Out of Power in Siem Reap, Cambodia

March 6, 2013 Cambodia South-east Asia

I awoke early Thursday morning sweating profusely.  It only took a moment before I realized the fan wasn’t working because we had no electricity.  This meant no water either as our budget (US $10/night for fan room) guest house (Bayon Garden) uses a water reservoir with a pump that is run by electricity.  Our room was now an unbearable sauna and we couldn’t even cool off in the shower.

By 7:30, we escaped in search of breakfast.  Our guest house host advised us the entire city was out of power, something that rarely happens during the dry season. As we entered the tourist section of the city, many of the shops and restaurants were being powered by generator – maybe we would get a good cup of coffee after all!

By the time we finished breakfast, it looked like power had come back to the area.   It was a different story back at our guest house which was located on the other side of the river, a few blocks outside the tourist district.  Normally this would be considered an ideal location, a quiet side street within walking distance to all the noisy restaurants and bars.  But today it was a definite disadvantage as we learned the power might be out for three days or more.  According to the Cambodia Herald, an overloaded truck crashed into eleven power poles and damaged a transmission line from Thailand.  It could take up to a week to repair.  The city’s generator’s could provide only 25 per cent of the city’s power needs and clearly the main tourist district was considered the highest priority.

After three days at Angkor Wat, we were planning a “down” day, to work on the blog and to do travel research.  So we grabbed our laptops and headed back to the restaurant where we had breakfast.  We installed ourselves in a booth under a high powered fan and there we stayed for the rest of the day, drinking cheap beer (US $0.50 per draught), eating whenever we were hungry, and getting our “work” done. The waiters became friendly with us and we learned a little about their lives.  They all drooled over Chris’ Mac Book Air and watched as Chris worked on photos and some video clips.  It turned into a fun day that was both relaxing and productive!

The Temple Restaurant, our “office” for the day.

I was struggling with the last Laos post, having suffered from a bad case of writer’s block for a while, so when I finally finished that one, we celebrated with a pitcher of our favourite cocktail – vodka and tonic with lots of lime. For US $8.00, we each got about 3 tall glasses.  

Alcohol in Cambodia is ridiculously cheap – we saw Irish Whisky selling for half the price it goes for in Ireland where they make the stuff.  A litre of brand name spirits (gin, vodka, rum – whatever your fancy) starts at about US $7.00 per bottle.  

The currency here in Cambodia is Cambodian Riel (US $1.00 = 4,000 KHR) but everybody uses the American dollar.  Occasionally someone will charge in Riel but will always accept US dollars in payment.  If your change is less than a dollar, you are given Riel, the smallest denomination of which is 100 KHR, or about 2 cents.  Even the ATM machines dispense US dollars.  We’ve been enjoying not having to do any conversion math while in this country.

Some currencies are much easier than others to convert – Laos being one of the more difficult ones we encountered with a rate of CAD $1.00 = 7,700 KIP.  Even rounding up to 8,000 KIP, challenged our mathematical skills at times.  We also had to carry around wads of cash – the bank machines dispensed a maximum of a million KIP per transaction, which translated into a lot of bills, yet was worth just over one hundred dollars ($130 to be exact) – see what I mean about doing the conversions!

We learned a lesson in Siem Reap – never, ever book a fan only room if there is an option for air conditioning.  We really suffered in our room, even before the power outage.  There was simply no reprieve from the oppressive heat that would be particularly unbearable in the late afternoon and early evening.  To make matters worse, our windows had no screens, so we had no protection from bugs whenever we opened the wooden shutters to let some air into the room.  We were eaten alive by tiny insects, smaller than mosquitoes.  

Because of the power outage, we decided to stick to our original plans and head to Battambang for the weekend, where we had heard about a bamboo train that we could take to a rural village.  We’ll tell you all about that and so much more that happened on our excursion into the Cambodian countryside in our next post.

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Angkor Wat – an architectural wonder and historical treasure

March 5, 2013 Cambodia South-east Asia

The Temple of Angkor Wat is perhaps the most famous and most recognizable religious monument in the world.  It has become a symbol of Cambodia, appearing on its national flag, and a source of great pride to Cambodians.  It is the country’s prime tourist attraction.  Yet this temple is just one of many ancient temples and ruins that form the Angkor Archaeological Park, a vast site stretching over some 400 square kilometres that was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992.

A visit to Angkor Wat was high on my bucket list, and I was pretty excited to arrive in Siem Reap last Sunday, after an easy flight from Vientiane.  I couldn’t believe how touristy Siem Reap was – when a town has a street called “Pub Street”, you know the tourists have invaded. Our guesthouse, Bayon Garden, was located on a quiet side street away from the noisy tourist centre.  We thought the location was perfect until later in the week, but I’ll tell you about that in the next post.

We purchased a three-day ticket (US$40 each) which we could use on any three days within a week.  It turned out to be just enough time to take in the major sites, before hitting our temple saturation point.

On the first day, we hired a tuk tuk driver who took us on what is known as the outer route which, as the name implies,  takes you to temples further afield.

At the end of the day, we watched the sun set behind the Temple of Angkor Wat.

On the next day, we rented a couple of brand new mountain bikes with new helmets (better than any motorcycle helmet we have worn in South East Asia!).  The bikes cost US$5 each per day as compared to US$1.50 for an old, rickety, single speed one.  As we cruised along with ease in the stifling heat, whizzing by riders who were plodding along on the old bikes, we congratulated ourselves for making such a good choice.  It was a great way to explore the area, giving us freedom to stop whenever we wished, but giving us the mobility to still cover a fair bit of distance too – probably 30 km for the day.  The terrain was flat, so it was an easy ride.  We spent several hours just exploring the Temple of Angkor Wat that day.  This site is so huge we probably could have spent a full day there and still not see everything!

On our final day, we hired our tuk tuk driver again to take us out at the crack of dawn (5:00 am to be precise) in order to catch the sunrise over Angkor Wat.  Once we figured out the best spot to see the sunrise and to get the iconic photos that are on all the postcards, we joined hundreds of other tourists who were also there to see the sunrise. After that we did the “short tour” that included a visit to my favourite temple, Bayon with it’s multitude of serene and massive stone faces on the many towers jutting out from the upper terrace.  Some of the faces were remarkably intact, whereas others were barely visibly, due to the effects of the passage of time.  Unfortunately, dozens of Chinese tour groups arrived at this temple at the same time we did.  These tourists were so loud and obnoxious, their leaders corralling the groups with loud speakers, everyone yelling to each other, and otherwise disturbing the serene atmosphere of the site.  We were kicking ourselves for not visiting this site the day before when we had passed by in the afternoon  on our bikes and observed nary a tour bus or tuk tuk in sight.

The crowd watching the sunrise.

