Luang Nam Tha, Laos (Jen)

We decided that after so much leisure in Chiang Mai, it was time to jump into something a bit more active. We hopped the bus to Chiang Khong on Apr 18, crossed the border (the Mekong) to Laos the next morning and boarded a bus directly to Luang Nam Tha. Our bus options were our first lesson that although many Lao people understand Thai (which remains to come in handy as a result), we are definitely not in Thailand any more. The was no VIP, air-con transport options. Just a big, very old bus. We had to climb over bags and bags of rice to get to our seats, and there were a couple of motorbikes strapped to the top. First impressions aside, once the bus got moving we realized that it was perfectly comfortable, if a little dusty. Mostly I felt sorry for the poor girl a couple of rows up who vomited into a plastic bag for half the ride there. (The road was a little winding . . . ) But enough of that kind of talk. (I’m sure you get enough from Perry.)

The night we arrived in town, we immediately booked a two day trek with Green Discovery, a local eco-tourism operator (www.greendiscoverylaos.com). This is one time Lonely Planet certainly didn’t let us down. We had a great guide, great food, and an overall wonderful experience. There were only 5 in our group, plus 2 guides. The hiking wasn’t easy through the Nam Tha protected and nearby areas. We had to cross many rivers hopping rocks or using log bridges (my personal weakness), and of course there was more than enough uphill for the 35+ degree heat.

The destination was well worth it though. We spent the night in the village of an Akha tribe. The village was quite remote and its’ inhabitants appeared to be living in a very traditional manner. The were so friendly and took great care of us the entire time we were there. Once we had a refreshing “shower” in the stream in our sarongs (I still don’t understand how you really get clean that way . . . ), a few of the villagers and our guide, Pon, cooked us up a super tasty dinner which we ate by candlelight inside our bamboo hut. The villagers also shared a bottle of their “lao lao” with us, a very strong rice whiskey that they brew themselves. (You can actually find home brew lao lao all over Laos. I’ve yet to acquire a taste for it, but Perry thinks it tastes like sake.) After dinner, a few of the village girls, I would guess they were about 12 yrs old or so, came down to give us all a massage. Pon told us that it is Akha custom for young village girls to massage guests and that the villagers “would not be happy” if they weren’t able to do this for us. The actual massages were quite humorous, as the girls spent most of their time nattering at each other, I’m sure about us, and they weren’t exactly what you would call skilled. They were lovely though so we all just took it in and tried not to giggle too much.

The next morning we visited the village’s school, which from what I understand is a fairly new addition. It was easy to tell that these kids were not used to too much structure. They went crazy when we got there, mostly because they LOVE to have their pictures taken, and of course take a look at the result on the digital display. I honestly thought I had started some kind of brawl. They eventually calmed down, slightly. (We made sure to get prints made in Nam Tha for Pon to deliver to them on his next trip.)

The trek and the experience in the village, especially with all of the super friendly children, was really special. Looking around the village, you have to feel in awe of how these people live. Their life is simple and certainly not easy. They have no running water, very limited access to electricity (some huts had solar panels, thanks to an NGO project), extremely well worn clothing, etc. However, they seemed to be nothing but content and were very gracious hosts. One more bonus of the trek was that we met some great people from New Zealand (Josh and Lucy) and Australia (Katy).

After a day of rest, where we rented a scooter and checked out the town market and nearby waterfall (seems to be a formula for destinations in SE Asia?), we decided on one more day of adventure before heading on to Luang Prabang. After our fabulous experience trekking, we of course headed back to Green Discovery. Since it is dry season, the water in the Nam Tha River is quite low, and therefore perfect for us beginner kayakers. This time, it was only Perry, our guide Sai, and I on the trip, which suited us perfectly. We got to chat with Sai and get to know him a little bit.

Perry and I have decided that instead of marriage prep class, all couples should have this two man kayak experience. It definitely took some coordination and cooperation in to get us going in the right direction. We visited a Lantan village and a Khmu village along the river (two distinct tribal groups in the area), and had another tasty Lao picnic lunch. It is very interesting how diverse the Nam Tha area, and actually Laos in general, is in terms of ethic tribes. It was also interesting to contrast the more accessible villages visited by the river with the less accessible Akha village visited on our trek. The accessible villages show more signs of development, but still operate fairly traditionally. For example, more western clothing seemed to be mixed in with traditional dress, and we spotted a couple of scooters. As well, the children at the Khmu village did not budge from their seats when we stopped by to drop off our “thank you” gifts of notebooks and pens. They were obviously a bit more used to tourists, and to school discipline.

