Vang Vieng Laos

Vang Vieng is one of SE Asia's top rock climbing spots.

View from the top of the mountain.

Yes, that is a monk giving Steve climbing tips.

Stopping for lunch on our bike ride to the caves.

Additional pictures can be viewed at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/robyou/VangVieng8248282010?feat=directlink

First impressions of Vang Vieng - the wild west meets spring break 2010. Over a backdrop of amazing scenery, limestone karsts (mountains) surrounded by rice fields and the Nam Song River and a smorgasbord of outdoor activities (rock climbing, kayaking, caving, rafting, cycling, you name it) lies a little town that caters to young backpackers looking for an adrenaline fix and a dose of all things Western - food, alcohol, drugs, and television sitcoms. Although we had to overcome our first impressions of the backpacker circus, Steve and I spent 4 exhilarating days here where we attempted to blend in with the other early twenty-somethings and Steve had his first Spring Break experience, albeit 20 years late!.

One day we rented mountain bikes and completed a very scenic 30km ride through rice fields and villages on our way to Poukham cave. It had rained the previous day which made for a slow, muddy slog, but it was well worth it. We saw great shots of village life, the fog rolling in over the karsts, and had a nice picnic and swim along the way.

The next day we did a rock climbing excursion which happened to be on the karst that our room overlooks. The rockface was a nice sticky, textured limestone with lots of good handholds from rainwater carving channels through the rockface and some pretty challenging overhangs. It was great climbing again after a 3 month hiatus and Steve was the climbing machine as his lighter, leaner bod really helped propel him up the mountain.

Our last day we partook in the activity that has put Vang Vieng on the map - tubing. It sounds like an innocent enough of an activity, but when you mix in lots of alcohol and drugs, water park rides, and a Spring Break mentality, you get tubing a la Vang Vieng. We joined the parade of tubers in their requisite uniforms - "In the Tube" tanktops, shorts, flip flops, dry bag pouches, and tractor tire tubes. A tuk tuk took us up the river about 7km to the drop off point and we were greeted with our first 2 bars before we even got to river's edge. After pounding a beer and a few rounds on the water slide, we finally got into the water. We only floated about 50m before we were thrown weighted ropes and pulled back into shore to partake in shots of snake whisky (yes, there is really a small cobra at the bottom of the bottle) and the big rope swing. Steve and I took turns on the rope swing and then we had the great idea of doing a double jump. Not realizing that the additional weight would cause us to go a lot faster, I hit the water with what felt like a powerful punch to the chest. Steve didn't get off unscathed from the rope swing either with a couple of bruises and scrapes on his legs, nothing a few beers and a round of beer pong couldn't fix. Not sure where Steve got his skillz, but he was certainly a player to contend with, impressing all with his signature air shot.

After 3 hours of moving from bar to bar along a short stretch of river, it started to rain really hard, which just kicked up the Spring Break atmosphere into overdrive with a big dance party in the rain. Getting a little cold, we decided to turn it in and left our young friends to tube down the river alone. We hobbled out of Vang Vieng a little beat-up and exhausted, but a slight sense of satisfaction knowing that we can still keep up with the young-uns.

Luang Prabang Laos

Additional images can be viewed at http://picasaweb.google.com/robyou/LuangPrabangLaos8198232010#

Needing a rest, we decided to spend more than our usual three days in one place. Luang Prabang has been a nice town to kill some time. Though it is a heavily traveled destination on the SE Asian tourist circuit, it is also quite charming with it´s French colonial architecture, great variety of Laotian and French food, and plethora of outdoor activities. While here we have eaten well, gone river rafting, biked in the rain to an elephant camp, and spent a day swimming in the pools of an extensive waterfall with elephants. Tomorrow morning we depart to Vang Vieng further south along the Mekong.

Riding the Mekong to Luang Prabang

More images can be viewed at: http://picasaweb.google.com/robyou/ChiangKhongToLuangPrabangLaos8178192010

Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai to Chiang Khong and finally here we are in Luang Prabang.   Our travels have felt accelerated of late, with many miles being covered since leaving Cambodia two weeks ago.  The transport has consisted entirely of buses, so we felt we needed to break things up and take a romantic river cruise down the Mekong into Laos.  It wasn't exactly romantic, but it wasn't all bad, somewhere in between.  The two day river boat trip was similar to being on a crowded, uncomfortable bus for seven hours a day.   The first day was certainly worse than the second, as the boat was packed with people and the wooden benches were tough on the bum.  The second day was vastly better, as a larger boat with comfortable seats somehow appeared in place of our first boat.   We overnighted in the isolated village of Pakbeng about halfway between Chiang Khong and Luang Prabang.  The town has become relatively wealthy on this captive tourist stopover, and while I wouldn't see any point in lingering, it was decent and cheap.    The scenery along the way was good, with lush green hills and a fair amount of blue sky.  The river, like all the rivers we have seen in SE Asia was a muddy brown.  Being the rainy season, the river was running high, with lots of debris floating along.  Every hour or so we would stop off at a riverside village (not many roads in the region) and either drop off a few locals, or let the local children on board for ten minutes to sell their snacks and beer.  Yes, children sell beer in Laos.   We spent the first day reading, gazing at the scenery and shifting around in our seats.  On the second day we met a British couple that had been traveling for many months and had recently been to Nepal.  They spent six weeks there and did two treks, one of which was the trek to Everest base camp.  That got us thinking about our upcoming trip to Nepal, and the possibility of doing a challenging trek like Everest base camp.  We leave for Nepal in three weeks, so we will have some time to consider this and other treks, such as Anapurna or perhaps the drier Mustang region.  We would welcome comments from anyone that has done trekking in Nepal.  At the moment we are enjoying our time in the beautiful city of Luang Prabang.     

Chiang Rai Trekking

More images can be viewed at: http://picasaweb.google.com/robyou/ChiangRai813#

We just returned to Chiang Rai, exhausted from a two day trek into the mountains of northern Thailand. It wasn't so much the distance we traveled, but the heat and the heavy dampness of the region that wore us down. Aside from the demanding hike, and the constant buzzing of mosquitoes in our ears, we felt the trip was worth the effort. Learning about the current lives of a number of displaced hill tribes, and the elephants of the region was enlightening. We had a guide from the Lahu tribe, originally from Tibet, but now a diaspora living all about the mountains of south east asia. Many tribes, including the Lahu and Karen (long-necks), have fled unstable regions, and persecution in countries such as Burma and ended up living in limbo here in Thailand. Most hill-tribe people are not allowed Thai citizenship and must make a living selling their hand made products, elephant rides, and services such as trekking and homestays to tourists. The long neck Karen tribe is a difficult case; where the women who will continue to wear the neck-elongating rings are given a subsidy by the local government so that the tourists will continue to come and gawk. Another sad reality is reflected in the lives of the elephants. The elephants of Thailand no longer roam, and most can't find work in the nearly non-existent logging industry. Today the elephants and their mahouts eke out a living selling rides and photo-ops to tourists. Robyn and I are often faced with a dilemma as to whether a tourism opportunity is helping or hurting the people and animals of the region.

Cooking it up in Chiang Mai

Some very fresh ingredients at the local market.

Our cooking class was held in a converted barn on an organic farm. We each had our own cooking stations.

Chef Steve wokking it up with tofu basil stir fry.

Part 1 of feast which included: Tom Ka Soup, Red Curry, Yellow Curry, Tom Yam Soup, Tofu Basil Stir Fry, and Green Papaya Salad (left to right). We also made Pad Thai, Pad See Ew, Mango with Sticky Rice, and Pumpkin in Coconut Milk after lunch.

More images can be viewed at: http://picasaweb.google.com/robyou/BangkokAndChiangMai878122010#

Chiang Mai, the 2nd largest city in Thailand, is well known for their cooking courses, so Steve and I tried our hand at mastering some of our favorite Thai dishes like Tom Ka Soup, Pad Thai, and Green Papaya Salad. We were first taken to a local market and given explanation of some of the base ingredients used in Thai cooking like the different varieties of rice, coconut ingredients, and sauces (soy, oyster, mushroom, and of course, fish sauce which is used in EVERYTHING). Next stop was the organic farm and kitchen where our fresh ingredients for the course are grown and where we would be cooking and eating our results. After about 4 hours of grinding, chopping, and stirring over a hot wok, we had cooked up a fairly good 10-dish meal. Surprisingly, everything was pretty good as the instructor made it pretty failproof, and we had cooked up a full day's worth of meals. The best part of the course was that we didn't have to do any of the washing up! So if anybody wants a Thai meal cooked up by yours truly, we are happy to oblige, as long as we get out of doing the washing :)

