There is a ferry port in Banyuwangi on Java where ferries leave for Bali daily. We have some loooong bus journeys coming from Bromo. In fact, the bus that is supposed to go directly to one destination once again stops short and we are shunted onto another bus to take us closer. It’s hot, it’s slow and even the entertainment, which consists of the buskers that hop on at almost every stop and then extend their hats for change, is not really doing anything to improve our mood. Even the taxi driver who transports us from the last bus stop to the ferry terminal only a kilometre or two away, with whom we had arranged the more than fair price of 5000Rp/pp decides upon arrival that he actually wants 20000Rp/pp once we get there. I am ready to murder him and get a bit of satisfaction from turning my back and walking off, seeing his expression as he realizes he might no receive a penny, the bastard.

To top it up the waters aren’t too calm between Java and Bali, so we spend about an hour or two floating near the Gilimanuk harbour until we can dock there at about 10 at night. Once off board we walk for more than an hour to find accommodation.

It’s a simple place named Sari Hotel and we’re lucky to get some food and a few beers in their little cafe before bed. There is some talk about visiting a nearby island for some snorkelling the next day. which Jasper tries to arrange, but it doesn’t work out and we board another bus (probably the slowest so far) out of here.

After a four hour journey and about an hour’s searching in the Lovina area, we find some beautiful accommodation by the fishing village (Anturan Kubu Gembong) on the East side of town. It’s called Mandhara Chico Bungalows, costs us 140KRp/night and has a pool and is also directly at the black sand beach (though this is quite a mess due to monsoon rains). The place is beautiful: rooms are clean and large, huge bathrooms with hot water, balconies. it’s well maintained with mosaic pebble floors on the patio before the rooms. Really the perfect retreat for us all after a few days of being cramped up and cold.

We stay put here a few days, renting scooters (around 50KRp/day) to look around Bali during the day, eating at the nearby Reggae Bar and local guesthouse cafe and drinking beer in the swimming pool until the wee hours.

The Balinese scenery if beautiful and the guest house is great. The only thing to test your patience here is the hawkers on the beach, waiting to pounce on you and sell wares from jewellery to massages. I even get some fishing done but don’t even get a nibble out here.

After Lovina we part ways with Karen and Jasper. They intend to visit Denpasar (which I am not keen on since I recon it’ll be tout’s paradise) and we only have about 10 days left here which we’d prefer to spend on a lovely little island somewhere. We say goodbye to our friends and depart via the North coast for Chandidasar (a number of bus/bemo changes involved), where we spend one night before heading to Padangbai to catch our ferry. We cannot make it all the way to Padangbai and the journey is a pain as there is a Hindu festival going on and we have to change from the limited bus services to bemos to get there and, naturally, we get ripped off a bit in the process.

This place is pretty touristical and pretty dead right now. Apparently used to be a bit hit years ago. Our night at Temple Bungalow costs us 140KRp/night (excl. breakfast) and the place is nothing special. Though one nice thing is that across the road we find a German bakery which also does dinner – all sorts of German stuff on the menu – and it’s actually good so we really dig in that night!

Karen and Jasper, we know it’s taken us far too long to write this post. We hope you’re safely back in Amsterdam and all is going well for you. Thanks for your good company over our time in Indonesia. When we next have the chance to visit Amsterdam we’ll pay you a visit in the Noorderlicht!

Nearly two weeks in Thailand and our “visa-on-arrival” is expiring. A while back the Thai government changed the immigration laws so that foreigners entering over land borders only get a 14-day visa (actually it’s just a visa exemption entry stamp) and the 30 days exemption is only granted if arriving by air port. It’s a pain in the arse and I don’t know if the policy is achieving any objectives – somebody told me it was an attempt to try and curb the sex trade – aside from alienating backpackers.