Sai took some great photos of us kayaking, as we mostly did not trust ourselves to have the camera out (we could likely tip at any moment . . .). When we found out that Sai, who is saving to go to college in Vientiane, didn’t own a camera, we took some shots of him as well, and again dropped off prints the next day. We were regulars at the photo shop with all of our prints for the village people (who apparently love to receive the photos that tourists are constantly taking of them, but rarely actually do) and our guides.

After 4 days in the beautiful area surrounding Luang Nam Tha, we were ready to head south to Luang Prabang, via a one day bus ride, followed by two days slow boat down the Mekong. We’ll update you on that fun journey in a few days . . .

As always, check out our photos at http://gallery.me.com/adamschen.

Love to everybody. We miss you!!

Chiang Mai & Pai (Perry)

From Ayutthaya, we thought it would be fun to take the overnight train to Chiang Mai and start our travels in the north of Thailand. We figured the 14 hour trip would be best served if we sprung the extra cash and both got sleeper seats, which include a single bed, blanket, and pillow. This way we would get a good night sleep and at the same time, have a new experience. For me, I could have done without the experience.

In all fairness, under normal circumstances the train would have been great. It just so happened that the night before we were to leave, we decided to check out a street market and sample some of the local fare. I, being the meat eater I am, decided on a tasty pork and rice dish. At first (and I stress at first) the meal was very good. The next day was a different story. There’s nothing quite like being sick to your stomach in a strange country and in 38 degree heat. By the time we were to board the train, I had started to feel a lot better so we made the game time decision to proceed as planned. Sitting in the train and feeling pretty good, we decided to celebrate the moment with a big bottle of Singha beer. In my mind, that’s the defining moment of my overnight train experience. For the next 14 hours, I proceeded to visit the washroom on an hourly basis. Making matters worse (if that’s possible) were the other travelers chilling out in the aisle, who would stop me to make idle chit chat. I passed one group so many times that I was able to learn their life story. Oh, and the condition of the washroom.....don’t even get me started.

Anyways, I survived and we eventually made it to Chiang Mai, which is Thailand’s second biggest city but is nowhere close to being as big or as busy as Bangkok. The old city of Chiang Mai is basically a square surrounded by a moat and remnants of an old brick wall. Getting around the city center is quite easy, your either drive clockwise (outside the moat) or counter clockwise (inside the moat). That being said, both Jen and I agreed that renting a scooter would be the best way to get around (yippee!). An added bonus was that Jen’s friend Oh would be joining us. Although there are numerous reasons to visit Chiang Mai, we timed our visit so that it would coincide with the Thai new year festival, Songkran. Officially, Songkran festivities run from April 13 to 15 at which point the streets of Thailand, and especially Chiang Mai, resemble a gigantic water fight. In reality, the water splashing started around the 11th or so . . . With the moat surrounding the center of the city, Chiang Mai was the place to be for Songkran. Since we arrived early (April 1), we had plenty of time to relax and check out the city before it became utter chaos.

On the first day and even though Jen and I were pretty much “wat”ed out, we took the scooter up a very scenic, very winding, and very fun road to Doi Suthep, one of north Thailand’s most sacred temples. What really distinguished this temple from many of the others we had seen was the number of bells it had. Supposedly if you ring all the bells around Doi Suthep you will have good luck and since you always need a bit of luck, we did as such. Most of the other days were spent exploring the city and checking out the trendy areas of town. In particular, we really seemed to spend a lot of time at a Chiang Mai coffee chain called “Wawee Coffee” on the trendy street of Nimanhaemin. Think Starbucks but a bit more comfortable, nicer setting, and more neighborhood feel.

Our nights in Chiang Mai were mostly spent checking out the local markets. Although most of the cities in Thailand have either a day or night market or both, Chiang Mai is by far market central. The most well known “tourist” market is the Night Bazaar which is about 4 to 6 blocks of shops and restaurants. In this case, its quantity over quality as most of the items are the standard knock-off designer clothing that you can pretty much find anywhere in Thailand. (I guess a tell-tale sign that this market is geared towards tourists is that on a central corner of the market you can find McDonalds, Burger King, Starbucks and Subway.) On particular nights though, the city shuts down other sections of streets and holds “walking streets”. We went to the Sunday night walking street. This market was huge and the items for sale of much better quality, and better priced. Here you can find quality jewelry, arts and crafts, and authentic Thai street food. Delicious!

