Tuesday 30 June 2015
Vientiane to Vang Vieng
This morning we got up and had breakfast in our hostel in Vientiane before getting on a bus to Vang Vieng, four hours north. The bus journey wasn't bad and the scenery when we were nearing Vang Vieng was pretty spectacular, similar to around Tham Kong Lo cave. The little town of Vang Vieng is surrounded with vast mountains, which house many caves, and the river Song runs beside it.
We hadn't booked a hostel so had to choose one in the sweltering heat. I'm pretty sure the only reason we chose the one we did was because it was showing reruns of friends in its restaurant. But the room was nice and not too pricey and there was aircon. We've discovered aircon is an important feature. So we dumped our bags and decided to make the most of the afternoon (it was only 2.30 at this point) by hiring mountain bikes to see some caves. We chose two bikes and set off through town to a bridge that you had to pay to cross. That didn't bother us but the road beyond the bridge was vile. It was more of a track than a road so we took it steady, bumping up and down constantly. I discovered that when on these kinds of roads one grips their handle bars very tightly which becomes rather uncomfortable quite quickly, especially when your hands are sweating profusely. We also discovered on the way back that this track was uphill which would explain the breathlessness and insane sweating that occurred.
We'd probably got about a kilometre down the road and up a small hill before Matt was off and walking with his bike. I thought he was just struggling up the hill (and secretly felt proud as I'd made it up without stopping) but his bike wasn't working. It was like the chain wasn't attached to the back wheel properly. We tried moving the chain (which meant we both had black hands) several times and even stopped some passing tourists to see if they could help. My arms were dripping with sweat at this point and I'd managed to get oil and dust all over me (pretty sure I've ruined my t-shirt). We thought it unwise to go on but there was a cave a kilometre from us so we planned to push our bikes to it. Most of it was downhill so we sailed along on bikes and discovered that occasionally Matt's would work. This meant we got there in no time and parked up before following two little tour guides to a cave. I think they were two brothers of about 9 and 13 who took us and two other guys from Laos up and up and up. We were basically climbing a rock face which had various ladders made of sticks of wood positioned to help us. We were both past it by this point and constantly ranted about the whole afternoon for the entire climb. None of the others spoke much English so it was fine. It was almost comical. Finally, after what felt like an age, we reached the mouth of this small cave. Having been to Tham Kong Lo we weren't that impressed but all we could do was laugh at how sweaty and disgusting we were. The sign for the cave had said 'swimming cave' but there was no water. We should have realised as it was so high up that there would be no water. I was dreaming of a cold shower. However, the older tour guide showed us round the cave before signing swimming and pointing down. There was another cave for swimming. I felt like leaping with joy.
Back down at the bottom (climbing down proved a little tricky) we walked another hundred metres through some wild grassy area to the best cave ever. You left your shoes at the entrance and climbed down another ladder onto a bamboo platform. It was so dark that our head torches were needed but the two kids positioned theirs on some rocks and then just jumped. It was like paradise. This amazingly fresh pool of water lay there, ready to be jumped into. At first I worried for the boys as some of the rocks were sharp but they obviously knew what they were doing. I chose to lay on a rock and submerge myself in water whereas Matt joined in with the boys and kept jumping in. I should probably add that I didn't bother taking my clothes off. It was a wise choice as I was kept cool for the journey back to town. When we were out the guides asked for payment. We knew this would happen so asked how much. They kindly said we should decide. I know all the books say you shouldn't give children money but they'd done honest work and been so helpful so we gave them 20,000 kip to share (about £1.60). I think it might have been a lot as they were super happy for the whole walk back to our bikes but it was nothing to us really. I hope they attend school though.
We slowly cycled back (walking up hills as that seemed to be when Matt's bike broke the most) but made it to the bike shop for around half 6. We desperately needed to shower, even after the swimming cave, and so didn't start looking for food until nearly 8. I felt so clean though, I just kept smelling my arms and smiling to myself. I'm turning super weird. We found food quite quickly, settling for more barbecue food; it seems to be quite popular in Laos. We chose pork and chicken to share and got some sticky rice each. I'm not a huge fan of the sticky rice. It's a bit too chewy. But we were given a plate of some sort of leaves (no idea what kind of leaves they were) and cabbage leaves with cucumber and cold noodles to wrap together with the meat. We then dipped it all in a spicy hoisin style sauce. It was very nice but the chicken was a little dry, the pork was pretty much crackling and fat rather than meat and the sauce got a bit too much after a while. I might have a curry tomorrow night instead.