Anyway, the long and short of it is we have to get out of the country. We’ve been in Bangkok for a few days and established that flights are way too expensive at the moment so we will have to go by land border again and that makes our closest exit point Poi Pet, Cambodia. We’ve always intended to go there and see Wat’s Wat in the pot and who’s who in the zoo, so we go to a travel agent ear Khaosan Road and organize another bus->border->bus deal, and at 7AM we’re on a minibus heading for Siem Reap. It’s all very straight forward – sticker on your T-shirt and all that, as with the Lao-Thailand crossing. A good Mexican hangover ensures that I have a good nap all the way to the border (see our Bangkok article).

People have some scary stories to tell about Cambodia; not just regarding its history but also about poverty and crime, so of course we were a little nervous crossing over. This is not helped by the travel agent escorting us as he’s telling us about all sorts of dangers across the border, starting with begging children flocking to pickpocket you and so on. Well, having crossed over the border, we see a few children, maybe one or two come by asking for a dollar but nothing further. In fact almost immediately after we get a sense that people are very genuine and friendly over here.

In Siem Reap the tour bus tries to herd us all into their own “Popular Guest House” but we walk off and stay in the Mandala Inn (9$US/night): clean, great staff and all beautiful massive wood inside. There we organize a tuk tuk for the next day (600THB) to take us around the temple complex, starting at 5AM until 6PM.

Note: Thai Baht (and US$ of course) are readily accepted around here so no real need to exchange cash at the border.

It’s an early start the next morning. Our rickshaw driver seems to have the oldest machine in town as it struggles to get us moving and others are passing us by with ease. But we’re not in a hurry.

Within the Ang Kor Wat complex, everybody has come to see sunrise and most people are waiting in front of the pond where the local hawkers allege that you will get the best photo shots – those with the temple reflecting on the water with the sun behind.

I’m not to keen on wrestling with the crowds at 6AM for the same snap, so we walk around and get some shots from other angles.

Besides, this way I get to enjoy the sunrise in silence than with a hundred people talking and cameras beeping around me. After sunrise, 007 serves us a nice strong coffee at his stall and we’re ready for the day.

Needless to say, it’s spectacular! 

Ancient temples, massive trees…

I really don’t know what more to say than, come and see for yourself!

They certainly don’t build stuff like they used to.

(Spot the Buddha!)

And the way that nature has gone about reclaiming its territory is awesome.

There have been various archeological delegations from Germany, India and elsewhere working on restoration projects here. There is currently a team from India working on one of the sites. The work they do is absolutely amazing: there are some placards showing pictures of some of the collapsed ruins they have managed to restore into buildings and it’s unimaginable how they managed to do it. We go to check out a couple of the guys working on one of the ruins with the Indian reconstruction team; they’re sitting there, meticulously sketching out the view of a collapsed building in every detail, from various angles, carefully numbering every piece. Really impressive!

It is heartbreaking to see how they’ve felled several ancient trees to avoid further damage to the temples, but I guess that’s the price to pay if we want anything to be left in a few decades time.

Before sunset we pick up a can of beer from one of the local hawkers for us and our driver to revitalize us from a day of active walking and sightseeing and drink it at a lookout point on a nearby hill.

We leave back to Thailand the next morning, this time we take a taxi to the border for roughly the same price as bus additional inconvenience would cost us (US$25). On the Thai side we get a minibus for about 300THB to Bangkok.

As for Cambodia, we’re sad to have spent so little time exploring. We really liked it here. Sure, you can see that many people are struggling – the poverty is extreme and history has been terribly bitter. However people seem very friendly and welcoming. On top of that things are inexpensive and food and beer are good, so you have a definite winner. May we find our way here again some day!

CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE PHOTOS… – DAHA FAZLA FOTO ICIN BURAYA TIKLA…

A good sleep on the comfi overnight train from Chiang Mai and we wake up in Bangkok. Just in case anyone out there is thinking of taking this route, here’s a word of warning from the train company.

Not much time spent in Bangkok, only a few days, but what can I say? It’s a big city – impressively so! Be prepared for all the things that come part and parcel with traveling thru a big city. Pollution, traffic. Getting around takes time and money, tuk tuk and taxi drivers will attempt to charge three times the proper rate, and accommodation and food are relatively expensive too.

