The long bus journey from Luang Prabang to the border was long and chilly, as we were up in the north Laos mountains, but we had some fleecy blankets and luckily I had no toilet problems. Arrived at the border at 7am and got another tuk tuk up to the river border crossing. We teamed up with a scouser dude and a dutch girl, and after officially leaving Laos, crossed the river in a boat and entered Thailand. The visa application process was much simpler than the Laos and Cambodian ones so within 5 minutes we were on another tuk tuk heading towards the border town of Chiang Khong. We still needed to get our bus tickets onto Chiang Mai, so our driver dropped us outside a shop which sold bus tickets. We bought our tickets, but still had an hour to kill before it arrived, so went in search of a restuarant for breakfast. However, as this was a very local town, with few westerners, there weren't really any restaurants as such, just a couple of cafes serving rice soup (tradtional thai brekkie) and noodles etc. We had a meal there, and then stocked up on 7 Eleven snacks for the journey to Chiang Mai which we assumed would take about 4-5 hours.
Eight hours later we finally arrived in Chiang Mai. By this stage we had been travelling nearly 24 hours straight and were knackered. We got a tuk tuk into town to find a hostel, but soon after, Andrew cut his foot on a piece of metal on the street. He freaked out as a lot of blood came out of his toe, but once we shoved a plaster on it, it stopped. Luckily our hostel was just round the corner, so we went to check in and had some much needed showers.
After finding a tasty curry house nearby, we headed back to the hostel for some drinks to socialise. Most people at the hostel were going out for drinks in a nearby bar district, so we tagged along. Had some good chats and watched a local thai Ska band, but once it got to 1am we suddenly realised how exhausted we were and called it a night to get some much needed sleep.
The next day we explored the town and went to the Saturday market where I found a beautiful embroidered bag to replace my crappy H&M one which had broken the day before. I'd seen loads of bags like it in Laos but hadn't been able to justify buying any as they were too big, so I was actually quite glad when the zip broke off my other bag! We also booked our train tickets onto Bangkok as we had a tight schedule to keep to get down to Malaysia for Christmas. Then in the evening we met up with our friends Chantelle and Leo who we originally met in China, but now happened to be staying at the same hostel as us. We went to eat at some great street food stalls back near the Saturday market, and had a feast for about 3 pounds!
The following day we hired some bikes to go and see Chiang Mai university as apparently it showed free films on Sundays and also had a swimming pool. It took about an hour to cycle there on the crazy busy main roads, and it was a pretty campus to cycle round. But quite soon we realised that we weren't going to find either the film or the pool. We asked some students for directions, but ended up very lost, and had to ask for directions again at a local shop. By this stage it was late afternoon and we had to cycle back to town before it got dark. In the evening however, we met up with Chantelle and Leo again and went to see the huge local Sunday Wallking Market. It went on forever, with hundreds of stalls selling all manner of pretty things. The best bit was the fantastic street food again though, which were based in the grounds of each of the temples that lined the route of the market. Everything was only about 20 - 30 bhat each (about 50-70p) so we sampled all kinds of treats - chicken satay, pad thai, smoothies, pancakes with meringue in them, and more.
The day after this we had to get our sleeper train to Bangkok. It was exciting to be back on trains again, as after our epic journey from Laos we'd had enough of buses! We had two spacious seats for the daytime journey, which would then convert into one bunk, with the other bunk pulled down from above. Although we were only traveling second class, we ended up having table service food and drinks for the whole journey! We had some beers and snacks to start with, served by one of the many waiting staff who were milling about everywhere, and then selected a 3 course meal from a menu, which was served later in the evening. It only cost 150B (3 pounds), but was really tasty and filling. Our beds were really nice and comfy too with individual lights, blankets and curtains. It was certainly one of the best train journey experiences we've had so far.
We arrived in Bangkok the following morning around 7am and got the metro to our hostel area in Silom Road. It was a bit of a walk down the main road to our actual hostel, but on the way we passed tons of different street food stalls selling tasty looking breakfast treats. We vowed to come back later for our own breakfast. We arrived at our hostel, which had a curious smell of condensed milk, but very friendly staff. Our room was very comfortable so after showers we went out find some breakfast which we ate in a nearby park surrounded by curious pigeons, and a large water monitor lizard.
After this we hopped on a skytrain and then the river 'tourist boat' to go to Wat Pho which apparently housed Thailands largest reclining Bhudda (46 meters long!). It was certainly huge and very impressive. The temple complex was very calm serene and relaxing, and had lots of shady courtyards to escape from the baking sun. In the afternoon we went to investigate getting Andrew a bespoke suit made. We had the name of a tailor recommended by our hostel which was on the other side of town, so we headed over there. Once we arrived, the price seemed right so Andrew picked his fabrics, chose the style of suit and had his measurements taken. This was at 3pm. We were amazed when they said that they could have the suit ready and made in time for 11am the following morning. Apparently they had tailors that did both night and day shifts. So that evening we went back at 6.30pm, which time the toile of the suit was already finished ready for the fitting. It was basically perfect, but Andrew requested slightly thinner trousers and a slight change to the cut of the jacket hem. They said all of these changes would be made for the following morning (11am) when they could bring the finished suit directly to our hostel, as we had to catch our train to Malaysia the following afteroon. Whilst the fitting was going on we were given complimentary beers and water, and then they even gave us a lift to a bar area on the other side of town where we were meeting our friends that evening. Needless to say, they arrived early the next morning with the finished suit, and it fitted perfectly with all the requested changes having been made. They said to recommend them to our friends, so visit Thai Square Tailors in Bangkok if you fancy a tailored suit!
Thursday, 30 December 2010
Luang Prabang & Trek
After an exhilarating 6 hour minibus ride up and down the winding mountain roads of Northern Laos, we arrive in the historic town of Luang Prabang, listed by UNESCO as a world heritage site due to its vast array of ancient wats (temples) and French colonial architecture. Situated at the confluence of the Mekong and Nham Khan rivers, it skirts around the edge of Phousi mountain (no really!) which lies at its' centre. It is a beautiful town, though feels strangely 'un lao'. The local airport draws in an ever increasing stream of tourists, creating a western friendly zone of restaurants, craft markets and guest houses. Few locals can afford to live in the centre of the historic town, the colonialism of the past replaced by an invasion of tourist cash.
We look into the possibility of going on a trek in the surrounding countryside, and are lucky enough to find one leaving the next morning, with four people already subscribed (bringing the cost down considerably per person). We're in the tour office at 8am to set off on our two day excursion and it's raining heavily. Undaunted, we leave our large luggage and head off in the minibus with our local guide. From an inauspicious starting point at the side of a road 2hours drive away, we head off up a steep muddy track. Helen purchased some new hiking shoes (Goretex and everything) before we left London. I, being the more experienced hiker, am sporting a pair of hilariously inappropriate skateboarding plimsolls, with an almost negative amount of grip. This has its advantages at first as the thick sandy mud clings to the thick soles of everyone else's shoes, adding weight with each step. The path is bordered at first with un-terraced sticky rice fields, which cling to the edge of the mountainous slopes, our guide points out piles of burnt hay, apparently a device for flushing out rats.
