Mae Hong Son loop

The Mae Hong Son loop is a 600km circuit westward of Chiang Mai wich winds through the Doi Inthanon National Park to the half-way town of Mae Hong Son, then East to Pai, a dreadlock paradise and back to Chiang Mai in about 4 days minimum.The loop is popular as much for the mountain scenery as for the "hilltribe" villages scattered throughout the mountains.

The drive is very slow as the road winds up, down and around the mountains, giving us plenty of time to take in the changing landscape. Wide panoramic vistas of lush mountains all the way to Burma give way to sheltered valleys of terraced rice paddies, drawing striking geometric patterns on the hillside, punctuated by a succession of small hilltribe villages.

Hilltribe people are small groups of ethnic minorities who live in the mountains in the North of Thailand. Originally, they come from Burma, Cambodia, Laos, China and are considered fourth world people as they migrate disregarding established borders. They subsist from small scale agriculture , growing rice, garlic and, as we have seen, poppies. A new form of income is drawn from tourism as Hilltribes have an interesting way of life and striking traditional costumes, ranging from colourful geometric patterns to the "long-neck" brass rings sported by the Karen women. Some of the tours seem like outright exploitation and we were glad we could just drive through and get on our way without being a disturbance.

We spent a fair bit of time driving a little Suzuki Vitara which was a good test run since we have been talking about this car for some time. The jury is still out on whether it is too small. We managed to camp every night which finally justified carrying a lot of bulk around (sleeping bags, mats, tent...) and we swam in waterfalls every day which are still flowing heavily despite being the middle of the dry season.

Shout out to Crazyguyonabike

Don't forget to read the entries about our time together in Cambodia on Marcin and Rose's blog on "crazyguyonabike". They are much funnier and better written than ours. We expect an entry on Ko Samet soon.

Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai is a bustling little place which we got to by travelling North on the train for 13 hours from Bangkok. It is crawling with bars, restaurants, shops and is easily explored on foot. It has big day and night markets and offers a variety of classes (cooking, massage, meditation...) and excursions (adventure, elephant parks, trekking in hilltribes...). There is no shortage of reasonable accommodation making it a kind of backpacking hound. The temperature here is also a bit more bearable which is quite a relief after the heat of Cambodia and the South of Bangkok.

Today, I took a cooking course in the oldest cooking school in Chiang Mai. It was really interesting. We started with a quick tour of the market and then the day went something like this:

Cooking demonstration of chicken in coconut cream soup

We cook at our own little station

We eat it

Cooking demo of noodle stirfry with vegetables

We cook at our own little station
We eat it

Cooking demo of red curry with fish

We cook at our own little station

We eat it

Cooking demo of mushroom stir-fry

We cook at our own little station

We eat it

Cooking demo of papaya salad

We cook at our own little station
We eat it

Cooking demo of steamed banana cake

We cook at our own little station

We eat it

We roll home

I think I might have a small dinner tonight and watch Chris eat most of the time!

In the meantime, Chris was organising our imminent departure into the mountainous area west of Chiang Mai. We have booked a Suzuki Vitara (exciting!) for 3 days and will go on a 600km loop which goes through a large national park and some hilltribe villages. It is meant to be quite beautiful and we are hoping to do a bit of camping along the way. Freedom!

Ko Samet

On our way back from Cambodia and seizing our last chance to spend some time with our "stubborn masochistic" friends Marcin and Rose, we made a small detour via the island of Ko Samet, a few hours from Bangkok.

Aware that the island is a favourite destination for Bangkokians needing a holiday, we were slightly surprised (and amused) by the abundance of Russians sprawling the island in all manner of undress, flaunting their less than toned bodies in ways reminiscent of a cross between sports illustrated and an issue of National Geographic dedicated to beached whales. "I'm beached as, bro"

Luckily, our luxuriously spacious bungalows were on a very calm section of the island, devoid of almost anyone except from us and a few lady-boy waiters/waitresses.

Chris and I only spent a full day there but it was lovely. We swam, we ate and drank and above all, we enjoyed having friends, a luxury which we will be missing for the next few months.