Monday 29 June 2015
The Capital
I realised this morning that the owner of the hostel isn't rude but just Laotian. To us they appear rude but I think that's how everyone acts. The hostel did free breakfast (big bonus) so after a nice plate of eggs and bread (and tomato ketchup!) we set out to hire some nice bikes we'd noticed down the road. Matt found the biggest one we'd seen so far (tall people problems) and, whilst I was choosing another, the guy renting them to us brought out a snazzy orange for me. Obviously I suit orange vehicles (is a bike a vehicle?) and I thought of it as the twingo on two wheels.
Matt had mentioned yesterday how our tans were fading due to the lack of sun we'd been having. It was like the weather had been listening to us and so the sun shone all day. This meant it was very hot and if we got off our bikes for more than a minute the seat became burning hot. The cycling did manage to keep us a little cooler though.
Our first stop was a statue. I haven't a clue what the statue was called but it looked out onto the Mekong river. We took a picture and cycled barely 20 metres to see the presidential palace. We couldn't go in as all the gates are shut but I was impressed with what the president gets to live in.
We cycled on further, trying to find our next location but ended up stopping at a supermarket to look round. The big ones aren't very common so when we see one we get a little too excited and go in, even if we don't need anything. I bought some shower gel (lavender and rosemary so I may smell like a grandma) and we got some snacks for emergencies. Plum biscuits and cranberry cheese biscuits. I'm excited to try them!
Turning back a little we managed to find the place we were looking for: the COPE visitor centre. I can't remember exactly what COPE stands for but its a charity that deals with prosthetics. A huge amount of people in Laos have lost limbs due to bombs that failed to detonate when dropped during the Vietnamese war and so have exploded years later when touched. I don't understand why the Americans came all the way over to Laos to attack when their fight was with Vietnam though. Many innocent people died from the bombs that did explode. But the charity makes prosthetics for the people of Laos that have lost a limb and if a person cannot afford to pay for the prosthetic then they are given it for free. It's a brilliant idea. The visitor centre had pictures and explanations about exactly what the charity does and how they make the prosthetics to fit each individual perfectly. There was also a little cafe where we got ice creams. I chose a scoop of snickers ice cream which was really good but super sickly.
Back on the bikes we found a big mall which had a market underneath it. The mall was quite tacky, like the dodgy part of the metro centre, but the market was full of everything you could think of. We found some lunch in a little restaurant on the edge of the mall and I chose a pork and rice dish. The amount of pork was pitiful and unfortunately the first mouthful of food I ate included a very hot chilli. My mouth felt like it was burning and for a few minutes I didn't want to eat anymore. I then picked out all of the chillies (Matt ate them) and finished the plate but my tongue was still burning. There was also a lot of black pepper in the sauce so I wasn't impressed with the meal.
From the mall you can look up the street and see the Vientiane version of the Arc de Triomphe. There was a nice fountain beside it which seemed to be the place for tourists to get their picture taken. Obviously we posed too. At one end of the street was this Arc de Triomphe thing and at the other was the presidential palace. Next to the palace was Wat Sisaken, the oldest temple in Vientiane. It was quite nice and grand with a little covered walkway surrounding it. On the walls of the temple and walkway were little alcoves for mini statues or monuments. I'm not sure what they were meant to symbolise but I thought they looked striking as a whole.
Back nearer our hostel was a fountain with some restaurants and bakeries surrounding it. We'd read about the Scandinavian bakery so we went to try it out. I got a piece of dark and white chocolate cake and a homemade lemonade. The lemonade was really good but I was disappointed with the cake. It was far too sickly, the sponge was too dry and the white chocolate part tasted more like condensed milk than anything else. I can easily make something better. The fountain started to light up as we were leaving so we walked round it before going to take our bikes back. The Twingo's little sister had been good to me but cycling in a city isn't very fun. Too much traffic.
