FootLoose in Asia

The end of the ADVENTURE

fancyfree — Wed, 16 May 2007 12:48:00 GMT

The Adventure Ends – 15 to 16 May, 2007

We left Manila on time and headed for Shanghai, China for a quick stop where we didn’t have to leave our seats on the plane. We then took off for the long flight to Frankfurt. While tiring, it was uneventful until we arrived in Frankfurt and while passing from one gate to another we were stopped at a security check and told the duty free wine we purchased in Manila could not be taken on board in the EU. We also had a jar of Asian jam we didn’t want to part with, and as we had 5 hours to kill before our next flight we decided to clear German immigration and customs to get to the airline check-in desks so we could check one of our carryon bags with the banned items in them. By doing this we were able to officially add one more country to our trip tally, even if it was for only about 30 minutes outside the security area.

After the five hour layover in the Lufthansa lounge we made our way to the gate for the final leg of our adventure. The remainder of the trip went as scheduled and we arrived at Dulles pretty much on time. The only delay was in retrieving our bags as a downpour began just as the shuttle bus pulled up to immigration, and the luggage ramps were closed for some length of time so no baggage was arriving. It must be a union rule the baggage handlers can’t get wet because we are sure they are not worried about the luggage.

Once we finally retrieved our bags and cleared customs, G&L were waiting for us and we started what should be a short ride home. It was soon evident we were back in Loudoun County in the peak of rush hour, but it was good to be home.

No paper is complete without an editorial, so look for a summary of our thoughts on each country we visited in the not too distant future. We are way behind on posting the journals and pictures of the Philippines, but have made a resolution to get this done over the next few days. Our main hang up is we no longer have an internet connection and being in the boondocks are having a bit of a problem getting a new ISP. We will get there however. Thank goodness we have such wonderful friends, not only did they look after our house while gone, even cutting what became a forest of grass, but are now our soul source for an internet connection.

Next stop South America

Last return to Manila

fancyfree — Tue, 15 May 2007 12:45:00 GMT

Return to Manila, Philippines – 13 to 15 May, 2007

Fortunately the ride from Banaue to Manila was uneventful and we were able to snooze a bit on the bus. That was good as we didn’t arrive back into Manila until around 2:00 AM. We caught a Jeepney back to the hotel and checked in for the fourth and last time in Manila.

The next day was spent with some last minute souvenir shopping and beginning to sort out our bags for the trip home. It was election day and with all the violence that results with elections in the Philippines we decided to lay fairly low We were invited to our friends house for dinner and some more local culinary delights, so we spent a very enjoyable evening there with some good food and a couple of cold beers. Alcohol is not supposed to be sold on Election Day in the Philippines, but like most laws in Southeast Asia, they are perceived as only “guidelines” so we were able to pick up a few cold San Miguel’s at a small local store.

After dinner we enjoyed one of the popular Asian pastimes, Karaoke. Our new friends provided the entertainment as neither of us could be forced, bribed, or embarrassed into singing. J said there was not enough beer in all of the Philippines to get him to sing! We returned to the hotel in the early morning hours and exhausted for the second late night in a row.

The next morning we were up early again to begin packing for our return. As we sorted our gear it quickly became obvious we would need another case to stash all the gifts we received as well as the souvenirs we purchased while in the Philippines. We made our final trip to the nearby mall where we had seen sales on luggage since we first arrived. We looked at a carry on size bag, but in the end decided on a full size bag. That was a good decision as when we packed the larger bag was full with all our recent acquisitions.

Our flight wasn’t until around 9:00 PM, so we requested a late checkout of 4:00 PM at the hotel. We then headed to the airport and waited about an hour for the airline desks to open as we were so early. The advantage of being early was that we were second in line at the desk, so once the staff arrived we were soon relieved of our luggage and headed for the departure gates.

Next stop HOME!.

Banaue, Philippines

fancyfree — Sun, 13 May 2007 12:40:00 GMT

Banaue, Philippines – 10 to 13 May, 2007 – Our final and scariest adventure.

When we arrived back at the bus terminal about a half hour before scheduled departure, our bus was no where in sight. We didn’t think it was a good sign when it still wasn’t there ten minutes before departure, but then it finally showed up about the time we were supposed to depart, and we soon boarded. The bus was an older bus and was worse for wear, but at least the air conditioning worked. We soon found it worked too well, and the vents had all lost their closing knobs so all you could do was try and point the air flow away from you and start putting on additional clothing. Fortunately we had brought long sleeve shirts and a jacket anticipating slightly cooler weather in the upper elevations of Banaue.

We were about a half hour late leaving, but were soon on the road fighting the city traffic of Manila. The bus ride was pretty uneventful, and we spent the time trying to keep warm and sleep. The seats were not conducive to sleeping as they had a single position somewhere between straight up and reclined, so it was a long night. The bus made two short pit stops along the way, and we arrived in Banaue about 7:30 AM the next morning. J didn’t notice the twists and turns in the road as he was sleeping but D was thinking “is this the road to Hanna”? We made the short walk from the bus stop to our hotel, and fortunately we only had to wait a few minutes for our room to be cleaned. We had a cup of coffee in the hotel restaurant and then checked in and planned our day.

After discussing options with the front desk, we decided to spend the day visiting some of the local rice terraces and sights. The next day, we decided we would hire a private Jeepney to take us to Sagada and Bontoc which were other points of interest in the general area. That done we left the hotel with the intention of hiking the 4 kilometers along the road up the hill to one of the overlooks of the rice terraces. We got a few hundred yards up the hill when we realized it was going to be a steeper and longer walk than we planned on. About that time a tricycle came by and offered a ride to the top for only 50 pesos, so we jumped on. Well actually we had to wait for the driver to pump up his tires first.

The view from the overlook was impressive. It boggles the mind how people still farm these steep terraces, let alone how they built them three thousand years ago. After marveling at the view and taking numerous pictures, we visited the local craft shops nearby, and began our trek down the hill. The walk was much easier going downhill. We did stop about three quarters of the way down at a local shop where we each bought a beer and sat on a bench at the front to wet our whistles.

We made our way back to the hotel just before the heavens opened, so we called it a day for touring and read up a bit on the sights we would be visiting the next day in our hired Jeepney. We had a good dinner at the hotel, and then it was an early night so we could have breakfast at 6:00 AM and get an early start for the ride to Sagada.

After an early breakfast the front desk called for our Jeepney driver about 6:45 AM. It turns out the drivers have a lottery drawing each morning to determine who will get the calls. There are 32 drivers and as it is a slow time there are not many calls for them. Paul was the lucky lottery winner for our trip, and he arrived at the hotel just a couple of minutes after the call. We both tried to fit in the front with Paul but after D had to straddle the gear stick we decided it wouldn’t work for such a long journey. We loaded our few things into the back of the Jeepney and headed out. Once again we had way more room than we needed for the two of us as the Jeepney could comfortably seat ten westerners, and a few more with a little compression.

Along the way to Sagada we would pass through Bontoc which is noted for rice terraces that feature stone walls unlike the earthen walls in Banaue. There is also a museum in Bontoc that features the history of some of the local tribes. We decided to head straight to Sagada without stopping in Bontoc as the rain came mostly in the afternoons and we wanted to see the Sagada sights in good weather. We started off, and after about 5 kilometers were on a bumpy gravel road complete with many ruts, washouts, and landslides from the recent rains. The next three hours was a butt bruising but very scenic ride through the mountains between Banaue and Sagada.

We stopped a few times for pictures at scenic overlooks and along rice terraces. We eventually arrived at Sagada and stopped in town to hire the required local guide to take us to the local sights. There is a standard fee for a group of up to ten visiting three sites, and the guide assignment is another lottery system to make it fair to all the guides. We chose two sites for our visit which consisted of the caves full of coffins, and the hanging coffins in Echo Valley. We decided to pass on one of the major attractions which is a very scenic cave that offers an option to swim in a pool inside. As we have seen the inside of many other caves and we didn’t want to get wet and dirty crawling inside, we thought we would give that one a miss.

While interesting, the fifteen or so minutes spent at each site was not worth the three hour Jeepney ride to get there. We arrived at the first cave after a short hike. The coffins are placed just inside the entrance to the cave so there is no real cave exploration involved. It is believed they should be placed just inside so the coffins are protected from the elements but at the same time exposed to the light. There are not many coffins left in the cave due to previous vandalism and a major earthquake in the 90’s that caused many of them to slip down into the depths of the cave. At least now the area is enclosed to prevent vandalism and can’t be entered without a guide. On the hike back to the Jeepney we were able to view another cave where the occupants were women who had died during childbirth.

From the caves, we hiked back to Echo Valley which is a long valley with limestone outcroppings where the “hanging coffins” are located. Like the caves, coffins are still placed there today, but the newer ones are not on the tourist trail. We learned that the coffins are placed in overhangs on the cliffs to protect them from the rain, and are mounted on the limestone before the inhabitants are placed in them. As we arrived at the valley our guide began making what sounded like a clucking sound. He soon made a grab and showed us a medium sized bug that is evidently attracted to the sound.

After our short tour of the Sagada sights, we boarded the Jeepney for an hour ride back to Bontoc where we wanted to visit the museum. The museum was very interesting and contained the history and some of the costumes, implements, weapons, and other items from the local tribes. There was also quite a bit of detail on the headhunters of the area who practiced their craft until the early 1900’s.

From the museum the plan was to begin our trek back over the mountains to Banaue. At mid-afternoon as we came to the outskirts of Bontoc to begin our assent, we were stopped by a Philippine National Police (PNP) officer who advised us the road was closed because of a battle between the police and the communist rebel group. It seems that within just a few minutes after we passed by in the morning, the rebels ambushed a police convoy who were returning from a mountain training exercise. When we asked the officer how long the road would be closed he said we should plan on spending the night in Bontoc as we might not be able to return to Banaue. That wasn’t good news as we had left some luggage in Banaue expecting to return for the night, but more importantly our passports were in a safety deposit box in the hotel.

The driver suggested we wait as the road may be opened soon because after an ambush the rebels tend to run back into the hills. Also, the only other route to Banaue was a 15 hour drive. D asked if we would have a police escort through the mountains if the road were opened, and the driver said that would be a bad idea as the rebels shoot at the police and military but tend to leave local travelers alone. After a half hour or so the officer waved to us that we could proceed. There were a number of vehicles waiting to go on, but much to D’s shock we were the first vehicle to start the accent.

It was obvious the driver was pushing the speed boundary on the road and we would make much better time on the way back than we had made on our first trip. As we drove we passed a number of police and army vehicles returning to Bontoc, but it wasn’t until we passed a number of heavily armed police and soldiers along the road that it really sunk in what had happened. We also passed a 6x6 truck along the roadside that had all tires flattened, the windshield shot out, and numerous bullet marks on the driver’s door and along the bed. We later learned that the communist rebels ambushed the convoy and that 3 police offices had been killed and 16 wounded in the battle. We never did learn what casualties the rebels experienced. As we passed the danger area and approached the top of the mountain pass, the heavens opened and we now had to worry about landslides blocking the road. This day was officially no longer fun.

Fortunately we made it back to Banaue without further incident (other than topping the radiator up and jiggling some wire under the bonnet to restart the engine) while it was still light. We said goodbye to Paul and after dropping our gear in the room we headed to the dining room as we hadn’t eaten since breakfast. As we entered we were greeted by one of the waiters who asked weren’t we the ones who had gone to Sagada and run into the rebels that day? How fast news travels!

The next day we were scheduled to catch the overnight bus back to Manila in the late afternoon. After the events of the previous day we decided to take it easy and just walk around the area near the hotel. We walked into town for some last minute souvenir shopping, and then made our way back to the hotel to spend the rest of the afternoon watching TV in the hotel lobby and reading the newspaper accounts of the previous day’s battle between the PNP and the rebels.

The bus was scheduled to leave at 5:00 PM, so we boarded early not wanting to miss our chance to get out of Dodge! It was a good thing we were early as the bus pulled out about five minutes before scheduled time. As there were only six of us on the bus, we spread out in a pair of seats each and laid back for the 9 hour ride back to Manila.

Next stop Manila.