The next morning, it was time to part (litteraly) as we boarded the Malibu 5 en route to Bangkok and Marcin & Rose stayed behind making the most of a well-deserved holiday they have dreamt of for the last 10 000km (congrats) and will remember for the next 10 000km to Poland!

Travel map

Don't forget to check out our latest feature in the links section, right of the screen to know where we have been so far.

Battambang to Phnom Penh to Koh Kong

From Battambang, we headed to Phnom Penh where we only stayed a little over a day. It's fair to say that we didn't fully engage with the place and had a pretty lazy demeanour throughout. We were not totally hopeless since we did visit the Genocide museum (predictably depressing) and the Russian Markets (pretty similar to the other markets). We did a little walking around but, really, our main activities were to find food (easy but sometimes unpredictable as Chris ordered noodle soup which came with chicken claws and congealed blood...) , stay out of the heat (basically impossible), watch TV (awesome but the color never seems to work) and sleep (also pretty hard in the heat).
We are now in Koh Kong, in Cambodia but on the border with Thailand. We will cross over tomorrow to meet Marcin and Rose in Ko Samet, a popular beach destination for Bangkok residents.

Around Battambang

Still in the company of Marcin and Rose, we hired a Tuk-Tuk for the day and our friendly driver Ola (aka Oh-la-la) took us to all the sights and monuments in the area.

We visited a couple temples, as well as some caves which became the site of atrocities committed under the Khmer Rouge regime. Marcin nearly got bitten by a very ferocious monkey and I had an amazingly frank and open conversation with a young buddhist monk on the benefits of living together before getting married... Most other monks won't even look at a woman so that was quite a surprise. The photo above is of the friendly monk and our local guide overlooking the dry Cambodian landscape towards the border with Thailand.

We ended the day with a delicious Khmer dinner and a couple beers, celebrating our last night together before we meet again, in a few days in Thailand.

Early the next morning, Marcin and Rose rode onto a very long and dusty road to the Thai Border and we headed down to Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital, on the bus.

The boat to Battambang

"The boat to Battambang" could have inspired a country song in the same great tradition as "the Dog on the Tuckerbox" and "the Cookaburah in the old gum tree".

the journey from Siem Reap to Battambang was an epic one indeed and although exciting, it was also excruciatingly slow for a good portion of it.

Aware that the trip could take between 3 and 8 hours based on water levels in the river bed, we did not expect it to take 10 hours or that for about 4 hours, the men working for the boat company would have to litteraly push the boat out at every turn, whenever it got stuck on one bank. At times,the water was about mid-calf deep and the sight of our boatload of westerners navigating a creek was an endless source of amusement to the locals.

The people living on the river were the definite highlight of the trip. Along the way, we were able to observe the way they live, all their daily activities centrered around the river. We passed entire floating villages where houses, schools, shops and churches are built on bamboo rafts following the level of the river bed, which would be at least 3 meters higher in the wet season. Later, the floating villages gave way to villages on stilts, perched high above the ground on the banks.

Every single moment, groups of children would wave and shout "hello"and "bye bye"with such excitement that it seemed hard to believe the same boat goes by every day of the year.

The contrast between these peoples lives and ours was very extreme. As well as playing and bathing in the river, it is also their main source of sewer, a thick muddy looking stream with an unmistakable stench. The banks of the river are covered in rubbish and kids start helping with the various chores from a very young age.

Still, experiences like those challenge our western notions of happiness very strongly. Despite living conditions reminiscent of the middle ages, the laughs and smiles of these children when they caught the waves made by our boat were heartwarming and unforgettable.

The temples of Angkor

It was at sunrise that our group of four (Chris, Laure, Marcin and Rose) set out on our bikes to go visit the temples of Angkor. Only 10 km from Siem Reap, the famous Angkor Wat sits as the jewel crowning a complex of smaller temples spread over several kilometers.

Angkor Wat is, predictably, a magnificient example of Architecture. It is grand, refined and, thanks to some restauration along the way, has certainly stood the test of time. The notion of stumbling accross it, lost into the deep jungle, is amazing and I suspect the lucky french explorer who did must have rubbed his eyes in shock for quite a while.