A series of steep climbs puts us into a proper hike mode, plodding purpousefuly up the sticky track, it's hard going and the dense cloud we now find ourselves in drenches everything. during breaks in the mist, we see spots of cloud and mist hovering over the dense jungle around us:
The lower, flatter ground has more terraced, irrigated rice fields.
We stop for lunch at a local village, Laap (minced chicken with mint and spices), the ubiquitous sticky rice wrapped in banana leaf, and buffallo curry. The side of our hut featured illustrations of how to avoid unexploded ordinance from the Vietnam war - Laos is the most bombed country in history, it was hit by 260 million bombs, 80 million of which failed to explode, or where dropped by returning planes to conserve fuel. The huts are mounted on stilts, raising them above the mud & snakes. The Hmong people who live hear have ancestral routes in Mongolia, and live high in the mountains as the climate is far cooler. Their people where used by the CIA in the Vietnam war in northern Laos, in what became known as the secret war (I had the book 'The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down' recommended to me as a tear jerking account of Hmong immigrants to the US). They were very friendly as we stumbled through their home.
On the other side of the hill is a village populated by Khmu, indigenous people to northern Laos. Separating the two villages is a shared school, and Helen had the idea of bringing some pencils to give to the kids - we were soon surrounded by a throng of eager faces. They had been running amok, unsupervised, during a break, would never have happened in my day!
Click here to watch a video
The stopover was a comfortable nights sleep in another village, following some Lao Lao (a rice spirit local moonshine) we slept very well. The following morning and continued rain means we take an easier route for fear of snapping ankles - the disadvantage is several river crossings.
Saturday, 18 December 2010
Laos, Vientianne and Vang Vieng
We started our trip up to north Laos in the Capital - Vientianne. We only had a day there but managed to squeze in a delicious steak with pepper sauce, fries and a glass of red wine. Bliss. There's a big French ex pat community there so lots of places to get good steak! We also visited the Laos arc de triomphe, also known as the concrete monster, which on closer inspection becomes clear. It was built from concrete donated by america to build an airport runway, but they built the arc instead. If nothing else though it was a great place to see a panoramic view of the city.
After Vientianne we got a bus to Vang Vieng which went on some very windy roads through all the mountains. One poor local kid got bad motion sickness and threw up all over his seat. His brother and the driver shouted at him, but wiped him down and we continued on our way. The scenery on the way was stunning though, and we whizzed past loads of local villages built right on the edge of the road with a sheer drop beneath them. Evenutally we arrived in Vang Vieng, and found a guesthouse to crash for the night.
The next day we hired some bikes and went on a beautiful bike ride through the nearby countryside to some caves, one of which had a lagoon. The cycle ride was pretty bumpy as most of the road there was just a rocky dirt track, but after about an hour we arrived at the lagoon and cave, and jumped straight in the lagoon to cool off. It was gorgeous clear blue water and felt like something out of never never land. There were some rope swings and trees to jump off too, so this all added to the fun! After this we found a guide to take us up into the cave which was up some really steep steps at the side of a mountain. It was pitch black inside so we were grateful for our guide and free headlamps. With the aid of our torches we saw some amazing crystal formations and stalagmites and stalagtites. It was quite spooky walking around though, so i was glad of fresh air and daylight when we came out.
After stumbling back down the mountainside we hopped back on our bikes to cycle back to the town. On the way we stopped at an organic garden and had some delicious fruit and mint shakes, as well as homemade lime wine. I really liked it, but andrew was confused by the strange lime pickle type taste. Suitably refreshed we continued our journey, and made it back to the hostel in time for sunset over the river.
After Vientianne we got a bus to Vang Vieng which went on some very windy roads through all the mountains. One poor local kid got bad motion sickness and threw up all over his seat. His brother and the driver shouted at him, but wiped him down and we continued on our way. The scenery on the way was stunning though, and we whizzed past loads of local villages built right on the edge of the road with a sheer drop beneath them. Evenutally we arrived in Vang Vieng, and found a guesthouse to crash for the night.
After stumbling back down the mountainside we hopped back on our bikes to cycle back to the town. On the way we stopped at an organic garden and had some delicious fruit and mint shakes, as well as homemade lime wine. I really liked it, but andrew was confused by the strange lime pickle type taste. Suitably refreshed we continued our journey, and made it back to the hostel in time for sunset over the river.
Our faces runining the Laos Arc De Triomphe in Vientianne
4,000 Islands, Laos (and Kratie, Cambodia)
Although there probably are about 4,000 mini islands here, only a few are actually inhabited. We're on a small one called Don Det. On the way here we stopped at a town called Kratie in Cambodia to break up our journey to the Laos border from Siem Reap. It was a strange town, but was right on the Mekong river, and we were able to go and see some rare Irawaddy freshwater dolphins. The dolphin spot was about an hours very pretty cycle ride away, whizzing through lots of Cambodian villages on the way. Kids everywhere shout 'Hello!' as you go by, and although you try and wave to them all, you also have to keep an eye out for moto drivers, cows, tractors and random dogs that meander along the road as well. Although the dolphins are rare, we did manage to see quite a few of them coming up for air and swimming around. They are quite shy though and keep away from the boats, as the boatmen sometimes use their propellors in the 'protected' dolphin zone, even though they are supposed to be rowing. It was a lovely experience though, and the Mekong is a very peaceful river. We cycled back to Kratie town centre just in time to watch the sunset whilst drinking a beer at a riverside bar.
After a day in Kratie we got another bus up to the Laos border. Actually we got 3 seperate buses, and then once over the border, a longtail boat up to to Don Det island. We stayed there a couple of days, and went to see the nearby waterfall and river beach, and cycled around the island, past lots of paddy fields and water buffalo. There's animals everywhere, which i LOVE, but Andrew does get kind of tired of me taking umpteenth photos of baby cows and chickens. We saw a bunny versus tiny dog fight yesterday which was random but hilarious. The dog had its hair tied up in a bow, and kept trying to hump the rabbit and nibble its ears. The rabbit seemed pretty non plussed though, so the dog resorted to humping a cushion instead. Unfortunately today Andrew has come down with some nasty food poisoning, and is in bed right now having had a bit of sick. We're not really sure what it was that he ate, maybe it was just a salad washed in dodgy water.
Other complications since getting to Laos include getting ripped off at the border for extra visa 'fees' which we paid to our bus driver thinking he would assist in us getting our visas quicker, but in the end there were no queues and we could have done it ourselves. So Andrew said to the guy we wanted our extra fees back, and wouldn't leave him alone until he had them. He wasn't being angry, just annoying, so eventually the guy relented. It got him a reputation by the time we got to the island though and stupidly we got our washing done at a place where the guy running it knew andrew was the 'problem guy' at the border. Unsurprisingly some of our white clothes came back blue. Hmm. Still, none of the clothes I have for travelling are particuarly precious to me, and extra clothes are cheap to buy out here. As well as that, I have been short changed no less than 3 times already at restaurants on this island. Still not sure whether people just cant add up, or are taking the piss. Just need to be careful and check our change I guess.
