Spring Break 2010 was a trip I hope to never forget. A true South East Asian Adventure, whatever that means (I think it means you back-pack through various South East Asian countries with an “anything goes” attitude.) Shaun Antrim, a good friend from my high-school days, flew into Singapore and embarked on this S.E. Asia Adventure with me, for nearly twelve days! Shaun went to film school at Temple, so we had a lot to talk about as we traipsed through the Jungles of Thailand, Kayaked the Mekong Delta in Laos, and sped through narrow lanes on mopeds in Hanoi/sailed through beautiful Ha Long Bay, in Vietnam. Here are some photos and accounts of what our journey looked like.
THAILAND
THOENG, a district of villages 80kms East of CHIANG RAI, in the North of Thailand.
With good fortune I traveled with Shaun, because he has a friend who’s Uncle is a native of Thailand, and we stayed with the family in a small village in the very North of Thailand with him and his family. Yui and Latetia have a homestay in their Thai-Belgian home. Yui, a native of Thoeng, moved to Chiang Mai and met Latetia, a Belgian-woman who came to work in Thai tourism; they fell in love, got married and moved to Yui’s native-village to raise their family, which now consists of a boy, Kiran, of about six, and a girl, Miley, of about three, and Yui’s roosters, which he raises for cock-fighting. (A big event in these villages in Thailand!) Shaun and I stayed here for three days thanks to Yui and Latetia’s warm hospitality. We got in kind of late after a day of traveling (layover in Bangkok…this was pre-Civil War…) and an hour drive from the Chiang Rai airport.
On our first day, we were woken up at the break of dawn by the village chief, who made his rounds and blared (important?) announcements at (to) the community through loud-speaker. Apparently, this is something that happens about once a month. A young girl sang an anthem, first. The announcements, we were told, had something to do with a visit to (or from?) a dentist.
After breakfast, we got to watch Yui train his roosters in practice for an upcoming cock-fight. A neighbor with his own rooster came over and the two went at it like there’s no tomorrow.
We then went for a bike ride (about 15 km in total) through the nearby villages, Yui as our guide. Our first stop was a whiskey distillery—this little garage-like place where they were making whiskey right in front of our very eyes! They took rice (sticky rice) and packed it into little balls and turned it into yeast (boiled it?) which we drank from the tap (they just kept giving us more and more).
We biked some more until we stopped at a temple—there was an old temple, and a new one. I especially liked the Fanta-shrine.
More biking, and we stopped to see a giant Buddha. (You can never have too many giant Buddhas in Thailand!)
Also here, was what I would call a mausoleum (this giant safe-like door which opens into a chimney; the coffin goes inside and smokes out the body, turning it to ash.)
We kept biking through villages when I noticed a home where people where playing ping-pong! I commented on it, and Yui asked me if I wanted to play. Shaun said, “do you know these people?” Yui: No. But we got out and played ping-pong. (I played with the local men. Shaun sat around a table with Yui and the local women. Shaun took one for the team, here, as the women kept offering him more and more whiskey as I played ping-pong.
We got on our bikes again, some of us a bit tipsy, and rode on through more villages. We stopped at another random home for water, and saw this family’s collection of roosters. We stopped for lunch at a village near the Laos border and then we rode home (first stopping at another random home for Yui to use the toilet).
That night, Yui took us and a couple visiting from Belgian out to dinner for Thai BBQ. (It’s similar to steamboat.) They have raw meats and veggies you cook yourself at the table. (This was similar to something I ate in Cambodia over a year ago, with painful memories of being quite sick after. But you see, when you’re in small villages in Thailand, you do as the locals do, or you don’t eat.)
THOENG DAY 2
Today’s excursion involved us getting in the back of Yui’s pick up truck to drive approximately 80 kms North to near the Laos border (but not where we were yesterday). Yui drove us up a mountain and then we got out to hike the rest of the way, escorted by two local Thai boys, who looked to be about ten and twelve years old. They took us to a lookout point near the top of the mountain, where we could see what is known as the Golden Triangle, or, the point where the borders of Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar (former Burma) meet. We could see the Mekong Delta and Laos villages below.
I would come to see a lot of these huts in the coming days. It was an overcast day, but that only added to the atmosphere, and the two Thai boys were picking up empty beer bottles and smashing them against the rocks.
Once back in the pick up truck, we drove through several more villages and stopped at a waterfall for lunch. We had a hawker-like spread of Thai food: chicken skewers, papaya salad, etc. We then went on a hike—up past the waterfall—through a Jungle-terrain; afterwards, we swam in the falls. We climbed to the top of the waterfalls, and it was like a hot spring—nice shower-pressure—massage like effect.
That night, we went to dinner with Yui’s entire family, and they took us to a prawn farm, where you see what you eat beforehand, and the locals sing their hearts out at karaoke. This was the best meal of the trip! We had a feast of prawns: some grilled, some fried, and fried rice and cucumbers. We rode back in the pickup truck with the two kids in the back with us and it was a nightmare. It’s amazing that we didn’t lose one of the kids on the way home, as they nearly tried to kill each other and throw them over the side of the truck. Here’s hoping it’s a long time now before either Shaun or I have kids to be responsible for.