By the river there was a night market which we had a quick walk through. I don't know whether it was because it was a Sunday or what but it was really lively! The city had been quite quiet all day (quiet for a city) but everyone seemed to show up for the market. It was full of clothes and accessories but no food which disappointed me slightly. Market food tends to be some of the best. Just off the market though was a little pop up restaurant that we found. It was serving barbecued meats which we were craving. I chose grilled duck and Matt chose grilled pork and sausage. His sausage was really good, like the nice sainsbury's taste the difference chorizo sausages. My duck was chewy (I think it was the cheap off-cuts of the duck) but was in a nice salty marinade so I happily ate all of it. I've said it before and I'll say it again, meat tastes better when it's barbecued.
When I was about half way through my meal it decided to rain very heavily. We were under a cover but the rain got us from the sides. We had to move our table and put our waterproofs on but I ended up just eating whilst I was getting dripped on. Big downpours bother me less these days. Probably after Hong Kong. Because of the rain, the night market decided to close and everyone went home which was a real shame. It seemed a little odd to me though as it rains most days during rainy season so surely the stalls would be used to a downpour.
Sunday 28 June 2015
Tham Kong Lo
I chose not to shower this morning as there were lizards in the bathroom. You can call me disgusting but I'm past caring about hygiene now. The nice lady made us breakfast pancakes with fruit which were pretty good but I would have added some syrup or jam as I like pancakes to be sweet. We waited for a bus to the caves (another communal tuk tuk) and jumped on as it passed the guesthouse. It was pretty full with people of all ages and masses of food that was dropped off at various places along the way. One little boy decided to throw up over the side which wasn't the nicest but I felt sorry for him if anything. I looked away and checked out the amazing views instead. We were dropped off at the cave (it took around an hour) and so went straight with a man to his boat once we had been kitted out with life jackets and head torches (I brought my own head torch, first use). Some strange creature was on my life jacket when I put it on so I got a very painful sting to the back. It made me go a bit wobbly. However, I manned up and got in the boat. A girl joined our boat which we later realised was her ride home as the cave runs all the way through to near another village. Pretty cool journey home.
The cave was amazing. Pitch black so torches were needed but near the beginning was a section that we could walk on (it was the only part of the cave that was lit) and get up close to the stalactites and stalagmites (whichever is which). It was incredible. The cave at this point was as high as a cathedral. Back on the water we sailed on through in our long boat, the driver steering impressively around small shores and huge rocks. Many times we were dripped on from above but that just made it more exciting. After a while we noticed light and the exit to the cave. We had to hop out of the boat and then help pull it up a bit of rock as the water wasn't too deep at this point. This meant stepping shin deep in the water to pull. We were both wearing trainers. They now smell even more. It was all part of the adventure though. As we zoomed out of the cave the heavens decided to open and pour down which was a shame as the views were amazing, I just couldn't see them so well as my eyes were blinded with rain drops. After a minute or so we stopped off and got out of the boat to rest at the half way point. This was where the girl got off and hitched a ride home on the back of someone's bike. She didn't speak any English but she'd been nice. I took my life jacket off to try and dry out a bit before putting it back on to get back in the boat. I managed to get stung again, this time on my arm. It was really painful which meant tears joined the rain that was still dripping down my face. I caught a glimpse of the nasty creature and I swear it looked like a scorpion. If I'm not alive tomorrow you'll know why.
Back in the cave we sailed straight through, passing over the occasional tiny rapid which the driver seemed to love. He'd call out little 'oohs' and 'ees' like he was having the time of his life. I liked him.
We returned to the entrance of the cave and realised we weren't sure how we were getting back. A man with amazing English let us ride in his lovely big car with leather seats and a CD player to the bus stop in the village. The payment for this short journey was a kiss but we weren't sure which of us he wanted it from so no kiss was given. At the bus stop the tuk tuk we had got to the cave was actually waiting for us so they could return to Nahin, the village we were staying in. It was all very lucky.