Although we like to think that Oh only came to Chiang Mai to visit us, she also came to visit her friend Mo. Mo, who is an engineering professor for the Thai military, was home visiting family and was nice enough to show us around even more. Instead of visiting the standard tourist infested pubs and bars, we visited a very cool strip of bars where the locals came to eat, drink, and play. Finally, Jen knows how I feel when I go to 17th Ave. in Calgary.

Although I know both sets of parents will not be happy with the following paragraph, I just have to say that one of my proudest moments in Thailand had to be when we rode three to a scooter. Oh had never driven a scooter before and Jen wasn’t sure if she should drive in the city, so the only logical thing to do was to throw tiny Oh on the back. I mean, it’s probably the most authentic “Thai” thing I’ve done the whole trip. So if that’s one of my proudest moments, the proudest would have to be when the three of us got pulled over and were ticketed by the police, for all things, because I wasn’t wearing a helmet. (Sorry folks, won’t happen again.) The funniest part about it, was that three on a bike posed not problem at all, as far as the traffic cops were concerned.

With about 5 days to go before Songkran, we decided to head further north and visit a town called Pai. Jen and I had heard many good things regarding Pai from fellow travelers so it was always on our list of places to go. The town was small and it had an “artsy”, kind of hippie feel to it. On one strip you could find numerous coffee shops/pubs whereas on another strip, you could find some really good live music. At a place called Buffalo Exchange, the singer had such an amazing voice that I swear we heard the next Thailand Idol. Another good thing that we had heard about Pai was that it was a good place to rent scooters to tour in and around the town. When I say “we”, this time I actually mean it because both Jen and Oh figured this would be good place to get more comfortable on the bike. For Oh, this would actually be her first time.

The first day we rode just outside of town to the Chinese Village, a little town where Chinese (Yunnan) people had settled during the war. I, of course, felt quite at home. The town had a great view of Pai and had many shops selling chinese teas, spices and treats. Keeping in form with Chinese tradition (??), the town also had a tiny, man-powered ferris wheel. Check out the photo gallery to see what it looked like but it was a very random sight.

On the morning of our second day in Pai, we met up with Oh at a street vendor selling “Joke” (rice porridge) and her new friend Pucchai. Pucchai, a local artist, started chatting up Oh and it turned out that he’s a minor celebrity in Thailand. From what I could understand, the man had lived a very interesting life. From being a war photographer, to studying philosophy in Chicago, to being a well-known street performer and artist, Pucchai had many interesting stories to tell us. But while interesting, we had to take some of his stories with a grain of salt as his daily breakfast consisted of a bottle of rice whiskey.

Jen and I had decided that instead of buying random souvenirs that we would try to buy some original art from each country that we visited. The old place in Kensington does need something or other to cover up the walls. Anyways, Oh mentioned this to Pucchai so he was kind enough to show us his gallery. Two good things about our visit to Pucchai’s place. First, we ended up “buying” two pieces of his art although we still don’t think 500 baht and bottle of vodka is fair. Secondly, we discovered a great coffee shop nearby called Coffee in Love. The place was nicely designed, very comfortable, and had some good coffee, but the view was the real attraction. Overlooking a valley and surrounded by mountains, we spent a few hours there over the next couple days just chilling and taking it all in.

In the smaller towns in Thailand, Songkran festivities tend to start a bit earlier and Pai was no different. Not wanting to feel left out from the other 12 year olds, I bought a water gun and joined in. While the girls weren’t nearly as enthusiastic about the idea, they got caught up in the action, most of the time unwillingly. There’s nothing like a white girl with blond hair that catches the eye of a bucket of water wielding Thai kid. Suffice it to say, we all got soaked.