We were wowed by this site, something that is hard to do these days after all the amazing things we have seen on this trip.  This was probably the most impressive architectural site we have ever seen.  Check out Wikepedia if you are interested in learning the history of Angkor Wat or for more details about the many temples on the site.

Video:  Monkeying around at Angkor Wat

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Laos – land of temples, monks, sunsets and French bakeries

February 28, 2013 Laos South-east Asia

By following the well worn backpacker trail through northern and central Laos, we caught a glimpse of a country of contrasts where rural and urban life often seemed worlds apart.  Even though the journey between these tourist hotspots is on paved roads as compared to 80% of the country’s roadways which are dirt, travel is still difficult in this country.  

Buses travel at an average speed of about 40-50 km hour, primarily because of the mountainous terrain and the pot-hole riddled roads. This made for long and very uncomfortable road trips in equally uncomfortable so-called VIP buses, which are nothing more than retired Chinese tour buses. In fact, we would rate the buses in Laos amongst the worst we have seen in all our travels.  Not only were they old and filthy, they were designed for very short people – even I felt cramped for leg room!

Our time in Laos was concentrated in two popular urban centres: Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the nation’s capital, Vientiane.  We also spent a couple of nights  in Vang Vieng, a small town half way between Luang Prabang and Vientiane.

Luang Prabang: Set at the confluence of the Mekong and Nam Khan Rivers, beneath a temple-topped hill, this tidy little city oozes charm and personality.  It’s too bad it has been invaded by hordes of tourists, many of whom come by the bus load from their neighbour to the north, China.

The city awakens at 6:00 am to the sound of pots clanging as hundreds of monks and novices walk through the streets collecting their alms for the day – food offered by kneeling villagers and tourists that will provide daily sustenance for the monk. Sadly, this ceremony has become a major tourist attraction with disastrous consequences to the monks, to the point where some monks want to put an end to this long-held tradition.  But the government is forcing them to continue this tourist pageant or risk being replaced with lay people clothed in saffron robes in order to keep up appearances, and thereby maintain tourist revenue.

We saw tourists disrupting the procession by walking in front of the monks with their large cameras inches away from their faces.  We saw unscrupulous locals selling overpriced rice to unsuspecting tourists who wanted to participate, often of such poor quality the monks get sick or have to throw the food away.  We saw tourists dressed immodestly which is offensive to the monks.  We were lucky that our guest house was right on the procession route, so when we heard the clanging of the pots, we would sleepily climb out of bed, onto the common balcony and watch discretely from there.  Of course, Chris did take a few photos, but always from a respectful distance.

After watching the alm ceremony each morning, we headed off for breakfast to one of the many delicious French bakeries within blocks of our guest house.  Considering the French heritage of Laos, it shouldn’t be such a surprise that there are wonderful French cafes and bakeries that would rival anything found in France.  Our guest house was perfectly situated on a quiet side street away from the noisy bar area and night market, but within walking distance to everything, including what quickly became our favourite breakfast spot, Saffron Cafe.  This little cafe across from the Mekong River served up fair trade coffee grown by nearby hill tribe villages, along with delicious, healthy food. Click here if you want to read about the inspiring story of how coffee replaced opium as the crop of choice all due to the efforts of an enterprising American living in Laos.

Luang Prabang has about 30 temples which is a lot for a town of its size.  Just like in Chiang Mai, it seemed there was a temple on every corner.  I must admit, that after awhile, the temples all start to look alike.  However, the temple on Phou Si Hill is perhaps one of the most visited sites in the area.  The hill is right in the middle of the city.  The golden temple on the top of the hill can be clearly seen from miles away.  The view from the top is equally outstanding.

The night market rivalled those we enjoyed in Chiang Mai.  The best part was the food which was served buffet style.  For 10,000 KIP (about $1.20 CAD) you got a plate full of delicious food making it the best food deal in this otherwise expensive city.

One day we ventured out of town for a few kilometres on rented bicycles.  Without a map, we cycled along quiet country roads, passing through dusty villages that seemed untouched by tourism, just our style.  When we came upon a temple at the end of a steep driveway, we decided to go up and explore.

We entered the typical courtyard which was void of any visible life.  Not sure if we should be there, we parked our bikes in the shade and took a quick walk around the grounds.  A novice approached us and said hello, and then turned and sat in the shade near our bikes.  I went back to ask if it was all right if we were there.  He said, “of course”, in perfect English.  While Chris continued to take a few photos, I sat a few metres away from the young man who was eager to practice his English with me.  We talked about life in the temple and I shared what life was like back in Canada.  Soon, another young man showed up, and then another, until I was surrounded by young novices (monks in training), some too shy to speak, others with lots of questions for me.  Chris joined the party and before we knew it an hour had passed by.

Another popular excursion is a visit to the Kuang Si waterfalls, about 30 km south of town.  We rented a scooter and headed out on our own early one morning.  With very little traffic and beautiful scenery of vibrant green rice paddy fields with a backdrop of mountains in the distance, it was an easy hour long ride to the falls.  At the falls, we visited the Asian Bear Rescue Centre which is home to a couple of dozen animals rescued from the hands of poachers and traffickers.  The bears looked well cared for in large enclosures that attempt to replicate their natural habitat.  Sadly, most of these bears will never be able to survive on their own in the wild.  There were many places around the enclosures from which to observe these endangered animals.  The waterfalls were stunning and so refreshing after hiking in to the very top.

As each day came to an end, we made our way to the Mekong River where, over a cheap “BeerLao” ($1 CAD), we watched the sun set behind the distant mountains, offering a unique and spectacular kaleidoscope of colour each time.

Vang Vieng: Without knowing anything about the town or doing any research of our own, we stopped in Vang Vieng to break up the long, backbreaking, leg crunching bus ride between Luang Prabang and Vientiane strictly on the advice of our travel friends, Sue and Andy from the UK.  Imagine our horror when we read, just hours before departure, that this little town was famed as  a notorious party town, where party revellers outnumbered locals 15-1!  What were our friends thinking!  To make matters worse, not only was this town known for cheap alcohol and wild parties, there were 22 deaths reported in 2012 largely due to the stupidity of drunken tourists.  Most deaths were caused on the river when drunken fools hit their heads on rocks when diving in places they shouldn’t be diving (drunk or not), or those drunken revellers who drowned whilst tubing down the river.  What were we getting ourselves into?  At least it was only for two nights.

The Vang Vieng that we arrived to was nothing like the town we read about and upon investigation we discovered why.  Apparently, last September, the government clamped down hard on this town, forcing all bars along the river edge to close their doors permanently, and putting in strict, fine-enforced regulations for operators offering any river related activities.  All diving structures along the river banks were ordered to be destroyed.  The government was serious about correcting this town’s bad reputation and it looks like the measures taken are working.   Ironically, on our second night, there was a local festival and it was all the locals who were drunk in the restaurants, spilling out noisily (they love their Karaoke) onto the streets.

