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Chiang Mai is small town in northern Thailand, famous for the many activities one can do. From elephant riding, trekking, rafting, visiting the tiger zoo to enjoying the many markets and strolling the old town.

And of course you cannot skip the many temples in the old town. When I left for Asia I was thinking that all the temples will look mostly similar. Yet I couldn’t be further away from the truth! It’s such an amazing variety, that I never suffered from “temple fatigue”.

The days I spent in Chiang Mai were split between a short trek to an elephant camp – were I enjoyed riding the huge beasts (great fun), visiting the main city and going to Doi Suthep (one of the larger temples in Thailand and definitely a sight to behold). Today’s photos are from the Chiang Mai proper, with elephant pictures and Doi Suthep coming the next days.

This is the last photo gallery from Laos – images from Luang Prabang street life, temples and life on the river. The last pictures are taken from the airplane, leaving for  Siem Reap. Previous galleries from laos can be found here and here.

Enjoy the photos. Laos is an amazing destination, with friendly people, beautiful places and a certain French air. Also some of the best coffee I ever drank (second only to Vietnam’s finest).

Laos is one of the smaller countries in the region, yet it managed to really amaze me. Luang Prabang has a relaxed rhythm and the best night market I found. A real pleasure to stroll around stalls with handicrafts, even if not buying. The old colonial French buildings, and the large number of French signs, give an air of unassuming sophistication. I have never seen so many beautiful guesthouses, cafes and restaurants in such a small town. It’s no wonder that Luang Prabang is on the UNESCO heritage list. Last but not least, walking on unpaved roads, exchanging ‘goodmornings’ with young monks and schoolchildren, and enjoying fruit juice in a plastic bag (delicious by the way) has a certain charm, lacking in the larger cities of the region.

For a holiday away from holiday place, Laos is a wonderful choice.

Here are a few more pictures from Luang Prabang. These photos were mostly taken at the different temples in Luang Prabang. For more images you can check my previous post.

For some Laos is the “real” Asia. Of course, every country is very real. From the BTS in Bangkok to the hill tribes to relaxed Laos to  crazy traffic in Hanoi. Looking for the “real” Asia (re: rice fields, fastest vehicles being bicycles and a very slow life) means ignoring the places and people in-front of you. And enjoying the differences between the countries and peoples is a whole part of my (great) experience I had In Asia.

Having said that, once you step out of the plane in Luang Prabang you feel that time slows down a bit. Life gets a bit more sluggish, the traffic IS made up mostly of bicycles and life seems more relaxed (at least for the tourists).

At one point I got scared by a car horn. One gets used to quietness, and starts to appreciate it (more-so in retrospect as after Laos I went to Cambodia with crazy Phnom Penh).

Enjoy some of the photos I took in Luang Prabang.

Following the last post – and as a sign of my re-found travel itch – here are some photos took last year in Vietnam. I spent only about 5 days in Vietnam, of which 3 were in Halong Bay (I put some pictures on my blog). The remaining 2 days were spent in Hanoi – a big yet beautiful city. With a crazy traffic (a bit more crazy than the rest of SE Asia).

I was lucky to spend the weekend there, so all the parks were full with people enjoying the late autumn. Lots of photo opportunities!

Here are some of the photos, and as I process more I will continue to upload. Enjoy!

Bangkok is a very interesting city for a tourist. It is the gateway to Asia, so sooner or later everyone arrives here. Some will leave the city as quickly as possible, and some will stay longer. Besides the heat, air pollution, traffic and the annoying distances between the interesting places, Bangkok has a lot to offer.

From the amazing Royal Palace, which can take the better part of a day to fully visit to the beautiful temples, and from a cruise on the river to people watching from a bar on Sukhumvit there is something for everyone. And of course, there are the famous places like Khao San Rd or Nana Plaza, and shopping opportunities for every taste.