Though I must say that at no time day or night do I feel in any danger of being mugged or whatnot. (I think credit has to go to the Super Police.)

In the tourist district around Khaosan Road and that area there’s plenty to eat / drink / shop. Plenty of lights, night life and noise. 

If you want to do something nice, go to the river and hop on the ferry down to China Town. In the streets here you’ll be able to bargain on anything from fishing line to hair clips, sunglasses to the latest porn titles (sadly my laptop has no DVD drive so I can’t tell you much about that).

However the real hit is on one of the main roads called Thanon Yaowarat, a little further on from the White Orchid hotel. Here you’ll find several pavement restaurants, and one in particular we frequented was Lek & Rut Seafood – an absolute extravaganza for seafood lovers! 

Tom Yum shrimp soup (150THB): 

And last but not least, grilled shrimp straight off the charcoal BBQ only meters away (5 pieces 300THB !!!):  (I refrain from telling them what we’d call these “shrimps” back home as it might tempt them to hike their prices up a notch!)

A visit to the Emerald Buddha temple is a great day out.

Of course this story would not be complete without briefly discussing the question of the Ping Pong Effect: 

One night we ask some waiters for advice on where the action is and they recommend the Silom district, a few kilometres SouthEast of Khaosan. A lively place, full of bars and eateries, but mostly gogo bars, massage parlours and sex shows. Not knowing the best course of action Ebru steers us smack-bang into the middle of the gay district and we sit down at some bars for some beers. Good fun here I must say! Bit strange having the waiter blow kisses at me while I’m chatting to my wife but otherwise really good fun, and it seems the only place where they play a good variety of music and bars have a relaxed BAR atmosphere, unlike the more “lady-orientated” places. 

After that we move on and pop into a Ping Pong show – got to do it while we’re here no? Besides, I love Ping Pong! The tout outside the door tells us free entry and 150THB a beer; we confirm this with the mean mama at the counter inside and she agrees, so we order a couple of beers and sit down for the show. 

It’s not sexy, it’s not glamorous, it’s dark and seedy and the ladies aren’t exactly the pick of the crop either (skills aside) – those of them who are ladies, as half of them are clearly men with tits. Straight away some gals come over to greet us and move off again, leaving their rum-coke glasses on our table. Clearly suspicious so we move signal for the lady to take them away as we don’t want them. For the next half hour it’s all lubricated paint brushes and Ping Pong balls; nothing I could ever train my fella to do, so we get bored and decide to leave.

Mean mama at the payment counter has been tallying up and hands us the bill: 

2 x Beer 300THB
2 x Ping Pong Show 800THB
3 x Rum-Coke 2700THB
——————————
TOTAL: 3800THB! 

Of course we refuse to pay and as she threatens to call the mafia her girlfriend is straight on the cell phone appearing to make a call. How intimidating… We wave the 300 Baht in her face, turning for the door and she decides to snatch it before we head out and weave our way swiftly through the streets back to – you guessed it – the safe harbour of the gay district! Be assured that I’m not that way inclined, but if it’s going to be nights out in the smutty areas of Bangkok, this is the place for me (of course with my wife as a human shield). 

Aside from that what else to tell?

Worth mentioning is that we have managed to settle our ongoing shared-laptop woes with a day trip to Pantip Plaza, a massive PC / technology market on Petchaburi road. Now that I’m the proud owner of a little ASUS 1218, we argue less, we talk less and life is a bowl of cherries.
As Confuscius’ famously said: “Key to a happy marriage – make sure each have own laptop.” 

We have to leave Thailand in order to do a Visa Run to Cambodia, but then we return to Thailand and move Bangkok to the Southern islands. The night prior to our visa run we bump into Mikko, a Finn we met in Boracay a couple of months earlier. It’s a good excuse to celebrate and to Ebru’s dismay I don’t go to bed early but head out with Mikko and Bruno from Germany for a few drinks around Khaosan Road. Well, an innocent conversation over an innocent beer later and we’re off to a bar to do Tequila Suicides as a parting ritual…. two tequila suicides and a shared bucket of rum&coke later the Mexicans have firmly taken over the party and ensure that I have a nice, deep sleep all the way to Cambodia  the next day.
PS: Mikko if you’re reading this, we have to hook up so I can send you those videos somehow!  

