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‹ Previous (27/02/2009) MONTH Next (2009-04-28)› ‹ Previous (2009-08-29 - Nepal) COUNTRY Next (2009-09-19 - Pakistan)› India Kolkata (see on map) 30/03/2009: We had a train thicket bought from Patna to Kolkatta, but a traveller informed me about Patna being dangerous and being better to take the train from Gorakpur. Although the journey by train from Gorakpur was longer (24horas), we informed ourselves about it being much simpler to arrive to this city from Kathmandu that to Patna. So, we finally buyed another train thicket from Gorakpur with the intention of recovering the money of the train thicket from Patna (it is quite simple although the authorities keep a percentage depending on the days or hours that are lacking before the train leaves). Paralleling, we had also bought a bus thicket towards the border with a local company. We go out at 7:30 in a bus with some tourists and quite a lot of Nepalese. The stretch kept passing off quite well, but after the midday, when we had already arrived to the plains of the south of Nepal, we are retained behind a column of buses and lorries: we had run into another of the fearsome strikes of Nepal. As it seems, the leader of a political party of the opposition had been murdered the previous night and the people of the town where the man had been born had blocked the traffic since dawn. As to the previous times, the Nepalese were very patient, in comparison to the hysteria of the tourists, especially a Portuguese girl that had a train thicket from Gorakpur to Varanasi at 10:30 in the night. Anyway, after an hour of waiting, the column of lorries and buses started off, crossing some barricades and advancing some tens of kilometres up to the entry of an important city close to the border, where we remained retained a total of 4 hours. In the end we arrive to the border at 9 in the night. By luck, Alexandra was accelerated and we crossed the border first and could take the last bus towards Gorakpur together with another couple of tourists. The Portuguese could not catch the bus, losing like this the train; anyway, she would also have lost it, because the bus reached Gorakpur at 11 in the night. We found a relatively economic hotel and the following day at 1 of the midday we took our train. The journey by train was quite relaxing. In spite of the 24 hours of journey, we had bought a thicket for the third class AC and it was quite calm. For the second time we were in India after going out of Nepal and the contrast of both countries and its people made us to value still more the affable and pacific character of the Indians, with comparison to the Nepalese that have a character in general more tensed. Then I remembered the memories that Toni Aguilar from Nepal explained to me. About twenty years ago, he had travelled to India and found a very hospitable country, with the people showing a lot of interest in the origins and culture of Toni (it had also happened to him travelling through Spain and Morocco). Anyway, he himself also explained that India (as Spain and Morocco) has changed quite a lot, possibly corrupted by the tourism. Toni had been incapable of forgetting an image of his journey of twenty years ago: a bus of Europeans who threw sweets while they crossed some town and the children running behind its trail to collect them. Evidently, India that we have found is not the same one that Toni found, but on the other hand, it is not difficult for me to imagine that the majority of the people would appear much more hospitable-related with us if we were in another period. Of all this reflection it only saddens me to think that some day, the marvellous people of Iran or Sudan (I do not refer to the governments) will stop being hospitable integrating the egoism and world individualism into their societies. Once in Kolkatta we took a taxi pre-paid in a ticket window up to the street Sudder, where all the tourists are lodged. We were asking prices and looked at quite a lot of rooms and finally took one for about four euros, which was not the most economic although Alexandra was discontent for the quality. There were not bugs, but it was probably normal: perhaps a cat that Alexandra had seen jumping the first time that we had opened the door from the bed to the window had eaten them up. In fact, Alexandra seems quite discontent with this new stage of the journey without autocaravan, is quite nervous and frightful, complaining for anything. But I try to ignore her, not to become infected of her pessimism, since in my case I am adapting perfectly. I like to be able to shower in abundant water, although in the three hotels that we have been lodged until now we have had to use a bucket and a jar to throw the water. On the other hand I also like to travel with public transportation: we have much more contact with the local people, I have much more time to read or to write and I do not have to be pending all the while of the car not crashing against a crazy truck driver. At the same time, I feel myself comfortable with all the few full things in the backpack: the computer, the camera, the flash, two pairs of everything, a pullover, a raincoat and other small things that seem essential. With all these possessions that I load I sit capable of feeling myself at home when I arrive and we install ourselves in a hotel, or even when I am here seated in a chair of the airport. The airport... This has been a good adventure... Our aeroplane towards Bangkok leaves tomorrow at 6:50 in the morning. If we take that we have to