Although we didn’t have much time in Vang Vieng, we rented bicycles again and headed out to the countryside where we admired the stunning scenery of the Mekong River snaking through high limestone cliffs.

Not only did we find an excellent bakery in this small town, but we had dinner at Cafe Paris where we enjoyed French cuisine and a half litre of decent Cabernet Sauvignon. This turned out to be our most expensive meal in Laos, at a whopping 250,000 KIP (about $40 CAD).

We splurged one night ($45 CAD) at the Riverside Vang Viang.
This made up for the dump (one of the bungalows at Thavisouk Hotel)
where we spent the previous night.  For just 20 bucks more, it was worth every penny!

Vientiane:  Although it is the nation’s capital and the largest city in Laos, Vientiane seems like a flower waiting to bloom.  The city is plastered with billboards depicting the government’s vision for a future Vientiane, one that is vibrant, cultural and modern.  But this is a far cry from the current reality.  For instance, there is a paved pathway along the Mekong River that extends several kilometres, yet it is a vast wasteland of prime real estate.  I expect it will look quite different in 20 years time.

Inspired by the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, Patuxai Gate in Thannon Lanxing area of Vientiane.  

One Buddha for each day of the week.

We had just arrived in Vientiane when Chris came down with gastro-intestinal problems which forced him to bed for a couple of days.  I ventured out on my own, exploring the historical part of the city on foot.  There were plenty of temples and markets to visit, but probably the most compelling visit I made was to the COPE Centre where I learned about the Laos secret war, something I knew nothing about.

From 1964 to 1973, during the war between the US and Vietnam, over 2 million tons of ordnance (more than 270 million bombies) were dropped on Laos. Approximately 30% failed to detonate leaving 80 million unexploded bombies in Laos after the war. Over 50,000 people have been killed or injured by these bombs during the war, and over 20,000 after the war. And given that there are still a lot of UXOs (Unexploded Ordnances) in the country, the cases of post war casualties are likely to increase.

What I found shocking was that Laos was not even at war.  But because it shared a border with Vietnam, who had set up a supply route along the border, weaving in and out of Laos from north to south, the Americans were determined to obliterate this route through an aggressive bombing campaign that lasted 9 years.  The number of bombs that were dropped is astonishing –  equivalent to one bomb every 9 minutes for 9 years!

COPE stands for Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise. Founded in 1997, COPE is a local organization that works with the National Rehabilitation Center (NRC), Lao Ministry of Health and five provincial rehabilitation centres in an innovative partnership developing rehabilitation services across Lao PDR. The Centre serves to educate the public about the UXO issue as well as the work they are doing to help people who have been injured by UXOs.

It was really sad to watch a documentary where it showed very young children who go out into the countryside looking for metal because of the lucrative scrap metal industry. A kid can feed his family for a month on the income from a single piece of metal.  Even though they know the dangers of UXOs, the need to earn money for the family outweighs their fear of finding a UXO.

This wrapped up our visit to Laos.  It was a quick trip and I’m sure we didn’t do the country justice.  That just means we’ll have to come back one day.  Our next stop is Siem Reap, Cambodia to visit Angkor Wat, some say one of the most significant architectural sites in the world.

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Cruising down the Mekong River

February 19, 2013 Laos South-east Asia

The 12th longest river in the world, the mighty Mekong, snakes its way 4,350 km through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.  We began our journey through Laos with a two-day “luxury” cruise down the Mekong, starting in the border town of Houay Xai and ending 300 km downstream in the Unesco World Heritage Center of Luang Prabang.

 

The trip from Bangkok to Houay Xai was surprisingly easy: a cheap Air Asia flight to Chiang Rai followed by a bumpy 2 hour ride on a local bus to the Thai/Laos border at Chiang Khong.  We managed to sneak ahead of a large Asian tour group on the Thai side and sailed through customs in minutes.  A short ferry ride to the other side of the Mekong River and we again breezed through Lao customs; this time I was singled out of another large Asian crowd and processed ahead of them – maybe the custom official liked my light coloured hair, or maybe he  took pity on me, an old woman carrying a  heavy pack.  Whatever the reason, we obtained our Laos Visas in record time.

The one street town of Houay Xai is popular amongst tourists as a gateway to slow and fast boat trips down the Mekong as well as adventure tours to the north.  On arrival we found ourselves a simple room with private bath in a typical guest house and opted to do it on the cheap – no television or air conditioning making this the cheapest accommodations to date, at nine bucks for the night.   It was perfectly adequate although the bed was rock hard (like most beds in Thailand), the fan only had one speed (warp speed which made me fear it was going to come crashing down on our heads at any moment), and a nearby rooster that started crowing in the middle of the night.  Aside from that, it was fine.

As we wandered through town, it was easy to see the French influence here (dating back to the 18th century when Laos was part of French Indochina).  Baguettes were sold in every shop, and cars drove on the “right” side of the road.  But the most unusual thing we saw was Snake Whiskey which true to its name was a bottle of whisky with a snake coiled up  inside.  We were told it was an acquired taste, used by some as an aphrodisiac, while others claim it has medicinal benefits.   We decided to pass on this  one.

Without really knowing what a “luxury” boat entailed, we knew we didn’t want to take the regular slow boat to Luang Prabang because it had a reputation for being overcrowded and terribly uncomfortable.  As one blogger put it, “it was interesting for the first ten minutes, and then miserable for the next seven hours.”  Multiply that by 2 days, and we knew it wasn’t for us.  Once again, luck was on our side as we managed to snag two of the last seats on a Shompoo Cruise that was leaving the next morning, the only luxury boat with seats still available.

All the boats departing the next morning – the cheap and the luxury – looked the same on the outside – long, narrow 35-meter wooden structures.  The difference was in how they were laid out on the inside and how many passengers they took.  Our boat had a maximum capacity of 30 (there were 29 on our cruise) and the interior of the boat was built of local rosewood and teak, offering a sun lounge area at the front, ten tables in the middle and a bar and sitting area in the back.  The regular boats that we saw were equipped with chairs only, and these looked like they were old (uncomfortable) car seats.  Somehow they manage to cram upwards of 100 people on these boats that were the same size as ours.

As we waited to board, we met a young pair of Germans, Jacob and Josephine who were cousins, travelling together for a few weeks.  We hit it off with them right away, and later Stacey, an engineer from Canada, and Andrea, a physician from Austria joined our little group. We had lots of laughs with them over dinner both during the cruise and after landing in Luang Prabang.  Throughout our two days of cruising, we had lots of time to chat with the other passengers too, many of whom were also German.  We were lucky to be amongst such a fun group of people.

