still wonder if the eyes gazing on this mural will recognize Neo as such 500 years from now, especially if those eyes belong to electronic beings who have enslaved the human race by then.
way it rolls off the tougue - quite anomalous compared to the tongue-twisting tone-trickyness of Thai.Following that, we rented a scooter. We rode out to Kuhn Kohn waterfall, about 30k from town, and hiked the trail to the waterfall. It was quite impressive. It was so powerful that it was quite difficult to get close to the bottom of the falls - there was so much spray and wind blast. I went for a swim in the pools further downstream. It was incredible: we had the place to ourselves, and as I looked around and saw this massive waterfall in a lush tropical rainforest, swimming in the refreshingly cool water, I thought to myself: life is good.
We then
headed over to Wat Rong Khun (aka, The White Temple). En route I set a new personal best - 70km/h on a scooter. 
As the temple came into view, our jaws dropped; it was stunning. This is a recent temple, begun in 1998, and though it employs a lot of classical Thai architectural elements, it was also quite avant gard. For starters, unlike all other wats which multi-coloured and gold-gilded, this one is completely white. It looked like an ice palace that belonged on the South Pole. 
Carole and I both agree that is one of the most amazing temples we've seen here in Thailand. It is still a work in progress, though, as the interior it still being completed.The front of the interior is the standard massive buddha statue and associated shrines with smaller statues. The back wall, was quite unconventional. It was a large mural which seemed to personify the battle between good and evil, and had such elements as Skylab, Neo from the Matrix, jet fighters, and Terminator-like characters. One of the most interesting sections was a smouldering set of WTC towers, with a snake body wrapped around one that metamorphosed into a gas pump hose, with the nozzle of the pump dripping gas onto the tongues of emaciated faces.
I kind of wondered about the 'classiness' of having pop images and icons on a mural like that, but that's probably always been the case - today's pop images are tomorrows classics. However, I still wonder if the eyes gazing on this mural will recognize Neo as such 500 years from now, especially if those eyes belong to electronic beings who have enslaved the human race by then.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Travel to Chiang Rai
This morning we spent some time dithering over our plans; having heard great things about Loy Krathong, we considered skipping over Laos, doing the Mae Hong Song loop instead, and returning to Chiang Mai for this festival. Unfortunately, we could not arrange any travel on the two days following this festival, since everything was booked up. So we decided to stick to our original plan. Alas, you can't do everything.
We caught a bus to Chiang Rai; it was a very scenic trip as it wound its way through mountainous valleys, though a tad nausea-inducing at times. Having arrived here, we checked into the Baan Bua guesthouse (wonderful owners), then went and checked out the Night Market, having dinner there. The rest of the evening was spent prolifically generating blog entries to try and get caught up.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
*** Stay Tuned: Missing Days in Chiang Mai ***
As you may have noted, we have fallen a bit behind in our blog; so we are skipping over the rest of Chiang Mai, and have been trying to keep up since then. However, we will back-fill the missing days as time allows; I will post a notice to this effect when this is done.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Doi Suthep
Today Carole had completely recovered, and I was feeling a b
it better, 
so we decided to go to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep (aka Doi Suthep), one of Northern Thailand's most sacred temples. It is on a very impressive overlook on a nearby mountain.
So we grabbed a sawngthaew to get us to the zoo, then another which took us along the long and winding road up the mountain. In
Thailand they certainly do enjoy building temples in auspicious places like on the tops of mountains. The view of Chiang Mai was impressive, if hazy from pollution. The temple itself is quite spectacular, with its gilded stupa, and numerious Bhudda statues. It is a working temple, so there are as many pious Thais as there are gawking tourists.
We continued on and took a sawngthaew further up to Phra Tamnak Phu Phing, the winter
palace for the royal family. The grounds here was as peaceful as Doi Suthep was hectic. We walked through the royal rose garden, past the reservoir/fountains, and towards the Royal residences, which themselves are 
closed to tourists. Also impressive were the stands of giant bamboo, which must have been nearly 100 feet high.We took a sawngthaew back down and to our place, and went for dinner. It was a good day, but I felt pretty exhausted at the end of it.
it better, 
so we decided to go to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep (aka Doi Suthep), one of Northern Thailand's most sacred temples. It is on a very impressive overlook on a nearby mountain.So we grabbed a sawngthaew to get us to the zoo, then another which took us along the long and winding road up the mountain. In
Thailand they certainly do enjoy building temples in auspicious places like on the tops of mountains. The view of Chiang Mai was impressive, if hazy from pollution. The temple itself is quite spectacular, with its gilded stupa, and numerious Bhudda statues. It is a working temple, so there are as many pious Thais as there are gawking tourists.