(continue reading…)

This is not going to be a cheerful post. S21 – for those who do not know – is the codename for one of the most brutal prisons, where thousands of people were tortured. It all happened when the Khmers Rouges rulled Cambodia, between 1974 – 1979. In the name of creating a better society – a perfect agrarian utopia – the Pol Pot regime managed to  kill more than 3 millions Cambodians. From the moment the Khmers came to power and Phnom Penh fell, a giant program of extermination started. Until the Vietnamese army invaded in 1979 and put a stop to the madness, Pol Pot regime hunted its own people. Mass exodus from the cities (the city symbolized corruption), imprisonment, torture and ultimately death were what Khmers Rouges did. Even though that 30 years have passed, only now one of the last chapters of the nightmare ends. Deuch – the chief of the best known prison S21 – faces the tribunal for genocide. Some of the leaders of that regime already escaped justice – Pol Pot died.

Visiting S21, an old high school located in central Phnom Penh is an eerie experience. The countless photos of the killed (men, women, children) are haunting.

Although in the last posts there were not many photos, that does not mean I took no photos.

Not at all…

Random thoughts and pleasant memories.
Written while waiting in Phnom Penh airport – have to put free WiFi to good use, right? Unfortunatally when I wanted to post this, my connection fell to pieces. So here it is, a few days later.
- riding with Frida from Denmark, Mike from Kenya and the hostel owner in the back of a friend’s pickup to go to a local place to eat
- riding an elephant – all by myself and without howdah!
- when leaving the guesthouse in Siem Reap having Monty Python “bright side of life” played as farewell – also now there’s a 5 ron note on their wall to add to the collection of currencies
- having a lazy late breakfast in Phnom Penh – sweet strong coffee, steak and bean tea (local variant of bubble tea). Total check bin @ 4.5 usd…
- started to use ’same same’and ‘hot small’in casual talks – my English is same same but different from when I left home…
- starting to get confused on the currencies – Thai baht, Laos kip, Vietnamese dong (yeah…) and of course the Cambodian dollar (US dollar). By the way – it’s funny to receive US dollars at an ATM outside US.
- having a slight start of budgetitis – the state of mind when you start haggling for eveything and deplore the hike in prices brought by Japanese customers. After being spoiled by Laos probably even Thailand will seem expensive. Probably I should avoid traveling in Europe for the following months as I will have a panic attack…
- as much as I dislike shopping, the night market in Luang Prabang is a real gem. Bought a lot of interesting stuff that will probably find no useful purpose
- traffic in Phnom Penh is insane. Having to cross a boulevard while keeping an eye on all the bikes, motorbikes, tuk-tuks and Lexuses was giving me a headache. No streetlights or zebras make crossing the street adventurous.
- next time I get to SE Asia (probably next year ) I will come prepared with a t-shirt that reads “no, i do NOT want a tuk-tuk! I can WALK thankyouverymuch”

And now I should finish my tea and go to board the plane!

…which obviously I did, as now I am in Hanoi, Vietnam.

sunrise at Angkor Wat

I know some people already started to worry what’s with me – where are the posts, where are the pictures. Nothing happened – actually nothing bad happened. I’m enjoying this trip immensely, and I do not really find the time to play with the pictures or write. I do have in mind some posts, so tonight I am going to post one of my impressions on SE Asia.

No, it has nothing to do with the picture – that is just eye-candy.

I am going to talk about the beer in SE Asia. Bet you didn’t see THAT coming.

My first love was with the SIngha in Thailand – ice-cold lager served in a nice bar on Sukhumvit Soi 4. Not only it’s a pretty good beer, not that expensive, but the greatest part is how it’s served: the bottle is brought in it’s own cooler, made from foam, to keep it cold. Brilliant idea. And on the hot days I had in Bangkok, it proved a morale-lifter.

After that – Beer Lao – in of course Laos. This had the nice characteristic of being served in 640ml bottles. Almost double the puny 330ml that some bars insist on serving in Europe. However, my love for beer Lao grew even more when I found a restaurant / beer garden in Luang Prabang which served it’s beer with peanuts. And a shot of Lao Lao (home-brewed whiskey). All complimentary. And all that for the nice price of 12 000 kip – about 4 Ron.

And so we arrive at my latest discovery – Anchor beer. Draft beer served at my current guesthouse (after this post that’s where I will be going). The beer comes in a glass which was kept in the freezer until it is used. It’s a pleasure to keep the ice-cold beer and sip in the late afternoon or evening. All in the quite good company of the Brit guesthouse owner.

I cannot wait to see what Vietnam has to offer…