THOENG DAY 3
Lateitia dropped us off at the bus stop in Thoeng (no, not because we nearly killed their kids the night before, but rather, it was time for us to venture to Laos), where we waited for about forty-five minutes on a street curb for the local bus to take us to the Laos border. There, we were approached by “Tom from Denver,” who I’m pretty sure was a pimp. After chatting us up for awhile (and learning that Shaun in fact is not my boyfriend), he basically offered Shaun an “Asian girl” (this is after telling uss about his recent divorce from his wife in China). “I get you Asian girlfriend,” he says to Shaun as he explains the importance of sleeping around until you meet the right girl. My favorite part about Tom (from Denver) was his solar-power hat, which he got in China.
The bus was about as local as it gets. We were squooshed together in a tiny seat, sitting on our luggage. It cost us about 50 cents to go the hour’s distance to the border. Chiang Kong was the Thai border town. We took a Tuk Tuk to the immigrations checkpoint and took a short journey on a long-boat taxi across the river to Laos immigration.
LAOS
As we waited for Laos immigration officers to feel like calling our names, we drank BeerLao (actually quite good; might be the best beer in South East Asia!) with an Aussie (Luke) and an American (Ben) who we met crossing the border. It’s $40USD to enter Laos, but they wouldn’t take my 20’s because they weren’t crisp enough. (No joke! Luckily, I had a crisp fifty on me.) Originally, we had wanted to get to Luang Prabang by overnight slow-boat, but they weren’t running because of low tide. An exceptionally low tide. We spent some time with the other two guys weighing our options, and ended up renting a mini-bus with two others we met (a couple from Barcelona; Montes and Grisha, who now live in London)—we needed at least six for the mini-bus and that made us six. We had several hours to walk around the border-town—had lunch by the river (a little Laos boy sat at the table with us).
We stopped several times along the way: mostly to pee in a ditch on the side of the road (sucks for the two women in the car); once for food.
Now let me tell you about this drive: it was bumpy, but bumpy doesn’t even begin to describe it! I have never been in a country that was this rural—for most of the twelve hour drive, there were NO ROADS. The road was practically being constructed as we speak—there were giant mounds of dirt-cliffs (looked like we were going to run into them every time we went around the bend, which was often, because this was the most windy road I’d ever been on! The entire way! And there were sometimes giant rocks or boulders in the middle of the road—the only other vehicles on the road seemed to be large trucks. (This was no Merit Parkway!) The villages we passed were few and far between, each made up of several huts, but even less structured than the thatched roofs I’m used to seeing in S.E. Asian villages. This is very very basic.
And everyone walks on the side of the road. We saw many groups of locals walking (no motos or bikes), and in one instance, we saw a group of kids, a whole pack, running in a herd (it turns out, to a local place that has one television.) A TV but no toilets? Also, since there’s no direct way to Luang Prabang, we had to go in a bit of a zig zag route across Laos, and we went almost all the way North to China, then back down, then across.
LUANG PRABANG
DAY 1
We got to Laung Prabang at about 6:30am. We knew we had arrived almost immediately—the difference between this old capital and the rest of Laos is ten-thousand fold! (I say old capital, because it is no longer, now Vientiane is the capital of Laos.) We got into town just in time to see the alms giving to the Monks (all lined up, processing/receiving alms.) We shopped around for a guest-house, and finally found one nearby (for $350 Bat a night; about $12USD).
So the gang that remained, included me, Shaun, Ben, Luke, the “other Aussie” (named Adam), and the Barcelona couple; we all had breakfast. While they went off to sleep, Shaun and I stayed up and found our second wind as we explored Luang Prabang. We walked through town (which is about one main street), down to the Mekong River (and along the way, we saw a really cool photography display about cinema!), crossed a really unique bridge (every step I made, I thought I’d fall to my death—it’s the type of bridge you’d expect to see in an Indiana Jones movie! (we actually had to pay $1USD to cross it…) But it was well worth the venture across, we got a drink at this hut that overlooks the sea.
There was something very peaceful/calming in the air of Laos. We explored some, and found our way to a weaving village, quite different from Luang Prabang the town.
Later that night, we were supposed to meet the boys from the bus, but we didn’t know how to find them, so we explored the night market instead. I taught Shaun the basics of bartering in Asia, but found you can basically offer anything here in Laos, and they take it. (Ah, yes, I think there’s a sad reality in that statement.) So, after giving Shaun a run-down on silk scarves, we had dinner and then ran into the boys at a food/drink stall near our place. Shaun retired, and I stayed out with the boys, and ended up at the last place I expected to end up in Laos: a bowling alley. Laos has an 11pm curfew, and it turns out, the one place that stays open after hours is Luang Prabang’s one and only bowling alley.