A few kilometers further is the complex of Angkor Tom which was actually a city housing a million people inside its walls. One of the temples we visited there is called Bayon and although it bears similarities to Angkor Wat, it is also very unique and different.

From a distance, the distinctive conical towers, meant to resemble closed lotus flowers, might give the false impression of trying to copy it's famous counterpart. On approach, the crude mounds of stacked rocks start to reveal carved faces of buddha on all four sides of each tower which there are many of in this small but somewhat complicated temple. The calm portraits symbolise Charity, Calm, Balance and Compassion. In an unusual situation, the temple is both dedicated to Buddhism and Hinduism.

Finally, on the edge of Angkor Tom is Ta Phrom which, mostly left in an untouched state, could be symbolic of the slow but possible symbiosis of architecture and nature. The enormous root systems of trees projecting straight into the skies drip like melted lava around and through the partially collapsed stone walls of the temple. the trees are supported by the walls and the walls by the trees.

There are many other temples to visit but, in one hot day, it was a pretty reasonnable effort. We rode back to Siem Reap in the sunset and enjoyed a delicious Khmer dinner in the company of friends.

Andaman Coast, Thailand in photos

Getting to Siem Reap, Cambodia

We haven't done much in the last 24 hours, mainly getting to Siem Reap, Cambodia from Tonsai beach.
Our last days in Tonsai were a bit lame since we alternated spending 2 whole days in bed with a stomach bug or an acute case of dehydration. Nevertheless, Tonsai was a definite highlight and we can easily imagine going back for a longer period with a few friends.

Tonsai Beach

Ko Lanta was good but Tonsai Beach is great. It took a couple hours and a three different modes of transport, on roads and sea, to get here and it was well worth it. If you can imagine it, we are on a beach, surrounded by dramatic vertical limestone cliffs and the only people here are young ripped and tattooed rock-climbers. It's pretty fun and super laid back. We have a little bamboo bungalow about 100 meters from the beach and we divide our days between swimming in the warm waters of the Andaman coast, a little bit of rock-climbing and delicious dinners and beers on the beach at night. Bob Marley is by far the top played artist and our little "five fingers" only leave our feet to swim and sleep. It's a good life!
We will be here for another couple days and then heading back to Bangkok for only one night before getting on the bus to Siem Reap, Cambodia where it seems we will be meeting up with Marcin and Rose. Good times ahead.
Next time, I will post some photos!

Koh Lanta

The trip from Bangkok to Ko Lanta was long and badly organised. By the time we got to our "resort", after many different bus and minivan changes, we were completely sleep deprived and depleated. After a couple of hours scheming our way out of here, the sun started to come down towards the horizon and everything changed, like by magic. Suddenly we were on the beach, facing a beautiful sunset, drinking mojitos under colourful lanterns hanging from palmtrees. We declared it a Honeymoon moment!
On our second day on the island, we hired a scooter and were free as birds. Driving up and down the island, stopping only for swims in the ridiculously warm water or for a refreshing drink in Old Lanta, we were unstoppable. We also got really badly sunburnt and were wearing helmets but apart from that, we were like true locals.
This morning we got back on our scooter and headed into town for a quick breakfast. In about an hour, we will be heading back to Krabi town on the main land and from there, heading to Ao Nang which is a beautiful beach and also the point of departure to Railey where Chris is hoping to do a bit of rock climbing.
Internet is widly available and cheap so more news soon,
Love
Chlaure

Bangkok

The difference between the slopes of Hokkaido and the streets of bangkok is striking to say the least. Apart from the difference in temperature of about 50 degrees, it is a lot crazier and Chris compared it to a slightly less chaotic version of Kathmandu. After exploring the centre for a couple days, we are both keen to head south to the Andaman coast famous for it's beautiful beaches and easy lifestyle.

In the meantime, here are a couple pictures taken inside Wat Phra Kaew, the emerald buddha pavilion complex which is a slightly psychedelic collection of heavily ornamented monuments celebrating a small but revered statue of buddha, sculpted out of jade.