Plain of Jars

The logic was that although I was the only one without a licence, I still had the most experience driving "manual", or anything close to a 1970s Jeep. Result: Jeeps on dirt roads are cool. I didn't even make it roll!

There was only one point I wasn't so sure of myself; when our guide, Khong, took a little too long to answer the question "This road has been cleared of mines, right?"

No one really knows why the jars were built, but the assumption is that they were used as giant funeral Urns. Walking around, I kept on thinking of how much the place reminded me of the fields full of Megalithic tombs in southern Sligo.

If they were in the middle of 100s of thousands of Unexploded Ordinance (UXOs) The Mines Advisory Group, partly funded by Irish Aid, is working to clear the area so it can get World Heritage status. But as Laos is the most heavily bombed country in History, this is going to take some time. I did learn from our guide, Mr. Khong, that American Cluster bomb casings do make excellent BBQ Grills, horse feeds, House stilts, and Aqueducts. Provided they don't first blow up in your face when you move them. And his final bit of insight: In Laos, the rich don't go to jail, and the poor don't go to hospital.

Until then, DO NOT WALK OUTSIDE OF THE WHITE MARKERS.

It started to pour rain half way through the day, so we didn't stay long, and the others hid in the relative shelter on the other side of this monster.

"This is not the dog's bollox, this is just bollox". Khong said, while also also claiming that it wasn't raining, but just mist. Definitely, if you vist the area, he is one character that will make your trip.

Even when we were stuck by the side of the road for a half hour after the lady at the petrol station poured Diesel into the Petrol jeeps tank, we were still having fun.

Draining an engine: A life skill.

Got back into Phonsavan for the last bus for Vang Vieng, and the town's speciality, bbq Swallow.
Tastes like Liver.

I hate Liver.

Luang Prabang

We took the slow boat from the Thai Border town of Chiang Kong / Huay Xai for two days down the muddy Mekong to the beautiful city of Luang Prabang.

It's the kind of place that sucks you in and forces you to relax, no matter how tightly wound you are. We arrived on a Sunday, and the Festival would be the following Saturday. In between, take in some Wats, and hang out with some monks, giving plenty of English, French, and even Japanese conversation classes. Internationalisation at a grass roots level: Once a Jet, well, you know how it goes.

I enjoyed the two day slow boat, not least because of the "Slow Boat Family" that forms on board. The result is that when you get to Luang Prabang, you've got a very large number of people you already know fairly well to hang out with. It made a nice change from the solo traveling I've been mostly doing.
Of course, it wasn't long until i heard a familair accent. There's Cillian and I on our trusty steeds, taking on the mudiest tracks around. Go on ye good thing!

I didn't really do a hell of a lot there though as for three nights in a row I wasn't sleeping properly. It wasn't full on insomnia, but it did make me feel like a zombie during the first half of the week, and barely able to even read the notices outside the temples, or really take anything in. Another backpacker gave me some Melotonin, which helped a litttle, and then the pharmacy gave me something that saved the week for me. I was sleeping well, and feeling alive for the first time in days. The tablets had some generic name on them, which I later learned had the same main ingredient as Valium. Oh dear...


It did mean I was able to get up for the Alms giving each morning. The monks and novices filed out of their temples from half 5 each morning to collect their food for the day from the faithful. Women and children lined the streets around the temples, waiting to give their offerings of sticky rice and biscuits. Women and Children. The other thing that struck me about Luang Prabang was the women. From before sunrise to well after sunset, I saw them on the streets, manning their stalls, every day. It seems that here, the women do all of the work, and it's not easy.

There are a ridiculous number of photos form Luang Prabang here, most with comments giving more detail than this post.


After a week or "relaxing", and wandering, and impromptu teaching, finally came the end of Buddhist lent.

There are some more photos of the night itself up here.

Then, a final farewell to those of the Slow boat famil who were still around, and off with some new partners in grime the South.

Thai

Bangkok hasn't changed so much.

I wandered around meeting people, from the toothless old canal fisherman to the high flyer who spent more on one drink than I did in a whole day.

There was an evening in the local park translating between a Thai juggler and 3 Japanese students learning poi, in between practicing handstands and doing some Brazilian dance martal art (Cappella? Capoeira?).

There was lots of eating great food.

Dancing with a horny Indian on his first ever holiday.

And all topped off with learning more about the historical Buddha.

Finally, Laos Visa in hand, I arrived early in the morning in Chiang Mai after not sleeping very well on the train. The bunk was not David sized. I planned on leaving that afternoon for the Laos border, but thought it better to get a decent night's sleep first. This turned into 5 nights after finding first a cookery, and then a massage course.

Despite the look on her face, my Japanese partner / victim is REALLY enjoying the head massage. Honest!