We decided to visit the guy who taught Matt to ride a bike and buy some lunch from him. We both chose a green curry but I had chicken in mine. I'm eating chicken! It was really good, full of moist chicken with potatoes and some green cubed vegetable with beans and other things. It wasn't very spicy but had a lovely flavour finished off nicely with a touch of coconut. Unfortunately, I had far too much with a huge plate of rice so couldn't finish it but that just cheered Matt up. His eyes light up when I announce I'm too full to finish something. I hate leaving food so he helps me out too.
Back at the guesthouse we waited for around an hour for a bus to drive past. We wanted to get to Vientiane, the capital, and had to call the bus down so it would stop for us. It did and all was good. I slept for most of the journey and woke up at about half past midnight to find we'd made it. Matt had apparently been talking to some guy with good English who wanted to go into the centre so we shared a tuk tuk with him making it cheaper. The guy got off first and then we had to find a hostel as we hadn't booked. We knew we wouldn't get there till the middle of the night so thought it best to find somewhere that was open. After around 15 minutes we found a hostel with a grumpy man who let us take two beds in a dorm. I dumped my stuff at the end of my bed and went straight to sleep, not thinking whether there could be bed bugs...
Saturday 27 June 2015
An unexpected paradise
Even though we didn't get to sleep till 3am I still woke up early. I got up and went to the hotel we were meant to stay at to see if we could get our money back, after all, it wasn't our fault that the bus was late. The hotel staff didn't speak a word of English. I got onto their wifi and tried using google translate. Not a great tool. In the end they managed to get someone on the phone that spoke English and they explained to me that they don't take online bookings (we booked online) so they couldn't do anything about it.
Once we were all packed up we set out to find some breakfast and a bus to Tham Kong Lo, a huge cave we wanted to visit. We found breakfast (eggs and bread) and then just got a tuk tuk to the bus station. Unfortunately, there wasn't a direct bus to the cave so we got a ticket for Vieng Kham (half way there). Our bus wasn't till 2 so we wondered round the little market at the bus station and got some noodle soup for lunch. I haven't wanted noodle soup for a while as we had too much of it at one point. But this was pretty nice. The problem is, the soup tastes nice and all the stuff in it but the noodles don't seem to soak up the flavour from the soup so you're left with these flavourless noodles. Maybe a thicker soup would help.
The bus took about 2 hours (we weren't entirely sure where we were going at this point as the guy that sold us our tickets wasn't very clear) and when we got off a lady asked where we were going. We told her Kong Lor (the village next to the cave) so she took us to get on a tuk tuk with her. The tuk tuks in Laos are different to Cambodia. They're a little truck with a metal frame and cover over the back. Around 10 people can sit comfortably in them. They're like minibuses for the Laotians. Quite a few people were on our tuk tuk so we stopped off at a few places on the way. I only realised that two live chickens had been on with us when a boy and his father got off (this was almost an hour into the journey). Also, I think because I wasn't expecting it, I was awestruck by the views. Massive rocks (mountains) were completely covered with these dark green trees and then rice fields lay beneath, panning out for miles. We climbed up a mountain in the tuk tuk and I was even more taken with the view. This truly was one of the most beautiful places I have been. I can see why people rave about Laos.
After an hour or so the helpful lady who brought us to the tuk tuk told us we needed to get off however, it was too late to get a bus to the cave (it was half 5 at this point). We'd planned on staying at the village next to the cave but the nice lady offered us a room in her guest house. Her English was decent and she'd been so kind we were happy to accept. It was super cheap too.
The lady (don't know her name) offered to make us barbecue chicken which we accepted but went for a wonder into the village first. We realised the village was called Nahin and was a popular stop for people before going to the cave. We only saw one group of westerners though. The village was sweet with some shops and restaurants and karaoke bars. Of course, it was surrounded by mountains which made it idyllic and the cows that were roaming the streets (there were a lot of them) made it feel like the countryside. We also saw one cow steal some biscuits from a stall which amused us greatly.
We wanted to inquire about bikes to see how much they were (in case we need them tomorrow) and if we could learn to ride them. A nice guy that spoke a little English taught Matt and let him ride around for 20 minutes. By the time it was my turn it was getting dark so I thought it safe to hold off. It's the easiest way to get anywhere in South East Asia though so I'd like to learn.