We continued on and took a sawngthaew further up to Phra Tamnak Phu Phing, the winter
palace for the royal family. The grounds here was as peaceful as Doi Suthep was hectic. We walked through the royal rose garden, past the reservoir/fountains, and towards the Royal residences, which themselves are 
closed to tourists. Also impressive were the stands of giant bamboo, which must have been nearly 100 feet high.We took a sawngthaew back down and to our place, and went for dinner. It was a good day, but I felt pretty exhausted at the end of it.
Friday, November 9, 2007
A Recovery Day
This morning Carole was a bit tired, but feeling much better. My stomach, on the other hand, was not doing so well. We went for breakfast and a few small walks, but I was quite apprehensive, if not terrified, about venturing anyplace that was further than a 15-second dash to a washroom.
I spent the day sleeping and reading, while Carole walked around Chiang Mai and went for a massage. By the evening I was feeling a bit better, and we went for a walk of the Night Bazaar, but I was not in much of a mood to be hassled and/or gouged. We wandered back to a nearby cafe, and had a couple of dry toasts for dinner.
This evening we met up with a very un-German German gentleman named Günter. Five years ago he leaped at an early retirement package from Mercedes Benz and has been doing some significant travelling ever since. He's here taking a Thai language class, then heading back to Taiwan for instructor's level courses in Tai Chi, which he's been doing for 25 years. Tai Chi in Germany in 1982 - he was definitely ahead of the curve. We had a great evening of conversation with him; he was hilarious. His most recent adventure was being unwittingly set up by his Thai cooking instructor with one of her friends, and how he had to politely weasel out of it. He was a great storyteller, and kept us entertained though the evening.
I spent the day sleeping and reading, while Carole walked around Chiang Mai and went for a massage. By the evening I was feeling a bit better, and we went for a walk of the Night Bazaar, but I was not in much of a mood to be hassled and/or gouged. We wandered back to a nearby cafe, and had a couple of dry toasts for dinner.
This evening we met up with a very un-German German gentleman named Günter. Five years ago he leaped at an early retirement package from Mercedes Benz and has been doing some significant travelling ever since. He's here taking a Thai language class, then heading back to Taiwan for instructor's level courses in Tai Chi, which he's been doing for 25 years. Tai Chi in Germany in 1982 - he was definitely ahead of the curve. We had a great evening of conversation with him; he was hilarious. His most recent adventure was being unwittingly set up by his Thai cooking instructor with one of her friends, and how he had to politely weasel out of it. He was a great storyteller, and kept us entertained though the evening.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Thai Cooking's Dirty Little Secret: Palm Oil
Much as I love the Thai food here, and as yummy and as nutritious as it appears, all is not quite as it appears. My suspicions were confirmed today in my cooking class. The unfortunate reality is that almost everything here is cooked with Palm oil, the second worst oil (after coconut oil) there is from a health perspective.
I've suspected this for a while, from the not-quite-full feeling I get after finishing a meal, to the countless acres of tree farms growing palm trees we've scootered past, so the suspicious orange semi-solid-something added to the wok before frying up a banana pancake.
It is ubiquitous here because it is one of the cheapest cooking oils there is. Hopefully rising living standards here will change the picture, but I suspect this will take a long time, given how prevalent its use is.
I've suspected this for a while, from the not-quite-full feeling I get after finishing a meal, to the countless acres of tree farms growing palm trees we've scootered past, so the suspicious orange semi-solid-something added to the wok before frying up a banana pancake.
It is ubiquitous here because it is one of the cheapest cooking oils there is. Hopefully rising living standards here will change the picture, but I suspect this will take a long time, given how prevalent its use is.