Return to Manila

fancyfree — Thu, 10 May 2007 12:28:00 GMT

Return to Manila, Philippines – 7 to 10 May, 2007

With the decision to leave Bohol, we caught a car to Tagbilaran pier where the three ferry companies leave from for the short trip to Cebu City. All three are fast ferries and take about the same time, so we bought tickets for the first available ferry out. We arrived in Cebu City in mid afternoon, and had on-line reservations for a hotel. We only planned to spend the night there as we had previously seen the Cebu City sights and had a reservation for the ferry to Manila early the next morning. Our hotel was near one of the local malls, so we decided to walk there so D could look around for local products and we could have a quick dinner.

The next morning we were up early to get a taxi to the ferry terminal. Clearing the security and check-in process in Cebu was much easier than it had been on our trip from Manila to Cebu. In Manila there had been about four thousand people trying to get on two ships, while in Cebu there only seemed to be a couple of hundred people waiting for one ship. We didn’t have to wait long, and were soon called for boarding. When we booked our tickets there was no suite available, so we booked a stateroom instead. When we boarded we were given the key and shown to our room. This room was much smaller than the suite on our previous trip, but more than adequate for our needs. It consisted of a small sofa, a double bed, two bunks the top one of which could fold up, a private toilet with shower, and satellite TV.

The ship left on time, and as it left in the morning we spent most of the day relaxing in our room reading, watching BBC/CNN, and writing a couple of journals. Lunch and dinner were provided as part of the ticket price, and the food was very good considering. We had an early night as we were scheduled to arrive in Manila at 7:00 AM. At 6:00 AM we were still sound asleep when we were awakened by a knock on the door. J jumped out of bed and looked out the window only to realize it seemed like the ship was stopped. Fearing we had overslept and were already docked in port, J ran to the door only to find one of the crew wanting to pick up the room key and remote control for the TV. He advised we would arrive in port in about 30 minutes, so we organized our luggage and got ready to disembark.

As we left the ship, we were approached by a number of offers for a taxi. When we questioned if they were metered taxis, they just said smiled and said there were no meters in Manila, but they would be glad to take us the short distance to our hotel for a mere 300 pesos (six bucks). They must have thought we just got of a banana boat, because we knew there were meters in Manila and the trip to the hotel should not be any more than 50 pesos. We continued up the road where we found dozens of metered cabs, but none willing to turn on the meter. The price did start to decrease, with them now asking only for a 200 peso flat fee. It wasn’t so much the money as the principal, and J told them he would rather walk. We continued to the main road,

Roxas Boulevard

, where after waving down a couple of cabs who refused to turn on the meter, we found one who did. The driver was suitably rewarded for his honesty, and we were soon back at the same hotel we had stayed in before,

It was still only 7:30 AM and we were unable to check into the hotel, so we left our bags and went out for a cup of coffee and plan our course. We had seen a package tour offered for a 4 day/3 night trip to the Banaue rice terraces that left on Thursdays, and we hoped to do that the next day. We had emailed a couple of agents about it while we were in Bohol, but never heard back from them so we decided to seek them out. We headed off to a couple of agents, but the details kept changing and the price kept rising, so we decided to do it ourselves by taking a local bus and booking our own hotel. We headed back to the hotel and were then able to check in so we called one of the bus companies that runs buses from Manila to Banaue and booked the bus for the next evening. All the buses to Banaue run at night to avoid the traffic, and leave about 10:00 PM, arriving in Banaue around 7:00 AM.

We called our friends in Manila to let them know we were safely back in town for only a day and then headed out to our local mall to pick up a few gift items. Shortly after we returned in the evening, the phone rang and it was our friends wanting to pick us up and take us out for a couple more local experiences. They soon arrived at the hotel, and we headed out for what we were told was a popular hangout for the up and coming yuppies in Manila. It consisted of a number of food stands with just about everything imaginable, and a number of upscale craft stores. We had a light bite earlier at the mall so we weren’t hungry, but D opted for one of her favorite mango shakes, and J tried an order of Chicharon. J had said he wanted to try a balut at some time, and it wasn’t long before one of our friends arrived with two baluts for J and a penoy for D. J enjoyed the balut and may even have some more if given the opportunity.

After having a snack, we walked around the craft shops. Most were closed by this time, but they had some very nice carved wooden pieces with everything from furniture to statues available. After this we headed out of town to an overlook on top of one of the hills east of the city where at night you have a very clear view of the entire city lit up. We sat with some beers just looking at the view, and were entertained at the table by a couple of strolling minstrels. The minstrels asked if we had any requests, and when our friends said they wanted to hear Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen, the minstrels didn’t seem to be impressed. From here we headed back to town, arriving back at the hotel around 2:00 AM.

The next day we had to check out a noon, and then entertain ourselves until the bus for Banaue left at 10:00 PM. As we would only be gone for a couple days, we packed a small backpack and left our larger backpack with the hotel. We had previously downsized when we first took the ferry to Cebu and left a couple bags with our friends in Manila, so we were happy to not have to lug our larger bags to the bus. We found that the hotel we wanted to stay at in Banaue was run by the government and could be booked at the Department of Tourism office in Manila. It wasn’t far from our hotel, so we walked there and paid for two nights. We then proceeded to another shopping center we were told about to do some more last minute gift shopping and dinner. It was then time to make our way back to the hotel to pick up our small bags for our trip and head for the bus station.

We arrived at the bus station with plenty of time to spare, so after paying for our tickets we walked to a nearby McDonalds for an ice cream and to keep cool in the AC for then next hour and a half. It was then time to head back to the bus station and board the bus.

Next stop Banaue.

Bohol, Philippines

fancyfree — Mon, 7 May 2007 12:25:00 GMT

Bohol, Philippines – 26 April to 7 May, 2007

We caught the mid morning OceanJet ferry from Cebu City to Tagbilaran, Bohol. The trip was about an hour and a half, and was similar to a plane ride with a seating configuration of 2/3/2 in an air conditioned cabin. We departed and arrived pretty much as scheduled, but we were back to our previous mode of operation in arriving without a hotel reservation and hoping for the best. We read about a small hotel on Alona Beach on Panglao Island which is connected to Bohol by bridge and is about 25 km from the pier in Tagbilaran. We phoned the hotel from the pier and they said they had a room for one night only, so we said we were on the way.

It was late afternoon by the time we arrived, so we just had time to do a quick scan of the beach after checking in. Alona Beach is the main tourist destination on Panglao, but the “resorts” are a major stretch to be called a resort. They are mostly small hotels and guest houses, and the public beach in front is only a few meters wide. We had dinner at a nearby restaurant and called it a night to get ready to move yet again the next day.

When we checked into the hotel at Alona Beach, they suggested another place on Doljo Beach on the north side of Panglao as everywhere on Alona Beach was booked because of the May Day holiday and the following few days of “fiesta”. The “resort” on Doljo Beach had space, so their driver picked us up the next morning and shuttled us to our new digs. We were the only ones there that day, and were assigned a nice but very basic and rustic bungalow at the edge of the property looking out onto the beach and water. We liked it so much this would become our home for the next ten days.

The next day we booked a trip to see some of the highlights of Bohol. The two most popular and well known are the Chocolate Hills, and the Tarsiers. The Chocolate Hills are a group of coral based hills spread over a few square miles. During the drier season, which we were at the end of, the vegetation on the hills turns brown, hence the name Chocolate hills. The Tarsier is sometimes referred to as the world’s smallest monkey, but it is not in fact a monkey. They are very small critters with a long tail weighing less than 200 grams, and with big wide eyes. They are an endangered species, and we visited them in a refuge where a few rescued specimens are roaming free in a large enclosed area, more to keep predators out than to keep the Tarsiers in as they could easily escape if so inclined

After our day of discovery around Bohol we were content to hang around the Doljo Beach area and nearby village. We whiled away the time relaxing in the hammocks, trying (hopelessly) to catch up on our journals, cooling off with an occasional swim and snorkeling, and walking into the adjacent village for a brewski or two.

As mentioned earlier, fiesta was being celebrated on Bohol while we are there, and in Bohol fiesta is a month long affair. Each village has their own dates, but the village we were adjacent to celebrated primarily on the 2nd and 3rd of May, with some fiestas both before and after those dates. D met some local children on a beach walk one morning, and they invited her to a dance competition the next evening. We arrived at the local outdoor basketball court where the contest was being held, and were soon met by the girls in their outfits ready for their chance to perform. One of the girls took each of our hands and led us to a bench along the court so we could sit and watch the performance. She sat between us beaming about her new friends, and we seemed to be the center of attraction for most of the children and some of their parents until the competition began.

The next few days were filled with chilling at the hotel overlooking the beach and enjoying the local festivities. The same basketball court that hosted the dance contest was home to a disco a couple of nights, a basketball competition, and a talent show of some kind which consisted of gay performers. We missed most of these except for the discos which we could appreciate from our bungalow, complete with the vibrating base, until four in the morning. One of the traditions of fiesta is visiting friend’s houses for a spread of local food. We were invited to a number of the local homes to eat, but we didn’t want to impose so we passed on the offers. We did have the opportunity to try a couple of the local home made deserts at one of the shops we visited for a beer a few times.

As tourists are only allowed to stay in the country for 21 days without visas and we needed 30, we headed into the provincial capital of Tagbilaran one day to find the local immigration office and get an extension to keep us legal. We walked about 4 kilometers to the nearest bus (Jeepney) stop, and saw the bus pull out just before we arrived. No problem, there were a couple of locals with motorcycles nearby who asked if we wanted a ride for a reasonable sum. This brought back memories of our moto rides in Cambodia and Vietnam, so we said yes on hopped on the backs of their motorcycles, really 125cc scooters.

Once we arrived in town and being sent in the wrong direction by our drivers, we asked at least eight people before we finally found the immigration office. Within a few minutes we had our extensions with much less hassle and waiting than we would have experienced in either Manila or Cebu where we had originally thought about getting them. We then walked around town for a while, and then decided to get a tricycle back to the hotel before dark.

A tricycle is the same small motorcycle/scooter we had ridden in on, only with a kind of sidecar attached. The sidecar has a roof, enclosed front and back, usually a parcel area just outside the back, and a bench seat that is just large enough for two Asian butts. For anyone who hasn’t noticed, we are not Asian, and both our butts would not fit on the seat at the same time. Needless to say it was an interesting and uncomfortable ride back the 25 kilometers to the hotel with at least one cheek hanging outside the tricycle at all times.

The locals thought that this was quite an amusing sight.

On a later day the entire community where our hotel was located lost power for the full day because of required maintenance, so we decided to make a day of it in Tagbilaran again. This time we arrived in the town of Panglao just in time to hop on a bus/Jeepney that was getting ready to leave. Unlike most, there was plenty of room on this one, and we were soon in town. We spent the day wandering, shopping for souvenirs, cooling off in the mall, and finally dinner at a seafood restaurant that was recommended to us. It was after dark when we made our way back to the area where the buses back to Panglao left from, and when we arrived there was a bus almost ready to leave. D squeezed on the last bench seat, and the “best seat on the bus” was reserved for J.

To set the stage, these busses are basically a Jeep with an elongated truck bed attached, which is why they are called Jeepneys. The Jeepney is the standard mode of transportation in most of the Philippines, and you can jump on and off at very cheap prices, usually about fourteen cents a ride. The long truck bed is fitted with bench seats running down each side, and there is a low roof that forces you to bend in half as you enter the bus and take your seat. As the benches on this one were full, J was provided with a backup seat, which consists of a short legged saw horse set in the aisle of the Jeepney. J was the first one on this seat, so he was just behind the cab facing toward it with someone on the back half of the saw horse looking to the rear. By the time the bus left, the entire aisle was full of saw horses with people sitting on them. We chalked this one up to yet another new experience.

Just a couple hundred meters in front of our hotel was a very nice coral reef with a good assortment of fish where we enjoyed snorkeling during our stay. However, the Philippines is noted as an excellent scuba diving destination with Bohol offering a number of good dive sites, so we figured we had to do at least one dive trip while we were there. We scheduled a two dive trip to Balacasag Island with the dive shop that is collocated with our hotel. Balacasag is a small island about a 20 minute boat ride from our hotel beach.