be in the airport 3 or 4 hours with anticipation into account, we should present ourselves at 3 in the dawn and wake up of the hotel at 2. A crazy thing, no? So, we have decided to present ourselves in the airport mid-afternoon, to pass the night sleeping (or not)in the airport. But surprisingly, when we have tried to enter the airport a soldier has asked us to see the aeroplane thicket and next denied us the entry, telling us that we will be able to enter four hours before. Indignant I have went at the request of the soldier to the manager of the airport, who has also told me that i could not enter the airport up to 3am. When I have asked whether supposedly we had to stay in the room of our hotel up to 2 am he has answered me that yes. Still more indignant, I have directed myself to the main entrance and have sat in front, first on the backpack and afterwards pulled to the ground and with the head on the backpack, to express my protest better. Evidently, this second posture has had answer and after little a soldier has presented himself demanding from me to go out from the the crossing (the people passed perfectly, but they naturally kept looking at me strange). But I, enraged with the soldiers and experimented with some similar protests of some years behind, I have refused to move. Finally a superior and another more superior came, all requiring from me that i went out from there. But i answered them that i would only go out when they let me enter inside. Finally, under the orders to the most superior of all, they have put the backpack aside from me and pulled me afterwards of the arms and legs out of the path. But as soon as the soldiers have left I have pulled myself again in front of the door, this time without backpack, which had stayed a little further on, supervised by my look. Alexandra came different times asking for me to go out of there, to settle us in some seats outside the airport, but as also i was annoyed with her since the morning, I have ignored her. In the face of my new posture, completely pulled in front of the door, many more people have been brought over to me, some showing me friendliness and others being annoyed (as the soldier that has refused me the entry and afterwards has pulled me). Anyway, I have earned many smiles and sympathy when I have answered in a curious way that I was an activist of Gandhi and that i was protesting. Then the people have told me that the airport had some norms and that I had to accept them. But I have answered them that Gandhi changed the norms imposed by the British Empire and obtained the independence of India, I fought to change the norms of the airport that i considered unfair. Once another hour and a half has passed, they have seemed still more military, and risking to go to prison or lose the aeroplane (i didn’t give a rats ass) i have refused another time to move, explaining to them that I was demonstrating against a right that i thought i have. Finally, after dragging me a little too bad but seeing that they were not obtaining anything at all (i thought to situate another time in front of the door) or embarrassed by their attitude, a woman that seemed to have a higher level has commented: 'let him enter'. And unexpectedly I was standing, with the backpack on the shoulder and the disoriented Alexandra nearby, entering for the main entrance of the airport. Little later, we have found casually a Spanish, Didac, that also took the same flight as us and a Japanese. Both had arrived to the airport a bit later than we, and despite noticing some reluctance on the part of the soldiers of the door, they had been able to enter inside without too many problems. I have felt satisfied that, at least, two people have benefited from my fight, perhaps it was not worthed, because the air-conditioning to in the airport was so intense that hardly we have slept an hour in all the night. Thailand Bangkok (see on map) 01/04/2009:
Thailand is a paradise. After travelling 6 months in the chaotic countries of India and Nepal, it is difficult to assume that countries as Thailand can exist. Flying over the outskirts of Bangkok with the aeroplane already landing I was surprised with the green fields, the crowd of unifamiliar houses and the motorways of different lanes that intersected in bridges of multiple levels. But much more we marvelled when the aeroplane touched the ground and we approached the ultra-modern airport. Everything was immaculate, enormous and technological. But the categorisation of paradise is not due to the income per cápita of Thailand, superior to the previous visited countries. After few minutes circulating with a luxurious bus towards the centre of Bangkok, Alexandra commented me 'you have noticed that no horn is listened to'?. It was true and incredible! To circulate through the city was calm and noiseless, every car advancing through its lane. But before arriving to the centre we discovered the main problem of Bangkok: the jams; but unlike India (this problem among many others more severe significance) all the cars remained stopped in their lane waiting patiently, and without making touching the horn not even a single time! But the marvels of Thailand are not finished here; the Thais are some of the people that were shown more interest in helping. When we arrive to the centre and asked about a bus that could take us to the neighbourhood where we had accommodation, the people started to ask among them, that in spite of everything they did not direct us to the point looked for, until they recommended us the best bus. But when