Otherwise though, I am really enjoying Laos, and its a really beautiful country. We're hoping to do some jungle eco trekking when we get up to north Laos where we will stay with local families in remote villages. The companies running the treks make sure as much money as possible goes back to the local communities, and also puts money towards eco friendly schemes in the local area.
Tuesday, 7 December 2010
Banteay Prei, an Angkor temple to ourselves.
Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Whilst visiting the temples of Angkor, it seemed we would never escape the hoards of tourists at every turn. We asked our tuk tuk driver if he knew of anywhere quieter and he didn't disappoint. We had a 12th century ruin to ourselves.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phV0St-Z5bE
Whilst visiting the temples of Angkor, it seemed we would never escape the hoards of tourists at every turn. We asked our tuk tuk driver if he knew of anywhere quieter and he didn't disappoint. We had a 12th century ruin to ourselves.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phV0St-Z5bE
Saturday, 4 December 2010
Siem Reap, Cambodia
We caught our bus in the morning from Phomn Penh, having booked our tickets with a local restuarant. They were still asleep when we arrived, so there was quite a bit of confusion about where our connecting Tuk Tuk to the bus station was. Eventually it transpired that it wasn't turning up, so the restuarant owner had to pay another nearby tuk tuk to take us. We'd ordered a sandwich for breakfast, but he also gave us free bottles of water and apples and bananas as compensation for the confusion!
Eventually we were on our bus from Phomn Penh, but it soon transpired that we were on the bounciest seats on the whole bus. The roads in Cambodia are bumpy enough, but we bounced twice as high as everyone else for the duration of the 6 hour journey... Andrew's previous blog entry gives you the opportunity to experience it for yourself!
Arriving in Siem Reap we were taken to our guesthouse for free by tuk tuk, and once we arrived it became clear that our tuk tuk driver did our trip for free cos he wanted the job of being our tuk tuk for the temples. We didn't want to make a deal there and then, but said we could meet him the next morning to discuss it.
After settling into our room (fan, hot water and cable tv all for $8 per night!), we went in search of some food. We found a good Khmer restuarant and had some pumpkin and corgette lemongrass soup, and a pumpkin and vegetable curry. We had a drink in the local area, but it was really really touristy, with loads of westerners everywhere. I was beginning to wonder where the locals hung out, but later in the week we walked further afield and found some local markets and residential areas.
The next day we decided not to start our temple tour straight away as we needed to figure out how we were going to fit the rest of our tour of s/e asia in 1 month. It felt like being at work again, as we put together a spreadsheet itinerary, and printed out lots of info on trains connecting Bangkok to Singopore. We're going to Laos and northern Thailand before we head down to Malaysia by train, but I'm looking forward to travelling by train again when we get there.
We went to a local restaurant for lunch as they did a cooking course we wanted to do so we thought we'd try some of their food first. It was all really tasty, the most interesting dish being Khmer curry Cannelloni! We decided to do the Khmer cooking course there, as a break in between our 3 days of temple adventures.
The next day we headed of to the temples. We ended up using the third tuk tuk guy we found as our first two had 'dissapeared' when they came to collect us at our guesthouse. We realised that some tuk tuk drivers that sat and waited in our guesthouse lobby must have been telling them to get off their patch and then try to take their business. We ignored these chancers though and walked down to the main street where we found our tuk tuk dirver Chat who aggreed to take us to see the temples for 3 days for $30. This seemed pretty reasonable as he was going to be our personal driver for the whole day each day.
To start with we saw temples from the Roulous group as they were the oldest, and then also saw the famous Ta Prohm where Tomb Raider was filmed. This was heaving with tourists though so was asked Chat to take us to some quieter temples, which were much more peaceful and reflective. The next day we paid Chat a bit more and went further afield to Banteay Srei which had the most elaborate carvings ( but still loads of tourists) and then Kbal Spean which was a temple but a series of carvings under the river, and on the nearby rocks. There were lots of linga fertility symbols as the water was deemed to become more fertile as it flowed over the carvings, and then it would make the land and fields it flowed down to more fertile. It was one of the most beautiful spots we visited as the walk up though the forest was beautiful, and the river also turned into a small waterfall at the end. There weren't too many other tourists as it was quite a hike up to the top of the mountian, so only a few people made it!
That evening we bumped into some of our friends that we had met on our snorkelling island tour in Sihanoukville, and we ended up meeting up with them each evening for the rest of our stay in Siem Reap, exploring different restuarants and bars in the area.
The cookign course was really fun, and we visited the market first to see all the ingredients we would be using, most of which I had never seen before. I will upload photos of all this when I get the chance! I made a mango salad, and Andrew a spicy shrimp salad. Then I made Khmer Fried chicken with coconut milk, peanuts and lemongrass paste, served with Pak choi. Andrew made a traditional Khmer soup with vegetables and spices. We also had a pumpkin stuffed with custard for desert, so we were stuffed by the end of it!
Our final day of temples started with Angkor Wat at sunrise, then the Angkor Thom complex and then 3 temples which were completely desserted with no one else there. We had lots of fun feeling like we were exploring them for the first time, and took some cool indiana jones style videos.
Helen x
Eventually we were on our bus from Phomn Penh, but it soon transpired that we were on the bounciest seats on the whole bus. The roads in Cambodia are bumpy enough, but we bounced twice as high as everyone else for the duration of the 6 hour journey... Andrew's previous blog entry gives you the opportunity to experience it for yourself!
Arriving in Siem Reap we were taken to our guesthouse for free by tuk tuk, and once we arrived it became clear that our tuk tuk driver did our trip for free cos he wanted the job of being our tuk tuk for the temples. We didn't want to make a deal there and then, but said we could meet him the next morning to discuss it.
After settling into our room (fan, hot water and cable tv all for $8 per night!), we went in search of some food. We found a good Khmer restuarant and had some pumpkin and corgette lemongrass soup, and a pumpkin and vegetable curry. We had a drink in the local area, but it was really really touristy, with loads of westerners everywhere. I was beginning to wonder where the locals hung out, but later in the week we walked further afield and found some local markets and residential areas.
The next day we decided not to start our temple tour straight away as we needed to figure out how we were going to fit the rest of our tour of s/e asia in 1 month. It felt like being at work again, as we put together a spreadsheet itinerary, and printed out lots of info on trains connecting Bangkok to Singopore. We're going to Laos and northern Thailand before we head down to Malaysia by train, but I'm looking forward to travelling by train again when we get there.
We went to a local restaurant for lunch as they did a cooking course we wanted to do so we thought we'd try some of their food first. It was all really tasty, the most interesting dish being Khmer curry Cannelloni! We decided to do the Khmer cooking course there, as a break in between our 3 days of temple adventures.
The next day we headed of to the temples. We ended up using the third tuk tuk guy we found as our first two had 'dissapeared' when they came to collect us at our guesthouse. We realised that some tuk tuk drivers that sat and waited in our guesthouse lobby must have been telling them to get off their patch and then try to take their business. We ignored these chancers though and walked down to the main street where we found our tuk tuk dirver Chat who aggreed to take us to see the temples for 3 days for $30. This seemed pretty reasonable as he was going to be our personal driver for the whole day each day.