A Sickening Day
The subconscious mind is an incredible thing. From the depths of my reverie, I dimly perceived a subdued, lone retch. An instant later, I remember waking up in front of the bathroom light switch, as Carole raced past me and into the bathroom for an important conversation on the porcelain phone. Being such a sound sleeper, I marveled at how my subconscious was able to act on this signal before I was aware of what was happening.
The human body is also an incredible thing. Eons of evolution have produced the pre-vomit retch, a small but effective warning signal and system check before lunging for the eject button. Wouldn't it be great if you could listen in on the dialogue between your medulla oblongata and your digestive system before you vomit?:
"This is mission control, we are beginning final check sequence before launching tonight's dinner across the room. Final sequence check begin. Stomach?"
"Check."
"Esophagus?"
"Check."
"Throat?"
"Check?"
"Tongue and mouth?"
"Check."
"Final connection test on my mark... 3, 2, 1, mark"
"HUUUUAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHH!"
"Sequence check pass. All systems are go, we are clear to launch, repeat, we are clear to launch. We are at T minus 5 and counting...."
But I digress. Anyways, Carole, being her overachiever self, heaved with such enthusiasm that she popped a blood vessel in her left eye. This was around 1AM.
When I woke up around 7AM, Carole was still feeling quite under the weather, and seemed unlikely she would want to do much today other than rest and recover, so I decided to sign up for a day-long cooking class at one of the nearby schools before class started.
The class itself was pretty good, we made 7 different dishes. Unfortunately, as the class progressed, I began to feel less than well myself. It was truly ironic; the one day I could eat to my heart's content, and I had no appetite. After class finished, I came back to the guesthouse and lie down, having some stomach issues of my own.
Needless to say, neither of us did much with the rest of the day.
Projectile vomit
Sweat, run, sit, poop, all day long
Cheap weight loss program
The human body is also an incredible thing. Eons of evolution have produced the pre-vomit retch, a small but effective warning signal and system check before lunging for the eject button. Wouldn't it be great if you could listen in on the dialogue between your medulla oblongata and your digestive system before you vomit?:
"This is mission control, we are beginning final check sequence before launching tonight's dinner across the room. Final sequence check begin. Stomach?"
"Check."
"Esophagus?"
"Check."
"Throat?"
"Check?"
"Tongue and mouth?"
"Check."
"Final connection test on my mark... 3, 2, 1, mark"
"HUUUUAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHH!"
"Sequence check pass. All systems are go, we are clear to launch, repeat, we are clear to launch. We are at T minus 5 and counting...."
But I digress. Anyways, Carole, being her overachiever self, heaved with such enthusiasm that she popped a blood vessel in her left eye. This was around 1AM.
When I woke up around 7AM, Carole was still feeling quite under the weather, and seemed unlikely she would want to do much today other than rest and recover, so I decided to sign up for a day-long cooking class at one of the nearby schools before class started.
The class itself was pretty good, we made 7 different dishes. Unfortunately, as the class progressed, I began to feel less than well myself. It was truly ironic; the one day I could eat to my heart's content, and I had no appetite. After class finished, I came back to the guesthouse and lie down, having some stomach issues of my own.
Needless to say, neither of us did much with the rest of the day.
Projectile vomit
Sweat, run, sit, poop, all day long
Cheap weight loss program
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Visa Run Day
So today we woke up at 6:30, got picked up at 7:00, then spent the next five hours driving up to Mae Sai, a small town near the border with Myanmar. Like a number of things in Thailand, things don't always live up to expectations. We were promised an air-conditioned minivan. Unfortunately, with 12 people packed (and I mean packed) into the van, the driver wasn't able to run the air-con and make it up the hills at the same time (too much of a load on the engine), so we did without. Eventually we figured out how to open the windows so this was OK. Also intriguing was the driver would stop randomly at various places along the route, and get out and wander away for 5-10 minutes. Our best guess is that he was shopping for another minivan. (we're not kidding).
We got dropped off and Mae Sai, crossed over the Thai border, got our exit stamp, entered Myanmar for 5 minutes, then came straight back into Thailand and received a brand new 30-day visa. So we had an hour to spend in Mae Sai. If there is a redeeming feature to this town, we weren't able to find it in the time we were there. The main street is just a continuous series of stalls selling tourist junk. In fact, it was difficult to find a place to eat.