Our cruise included a guide who doubled up as our waiter on board.  We learned that he was originally from a hill tribe on the northern border of China and Vietnam.  His family sent him to the temple at the age of 10 (something quite common especially amongst rural families).  At the age of 26, he was forced to leave the temple when his mother passed away and there was no one to support his ageing father and grandfather who was 110 years old at the time.  He became a guide so that he could send money home  to his family each month.  He learned English, French, and Lao while studying at the temple, and continues his studies at the university in Luang Prabang during the wet season.  He wants to learn German, Spanish and Italian next.

On the first day, we stopped at a typical Hmong hill tribe village where the locals speak their own language.  We learned about their way of life, so isolated even from the local Laos population because they do not speak Laos.  Primitive bamboo huts with dirt floors and a modest two room school form the village.  The Hmong people rely on their shaman and a fortune teller when they are sick or injured.  They refuse modern medical treatment.  At the school, the children were busy making pottery, one of the many traditional skills they are taught.

As the sun was starting to set, we arrived in Pak Beng, a small village about half way to Luang Prabang and the place where we spent the night in a very comfortable bungalow overlooking the Mekong river.  At $45 per night (360,000 Kip), it was considered a mid-range choice, quite a step up both in price and quality from the night before.

 

View of the port from our bungalow verandah.
Impossible to tell which boat is ours as they all look the same.

Chris and Stacey looking up at our bungalow.

Our second day was much like the first, sailing from 8:00 in the morning until our arrival in Luang Prabang at around 5:00 in the evening.  We stopped at another hill tribe village, as well as Pak Ou Cave where hundreds of old Buddha statutes have been laid to rest, like a Buddha cemetery.   I thought the most interesting part of that stop was seeing the water marks of recent floods – at 30 m above the current water level it was hard to imagine.

The scenery along the Mekong was beautiful, but the glimpse into life along the river was what really captured my attention.  Primitive hill tribe villages dotted the mountain slopes, high above the river, safe from flood waters.  Fishing poles and nets were wedged into the rocks along the shoreline, neat rows of peanut plants  lined the sandy shores.  The sound of laughter echoed from children who swam and played butt naked in the river, waving to us enthusiastically as we passed by.  In the late afternoon, children were bathed in shallow waters  and mothers did laundry in the same murky waters.  Boats of all sizes navigated the river heading both north and south carrying every imaginable form of cargo from huge transport trucks, to local produce.  Speed boats whizzed by with people decked out in motorcycle helmets – sadly these fast boats are notorious for serious accidents.

Cruising the Mekong River for two days was a relaxing, educational and enjoyable experience, something we would highly recommend.

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Enjoying hospitality in Bangkok

February 10, 2013 South-east Asia Thailand

As our 60-day tourist visa comes to an end, we spent our last week in Thailand’s capital city, Bangkok.  I must admit that by now, we are “templed out” and a little tired of sightseeing.  Luckily for us, in spite of it’s size there wasn’t a plethora of tourist attractions to tempt us.  Even better for us, we enjoyed the hospitality of a few people who made us feel quite at home.

We rationalized our splurge on a four star hotel for our week long stay in Bangkok with the knowledge that the next two months will be rather hectic and definitely low budget as we set out to explore Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.  This might be our last chance at a decent bed, or so we told ourselves.  Unfortunately it was busy during this week so we had to split our time between two hotels: Centre Point Sukhumvit 10 and the Best Western Premier on Sukhumvit 1, the former being our favourite.  Both hotels offered great amenities of which we availed ourselves almost daily – pool, steam room, gym.  At the Centre Point Hotel, we were upgraded to a 1 bedroom suite complete with kitchen, dining room, living room and of course a bedroom.  We even had a washing machine in the kitchen, something I took full advantage of by washing every piece of clothing in our packs.  Fresh, clean clothes, ahhh, the simple things that give us pleasure!

Our sightseeing excursions were limited to the Grand Palace, Wat Pho – Temple of the Reclining Buddha, Jim Thompson House along with a few markets around town.  Bangkok is a city of contrasts where old and new merge into a bustling, noisy metropolis.  It is more modern than I expected and far more Westernised too.  Yet there are still glimpses of the past, like the guy who set up shop on the street with his old foot powered Singer sewing machine, working away in the open air, under the glare of the sun.

The Grand Palace

The Grand Palace is a complex of buildings in the heart of Bangkok. The palace has been the official residence of the Kings of Siam (and later Thailand) since 1782. The king, his court and his royal government were based on the grounds of the palace until 1925. The present monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX), currently resides at Chitralada Palace, but the Grand Palace is still used for official events. Several royal ceremonies and state functions are held within the walls of the palace every year.

Wat Pho

Wat Pho is one of the largest and oldest wats in Bangkok and is home to more than one thousand Buddha images, as well as one of the largest single Buddha images, the Reclining Buddha, which is 160 feet long.

Jim Thompson House

This is the residence of an American named Jim Thompson who settled in Bangkok after the second world war, during which he was a CIA agent.  Trained as an architect, he became an active advocate for the Thai silk industry, gaining worldwide recognition for his success in rebuilding the industry, for generating international demand for Thai silk and for contributing to the growth of the silk industry.  Mystery shrouds his disappearance in 1967 at the age of 61 while visiting the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia.  He vanished without a trace and to this day there is no explanation for what happened to him.

Today, the house is a popular tourist attraction, showcasing the unique house he built for himself blending Thai and western styles, along with his vast art collection.

The best part of the week was having the chance to meet up with some family of friends.  Dan is married to Laurel, a high school friend of Chris’.  Dan works in Singapore but was on a business trip to Bangkok this week, staying at a hotel within spitting distance of ours.  We enjoyed one of the best steak dinners we’ve ever had at an Argentinian restaurant (El Gaucho) – even better than any steak we had in Argentina.  It was a fun evening with good conversation and lots of laughs.  Dan took charge of the wine list and the menu and astounded us with his generosity in treating us to such a memorable meal.  Thanks again Dan!

We met Mike and his wife Nat the night before – Mike is the brother of my friend Sylvia in Ottawa.  He has been in Thailand for ten years.  Sylvia introduced us via email, and Mike then invited us to his home where we met his lovely wife Nat and his three dogs, beautiful Doberman’s.  We enjoyed cocktails and hors d’oeuvres at their place before heading out for dinner.  It was such a pleasant treat for us to visit with them in their home, and again a complete surprise when Mike treated us to a lovely Thai dinner.  Mind you, we were all slightly aghast to discover we closed the joint down past 2:00 am, way beyond our normal bedtime.  At least we didn’t have to get up in the morning like Mike and Nat.

We met up with Mike and Nat again later in the week, for a repeat of the first night only this time we called it a night at a more sensible hour (midnight).  These late nights really did us in and we were grateful we could just take it easy the next day.

And so concludes our visit to Thailand.  We have fallen in love with this country and vow to return again in the future.  We can easily envision ourselves spending winter months here like many ex-pats do.