We were the only ones on the trip that day other than the crew of two and the dive master, and the day turned out to be sunny and clear. Our first dive was at a location called Black Forest where there was a very strong current. The plan was to drift along a wall and have the boat pick us up when we surfaced some ways away. This was a good dive but too fast moving for our liking as we really couldn’t slow down to look more closely at any interesting fish or corals. The second dive was at a popular site called Diver’s Heaven, and could be a shore dive from the government run resort on the island. This dive was much more interesting for us as we were able to look at the corals, scorpion fish, crabs, nudibranchs, etc. up close and personal. Both dives lasted an hour each, so we were exhausted by the time we arrived back at the hotel ready for a beer and siesta.

All too soon our time on Bohol came to an end as we still wanted to see the rice terraces north of Manila and it would take at few days to get back to Manila and then travel onward to Banaue. We considered flying back to Manila, but Cebu Pacific was still having trouble with Visa cards issued in the US, so we again booked the 24 hour ferry ride, this time in reverse from Cebu City to Manila.

Next stop Manila.

Cebu, Philippines

fancyfree — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 12:21:00 GMT

Cebu, Philippines – 23 to 26 April, 2007

After successfully fighting the crowds at the port in Manila and arriving on board, we were greeted at an area similar to the reception desk at a hotel. We were given a key and escorted to our suite, and after settling in we decided to check out the rest of the ship.

After walking around, we were extremely glad we had splurged for a suite. There were only four on the ship, and along with an entrance to our suite from an inner hallway, each of the four suites had a door to a small deck at the front of the ship just below the driver’s house (or whatever you call it). It turned out this wasn’t a private deck for the suites, but not many other people knew about it and it was fairly quiet for the entire trip. When we walked to the back of the ship, we saw the “green zone” of the ship which is very economical to travel in, but it is basically an open sided deck at least as big as a gymnasium with rows of bunk beds three high. In this area there is no privacy or security, and only the sea breeze for air conditioning. There were some other areas between the suite and the gym with prices varying by the number of amenities and number of people sharing the space, but we were happy campers where we were. While not a cruise liner, our suite very large and complete with private toilet, bathtub, fridge, table and chairs, queen bed, and satellite TV (with CNN and BBC).

The ship left about an hour and a half late which seems to be normal Filipino time. We stood on our “private” deck as we pulled out of Manila, and spent the next hour or so there watching the lights and waves go by. As we were at the very front of the ship before the wake, we saw what we thought were probably squid shooting across the top of the water away from the ship as it cut through the waves. The next day we watched small flying fish escaping from the ship. Some of these “flew” several dozen yards skipping on the wave tops a couple of times before diving back into the water.

That night we slept well, and the next day used the time to catch up on some reading, snoozing in the breeze, and even completing a couple of journals. It was a very relaxing time watching many of the 7000+ Philippine islands float by, and we saw the sun set over the north end of Cebu Island. Departing Manila late also meant we would arrive in Cebu late. Instead of arriving by 8:00 PM we arrived around 9:30 PM. Our approach in the Philippines has been to make reservations on the internet a day or two before we travel to a new location, so we had a hotel reserved in the center of Cebu City for two nights.

D had read that Jeepneys for the town wait at the pier and leave when they are full. As we were trekking up the road amongst the other 2,000 passengers who disembarked there, D saw a small truck with an open back that had a few people in the back but still had some open seats. Thinking it was a Jeepney, D asked the driver if he went to our hotel. The driver looked puzzled for a moment, then said OK and to get in. It turned out it wasn’t a Jeepney after all, but was a private vehicle that had come to pick up some family members arriving on the ferry. They were gracious enough to drop us at the door of our hotel and refused to take any payment for the ride.

We only planned on spending a short time there before catching a fast ferry to the island of Bohol, so the next day we caught a Jeepney (a true commercial one this time) from the hotel to the area with the main attractions in Cebu City. We visited Magellan’s Cross, the Basilica Minore del Santo Nino church, and Fort San Pedro. We also found the local Department of Tourism office and once again they proved very helpful in giving us information on getting to Bohol and hotels there. We debated on staying on Cebu or Mactan Island longer, but Mactan was pretty booked and/or expensive because of the upcoming May Day and local Festival, and we had already visited the primary Cebu sights, so we decided to head for Bohol Island the next morning.

Next stop Bohol

Manila, Philippines

fancyfree — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 12:18:00 GMT

Manila, Philippines – 15 to 23 April, 2007

We arrived in Manila from Singapore on Singapore Airlines in late afternoon. We only wish we could fly Singapore Airlines when we return home in a month’s time as their service is outstanding and a cut above Lufthansa and United who we are scheduled to return on. Clearing immigration and customs was uneventful and on exiting the terminal we were greeted by the usual touts pushing rides to the city. We opted for a private car, and were soon at our hotel in the Makati City area of Manila.

When we arrived at the hotel, we were surprised to see a security guard sitting outside the lobby complete with 12 gauge shotgun. It soon became evident almost every business including 7/11 and McDonalds had an assigned guard, most of whom were also carrying the same model of 12 gauge. The shotgun is basically a pistol with a long barrel as there is only a hand grip on them and no stock as seen on normal shotguns and rifles. I wouldn’t want to fire one of them as your hand and arm would take all the recoil instead of being more firmly planted on a shoulder.

As it was dusk when we arrived and it looked like a hunting camp around, we decided not to do our walkabout until the next day when it was light. The next morning we were just getting ready to walk out the door for our Makati walkabout when the phone rang. It was the sons of a couple D works with in the US who had asked their sons (we will call them S&S to maintain privacy) to show us around Manila while we were there. We agreed to meet at the hotel, and a short time later we met in the lobby. We spent the rest of the day with them starting with a buffet lunch of many traditional Philippine foods, and then moving along to Intramuros, the old city in Manila. In Intramuros we visited Fort Santiago and the Rizal Park.

After visiting Intramuros our new friends introduced D to the Philippine national dessert of Halo-Halo. From there we walked along Manila Bay past the US Embassy to an area called Bay Walk where there are many restaurants and bars. It was now dusk again, and the restaurants and bars were just opening up with the music and bands starting. We stopped for a beer and a snack of Sisig and Chicharon, two popular snacks/appetizers in the Philippines. We won’t go into detail, but they are both pork dishes and one of the reasons the Philippines has a lower life expectancy than much of Southeast Asia, with a high percentage of deaths attributed to heart disease due to cholesterol. From our snack on Bay Walk we walked a few blocks to one of S&S’s favorite restaurants for some more local dishes. They explained to us Filipinos eat about six times a day, and almost everything involves meat in some form. J was happy with the focus on meat as our recent travels have involved more rice and noodles with limited amounts of meat.

The next day S&S and one of their friends picked us up at the hotel for a day trip to Taal volcano. Taal is often called the world’s smallest volcano, but it is actually a small caldera that sits in the middle of a lake which is in the caldera of a much larger volcano. We headed out of Manila fighting the constant traffic and arrived in Tagaytay about an hour and a half later. S&S were familiar with the area, so we had lunch at another of their favorite restaurants which overlooks the lake with Taal in the distance. After lunch we headed towards the lake, and stopped to get the price of a boat ride to the base of Taal. After some negotiation and Chicka, our friends got a good discount so we decided to take a trip to the volcano. They had never done it before so it was a new experience for everyone.

Once at the lake we boarded a long but narrow boat with outriggers for a twenty minute ride to the base of Taal. Once at the base, we were deluged with locals selling water, souvenirs, and offering horse rides to the top. We decided to walk the 3 km to the top, so we bought some water and headed up the dusty trail. Our friends told us it would be cooler around Tagaytay and the volcano as they were at a higher elevation, but this was not the case. It was HOT, and we were in full mid-day sun with little shade available anywhere along the trail. The horsemen reminded us of vultures by following us the entire way thinking we would soon give in and pay for a ride the remainder of the way to the top. After numerous rest stops, we finally made it to the top where there were a number thatched shelters offering welcome shade.

From the summit we had a great view of the lake surrounding Taal as well as the sulfur laden lake in the caldera. Just a few days before we visited we read that Tall was expanding and showing some signs of a potential eruption and it was recommended people avoid the summit. This information evidently was not communicated to the locals, or more likely was ignored as there was no mention made of any danger and they were still operating their drink shops at the summit with their families. There were some definite signs of activity along the sulfur lake that we could see from the summit, but in the end all was well and the pending threat level has since been reduced.

After relaxing and cooling off at the summit for a couple of hours, we headed back down the trail. This time the trek was much easier, both because it was down hill and because the sun was low in the horizon. As we took the boat back to our starting point the sun was setting behind the nearby hills. We then made our way back to Manila and were dropped at the door of our hotel.

The next day we were scheduled to move hotels as we had booked three days in Makati and decided to move closer to old Manila and the bay. We made the move without a problem, and then went for our walkabout in the new area. The new hotel was close to the Intramuros and Bay Walk areas we had visited earlier, so we went in search of a travel agent to try and get some details about visiting the rice terraces in Banaue a nine hour bus ride north of Manila. We didn’t make much progress as the agents all offered only hotel packages with no details on transportation there and back.

Over the next couple days we debated on what approach to take. One day we caught a Jeepney to the National Museum and while visiting the museum we saw the Department of Tourism building just across a park. After we finished in the museum we headed for the DOT and were fortunate they were open on a Saturday afternoon. The woman we spoke with there (Dolly) was a wealth of information and provided us with everything we needed about the rice terrace area as well as islands to the south. In the end we decided to head to the islands of Cebu and Bohol to the south for some “chilling” time before heading north and then finally home.

We found some cheap flights from Manila to Cebu on Cebu Pacific airlines, but when we tried to confirm reservations it turned out the airlines merchant bank couldn’t clear payments from Visa cards issued in the US. No problem, there was a CP ticketing office in a mall near the hotel so we headed there. We arrived to a complete zoo, and took a number. It turned out we were 135^th in line, and the wait would be at least three hours. Not wanting to wait that long we went to a ticketing agent in the mall, but after quoting one price, it went up when we went to pay. With that we gave up the airline and decided to take the ferry. The price would be about the same as the airfare, but it took 24 hours to get there. One advantage however was that the price included a Suite Room for two people, so we would save on one night’s hotel. We booked the tickets for a couple of days later and started to prepare.

We spent the next couple of days walking around the area and ducking into shopping centers and malls to keep cool. The ferry was scheduled to depart at 8:30 PM, so the day it was leaving our friends again picked us up at the hotel when we checked out. They wanted to take us to see the largest shopping center in Asia (Mall of Asia) as well as the home of the first president of the Philippines and the location where independence was declared. After a quick stop at the Mall of Asia, we moved on towards the first president’s house. Unfortunately when we arrived we found it is closed on Mondays, so we thought we would only be able to see it from one angle outside the gate. However, S&S put their chieka to work. and we were soon let through he locked gate and given a guided tour inside the compound by the caretaker.

From here we had to get back into Mania to be at the ferry terminal at least two hours before sailing. Our friends dropped us there, and the place was packed. We found the ferry will hold 2300 people, and it seemed like all 2300 were trying to get through security and board at the same time. In addition, there was another ferry leaving for a different destination at around the same time which caused further congestion. We made it through without too much trouble other than having to hoist our bags a few times.

Next stop Cebu City.

Return to Singapore

fancyfree — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 12:14:00 GMT

Singapore – 10 to 15 April, 2007

We were up early in KL to catch a taxi to the Sentral train station. As usual we arrived long before we needed to for the 8:30 train, but we don’t like rushing to make a connection and would rather sit and wait for awhile. The train left on time, and we were headed for Singapore once again. The scenery along the route was not that interesting, but there were many plantations of oil palms, some surrounded by a small perimeter of coffee trees. At the border, the train stopped on the Malaysian side and an immigration officer boarded and made a note in our passports to check us out of the country. The train went another few hundred yards and we then had to exit with all our luggage, clear Singapore immigration and customs, and then re-board the same train for the final trip to downtown Singapore.

We arrived in Singapore as we left, in the rain. While we were there in December rain was expected, but it seems it is lasting longer than normal this year, or so we were told. We had made reservations on-line, so caught a taxi to the hotel in the Newton area. For those not familiar with Singapore, Newton is an area on the north side of the city, just north of the

Orchard Road

shopping area. We hadn’t stayed at this hotel before, but the ratings were good and it was between two stations on the MRT, so we figured it would be convenient.