We then got back in the minivan for our trek back to Chiang Mai, arriving around 7PM. We had dinner again at Kanjana, and again had an early night, tired from an exhausting day of sitting on our butts.
We got dropped off and Mae Sai, crossed over the Thai border, got our exit stamp, entered Myanmar for 5 minutes, then came straight back into Thailand and received a brand new 30-day visa. So we had an hour to spend in Mae Sai. If there is a redeeming feature to this town, we weren't able to find it in the time we were there. The main street is just a continuous series of stalls selling tourist junk. In fact, it was difficult to find a place to eat.
We then got back in the minivan for our trek back to Chiang Mai, arriving around 7PM. We had dinner again at Kanjana, and again had an early night, tired from an exhausting day of sitting on our butts.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Wororot Market
After a slow morning, 
we spent the morning walking around the old city, and then headed over to Talat Warorot, another famous Chiang Mai Market. This market is actually centred around a three story building, with numerous stalls within, and also lots surrounding the building and the adjacent streets.
This one was very much
a "local's market"; we were one of the very few white people there. Also, most of the items had prices, which they were maybe willing to discount 20 Bhat or so ($0.60), but not the outrageous 50% to 75% that was par for the course at the Night Bazaar. There were clothes, shoes, but also artwork, spices, herbal remedies, veggies, fruits and meats. If you've never been to this part of the world, visiting the meat stalls in the local markets is a true test of intestinal fortitude.
We had lunch in the market's cafeteria; a true adventure. No menus with English subtitles and several large pots with mystery meats and vegetables. We're not quite sure what we ate, but you get the distinct sense that many of the street vendors selling 'Thai food' in the tourist areas cater to the Western palete.
This evening we had dinner at Kanjana, a Thai restaurant near our guesthouse.
We had an early night, since we signed up for a visa run tomorrow, since the 30-day visa we obtained when we arrived is about to run out. So we have to do an epic 10-hour day, where we spend 4.5 hours in a mini-van as we are whisked up to the Myanmar border, leave, spend 5 minutes in Myanmar, then re-enter so we can get a fresh 30-day visa. A totally pointless exercise, really, but is seems to keep the Thai bureaucrats and border guards gainfully employed. In addition, there is a booming business in companies providing this service.
we spent the morning walking around the old city, and then headed over to Talat Warorot, another famous Chiang Mai Market. This market is actually centred around a three story building, with numerous stalls within, and also lots surrounding the building and the adjacent streets.This one was very much
a "local's market"; we were one of the very few white people there. Also, most of the items had prices, which they were maybe willing to discount 20 Bhat or so ($0.60), but not the outrageous 50% to 75% that was par for the course at the Night Bazaar. There were clothes, shoes, but also artwork, spices, herbal remedies, veggies, fruits and meats. If you've never been to this part of the world, visiting the meat stalls in the local markets is a true test of intestinal fortitude.We had lunch in the market's cafeteria; a true adventure. No menus with English subtitles and several large pots with mystery meats and vegetables. We're not quite sure what we ate, but you get the distinct sense that many of the street vendors selling 'Thai food' in the tourist areas cater to the Western palete.
This evening we had dinner at Kanjana, a Thai restaurant near our guesthouse.
We had an early night, since we signed up for a visa run tomorrow, since the 30-day visa we obtained when we arrived is about to run out. So we have to do an epic 10-hour day, where we spend 4.5 hours in a mini-van as we are whisked up to the Myanmar border, leave, spend 5 minutes in Myanmar, then re-enter so we can get a fresh 30-day visa. A totally pointless exercise, really, but is seems to keep the Thai bureaucrats and border guards gainfully employed. In addition, there is a booming business in companies providing this service.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Arrive in Chiang Mai
So this morning we gleefully departed for the Phuket airport terminal and flew to Chiang Mai via Bangkok. We arrived around 4PM, checked into Kristi Guesthouse, which is located on a quiet soi (alley) inside the moat of the 'old city'.
After getting settled, we then went to the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar, a large outdoor night market that sells just about everything. It seemed to cater to very much to tourists, with lots of hill-tribe artwork, but also lots of copy-watches, T-shirts, and other paraphenalia. The initial asking price (very high), and the rapid rate at which they brought prices down also confirmed this impression.