Tomorrow we head to Laos by plane (to Chiang Rai) and bus (to Chiang Khong) where we will spend two weeks.  After that it will be Cambodia for two weeks and then Vietnam where we will spend our final month before heading home on April 8th.

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Great diving in the Andaman Sea

February 10, 2013 South-east Asia Thailand

Rated amongst the world’s top dive sites, the Similan and Surin Islands offer an escape from the overcrowded beaches of Phuket.  Both groups of islands are part of a large archipelago about 90 km west of the mainland in the middle of the Andaman Sea extending north into Myanmar.

The Similan Islands are comprised of nine distinct islands all within close range of each other, and another island, Koh Bon that lies 17 nautical miles north of the main cluster. The entire area is protected under the Similan National Park.  The islands are  easily accessible by speed boat from Khao Lak.

The Surin Islands are further north and are comprised of five distinct islands.  Protected under the Mu Ko Surin National Park, these islands are also a popular destination for divers and snorkellers often travelling by boat from Khao Lak.  The closest town from which to reach the islands is Khuraburi, a tiny fishing port that has not yet been hit by the tourism bug.  The park is home to one of the most famous dive sites in the world, Richelieu Rock.

While it is possible to visit these islands on a day trip, live-aboard tours are very popular.  I was somewhat reluctant to do a live-aboard because I am prone to sea sickness; just the idea of being trapped on a boat for more than a day made me queasy.  Finally I agreed to a 2 day, 1 night diving excursion with six dives included.  We were staying at the Poseidon Bungalows and they kindly arranged the tour for us with Similan Seven Sea Club.  We had no idea what to expect but felt some reassurance by the good reviews this company received on Trip Advisor.

A speedboat took us from Khao Lak to Koh Bon, the site for our first two dives.  The waters were pretty rough and I was surprised that Chris was suffering from some mild sea sickness while my stomach was fine.  At Koh Bon, we transferred to the main boat which would be home for the next 36 hours.  The boat was anchored in a sheltered bay, but it still pitched rather wrecklessly to and fro.  Chris’ seasickness worsened, and for some reason I continued to be immune to the restless sea.

Once on the main boat, we got kitted up with our gear.  I was surprised that everything fit perfectly even though we hadn’t tried anything on ahead of time and the equipment was of very good quality.  Even though there was a large group of divers on board, we were organized into small groups of four to a dive master.  We did two dives at Koh Bon each of which had a lot of current that prevented us from fully exploring the site.  We didn’t see the infamous manta rays that frequent this area nor did we see any sharks.  But there were lots of beautiful coral and smaller fish to keep us entertained.  Our final dive of the day was at Hin Yao on Island #8.  Again we faced tremendous current that formed a wall around us, limiting where we could go.  In the fading afternoon light, we didn’t see anything remarkable on that dive.

Day and night, there was no respite from the heaving and  pitching of the boat.  Even within the protection of the bay, we were tossed around a lot. In between dives, I found refuge on the top deck where I lay on a mat, with my eyes closed, rocking side to side with the rhythm of the boat. Remarkably, I didn’t feel any seasickness during the entire time on board.  Chris was mildly seasick, but nothing that hampered his fun.  As a precaution, we both took gravol before going to bed and slept like babies all through the night.

The food on board was typical Thai food, cooked to perfection.  We ate well for every meal and snack in between dives.  There were three bathrooms with showers on board, sufficient for the size of the group.  Our room was very tiny, with two sets of bunk beds.  I can’t imagine four people sharing the room, we found it squishy for just the two of us.  But the beds were comfortable, the linensclean and cozy.

On the second day, we dove at Beacon Reef  (Island #8), Christmas Point (Island #9) and Breakfast Bend (Island #8).  Chris considered Christmas Point to be one of his most favourite dive sites of all time.  The site was comprised of huge rocks covered in colorful coral.  Large schools of fish were everywhere.  Sunlight filtered through the water casting beautiful light on the rocks.  It was a very unusual site and simply stunning in its natural beauty.

All too quickly our tour was over and we were whisked back to shore by speed boat.  This was the first time I really enjoyed diving and  I think it was because I was feeling so well.  What a difference it makes when you aren’t throwing up, or dealing with a throbbing headache.

Scorpion Fish – well camouflaged amidst the rocks!

Lots of clown fish (Little Nemo) clean themselves amongst the anemone.

Sunrise at the Similan Islands.

Two days later, we travelled by bus from Khao Lak to Khuraburi where we launched our second diving excursion – 2 days / 1 night at the Surin Islands, with Blue Guru Diving.  This time we would sleep in a bungalow on one of the islands rather than on board.  Little did we know how thankful we would be for that arrangement.  I was in really good spirits for this trip after such an enjoyable and successful diving trip earlier in the week.  Such enthusiasm was short-lived.

Right from the start, things seemed to go wrong on this trip.  From the low tide that delayed us almost an hour when some debris got tangled in the propellor, to the violent seas that wreaked havoc on board.  There were several near misses when the hot water container came crashing down just inches from one of the dive master’s head, Chris was thrown from his seat on a large cooler as both Chris and the cooler were pitched across the deck when one wave hit particularly hard.  During our first briefing, I was literally knocked to the ground when the boat jerked wildly in the pitching sea.  I was okay all the way out to the dive site, keeping my eyes focused on the distant horizon, and almost willing my stomach into submission.  But everything changed when we stopped at Richelieu Rocks, our first dive site.

As we got kitted up at the back of the boat, it was hard to maintain your balance, the seas were so rough and turbulent.  We were all stumbling around trying to get our gear on.  All of a sudden I broke out in a sweat, overcome with a powerful wave of nausea.  I knew as soon as we got underwater, it would be better, I just had to keep it together for a little while longer.  But it was taking everyone a while to get themselves organized – it was the first dive of the day, with unfamiliar equipment, and under strenuous conditions.  To make matters worse, we had to swim to a buoy where we would descend following a line because the current was strong at this site.  I must admit I was a little fearful about jumping into such large waves – I’ve never seen such waves before – and then having to swim against surge and waves and current.  But there was no turning back, in I jumped, and just focused on getting myself to the buoy which was actually a lot easier than expected.  But once at the buoy, we again had to wait for everyone to get there before descending. My stomach was turning violently as the waves crashed over me and tossed me around mercilessly,  I hung onto that rope like my life depended on it.

Finally we descended and I felt almost immediate relief as the waters calmed down around me.  But my stomach didn’t settle and within minutes I started to vomit into my regulator, and vomit, and vomit.  We had just started the dive and I didn’t want to ruin it for everybody by ending it prematurely, so I just coped the best I could, clearing my reg every now and then.  To add to my discomfort, we faced very strong current to the point that we were pinned against the rock, unable to go around at either end because of the fierce current.  So we simply went back and forth at different depths exploring the one side of the rock.  At one time, I’m sure this experience would have totally freaked me out….I was amazed at how calm I was and how I handled all these obstacles during that dive.   I was relieved when the dive was over, but reluctant to ascend to the stormy waters above.