To start with we saw temples from the Roulous group as they were the oldest, and then also saw the famous Ta Prohm where Tomb Raider was filmed. This was heaving with tourists though so was asked Chat to take us to some quieter temples, which were much more peaceful and reflective. The next day we paid Chat a bit more and went further afield to Banteay Srei which had the most elaborate carvings ( but still loads of tourists) and then Kbal Spean which was a temple but a series of carvings under the river, and on the nearby rocks. There were lots of linga fertility symbols as the water was deemed to become more fertile as it flowed over the carvings, and then it would make the land and fields it flowed down to more fertile. It was one of the most beautiful spots we visited as the walk up though the forest was beautiful, and the river also turned into a small waterfall at the end. There weren't too many other tourists as it was quite a hike up to the top of the mountian, so only a few people made it!
That evening we bumped into some of our friends that we had met on our snorkelling island tour in Sihanoukville, and we ended up meeting up with them each evening for the rest of our stay in Siem Reap, exploring different restuarants and bars in the area.
The cookign course was really fun, and we visited the market first to see all the ingredients we would be using, most of which I had never seen before. I will upload photos of all this when I get the chance! I made a mango salad, and Andrew a spicy shrimp salad. Then I made Khmer Fried chicken with coconut milk, peanuts and lemongrass paste, served with Pak choi. Andrew made a traditional Khmer soup with vegetables and spices. We also had a pumpkin stuffed with custard for desert, so we were stuffed by the end of it!
Our final day of temples started with Angkor Wat at sunrise, then the Angkor Thom complex and then 3 temples which were completely desserted with no one else there. We had lots of fun feeling like we were exploring them for the first time, and took some cool indiana jones style videos.
Helen x
Sunday, 28 November 2010
Wednesday, 24 November 2010
Exciting Cambodian Bus Fun!
Hello!
Today Helen and I took an Exciting Fun Bus from the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh north east to the town of Siem Reap. It took a mere 6 hours to travel 315 kilometres, due in part to the excellent condition of the transport infrastructure. I thought you may like to try and recreate this wonderful example of modern transportation in your own home, simply follow the steps below. Hopefully you too will feel something of the wonder of such an exemplary conveyance.
You will Need:
A washing machine with 'Fast Spin' cycle.
A medium sized rock
A large spring
The second least comfortable chair you own
A Cambodian Karaoke DVD
A Dehumidifier
A Lack of sleep the previous evening
6 Hours
Lets get on the Exciting Fun Bus!
1. Turn the dehumidifier up to '11'or highest equivalent setting.
2. Set the dehumidifier to 'Reverse'
3. Turn the heating up as high as it will go
4. Place the Spring on the washing machine and affix the chair to the spring
5 Put the rock in the washing machine and select 'Fast Spin' cycle
6. Put on the Cambodian Karaoke DVD, and adjust the volume so as to be not overly intrusive, yet impossible to fully ignore.
7. Sit on the chair and start the washing machine.
8. Repeat for 6 hours
Happy Bussing!!
Monday, 22 November 2010
Phnom Penh - Tragedies Past & Present
Yesterday we visited Tuol Sleng, a former school building put to horrific use by the Khmer Rouge in the 1970's as the S -21 Prison. Within its walls, 17,000 people were tortured in the most unimaginably inhumane acts of a psychopathic, genocidal regime. Barely a dozen escaped alive.
The building itself is now a museum to the darkest reaches of human nature, each of the rooms remains intact, with rusty beds, implements of harm, and walls still splattered with blood. Each room contains a solitary Stark black and white photograph of a contorted, twisted and tormented soul. Another block has the former class rooms internally divided into tiny cells, the open spaces above the walkways outside the rooms covered in a web of rusted barbed wire to prevent escape via suicide. The third block contains photographs, implements and skulls. The mug shot photographs themselves an endless parade of the innocent, some just toddlers. I was struck by the sharp stare of some people, seemingly challenging the camera, as if knowing that these barbarous acts would never be forgotten.
There is, of course, a strange voyeurism to all this, some other visitor saw fit to take photographs or videos, something which left me aghast. We walked round together to begin with, but the weight of all this tragedy left us drifting from room to room. That there were organised tour groups compounded the sense that this place fits neither the mold of memorial nor museum quite adequately.
One image that will endure was that of a group of Cambodians, one of whom was around 40 and had lost his right hand. It is probable that this was due to an unexploded land mine, millions of which litter the land - there is around 1 amputee for every 290 people. He did something I saw no one else do - pick up a dented, rusted hand axe from one of the beds and turn is slowly in his hand. I can scarcely imagine what pain it inflicted. Yet he remained unflinching in calm reflection. A victim confronting these horrors more bravely than I ever could.
After all of this and a deep breth, we threw our selves into the other side of Cambodia - The annual water festival. The day before we had sat in a pavillion at the rivers edge and whatched the dragon boat race, full of cheers and whoops for the winners and the uninteligable commentry over the tannoy. This was followed by fireworks and huge boats replete with lights and effergies of temples. Last night we went instead to the main 'art street' and mingled with the crowds at a music festival in the adjacent park. We seemed to attract as much attenion as the main act, everyone seemed in jubalent, celebratory mood as the lights and sounds and smells swirled around us.
Then we awoke this morning to hear of the bridge stampede in the northeast of the town, more than 300 dead. Hearts heavy yet again. I hope this resilient and welcoming country will one day be able to truly celebrate, free of tragedy.
Andrew
The building itself is now a museum to the darkest reaches of human nature, each of the rooms remains intact, with rusty beds, implements of harm, and walls still splattered with blood. Each room contains a solitary Stark black and white photograph of a contorted, twisted and tormented soul. Another block has the former class rooms internally divided into tiny cells, the open spaces above the walkways outside the rooms covered in a web of rusted barbed wire to prevent escape via suicide. The third block contains photographs, implements and skulls. The mug shot photographs themselves an endless parade of the innocent, some just toddlers. I was struck by the sharp stare of some people, seemingly challenging the camera, as if knowing that these barbarous acts would never be forgotten.
There is, of course, a strange voyeurism to all this, some other visitor saw fit to take photographs or videos, something which left me aghast. We walked round together to begin with, but the weight of all this tragedy left us drifting from room to room. That there were organised tour groups compounded the sense that this place fits neither the mold of memorial nor museum quite adequately.
One image that will endure was that of a group of Cambodians, one of whom was around 40 and had lost his right hand. It is probable that this was due to an unexploded land mine, millions of which litter the land - there is around 1 amputee for every 290 people. He did something I saw no one else do - pick up a dented, rusted hand axe from one of the beds and turn is slowly in his hand. I can scarcely imagine what pain it inflicted. Yet he remained unflinching in calm reflection. A victim confronting these horrors more bravely than I ever could.
After all of this and a deep breth, we threw our selves into the other side of Cambodia - The annual water festival. The day before we had sat in a pavillion at the rivers edge and whatched the dragon boat race, full of cheers and whoops for the winners and the uninteligable commentry over the tannoy. This was followed by fireworks and huge boats replete with lights and effergies of temples. Last night we went instead to the main 'art street' and mingled with the crowds at a music festival in the adjacent park. We seemed to attract as much attenion as the main act, everyone seemed in jubalent, celebratory mood as the lights and sounds and smells swirled around us.