It was late in the day when we arrived so we didn’t want to do much, but we wanted to find an ATM to get some cash as there were none at the train station. The concierge gave us directions to a nearby shopping center where we found an ATM, and also looked for dinner. We found a very good but somewhat expensive seafood buffet where we decided to splurge as we hadn’t eaten all day plus we hadn’t had a decent meal since arriving in Malaysia ten days earlier. The food was excellent and we definitely had enough to eat by the time we left.

We have written about Singapore before, so will keep this short. Our main reason for returning to Singapore was to catch our flight to Manila on 15 April which was one of the few booking we made before we left. We also wanted to spend a few days here as it is one of our favorite cities and we enjoy just walking around. The benefit of an excellent brew pub (Brewerkz) is an added bonus.

The one thing we wanted to do during our last two visits buy were never able to make was he night safari. In December the weather didn’t cooperate, and it was a similar experience this time. It seemed the storms would move in every afternoon or early evening, so we never did make the night safari. We did visit Chinatown, the Juong Bird Park, hawker food stands, and other areas of the city despite getting caught in downpours every day.

As usual we did a lot of walking around town, but after what we considered a fairly relaxing stay it was soon time to catch our flight to the Philippines.

Next stop Manila.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

fancyfree — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 12:12:00 GMT

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – 6 to 10 April, 2007

We boarded the bus in Cameron Highlands about 8:00 for our 4 hour trip to KL. Like the trip up to the Highlands, the trip down was full of scenic vistas and sharp curves. About half way the terrain flattened our considerably, and we were on a main highway towards KL. On arrival the bus stopped somewhere in the middle of town but not far from one of the major bus terminals, and we were left on the street with no clue on exactly where we were. We did have a hotel reservation that we made over the internet while in the CH, so we hailed a taxi and headed towards the northern outskirts of town near the KL World Trade Center.

We didn’t realize it before planning our schedule for Malaysia, but when we arrived in Penang we found the Malaysian Grand Prix would be run in KL at the same time we were planning on being there. As a result, many hotels were booked, and those that had rooms had jacked up the prices. Before we left home we joined Hostelling International thinking it may be useful if we wanted cheaper accommodations. Fortunately they had a location in KL that seemed to check out OK, so that is what we booked. Once of the reasons we booked it was because the reviews said it was more like a hotel than a hostel, and that is exactly what we found. The room was somewhat basic but it had everything we needed and while it was on the edge of the city, it was next to the WTC station on the Star Line train which provided easy access to all the sights in town.

After getting settled, we went out for a walkabout of the WTC area. The first thing that hit us was the temperature. After enjoying the cool of the highlands, we were scorching in KL with the temperature in the mid 90s F. We hadn’t gone far around the area when we needed a break from the heat, and any city area in Asia isn’t far from a mall or shopping center, so that is where we headed for the AC.

The next day we decided to see the city sights so we headed next door to the LRT (Light Rail Transit) station. We bought a day pass which allowed us to travel across town all day on two of the main lines that cover most of the city. We first headed to the Petronas Towers where we hoped to take a free ride to the observation area. Unfortunately all the tickets for the day were already gone, so we walked around the shopping area inside, and then walked around the lake and park just outside the towers. After that walk we had to return to the shopping area again to cool off. While there we came across a display of the BMW Grand Prix team which is sponsored by the Petronas Towers. They were selling tickets for the race as well as overpriced souvenirs, and we briefly considered buying tickets for the final race the next day. We then considered the hassle of getting there and back, the crowds, and not least the heat, and figured we would be better off sitting in an air conditioned area watching it on TV if we really wanted to see it (which we didn’t). It may have been the opportunity of a lifetime, but not being race fans we were not disappointed with our decision.

From the Petronas Towers we again boarded the LRT for a short hop of only two stops to visit the Telecommunications Tower. We had been told that you can get a much better view of KL here than the Petronas Towers, because the PT observation area is a sky bridge between the two towers and not that high. The observation area in the TT is way up there towards the top. The TT was at one time the tallest telecommunications tower in the world, but it now only a lowly fourth tallest. It does provide for excellent views of the city however.

When we got off the LRT the TT could be seen on top of a nearby hill, and we decided to take the scenic route to it through a national park/forest area. This route involves a climb up a very steep and long stairway to the top of the hill. We regretted our decision before we got halfway and were drenched in sweat. We finally made it, and enjoyed the AC and view once we got to the top of the TT. As we left the TT they were setting up for a huge party the next day which was related to the Grand Prix. There were covered areas for thousands of people, and speaker columns that would surely vibrate the TT itself. Instead of taking the trek down the stairs going back to the LRT station we took the long route down the access road and around a few blocks. That was another long trek, but at least it was downhill to flat, and we did get to see one of the Ferrari cars on display along the route.

The next day we decided to get another day pass on the LRT as it was also good for certain busses and we wanted first visit the National Telecom Museum in the city and then try and get to the Bird Park on the outskirts of town. We found the museum in town easily, and it was very interesting. The only drawback was it was not air conditioned, so we did rush through a few areas. We then tried to get to the Bird Park, but in the end the busses didn’t seem to stop where they were supposed to, and we ended up overheated once again. Instead we decided to ride both the LRT lines to their ends to see what the outskirts of the city looked like and also to enjoy the AC on the trains.

After seeing many parts of the KL outskirts from the LRT, we headed back to our home stop and dinner in the food court of the shopping center next door. We arrived just in time to see the checkered flag fall in the Grand Prix which was being shown on the TVs throughout the food court.

Our final day in KL was spent with a leisurely stroll to a large local market not too far from our hotel. As usual, we enjoy seeing all the fresh produce of different kinds, as well as the fish and meats. We then decided to catch the SkyTrain at a stop near the market to ride to the KL Sentral train station. We wanted to purchase our train tickets to Singapore as we had not traveled on long distance trains anywhere on our trip and besides being tired of busses we wanted to add a new form of travel to our experiences. It was then back to Starbucks in the shopping center for a $4.00 equivalent latte so we could use the “free” internet to catch up on mails and book a hotel in Singapore.

Next stop Singapore.

Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

fancyfree — Fri, 6 Apr 2007 12:03:00 GMT

Cameron Highlands, Malaysia – 3 to 6 April, 2007

We were up early to catch a taxi to the bus terminal for our trip to the Cameron Highlands. We booked a VIP bus which was smaller than a normal bus and the seats were more spread out which we thought would be good for a trip of five to six hours. When we arrived at the terminal we exchanged our voucher for a ticket and were directed to the bus. The bus was older, but as promised there was plenty of room to spread out and recline, and we left almost on schedule.

We made a couple of stops to pick up more passengers along the route. When we started the bus was half empty (or full), but after the second stop in Ipoh which is about halfway, it was completely full. Until the stop in Ipoh the route was pretty flat with no special scenery. After Ipoh however, we started into the hills where the scenery turned much more interesting and beautiful. As we rose in altitude, there were many dramatic views across the mountain tops and valleys.

As we rounded a corner we caught a glimpse of a large hotel perched atop a hill with great views of the many terraced hills. D noticed the name of the hotel was the Equatorial which was our hotel, but it was too late to flag the driver to let us off. We figured it was no problem and the hotel would be close to the town where the bus stopped, but the town we thought we were close to was another 10 kilometers further on. At the bus station we caught a taxi back to the Equatorial and were somewhat glad we didn’t get the bus to stop at the hotel road entrance. The hotel was set back from the road quite away and it would have been a hike from the road to the reception with all our bags. The hotel lobby was cavernous and after registering we were taken to our room. Our room was on an upper floor so we had an excellent view of the surrounding vegetable terraces.

The Cameron Highlands made a name for itself as a British outpost during the colonization period of the late 1800s through somewhere around 1950. It is at an elevation of approximately 5000 feet, and provided the Brits relief from the heat of the lowlands. It also provides an appropriate amount of British sunshine (rain) to make for excellent growing conditions for all types of vegetables. Of course the Brits also had to have their tea, so the hills are full of tea plantations. The British heritage is most apparent in the hundreds of old Land Rovers still plying the roads there as farm vehicles. They all have a large CH painted on each of the doors to signify they are from the Cameron Highlands. They are taxed at a special low rate, and are not allowed to be driven elsewhere or they will be fined.

After getting settled, it was walk about time. We left the hotel just as it started to rain. Fortunately we saw the storm clouds before we left the hotel so we had an umbrella in hand. We started out the hotel drive to the main road and noticed that for the first time since we were in Dalat, Vietnam the weather was very cool and we could have used jackets on our walk so we picked up the pace. The grounds of the hotel were beautiful with rose gardens, and many flowering plants. D was surprised to see hollyhocks and impatiens growing right beside tropical plants of hibiscus and bird of paradise.

When we got to the main road, we noticed all the surrounding area was farms of various kinds. There was a strawberry farm with the berries grown in trays on platforms above the ground next to the hotel, a bee farm and a butterfly exhibit were just up the road, and a few shops and vegetable stands along the road in the opposite direction. As we walked towards the bee farm we saw a sign for the Boh Tea Plantation 2 km up a side road which was one of the locations we wanted to visit sometime in the next couple of days.

The next day, coats in hand, we caught a local rattletrap bus that passed by the hotel into Tanah Rata which is the main town where we had found ourselves the day before. About half way there just before we got to the town of Brinchang, the bus pulled off the side of the road on a hill overlooking Brinchang and the driver and most of the passengers got off. At first we thought it was a smoke break, but there were a few other trucks pulled off along that stretch of road, and it didn’t take us long to figure out what was going on. The local constables had set up a road check around the bend at the bottom of the hill, and the driver understandably didn’t want to go through it. We asked what they were checking, and were told it was “very bad”. They checked driver’s licenses, registrations, taxes, and safety. From our vantage point we could watch the checkpoint, and the plan was for the bus to wait until it was pulled down. After about 15 minutes the police pulled up the cones and proceeded uphill without blinking an eye at all the vehicles parked along the road waiting for them to leave.

Once we arrived in town after our brief delay, we found a nice little café where we could have a drink with the added bonus of free internet access to catch up on emails. D had one of the specialties of the area, strawberries scones and cream, but unfortunately it didn’t come up to the Devonshire standard. We then had a look around town for some postcards, and then found a sidewalk Indian café for a lunch of Tandori Chicken and Nan bread. We decided to catch the hourly bus headed back to the hotel, and when we boarded we thought we had got on a school bus by mistake. The bus was packed with elementary school children, but we made our way through to the back and a group of them offered their seat to the oldies in their midst. We seemed to be the highlight of their day and they all wanted to practice their English skills on us. Most of them got off after a short distance, so we weathered the storm. We got off at the market stands just before the hotel and picked up some of the local produce for a healthy dinner in the room.

The next day we considered taking one of the day tours offered of the area, but we looked at the itinerary and realized almost all the destinations were within walking distance of our hotel. We then planned to do our own walking tour so we headed out with coats and umbrella. We past the strawberry farm and decided to pass on the butterfly farm. We instead headed up the road towards the Boh Tea Plantation which was “only” 2 km up the road. The walk took us up the hill through some jungle which then opened onto terraces of tea plants. After about 2 km we came to a sign pointing the way to the processing plant and visitor’s area. It seems the sign at the main road only indicated the edge of the plantation was 2 km, but the actual plant was another 2 km after entering the plantation.

We finally made it to the visitor’s center and had a brief rest before the tour of the processing area began. We saw the five steps of preparing tea leaves, and then visited the souvenir shop to pick up a couple of boxes of tea. It was then time to begin our trek back to the hotel. We hoped that some kind soul would pick up along the way, but that didn’t happen. J did get a few fresh tea leaves to make a cuppa for D now that he knew how to process them. After arriving back at the hotel we decided to end our last day there with dinner in a little restaurant by the produce stands overlooking the terraces. After that it was time to pack up for our bus ride to Kuala Lumpur the next morning.

Next stop Kuala Lumpur.

Penang, Malaysia

fancyfree — Tue, 3 Apr 2007 00:42:00 GMT

Penang, Malaysia – 31 March to 3 April, 2007

Once again we were on Thai Air Asia where we find very reasonable flights to many destinations throughout Southeast Asia. Our flight was early and only lasted about one hour, so we arrived in Georgetown on Penang Island mid morning. We had booked a hotel from Bangkok the day before, and decided to stay in Georgetown instead of at one of the beach resorts. This decision may have unduly influenced our opinion of Penang.