Sure enough, as soon as I got on board, I continued to vomit. To my surprise, Chris was vomiting when he got on board too.  What a pair we were, lying on the benches, with a garbage bin between us.  No one else was suffering like us, but the dive masters acknowledged these were the worst seas of the season.  We were rendered immobile for a few hours and had to forfeit the next dive which was also at Richelieu Rocks.  Turns out that dive had no current and was the best dive of the day.  Figures.  By the end of the day, we headed to Pad Haad just off the coast of the Surin Islands for our last dive.   By then, the seas had calmed down and we were feeling well enough to dive again.  We enjoyed a very relaxing dive with very little current along a beautiful coral reef.

Chris and I were so glad we were staying on shore that night in a very comfortable wooden bungalow with private bath, but no hot water.  Food was served in a large dining area.  We were starving at this point as we had both missed lunch and hadn’t eaten since breakfast many hours earlier.  The food was adequate, but nothing really great.  It was an early night for us as we were both exhausted.

We opted to pay a little more to stay in a bungalow, rather than a tent.  A wise decision!

The next day gave us grey skies but calm seas, such a difference from the day before.  After one dive off the coast of the Surin Island, we went back to Richelieu Rocks where we enjoyed two beautiful dives in calm waters with very little current.  We couldn’t believe this was the same site where we had been incapacitated just 24 hours earlier.  Aside from the the few hours of severe seasickness, we ended up having a great time doing the rest of our dives.  Richelieu Rock is truly a spectacular dive site with the most beautiful soft purple coral imaginable.

When I think back to the difficulties I faced getting my open water certification before the start of our trip – the two rounds of  swimming lessons I took in advance to help me overcome my fear of and anxiety in the water, the failure on my first attempt at the course, the difficulties I had mastering some of the basic skills – I find it hard to believe that I have completed 33 dives at some of the most amazing dive sites in the world.   Even after I was certified, it took a lot of persistence and determination to conquer my fears, to control my anxiety and to cope with the physical discomforts that plagued me in the sea.  I feel particularly proud of this accomplishment and while I know I will never be more than a recreational diver, I am confident that there are many more dives ahead of me in the years to come.

Note:  We did not have an underwater camera during these diving excursions.  The underwater photos in this post were generously provided by fellow divers.  Thanks!

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The best and the worst beaches in Thailand

February 6, 2013 South-east Asia Thailand Travel Tips

After three weeks travelling along the south west coast of Thailand, we have been dazzled by endless days of sunshine, miles upon miles of golden beaches and warm aquamarine water. We started in Koh Lanta and worked our way north, visiting enough beaches along the way to form our opinion of which ones we liked the best and which we thought were the worst.

We know our friends and family back home in Canada are suffering through a fierce winter this year with temperatures often below -20C and with plenty of snow to contend with as well so we’ll try not to go on too much about how idyllic conditions have been for us. Besides, it hasn’t all been a bed of roses during these past three weeks. Immediately upon arrival in Koh Lanta, I came down with a cold which in itself wasn’t too bad, but coupled with a pinched nerve in my neck that was triggered a week previously in Chiang Mai, I was not in very good shape during our first week on the coast. All I could do was relax, read, and take it easy. I know, I know, it’s a tough life we’re living right now.

By the time we had reached Phuket, I was feeling much better, but we were both quickly sidelined again with a horrific sunburn after lying on the beach under an umbrella for just a few hours. It was so bad, we couldn’t venture outdoors for a couple of days. Almost two weeks later we’re still peeling like snakes. Oh well, more relaxing and reading as we let our bodies heal.

These minor setbacks meant pushing out our diving so we ended up spending three weeks on the coast instead of two – I’m sure I’ve solicited all our reader’s sympathies by now. This past week, we spent 4 days diving split evenly between the Similan and Surin Islands. I’ll write about that separately.

In Thailand, there is a beach for every taste – from the noisy and crowded that cater to the party set, to the remote and quiet getaways that are havens for nature lovers. We prefer the isolated beaches away from the crowds where you can walk for miles along the shoreline. So keep that in mind as I share with you the best and worst beaches we visited in Thailand.

Our Favourite Beaches:

Khao Lak South Beach:

Poseidon Bungalows, located about 5 km south of Khao Lak, came highly recommended by a couple we met in our guest house in Chiang Mai. These rustic bungalows are situated amidst a jungle like setting, on a hill overlooking the Andaman Sea; miles of beautiful, uncrowded beach was just a few moments walk from our doorstep. There are no other resorts nearby.  At night, the sound of the surf lulled us to sleep. In total we spent four nights at the bungalows, two nights on each end of a diving trip to the Similan Islands.

These affordable bungalows offered basic but adequate accommodation, each with private bath.Each cabin had a cottagey feel and were anything but luxurious.  They didn’t have air conditioning, or wi-fi, or TV, or anything else for that matter.   I certainly wouldn’t go so far as to call this place a resort as they did not offer much in terms of amenities.  Other than an onsite restaurant where you could get wifi, and an office that arranged local tours, there wasn’t much else on offer.  If you wanted a beach chair, you could rent one from a handful of enterprising Thais who set up shop along the beach, offering beach chairs, umbrellas, food and drink and massages of course  – everything you needed for an enjoyable day at the beach.   If you like privacy, seclusion, peace and quiet surrounded by nature, then this is the place for you.

Massage anybody?

The beach stretched out for miles in both directions and was quite deserted. At the opposite end of the beach, there was a cluster of more luxurious resorts, one of which served up a delicious buffet breakfast.  What better way to start each morning than with a lovely stroll along the beach followed by a sumptuous meal that held us till late in the day.

Banana Beach, Phuket

Phuket is probably the most visited island in Thailand hosting millions of visitors each year so we felt we should at least spend a few days here even though we knew it would be touristy and busy especially given that we are in high season. Sure enough, the beaches of Phuket were ridiculously crowded and overrun with mainly Russian tourists who are so common here that many business signs and menus are written in that language!

We hired a scooter for a couple of days to explore the many beaches along the coast of this island and we were delighted to discover Banana Beach, a tiny little bay that was accessible from a steep pathway from the highway. It was located just south of Naithon Beach which was another beautiful beach we enjoyed. In fact, most of the beaches north of Surin were lovely, long stretches of undeveloped sandy shoreline that reminded us what the southern beaches of Phuket probably looked like 20 or 30 years ago.