Then we awoke this morning to hear of the bridge stampede in the northeast of the town, more than 300 dead. Hearts heavy yet again. I hope this resilient and welcoming country will one day be able to truly celebrate, free of tragedy.
Andrew
Phomn Penh Cambodia
We're now in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh having arrived just in time for the Bon Om Tuk Water Festival. Its one of the biggest events in Cambodia's calender and half the population seems to have descended on the the city for the occasion! We arrived this afternoon and managed to find a half decent guesthouse with vacancies, so we dumped our stuff in our room and went to explore the festival. We had some tasty red curry noodles on the way, and then made our way to the riverfront where we could watch the dragon boat races. There were loads of them, all different colours, and trying different rowing techniques in attempts to win. As the day turned into night, lots of floating light displays on boats were paraded along the river, each with its own sound system blaring out, some better quality than others! There was also a huge firework display which was really impressive, so we had our guy fawkes experience, sort of, maybe a few weeks late! We sat in the Cambodian tourist boards separate 'pavillion' which was free for foreigners, so basically we were surrounded by westerners. It felt pretty weird in a kind of 'us and them' colonial kind of way as all the locals weren't really allowed inside the pavilion. So we only stayed for a bit, and then went to search for some dinner and an escape from the hectic crowds.
We found a great place doing tasty Vietnamese pho soup, and they gave us cold flannels to cool down, as well as free bananas for dessert - all for only 3 dollars! We also looked in at the Foreign Correspondents club, but again it was fully of westerners and the prices were basically the same as London, with a menu that was like a gastro pub! Very strange contrast! After that we wandered to a arena area where a big stage was showing performances of Cambodian singers and dancers, and it was surrounded by lots of food and clothes stalls. It was pretty intense though, so we caught a tuk tuk back to out hostel and chilled out in a nearby bar, where i got a double vodka and orange for only 75 cents!
So anyway, before we came to Phnom Penh, we were in Sinhoukville for about a week. We ended up staying a bit longer than intended because I got a bad allergic reaction to some mosquito bites, and had a horrible itchy red rash all over my legs. I was so worried about it I was going to see a local doctor to get some medication, but then Andrew suggested we call my dad, and he managed to give me a diagnosis on skype using a webcam! Modern technology eh! His prescription was to keep my legs elevated as much as possible, so we spent a couple of days chilling by the beach, drinking beers and relaxing - not so bad really! Once I'd rested for a couple of days we also went on another snorkeling tour to a nearby island which was pretty undeveloped, and not touristy at all. We stayed overnight in a really basic hut, with a free lizard in the bathroom, and snorkeled in nearby reefs over two days. All our food was included and there were quite a few other people doing scuba diving with the same package, so we had some good chats with lots of new people from France, Belgium, Holland and Switzerland. It was really relaxing, and all the swimming in the seawater really helped my legs. We booked bus tickets to Pnom Penh as soon as we got back though, as we're aware we still have a lot to see in a small amount of time.
Anyway, we will upload some photos soon and give an update on Thailand as I know there is a gap for that part of our journey! Helen x
We found a great place doing tasty Vietnamese pho soup, and they gave us cold flannels to cool down, as well as free bananas for dessert - all for only 3 dollars! We also looked in at the Foreign Correspondents club, but again it was fully of westerners and the prices were basically the same as London, with a menu that was like a gastro pub! Very strange contrast! After that we wandered to a arena area where a big stage was showing performances of Cambodian singers and dancers, and it was surrounded by lots of food and clothes stalls. It was pretty intense though, so we caught a tuk tuk back to out hostel and chilled out in a nearby bar, where i got a double vodka and orange for only 75 cents!
So anyway, before we came to Phnom Penh, we were in Sinhoukville for about a week. We ended up staying a bit longer than intended because I got a bad allergic reaction to some mosquito bites, and had a horrible itchy red rash all over my legs. I was so worried about it I was going to see a local doctor to get some medication, but then Andrew suggested we call my dad, and he managed to give me a diagnosis on skype using a webcam! Modern technology eh! His prescription was to keep my legs elevated as much as possible, so we spent a couple of days chilling by the beach, drinking beers and relaxing - not so bad really! Once I'd rested for a couple of days we also went on another snorkeling tour to a nearby island which was pretty undeveloped, and not touristy at all. We stayed overnight in a really basic hut, with a free lizard in the bathroom, and snorkeled in nearby reefs over two days. All our food was included and there were quite a few other people doing scuba diving with the same package, so we had some good chats with lots of new people from France, Belgium, Holland and Switzerland. It was really relaxing, and all the swimming in the seawater really helped my legs. We booked bus tickets to Pnom Penh as soon as we got back though, as we're aware we still have a lot to see in a small amount of time.
Anyway, we will upload some photos soon and give an update on Thailand as I know there is a gap for that part of our journey! Helen x
Monday, 15 November 2010
We're actually in Cambodia right now, but I will give a bit of an update on our week in Hong Kong, as it is well over due.
Random notes:
On the journey to Hong kong from Beijing we stopped in Guangzhou, and almost didnt make it on our connecting flight because we went to check our luggage hadn't been taken off hte plane be mistake (as this happened to one of our friends on our flight to moscow which stopped over in berlin). It was fine, but when we tried to get back onto the transfer route to the boarding gate for our flight we were stopped by security guards at every turn, as they had hyper security for the Asia games. It was a bit stressful, but we found our way to our flight to Hong Kong ok, and made it there on time.
We met Laura in HK and went to leave our stuff at her flat as we were staying with her for a few days. We went for an eye wateringly hot indian curry in a nearby food court in the evening, and then took the star ferry over the hong kong harbour to see the amazing skyline lit up at night.
The next day we went up victoria peak on an old tram and then for a walk around the top to get some great views. We walked back down the peak, which was crazily steep, back into the main city centre in Hong Kong island and grabbed a pizza slice to eat with a beer down on the harbourfront. Beer is really expensive in Hong Kong so the cheapest option is getting it from a 7 eleven and finding somewhere to sit! That evening we went out for dinner with laura's HK friends for one of their birthdays, at a Korean BBQ restaurant. It was really tasty. We cooked out own meat and fish on bbq's in the middle of the table, and it was accompanied by pickled vegetables, and seafood pancakes. We were stuffed after all that, but then a huge seafood soup was wheeled in for us all to share, with the various tentacles etc cut up with scissors, so that everyone got a taste. Laura's friends were all obsessed with France, so were really excited to hear that we have visited it many times and even speak a bit of French. My favourite part of the meal was the birthday cake, which was an ice cream cake with a crazy candle - it was a pink plastic flower with a sparkler in the middle. When the sparkler was lit the flower sprung open, and started playing a tune. Each of the flower petals had candles on the end too, so it didnt take long for the whole thing to start melting plastic onto the cake, and the music went a little wonky. It was hilarious. Later that evening, we went to meet Lawrence who had been at the Rugby all day with free drinks, so he was a little merry to say the least! We joined him with some 7 eleven beers and had a fun night exploring different bars before making our way back to laura and lawrences appartment.
