Monks on the Mekong: Luang Prabang

After a few expensive excursions we decided to save a few pounds by taking the night bus from Luang Namtha to Luang Prabang so as to save on accommodation for one night. We were sold tickets for the VIP bus and were feeling relatively optimistic about the mere 300km journey... that is until we discovered that VIP actually stands for 'Vomiting in Progress'! The bus turned out to be a local minibus with sick bags issued as standard at the start. Within half an hour the vomiting had begun. Most of the other 8 passengers joined in at one point or another but the lead vomiter somehow managed to keep up the performance for the whole 10 hours! Horrible! The only upside of arriving by this bus was that it was early enough in the morning to witness the Alms giving, where the monks walk the streets near their temple and collect food donations from local women.

We spent the remainder of the day exploring the city's temples, most notably the royal Wat Xieng Thong temple built in 1560, and the one hundred metre high Phu Si which towers above the rest of the city offering fantastic views at sunset. Luang Prabang itself is a surprisingly pleasant and spacious city, built along the banks of the Mekong and Nam Khan Rivers with many old French colonial buildings still in excellent condition. Whilst it was still a little colder than expected, it was certainly not cold enough to excuse the ridiculous multi-coloured coats being worn by all the dogs there!

On our second day we visited the Kuang Si Waterfalls following the recommendations of a few Lao people we had met. Expecting another same-old waterfall we were very pleasantly surprised by the beautiful turquoise tiered pools that surrounded the waterfall. Ali braved the freezing waters and mostly had the place to himself as a result. As an added bonus there was a black bear sanctuary in the grounds of the waterfall and we were lucky to be there at 'foraging time'.

In the evening we came across an 'ethnik fashion show' which showcased traditional tribal costumes combined with bright lights, music and breakdancing which nicely rounded off our time in the city.

After the slow rough bus journey we felt we would need to superspeed the trip through south of Laos and we decided we had to skip a couple of sights and 'flashpack' it with a flight onto Siem Reap in Cambodia managing just a one night stopover in the Lao capital, Vientiene, where we did some night time sightseeing of their imitation Arch de Triomphe.  

Jungle adventures: Northern Laos

Crossing the border into Laos at Huay Xai we found the country a little less package tourist and little more backpacker with apparently a strong focus on ecotourism. We prepared ourselves for several days in the jungle of Bokeo and the Nam Ha national protected area, stumping up for the Gibbon experience, a ziplining adventure deep into the jungle via more than ten zip lines most around 500m long. The organisation supports the sustainment of the gibbons' environment and even though we didn't see any gibbons it was worth it for the zipping and the stay in an amazing treehouse 40m high up in the jungle. 

The next part of the expedition was two days cycling around Luang Nam Tha and kayaking down the Nam Ha jungle river. With our guide we stopped at several villages along the way to peer at locals weaving, eating and drinking, and playing cards and games. We stayed overnight in a local family home, sleeping on the floor alongside the rest of the family. This cultural experience of local living conditions was a little awkward with so little language in common but the children in particular were very welcoming. We watched the news and live music being performed at the Bangkok protests together on the satellite TV which kept us all entertained, as did keeping warm huddling around the fire. Their living is basic and maybe they think us tourists as rather strange - although we avoided commenting that their 24-hour mains electricity was a relative luxury!

It is rather colder than we expected in Northern Laos - apparently unseasonably so - and this was most noticeable as we embarked on the river kayak trip and the rapids came into view. Fortunately our guide's advice and directions were so helpful that we only went in the water twice!

Tribes and tigers: North Thailand

In Northern Thailand we visited Chiang Mai and had a relaxing few days exploring the old town, temples and enjoying a fine range of vegetarian restaurants that cater for travellers. It's a nice historic city popular with tourists and there are many activities available in the surrounding mountains and valleys. Though we'd have loved to see some elephants up close, after some careful consideration we decided against the elephant parks and rides that seem to be numerous in the region as we're not convinced about their conditions and treatment. However we couldn't miss the chance to visit the tigers who are successfully bred at Tiger Kingdom and seem to enjoy playing with the waiver-signing tourists.

Whilst not fully concentrating, Leila agreed with Ali's idea to go rock climbing at 'one of the most challenging climbing destinations in south east Asia'. Fortunately, she (literally) rose to the challenge, despite the guide's motivational advice at a tricky spot to "just go up - no top, no lunch!"