Banana Beach is about as close as you’ll get to a hidden beach in Phuket – I doubt it’s on a map, and we didn’t find any mention of it on the internet either, so hopefully it will remain a hidden gem for others to discover like we did. If you’re planning to go, take the coastal road north towards Naithon Beach. You’ll see a handmade sign and a dozen or so scooters parked along the left side of the road just a couple of kilometers before Naithon Beach. There’s a fairly steep path down to the beach so if you have mobility issues, you’ll probably want to avoid this beach.

Long Beach, Koh Lanta

It took us 22 hours to travel from Chiang Mai to Koh Lanta via overnight bus to Bangkok, a flight from Bangkok to Trang, a mini bus to the pier, and then a 2.5 hour ferry to Koh Lanta. A long journey that was well worth the hassle to land in paradise.

Koh Lanta is a quiet, laid back island that attracts an older crowd who prefer to walk along the beach and watch sunsets rather than to party, just our style.

Again we stayed at a place recommended by our friends Sue and Andy who we met and hung out with in Chaing Mai. They are seasoned travellers on a 6 month trip in South East Asia. Sue is very thorough in her research and was happy to share with us the details of where they have stayed and places they have visited thus far in their adventure. Based on their recommendation, we stayed at Freedom Estate, a set of 6 bungalows on the hillside overlooking the Andaman Sea. The beach and a small village were just a five minute walk away. Each unit is a self contained studio-size apartment, with a balcony from which we enjoyed spectacular sunsets each night. At just under 1400 Baht per night, it was a bargain compared to the resort on the beach which was charging 5,000 Baht per night. Sure, we weren’t right on the beach, but we had the million dollar view and easy access to the beach.

Every night we were treated to a beautiful sunset over the Andaman Sea.

View from our balcony at night – we puzzled over those green lights in the distance until
someone explained they were fishing boats. 

Breakfast in Koh Lanta.

The island is small enough to explore by scooter in a day. It was sobering to see all the Tsunami warning and evacuation route signs that have been posted in low lying regions, sombre reminders of the tragedy that occurred here in 2004 when a tsunami hit this coast.

This is how gasoline is sold on the islands – in litre sized
bottles for 40-50 Baht each.

A rubber tree being tapped.  Rubber tree plantations grew
in abundance along the coastal regions.   It’s hard to believe
that much of the world’s rubber is harvested manually. 

The worst beaches

As for our least favourite beaches, Patong takes the prize because it was so overcrowded with tourists and very much a party town. The entire length of the beach is lined with multiple rows of beach chairs, sometimes up to nine rows thick. We spent three days in a small, comfortable and spotlessly clean guest house in Patong called Minotel. It was well situated just a few blocks from the beach.  The town of Patong was much larger than we expected, and noisier, smellier and dirtier too.


Patong Beach in the early morning before the crowds.

Kamala Beach, located between Patong and Surin beaches.

It didn’t take us long to decide this was not the place for us, so we headed just a few kilometres north to Surin beach, a much smaller and quieter beach town still on the island of Phuket.  We stayed at a place called “Be My Guest” hotel, a rather modern building tucked away on a side street about a 10 minute walk from the beach.  We loved it – the high ceilings, floor to ceiling windows, high end finishes and the most comfortable bed we have had in Thailand – all for a bargain price of 1,000 Baht per night.   Just down the street, we discovered another little gem – a restaurant called “Flavours” .  Here we enjoyed delicious breakfasts each morning and we had one fabulous seafood dinner, cooked to perfection.

The most comfortable bed in Thailand was at Be My Guest Hotel.

Laundry service on the beach, right next to the massage service.

Our final destination was a little town called Khuraburi whose fishing port serves as a popular launch for diving excursions to the Surin Islands.  From here, it’s about two hours north to Ranong, another popular diving centre. I look forward to exploring this area more fully when we return to Thailand in the future.

Travel Tips:

  1. If you prefer quiet, secluded beaches, avoid Phuket and Phi Phi at all costs. In fact, most of the beaches in the south are very crowded and noisy and quite overrun with Russian tourists. It seems the further north you go, beyond Khao Lak, the quieter and less touristy it gets. And it’s cheaper too!
  2. If you’re island hopping, avoid the public ferry, especially between Koh Lanta and Phuket.  The ferry from Koh Lanta to Phi Phi was quite comfortable, but the one from Phi Phi to Phuket was an accident just waiting to happen.  Slow, dirty and terribly overcrowded, we were lucky to find a corner of a box to sit on for the 2 hour voyage.  We really wished we had opted for one of the high speed boats that are readily available and don’t cost all that much more.
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Cooking up a storm, Thai style

January 14, 2013 South-east Asia Thailand

Massages, custom-tailored suits, night markets, elephant camps, temple sightseeing and Thai cooking classes sums up the itinerary of most visitors when they come to Chiang Mai, and I must admit that we were no exception.  One Thai massage was more than enough for both of us; it took days for us to recover from the after effects of being pummelled and kneaded and bent in ways our bodies had never experienced before.  Chris splurged on a couple of tailored suits and custom shirts while I decided to forego the experience for myself.

At the regular night market, open every evening of the week, you can find everything imaginable, including lots of delicious street food.  As you know, we’re not doing much shopping on this trip, but I must admit I have been collecting badges of flags of the countries we have visited and have sewn these onto our large packs.  It makes for a great conversation starter and makes our bags easily recognizable which is a good thing from a security perspective.  I was thrilled to find a lady selling flags from most countries and stocked up on all the countries we were missing.

Our favourite night market has been the Sunday night market, which attracts both locals and tourists.  You need to get there early because by 9:00, you can barely move along the street that has been closed to traffic so that vendors can fill the sidewalks with their wares.  The best part of this market is the street food.  Contrary to our usual cautious approach to food, we made a point of trying different foods each week, and we’ve enjoyed most of what we’ve sampled.  Prices are ridiculously cheap, ranging from 60 cents for a snack to a buck or two for a full meal.

Speaking of food, after spending almost a month eating Thai cuisine, we thought we should learn how to cook it ourselves and so we spent a day at a farm about a half hour outside of the city, cooking up an array of dishes in the company of 10 other tourists and under the careful direction of Huey, our talented and patient instructor.  We each prepared five dishes: a main dish, an appetizer, a curry, a soup and a dessert.

Of course, we ate everything we cooked.  The class was very hands on, and was a great way to learn about Thai seasonings, cooking techniques and other unique ingredients that we had never seen before.  My favourite dish was a chicken panang curry, which quite frankly, was the best panang curry I have ever eaten.  The other dishes were made with varied success, some better than others.

Chris and I look forward to practising our new culinary skills on our friends and family when we return to Canada in the springtime.  But for now, we’ve got more exploring to do.  Today marks the end of our sojourn in Chiang Mai; we’re heading south tonight by overnight bus to Bangkok where we’ll catch a flight, bus and ferry to Koh Lanta, an island off the west coast of Thailand.  We plan to island hop over the next few weeks, making our way back to Bangkok by the end of the month.

