The planning of this trip started way back. November 21, 2003 I bought a book at the Hong Kong airport to kill time on flight KL 888 back Europe. It was "The Civilization of Angkor" by Charles Higham. It's about archeology, epigraphy and history.
Tomorrow I'll be there, but first we'll be going from Bangkok to Siem Reap.
Our trip will continue to Laos. First Vientiane and then Luang Prabang before we go to Thailand and end up on "The Beach".
"The first I heard of the beach was in Bangkok, on the Ko Sanh Road."
So this will be two different trips in one.
I'm not here buying elephants or catching flies for a circus in Moscow.
Sunday November 14, 2010
We had a trouble free flight to Siem Reap and a smooth immigration process with our e-visas. Our hotel is a former residence of a French ambassador - good, but not luxury.
Blogging on a noisy internet cafe in the local night market with a letter free keyboard is not easy.
Today has been a full day at Angkor.
What a surprise it must have been to the visiting American's who discovered that the temples are all real and not a film set for a Tomb Raider film!
Angkor Wat
Bayon temple in Angkor Thom with 54 towers all with four smiling faces
Images from the spectacular Ta Prohm temple entwined with enormous trees
Did I see Angelina looking at me from that door or............?
No I didn't.
Then we headed for the Siem Reap night market.
Monday November 15, 2010
Visiting Kbal Spean and Banteay Srei. Montezuma never was here, but one of his distant relatives took revenge today. A quick cure with modern chemicals did miracles together with steamed rice, vegetables and coke for lunch. On our way to Kbal Spean we got a full insight in what a Honda scooter can take of goods and passengers. There are of course Suzuki and all the others, but nothing is like a Honda. Its long flat saddle carries five people or a farmer bringing three pigs to the market or whatever you could think of. A short hike brings us to Kbal Spean where a king once had the source of the river blessed by carving pictures of Hindu Gods and symbols in the rocks. The hike is on a safe and mine free path, but sadly enough innocent people are still seriously hurt or killed by land mines each year.
From the source of the Siem Reap river we headed for the Banteay Srei temple with remarkable carvings in pink and yellowish sandstone.
Monkeys and Garudas at Banteay Srei.
In the evening we had a booking for a tourist trap - one of these "eat as much as you like and watch a trad dance show". We stayed to the end because we had to pay our bill.
The girls were nice, but they were wearing much more clothes than those at the palace.
Tuesday November 16, 2010
Visiting a floating village and three temples. Pictures and a story to follow.
Heading through the sumps towards open water and a floating village.
A floating village has a floating school.
Living conditions in a floating village are not just like home, but very different both for people and pigs.
Floating General Store and home for a storekeeper and his family. This guy has engineering skills.
The local restaurant with an outdoor terrace
School is over for today and the kids are rowing or paddling home
After lunch we headed for the Rolous temples east of Siem Reap The last temple we visited was Bakong. We climbed to the top and from below we heard music and discovered a wedding party.
A young Khmer girl suddenly appeared from behind a statue asking for a dollar. I said she could have one if I could take her picture. I gave her one dollar and took this picture
Who is she? What did she do on the top of the Bakong temple? Can her parents afford to let he go to school? Do they have the money needed to bribe the teachers?
What are her dreams?
Wednesday November 17, 2010
Paul Theroux's strange, unique, and hugely entertaining railway odyssey has become a modern classic of travel literature. Theroux takes us on Asia's fabled trains - the Orient Express, the Khyber Pass Local, the Frontier Mail, the Golden Arrow to Kuala Lumpur, the Mandalay Express, the Trans-Siberian Express - on a journey that takes us on a loop eastbound from London's Victoria Station to Tokyo Central, then back from Japan on the Trans-Siberian. Passing by Vientiane he writes something like -
The brothels are cheaper than hotels, marijuana is cheaper than cigarettes and opium easier to find than a cold glass of beer.
Today cold Beerlao is served on every corner.
Thursday November 18, 2010
Today we went from Vientiane to Luang Prabang. The morning was spent walking the streets of Vientiane. In the afternoon we arrived in Luang Prabang just before sunset. After a couple of hours rest we set of for the night market to get some food. Under sea food I found "khai paen" - not really knowing what is it and hoping for fried fish. Well, it's not fried fish..
...it's fried Mekong weed (not sea weed) with sesame, garlic and tomatoes served with sticky rice. Strange and different you could say. By the way - I ate it all!
Friday November 19, 2010
The highlight of today was the Morning Market with all kinds of food. The Lao people eat everything - they would probably even try a MacDonald's burger at least once. I saw several ladies making and selling "khai paen". I'm really thinking of bringing some home.
The market has food for all tastes included bamboo worms, small birds, crabs and rats.
Or maybe you would like to buy a duck?
Saturday November 20, 2010
Traveling on the Mekong on a longboat is relaxing and comfortable. Somewhere in the jungle we visited a secret factory.
On our way we passed by a prison where, according to our guide, those who smoke opium and other substances and other criminals are detained. I'm freezing - once I smoked everything!
Sunday November 21, 2010
For the next week we stayed at a beach on Koh Samui.