The Unrest in Bangkok

 
It appears that any tension in Bangkok Is currently simmering under the surface.  In our few days in Bangkok the only overt sign of trouble was a rather large contingent of riot police and soldiers in one small area of the city.   They were mostly sitting along the street just watching the traffic pass by.  The relative calm is a far cry from the violence that erupted in April, in which nearly ninety people were killed and over one thousand injured (according to the Bangkok Post).  We are currently in Chiang Mai, heading north to Chiang Rai, before making our way into Laos.  Eventually, we will be returning to Thailand, and passing through Bangkok again.  We hope the tension eases and a lasting solution can be found to the political and social problems in Thailand.  If you are interested in the history and the complex politics of modern Thailand, and would like to know the difference between a yellow shirt protestor and a red shirt protestor, please follow this link: http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/thailand/index.html      

Bangkok Thailand

We have left Cambodia behind, after a satisfying experience volunteering. While Robyn spent most of her time working on updating a couple of the Trailblazer brochures, and making a very nice comprehensive poster of what Trailblazer does, I was outside learning how to make the concrete water filters. We both helped deliver the filters to some appreciative villagers, and the following day delivered Robyn's brochures and poster to a number of hotels and restaurants around Siem Reap. If you visit the Picasa link from the last post you can get a better idea of what we were doing and the people we were helping. http://picasaweb.google.com/robyou/TrailblazerFoundationSiemReapCambodia82862010#

Thailand
We arrived in Bangkok a couple of days ago, and while we were impressed with the roads and in general the infrastructure in Thailand, we have found Bangkok crazy and congested. We are taking a night bus to Chiang Mai this evening, and look forward to exploring the scenic north.

Trailblazing in Siem Reap

Bio-Sand Water Filters Being Loaded for Delivery

One down.

The filter at-work next to a cement ring well. This well and filter provides 3 families with a consistent supply of clean, potable water. This little boy and his family was one of 8 families we provided bio-sand water filters to that day.

Additional photos can be viewed at: http://picasaweb.google.com/robyou/TrailblazerFoundationSiemReapCambodia82862010?feat=directlink

Steve and I just finished our week of volunteering in Cambodia with the Trailblazer Foundation (www.thetrailblazerfoundation.org) and we were left with the feeling of what more could we do. Although my closest friend Sokunthea is Cambodian and her family fled from the war, it wasn't until we arrived here and have read up on the history that I understand the full extent of what occurred. As many of you know, Cambodia is one of the poorest countries in the world, having suffered the devastating effects of genocide during Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge regime (1975-79). A couple million people, representing nearly 20% of the population, died as a result of mass executions, disease, forced labor, and starvation during this period. Educated people were systematically eliminated, especially doctors and teachers.

Cambodia’s economy and infrastructure were left in tatters. As a result, recovery has been slow and difficult. All of this took place in a country already confronted by frequent drought conditions, poor health care, disease, famine, and a lack of potable water. Through it all the Khmer people have struggled to survive, trying desperately to rise up and rebuild their lives. With little to no infrastructure, the average rural Cambodian earns on average 25 cents a day. One out of every seven children dies before the age of five, many from preventable water-borne diseases. Access to water and sanitation, an adequate food supply, education, and economic opportunity is a challenge millions of Cambodians continue to face every day.

I encourage folks to read about Trailblazer's work at www.thetrailblazerfoundation.org

We'll write an email soon to tell you more about this organization and our experience volunteering with them.

Siem Reap and the Temples of Angkor

More Images can be found at: http://picasaweb.google.com/robyou/SiemReapCambodia7262010?authkey=Gv1sRgCLinpszBhZOjlgE&feat=directlink

http://picasaweb.google.com/robyou/Angkor?feat=directlink

Six days in Siem Reap and four visits to the Temples of Angkor. The famed temples are spectacular and some are quite massive. The first temples were built around 800 AD and the building continued for some five hundred years. They were started by a succession of Hindu Kings, but have flipped back and forth between Hindu and Buddist control. The temples sat undiscovered (by Westerners) until the late 19th century. You may be familiar with the iconic images (on the Cambodian flag) of Angkor Wat, or the depiction of Ta Prohm in the movie Tomb Raider with Angelina Jolie. The temples are spread out, some are nearly 20 miles or more away from the main concentration near Angkor Wat. We have visited the furthest flung temples of Banteay Srey and Banteay Samre by Taxi, but found bicycling a great way to go around the large and small circuits. In all, we have visited about twelve temples, and we have another dozen we would like to see. We start a volunteer project tomorrow, so our time to visit the Temples may be minimal. We still hope to get that epic sunset photo. Not so keen on the early morning sessions though.