On the Road~ One Month

I find it hard to believe a month has gone past.  One third of our trip.  Of course if I think in terms of five flights, six different hotels, three countries...it begins to make sense.  Some of the high lights of the trip include meeting up with Luci and Mark, first in Bangkok and then in Chiang Mai.  One day we Vibered one another while we were in Chiang Mai and they were in Luang Prabang.  We were all in our respective beds, wearing all our warmest clothes and down jackets, trying to stay warm.  We laughed and laughed at the absurdity of being so cold in Asia.  Who knew there would be an Arctic Blast!  Walking down a Soi and running into my sisters' goddaughter!  Laying in bed sipping a vodka and lime writing my last blog from Luang Prabang when at ten p.m. the phone on the desk rings and actually startles us.  It was Ivan, our host at the hotel, inviting me and Ron out for drinks at a bar down the street.  Turns out he and his wife and visiting French friends were going to meet up with a friend of theirs in town named Khun Root, who owns the most beautiful hotel in Chiang Mai, where we have stayed twice before.  I got out of bed, put on my newly purchased dress, and walked down to the small French bar and joined them.  And it was wonderful to be remembered by Khun Root!  Having the girls at our resort in Siam Reap make us Mojito's each evening and each night they made them stronger and stronger!  Giggles and smiles on their faces.  Walking amongst the ruins in Angkor and passing a young man sitting in a crude wooden shack along the dusty walk.  He was playing an instrument kind of like a xylophone called a "kum" with a little girl of perhaps six or seven with finger cymbles accompaning him.  It was such a haunting melody, I had to sit down on a log bench and listen with tears streaming down my face.   He only had one leg.   Talking to my sister via FaceTime walking around the restored colonial French villa we were staying at, and the young waitress coming up and looking at my iPad screen and having such a look of wonder as she said "you are talking to yourself"! And even more laughter when I said "sister" and she said "twin"!   The childlike innocenence of some of the young people is such a treasure to behold.  Especially when you consider it has not been that long since the Cambodians suffered horribly at the hands of Pol Pot and the customs, dance, art and ancestry was almost wiped out.  I love riding in the back of the tuktuks, wind in my hair, dust in my eyes.  I love the offerings placed everyday with devotion and prayer.  I love eating!  The food is so delicious and incredibly nuanced with flavors, spices and herbs.  And on that note it is time to shower, get dressed, spray on mosquito repellant and take the tuktuk to town...

Angkor Temples

Angkor Temples

Around Siem Reap

Siem Reap, Cambodia

Ron and I flew two hours on a Vietnamese Airlines turboprop to this town we had last visited in 1997.  We arrived during the rush hour which means hundreds, if not thousands, of motorcycles and tuktuks and cars all sharing the road which have no lanes, just an understanding of who careens around the other and who has right of way.   The air was smoggy and smelled of fires and exhaust.  I was shocked at the enormous changes.  Large ugly hotels lined the road from the airport, which was under construction last time we arrived, by boat.  We were picked up at the airport in a vintage Land Rover and arrived at our hotel, The Angkor Village Hotel, in style.   We were immediately delighted by the beauty and respite from the outside chaos.  Even the air was perfumed which truefully I could have done without.  But the grounds were lovely and intensely tropical with hanging plants like long tendrils hanging from the second story balconies.  Our room had a view over the lotus ponds and we felt fortunate to stay in such a wonderful sanctuary.  Breakfast was huge.  The homemade yogurt in tiny glass bottles and fruit salad was my favorite.  Didn't stop there, had to have perfectly made French omelets and croissant as well.  Fresh juices and jams.   Here, everything is priced in dollars.  I have yet to exchange any money to local Riel.  Funny to see everyone handing over American money.   A large cold draft Cambodian beer cost $1 but a can of soda water cost $1.50... Go figure.  Needless to say we have had our fair share of beer.   At first I was dismayed at the dirt and dust and grime everywhere.  And quickly learned not to venture out at rush hour.  But we slowly got our bearings and walked everywhere and found great small restaurants and local Xpat hang outs.  The Cambodians are very sweet natured and sadly have yet to fully recover from the horrors of Pol Pot.  Most speak a little English but can confuse you to think they know more.  We did meet one interesting man who ran a busy guest house and restaurant.  He spoke great English, had studied in Germany, and was very helpful.   He answered my array of questions and also arranged for a tuktuk driver to take us out to the Angkor Temple complex the next day.  Siem Reap is the gateway to the temples that were built in the early 12th century.  There are ruins spread over more than 400 km, consisting of many sites of ancient terraces, pools, moated cities, palaces, and temples.  The most famous is Angkor Wat.  Even with the number of tourist now, the ruins remain a wonderfully amazing site.  We went out for two days.  And two days of breathing red dust, and climbing steep stairs, and wandering from one site to another is tiring, especially in the heat.  Our driver was nice, and he offered us an individually wrapped cold wet wipe from his cooler each time we returned to the tuktuk.  Other days we just wandered around the town, laid around our pool, and went out for meals.  The week went past easily.   As I packed my rolling duffle, I laughed when the zipper was harder to close.  I now have collected three more pairs of pants, a new skirt, a top, and a dress.  Oh, and four new scarves.  

