Thailand (December 28th 2016)

We crossed the Friendship Bridge from Laos into Thailand on Tuesday the 13th of December. We spent one night in the sleepy riverside town of Chiang Khong. From where we stayed we could look across the Mekong River and see where we had just spent the night before.

The next day we took a two and a half hour bus to Chaing Rai. All windows and both doors were wide open the whole way. The lady collecting the money tied our backpacks to one of the seats to keep them from bouncing out the door.  It was a hot and dusty ride as the driver stopped here and there picking up and dropping off people all along the way.

Chaing Rai is a nice small city in Northern Thailand. It has a relaxed atmosphere and is a great place to arrange excursions to more remote areas.

During our time there, we were able to Visit Wat Rong Khun, better known as the White Temple. It is surely one of the most unique temples in Thailand and probably one of the most bizarre pieces of architecture I have ever seen.

This modern creation was designed by artist Chalermchai Kositpipat in 1997. It blends traditional Buddhist imagery with modern art and pop culture. Although it has drawn criticism from some, it has become a major attraction in Northern Thailand.

The all-white building that represents Buddha's purity is incredibly detailed in its design. Once you enter the property you face a very unusal bridge. As you go over the bridge you see thousands of hands reaching out from the moat, which symbolize desire and envy. The way to happiness is by successfully crossing the bridge and foregoing temptation and greed. I am pleased to report we sucessfully crossed without incident and entered the main temple.

Here is where the real fun begins. Inside there are murals depicting characters like Superman, Michael Jackson and Harry Potter. One painting shows a plane hitting the Twin Towers as Spiderman and an Angry Bird look on. 

There are many interpretations as to what it all means. One theory is, people should give up unnecessary fantasies and desires and turn to the path of purification and enlightenment. Others believe it is the artist's way of showing how Buddhism recognizes and accepts everything regardless of what or who it is and this includes characters like Elvis Presley and Kung fu Panda.

Seeing walls with peaceful Buddhist imagery along with images of nuclear warfare and oil pumps was certainly bizarre to say the least. Here we were faced with everything from calm, peaceful pictures and silly cartoons, to horrible images depicting the destructive impact humans have had on earth.  

Maybe the message is to not spend too long focused on the bad when there is also so much beauty and fun in the world. I think Kung Fu Panda would agree with me.

We also visited a hill tribe refugee camp. Due to years of civil war and unrest in Myanmar there are actually many refugees in Thailand. Although it is good they have been allowed to stay in Thailand, they are unfortunately living a very restricted life. They are prevented from obtaining Thai citizenship, despite the fact that many have now been born in Thailand.

These lack of opportunities have confined some groups to small villages or camps separate from most of modern Thailand. Residents live in bamboo houses as they are not allowed to use permanent building materials. Many of them survive on traditional farming methods and selling handmade crafts to tourists.

The group we visited was the Karen. The Karen women are easily recognized for the brass rings worn around their necks. It is believed these rings were originally worn for protection against tiger bites to the neck. As time went by they became more about beauty, decoration and tradition. 

These rings give them the apperance of having very long necks and over time the rings do depress the collar bones. Once they start wearing the rings, they generally stay on for life, as the number of rings increase. If the rings do need to be removed for medical reasons, they have to be cut with a special machine.  Normally this isn't done because over the years their neck muscles weaken to a point they are actually needed to support the head.

As you can imagine, there are different opinions on the ethical issue of visiting a long neck hill tribe. On the one hand, this activity could be considered exploitive and human zoo like.  On the other hand, there is no doubt these people do benefit by the income that is generated from the sale of their hand made crafts and it is wonderful that they have been able to live in a safe environment and keep some of their traditions alive.

Today many of the young Karen women are breaking with this tradition. It is a struggle to balance the old world with the new, especially when you are really stuck between both. It is estimated that the neck lengthening practice only has a few generations of life left. As for the future of these kind and gentle people it is really unknown.

We also spent time in Mai Sai, the most Northern point in Thailand with its main road leading to a bridge that crosses the Mae Nam Sai River and goes directly into Myanmar.

Very close to here is the Golden Triangle  where there is a famous overlook. From here in Thailand we could easly see Myanmar to the west and Laos to the east. 

Historically the Golden Triangle has been an area well-known for the growing of opium and it got its name in the 1970s because of the booming opium trade in the area. We spent some time in the Opium Museum and learned a little about the devastating impact opium trading has had on Southeast Asia.

After three nights in Chaing Rai it was time to move on again. On Saturday December 17th we took a four hour bus through the mountainous jungle to Chaing Mai.