asking again to a girl in the bus she was shown so interested in helping us that she got out of the bus expressly for us, to ask more people on how we could arrive to our destination. This was another important difference in comparison to the countries visited from Turkey: the Thai girls do not have any timidity or modesty of talking with unknown people. Besides, it also surprises that they dress so uncovered, dressing with trousers or mini-skirts, showing all the legs. It is not surprising then, that Alexandra gave me some hit, because besides, the Thais are some of the most attractive girls of the planet according to the occidental tastes, despite being in general small and having the nose sunk or the flat face (Alexandra pointed). Finally we found the place of some youngsters of couchsurfing that rented rooms for 2euros or they let sleep freely in a shared room. At first, Alexandra appeared very upset with the room that they assigned to us, for she preferred a room with bath. But I disliked her attitude, because apart from sustaining all the journey until now, she complained to me about the conditions with which we travelled. But afterwards I decided to change tactics with her and commented from now we would assign ourselves an individual budget that would include sleep, food and transport; this way, if she wanted to sleep in better hotels or to move in taxi through the city she should renounce better food. The assigned budget has been of 5 € for person daily, the same budget that David and Maria have since 2 years. This budget is less of half of what we had when travelling with autocaravan, so, in fact we could allow ourselves a higher budget, but i felt, to save and to prove to myself that really two people can travel all the world with 300€/month, adjusting to the same budget of our friends. Anyway, Thailàndia seems to be a quite economic country to travell and the budget of 10 € per day between both seems more than sufficient. Besides, the diversity of food that is sold by the street to less than 0,5euros the dish is incredible. In fact, this great nutritional diversity is another of the surprises of Thailand. Exposed in installed shutdowns on the pavements there are different types of meat (I have tried the chicken, a sausage with rice, and different dishes of rice with chicken, veal or pig), different types of organs cooked (I have not proved them), shellfish (including some animals that seemed new), soups (some of they covered by a layer of floating chilly), fried dishes (the oil was clean and transparent unlike the dark oils of India), sushi, noodles, fruits, sandwiches of ice cream, crêpes, cake shops, and many other products that would not know how to describe or to name. 06/04/2009:
After a couple of days taking position of this new city and of visiting the embassy of Romania to start to carry out a new passport for Alexandra (the pages are finishing), we started to visit the touristic attractions of Bangkok (according to the magazine "Travel and Leisure" Bangkok was the best city of 2008). The most important are the temples of Wat Phra Kaew and the big adjacent palace, but the day that we were to visit them we were tricked, or like this we think, because a boy tangled us with so much friendliness that we don’t know if really he tricked us or he was confused. The boy told us that the Wat Phra Kaew would not open until in the afternoon and that we could make use of the morning to visit two statues of budha and a point of touristic information that was to be a travel agency. In spite of everything, the visit to the budhas was well, but in the afternoon we found out that the Wat Phra Kaew only opens in the morning. So, we left the visit for another day and took advantage to rest in a park where a big group of women did aeróbic while the men did acrobatics with a ball. When starting to get dark, we left the park and walked towards the Chinese neighbourhood, where all the shops were closing, except for a street with big lights with Chinese characters where there were different restaurants in the street collecting the attention of tourists. The following days we dedicate them to relax us in other parks, to go to the city and Chao Phraya, for where big barges of burden cross among different neighbourhoods of skyscrapers, to go with ferry over a section of the big river. Continuously, it surprised us Bangkok for its modernity and the little conservation of the past, but it had its appeal. However, there was some next village that had tried to preserve the past or the tradition and that disappointed a lot. The day before yesterday I took a bus well early in the morning to visit the floating market of Damnoen Saduak, a market that according to old photographs was very characteristic, with the peasants arriving to the village sailing for channels with a canoe full of products or fruits that came to the pedestrians of the bank or to other boatmen. But the image that I found was corrupted by the tourism, for 50% of the small boats that circulated for the channels was full of tourists, totally; and of the rest, 75% sold subvenires and 25% local products, in many cases packed in plastic bags. For luck, the visit of yesterday to Wat Phra Kaew was much more satisfactory and took the bad taste of my mouth out, in spite of the 7 euro of the entry. Wat Phra Kaew is one of the Buddhist temples most sacred and worshiped of Thailandia, which keeps the statue of the emerald buddha, that lived an epic history, who lived concealed in the north of Thailandia, captured by the forces of Laos and recaptured by the Thais finally. The temple started to be built in 1785, together with a royal palace, when Bangkok settled as new capital of Thailand. Evidently, the royalty did not skimp in expenses, for the temples of Wat Phra Kaew are gripping, with crowd of statues (demons and giants) risen of the Hindu mythology, intriguing paints of mythological battles, a big golden stupa, others held by being exerted of demons, and different temples with three levels of tiles and being adored budhas in the interior. Ayutaya (see on map) 08/04/2009:
from Bangkok we took a train to Ayutaya, some town settled in a natural island formed in the union of three rivers. The island was an excellent point so that the kingdom of Ayutaya prospered, thanks to the rivers that defended the city of the invasions and benefited with the trade that naturally recurred the waters. In spite of everything, in 1767, 4 centuries after the foundation of Ayutaya and after two years of war, the Burmes conquered the city burning and destroying its buildings, palaces and temples. In spite of everything, the ruins are impressive and it well deserved our visit. We found an economic and clean hotel between the train station and the ferry that crossed the river up to the island, where there are the main ruins and some other more expensive hotels. After installing us in our hotel, in the afternoon we crossed the river with the economic ferry and walked for the market of the village. Afterwards we visited the first temple that kept an old and enormous statue of sitting buddha that was not destroyed by the Burmese. Next we visited another big statue of buddha and the ruins of three big stupas that formerly were part of a palace. Today we have followed the visits by renting a couple of bicycles and sweating to visit other temples and ruins of interest inside and out of the island, including other statues of buddha always worshiped by the faithful Thais than knelt down and offer incense, flowers and money. The way of praying seems similar to those of the other religions, including the superstitions and expectations to be benefited with the prayers and donations to buddha. Sukhothai (see on map) 10/04/2009:
After 6 hours of train, we reached Phitsanulok, a city without too much touristic interest, apart from of a fabulous market that was raised mid-afternoon and that offered us every type of delicious and economic food (if we do not keep watch we will put on weight going with public transportation through Thailand than with autocaravan). Anyway, Phitsanulok is a good base to visit the relatively near ruins of Sukhothai and we decided to spend two nights, finding another economic and clean hotel, close to another hotel frequented by prostitutes (the first vision that we have had of Thailànds sexual tourism). Today in the morning i woke up early (Alexandra has preferred sleeping again) and I have taken three buses until i arrived to the ruins of the kingdom Sukhothai, the first Thai kingdom predecessor to the kingdom of Ayutaya. The kingdom of Sukhothai bloomed for 150 years, from the 1257 up to 1379, when it was dazzled and assimilated by the kingdom of Ayutaya more in the south. Unlike the ruins of Ayutaya, those of Sukhothai are surrounded by parks and forests and seem more authentic or more romantic, and that is paid, for the three groups of ruins cost about 2 euros each (only for the foreigners). Anyway, wanting to maintain the monthly budget of 150euro per person, I slipped into the three groups of temples without paying, with the bicycle in front of the guards of secondary-entries. In any case, the ruins of Sukhothai seemed to me less attractive than those of Ayutaya, although also interesting to visit. Chiang Mai (see on map) 11/04/2009:
Until now we have travelled by train in Thailand, which different categories or prices according to the rapidity of the train, or as it stops in more or less stations. Yesterday, while I visited the ruins of Sukhothai, Alexandra bought the train thicket towards Chiang Mai and having learned the custom of spending little, she bought the most economic thicket, of about 1,2 euros for 350 kilometres. Anyway, according to the timetable, the train would need 8 hours to do the stretch, although at the time of the truth there have been 10. Anyway, in spite of the seats of plastic and despite stopping an hour in a train station lost in the middle of the mountains, the journey did not bore me. Alexandra was a little bored, although did not grumble too much. I finished reading a novel about India, wrote the diary of the previous days, wrote a little more of my novel, looked at the landscape (which passed from the plains of the south to the green mountains of more in the north), made some photos, meditated, and conversed with a man who started to show interest in my religion and beliefs, not being surprised that I did not believe in God. However, I was surprised that he did not believe in God, for in India and in the previous Islamic countries it was a sacrilege not to believe in God, however it seems to be much more normal to the Buddhist in Thailanda, for in fact it was not wanted by Buda ever to define on the possible existence (or not) of God. Afterwards, the man has explained to me that in Thailanda there are many political problems, and that if the politicians had more Buddhist thoughts there would be many less confrontations. In fact, during this journey, we are reading in the international press that there are many protests in Thailanda among the partisans of the current government and the partisans of the