Further north, near Chiang Rai we stayed in a cosy bungalow (bamboo shack) in a resort called Naga Hill where Leila could recommence her swimming routine - this time with a better view of the surrounding mountains. The 'Golden Triangle' region is the mountainous triple border of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos and was traditionally a major opium growing area for the hill tribes but they have cleaned up their act and instead the area is now a tourist destination. After visiting the Hill tribe museum however, we weren't convinced that the tour parades to the far flung villages were really a helpful influence.

So we hired a scooter for a couple of days and ourselves explored the hills and valleys along the Kok river, passing through the villages and stopping at some waterfalls, buddha caves and the hugely impressive all-white stucco temple (Wat Rong Koom).

The ancient city of Sukhothai

Six hours by train north of Bangkok got us to the town of Phitsanulok. There was relatively little to see or do in the town itself, it being a convenient point on the train line, and proudly claims from its road signs to be 'the city of recycling'. However from there it is just a short bus ride to the ancient city of Sukhothai, which is said to have been the first independent Thai kingdom dating back to the 13th century. We hired bikes and enjoyed cycling around the ruins of the ancient temples, columns and Buddha figures; a very peaceful experience until a coach-load of local school kids arrived!

Back at Phitsanulok Leila was very pleased to have found a hotel in budget with a large swimming pool and was determined to make the most of it, even if the pool was basically in a multi-story car park.

Temples and tuk-tuks: Bangkok

Undeterred by warnings of demonstration and a possible coup we continued our travels to Thailand, starting in the traveller mecca, Bangkok. Hardly an unfrequented destination, the challenge here for Ali would be to achieve the trip in the most thrifty way possible. The journey from the airport by four means of transport was one that Leila will not remember fondly.

We began the essential sightseeing of some of Bangkok's magnificent temples and their many holy statues of Buddha. At the Grand Palace we saw the famous emerald Buddha amongst many ornate temples and golden towers. However, elsewhere the 46m long golden reclining Buddha statue was probably the most impressive!  A bit overwhelmed, we sheltered from the heat and learned a bit more about Thai history and culture at the impressive Museum of Siam.

It seems the traveller scams are alive and well and don't take long to emerge, however these are also well documented and we knew not to believe the friendly locals telling us the temples were closed and that we should go some place else. Unfortunately it leaves you very wary of any offers of help from strangers...  

Ali enthusiastically sought out a few vegetarian restaurants which provided a delicious reassurance of some good food to enjoy in Thailand and we booked up a vegetarian cooking school the next afternoon where we learned to make six dishes including soups, noodles and curries as well as spring rolls and pumpkin hummous. Singing in Thai, hip-shaking dance moves and occasional headdress wearing were compulsory! Back in the throng of partying travellers on Khao San road, where we honed our bargaining skills purchasing a few items of clothing and enjoyed a drink watching revellers sampling local delicacies such as fried scorpions on a stick (yuk).

On our second day we visited the traditional Thai house of the American silk entrepreneur Jim Thompson, getting to which we encountered the large demonstration taking place around Democracy Monument. Thousands of protesters have blockaded the streets calling for democratic reform as they believe the current government is not legitimate. The demonstration has since expanded to other sites as protesters aim to 'shut down' the city, with shots fired and protesters killed. It was entirely peaceful when we passed by but it did wreak havoc with public transport. Partly due to this and partly due to Ali's determination/tightness we ended up walking across the city to our smart night out at the Sirocco Sky Bar (of 'Hangover Part II' fame). It was worth it for the amazing view from the 63rd floor, but the expensive cocktails were a big fail for thriftiness and Leila suspects that none of the other guests will have walked this journey to save 1% of the cost of the drinks!

After two days in Bangkok we boarded the train towards the north of Thailand.

New Year's celebrations in Kuala Lumpur

After an indulgent week of Christmas feasting and hot showers we embarked on our next three month leg of travels: South East Asia!

We flew into Kuala Lumpur where we were lucky to be staying in James' luxurious pad. A day by the pool, mooching around the local neighbourhood, eating and resting helped us adjust to the eight hour time difference in time for New Year's Eve. James had got us invites to a party being held at an apartment right opposite the Twin Towers with a view of the fireworks that must have been one of the best in the whole city.

Not a lot happened on January 1st. Once we'd all managed to get up, eat breakfast and have another dip in the pool there wasn't much of the day left. We headed to Publika, the local shopping mall for some authentic hangover food. Ali was almost enjoying his ice fruit dish until he got to the sweetcorn layer.

Before catching our next flight on our final day in KL we were keen to visit the city's bird park, 'the world's largest free-flight walk-in aviary' no less! The whole park is covered with a high net which means that most of the birds are able to fly freely around the park. The star attractions were the Great Hornbills, the many parrots and the cheesy photo opportunities!

Next stop Bangkok..