When we arrived we caught a taxi from the airport to our hotel which is about a twenty minute ride. When we arrived at the hotel, we checked in and the bellman led us to our room. As we reached our floor we noticed the hallways needed a major refurbishment with paint and new carpeting. When the bellman opened the door to our room and we walked in, we were greeted with an overpowering stench of smoke, mold, and who knows what else. The carpet was threadbare with the stains on the carpet thicker than the material left on the backing. The bellman must have seen the look of horror on our face as we asked if there were any non-smoking rooms. His reply was yes, but they were on an upper floor and the price was higher. With that he escorted us back to the lobby and consulted with the front desk The result was we were moved to a non-smoking room (at no extra cost over the already inflated rate we paid) which had also be refurbished and was actually almost pleasant and had a great view of the town.

Once settled, it was walkabout time. Some tourist information we picked up at the airport detailed a free shuttle bus which made a loop around town. You could get on and of at a number of stops, and it was scheduled to come by every 12 minutes, taking about 45 minutes to complete the loop. We decided to hop on the bus and do a loop to see town and found one of the stops. It was a Saturday and the bus only ran until 2:00 PM, but it was just about noon so we figured we had time for a quick loop of town.

As we waited at the stop we were approached a couple of times by touts trying to get us to take a taxi or a car. When we explained we were waiting or the bus, they “kindly” informed us that the bus did not run on a Saturday. When we pointed out the schedule on the poster at the stop showed it running Saturday until 2:00 PM, they then changed the story to it was a public holiday and the busses didn’t run on public holidays. One even had the audacity to point out a “holy man” we should ask to confirm it if we though he was lying, which we knew he was. It seems they must have been trained by the touts around the Grand Palace in Bangkok who will lie that the Palace is closed and say they will take you somewhere else, for a nice fee of course.

In the end we gave up on the bus idea simply to avoid the touts, and walked into the adjacent mall to cool off. After perusing the shops and having a bite to eat at the food court, we headed back towards the hotel to review the tourist information to plan our next couple of days there.

The next morning we headed down to the hotel restaurant for the breakfast that was included in our room rate. We shouldn’t have bothered. While we hadn’t set our watch ahead to the local time, we were there well before breakfast was scheduled to end. What we found was a complete mess. Every table was covered with dirty plates from earlier diners, food was slopped out of all the buffet dishes onto the tables, all serving spoons were laying inside the buffet dishes covered with whatever was in them, most of the offerings were empty, and the few dishes that still held food were cold. We probably should have expected that given our first impression of the hotel, so we skipped breakfast the next two days of our stay. If you ever have the opportunity to stay at one of the Grand Continental Hotels, don’t!

The free shuttle busses don’t run on Sunday, which we knew and didn’t need a tout to tell us, so we decided to walk through town towards the harbor front. We came to a hotel there, the E&O, and we stopped in to see where the other half lives. We then proceeded along the front to Fort Cornwallis, and then worked our way back trough Chinatown and Little India towards the hotel. We stopped at an Indian restaurant for lunch, and had a surprisingly good meal of Murtabak. On the way back to the hotel we passed by the mall again, so we stopped in to cool off and get some munchies from the supermarket there.

On Monday we caught the free shuttle bus to do the loop. We had already covered much of the area on our previous days walk, but stopped off at a couple of places for a further look around. A couple of the tourist spots were a ways out of town so we decided we didn’t want to hassle with the touts and taxi drivers and passed on them. We decided we had seen enough of Penang, so we booked a bus to the Cameron Highlands area for the next day, and returned to the hotel to move on from an unfavorable first impression of Malaysia.

Next stop Cameron Highlands.

Bangkok, Thailand - Third and last time

fancyfree — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 00:39:00 GMT

Bangkok, Thailand – 21 to 31 March, 2007

Our third trip to Bangkok, like the second visit, was for the purpose of a visit to Bangkok International Hospital. This time it was for follow-up on the ongoing pain in D’s shoulder as a result of the fracture which occurred in Cambodia. We flew from Chiang Mai on Air Asia and arrived in Bangkok early afternoon.

This trip we decided we would stay in a different area than Pratanum where we had stayed on our previous visits, so we booked a hotel in the Sukhumvit area which is one of the main shopping and business areas of town. It also had very close access to the SkyTrain, so we thought it would be easier access to other parts of the city. While we had splurged and it was a somewhat upscale suite hotel, it was a disappointment and we moved after three days there to a much better hotel only a couple of blocks away.

D had an appointment at the hospital the day after we arrived, so we headed there in the morning and spent most of the day there. The x-rays were redone because the originals done in Cambodia were poor quality, and they also did an MRI on D’s shoulder. About an hour after the MRI, we were called into the orthopedic specialist’s office where he showed us the results on the computer screen. It is amazing what they can do with the technology available today. The doctor could zoom in from all angles, rotate the image, etc., etc. At the end of the consultation the news was that the bone had healed properly and there was no other damage. It turns out the pain was a result of the arm and shoulder being immobilized for the time it took to heal, and D was now prescribed physical therapy for two to four weeks.

As we didn’t plan to be in Bangkok that long, we decided D would book one session the next day and J would attend to get some tips on how to help. That session involved just less than one hour of ultrasonic and heat treatment on the shoulder, then about one hour of stretching. D was also given a therapy routine to follow twice a day on her own. D then scheduled a second session for two days later and figured that would be the end of the formal therapy process at the hospital if she kept up her morning and afternoon routines.

In total we spent ten days in Bangkok on this trip, but do not really have much to tell for it. We visited most of the sights during the first two trips, so our time outside of the hospital visits was mostly spent trying to keep cool. The area we were in this visit did not seem to have the number of local markets and small food vendors as the Pratanum area, so we were somewhat disappointed in that regard. We did visit the huge Chatuchak weekend market on the Sunday, but the heat limited our time there. One day we took the SkyTrain to the river and caught the river taxi to the Chinatown area. The river ride is always interesting and the breeze cooling, but when we arrived in Chinatown and started to peruse the Thieves Market our wandering time was again limited by the searing heat. Once in the alleys of the market, the only relief is to stop in front of the occasional shop which had air conditioning blasting and the front door wide open.

We considered taking a trip to the Kanchanaburi for a couple of days to visit the bridge over the River Kwai, but in the end we opted for a day trip that left at 6:00 AM and returned around 8:00 PM. On that trip we visited the Death Railroad Museum, Cemetery, and Bridge Over the River Kwai in Kanchanaburi, then took a short ride on the train which still runs from Bangkok to the end of the line about 54 kilometers from Burma. This was a very informative but tiring day. The only regret with taking an organized day trip was the limited time we were able to spend at the Museum in Kanchanaburi. We had just over an hour to split between the museum and cemetery, but could easily have spent double in the museum alone.

When we arrived in Bangkok we were uncertain which direction we would head for next. After some discussion we decided to add Malaysia back on our agenda, so made some reservations for a flight and hotel in Penang, and hit the road again.

Next stop Penang, Malaysia

Chiang Mai, Thailand

fancyfree — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 23:32:00 GMT

Chiang Mai, Thailand – 10 to 21 March, 2007

The bus ride from Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai went well. There are a number of different busses making the journey, all with different amenities and prices. We decided to keep it simple and just catch a tuk-tuk to the station around 9:00 AM and catch the first bus available. When we arrived we had just missed one bus by a few minutes, but a VIP bus was leaving about 15 minutes after we arrived at the terminal. This was the most expensive option, but after finding the next bus would be 1 ½ hours later, the VIP bus it was. We arrived in Chiang Mai just over four hours later.

As usual, we didn’t have a hotel reservation so we picked one that looked OK from the Lonely Planet. After spending the previous few nights in $7 guest houses, we wanted to splurge and move up to a $20 a night room. We caught a tuk-tuk at the bus terminal and gave the driver the address. He then said he could recommend a different place that was better and had a pool for the same price. It was on the way, so we said OK. We arrived at the guesthouse, and the first thing you saw was the pool which looked promising. We asked to see a room, and as soon as we entered the hallway we knew it wouldn’t work. It was dark, old, and not very clean, so we told them no and had the driver take us to our original destination. The Montri Hotel turned out to be one of the highlights or our trip. It is very convenient to everything and just inside the old city wall with a view of the wall and moat, very clean, air conditioned, and free WiFi.

One of the few plans we made before leaving home in December was for J to take a Thai cooking course while in Chiang Mai. It seems every city in every country we visited now has at least one cooking course, and Chiang Mai has several of them. The original and one of the most famous is the Thai Cookery School operated by a renowned chef who has appeared on many international TV cooking shows and has his own book and video series. It just happened the office for the school was just a block away from the hotel, so after settling in the hotel we headed to the office to find out what classes were available. The school is offered as five one day sessions and you can take only one day or all five. Each day consists of a different activity and menu. J decided to do all five days, and opted to do the course at the facilities located at chefs residence outside of town instead of the restaurant and school they operate only a few blocks from the hotel.

After registering for the cooking class, we walked around the old city for a while before returning to the hotel for an early evening and to catch up on some emails, journals, and photos for our site. It was then an early night to rest up for a hectic day of cooking.

The next day, J headed to the cooking school office for the shuttle bus to his first day of lessons. The bus left around 10:00 AM, and about 20 minutes later arrived at the training facilities outside of town. The chef’s home and newer training facilities are located in a gated equestrian community on the outskirts of Chiang Mai. It appears the business is doing very well!

To keep it short, we won’t describe each day’s activities, but each day started with an activity such as an introduction to Thai ingredients, a visit to the local market, buying ingredients at the market, vegetable carving, and making curry paste from scratch with a mortar and pestle. The daily activity was then followed by cooking, and of course eating, five different dishes. J brought home samples of each days fare to D who thoroughly enjoyed them.

While J was off cooking each day, D amused herself in various fashions. On day one she decided to take a map and walk the walled city (J thought it would be safe if she followed the wall, less chances of getting lost). It was quite a long walk of almost 5 kilometers but very interesting. D stopped at a couple of markets and on the way back found a lovely little café close to the hotel for the “best Mango shake” in town. That shake set the standard for the remainder of the trip.

On D’s 2^nd day out she found a Buddhist temple advertising a Meditation and Chanting Retreat organized by the Monk’s University which is on the outskirts of the city. D signed up and spent 2 days and one night out at the university. She really enjoyed the experience and now tells J that he is continually breaking at least one of the five Buddhist precepts.

After J completed the course, it was time to head for the elephant experience. D had originally read about a government facility that trained elephants, and you could participate in the process. At the end of a few days, you participated in a show featuring the elephants and their skills. Further investigation while in Chiang Mai found another option called Elephant Nature Park. This option involved a woman who ran a rescue operation for elephants who had been mistreated or injured by their previous owners. They offered week long volunteer programs where you would stay at the park and perform all chores necessary to maintain the elephants and the park. Sort of a working holiday where you paid to work instead of receiving pay for it!

D’s arm was still troubling her, so she decided it may not be a good idea to try and perform manual labor. Instead we opted for a day visit to the park where we could enjoy it without breaking a sweat. We registered on-line, and the next morning was picked up at the hotel by minibus for our ride to the park. While there we were given an explanation of how to behave around the elephants (run faster than everyone else if one comes toward you without the mahout or handler), shown a video of how cruel the training of all elephants in every country is, and then had the opportunity to hand feed the elephants their lunch and later bathe them in the river. All in all it was a very enlightening and entertaining day. As a result of our new found knowledge and experience, we will do all we can to discourage anyone from doing elephant trekking.

After the cooking course and elephant park our primary missions in Chiang Mai were complete, but we were not quite ready to leave. The hotel was so comfortable and convenient, and coupled with the laid back nature of the town we decided to spend another couple of days just chilling out there. During that time we visited the local markets a few times and were able to peruse the Sunday Night Market for a second time.

We also made contact with the Bangkok hospital again to enquire about the continuing pain in D’s arm, and they suggested another visit to confirm the bone had healed properly and there was no tendon or ligament damage which would not show on the original x-rays. That would require an MRI, so we once again booked airline tickets to Bangkok and prepared to leave Chiang Mai.