One night we were fortunate enough to witness a beautiful lunar eclipse over the city.

Another night we get to ride on Bangkok’s fastest tuk tuk.

On our final evening in Bangkok, which happens to be the same evening we arrive at Bangkok returning from Cambodia, we get dropped off at the main train station, stash our bags at the left luggage counter and race straight off to Chinatown for our final Bangkok Shrimp and Tom Yum feast!

Washed down with a couple of Singhas, we’re satisfied to the teeth and board our night train for the islands in the South.

Bye bye Bangkok! 

Chiang Mai is not at all what I expected: it’s a large town, all built up, with traffic jams and all that comes with it. Despite that, it’s a nice place to be. Plenty of Wats (temples) to check out, loads of outdoor activities you can book yourself on and plenty of places to visit. It’s not cheap (if you’ve come from Lao), so we don’t buy into any organized tours.

We get a reasonable room in a guest house on the east side of the city wall.

Breakfast at the adjoining Morning Glory Cafe is excellent and the shop is managed by Mew, a really smiley, friendly young lady with the most mesmerizing eyes.

Look at that! Guaranteed to put the sunshine in your day!

We explore the town from there by scooter (just inside the east side walls an older chap at a wooden desk on the pavement rents scooters for only 100Baht/day!).

A day trip to Wat Doi Suthep is a worthwhile experience and comes with a lovely view over the whole city. We happen to be here just at the time of the King’s birthday so it’s a hive of activity, worshipers everywhere, children playing instruments, flowers all over the place – beautiful!

Also we bike about 20km North of town and visit an orchid nursery and an elephant show. Now there’s lots of comment out there about whether this elephant training is ethical or not (you’ll have to do your own research) and to be honest I don’t know, but the fact remains that we went there and it’s just amazing how well these animals are trained to do what they do (football, painting, darts etc), so I’m glad I went. At some point I turn my head and little Ebru’s standing in the arena playing darts with this huge elephant and it’s totally kicking her arse.

Nights are spent eating Thai food and drinking beer in nice little bars, my favourite being a reggae bar on the south side. And on the King’s birthday we happen to attend a Thai music concert in the centre square, which is nice, with lots of singers I’m sure Cherry would have loved to see and song she’d have understood.

There are a lot of meditation retreats in Chiang Mai. Ebru suggests that I go on one because I’m always so stressed out. Anyway one day we go and visit a few of the places and find out that Wat Suan Dok (http://www.monkchat.net) they do a two day meditation workshop every week and we book ourselves on it. It takes place at a camp about an hour out of town. We get there and everybody changes into the compulsory white clothes, and for the next 24 hours there’s no talking, only meditation exercises and some food/drink breaks. Initially when everybody comes out in their new pyjamas you have to laugh to yourself because it’s like you just stepped into a scene from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

The workshop is really interesting: informative about Buddhism and a good way to get started on Buddhist meditation techniques. The monk who’s running the classes is a great fellow; he just oozes calm and has a really nice way of explaining things. It’s barely enough to get a feel for the techniques and unless you’re already a meditator don’t expect to reach any deep states of rest. However as a taster it’s excellent and gives some idea of what you may expect when enrolling for a proper 10+ day Vipassana retreat.

On our final night, Steve at the reggae bar lets us in that there’s a festival – the “Smile Party” – going on at the lake outside town tonight and we snap up two tickets for ourselves. Glad we did! Free taxi shuttles there and back all night; it’s a small affair, only one stage, all reggae bands except one Thai lady who does the most fantastic Spanish/Latin music, and the music and vibe are awesome! We stay there, dancing and drinking til about 1AM, when the final live acts complete and the DJ takes over. I can’t wipe the smile off my face all night. Thank you Smile Party crew!