Built over 700 years ago, the old city was once an entirely walled square surrounded by a moat. The moat still exists and within the old city there are many charming lanes that you can wander around. It is easy to get lost; however, if you walk long enough you will eventually come to a wall, a moat or a gate.

Chaing Mai has now expanded well outside the original walls and moat and has become Thailand's second largest city but it still only has a population of about 200,000 people.

The amazing thing about Chaing Mai is the fact there are over 300 Wats (Buddhist temples) and we spent our time here exploring as much as we could of the place that is known in Thailand as "the Rose of the North"

After four days of trying to squeeze in as much history and culture as possible we were ready for a rest. On December 21st we flew to Koh Samui and started our Christmas break.

After a little over a week here on Lamai Beach in Koh Samui I can most definitely say it has been a very relaxing break so far.......

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Laos (December 13th 2016)

We arrived in Luang Prabang, Laos, on Monday December 5th and spent six days in this interesting little place. On Wednesday we set our alarm for 5 am in order to get up and watch Tak Bat take place. Tak Bat happens here every day at dawn when Monks slowly parade barefoot through the streets and people place balls of sticky rice in their bowls.

It is a quaint, peaceful ceremony and one that is really worth experiencing. Monks demonstrate their vows of humility and residents take part in the act of respectful generosity.

After Tak Bat  that morning we climbed Phu Si Mountain which is in the centre of the old town. It was a nice little climb and from the summit we were rewarded with a great view of the area.

In the afternoon we visited Wat Xiang Thong which is known as Luang Prabang's most famous monastery. The most memorable aspect of this temple for me was the very detailed glass mosaic depicting local village life.

By this time we were pretty well done for the day and were more than ready for Utopia. Utopia is a backpacker hangout we had read about in Lonely Planet. It is located right next to the Nam Khan River and is decked out with recliner cushions, low tables and a sea of candles after the sun sets. It is the type of place that is hard to leave; however, after a few hours we finally did.

On Thursday, we visited the former Lao Royal Palace which is now a museum. It was built in 1904 and was the residence of King Sisavang Vong and his family. The palace contained various treasures and gifts from foreign countries including a very simple looking dinner plate from the Canadian government.

Many of the rooms have been preserved much as they were when the royal family was removed. It was interesting to see how this family lived and it sparked some interest in me about what eventually happened to them. What I learned did not have a happy ending.

After the Kings death in 1959, his son Savang Vatthana ruled until his forced abdication in 1975, when the new regime took power. This ended 650 years of Lao Monarchy.

At that time the Royal family was sent to a work camp where they were forced into hard labour. Little is known about what happened to the former King; however, it is believed by many that he died sometime between 1979 and 1984, most likely of malaria.

On Friday, we took a day trip to Tat Kuang Si. This park contains walking trails, beautiful tiered waterfalls and aqua blue pools.

After a little hike up the hill it felt great to cool off by taking a dip under the falls.

On Saturday, we took a small boat accross the Mekong River. From one of our riverside hangouts we had noticed boats going back and forth and thought we'd give the 60 cent trip a try. Once the long narrow boat was full we were off to Muang Chomphet which had a very different village atmosphere. 

In this small dirt road area we still saw the scattered tourist; however, we were mostly among locals here as we wandered around small raised huts and tiny wooden Wats.

On Sunday December 11th we Left Luang Prabang at about 7:30 am. We had decided on the Shompoo Cruise company to take us up the Mekong River to Huay Sai.

We chose them because they offered a mid range price alternative to both the expensive luxury cruise companies and the dirt cheap, notoriously uncomfortable slow boats that do the run. It turned out we made the right choice and really enjoyed a couple of very comfortable, relaxing days on the river.

The Mekong River is the lifeblood of Southeast Asia. It flows through six countries: China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

For two days we sat back and watched it all go by as we passed traditional villages, experienced glorious sunsets, and learned a little about activities and life along this amazing river.

Along the way we stopped at a Buddhist temple called Pak Ou which is actually located in a cave. Although the cave temple was interesting, meeting a foot long centipede on the path was likely more memorable for us. Considering his apearance and size we opted to give him some space.

We also visited a Khmu village. The Khmu are an ethnic minority in Laos. They are recognized as the original inhabitants of Laos and they have, for the most part, maintained their traditional cashless lifestyle. They survive on subsistence agriculture supplemented by hunting and fishing.