Next stop Bangkok

Chiang Rai, Thailand

fancyfree — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 23:27:00 GMT

Chiang Rai, Thailand – 8 to 10 March, 2007

The three and a half hour bus ride from Chiang Kong to Chiang Rai was pretty uneventful except for the haze everywhere as a result of the slash and burn farming techniques in the area and brush fires in Burma. We met a German couple on the bus who were on a short tour of the area and recommended a guest house. We decided to try the guest house, so when we arrived in Chiang Rai we caught a tuk-tuk to the guest house and checked in.

It was then off for our usual walk about, so we picked up a local map and headed out. We wandered around the main town area for a while, and found the Hill Tribe Museum. As Chiang Rai is close to the “Golden Triangle” area of Thailand, Laos, and Burma, and also near many hill tribe villages, our plan was to take a tour to visit some of the hill tribes. D was fascinated by the Long Neck Karen tribe, and wanted to see them so we thought the museum would provide us more detail on the tribes. It did, and after our visit to the museum we crossed the hill tribe visit off our list. It seems the true Long Neck Karen only exist in Burma, and the village in Thailand was set up by a local businessman as a tourist attraction and he imported some of the tribe members. It is more of a human zoo and the women are not allowed to leave the village. It is also a tradition which purposely deforms the women from a young age and it would probably die out if it weren’t for the fact it can make a buck displaying the women to tourists.

After the museum visit, it was time for dinner. Our new found German friends had told us about the local night market where a number of food stalls were set up each evening so we decided to try that. On the way we passed a park where there were over a hundred people of all ages doing aerobics to music and a leader on a raised platform at the front. We watched for a while, but when the leader motioned for us to join in we figured it was time to leave. D pointed to her arm in a sling, and we snuck out a side entrance.

From there we headed to the market which was just getting set up. Most of the food stalls were open however, and we found food of all kinds, including fried worms and bugs of various varieties. We settled for more traditional fare. J had a couple of grilled skewers of various delicacies, and D opted for a papaya salad and a skewer of grilled pork.

The next day we decided to visit a couple of the attractions in town. We first walked to a temple at the top of a hill just outside of town that was supposed to offer a very good view of the town. That must have been written a few years ago as we only saw trees. After that we headed back towards our guesthouse and visited the famous temple next to it. This is a temple where the famed jade Buddha was found hidden inside when lightening struck the building many many years ago. This is the same jade Buddha that is now housed in Bangkok. You can see we are not historians as we do not remember the dates and are too lazy to look it up for you. Suffice it to say this Buddha has had an illustrious life over the centuries.

We then headed back into town and stopped for a pitcher of beer at a Dutch restaurant of all places. It was enticing because despite the heat we could sit outside under the fans and misters to keep us cool. It was now dinner time again, so it was back to the night market. This time J was more adventurous and tried the deep fried bamboo worms as an appetizer. Then we both split a “hot pot” of our favorite Tom Yam soup.

As Chiang Rai is primarily known as a base for hill tribe visits and elephant trekking and we now ruled both of those out, we decided to move on to Chiang Mai. This is where we had originally planned to start our journey three months ago until we found it was full over the Christmas/New Year period so headed in the opposite direction. We were now looking forward to the Thai cooking course J wanted to do and visiting the elephant training camp D had investigated.

Next stop Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Mekong River Trip - Luang Prabang, Laos to Chiang Kong, Thailand

fancyfree — Thu, 8 Mar 2007 02:00:00 GMT

Mekong River Trip, Laos – 6 to 8 March, 2007

Our cruise liner from Luang Prabang to Pak Beng was scheduled to start boarding around 8:00 AM, so we were up early as the tuk-tuk driver was scheduled to pick us up at 7:30. It was only a five minute ride to the pier, but we wanted to buy some food for the trip from the market before getting on board. We arrived at the ticket office at the top of the hill above the pier where we had bought our tickets and dropped our bags while we went in search of some munchies. There are many street vendors in the market area who sell sandwiches consisting of a baguette, lettuce, tomato, mayo, and assorted cold cuts or tuna, so we headed for one. We each selected a sandwich for breakfast and another for lunch, and picked up one extra for the clerk at the ticket office. This proved to be money (50 cents) well spent as when we returned back to the office he grabbed one of our heavy bags and personally led us down the hill to the boat.

As promised, we had “soft seats” which consisted of bench seats that had been removed from a minibus and set in the boat. Our seats were in front and even had our names taped on them. We were glad we booked where we did because after the first five rows of soft seats everything else was wooden bench seats, although they did have a thin foam cushion laid across them.

Once everyone and their backpacks were loaded, we headed upstream around 9:00 AM. After roasting for a few days, the weather was overcast and downright cold at about 65 degrees Fahrenheit. After a couple of hours it warmed up some, but it remained overcast and fairly cool. This was a good thing as some people we met that had come down river a couple days before said that not only was their boat very crowded, the heat was unbearable. The scenery along the river was a combination of mountains, rock cliffs, and sandy beaches. We never thought there would be the amount of sand along the Mekong that we saw. Occasionally we would pass a small village, but there were fishing lines and nets set up everywhere which demonstrated the reliance of the local people on the bounty from the river.

The scenery will keep you interested for a couple of hours, but after that the ride tends to get monotonous and there isn’t much else to do. Out came the MP3 players, and a couple of girls nearby got out their playing cards to try and pass the hours. Finally around 6:30 PM we pulled into the port town of Pak Beng for an overnight stop.

The sole reason for the existence of Pak Beng is to accommodate tourists (mostly backpackers) who are stuck there overnight as the boats can’t navigate the river after dark. As we arrived in the dry season and the river was low, there was a steep slope that had to be climbed with our luggage to reach the main (and only) road. This road led through town which was a gathering of guesthouses, restaurants, and family shops. After we climbed the hill to the road we were greeted by a few locals pushing the various guesthouses in town. We had chosen one from the Lonely Planet guide, so with the help of an able bodied local boy we hiked a short distance to it.

The room was extremely basic and not so clean, but the other options we saw were not any better so we checked in. When we sat on the beds, we almost sunk between the springs to the floor. There was also some evidence of insects in the room, so out came the sleep sacks. We decided to take a walk around town to find some dinner, and as we left the room and pulled the door shut the door knob came off Js hand. When we told the front desk they came and slid it back on and provided a padlock for the door. This was evidently a known problem as the clasp for the padlock was already installed on the door.

We took a quick walk around town, but soon realized the restaurant at our guesthouse was about as good an option as any so we headed back. We didn’t want to venture too far as everywhere was dark and we had forgotten our handy (no batteries required) flashlight. It seems there is often no power in the evenings there, and the hum of generators was everywhere. After dinner at the guesthouse we called it a night as D had read the generators go off at 10:00 PM.

The next day we were up early and decided to bypass the showers as there was no hot water. It was another cool morning, but we had dressed a bit warmer expecting it. The boat wasn’t scheduled to leave until 8:00 AM, but we didn’t want to stay in the guesthouse any longer than necessary and we also wanted to be sure to find the right boat as we had to change boats for the second day so we arrived at the pier at 7:00 AM. We quickly located the correct boat and lugged our bags on board. J then headed back up the hill to find some sandwiches for the day. While walking he ran into a fellow traveler from the boat who said that he had a rat, or maybe a very large mouse, in his room during the night. It seems there were worse guesthouses than the one we chose.

While J was searching for food, D watched the boat being loaded. Pak Beng is also a center for hill tribe embroidered crafts and many large bags of them were being loaded. Once loaded they took up almost the entire front area of the boat as well as the rear cargo area, but they later proved useful as soft rest areas. Once everything was loaded the boat left around 8:30 AM. We had been promised soft seats on the second leg as well as the first, but when we arrived at the boat we were not really surprised to see there were none on board. We were one of the first ones on the boat so we had the pick of seats on the boat and at least they had cushions.

The scenery on the second day was much the same as the first, plus water buffalo and goats roaming the banks. We passed a few locations where some of the hill tribe people were panning for gold along the river, and D wanted to stop and help. The boat made a couple of stops at small villages along the river to unload the cargo, and by the time we arrived in Huay Xai the boat was empty except for tourist passengers. Most of the others we met on the boat had plans to cross the river to Chiang Kong in Thailand, but those hopes were dashed as we arrived late and the border closed at 6:00 pm. We planned to spend the night in Huay Xai anyway and were considering taking another trip into northern Laos, so we caught a pick-up truck into town and found a guesthouse where the sleep sacks came out again.

The experience with the guest house pretty much convinced us we wanted to return to somewhere with more options for lodging, so the next morning we headed for the river taxis to Thailand which were just across the street from the guesthouse. These taxis ran continuously from one bank of the river to the opposite bank. They were basically a long narrow canoe with a long tail motor on the back. We were a bit dubious as it seemed if you leaned the boat may tip over. We made it without event, and made the short walk to the Thai immigration office window.

We then found that we had not “checked out” of Laos and as a result were not allowed to enter Thailand. The immigration officer told us we must go back to Laos to “check out”. Not wanting to haul our packs back to the ferry, we decided D would wait with them in no mans land between the borders while J took a taxi back with both passports in hopes the Laos immigration officer wouldn’t notice the fact D was not present. If he did, J would get his departure stamp and return to the Thai side, then D would then have to make the checkout trip back across the river on her own. When J arrived back in Laos, he realized we had walked past the immigration office just before the river taxi area without even seeing it. Fortunately the officer didn’t notice that D was missing, and he placed exit stamps in both passports. It was then back across the river to try and enter Thailand again. This time there was no problem.

Once legally in Thailand, we caught a sawngthaew to the bus station to catch a bus to Chiang Rai where we planned to spend a couple of days. We found a bus would be leaving in about a half hour, so we boarded it and waited.

Next stop Chiang Rai.

Luang Prabang, Laos

fancyfree — Tue, 6 Mar 2007 01:58:00 GMT

Luang Prabang, Laos – 28 February to 6 March, 2007

Fortunately the bus wasn’t leaving from Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang until 10:00 AM so we didn’t have to get up too early after trying to recover from our tubing outing. We were both a bit sluggish, but J more so as a result of after effects of the Beerlao combined with the remnants of his cold and the spicy squid he had for dinner the previous night. We reluctantly said goodbye to our bungalow, checked out, and boarded a minibus destined for the main bus stop only a couple kilometers away.

The big bus was another VIP bus, but from our previous experience we knew the only difference between the VIP and local services was that the VIP bus didn’t stop at every corner on the way. This trip was scheduled to last six hours. The distance wasn’t great, but it would be through some of the most mountainous and scenic areas on small and curving roads so the going would be slow. Or so we thought!

The bus left about 45 minutes late with no air conditioning as we expected. Within 30 minutes J was looking a bit pale and feeling a bit green. He persevered, but the best part soon came when we hit the mountains. While the uphill climbs were slow, the curves on the level and downhill stretches would have challenged a Formula 1 champion, and the driver thought he was a champion entered in a Grand Prix! Everyone was being bounced from one armrest to the next and it looked like a bus load of bobble heads. Even though he started with a disadvantage, J managed to hold on to his breakfast but not everyone did. The bus stopped once after only an hour on the road before we hit the hills, but it now made a much appreciated pit stop with two hours to go. That gave everyone time to recover a bit and prepare for the last hour of crooked road before hitting the flats and the run to Luang Prabang.

Finally, we arrived in LP about an hour later than scheduled. As usual we had no hotel reservations, so we drew a straw and found a sawngthaew (small pickup truck with benches in the back and a roof overhead) to take us to the guesthouse of choice. They had a room in their courtyard area, so we had a look and decided to stay. By the time we got checked in and settled it was getting close to sunset, so we ventured out towards the center of town (walkabout come to mind?) to find a bite to eat and a Beerlao to settle our stomachs. We arrived at the Mekong River just a few minutes before sunset so we waited at the rivers edge to get a few pictures of the sunset. After that we had a quick dinner and found that there was a large night market on the main street in town. We had a quick look, but didn’t do any shopping as it was a long day and we planned to be in town for a couple of days.

The next morning we were awakened at dawn by a horrendous noise in the courtyard outside our room. When we headed out, we found a large parrot in a cage straight across the courtyard from our front door. After a few comments about a stir fried parrot, we headed towards town to find breakfast. We had found a Scandinavian Bakery and Coffee shop in Vientiane that had excellent coffee and pastries and we had read there was one in LP as well so we went looking for that. We found it down the main street where the night market was set up the night before, and as we sat enjoying a good cup of coffee and a bagel, we heard a commotion down the road. It turned out it was the grooms party for a wedding, and they came out of one restaurant and paraded past the coffee shop to another restaurant a few doors down. It was quite a procession with an assistant carrying an umbrella to keep the sun off the groom, people cheering and banging drums. When it passed we wondered what the brides procession would be like.