Back at the lady's guesthouse (it was a kilometre out of the village) we sat down and drank some Laos beer which was a little too fizzy for my liking. We waited on our barbecue chicken, expecting it on sticks or something with a nice marinade. No. We got chicken and chips. They were homemade chips but not the best and the chicken, although tasted alright, was dry and tough. We also got given some sticky rice, a Laotian delicacy, which was served in a cool wicker basket, probably the best part of the meal. We were disappointed to say the least. The 'restauant' of the guesthouse looked more like a village hall with tables moved to the sides, chairs on top (apart from our table). The sound system was impressive with huge speakers and I noticed some spot lights on the ceiling. Maybe it holds discos on certain nights. Tonight it was empty. The lady also charged us a ridiculous amount for the food (50,000 kip each which is about £4) compared to normal prices in Laos. However, the day ended positively as we'd discovered somewhere beautiful, partially by accident.
Thursday 25 June 2015
The journey to Thakhek
Just a quick blog to say today was spent on a bus. We wanted to get to Thakhek, originally to complete 'The Loop', a three day motorbike trip, but realised after we booked the bus that it's going to rain and storm for the next three days meaning the roads will be impossible. Instead we're going to try and see a big cave.
First, we got in a long boat with a sweet old man who spoke no English and zoomed along to the mainland. I'm starting to like these boats. We then got on a bus for a couple of hours before getting another bus. This bus was meant to reach Thakhek at half 9 at night (we set off from Don Khone at 11am) but we didn't get there till 2am as the bus kept stopping for some reason. I think the engine was having problems. We bought some weird snacks (bread and things that looked like yum yums but were hard and some cherry flavoured jelly sandwiches) and survived the journey. When in Thakhek we got a tuk tuk to our hotel only to find it was locked up and we couldn't get in. The tuk tuk driver tried to rip us off and get more money so I left Matt to deal with that whilst I tried to find somewhere to sleep. A hotel a couple of doors down was open so I woke the receptionists and got us a room for a fiver each (they spoke no English so it was an achievement). Unfortunately, we'd already paid a fiver for the original room but not everything goes the way you plan.
Wednesday 24 June 2015
Island waterfalls in the rain
A relaxed breakfast at a restaurant 30 yards down the road was a lovely way to start the day. We hired bicycles from the restaurant and set off around the island of Don Khone. The roads here aren't exactly roads but more like mud tracks which are fine when it isn't rainy season. The puddles and thick mud made cycling that little bit more tricky but also quite fun.
We stopped after barely 5 minutes to read some information about a railway that was placed on this island by the French who were trying to make their way down the whole of the Mekong river. Si Phan Don (or 4000 islands) is a collection of islands in an area on the Mekong river but there are many waterfalls around meaning the French had big problems. The railway doesn't exist anymore and some of the tracks have been used for fences and bridges but there is now a road (barely a road) where the railway once was.
Back on the bikes we cycled round to the north west of the island to see a waterfall. We had to pay a couple of quid to cross a very small bridge over to the area where the waterfall is. Beautiful bamboos were curving either side of the path to create some kind of archway all the way along to the waterfall. We also appeared to be the first people to see the waterfall that morning (apart from some locals) so it was lovely and quiet. The fall itself was amazing. Not tall but many different sections and it flowed ridiculously quickly. I wouldn't like to have fallen in. Our guide book had said turquoise waters though and this was most definitely brown. Still worth the visit.
Towards the bottom of the fall there was a restaurant which had many little bungalows with open sides and thatched roofs, kitted out with hammocks and pillows. After a short game of volleyball on the beach area (we used a beach football so it hurt everytime I tried to hit it) we got a smoothie and sat and enjoyed the surroundings.
We hit the road again and met up with the track that used to be the railway line. It went on for a while but was surrounded by trees and was very quiet. At the end of the road was a view point to look out on the Mekong and other islands. As it was lunchtime we stopped at a restaurant just by the view point and had some food. I had noodles with peanuts and bean sprouts. It had so much flavour! Laotian good is definitely better than Cambodian or Vietnamese. However, we also got some spring rolls which were pretty awful. Both of us tried forcing them down as we'd paid for them but neither of us could finish them. They were deep fried and were filled with cabbage and carrot but they didn't taste like cabbage or carrot. It started raining ridiculously heavily whilst we were still eating so we ended up playing cards for a good hour.