The following evening we’re on the night train to Bangkok, a wholly enjoyable and recommendable journey! The cost is around 500THB per person and it takes about12 hours. The facilities are simple but comfi enough. And the highlight is dinner and drinks in the buffet carriage, where some Thai ladies run a restaurant reminiscent of a strip club-cross-discotheque – all dim red haze with colourful blinky christmas lights all across the ceiling and various music playing on the jukebox. The food is good and we have a blast!

Bike hand-over works like a charm with the guy from Jule Classic. It’s hard to part with the machine though after ten days of intimate riding together.

As in Vang Vieng there are plenty of outdoor activities on offer. As for night life though, by about 23:30 everything is shut aside from some club down by the stadium and The Bowling Alley (no comment).

Beautiful though it is, we immediately notice a change in attitude of the local pople, sadly not positive. The reason for this seems plain: LP has been more and more overrun by tourists in recent years, and especially since attaining world heritage status it’s become a popular destination. Where there is money there are wealth and prosperity, but also greed and all the other associated side effects; where there are tourists there is ignorance and unacceptable behaviour.

It’s easy to have a nice time here and there are plenty interesting things to see. Sadly many rather spoiled by a abundance of tourists not behaving in a dignified manner. It is really a shame.

One evening we go to the temple up on the tall hill in the middle of town at sunset. There’s a boat load of tourists there, chatting, laughing, snapping away. What they don’t seem to take notice of is that there are also a number of worshipers and a monk kneeling there, hands pressed together in evening prayer, the monk chanting away in Buddhist ritual. On they go – the tourists – chatting, laughing, shouting, beeping and clicking with their darned cameras. The poor worshipers trying to contain their frustration at the ruckus and sheer disrespect around them. Some goofhead even goes so far as to start photographing them in prayer. One of the ladies in the worshiping group is clearly annoyed and waves at her to stop but on she goes clickitty-beep…. makes you want to shove their cameras down their throats.

…sigh

There’s a beautiful alms procession early every morning where the monks walk through town and the people give them their food for the day. It’s a unique event but sadly I find even this is somewhat spoiled by hoards of tourists arriving on golf carts and going bleebleep-click, bleebleep-click…. did I mention there’s a MUTE function?

Anyway the main street market in LP is great. There’s good food to be found at the food market. This dude’s papaya salad is the best we’ve tasted so far (of course without the fish sauce).

And this lady makes the best value for money chicken-mayo baguette ever! Delicious!

But we avoided the all you can eat buffets as they’re apparently quite diluted in taste. You can’t go wrong with the fish, chicken and pork ribs straight from the BBQ though.

We spend some time floating around various monasteries and sitting in the peaceful shade of the trees in the courtyards.

On one occasion we meet some monks and we spend the afternoon helping him with his English studies. Also he tells us some interesting information about the Buddhist faith and his duties as a monk.

There is a huge waterfall and bear park a few kilometres out of town which you can easily reach by tuk tuk or scooter and it’s breathtaking. Delicate rock pools cascade through the jungle, filled with sky-blue water which you can swim in. How delightful!

You can also walk up the steep dirt paths and follow the great waterfall to its origin. You’re surrounded by jungle and ancient trees that must be hundreds of years old, and between the trees there are pools of water slowly flowing toward the steep edge of the waterfall.

Luang Prabang is incidentally also the venue for our tree latest tree planting expedition (check out Planting Around the World – Mission 4 & 5).

Recommendations:
– For crying out loud, behave yourself. This is not Disney land, people LIVE here.
– Visit the big waterfall near LP and take your cozzie.
– Visit the stupa on top of the hill in LP for sunset but shut up, mute your camera and take photos of the sunset, not the worshippers.
– If you get up to watch the alms procession but try to keep a low profile. Too many tourists gloating and bleeping make it hard to recognize anything sacred about the affair.
– Spend some time with the monks and help them with their English studies, they’ll really appreciate it. If you have old school books they are in need of these too.