The next day andrew went computer shopping with lawrence whilst laura and I went to explore some clothes shops in Kowloon. It was quite a nice change not to be constantly with andrew (and he felt the same -honest) after a month of constantly being in each other pockets 24 7! The boys also went to see Happy Valley - the HK horse racing course, whilst laura and I went for a drink on the IFC mall, with a spectacular view of the HK skyline. That evening Lawrence made a delicious home made curry for us all. It was really good to have home cooked food too, as we have had to eat out everyday since we've been away (apart from the dreaded instant noodles on the train - ugh!).
The next day we checked into a hostel further along HK island, as Laura's parents were staying with her later in the week. The hostel was actually really nice, considering we'd heard some horror stories about places in chungkiong mansions on kowloon - tiny beds and bathrooms with a shower directly over the loo. Our dorms were cosy, clean and comfortable, and pretty sociable for meeting people. If anyone is going to HK check out Yesinn hostel - its cheap and good value! That evening we went to Kowloon in search of some street food in Temple street market. We found a place that was heaving with locals (always a good sign!) and had a tasty curry rice pot, as well as deep fried prawn cakes - really yummy! Afterwards we explored the surrounding area, including the numerous tarot card readers, and the impromptu kareoke tents, which were only accompanied by people on keyboards, but no less entertaining, with cantonese versions of celine dions 'my heart will go on' being passionately sung.
The next day we went to Lamma island which is a mere 1/2 hour ferry away, but its a tiny tropical island, with no roads and lovely beaches. Its a world away from the hectic city of HK. We went on a scenic walk across the island and stopped by a quiet beach to have a picnic.
We also visited Hong Kong park on another day, which had a great walk through aviary - hence all the bird pictures on facebook! The park was very picturesque with lovely fountains and ponds, as well as feng shui areas. Laura also showed us around some great restaurants near our hostel, including lots of Japanese dessert places which did tofu pudding, snow ice, fruit soup and seseme filled rice balls. Nothing really that a westerner would recognise as dessert, but really tasty nonetheless! Dessert is a bigger passtime than drinking in HK, so there were lots of places to choose from.
Anyway, that was a quick tour of our Hong Kong adventure. More update on Thailand and Cambodia to follow!
Helen x
Random notes:
On the journey to Hong kong from Beijing we stopped in Guangzhou, and almost didnt make it on our connecting flight because we went to check our luggage hadn't been taken off hte plane be mistake (as this happened to one of our friends on our flight to moscow which stopped over in berlin). It was fine, but when we tried to get back onto the transfer route to the boarding gate for our flight we were stopped by security guards at every turn, as they had hyper security for the Asia games. It was a bit stressful, but we found our way to our flight to Hong Kong ok, and made it there on time.
We met Laura in HK and went to leave our stuff at her flat as we were staying with her for a few days. We went for an eye wateringly hot indian curry in a nearby food court in the evening, and then took the star ferry over the hong kong harbour to see the amazing skyline lit up at night.
The next day we went up victoria peak on an old tram and then for a walk around the top to get some great views. We walked back down the peak, which was crazily steep, back into the main city centre in Hong Kong island and grabbed a pizza slice to eat with a beer down on the harbourfront. Beer is really expensive in Hong Kong so the cheapest option is getting it from a 7 eleven and finding somewhere to sit! That evening we went out for dinner with laura's HK friends for one of their birthdays, at a Korean BBQ restaurant. It was really tasty. We cooked out own meat and fish on bbq's in the middle of the table, and it was accompanied by pickled vegetables, and seafood pancakes. We were stuffed after all that, but then a huge seafood soup was wheeled in for us all to share, with the various tentacles etc cut up with scissors, so that everyone got a taste. Laura's friends were all obsessed with France, so were really excited to hear that we have visited it many times and even speak a bit of French. My favourite part of the meal was the birthday cake, which was an ice cream cake with a crazy candle - it was a pink plastic flower with a sparkler in the middle. When the sparkler was lit the flower sprung open, and started playing a tune. Each of the flower petals had candles on the end too, so it didnt take long for the whole thing to start melting plastic onto the cake, and the music went a little wonky. It was hilarious. Later that evening, we went to meet Lawrence who had been at the Rugby all day with free drinks, so he was a little merry to say the least! We joined him with some 7 eleven beers and had a fun night exploring different bars before making our way back to laura and lawrences appartment.
The next day andrew went computer shopping with lawrence whilst laura and I went to explore some clothes shops in Kowloon. It was quite a nice change not to be constantly with andrew (and he felt the same -honest) after a month of constantly being in each other pockets 24 7! The boys also went to see Happy Valley - the HK horse racing course, whilst laura and I went for a drink on the IFC mall, with a spectacular view of the HK skyline. That evening Lawrence made a delicious home made curry for us all. It was really good to have home cooked food too, as we have had to eat out everyday since we've been away (apart from the dreaded instant noodles on the train - ugh!).
The next day we checked into a hostel further along HK island, as Laura's parents were staying with her later in the week. The hostel was actually really nice, considering we'd heard some horror stories about places in chungkiong mansions on kowloon - tiny beds and bathrooms with a shower directly over the loo. Our dorms were cosy, clean and comfortable, and pretty sociable for meeting people. If anyone is going to HK check out Yesinn hostel - its cheap and good value! That evening we went to Kowloon in search of some street food in Temple street market. We found a place that was heaving with locals (always a good sign!) and had a tasty curry rice pot, as well as deep fried prawn cakes - really yummy! Afterwards we explored the surrounding area, including the numerous tarot card readers, and the impromptu kareoke tents, which were only accompanied by people on keyboards, but no less entertaining, with cantonese versions of celine dions 'my heart will go on' being passionately sung.
The next day we went to Lamma island which is a mere 1/2 hour ferry away, but its a tiny tropical island, with no roads and lovely beaches. Its a world away from the hectic city of HK. We went on a scenic walk across the island and stopped by a quiet beach to have a picnic.
We also visited Hong Kong park on another day, which had a great walk through aviary - hence all the bird pictures on facebook! The park was very picturesque with lovely fountains and ponds, as well as feng shui areas. Laura also showed us around some great restaurants near our hostel, including lots of Japanese dessert places which did tofu pudding, snow ice, fruit soup and seseme filled rice balls. Nothing really that a westerner would recognise as dessert, but really tasty nonetheless! Dessert is a bigger passtime than drinking in HK, so there were lots of places to choose from.
Anyway, that was a quick tour of our Hong Kong adventure. More update on Thailand and Cambodia to follow!
Helen x
Friday, 5 November 2010
Back in Beijing
Although we've been in Jong Kong for a week, I didn't give much of an update on our last few days in Beijing after Xian. We got an overnight train back to Beijing, this time taking a second class carriage, which was much more comfortable and quiet, but not really that sociable, as the two chinese businessmen in our cabin promptly went to sleep as soon as the train set off. Still, it was a good nights sleep and we arrived back in Beijing early the next morning.