Lotus Flower Folding Lesson

Breakfast and Happy Hour

Luang Prabang

Around town...

Luang Prabang, Laos

We have been here staying at our old favorite hotel, The Apsara, for a week.  The hotel is located along the Nam Khan river which winds past the town and connects with the larger Mekong River.  The historic area of town is a peninsula, only four streets wide and many streets long.  There is a heavy French history here, mixing old wooden shop houses with graceful French villas.   The Apsara, which is the Khmer word for dancing girl or heavenly nymph, was originally a warehouse for rice.  It retains its original plank wood flooring and lattice transoms.  Of course the romantic aspect of the design often plays havoc with modern comforts.  Our floors creak insistently and the walls are paper thin, affording you perhaps a tad too much familiarity with your neighbors!   The town has changed considerably since our first visit in 2000.   With the World Heritage designation tourism has bloomed, and this sleepy town awakened.   There used to be mostly bicycles cruising along the narrow streets, and now everyone has a motorcycle.  There are still bicycles but mostly with tourist.  So many old buildings are now guest houses and restaurants, the old families having moved out of town.  Even so, it is an ancient town and there are 32 old wooden and stucco temples on almost every street.  Every morning the "Tak Bat" ritual procession takes place.  The Tak Bat is a profound expression of generosity, and is done with a sense of beauty and affection, piety and deep commitment.  The lay people prepare offerings of cooked rice early each morning and wait for the monks to circumambulate the streets before the sun rises.  They sit or kneel on mats, in silence, waiting for the monks to approach, their heads and feet bare in humility.  They place small amounts of rice in each of the monks alms bowls, without making eye contact.  They practice this generous act with joy knowing that it will benefit them, their living or departed relatives and all beings.  I have seen this precious silent procession begin to turn into a tourist attraction and it is difficult to tolerate.  So many people with cameras and disrespectful talking.  But the locals peaceful silence and smiles, and the monks walking barefooted and serene throughout the town, is an example of tolerance for all of us here.   Somehow the beauty wins out.  

Ron and I have walked every day through the small streets, across bamboo bridges, bicycled the dirt roads just outside of town, watched the sun set behind the mountains along the Mekong, smiled at all the gentle kind people who greet you with palms together and soft "Sabaidee" and caught a picture of their lives here.  It is amazingly peaceful.  And yet it is Asia!  There is the other side of tranquil... Loud music, motorcycles, exhaust and sewer smells, cigarettes, holes in the sidewalk, uneven steps that could really do some damage if you are not watching carefully.  But this town is so small it all seems to be easy.  I will miss the sounds of the 4 am gongs from the temples calling the monks to prayer.  I will miss the golden light an hour before sunset when we are walking through the town and it is quiet, and the evening chanting of the monks.   I will miss the many cafes along both rivers!  The delicious heritage of french coffee and baguette, and the smells of garlic and lemongrass.   The food has been wonderful, starting with the lovely breakfast we receive each morning at our hotel.  Homemade jams of pineapple, papaya, and tomato!  Noodle soup!  Fresh bread!   Impossible to resist the pastries and croissant.   My friend told me my blog was more about food than culture, but I insist that food is culture!  And I am happily immersed in both.

Today was our last full day here.  We leave tomorrow in the afternoon.  We walked as far as we could trying to see everything one more time, starting at 6 a.m. with the monk's procession and ending tonight after our last sunset over the Mekong, and our last dinner in the small cafe we frequent above the river.   The game was even more fun because we only had 150,000 Kip left.  That is about $18.  We didn't want to have to change anymore dollars as we leave soon.  Since breakfast is included with our room, we went all day only spending 5 Kip on a large bottle of water.  The wonderful owner of the Apsara invited us for an afternoon drink and a last conversation before his 5 pm tennis game.  So civilized!  We went to dinner and ordered a large bottle of Laos Beer, fish cooked in banana leaf, glass noodles cooked with tofu and veggies, and a mixed mushroom and vegetable stir fry with rice.  It was a busy night with a large group of German tourist and after we had eaten our fish and noodles, never having received our mushrooms and vegetables, our total bill came to 70,000 Kip, or $8.50!   Sitting in a pretty riverside cafe with hanging paper lanterns, and multinational conversations, and beer!   Not bad!  We still have 75,000 Kip left, which is $9 and that will enable us to treat ourselves to fresh pastries and delicious baguettes to take along to the airport tomorrow.  We may leave here with no Kip left over!  

It is quiet now.  The town goes to bed early.  I have sipped my last vodka and lime while writing this blog.  The duty free bottle still has a couple of strong drinks left in it, but I will leave it behind...  Tomorrow is another flight, another country.   And with a sad but grateful place in my heart for this most charming town, I too must say good bye.

The Apsara Hotel...Cafe, Breakfast, and view from our Room