We spent the rest of the day wandering the streets and alleys of LP and taking pictures of the town and scenery around it. We visited the night market again, and found there were a couple of small alleys off the main market street that had a number of food stalls. We decided to have dinner there, and D enjoyed a noodle soup, and J had his first “fish on a stick” which was fresh from the Mekong River. J probably had his mercury limit for the year from that one fish!

The next morning we missed our wake up call from the parrot. When we left the hotel we noticed the cage was gone so we asked the manager what happened to it. She asked if we had heard it the previous day, and said she moved it to the other end of the courtyard because of the noise. Maybe no one was staying in the rooms at that end, but we suspect she may have heard our stir fry comments and wanted to protect her bird. We then continued our walking tour of some of the town we had missed or bypassed the previous day. The highlights included a climb up about 400 steps to the top of the sacred hill (Phou Si) which is in the center of the city and provides an excellent view in all directions.

After the climb, it was time for lunch and a rest from the heat. We found an up market restaurant on the back side of town that had been recommended, and J was able to add a new food experience to his list. He had home made Water Buffalo sausages. From there it was back to the guesthouse for a siesta in the AC before heading out later for dinner in the night market. At the market we found a different food vendor who operated a vegetarian buffet. You could fill you plate with assorted veggies, noodles, rice, etc. all for only 5,000 kip (50 cents). D opted for the vegetarian buffet, while J found another fish on a stick.

The next day we decided to take an excursion about 35 kilometers out of town to a scenic area where there was a park with a number of waterfalls. A couple of the falls had pools at the bottom where you can swim, and along the drive through the country side there were a number of hill tribe villages. We negotiated a price with a tuk-tuk driver to take us to the falls and wait for us there for two to three hours to bring us back. On the way to the park, we would stop at one Hmong tribal village for a short time. As we were already prepared to go, we jumped in the tuk-tuk and headed out. The drive was scenic through some of the back country roads, but everywhere was dry and brown which also meant we would be very dusty from the dirt sections of the roads. We stopped at the Hmong village and were immediately swarmed by children wanting to sell homemade bracelets and other items. After a short walk around the village and negotiating for a couple of bracelets we moved on towards the park.

When we arrived at the park there were many tuk-tuks and mini-busses already there. The falls were only a ten minute walk from the parking area, but between the parking and the falls was an area where an animal rescue agency had a number of rescued Asiatic Black Bears and one tiger. We stopped by that for a few minutes and watched the bear’s antics. We didn’t think we were going to see the tiger, but just as we were about to move on she strolled out from her hiding place and walked along the fence for a couple of minutes. They are quite a fantastic site to see, even in captivity. Fortunately this was no zoo, and she had plenty of room to roam and avoid the people if she wanted.

We then moved to the falls were D had a quick swim. J stayed dry as his previous water experience rafting in Vang Vieng had made his cold worse, and he didn’t want to aggravate it any more. After D’s swim we sat by the pool for a while to watch the others jumping off the top fall and dropping off a rope swing, then headed upstream for the tallest of the falls. It was quite high and cascaded down in a couple of steps. After a few of pictures we walked back to the parking area and boarded the tuk-tuk for town. On the way back we passed many busses headed for the park. This is a popular half day trip with tourists, and the organized tours leave between 1:00 and 2:00 PM. Fortunately we did our own thing and went there in the morning so we missed most of the crowd.

After a rest and shower at the guesthouse we again headed for the night market and dinner. Along the way into town every day we had passed a school with a sign advertising a performance of Lao cultural music, dance, and puppetry which we thought might be interesting. The performance was about to begin as we passed, so we bought tickets and sat down in their theater. The performance was entertaining and the kids were really into it. The show lasted for one hour, so afterward we headed to the market and dinner. It was the vegetarian buffet for D and another Mekong “fish stick” for J who was now beginning to glow in the dark.

Luang Prabang is said to be the best preserved colonial era city in Asia and is now a World Heritage site. It also has a very large number of Buddhist Wats, and the attendant population of Monks. We hadn’t planned to stay as long as we did, but it was so peaceful and beautiful we hung around. The next two days were spent mostly walking and resting, but one thing D wanted to do was see the morning procession of monks collecting their daily alms from the local population. She fulfilled this objective on our last day there and was out the door at 5:15 AM as we had been told they start at 5:30 AM. J told her not to wake him on her way out.

In reality the procession didn’t begin until about 7:00 AM, so D walked into town for her favorite latte before it began. The pictures didn’t turn out as well as hoped as the light was still somewhat dim and flashes were not supposed to be used, and other tourists (who ignored the no flash rule) kept getting in D’s way. In the end, she was glad she was up early to see hundreds of saffron robed monks line up for their daily food offerings.

We originally planned to leave LP via slow boat up the Mekong River, but had heard that it could be a difficult trip as it took two days. We decided to fly instead, but when we checked out the flights at the Air Laos office across the road from our guesthouse, the next available flight wasn’t until ten days later. Back to plan A and the boat. We read that most travelers take the boat southbound from Thailand, and it was very crowded. The story went that if you went northbound there were only about half the number of people on the boat and it was much more comfortable. We also read you should take your own cushions as some of the boats only had wooden bench seats. Fortunately we found a travel agent that had a special deal with the boat company and could guarantee us “soft” seats as well as a ticket for the full length of the trip. Other agents could only sell a ticket for the first day, and then you had to buy one for the second leg at the overnight stop. That settled, we were scheduled to hop on a “slow boat towards China”.

Next stop Chiang Khong, Thailand

Vang Vieng, Laos

fancyfree — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 03:24:00 GMT

Vang Vieng, Laos – 22 to 28 February, 2007

We booked a VIP bus from Vientiane to Vang Vieng based on the marketing material at the guesthouse saying it was air conditioned and cold water and a snack were provided on the trip. We were dubious of the water and snack, but as it was only around a four hour trip and it was sure to be air conditioned it should be OK. A tuk-tuk picked us up at the hotel the next morning and drove us the few blocks to the location the VIP bus left from. On arrival we knew it would be an interesting trip when they started hoisting everyone’s luggage to the roof of the bus instead of putting it in compartments underneath. We had seen many local busses with everything from beer to motocycles lashed to the roof and people hanging out the doors and windows, but surely this would be different as it was a VIP bus after all.

As we soon found, the only thing VIP about this bus was in the marketing posters. Three or four people who hesitated to board the bus until the last minute (they needed that last cigarette) found themselves sitting on small plastic stools placed in the aisle. At least the bus was air conditioned. The only problem is it was never turned on once the bus left the departure point. We weren’t sure of the logic other than maybe it saved on gas, as we did have to stop for fuel shortly after beginning the trip. We never did see any cold water or snacks, but we were well prepared with our own goody bag or snacks and water.

Fortunately there were no major surprises on the trip, and we arrived pretty much on time. Like many of the tourist oriented busses operated by travel agencies and guest houses, this one stopped at one of their affiliated guesthouses, which also happened to be the end of the line. As we usually don’t have reservations in advance, we will check them out as they are sometimes a good deal. As J waited for the bags to be handed down from the roof of the bus, D checked out a bungalow with a view of the river. She said OK to the $15 price as it was livable and we didn’t want to have to hike our bags and find another place. This turned out to be a great decision and one of our favorite stops on the entire trip so far.

Vang Vieng is a small town located on the Nam Xong River. It is a favorite backpacker party haunt noted for the tubing on the river and all the bars with blaring TVs in the few square blocks of the main town area. Each bar seems to have a specialty, and of course the bar called Friends airs old Friends TV shows continuously on multiple TVs around the walls. The patrons spread out on raised platforms covered with bamboo mats and foot high tables to laze around, drink beer, and OD on TV. Fortunately our guesthouse was outside of the main town and located by the river, so we chilled out in their open air restaurant which was built out to the edge of the Nam Xong watching the water flow, watching the locals coming to the river for their evening wash and teeth brushing, watching the “Japanese Cows” and their trailers of cargo forge the river to bypass the toll bridge, and of course sipping on a Beerlao or two. We did venture into town on occasion, mainly for internet access, and even sat and watched Little Brittan for a couple of hours one day, but that was the extent of our TV at this stop. Our bungalow didn’t even have a TV or phone!

Our planned two day stopover turned into six days, and we really don’t have much to write about our activities. This was simply a “chill” period with D lazing in a hammock near the river catching up on some reading, J doing some journals while sitting in the restaurant sipping a beer and recovering from a cold picked up in Vientiane, walking through the country side and along the river, and simply enjoying the scenery.

The best way to explain it is to refer you to picture numbers 15 through 30 in our Laos tab. The river is the cleanest we have seen since we have been in Asia, and we even swam in it which is saying something. We won’t let water from most rivers, streams, canals, lakes, puddles, etc. here even get near our skin let alone jump into it. Other than the draw of the river, there are fantastic hills that surround the area. This is not a mountain range, but instead they are limestone hills that seem to pop up individually in the middle of fields and are full of caves that can be explored. Some caves even have pools that you can swim in. The hills reminded us of Guilin, China which we visited 15 years ago, and Halong Bay east of Hanoi which we visited less than a month prior.

Our one big outing came the last full day we were there and we decided we “couldn’t not” go tubing down the river. The agenda is a tuk-tuk loads up with a group of about ten people and their tubes, drives you about six kilometers upstream, and you float back down to the starting point in town. The theory goes that it will take two to three hours to float down without many stops, so if you leave at noon you will be back in mid afternoon. The reality is that there are many bars along this short stretch of river where you can stop for a cold Beerlao. Many of these bars are built in front of deep holes in the river where they have erected swings and zip lines, some 30 feet or more above the waterline, for the drunken fools to try and outdo each other. In addition, there are many entrepreneurs who have set up shop with a case of beer on a large rock in the middle of the river. You simply paddle up and exchange 10,000 kip (one US buck) for a big bottle of Beerlao, and continue your float downstream. The result is the tubing company collects a small fortune in “fines” for anyone that turns their tube in after 6:00 PM. We didn’t meet anyone who made it down in time without having to catch a tuk-tuk for the last couple of kilometers to beat the clock. We joined some of them in the tuk-tuk!

We did just beat the 6:00 PM deadline thanks to the tuk-tuk, but we were just slightly worse off for wear. Now we needed to rest up for the bus ride the next morning.

Next stop Luang Prabang.

Vientiane, Laos

fancyfree — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 03:20:00 GMT

Vientiane, Laos – 18 to 22 February, 2007

It has been a while since we have put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) so let’s see what we can remember of the last six weeks or so.

We were up early in Hanoi as the taxi was scheduled to pick us up at 6:00 AM to head for the airport and our flight to Vientiane. All went as planned and we arrived in Vientiane in late morning. We didn’t have reservations so we picked a place out of the Lonely Planet guide that sounded OK, and told the taxi driver to take us there. The airport is close to town, so we were at the guesthouse in a short time only to find they were full. They suggested the guesthouse next door to them, and fortunately they had a room available. The only problem is that it was on the fourth floor, and there were no elevators in the building. J worked up a sweat getting the bags to the room.

Once settled, we headed out for our standard routine. Can you remember what it is after all this time? Yes, it’s our walkabout! The guesthouse was not far from the Mekong River, so we headed in that direction. One of the first things we noticed (as J was huffing our bags up four flights of stairs) was how much warmer than Hanoi the city was, and also the lack of traffic. It was almost a different world without having to dodge thousands of motorbikes to cross any road. It was a Sunday and many shops and offices were closed, but we later found the traffic was minimal even during the week days as well. One other thing that we noticed very quickly on our walk was that the storm and probably other sewers run along below the sidewalks and many of the concrete covers are missing or broken leaving large holes in the middle of the sidewalk. A lack of concentration here could lead to a nasty accident!