previous one, but we are travelling through the country and we don’t realise, and the people do not seem to want to explain their problems. Neither the man with whom I have talked, has not wanted to explain the conflict to me (or he did not know) and has focused to explain to me that the Buddhism is a religion that preaches the peace between the people and the peace of mind. During a while I have thought that because of the Buddhism, the countries of the area would have suffered less wars and conflicts, but, remembering the Thai history or of the adjacent countries (Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam...) afterwards I have realised that it is not like this some of them having a very bloody past, that they have also suffered wars. Perhaps it happened the same as with the Christianity or the Islam, two religions that preach the peace and love among the people, but that in fact have provoked many wars and hatred against the discordant thoughts. The worst thing of this journey that was so long by train was the arrival. When at last the train stopped in a siding of the station of Chiang Mai, it was already darkening and it drizzled. The taxis in the exit of the station wanted to charge a lot, but for luck, in the street outside they already gave us prices more normal up to the neighbourhood where there are the economic hotels for tourists. But after being searching an hour loaded with the backpacks, we started to realise that the economic rooms all were occupied for many tourists had arrived in the city to celebrate the end of Thai year. But the adjusted budget that we had imposed ourselves made Alexandra push me to keep searching until we found a hotel hidden in an alley, which had some quite good rooms with bath included for only 3 euro. 18/04/2009:
The end of Thai year or the Songkran has been very amusing, but also quite exhausting. These holidays coincide with the hottest months of Thailand (the sun is found vertical at noon) and since time old, are celebrated cooling down the people with water and to the statues of budas with perfumed water. But at present, the Songkran has especially in Chiang Mai degenerated in friendly battles to wet or in indiscriminate attacks to any person who has the slightly dry clothes. So, if you go out ready to get completely soaked, the celebration of the Songkran can be very amusing. The celebrations started in theory on Monday, but on Sunday in the morning it already started the wildness. We got out ready to get wet a little, I loaded the small knapsack with the protection of rain and the camera partially covered up with a plastic bag. As we expected, Alexandra was the first to be sprayed: because she was woman and because she does not carry any valuable object. Immediately Alexandra bought a small bucket of water and joined a small group of tourists and local people that threw water with buckets and pistols to the motorcycles and the tricycles that passed and to 4x4 that loaded youngsters ready to wet and to be wetted. Meanwhile I kept doing photos, getting wet partially, even that inevitably somebody with bad aiming threw a bucket of water on my camera. To prevent problems, I took the battery out and dried a little. Afterwards I left the camera wrapped in a bag and while Alexandra supervised it and rested, I joined with a group of foreigners who had bought a big block of ice to cool the water to shoot the competitors myself. In fact, once I got well soaked, it was nice that they threw you water, for the water used to be hotter than the atmosphere. However, when they threw you cold water or ice, the experience was in a complete way unpleasant, of the same way that was when they threw you water with force against the eyes, the mouth or the ears. But that belonged to the funny side of it all, and everyone did the same: throwing icy water against other groups, against motorcyclists and especially, against the passengers of the taxi-buses that they were protected deep inside, with the intention of passing unnoticed. After a few hours, we both returned to the hotel, tired to be soaked and a little cooled. Anyway, the day after, once the sun started to warm up with force, was more that pleasurable, this time without camera, to be added to the holiday again. The pity was the impossibility to photograph a long group of statues of budhas and believers of different temples that went solemnly through a main street of Chiang Mai while they were sprayed respectfully by the spectators with perfumed water. The following day I rested, going out to visit some temples of the city. But on the fourth day I added myself again to the holiday, this time joining with a group that caught the brownish water of the channel and threw it to the passers-by or to the of the bar of in front, who counter-attacked with pistols of high pressure and frozen water. And on the fifth day there was calm. Even then, when going out to walk I myself had to get wet in a tap because the heat was unbearable. Chiang Mai is an interesting city, with too many tourists but interesting. The former city, with different temples of about 700 years of antiquity, is surrounded by a big square channel that defended it against the burmeses attacks. Most of these temples were quite a lot visited by the Thais due to the Songkran, that painted the budhas of metal with small golden plaques, hanged notes of 20 bats (0,4euros) through the temples, wrote desires that left stuck in a flower, hanged rags of colours and would fold... Anyway, what surprised me more of the temples (and that on the other hand