Travel Zulu

It is currently rainy season in Thailand so you can expect to rain quite a bit, but last night there was a pretty big storm. I thought the lightening was going to rip through my bamboo hut I am staying in.

It kept raining for most of the morning leaving not much to do except for reading the paper, a sudoku puzzle and an attempt at the crossword.

I got the bus and ferry to Koh Chang last night. It is the third time I have been here and it is one of my favorite spots. It has one of the best free wifi spots that I have ever been to.

It is a fantastic place to both relax and to get some work done. It is considered low season here now, so it is pretty quiet which suits me just fine.

I arrived back in Bangkok yesterday morning. I took a tuk-tuk to the border and then a bus to Bangkok. Thailand and Laos are separated by the Mekong River. The Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge connects the border points. The bridge was built by Australian companies and funded by the Australian government.

The whole trip took over ten hours including the border crossing and a short stop for dinner. Fortunately, the bus was very comfortable, compared with the rattlers I have been used to in Laos and Vietnam. Coming back to Bangkok, completes a full circle through Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos.

It wasn’t my day today. For some reason the hot water wasn’t working, so I had to have a cold shower. I checked out of my room and went to the bus station at 9:30 am to get a ticket for the 10 am bus. Unfortunately the bus was full and the next one didn’t leave until 12:30 pm.

The girl suggested I take a songthaew which was leaving soon. I wanted to get to the Thai embassy in the afternoon, so I wanted to get moving. Songthaew’s are not much more than an old ute with a couple of benches down the side. They are fine for short trips, but I didn’t really like sitting in one for three hours. Some other guy had already gotten the front seat.

There was a mother with a newly born and her young daughter who wasn’t travelling well. People get on and off anywhere along the way, carrying all manner of foodstuffs - live chickens and fish. Together with the windy roads, the smelly fish, people being sick and just bouncing around in the back of a truck I started feeling nauseous myself. My ipod is the only thing that keeps me sane on these trips. We made it into Vientiane in just under four hours.

While I was taking a look at a room in a guesthouse, I left my backpack at reception. Some places are three or four stories high, so I usually leave my bag at the front desk just in case the room is a dive. I come back to reception and my bag is gone. A bus driver had picked it up thinking it was from his group he was taking. Fortunately they hadn’t left, so I got it back off the bus. Close call.

I rushed off to the Thai embassy, only to find that they only accept visa applications in the morning. At least I picked up a form.

I am still in Vang Vieng. I have been here for the past week. Most people only seem to stay a night or two and move on pretty quickly. Aside from about 10 restaurants in the center of town playing episodes of Friends non-stop, I really like the place. There’s almost no traffic, it’s on a beautiful river sandwiched between mountains. There are plenty of caves and treks to explore. The people are very relaxed and there is even a cheap hotel with free wifi.

They are building quite a few new places and even moving the school and some government offices further out of town. Unfortunately the peace is not going to last forever.

I am finally getting round to uploading some of the videos I have taken on this trip. I must admit I haven’t used my video camera enough. After watching some of the videos I have taken, I feel more motivated to carry around my camera more often.

I just got back from visiting the small town of Phonsavan famous for the nearby archaeological site referred to as ‘the Plain of Jars’. There are thousands of jars spread across several different sites, but can only be found in Xieng Khouang Province. Three sites are currently open to the public. Archaeologists believe they were used as funeral urns. Local people believe they were used to brew Lao whiskey. I think the whiskey theory is more likely!

The jars range from 1-3 meters in height and weigh up to 13 tonnes. Perhaps what is more interesting (at least it was for me) is that the area was heavily bombed by the US during the Vietnam war. Over 12 million tonne of bombs were dropped over the province and around 30 per cent didn’t explode. The region is being cleared up by NGOs like MAG but even at current clearance rates it will take 100 years to remove all UXO (unexploded ordinance) and mines.

Locals use the bomb casings as decorations for their houses, for storing food and even as posts for their houses. Only a couple of tanks remain as they were mostly pulled apart and sold as scrap metal to Vietnam. I have a feeling that if they had of left them in place, the country would have made more money in the long run from tourism.

There is another tour which you can take which explores more of the military sites around the province, including a cave which was used as a hospital. The area has just opened up to tourism and much of the equipment which was used in the war remains in tact.

Phonsavan is about a 6 hour bus ride from Luang Prabang and a little longer from Vientiane. The roads are in good condition but they are very windy as they go around the mountains. There are plenty of places to stay but the town but there is not much to do at night. Tours range from around $10-$15 for the day, including lunch.

Site 1

UXO and land mine warnings. The areas have been cleared, but it’s probably a good idea to stick with your guide.

This is the only jar where a picture can be made out on the side of the jar.

The only jar which is covered.

One of the many bomb craters.

Site 2

Site 3

Russian tank.

TravelMinx included my article on Bia Hoi in Vietnam in their first Carnival of travel.

If you have a travel blog you can submit articles here to be included in the next carnival.

I took a trip out to Kuangsi waterfall today. It was a beautiful way to cool off. It was about a 6 km trip out of town. I even got to see a tiger and some black Asiatic bears.

I caught a bus to Luang Prabang today and got in about 5 pm. A trip that is suppose to take 5 hours took about 7 hours. I was a pretty amazing bus trip, up and down windy roads passing some beautiful mountain scenery. There was virtually no one else on the road - just a few trucks and a bus or two. It’s completely different from Vietnam, where every road big and small is a traffic nightmare.

Luang Prabang is a World Heritage Town and it feels more like a regular city compared with what I have seen so far in Laos, with a pretty good wifi cafe. The place I am staying is 5 bucks for the night and even included free dinner tonight.