It was still raining slightly when we decided to leave so the waterproofs came out and we donned the turtle look with our bags on beneath our coats. We wanted to head towards the east of the island so took a turn and ended up on a very narrow path, sodden with water and mud. We continued on this path for a good kilometre, ducking beneath trees and slowly manoeuvring over dodgy wooden bridges. Of course we reached a dead end and had to turn all the way back. It was fun to start with but its always annoying when you realise you've gone the wrong way. Back on the railway track we headed back into the village, soaked through and a little sick of the rain. We were both also covered in mud and our trainers were pretty ruined.
Setting off from the village to reach the east of the island was more sensible but still not the easiest in the rain. We cycled along a small path that lay between rice fields before turning past houses, waving to the children as we went. Finally, we reached another waterfall which had an amazing rope bridge. The bridge didn't feel the safest so I went halfway and turned back. There were other bridges made of bamboo sticks or pieces of wood that took us nearer to the top of the waterfall which again didn't feel safe. Quite fun though.
Back in the village we washed off our muddy legs and attempted to clean our trainers before giving the bikes back and going for tea. Of course it started pouring it down then so we stayed close to our hostel and watched some Buffaloes walk past in the rain. I chose to eat fried rice curry with coconut milk and pork. I thought this would be rice and then a curry but it was the same as last night. I was disappointed. It tasted nice but I like a variety. Tomorrow I'll find something new to try.
Tuesday 23 June 2015
Welcome to Laos
We were ready at 6am this morning for a minibus to pick us up and take us to the 4000 islands in the south of Laos. I wasn't too fussed about leaving Cambodia. Angkor had been amazing but I was ready for a new adventure. Instead of a minibus a tuk tuk turned up and took us to another hostel where a bus would pick us up. It wasn't until gone half 7 that a minibus came for us and a few others. It became clear that everyone was going to different places, some to Laos too, so we couldn't figure out if we were to all change buses at some point. Our hostel told us it would take 7 hours to get to Si Phan Don (4000 islands). It took a hell of a lot longer but I'll get to that part soon.
At just gone 12 we were dropped off where another group of people had been waiting for a few hours. These people had been promised a bus at 10am but another bus didn't arrive until 2pm. We all got on and another hour later we reached the border. Some man told us we were too late to walk through visa control alone so he made us pay $45 for a Laos visa. I swear it should only be like $30. All of us complained but in the end it was either pay it or don't go to Laos. For some reason French and German people got to pay $5 less! We had to sit around for another hour at the border where the amount of Mosquitos was ridiculous. Luckily I had sprayed myself earlier but still managed to get bitten on my eye lid which meant my eye swelled up and I looked like an idiot.
When we were finally in Laos (it took over an hour at the border) a minibus took us a short distance before the driver told us it was too late to get the usual boat across so we had to pay an extra 30,000 kip (around £2.30) for a private boat. Our bus ticket didn't say it included a boat but everyone else's did so they were pretty angry. The bus company is going to get a lot of complaints. We drove another minute or so to a boat and we all precariously got on. You see these boats on documentary programmes about the Amazon and the Mekong river. This was the Mekong river actually. They're long boats with a motor stuck on the back. Not the easiest thing to climb on with a big rucksack but an interesting experience and the view was pretty amazing; the place is called 4000 islands for a reason. The islands are little green fluffy things.
We'd made it to Don Det, the most popular island to stay on. Of course we'd decided the day before that we wanted to stay somewhere different so had the problem of trying to get to another island and at this point it was getting dark. A man offered to take us across on his boat (another of the same boats) for 30,000 kip. We had no choice really as we'd already booked somewhere to stay. Today has taught us that we should sometimes just turn up to a place and then find somewhere to sleep. Don Det had loads of places and it was quite pretty. But one dark boat ride later and a short walk down a muddy road we found our hostel. It was a little creepy looking from the outside and we're probably the only ones staying here but the rooms are clean and nice (no wifi though).
It was around half 7 at this point so we walked down the road to a restaurant and had some tea. We were pretty hungry as all we'd eaten today were numerous jam sandwiches (we're a little sick of them now). I chose curry flavoured fried rice which was really tasty and had loads of flavour, something that most Asian cuisine seems to lack. Laotian food is looking promising.