Timmy, our teacher was amazing. Someone has already wrote a little bit about her here so if you are going to Chiang Mai, I highly recommend looking her up.

Oh, and the Sunday Market is much better than the Night market, and is enormous.

All of the photos form Thailand can be found here.

This is one of the many signs posted on the trees around the main Temple in Chinag Mai, as teaching aids for the novice moonks. You can wander around their garden, taking in some of the Dhamma, feeling the serenity from the trees, or go here for photos of the rest of the signs.

Craggy

I've almost been this scared before; climbing wall in UCD. But here, the feeling is FAR greater.

It's when I'm holding on with both hands, unable to reach for a better grip because I know my other hand doesn't have the strength left to hold me on its own. Then I feel the strength quickly seeping away until I know I can't hug the rock any longer. Palms sweaty, I always make one last reach, and fall.

There I am, completely knackered, and the view across the bay. Railay Beach, Krabi, Thailand

There are a couple of other photos from Kabi, mostly from a half day I spent with a horse riding company there. I had my camera so I offered to take some shots for them to use on their new website and flyers. That was fine, but they also wanted some of me, as a tourist, with the horses. We went for an hour long ride on the beach, and I practiced a host of cheesy grins.

Then on, and the night train to Bangkok.

Leaving Malaysia

At last!

To say that I am behind schedule would be a bit of an understatement. I think it's safe to say that I will not be coming home by rail from Beijing now... Hopefully onto Hong Kong by December and home from there. Well, back to Europe at least. I still intend to hang out with Marielle and Francisco in Paris, and what increasingly seems like half of Dublin in London (Well, the two people who read this most at least).

Right now, I'm on Penang, in Georgetown to be precise, but not for the beaches or sightseeing or anything like that. For the bus to Krabi. I've heard there is good rock climbing there.

I should be honest; this is the only post on this blog with the real date. Everything else was posted tonight, although some were half written earlier. I've posted them with he dates when the events took place to keep everything in order.

I'll sign off with a picture from the largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia.

A scene reminiscent of my teaching in Koyasan, deer, attentive students and all!

Kuala Lumpur

You'd think I had had enough of this place after spending almost a week here waiting for my camera to be repaired. It's not the place though, it's the people. And it's becoming the refrain of the trip. On the bus back from Melaka, I got some text messages from two of the couchsurfers I had hung out with there, TJ and Shah. There was a CS meet up, breaking fast together in KL. Was I interested? Food? Eating? Silly question.

We were there for at least four hours before we started to drip away, and then began the second party. First to the Petronas Towers where a protest in support of the Burmese people was supposed to be taking place. No one there, but then again, we were 3 hours late. Then on to what Shah and I seem to do best: Random driving around Kuala Lumpur, getting hopelessly lost, and enjoying every minute of it. I think the others enjoyed it as well.... maybe...

Melaka

The people, not the place. Don't get me wrong, Melaka was a great place to wander, lots of museums, some historical sites. Actually, lots of Historical sites. But my memories are of the food, and the people I ate it with. I met up with Paul, a CS lecturer at the local University, and with a Law Student, Yin May, the next day. Paul was on his way to a pot luck party and invited me along. I didn't have to bring or cook anything, but if I could show them how to make something, his friends would love it.

"Hhhhmmm... Do they have an oven?"
"Yes, Of Course."
SPUDS!

There was no oven. Just a regular microwave. No need to worry. Enter the magic of international SMS. A few messages from Dad later, and they were ready to go. Baked Potatoes with Cheese and Garlic-y Buttery goodness. I could taste the difference, microwave instead of a proper oven, but everyone else loved 'em! Then up into the night playing "Bullshit" and other highly mature card games.
Next day, I met Yin May, who introduced me to a type of desert that could easily become my staple food stuff. I was surprised when she knew the phrase "taking the piss" and then discovered that Celia Bloody Larkin is a bestseller in Malaysia. So, there you go. Malaysians are very capable of locating little Ireland on a map, thanks to the combined forces of Celia Larkin and Westlife.

"I have a dream, I cross the stream."
Feck Off!

Photos of Melaka are here.

Singapore Sling

Thursday 26th September to Tuesday 2nd October.

Singapore consisted of sleeping, dropping peanut shells all over the floor of a very expensive Hotel bar, and a day at the Zoo. That leaves a lot of time unaccounted for. Hmmm Well, there was an awful lot of wandering around, hanging out with with local couchsurfers. More photos here.And there was also LOTS of eating! Hawker stalls everywhere, and a David sized appetite to satiate. It's what the locals do, and when in Rome.
Any excuse.
I went a bit nuts with the camera at the zoo. It had just been repaired and I wanted to know for sure that it was working. So, there are loads more animal photos here. I'm sure Sarah will be happy.