Travels through Northern Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Southern Thailand, and that megalopolis of a city - Bangkok, Part II

After Laos, I made my way to Central Vietnam, Cambodia, and Southern Thailand. There are so many experiences too numerous to recount such as traveling to the DMZ in Vietnam with my guide Mr. Duy explaining the significance of the sights, watching fireworks over the Imperial City in Hue to ring in Tet, seeing the Cham ruins in My Son, watching the sun rise over Angkor Wat from Phnom Bakeng, learning to rock climb in Rah Lei, kayaking in the Ang Thong National Park, dancing all night on the beach of Ko Phagnan at the Full Moon Party, and most of all meeting Vietnamese, Cambodians, and Thais during my travels. Here are a few highlights of my trip.

Hoi An, Vietnam
Hoi An is a little town located on a river that has traditional shophouses and other buildings architecturally influenced by Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, and European. Many of these buildings have now been converted to restaurants, souvenir shops, and other businesses geared at the burgeoning tourist trade, but there are still pockets of discovery. As the town is small, a great way to explore is on bike and leaving the center of town. As I headed north, I ran into two brothers (Sun and Moon) who offered to show me to the pagodas, rice paddies, and Japanese cemetery I was planning to see. I knew I would have to probably buy them a drink or something at the end, but it was a fun way to spend the afternoon. Moon was startled by the hairs on my arms: "Like a monkey!" and Sun told me he hoped to play in the NBA one day. After seeing the pagodas, they led me on a tiny path through the middle of the rice paddies, where the iconic conical hat wearing Vietnamese women tended the fields. They knew of a little place in the middle, where we could sit and I shared some oranges. There, I stared out along the green fields.

Return to Angkor
Returning to Angkor after 4 years was shocking - the Angkor I remembered was unpaved roads, few hotels, and barely any tourists. Now, there were thousands of tourists (from everywhere - many on package tours), seemingly more 5-star hotels than there were total hotels, and the roads are paved to even the furthest out temples. It is still an amazing place, of course, but it is exponentially more busy.

Phnom Penh
I had never been to Phnom Penh, and shortly before I went there were anti-Thai riots that broke out. Most of the hotels and the tourist industry that I noted before are actually controlled by Thais as they provided much of the investment. Riding on the back of a moto along the Tonle Sap, heading south, we turned a bit inland and saw the demolished Thai-owned hotels and the Thai Embassy. Very sad as it now seems that it may have been a politically motivated and organized event. Most of the local Cambodians I spoke to were sad that it happened and hoped that Thailand would soon reopen the borders and start investing again.

Petchaburi - Phra Nakhon Khiri Festival
Once a year, this small town south of Bangkok holds a week-long festival with a carnival, market, lots of local food, and the focus of it all - temples and palaces on the main hill lit up at night. Every night, there are traditional Thai dances and Thai music, local artists producing art and crafts, and thousands of Thais eating and drinking. Twice a night, there are fireworks. The best part is that there are very, very few Westerners who visit. Walking around, you get a great sense of Thailand. Given how friendly everyone is, you're greeted everywhere you go and smiled at. By the end of the night, two of the people I had met at the guesthouse and I had been invited to a local disco. We hopped into a tuk-tuk, not sure where we were heading but made it to the club where we exchanged drinks with the Thais into the small hours of the night.

Chumphon to Rah Lei
I wanted to go from Chumphon to Rah Lei (or nearby Krabi), but found out there was no direct way from Chumphon. Thus, I hopped into a van at 1 o'clock to Ranong. When I arrived there, there was still no bus to Krabi, but there was a bus heading south. Several hours later, and by now dark, I was dropped off along the side of the main road in a little town. There, I found some moto drivers and asked, "Bus Krabi?" They chuckled, told me it had left and pointed me to the bus station. Down a street filled with shops (closed) and bars (open), I at first could not find the station. Then, I noticed that one of the few shops that was open had a sign above it indicating it was the Bus Station. There, I found noone, but then I saw someone staggering out of the bar across the street. He informed me he was the manager and that the bus to Krabi would arrive across the main road at 8. I hurried back and waited. And waited. Nearly 8:30 and a policeman on a moto drove by and stopped off at the restaurant near me. He soon waved me over and I then found out from him that there was no bus to Krabi. He indicated I should hop on to his moto and we took off to who knows where? My heavy pack pulling me back, throwing off my balance and the added weight did not help him keep his balance but we eventually made it to the police station where I was told to wait. I soon gathered that there would be a bus at some point. An hour later, sure enough, a packed bus pulled up and I had the last seat - the middle one in the back row. Speeding down the road, taking turns as fast as he could, the driver bounced us towards Krabi. More people came on, forced to stand. We eventually pulled into Krabi around 11:30. Rather, we were 5 kilometers outside of Krabi, so hopped onto a moto, the driver of which took me to a guest house. I still had not quite made it to Rah Lei, so the next morning I went to the pier and haggled with the longboat drivers to take me to Rah Lei. After agreeing on a price, wading through the water, and scrambling aboard, we set off - only for the driver to get his propeller wrapped up in a mooring line. However, we did finally get untangled and did make it to Rah Lei - a beautiful place of limestone cliffs, white sandy beaches, palm trees, mangroves, and clear blue-green sea.