We managed to figure out which bus to get from the train station to the hostel, depsite all the signs being Mandarin, and checked in early to our hostel. They did western style breakfasts, so we had some french toast and Andrew had a fry up. After that we had a quick snooze, and then headed off to see the Olympics site, and after taking a few photos we decided to visit the water amusement park that's been built in the Aqua cube. It was pretty expensive, but we figured it was an unusal opportunity to swin in olympic water park. There were loads of great slides, and a huge wave machine. We were practically the only people there, so it felt like all the facilities had been laid on just for us! On the way back home we stopped by the night food market near Wafunjing and got some tasty noodles and dumplings, ignoring the options of sea horse, scorpion, cricket or, apparently, cat, on a stick.
The next day we went to do some bargin shopping in one of the fake markets, and andrew procured some fake converse (their labels are peeling off already) and I got a lovely '100% pashmina' scarf. The market stall holders tried to tell me this meant it was cashmere, but I just pointed at my own clothes and said yeah , 100% t-shirt, 100% trousers.... Basically, after much haggling, I got my fake scarf down to 25 yuan - about 2 pounds fifty.
That evening we decided to got back to the red lantern resturant district for food, and had some spicy sichian beef with loads of chillis and surprise pak choi, as well as spicy stirfied cauliflower with bacon that was cooked on its own little stove.
The next day we finally made it to a Great Wall tour and got up at the crack of down to be collected by our mini bus for a 3 hour drive to a much less touristy part of the wall where we were to go on a 'hiking' tour. It was just as beautiful as I hoped and many photo opportunities abounded. As it was autumn time the surrounding trees where all kinds of shades of yellow, orange and red which made for a gorgeous backdrop. We took a small picnic lunch with us, but by the time we got back to Beijing we were starving so we visited the cool hutong district near Beixingtao and got some dumplings in spicy sauce, cooked on a hot skillet with egg. This and some garlic brocolli with egg fried rice and a few beers sorted us right out. We had a few cocktails, avoiding the more random combinations (midori, absinthe and baileys anyone?), and walked back to our hostel for a well earned nights sleep.
More updates on Hong Kong to follow soon, probably once we get to Bangkok, Thailand which is our next stop!
We managed to figure out which bus to get from the train station to the hostel, depsite all the signs being Mandarin, and checked in early to our hostel. They did western style breakfasts, so we had some french toast and Andrew had a fry up. After that we had a quick snooze, and then headed off to see the Olympics site, and after taking a few photos we decided to visit the water amusement park that's been built in the Aqua cube. It was pretty expensive, but we figured it was an unusal opportunity to swin in olympic water park. There were loads of great slides, and a huge wave machine. We were practically the only people there, so it felt like all the facilities had been laid on just for us! On the way back home we stopped by the night food market near Wafunjing and got some tasty noodles and dumplings, ignoring the options of sea horse, scorpion, cricket or, apparently, cat, on a stick.
The next day we went to do some bargin shopping in one of the fake markets, and andrew procured some fake converse (their labels are peeling off already) and I got a lovely '100% pashmina' scarf. The market stall holders tried to tell me this meant it was cashmere, but I just pointed at my own clothes and said yeah , 100% t-shirt, 100% trousers.... Basically, after much haggling, I got my fake scarf down to 25 yuan - about 2 pounds fifty.
That evening we decided to got back to the red lantern resturant district for food, and had some spicy sichian beef with loads of chillis and surprise pak choi, as well as spicy stirfied cauliflower with bacon that was cooked on its own little stove.
The next day we finally made it to a Great Wall tour and got up at the crack of down to be collected by our mini bus for a 3 hour drive to a much less touristy part of the wall where we were to go on a 'hiking' tour. It was just as beautiful as I hoped and many photo opportunities abounded. As it was autumn time the surrounding trees where all kinds of shades of yellow, orange and red which made for a gorgeous backdrop. We took a small picnic lunch with us, but by the time we got back to Beijing we were starving so we visited the cool hutong district near Beixingtao and got some dumplings in spicy sauce, cooked on a hot skillet with egg. This and some garlic brocolli with egg fried rice and a few beers sorted us right out. We had a few cocktails, avoiding the more random combinations (midori, absinthe and baileys anyone?), and walked back to our hostel for a well earned nights sleep.
More updates on Hong Kong to follow soon, probably once we get to Bangkok, Thailand which is our next stop!
Saturday, 30 October 2010
Beijing, Xi'an & Hong Kong
So we finally made it to Hong Kong and out of the great Chinese firewall! There's a lot to catch up on, so I'll try and give a taste of everything. Once we arrived in Beijing we went to our first hostel, to find our room had an amazing huge king size bed, with an en suite bathroom. Just what we needed after the two weeks on the train. The hostel was really cosy and a good base to explore beijing from. Plus they had access to facebook which was a bonus.
On the first day we visited Beihai park and hired a little boat to pootle around on the lake with. We ate some oranges and slowly watched the sun set behind the big white pagoda. We also walked up to the Pagoda and saw some locals having a sing song wth various traditional instruments. It was very atmospheric surrounded by temples and gnarly cedar trees. That evening we attempted to meet some of our trans siberian train friends who were staying in a nearby hostel, but got totally lost on the way there, so we missed them. Instead we asked their hostel to recommend a good food place and were directed to a nearby restaurant that did amazing peking roast duck and lamb. We had some really tasty food, but my stomach wasn't quite up to eating much of it as I still didn't have much of an appetite post food poisoning.
The next day we explored some of the market and shopping districts. Including a great area near Beixingtao which is is famous old hutong filled with funky bars, cafes, restaurants and shops. We bought a few souvenirs and even sampled a pizza, which wasn't too bad, considering its not really a Bejing signature dish. We also met with our trans siberian friends properly and took them to the restaurant we'd been to the night before, and they were really impressed with the food. Caused a bit of havoc with knocking over coke bottles domino style and smashing some glasses by mistake, but the watiting staff were very understanding.
The next day we visited the forbidden city and saw all the sites there were too see. It was very drizzly with rain though so it wasn't as much fun as we hoped. Really enjoyed the gardens at the end though as some of the ancient trees and rocks looked amazing.
As the weather wasn't great the next day we decided to skip the great wall tour and explore the art zone on the outskirts of Beijing. Its been set up in an old industrial district thats been taken over by and art community. This is where lots of local artists and designers have studios. There's also lots of galleries and exhibitions, and great cafes bars and shops selling unusual clothes, often with designers working away on their sewing machines at the back of the shop. We got a taxi back into the centre of town afterwards and came across the famous red lantern restuarant district where we had some great spicy sichuan seafood.
The next day we headed off to Xi'an in the evening. We got the overnight train on the hard sleeper on the way there which was pretty chaotic, noisy and smelly but certainly an experience. Its a lot more sociable too so we swapped some food and booze with the locals and figured out when to get off the train as it was really delayed when it left. Eventually it arrrived in Xianan which was an hours drive in a taxi from the city centre. We teamed up with some americans and a czech australian we met on the train to get a taxi and then we all ended up staying in the same hostel. It was a really sociable hostel, with some great really tasty street food stalls just outside. Beer was only 25p as well! bonus! We also went on a city wall cycle tour which was a lovely way to spend an afternoon, and then went to explore the nearby hutongs with lots of tradtional calligraphy equipment shops and calligraphy artists painting in the street. We also visited the oldest mosque in China as there was a big muslim community in Xian. It was really beautiful, and I enjoyed it more than most of the temples we'd seen so far, as it was more dilapidated and felt like you really were stepping back 1,200 years in time.