LUANG PRABANG DAY 2
After sleeping for the first time in (literally) days, we got (what I consider to be) an early start to go Elephant Trekking. Shaun, who opposed to the idea of riding an elephant, only agreed because in the description it read, “afterwards, spend time with your elephants.” There was one other pair who went with us, a married Irish couple, which was fitting, because it just so happened to be Saint Patrick’s Day.
We were picked up around 9am and got driven North an hour (again, towards China) and alighted at a spot on the Mekong River, where we went kayaking. (It turns out, the elephant trek was really a kayaking trek with some elephant.) Fortunately, Shaun has some experience kayaking; my only experience kayaking was getting stuck in marshes in Hilton Head as a kid. We kayaked for about two hours, stopped at a nice vista, kayaked some more, and then went to the place where we ride elephants.
Now I see why Shaun was opposed to the elephants: It was a pretty sad excursion, also quite terrifying. The elephants didn’t seem so happy (neither did Shaun), I rode on the neck of the elephant (Shaun sat in the basket on its back). For me, this was extra scary, because I (not in a basket) really had to hang on tight with my thighs; especially when the elephant bent its head (or went downhill). And it was highly uncomfortable, and the elephants ears kept whacking me. It’s neat that I rode on an elephant in the Jungles of Laos (not a sentence many people can accurately utter), but I don’t think I’d do it again, nor would I recommend it. Afterwards, we had lunch, and no, we did not get to spend time with our elephants. Our guide, Pang, was very attractive, and he told me about Laos’ Independence in 1975, and that the Laos people were happy with the current government (that’s not something you hear very often from any country…). Next, we kayaked across the river to the Buddha Relics Cave; there’s an upper and lower cave, each a shrine to Buddha.
More kayaking and we stopped to see locals digging for gold in the river. After we “docked”, we took another drive back to Luang Prabang and Shaun and I had dinner in town. Afterwards, we met the gang at a place across from our guesthouse, where we played UNO. We then found a St. Paddy’s Day party (the only party in town) right as it was ending.
LUANG PRABANG DAY 3
I knocked on Ben’s door in the morning and we had breakfast and rented a moped for the day. (I had wanted to rent or drive a moped through the Laos countryside.) We were able to rent the moped for $12USD for the day and planned to drive to the caves (which Ben had not seen…I had the day before, should’ve warned him it wasn’t worth it) and the waterfalls (which Ben had seen the day before, but I had not.) This moped journey made me realize how small and contrived Luang Prabang the town is (it’s really just an excuse for a backpacker’s hangout), cause we crossed this little bridge and it’s as if we’re in a whole ‘nother world.) We drove through mostly dirt roads (me on the back of the bike, I did not drive.) We got to a small village and parked; walked around a bit, saw a wedding celebration (what revelry!) and then crossed the river in a long-boat to see the Buddha Relic Cave (even less exhilarating the second time!) The ride to the waterfalls was much more thrilling: more paved, windy, country roads; we saw Lao people in their daily routines; bathing on the side of the road; working in the fields; bike riding; carrying goods from the village, etc etc. Once at the waterfall, Ben got into a dispute with what seemed to be the equivalent of a “meter maid” over where to park the moped. Apparently, next to the sign “moto parking” was not the correct spot. The waterfalls were slightly more impressive than in Thailand, but I had to keep reminding myself that I was not in a Disney-like theme park, and I was actually in the jungles of Laos. For some reason, it felt like a theme park, (mostly because of the ramps and footbridges they built so pedestrians can see the waterfall) so I didn’t feel as awed, until I realized, no, this is what the jungle actually is! They just added walk-ways. Here, also, I saw an Asian black bear. No joke. We rode back after a sandwich at the waterfalls, just in time for sundown.
Ben is what my thesis advisor, Mark, would call a “writable character.” He’s 29, and since graduation, has spent the last five or so years traveling from place to place, teaching English. Two years in Bangkok, before that Korea, before that Mexico. His one passion: swing dancing. Surprisingly, he has never traveled alone before this trip to Laos. (Always with friends.) He knows what he’s doing on a motobike (he drives one in Bangkok), and he has good instincts. He picks up languages well (knows English, Spanish, Korean, and rudimentary Thai); he wants to stay two more years in Thailand so he’s fluent, and then move to Istanbul for approximately two more, and then, perhaps back to the US (he’s a West-coaster).
LAOS: SHOULD WE STAY OR SHOULD WE GO NOW?
The next day, Shaun and I woke up and had a fast decision to make. Do we break our original plans to travel to Vietnam and continue on with the gang to go to Vien Vien, another place in Laos? Or do we go on to see the likes of Hanoi and Ha Long Bay?
Vien Vien is a backpacker’s hangout where you go drifting down the river on inner tubes and go bar hopping along the river. After flipping a coin seven times in Laos’ favor, we still decided to go on to Vietnam to start Act III of our S.E. Asian adventure. (Yes, we literally rationalized the decision as if we were the protagonists in our own screenplays: only two film students with concentrations in writing would actually do this.) And let me tell you, we made the right choice! (And from other people I’ve spoken to, Vien Vien is not all it’s cracked up to be! It sounds no better than being sober at a Frat party.)
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