We arrived at the river in short time but were sweating from the walk and in need of some liquid refreshment. We found a restaurant on the edge of the Mekong, and decided to have lunch along with a beer. This was to be the first of our many Tom Yam soups and Beerlao. J had the Tom Yam which is a hot and sour soup with fish as the standard protein ingredient in Lao, but it is also made with chicken, pork, or prawns. D had a local dish that we can’t remember the name of, and we also shared a green papaya salad. J found the Tom Yam excellent, D wasn’t keen on her dish, and the papaya salad had a strong fishy aroma and taste. We were aware they used a lot of fish sauce in Lao, but hadn’t expected as much in the salad. The beer however was excellent and the price was right at about one dollar for a large bottle that was almost ¾ of a liter. There was one item on the menu that J wanted to try, but put off for another day. That was “Underground Singers” which is basically a plate of fried local crickets.

While sitting in the restaurant, we were surprised at how low the Mekong seemed to be. The river banks came close to the restaurant, but the current flow seemed like it was at least a half mile away across a stretch of sand. It made us aware of how much water must be flowing in the rainy season. After lunch we continued our walk along the river bank through a stretch of hawker food stalls, and checked out a couple of hotels as we thought about moving the next day. In the end everywhere else was either full or too expensive, and we didn’t want to carry our luggage down the four flights right away, so we decided to stay where we were.

The next day we decided to walk in the opposite direction along the river past the palace and hospital, then cut into town to find the local market. When we found the market and it was amazing. It seemed to be acres of stalls all under many tin roofs. You could find everything imaginable there from baby clothing to snake whiskey. Yes, there are actual pickled snakes in the bottom of the bottles. We wandered there for a while, but it seemed so hot under the roofs with very little breeze that we gave up without buying much other than some necessities such as toothpaste and an electronic bug zapper. This was more of a fact finding walk anyway, so we thought we would return.

The next day we continued our foot tour of the city and visited Patuxay, also called Victory Gate. This is similar to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, but is four sided instead of two. The interesting story about it is that it was built in the late 1960s as a monument to Lao war dead with concrete donated by the U.S. that was supposed to be used to build a new airport. Hence its nickname of the “vertical runway”!

We had originally planned to spend only a couple of days in Vientiane, but it was so peaceful and laid back after Hanoi that we extended our stay. On our third full day in town we decided to get adventurous and catch a local bus to a place about an hour out of town called Xieng Khuan (Buddha Park). This is a private park created by a local spiritual figure and it contains many weird Buddha and Hindu cement sculptures including a huge reclining Buddha. The park was interesting, but the bus ride was the highlight of the trip. We boarded the bus at the main station which is adjacent to the market we had visited earlier. It was an old mid size bus that was packed full of people. Every mosquito in town must have picked that bus for feasting, as they seemed to be swarming in all directions. There was no air conditioning on the bus, so all windows were wide open. In fact, many of the frames didn’t even have windows in them, and those that did were usually cracked Plexiglas. The door was automatic, opening by inertia when the bus stopped, and closing when it started up.

The bus route went via the Friendship Bridge, one of the most popular border crossings to Thailand, and the roads were very good up to that point. After that however they were full of pot holes soon turned into a dirt track. By the time we hit the dirt, we were about the only passengers on the bus. We got off at the park, had a look around, then stood by the road to catch the bus for the return journey. That was much the same except when we got on there were only two other people on the bus. By the time we arrived back at the main station in Vientiane, we were completely covered in dust and grime, but happy for the experience. We then searched for dinner and retired to pack for our bus trip the next morning.

Next stop Vang Vieng, Laos.

Return to Hanoi, Vietnam

fancyfree — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 23:47:00 GMT

Hanoi, Vietnam – 15 to 18 February, 2007

When we arrived back in Hanoi from Halong Bay, the minibus back dropped us about a block from our hotel because it was rush hour and the bus couldn’t get up the streets. We didn’t mind as we only had a small pack with our overnight gear and didn’t have to handle any other luggage as we had left our large packs at the hotel for our return. We checked back in, and as promised the hotel had moved our luggage to a room with an internet connection in it. After a short walk around for dinner, we returned to the hotel to begin planning for our next move.

We had hoped to head out of Hanoi for Sapa in the northwest before the Tet celebrations in Hanoi began, but we were pushing the limit. In the end as we only had one day before Tet and our visas expired in less than a week, we decided to spend Tet in Hanoi. We originally thought we would have trouble finding a hotel room as many businesses including restaurants and hotels close for three days or more, but found the hotel we were in would remain open and had rooms available so we decided to stay.

The next day was New Years Eve and most attractions were closed in preparation for Tet. Instead we wandered the area looking for certain streets where specific goods are sold. In most Asian cities it seems like similar shops are often located in the same area. For example, if you go down one street every shop sells flowers, the next street may be motorcycle parts, the next hats, etc. We began referring to many streets by the goods sold instead of their actual names. The tour book listed some of the goods sold on certain streets in Hanoi, so we set of looking for coffin street, hat street, and silk street. It seems the book is somewhat out of date because we never found the coffins and there were only one or two hat and silk shops on the streets listed.

While wandering around, we saw three stages being set up for the evenings festivities around the lake. We also passed a barber set up in an alleyway and as J was in need of a haircut he decided to try his luck. The barber had one client, and while J waited several more turned up. It seems that along with cleaning everything in the house for Tet, everyone wants to get spruced up for visiting family and friends. The haircut turned out a bit shorter than planned, but it should last at least until we get to Thailand again.

We then decided to work our way back to Bai Hoi Junction for a few more cheap beers before the celebrations. Although some businesses were closed the streets were a buzz with traffic. We also wanted to visit a Vietnam Airlines ticket office in that area as we had decided to move on to Laos as our next destination. J also wanted to fly as we had heard the bus trip was about 27 hours and he wanted no parts of that one. We got our tickets booked from Hanoi to Vientiane, Laos for the 18^th, then sat down for a beer.

After a couple of beers, we decided to go back to the hotel for a rest before going out for the evenings festivities. About 9:00 PM we walked towards the lake and were immediately in the middle of a huge crowd going the same way. Just as we reached the lake there was an acrobatic show on one of the many stages set up. We watched that for a while, and then continued along the lake until we reached another stage with various musical acts. Again we watched for a while before moving on to the next stage. We finally worked our way around the lake and found a place we could sit to watch the fireworks that were going to be launched over the lake.

We had about an hour to wait, but midnight finally rolled around and the party started. We soon realized that the safety cushion between the spectators and firework launchers is different between the US and Vietnam. After the first couple of blasts, we were covered in parts of the rockets drifting back to earth. While it was only paper or cardboard, some of it was smoldering and D was afraid her hair would be set on fire. J thought it was kind of funny to see her trying to hide behind a tree all the while brushing her head with her hand. We finally decided to move away from the launch area and enjoyed the rest of the show from a safer distance although the view wasn’t quite as good.

The next morning it was like another world when we ventured out into the streets. There were almost no cars or motorbikes on the road and you could cross even the busiest streets with ease. There were very few shops open, but breakfast was included at the hotel so we were just wandering with no real purpose again. Later in the day we did find that one of the Bai Hoi shops was open so we could have a New Year’s Day brew. Finding dinner that evening was more of a trick, but we finally found a small pizza place that was open, so had a light dinner there before returning to the hotel for an early night. We were scheduled to be picked up at 6:00 AM for our ride to the airport for our 8:30 flight.

Next stop Vientiane, Laos.

Halong Bay, Vietnam

fancyfree — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 03:01:00 GMT

Halong Bay, Vietnam – 14 to 15 February, 2007 The minibus picked us up from the hotel in Hanoi just before 8:00 AM as planned. We were the second pick up as only one other couple was on the bus so we chose the second seat back. After three more stops, the minibus was full with 14 tourists plus the driver and guide, so every seat was taken. It would be about a four hour drive to the port of Halong Bay, so we settled back for the ride. We arrived at the port just about noon, and were shuffled to a boat for our assigned tour. There were dozens of boats, each with probably twenty to thirty people on them, and they were moored about five deep. Our boat was near the outside edge, so we had to cross across three or four other boats before reaching ours. The boat was sectioned into eight table areas, four on each side, with seating for six at each table. As there weren’t that many people, we were able to stake out a table for ourselves. We soon left port, and because we were one of the boats moored furthest out, we were one of the first to shove off. As we cruised towards the many islets and Cat Ba Island where we would spend the night, we looked behind and we saw what can only be described as the Vietnamese Navy following us. All of the dozens of boats left at the same time and were just behind us as we cruised. It wasn’t long before we entered the area where the islands rise from the sea as very high and narrow shapes. Unfortunately the weather didn’t cooperate with us, and the sky was overcast and the island shrouded in a mist. Many of the islands have names related to their perceived shapes such as “Fighting Cock” which from one angle appears to be two roosters fighting (a sport that is still practiced in some areas here). We stopped briefly at a floating fish shop where they had live fish in pens, and you could add some fresh fish, cuttlefish, squid, prawns, crabs, or shellfish to the standard meal provided as part of the trip. All for an additional and inflated cost of course. It seemed like only minutes after we left the floating fish shop that lunch was served at our tables. The standard fare consisted of pork, fish, spring rolls, vegetables, fried tofu, and fresh fruit. The local family we sat with during lunch had added a fresh fish, some mussels, and some crabs from the floating shop to their meal, and they graciously offered to share some with us. All in all it was a good meal. After lunch we pulled up to one island and visited a cave nicknamed Heavenly Cave. It is a huge and beautiful cave, but very busy as all the boats stop there and there is a steady stream through it. While there we learned of the local legends about how a dragon dove into the sea and created the bay, and how the cave was the home of a dragon and his wife who had many little dragons and then split up to become all the ethnic people in Vietnam. At least we think it went something like that. From the cave, we sailed through many more islands toward Cat Ba Island. Cat Ba is a large island composed primarily or national park and one small town which has become somewhat of a resort area for both foreign tourists and upscale Vietnamese. We arrived in Cat Ba about 4:30 PM, and boarded an old and decrepit bus for a 30 minute ride to town. When we arrived in town, we were dropped off a one hotel with a single Japanese girl, while all the others were sent to another hotel even though were all on the same tour and had paid the same price. When we questioned why we were left at a crap hotel when everyone else went to a more modern and upscale hotel, we were told they were both two star hotels, but we knew better. This was just another reason we should not have booked with the travel agent in Hue. When D questioned them about the hotel when we booked the trip, the answer was “don’t worry madam, we book you in good hotel”. We won’t be recommending that agent for any business, and in fact will soon post a warning for other travelers to avoid them. After checking in, we did our usual walkabout. We only had an hour before the dinner provided by the hotel as part of the trip, but that was all that was needed to cover most of the town along the front. We were again surprised at how quiet the town seemed to be given it was high season, but evidently it is busier on weekends when the locals invade it. One of the things Halong Bay is famous for is its cheap pearls. While on our walkabout we saw a few shops selling pearls and checked out the prices, but D decided to think about it before buying. We made our way back to the hotel for a group dinner with the three of us (D, J, and the Japanese girl), which not surprisingly turn out to be a mediocre meal. We had noticed an internet café next to the hotel, so after dinner we stopped there for a beer and to catch up on emails. While there we discussed pearl buying strategy, and D departed with a fistful of cash and a target price while J checked emails and accounts. D was soon back with two necklaces and two bracelets that are even knotted between each pearl. She got the pearls for a great price but there are a few imperfections in the pearls. D said that adds character and the price was right. We were awakened in the middle of the night by only the second rain we experienced second leaving Singapore. Unfortunately our room was just above the tin roof covering the pool hall below, and between the thunder and the heavy rain there was a constant clatter. The rain has passed by the next morning, and the bus picked us up from the hotel for the short shuttle back to the other side of the island and the boat ride back to Halong Bay port. Once again we climbed across a couple of other boats to reach ours and began the trip back. Again the weather was overcast and misty, so we never did see or photograph the true beauty of the area. We arrived back in Halong Bay just after noon, and after waiting 45 minutes for our minibus, we were shuttled to a local restaurant for lunch. This was again a group lunch as is customary here with assorted dishes set on the table and everyone helping themselves from each with chopsticks. It was then back on the bus for the four hour journey back to Hanoi. While Halong bay is a beautiful area to cruise through with mountainous outcrops that reminded us of our visit to Guilin, China many years ago, we really were not impressed with Cat Ba Island. We would also recommend to other travelers to take a smaller and more personal cruise through the area if their budget will allow it. Next stop – Return to Hanoi.