i had already observed in other temples of Thailand) was the veneration of Buddhist monks of wax. Threaded in a pedestal or behind a glass case, and in front of some photos of the monk even in life, almost every temple had an old monk of wax of real measure and meditating with great realism. Chiang Mai also surprised us with some other aspects. In two different points we saw a shop where they sold fried insects of every type: some similar to worms, other similar to flies and, even some of enormous measure, of four or five centimetres of long. On the other hand, the great presence of tourists in Chiang Mai made us realise something commented on in the media, the sexual tourism in Thailand: many young girls accompanied men of average age and many bars had evident signs of being focused on prostitution. I spoke with Ken an English that lives for many years in Thailand, managing the hotel where we were well-off. Ken commented me the people are celebrating the Songkran with so much passion, while in Bangkok some very important demonstrations take place, been a little infuriating: the T-shirts red that they wanted to do to fall to the current president, who they accuse of wanting to change the constitution to give the king and the soldiers more powers. Unfortunately (according to Ken), the demonstration melted after different days, afterwards the army took part and of which two demonstrators died. Ken did not appear too optimistic, opining that the current king (of which there are banners, photos and calendars everywhere) is quite interventionist. Later, looking some of these photos, I thought that this king seemed a little weak man and without too much energy, a man that would probably not have dominated at all his environment if he had not been born with blue blood, and he would have managed a lot less to accumulate the fortune that has, then according to the forbes magazine, the king of Thailanda is the member of the royalty more rich in the world. Yesterday - paying attention to a suggestion of Ken - we rented a motorcycle for 1,6 euros (more 1,4euros of gasoline) to visit different points of the city. Was amusing, but also exhausting, its been almost twenty years that I did not drive a motorcycle and Alexandra did not stop moving behind scared and hysterical. On the other hand, we would have saved more taking public transportation, but not too much. We visited the pretty temple of Doi Suthep, threaded in a mountain where the legend says that a white elephant that loaded the worshiped relics of a Budha and died there. In the afternoon, we went to Bo Sang,a village famous for manufacturing umbrella of paper, but in the village there were only shops of souvenirs and I stayed resting in a bar, while Alexandra did her research and purchases. Laos Luang Prabang (see on map) 21/04/2009:
After a week of wildness and of rest in Chiang Mai, we took a bus North, towards the border of Laos, crossing some mountains covered of tropical vegetation or forest, and crossing some plains cut in innumerable lots prepared to be cultivated with rice. As I have read, Thailand is the first world exporter of rice (6,5 million annual tons), with 55% of its cultivable area dedicated to this crop. More quickly of what we thought, we arrived at noon to Chiang Kong, to the edge of the Mekong river, that in this region acts as border between Thailand and Laos. After conversing with some travellers that some weeks ago were caught psychologically in Chiang Kong ( a village with no attraction), passed the formalities of immigration of Thailand and we cross Mekong with a barge up to the village in front, Huay Xai, where was found the immigration of Laos. In the immigration we payed the 35 necessary dollars for every visa and next we looked for a hotel, which finally we found to a price similar to those of Thailand. Anyway, what was not comparable was the price of the food, that in some products it seemed to be the double of expensive that in Thailand. Perhaps, on a part, it was logical, absolutely for all the packed products were imported from the adjacent country. But what did not seem logical to me so much was the price of the local products. Even then, after we observed that the local people also paid the prices that we were asked to pay (and did not trick us), we convinced to ourselves that the cost of the life was higher in Laos and that in this country it would be more difficult for us to adjust to the budget of 5euros/day for person. Also the transport seemed much more expensive than in Thailand, at least for the journey of two days with barge to arrive to Luang Prabang (20€/person) (the bus was totally inadvisable for the bad state of the roads). Anyway, the prices would be more normal if we were not foreign, for they applied the double of price to the tourists. We bought the ticket for the same night, and embarked on the big canoe, together with another 70 tourists, the day after. Did a lot of time that did not see so many occidentals joint in the same space and did not stop being a surprise, in a certain nice way, for it allowed us to converse with many other travellers, the majority in holidays of four weeks and with budgets much higher than ours (for example they were not deprived of drinking different beers that cost 2 euros each). In the barge I also conversed a while with a Thai professor of English, which was dedicating some holidays to know Laos, according to him (and looking sideways at the driver of the barge) to discover how it was Thailand 30 years behind, before the economic bum. Next, this same professor