The Khmu believe in animism, the idea that objects such as the home and nature, have spirits.  The absence of a written language has resulted in  a very rich oral language. The Khmu are well known for their tales and stories.

The village we visted was located in the jungle, a short climb up a hill from the river. The houses were made from bamboo with thatched roofs where grandparents, parents, and children all live together.

We spent one night in the small riverside village of Pak Baeng and then continued on to Huay Sai where we spent one last night on the Lao side of the border.

Although we were glad to move on to Thailand, we were certainly in no rush to leave Laos. During our time here we were continously amazed by the kindness of the people and low cost of almost everything.

We were easily able to find comfortable accommodations for about $20.00 per night and all you can eat buffets on the street for less than $2.00.

Laos is one of the least developed countries in South East Asia, with more than 75% of its people living on less than $2.00 a day; yet, the people seem content, are incredibly friendly and always seem to be smiling.

I read somewhere this laid back Lao-ness is defined by their Buddhists' beliefs. They believe that too much work is bad for your health and too much thinking is bad for your brain. I'm not sure if the people really believe this or not but without much in material wealth they certainly seem to have something that keeps them smiling.

Hong Kong (December 5th 2016)

On December 2nd at 11am we took a 3 hour bullet train from Guilin to Shenzhen in Southern China. From the train station we transferred to the Metro and 26 stops later we arrived at Shekou Port. The ferry terminal had just recently moved and there was a shuttle in place to carry people, like us, who didn't know this, to the new ferry terminal. Here we cleared Chinese Immigration and took a ferry to Hong Kong Island.

Having not yet had a chance to change money we used an ATM which gave us the equivalent to two one hundred dollar bills.  Once at the Star Ferry Pier we realized we needed coins to use the machine to buy the 50 cent tokens to ride across to Kowloon. With nowhere to change money we asked a security guard what we should do.  A kind woman overheard the conversation and gave us the coins we needed. Just another example of how good people aren't hard to find. We were then on our way across Victoria Harbour and on to Nathan Road.

Here we made our way to the world famous backpacker mecca Chung King Mansions.

 It had been 20 years, and was before the British handover, since I stayed in this crumbling old building with its mini budget rooms. It was interesting to go back to the same old place.  Except for replacing the old cage elevators nothing else had really changed that much.

Hong Kong is a huge multicultural city. It is full of energy, very crowded and the lights are dazzling. It's a place, where whole buildings are made up of lights, video screens and changing pictures. A great place to take it all in is from the legendary Star Ferry that we rode back and forth across Victoria Harbour.

We spent one day walking around Hong Kong Island. Here we endured the crowds and welcomed the nice warm weather. It was interesting to see all the Christimas decorations and hear the music. There was no sign of Christmas traveling through mainland China at all.

Years ago, when I came here, I remember being  eager to eat non Korean food. It was funny how this time our first two evening meals were Korean and restaurants were my suggestion.

On Sunday December 4th we spent the day in the former Portuguese colony of Macau. Being only about an hour ferry ride from Hong Kong we figured it would make a good day trip. It definitely had a different feel about it. Here we took a walk past the ruins of St. Paul and stopped to listen to a Filipino choir sing Christmas carols in Senado Plaza.

Later we walked down Rua da Falicidade where scenes from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom were shot. As we walked along humming the Indi tune we looked up at the shuttered terraces and imagined Dr. Jones flying through the window.

As we made our way back we passed a number of massive Las Vegas style casinos. We spent long enough to use the washroom facilities in one before continuing on to the port to take our boat back to Hong Kong.

Guilin China (December 1st 2016)

We arrived in Guilin at about 6:00 pm and it felt as though we had somehow just arrived on another planet, a more modern planet at that.

Guilin is known as a very international city. It is China's pride and joy for welcoming dignitaries and other foreign visitors. Although I really enjoyed traveling though some of those other places in China, at this stage of the game I felt ready for Guilin.

The hostel was very nice. English was widely spoken and they had a menu that included western food. We were even able to access Facebook through some elaborate unblocking system that they had in place.

We spent three nights in Guilin and that gave us enough time to poke around the city and take a day excursion along the Li River.

We took an hour and a half cruise down the river and just sat back and took in the sights.

China is so proud of this area that it is featured on the 20 Yuan bill and it was mostly Chinese tourists who were around us.

The whole area is incredibly beautiful and it is easy to understand why the Chinese are so proud of it. The city is surrounded in pointy little mountains and apparently, according to Chinese textbooks, Guilin's landscape is the best under Heaven.

After a few days here it was time to move on again. Next stop, Hong Kong as the journey continues.