With our return date to Canada looming in the not so distant future, we’re planning to get a few more countries in under our belt.  Coming up, we plan to visit Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos and if we can squeeze it in, Myanmar (Burma).  I may even get to India if I’m lucky.  So don’t give up on us now, we’ve got more adventures ahead to share with you.

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Banned by Adsense

January 14, 2013 South-east Asia Thailand

I don’t know where we went wrong, but we have been banned for life from using Adsense ads!  As you know, last month we initiated an experiment with advertising on this site to see if it was possible to earn income from a travel blog.  We incorporated Adsense ads as well as Affiliate ads into our site.

The application and approval process used by Adsense is particularly rigorous.  I guess they need to make sure the sites that host the ads of their paying advertisers will comply with their equally stringent rules and policies.  After getting approved, it then took some effort to incorporate the ads into our site, although, admittedly, this was quite easily achieved through the use of a very user-friendly plug-in for WordPress.

We spent the month of December monitoring our Adsense account, watching our earnings grow almost daily.  Daily earnings ranged between a few cents at the low end and a little over a dollar on a good day.  We had no idea how this compared to the average site, although these numbers were much higher than we expected.  By the end of the month, we had earned a whopping $28.82. This got us thinking about the possibilities of setting up multiple sites on niche subjects that we could write about.  It seemed a simple matter of economies of scale, the more sites we hosted, the higher our earnings.  Could we be onto something here?  Or was this too good to be true?  You know what they say…….

Concurrent with our Adsense ads, we set up a few affiliate ads for companies that we have personally done business with and would recommend them to our friends, namely: iPage our website hosting provider, World Nomads our travel insurance provider, and CheapoAir where we get the best prices on airfare.  The pricing model for affiliate ads is quite different from Adsense where you get paid based on users clicking on your ads.  With affiliate ads, you get paid a percentage or flat fee when someone makes a purchase through the link on your site.  Our one month of affiliate ads yielded a big fat zero in earnings.

As we prepared to settle down in Chiang Mai for a while, our creative juices were flowing  as visions of dollar signs danced in our heads.  We spent time researching ideas and playing with the technology.  Our enthusiasm ebbed and flowed as we got excited with each new idea, only to be crushed when we poked holes into it or realized it had already been done before.  While we were doing all of this work – and it really did feel like work, at least from what we remember work feels like – I met Monique, the lady with the non-profit Association who I mentioned in an earlier post, for whom I offered to create a website.  My efforts at finding a money-making venture were put on hold, as this altruistic project consumed far more time than I had planned.

Suddenly, out of the blue, we received an email from Google Adsense, telling us that our ad account was permanently disabled because we were in violation of their policies.  No explanation.  All appeals for an explanation, for more information, for some direction on how to correct our mysterious violations, were flatly refused now that  we were allegedly guilty of invalid click activity.  Not to mention any names, but we strongly suspect some of our readers may have been a little over-zealous in helping our coffee fund.  Obviously, Big Brother is watching!

To add insult to injury, we can’t even get paid our measly $28.82 because they locked us out of our account before we received our PIN number which we needed for security reasons.  They really aren’t kidding when they say we are banned from their program.  In reality, our Adsense earnings for the month was another big fat zero.  Good thing we didn’t quit our day jobs…..wait a minute, we did quit our day jobs….guess that’s why we’re heading home in April.  

Thanks guys.

 

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The temples of Chiang Mai

January 14, 2013 South-east Asia Thailand

Chiang Mai is home to over 300 Buddhist temples designed in a mixture of architectural styles that reflect the varied heritage of Northern Thailand.  Each temple is extravagently decorated with intricate woodcarvings, serpent staircases, gold trim, glass and mirror mosaic, elephants, gilded umbrellas, and buddhas in all shapes, sizes and materials.  Unlike the temples in Bangkok which are rarely more than 200 years old, many of the temples in Chiang Mai date back to the founding of the city itself, over 700 years ago.  

Outside the city, temples flank the hillsides like shiny beacons of light, including one of the most important temples in the area, Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep.  Located about 20 km west of the city, this pilgrimage temple is also a popular tourist attraction.  According to legend, a Buddha relic magically replicated itself just before it was about to be enshrined in the big chedi at Wat Suan Dok. The “cloned” relic was placed on the back of a sacred white elephant, which was allowed to roam whereever it wanted. The elephant eventually climbed to the top of Suthep Mountain, trumpeted three times, turned around three times, knelt down and died. This was taken as a sign that this was the spot where the relic wanted to be, so King Ku Na built the original of the chedi on Doi Suthep at the end of 14th century.  

We visited this temple with a couple, Andy and Sue from the UK, who we met at our guest house. They invited us to join them on a day trip up the mountain and we were happy to tag along.  Leading the way on their motorbike, we putt putted behind them on our rented scooter, up the winding road to the top of the mountain where the temple was located.  Once we got the hang of it, navigating the turns turned into a lot of fun and I felt the carefree, exhilaration that motorcycle enthusiasts rave about.  

The temple sat at the top of almost 400 steps which were flanked by two green dragons that extend along the full length of the staircase.  It is said that every Thai must visit this temple at least once in their lifetime which may explain why there were so many locals and monks praying and making offerings.  The temple was beautiful, but I was a little put off by the crowds of tourists which gave the site a Disney-like appearance. 

On the way to Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep,  our new friends
Sue and Andy pose with a view of Chiang Mai in the background.

The White Temple was our first stop on our way to Chiang Rai during a day trip in a rented car accompanied by Monique, our friend from our guest house, and Momo, a young man from Taiwan who we met a couple of days earlier in our Thai cooking class.  This temple was perhaps the most unusual temple we have seen thus far.  Parts of it were downright weird, like the sculpted heads hanging from the tree branches. It was beyond me what these represented.

It is a contemporary, unconventional Buddhist temple that is still a work in progress. The architect who began this project in 1996 asserts he doesn’t expect it to be completed until 90 years after his death.  True to its name, all the buildings in the temple complex are white, sparkling with mirrored mosaic tiles that are embedded in intricate patterns covering every square inch of surface.  In contrast, the building housing the toilets was made of gold.  I’m not sure if there was any significance to that.

 

There were plenty of other temples on the way to Chiang Rai, but it was impossible to stop for each one of them.  Our final destination on that trip was the Golden Triangle, where three countries – Thailand, Myanmar (Burma) and Laos – intersect at the confluence of the Mekong and Ruak Rivers.  Today this destination is popular amongst tourists, especially those needing to exit the country to renew their Thai visa (known as a “visa run”), but in the past, this area was the centre of one of the largest illicit opium growing regions in the world.

Monique at the entrance to a temple on the way to the Golden Triangle.

Posing with Momo, our young Taiwanese friend who we met
at the cooking class we attended. 

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