explained the difficult political situation of Thailand. Mid-afternoon on the first day of journey through the Mekong river, we arrived to the village of Pakbeng, lost in the middle of the forest and dominating the Mekong river, full of restaurants and of hotels to house the tens of tourists who every day see themselves obliged to pass the night in the way from Huay Xai to Luang Prabang. Anyway, there was quite a lot of competence and we still found an economic hotel. On the other hand, on the following day well early in the morning (today), I have discovered a market where I have been able to do an idea of how it should be the atmosphere of the village before the arrival of tourism. Even, in this market there was a woman that had not been corrupted yet and that sold her products to the prices of the forest, from whom i have buyed a big papaya of about three kilos for only one euro. In the second stage of the journey, they have loaded us in another barge smaller and just as uncomfortable as the first, wooden banks that left you square bottom, in spite of the pillows that there were, have been accommodated in some straits. Even then, the conversations with the other travellers have continued distracting us, besides keeping marvelling with the landscape (pretty but also monotonous) of the wide Mekong river going by above a stony bed and below a small valley covered of vegetation and some homes occasionally. Some few times, the emotion of the stretch increased, when the river was tensed slightly in the middle of whirlpools, although the barge always remained very stable. On the other hand, as on the first day, I have also isolated myself a good while, showing my second personality of autist, and have lain down between two banks with the computer opened on the lap to keep writing my novel, that slowly advances towards the end. 24/04/2009:
Laos, before being bombarded massively by the United States and of definitely falling in the hands of the communists, had been a French colony, and in Luang Prabang it is evident with its European architecture and the baguettes that they are bandaged through the calm streets. Really, Luang Prabang is a little town that enchants, in spite of the hundreds of tourists who strolled for our side sharing the same feelings and in spite of the prosperous business of hotels, restaurants, travel agencies, coffees of Internet and outdoor shops. For luck, many tourists are locked up in the bars to drink beer or hire excursions to some caves and cascades and have still been able to walk with relative calmness through Luang Prabang. from the 14th century to the XVI, Luang Prabang was the capital of the Kingdom of the Million Elefants (Lan Xang), converting later in the main religious centre of the kingdom. Proof of that are the crowd of Buddhist temples that spread out through the town, some of which I visited (those that were not of payment), with an architecture and decoration simpler than the Thai temples, but with some reliefs and interesting paints in the entries. In one of these temples, resting under the shadow of a flowery tree I found a youngster who studied English with a dictionary. Immediately he established conversation with me, explaining to me that for many youngsters, to enter a Buddhist monastery was the best way of studying, for the economic easiness and for the few distractions that they had. In any case, as he explained me, many monks give up the habits once the studies finished, even if they always preserve the spiritual calmness thanks to the innumerable hours of meditation carried out. It was this young monk in the temple that informed me about an interesting attraction in Luang Prabang, although there were no tourists because it was happening at 6 of the dawn. It was also difficult for me to wake up, but it was worthed. Before going out the sun (and after some hours of meditation) the monks of all the temples come out in a row walking in silence through the streets. The people of the town wait them seated in the pavements and provided with pots of food (in general rice), that go distributing solemnly in the containers that carry the monks. The ceremony is fast but captivating. The people, it seems to worship the monks as if they were saint, without touching them in any moment, while they walk to long walks and in meditative state. It was well to wake me up early because after the ceremony, I ran into a traditional market that they only set up in the morning (to the night they set up another market exclusively for tourists, with many shops with exquisite craftsmanship). This traditional market was impressive for the variety of unimaginable products that could be sold, apart from the plants: amulets, larvae and insects, lizards, eggs, snakes... Anyway, the most extraordinary animal that I saw was coming out of the market: two enormous fish from the river, similar to tuna, that weighed 30 kilos each. On the other hand, the previous journey of two days for Mekong and the great presence of tourists in Luang Prabang, did allow us to know some Spanish that travelled for little time and a very nice Argentine to whom we committed ourselves to visiting when we will travel through his country. It was a good occasion to share some beers with them, a drink that we did not try since some months ago. On the other hand it seemed impossible to avoid this cool drink due to the heat that it makes and due to the tens of tourists that they walk through your surroundings all the day with the bottle in the hand, disregarded for the money spent, because their journey will not last beyond a few weeks, before submerging themselves again to the stress of the work world. Vang Vieng (see on map) 27/04/2009:
The journey from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng lasted about eight hours in bus, circulating through a road of continuous curves, that was winding up and down through different mountains. The mountainous landscape was pretty, although it would have been much more if it had not been hidden in the mist. On the other hand, it also damaged the sight to observe on many occasions, the pending of the mountains completely deforested and peeled, probably to market with the wood, but also, in some cases, to cultivate coffee. On the other hand, most of the houses of the small villages that we crossed were made of wood and straw. Really, the life in Laos had not changed too much in the last century apart from the villages considered touristic. It should be interesting to visit some villages lost in the north of Laos, but we have (only 5 months through southeast asia) little time and so we have stopped in another village full of tourists: Vam Vieng. Anyway, unlike Luang Prabang, Vam Vieng is a horrible place, full of hotels of low category, travel agencies , coffee shops ,Internet and restaurants. The restaurants are a show, for the majority have a big television turned on broadcasting series of Friends or Simpsons, with tens of tourists dumbfounded in front of the screen. For luck, the touristic incentive is not in the village, but in the landscape and in some caves that are found close. Anyway, most of the tourists do not seem too interested in the landscape, instead of walking through the surroundings, prefer doing tubing. The tubing is a sport that the tourist agencies promote , in which the tourist are left on the side of a calm river with a camera inflated from a lorry tyre and generally with beer at hand. Without interest for doing tubing (I admit that the price was not too attractive for me), I decided to dedicate these two days in Vam Vieng to lose myself on the other side of the river, where there were some meadows and behind different mountains of rocks and vegetation that were raised vertically, offering a landscape that reminded me of some postcards of Asia. At the foot of these mountains there were different caves that were indicated with a wavy rag in a stick and with children who charged a minimum entry. I was also offered to get one of them as guide, with a higher price that I did not accept. But it was a good decision, because the emotions of entering in a deep cave are unforgettable. The first cave that I visited, called Phadeng, basically was a passage (sometimes of a metre of height) that introduced you about five hundred meters in the mountain, with different wooden stairs to get down and to raise differences and footbridges to cross fissures. In the end, the corridor finished in a small pool of brownish water, where in theory you could bathe and where in theory there were some big fish. That of the fish I did not finish believing it myself, anyway, it was also incredible to observe at the bottom of the cave some insects with antennas of about twenty centimetres. When returning, after having been all the time worried about the reliability of my torch, I decided to lose the fear and to turn it off. I had entered with a stick, and as if i was blind I was knocking the ground, rocks and ceiling to keep advancing without danger to fall. I advanced about fifty meters in the total darkness and feeling my surroundings with the stick, until I was in an incomprehensible environment and turned the light on, frightful of falling in a crack. The second cave, that of Goldjar, was much bigger, with different stalactites that resounded when knocking them softly. All the white walls of the cave were full of drawings made with mud by the different cavemen who had visited the cave the last years, and deep down there was a statue of budha with some offerings. When i was visiting a corner, I heard some tourists entering. I turned off the torch not to frighten them, and immediately after i realised this would frighten them more, but now i already had it dull and I waited, until it was unavoidable that their torches discovered me, and turned on mine, causing them a good fright, naturally. The day after, today, I have left towards the mountains more in the south ready to visit other caves, walking a small road with cobwebs and snakes that hid when passing. But as i arrived at the first cave, I realised a man and a boy of suspicious pints, with dirty cloths and with a dagger had followed me. Alexandra had told me that in the caves thefts took place, so i situated myself in a high point in the entry and I started to make tip in the stick with my knife. The man and the boy stayed in the entry, talking between them and without daring to approach, while I kept making tip to my stick as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Until the man and the boy decided to leave without showing interest of entering the cave. But I did, encouraged by my experiences of Indiana Jones, even then I did arrive too far, because in some wooden stairs along the cave I found a small spider that was concealed, and when lowering myself to observe it and to take a photo i found an enormous spider, of about ten centimetres, that made me lose all the desires of continuing with my adventures. ‹ Previous (27/02/2009) MONTH Next (2009-04-28)› ‹ Previous (2009-08-29 - Nepal) COUNTRY Next (2009-09-19 - Pakistan)› |
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