A Few Days in Paradise

After working our way through the jungles of SE Asia for the last month a few days at the beach were in order. The only beach resort/area is Sihanoukville a few hours south of Phnom Penh. We didn't really know what to expect on arrival, but were pleasantly surprised. I kept having bad thoughts that the beach would be like the ones in Goa, covered in rubbish, but they were very clean and lapped with clear blue water. However, if your looking for a deserted beach to relax on, this one is definitely not it. There is a constant parade of kids and adults selling everything from bracelets to baby lobster. The beach is also lined with thatched beach huts, which gratefully supply all manner of food and drink. We camped at one place that also acted as a rest area for the children selling their bracelets. Setup by a NGO this beach hut supplied materials for the children to paint pictures and generally act as kids for an hour or so. The beach hut was decked out in dozens of pictures all done by local kids and available for sale.
After a couple extra days more then initially planned we got the bus back to Phnom Penh then onto Ho Chi Minh City, Saigon for those of more advanced age.

Year Zero

After the high of visiting the magnificent temples at Angkor we came abruptly crashing back to earth after arriving in Battambang. The enormous rice fields surrounding Battambang were a central point for the Khmer Rouge from 1975-1979. 1975 is now labeled as 'Year Zero', the year everything normal ceased in Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge took over. The Khmer Rouge regime was a result of the fallout from the American withdrawal from Vietnam. Once Siagon fell, the American backed government in Phnom Penh was overrun by Khmer Rouge soldiers. They immediately set about creating a total socialist society, driving all the city dwelling people into the countryside. Many of the people who previously lived in Phnom Penh, ended up being relocated around Battambang. What happened next is genocidal history, the systematic wiping out of all educated and non Khmer people, thus converting the entire country in peasants. In only four years, approximately 2 million people were either executed, tortured then killed, or died from disease and malnutrition.
On recommendation from Matt Springate we procured the services of Mr Tin to give us a grand motorbike tour of the countryside surrounding Battambang. We visited many small villages, which each specialised in some kind of food making. One village produced huge quantities of Cambodia rice noodle, much different from Chinese noodle we were told. Another made pungent fish paste and still another churned out thousands of flat noodles for making spring rolls.
After lunch the mood of the day got considerable more melancholy. As with almost everyone above the age of 30 living in Cambodia, Mr Tin has a horrible past. When the Khmer Rouge came to power his family was living in Phnom Penh, along with everyone else they were driven out of the city in the countryside. Mr Tin's family ended up in Battambang. He told us the complex history of his country and the circumstances of how such a horrific regime could come to power and manage to trick the world into believing they were legitimate. He also told us the tragic history of his family. His father and brothers and sisters all died from malnutrition soon after moving to Battambang. This left just him and his mother. They managed to survive together for a year more before they both fell seriously ill. They went to the local 'hospital' to try and receive treatment. However, due to the mass killing of all educated people, including doctors and nurses, the Khmer Rouge hospitals were staffed with village people who knew next to nothing about medicine. Often the hospitals were more likely to kill you then stepping on a landmine. He stayed in the hospital with his mother trying to get better until a nurse came and told him to give his mother an injection of some medicine. Whatever the medicine was, it killed his mother. Now and orphan, Mr Tin fled the hospital and somehow managed to survive the remaining years of the regime.
He showed us caves that were used as mass graves for tortured victims, still showing blood stains on the walls were the people fell. We visited a Buddhist Monastery that was used as a detention and torture center. The whole time Mr Tin openly talked about his experiences, Leighanne and I could only stand there in silence. How do you respond to someone who is telling you their horrific past.
We have loved Cambodia and especially the people. They have every reason to be angry and bitter about the cards they have been dealt, but with unrestrained happiness they are quick with a smile or a joke. It has endeared them to us forever.

Temples of Angkor

The Temples of Angkor are a wonder. Buried deep within the jungle of Eastern Cambodia is some of humankinds most ambitious religious buildings. There are hundreds of temples, some massively big, others minutely small, they are a testament to the grandeur of the Ancient Khmer Kingdom. All the temples were built between the 9th and 13th century, and were either Hindu or Buddhist in association. Angkor Wat is the most famous and is off immense national pride to the Cambodians. After decades of war and genocide, they look at Angkor Wat as a symbol of what they can accomplish. However, the other temples that dot the countryside are completely different, but of equal beauty. The Bayon Temple with its eerie array of faces, seemingly looking down at you from every angle. The Ta Phrom Temple that has been left to the destructive forces of the jungle trees. Each temple has its own unique character and charm, after 3 days of visiting various temples, we only scratched the surface on understanding their importance. I could attempt to describe what it was like to wander within the stone walls, but as they say 'a picture tells a thousand words'.