Afterwards, I did an epic blog update to catch-up from the back-log of the islands.
After getting settled, we then went to the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar, a large outdoor night market that sells just about everything. It seemed to cater to very much to tourists, with lots of hill-tribe artwork, but also lots of copy-watches, T-shirts, and other paraphenalia. The initial asking price (very high), and the rapid rate at which they brought prices down also confirmed this impression.
Afterwards, I did an epic blog update to catch-up from the back-log of the islands.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Phuket: It's Named that for a Reason
*** Disclaimer: *** If you don't feel like reading a ranting cathartic invective, then please stop reading this entry now.
So yesterday we arrived in Phuket via Ferry from Ko Phi Phi, and bought our plane ticket to Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand. We decided to spend an extra day here before leaving to explore the place a bit and are now suffering acute buyer's remorse.
We knew this place was overly developed and touristed, but those claims were also leveled about Ko Phi-Phi. However, they cannot even be put into the same league. This place has got to be one of the most charmless, cheesy, grating places on the planet.
First of all, in no other place in Thailand have I ever felt so much like a walking wallet. Touts from Bangkok and Ko Phi-Phi must score in the top percentiles on their ATATs (Annoying Tout Aptitude Test) before being accepted to the PhD program offered here in Phuket, where they ply their skills with reckless abandon. I'd sooner walk along the busy roads than endure the constant harassment along the sidewalk.
This place likes to bill itself as 'The Pearl of the South', and compares itself to St. Tropez or Rio. However, last night, walking down the main drag and passing the 'Dino Bar' a Flinstone-esque restaurant with cartoonish plastic boulders, I realized that the most appropriate comparison is Las Vegas.
I also had the glum realization that our natural environment is doomed. I suspect this used to be one of the most beautiful islands in Thailand. But are not azure bays, white sand beaches lined with coconut trees, and tropical rainforests enough in their own right? I'd be a hypocrite to diss the tourist infrastructure that gets put in place because people want to enjoy such stunning beauty. By what compels people to think that things like a cheesy overpriced trinket shops, schnitzel houses, and Dino Bars can only make the place that much better? I pray this contagion will not spread further, but I suspect this will be the final outcome for all the islands. In the end, its all about money, and Dino Bars bring more upscale clients than backpackers.
We're very much forward looking to leaving here for Chiang Mai tomorrow.
So yesterday we arrived in Phuket via Ferry from Ko Phi Phi, and bought our plane ticket to Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand. We decided to spend an extra day here before leaving to explore the place a bit and are now suffering acute buyer's remorse.
We knew this place was overly developed and touristed, but those claims were also leveled about Ko Phi-Phi. However, they cannot even be put into the same league. This place has got to be one of the most charmless, cheesy, grating places on the planet.
First of all, in no other place in Thailand have I ever felt so much like a walking wallet. Touts from Bangkok and Ko Phi-Phi must score in the top percentiles on their ATATs (Annoying Tout Aptitude Test) before being accepted to the PhD program offered here in Phuket, where they ply their skills with reckless abandon. I'd sooner walk along the busy roads than endure the constant harassment along the sidewalk.
This place likes to bill itself as 'The Pearl of the South', and compares itself to St. Tropez or Rio. However, last night, walking down the main drag and passing the 'Dino Bar' a Flinstone-esque restaurant with cartoonish plastic boulders, I realized that the most appropriate comparison is Las Vegas.
I also had the glum realization that our natural environment is doomed. I suspect this used to be one of the most beautiful islands in Thailand. But are not azure bays, white sand beaches lined with coconut trees, and tropical rainforests enough in their own right? I'd be a hypocrite to diss the tourist infrastructure that gets put in place because people want to enjoy such stunning beauty. By what compels people to think that things like a cheesy overpriced trinket shops, schnitzel houses, and Dino Bars can only make the place that much better? I pray this contagion will not spread further, but I suspect this will be the final outcome for all the islands. In the end, its all about money, and Dino Bars bring more upscale clients than backpackers.
We're very much forward looking to leaving here for Chiang Mai tomorrow.
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