We're off to a Korean BBQ with Laura and some of her friends tonight, so will have to follow with more Chinese adventure updates soon. Photos to follow soon too! H x
On the first day we visited Beihai park and hired a little boat to pootle around on the lake with. We ate some oranges and slowly watched the sun set behind the big white pagoda. We also walked up to the Pagoda and saw some locals having a sing song wth various traditional instruments. It was very atmospheric surrounded by temples and gnarly cedar trees. That evening we attempted to meet some of our trans siberian train friends who were staying in a nearby hostel, but got totally lost on the way there, so we missed them. Instead we asked their hostel to recommend a good food place and were directed to a nearby restaurant that did amazing peking roast duck and lamb. We had some really tasty food, but my stomach wasn't quite up to eating much of it as I still didn't have much of an appetite post food poisoning.
The next day we explored some of the market and shopping districts. Including a great area near Beixingtao which is is famous old hutong filled with funky bars, cafes, restaurants and shops. We bought a few souvenirs and even sampled a pizza, which wasn't too bad, considering its not really a Bejing signature dish. We also met with our trans siberian friends properly and took them to the restaurant we'd been to the night before, and they were really impressed with the food. Caused a bit of havoc with knocking over coke bottles domino style and smashing some glasses by mistake, but the watiting staff were very understanding.
The next day we visited the forbidden city and saw all the sites there were too see. It was very drizzly with rain though so it wasn't as much fun as we hoped. Really enjoyed the gardens at the end though as some of the ancient trees and rocks looked amazing.
As the weather wasn't great the next day we decided to skip the great wall tour and explore the art zone on the outskirts of Beijing. Its been set up in an old industrial district thats been taken over by and art community. This is where lots of local artists and designers have studios. There's also lots of galleries and exhibitions, and great cafes bars and shops selling unusual clothes, often with designers working away on their sewing machines at the back of the shop. We got a taxi back into the centre of town afterwards and came across the famous red lantern restuarant district where we had some great spicy sichuan seafood.
The next day we headed off to Xi'an in the evening. We got the overnight train on the hard sleeper on the way there which was pretty chaotic, noisy and smelly but certainly an experience. Its a lot more sociable too so we swapped some food and booze with the locals and figured out when to get off the train as it was really delayed when it left. Eventually it arrrived in Xianan which was an hours drive in a taxi from the city centre. We teamed up with some americans and a czech australian we met on the train to get a taxi and then we all ended up staying in the same hostel. It was a really sociable hostel, with some great really tasty street food stalls just outside. Beer was only 25p as well! bonus! We also went on a city wall cycle tour which was a lovely way to spend an afternoon, and then went to explore the nearby hutongs with lots of tradtional calligraphy equipment shops and calligraphy artists painting in the street. We also visited the oldest mosque in China as there was a big muslim community in Xian. It was really beautiful, and I enjoyed it more than most of the temples we'd seen so far, as it was more dilapidated and felt like you really were stepping back 1,200 years in time.
We're off to a Korean BBQ with Laura and some of her friends tonight, so will have to follow with more Chinese adventure updates soon. Photos to follow soon too! H x
Sunday, 17 October 2010
The sop in Irlutsk (2 days) appears like an oasis in the Siberian widerness. We decamp to a chalet, to all appearences dropped from an alpine ski resort, perched on the edge of lake Bikal. The lake contains 20% of the worlds fresh water, remains cold year round and is indistiguishable in size from a sea. Waves lap the shore and dazzlingly clear waters allows crystal clear ice to form across the 40k width each January. We decline the offer of a refreshing dip and clense ourselves of the jouney in a Russian banya sauna. A highlight was Omul, a fish native solely to the lake, similar in taste to rock, and ravenously depleted in number by two (be assured it's a sutainable stock!).
The next leg of the journey (2 nights, 1 day) turns out to be in plush four birth cabins, the group can hardly contain its joy a the sliding doors with full length mirrors and, the total darkess they provide. Old hands by now, we progress swiftly to Ulaan Bataar, Mongolia, where we stayed in a ger camp, a cosy round tent with a wood burning stove to keep us warm and lovely comfy beds (a nice change after train carriages). We went to visit a mongolian 'nana' in her ger, she told us about her nomadic lifestyle and the animals she has, and gave us a selection of mongolian delicacies - fermented yogurt vodka (I'm never throwing away a week old yogurt again!), Mongolian cheese, and dried curds. They love their dairy - milking everything that moves - goats, cows, horses and camels! We also tried some archery and dressed up in Mongolian costumes, Andrew may as well have worn a whole ger as he bcame swamped in fabric - Chengis Khan was surely stouter than he. A two hour horse trek across the desert at sunset was so awe inspiringly beautiful as to defy description. Unfortuately Andrew's horse randomly kicked Helen on the shin, but shin guards prevented lasting damage. We both felt like wimps next to the hardcore mongolian herdsmen!
We went to Ulanbaatar the next day and fitted in a visit to the mongolian history museum which was fascinating - right from stone age through to present day. The central square which houses the government building jas a spectacular view of the surrounding mountains. Then we went to a mongolian cultural show with dancing, music, throat singing and contortionists, ther harpists left the hairs on our necks standing. Dinner was at a a mongolian barbeque restaurant which had a huge salad bar. It was really tasty so Helen went a bit mad about all the fresh vegetables (haven't really had any since we left the UK), but the next day felt really sick and thew up 3 times from what must have been food poisoning. You've got to be really careful with eating fresh veg and fruit, as it may have been washed in tap water, which we cant drink. Unfortunately the food poisoning kicked in during the 6 hour border crossing where we were stuck on the train the whole time with no toilet access! During the crossing from mongolia to china they literally have to lift the train onto a different set of tracks, as Mongolian and Russian trains run on a different track gauge to the rest of the world. So we were in the train whilst they were lifting it. Helen was too busy throwing up though so didn't really get to appreciate it, Andrew was like a child with a train set.
Anyway, we then were on the train for another day, and saw some great chinese coutryside on the way to Beijing. We arrived in our hostel which is gorgeous - we have an en suite bathroom and a huuuuge bed which is more than kingsize and is 3 feet high. Its just what we needed after the train journeys. We went to a tasty chinese restaurant in the evening, but the pictures and descriptions of some of the food didnt help Helen's still delicate stomach - duck webbings, jellyfish, chicken feet, sea cucumbers, tripe etc. But we did order some delicious roast lamb, rice with vegetables and duck dumplings.
We've been exploring markets, shops and Beihai park in Beijing so far. Will be going to the forbidden city today, and hopefully the great wall tomorrow. We've booked an overnight train to Xian in a couple of days so that we can go and see the terracotta army. So more Chinese adventure updates to follow!
Monday, 30 August 2010
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