Monday 22 June 2015
Angkor: Phase 3 (kor blimey)
Sunrise at Angkor Wat is meant to be amazing although very crowded so it felt like a necessary thing to do.
We woke up and were ready at half 4 in the morning for Wan to take us. We had to wait around for him for quarter of an hour or so but then we were on our way! There were a hell of a lot of people heading to the temples for sunrise. It's cooler at that time of day and obviously the views should be pretty spectacular. Quite a large swarm of people were heading into Angkor Wat so we were a little worried but when we got in everyone was congregating around the mini lake that stands to the left of Angkor Wat. The outline of the temple was amazing. Even the gate that we walked through to get to this mini lake was impressive in the way that it was still all intact. The reflection of Angkor Wat in the water added to the image so it was understandable why everyone was stood in one place. There was still a calmness though, the crowd seemed to be too focussed on the view in front of them and how good a picture they could get. The sky got lighter but no sun was visible as it was overcast. When it was clear that we wouldn't see the sun we decided to walk around the temple. Not many people joined us so the silence inside added to the atmosphere. It's so big that we didn't bump into many others. I do think that it's maybe too perfect. Of course it's one of the wonders of the world and I can see why but I prefer the temples that have more wildness about them. It's incredible how intact Angkor Wat is considering it's about a thousand years old. I'd recommend that anyone should see it. In fact, I'd recommend to anyone to take a holiday here and explore all of the temples. People of all ages will appreciate the beauty.
We stayed in Angkor Wat for around two hours before heading on to Ta Phrom, a popular tourist temple. So in my blog yesterday I was apparently chatting a load of shit about Beng Melea being the Tombraider temple. The guide book assures us that it was Ta Phrom. It did have this wildness that I keep talking about. Many trees grew out of the ruins but it didn't have the same affect on me as Beng Melea did yesterday. The problem is, temples that would be amazing anywhere else in the world just don't seem that impressive in Angkor when compared to the greats like Angkor Wat and Bayon. It's a shame really. Some of them don't get appreciated in the right way.
There had been a misunderstanding when it came to breakfast (we brought bread and jam with us again) so we ended up having two. Matt already feels like a hobbit and we haven't even got to New Zealand yet (he also ate two dinners this evening). Wan took us to this stall that sells rice soup for 50 cent. Why on earth we'd been paying $5 for lunch rather than 50 cent for some really nice food was beyond me. The rice was a mixture between arborio and basmati but it had a lovely flavour with some kind of leaf in that added nicely to it. There was also meat in it. Matt thought it was chicken but I felt it was a little too chewy for chicken so was more likely to be pork (I also hope it wasn't chicken as that's a food to avoid). Rice soup is really good though. I've started to compile a list of all the different foods I want to make when I return home so rice soup will be added to it. I miss cooking.
Originally we were meant to finish there as the hostel were trying to charge us loads more to go a little bit further and I was having none of it. However, Wan is a sweetie (definitely think he doesn't like me though as he refers to me as 'you' and rarely talks to me but chats to Matt loads) and so took us to a couple more places. The first (I can't remember the name) he walked around with us, telling the story of how the temple came to be built. A king had a cucumber farm (Wan pronounced cucumber like the Spanish sometimes pronounce their c's) and was worried people would try to steal his cucumbers so hired a guard to protect them. One night the king snuck into a cucumber field to eat his own cucumbers but the guard didn't know it was the king so killed him. The guard became king and built this temple on the cucumber field. The temple didn't have many carvings but the stone was a lovely orangey colour which I liked.
The last temple was only small but we felt we had to appreciate it as it was to be our last temple in Angkor. It was really small though so we were done after 10 minutes. We headed back to Siem Reap and returned to the hostel just before 11. I had a sleep for an hour or so and then met Matt round the corner at a cafe for a drink. We strolled into town, picking up some more suncream (we thought a bottle each would be better) and bug spray! We wanted at least 50% deet but they went from 15 to 95 so we're a little afraid there might be too much deet. Being bitten is the worst though. Especially for someone like me who has no self control and itches them all the time.