The Deep South

After seeing the more visited North we took a night bus to the South, gratefully on a predominantely straight flat road. The South of Laos is a thin strip of land that mirrors the path of the Mekhong river, hemmed in by Thailand on one side and Vietnam on the other. Most tourists that head this way simply pass through on their way to Cambodia, and we would of done the same if it wasn't for some unforseen circumstances. The main hub in the South is Pakse, which in Lao means boring. There isn't a whole lot to do in Pakse, even when the big Buddhist Lent festival is taking place. After a few days pottering around town we had a clear thought and decided to rent a moped for a few days and tour the surrounding countryside. I'd had a bit of a spin on a moped in Luang Nam Tha, so considered myself a professional. The next morning we hopped on our rented Honda Wave 100 and screamed out of town.
First stop was the Bolaven Plateau, a rich fertile plateau that borders the river to the East. The road up to plateau was surprisingly gentle considering the rocky peaks and deep canyons that crisscrossed the plateau. The real pull of the plateau is the numerous waterfalls that thunder into the 200m deep canyons, sending spray soaring into the sky. The small villages that nestle near the waterfalls are constantly wet, living under a blanket of fine mist. Not to dissimilar from England, Leighanne felt right at home.
Our next stop was the sleepy village of Champasak, which was once the capital of the Lao Kingdom. These days it is a dusty one-street town on the banks of the Mekhong, reached only by ferry. Now, the ferry for mopeds is a far cry from what most people consider a ferry. A ferry Lao style is 2 canoes with a few planks of wood strapped across the top. The embarking and disembarking is not a straighforward exercise, especially for a rookie driver. Champasaks' claim to fame is the ancient Khmer ruins of Wat Phou. The once exceedingly grand ruins are now in a state of disrepair, but they somehow still give a sense of awe. They lie at the base of Phou Mountain and have an eerie feel when the mountains cast shadows across the site. At the base of the ruins are two palaces of intricate stonework that border a causeway leading to a monumental staircase that leads up the mountain to the Buddhist Sanctuary. The staircase is stunning, its' cobbled stones have been molded by the roots of the giant Jacaranda trees that flank the staircase the entire way to the top. Once on top the views of the Mekhong valley and river are sweeping.
After 2 days of incident free mopeding we got a total flat almost within site of Pakse on our return trip. We pulled over and starting pushing the bike down the road in the hope of finding a garage to fix the tyre. Luckily we came across a garage/hut that looked like it could sort us out. Bundling the bike down the slope onto the wooden plank working bay we were greeted by 3 kids, none over the age of 10. They all smiled and immediately began work on fixing our flat, talk about entrepeneurs. They were doing a great job getting the tyre off when Dad showed up and resumed responsibilities. Within no time we were back on the road with a new inner tube and heading back to Pakse, all for $2, try getting a mechanic back home to fix a flat for that price.
Tomorrow we are off to Cambodia to gawk at the ruins of Angkor.

Two Long Trips

Our introduction to public transport in Laos has been slightly heavy handed. After crossing the Mekong River into Laos we opted against the 2-day boat trip to Luang Nam Tha and instead decided to brave the bus/pickup trip. We were informed the journey could last anywhere from 8 - 24 hours depending on road conditions. By the time we got to Luang Nam Tha I was still trying to figure out where the road actually was. Laos has marketed itself as the link between China and Thailand, the two economic powers in the region. To facilitate this, Laos is building a road that will link Southern China with Northern Thailand. It is still very much a work in progress. What Northern Laos has is lots of jungle, mountains, and unexploded US bombs. Building a road in such circumstances is a tad difficult. The journey was brutal. Luckily we only got stuck once and also escaped certain suffocation from over crowding. We had a few interesting passengers, namely a cat, a few chickens, and some dead bats, which we were later told is a delicacy in the region. Another interesting fact is that local hunters use the bat poo to make home made gunpowder. How they figured this out is beyond me. We eventually made it to Luang Nam Tha and our chosen destination to visit the remote hill-tribes.
After Luang Nam Tha we bused it to the tourist destination of Luang Prabang. Now we wrongly thought this would consist of a proper bus with seats traveling down a paved road. We were sadly mistaken. On arrival at the bus station a good 45 minute before depature we were informed that all seats were sold and the only space was in the aisle. Not a good start. I spent the majority of the trip perched atop a bag of fertilizer also made of bat poo. Leighanne spent time applying Tiger Balm under her nose to ward of the pungent smell of roasted bat right by her face. On arrival in Luang Prabang we weren't in the best of moods, but the journey is what makes travel interesting.