After our brief visit in Pai, we returned to Chiang Mai the day before Songkran. Now Jen had tried to explain to me what the scene would be like but nothing could prepare me for the actual thing. Surrounding the moat, the sidewalks were packed with people either armed with a water gun or a bucket on a rope. The streets themselves were packed with pickup trucks or tuk-tuks, both carrying loads of people and garbage can size buckets of water, and usually, ice. You literally couldn’t walk a foot without being sprayed or doused with water. The three of us took to the streets with our water guns but we soon discovered that buckets were the way to go. Stopping at a nearby reggae bar, we joined in with the employees and their kids and proceeded to throw bucket after bucket of water on passersby.

We continued the festivities the next day and headed out into the chaos once again. This time we made it straight across town to the Central Plaza, where they had shut down the street to host two competing street concerts. The crowds were massive and the water and booze were flowing. The good thing about Songkran is that the water throwing usually stops after the sunset. For Thais, this is just common courtesy. I still feel sorry for the American tourist who dared shoot Jen one night as we headed out to the walking street. He probably hadn’t been yelled at like that since grade school.

By the third day of Songkran, both Jen and I were wanting to stay dry. Knowing that we couldn’t head towards the city center, we decided to take the scooter out and head in the opposite direction towards a couple of towns called Bo Sang and Sankampang, both known for arts and crafts. Big mistake. We were warned by Oh that because these towns get less traffic, their buckets of water would be bigger and even more likely to be filled with ice water. As I write this, I have no idea why we chose to ignore her words. The ride started out harmlessly enough and while we did get splashed a bit, we were feeling pretty good about our decision. But as the first town, Bo Sang, approached we began to realize that maybe we weren’t so smart. I mean the buckets were huge and the sound of the water hitting my chest was equivalent to that of a 10 meter bellyflop into a pool. The trip was made worthwhile though as we stumbled upon a Chinese donut vendor in Sankampang and the hot soy milk dip was just the thing to warm us up from the ice water.

Eventually the chaos of Songkran ended and after a day of hanging out and eating with Oh and Mo we made our way to the bus station to head to Chiang Khong, which would be just an overnight stop as the town was a 5 minute boat ride away from Laos. Goodbye Thailand. It’s been a great two and half months and a fabulous introduction to South East Asia.

Kanchanaburi and Ayutthaya (Jen)

Although Kanchanaburi was one of my favorite places to visit back in the day with my host family, I have to admit it is at the bottom of my list of stops so far this trip. We had arranged what we expected to be a very nice hotel on the river with a pool and a gym (Perry was very excited . . .), thinking we again deserved a little “backpacker break”. When we arrived, the accommodation turned out to be less than expected. Much less. Very loud and terrible music in the restaurant, a pool that was truly only about 2 feet deep and very tiny, and a gym straight out of the 70’s with small and broken machines. The lack of power in our room and the ants all over the toilet seat the night we checked in didn’t help either. The only good things about this hotel were the quite beautiful setting along the River Kwae Noi, the free and fast wifi, and the fairly cheap and super tasty dinner and breakfast buffets. So much for our plans to get some exercise and get healthy after gorging ourselves with my host family in Bangkok!

Accommodation aside though, for the average backpacker, Kanchanaburi mostly entails visiting WWII museums. While interesting and informative, this was not entirely our cup of tea at the moment. Perry, always up for a little scooter action, scoffed at advice on travelfish that Kanchanaburi’s sights were quite far spread and a tour, while normally not the best choice, would be advisable in this case. Long story short, I think I spent about 6 to 7 hours on the back of a bike the day we went to Hellfire Pass. I finally got my first sunburn and couldn’t feel my ass again until the next morning . . .

So, with the downs outweighing the ups in Kanchanaburi, we decided to get out and finally start our journey north. Not too far north though. First stop Ayutthaya, the former Thai capital, which is just a short hour or so train ride from Bangkok. My traveler bliss was immediately restored. The people in Ayutthaya are so, so friendly. The town is cute with great markets, and our guesthouse was super comfy and clean. And since Ayutthaya is not too busy or big, we were able to pedal around town for the 3 days we spent there. (Granted, the bikes were a little old and squeaky, but what can you expect for 40 baht per day?) The ruins of the many ancient temples we visited were amazing. Amazing enough to keep us going, even in the 38-ish degree heat. Not an easy feat! It is incredible to imagine these structures in use nearly 700 years ago.

We thoroughly enjoyed Ayutthaya, staying a few days longer than planned. A perfect stepping stone on our journey north. For photos, as usual, visit http://gallery.me.com/adamschen.

Love to everybody at home, Jen & Perry