We stopped for lunch (I had pork and aubergine with spicy peas which weren't spicy but weirdly crunchy so I let Matt eat them; the rest of it was very tasty) and then stopped at a cafe with wifi (the hostel has very bad wifi) so we could book flights. We fly to the Philippines on July 14th for a week.
It was still a little early to eat when we left the cafe so we sat by the river so Matt could look up somewhere nice to eat. I made a friend and chatted to her for around a quarter of an hour. She was about 4 and didn't understand a word of English but I named her Savannah and told her lots of random things that came into my head. I wanted to put her in a nice bath and dress her in something clean and shout at her parents for cutting her hair very badly and give her a toothbrush even though her teeth were already an awful state. She had the most beautiful eyes though and chatted back to me a bit. I think she wanted money or food but she was ever so smiley we it didn't really matter. I know kids always get dirty but this was a different level. I felt clean next to her (I'm really not that clean right now).
For tea we found a nice place that was pretty cheap. I chose sweet and sour ribs but was disappointed with the lack of meat on the ribs and the sauce was a bit too vinegary. As I said earlier, Matt had two plates of food. I don't know where it goes.
Angkor: Phase 2
Beng Melea, a temple around 70 kilometres from Siem Reap, was used as the set for Tombraider. I've never seen it or any of the Lara Croft films but we still wanted to visit it. It took around an hour and a half in the tuk tuk to reach the temple but it was worth it. We'd filled up on bread and jam that we bought at the shop (saving monies) so we were full of energy when we reached our destination. First glimpse was pretty impressive. It was way more wild than Ta Som that we saw yesterday. It's like it had been left to naturally ruin so trees were growing out of most walls, stones were strewn everywhere, making the whole effect all the more special. We started to climb some wooden steps that had been added there so visitors could view the whole temple and of course I made a fool of myself by falling up the stairs. Nicely grazed by shin so had a little sit for a second (I didn't cry) but just as I got up a couple of ladies told a couple to follow them across the ruin, climbing over the loose stones. We followed, me hobbling slightly. We'd somehow managed to get ourselves a private guide who took us inside the temple, meaning we could view everything rather than a small path that's marked out. It was fantastic. We only realised at the end of the tour that we had to pay the guide $5 but she did take Matt's phone and get some incredible pictures of the temple and the both of us (they will be uploaded soon). I can't decide whether I like Beng Melea or Bayon more.
It felt a little quicker on the way back. We stopped at the side of the road to get a stick of bamboo that had rice and black beans in it. I wasn't a huge fan as it didn't taste of much and the bamboo was hard to peel off but it was an interesting way of eating something.
We headed for the Roluos group next which used to be the original Angkor, stopping at a smaller temple first and then moving on to Bakong, the largest in this group. Bakong was quite nice but I preferred the smaller one. By this point we were all pretty hungry (even Wan who hadn't had breakfast) so we ended up back at the same place as yesterday. I had a sandwich with beef in it which cost me $5. The sandwich was a good size and was tasty but I still think it was pricey.
To make the most of the money we'd spent on the tuk tuk for the day, Wan took us back to Angkor Thom (where Bayon is) so we could check out the rest of the site. We slowly walked along the elephant terraces and through a bit of wood to another small temple. I have no idea what this one was called but it had a lovely stone raised walkway leading to it. I had stupidly worn a top which didn't completely cover my shoulders (all my other tops smelt and needed washing) so I had to wear my raincoat. Not often does your raincoat get wet on the inside rather than the outside. So much sweat.
We returned back for about half 3 so I could FaceTime my family and say happy Father's Day to my Papa. Made me realise how much I miss them all. We had a bit of planning to do regarding Laos (our next stop) so we were kept busy until 6 when we headed into town for tea. I chose a Khmer curry which was lovely with a coconut flavour and potato and other vegetables as well as beef. Matt has had quite a few different curries already in Cambodia and assures me they all taste the same but I still liked it.
Back at the hostel I tried to haggle with the hostel people to do our washing for cheaper but they wouldn't so I went round the corner to do it. It isn't my favourite hostel. The showers aren't the nicest and I've been bitten a million times. We've bought more bug spray for extra protection though. Silly Mosquitos.
Sunday 21 June 2015
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