Travels through Northern Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Southern Thailand, and that megalopolis of a city - Bangkok

After New Years Eve in New York, I was soon back in Hong Kong for a week and then made my way to Bangkok for several days which allowed me to make extensive use of the SkyTrain and the Express Boats on the Chao Praya. I was able to see some of the tourist sights that I had not before made it to, plus do more mundane things such as obtain my Vietnam visa.

After Bangkok, I made my way north to Sukhothai and Si Srathanalai (both in Thailand) to see some amazing 13th century temples/ruins - very beautiful and lots of buddha statues still intact as well. The Sukhothai period was post-Khmer/Angkor but before Ayutthaya. In fact, Sukhothai broke free from Khmer dominance in order to establish the first Siamese capital although it only lasted 100-150 years before being overwhelmed by the Ayutthaya empire.

Then, crossed over into Laos to Luang Prabang -very cool, laidback city where the Lao royal family used to be based, thus there is the Royal Palace. There are also many wats here of unique design and Lao's most famous Buddha the Pha Bang. I also spent an entire day on the Mekong with a Canadian girl that I had met. We hired a boat & driver for the day in order to see some wats in a cave two hours upriver, plus we stopped at a couple villages along the way. On the way back, a group of Lao college students that were friends with our boat driver pulled up beside us and offered a shot of Mekong whiskey. We soon had shut the engines, tied the boats together, and progressed amidst lots of laughter to polish off two bottles amongst the ten of us while slowly drifting down the river as day passed from bright sunny afternoon to dusky early evening.

My trip to Phonsavan was a 9-hour tortuous bus journey through beautiful mountainous landscape. We suffered a late start, a flat tire, a road out, and a landslide - but we eventually made it! I met several people on the bus (2 women from England and a couple from the US). We all decided to stay at the same guesthouse and the next day the 5 of us (w/guide & driver) headed out to the Plain of Jars in an old Soviet Jeep - here, there are some mysterious huge jars (some weigh 6 tons) that likely have been here for 2000 years or more. In addition, this is an area that was bombed continuously by the US for 10 years utnil 1975. So there are craters everywhere, plus the people have used old bombs in everyday things - planters, fencing, houses, etc. Our guide told us some moving stories about when he was a little boy during the war and also that his brother once uncovered a UXO (unexploded ordinance) that damaged his face and arm. As there had been nearly 25 years that had passed, he himself told the story more matter-of-factly. We also had a chance to stop at a Hmong village and a Lao village. As you may imagine, the Lao are the dominant people here in Laos, but the Hmong are a significant minority, especially on the Xieng Khuan plateau (where Phonsavan/Plain of Jars is). These were just regular farming villages, they weren't trying to sell anything and was nice to see how simply the people live.

I decided to fly from Phonsavan to Luang Prabang and was treated to some beautiful sights over the countryside: green mountains, valleys, flowing rivers, and lakes. In Vientiane I had a 1-hour layover and used that time to hire a taxi to drive me around the city so that I could see all the main sights. Then flew to Luang Prabang the late afternoon to find all the electiricty was out so there were candles everywhere during dusk; thus at night dined along the Mekong by candlelight...very peaceful.

I go to Da Nang today and will be disapointed to leave Lao, the smiling people, beautiful scenery, and the wonderful food.

Xian and Guilin

QUICK BURST OF HISTORY
“The empire, long divided, must unite; long united, must divide” according to a famous Chinese book. Therefore, there have been many periods where there were competing and warring regions. The Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC) - started under Qin Shihuangdi (which literally means “the First Emperor”) – was one of the first to consolidate the various states of China. As you can guess, it did not last long and a long period of warring empires followed. Three other dynasties that you often hear about (so that you have a sense of when things date from):
• Tang Dynasty (618-907) is referred to as the Golden Age
• Ming Dynasty lasted from 1368-1644 until it fell to the Manchurians.
• The Manchurians established Qing Dynasty in 1644 which ended with The Last Emperor (as in the movie) in...
• ...1911 when Sun Yat-Sen set up the Republic of China (ROC). In a battle between the Nationalists and the Communists after WWII, however, the Communists won and the Nationalists headed by Chiang Kai Shek fled to Taiwan (which is also referred to as the ROC).
• On October 1, 1949, Mao Zedong gave a speech from the Forbidden City overlooking Tiananmen Square to establish the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

MY TRIP
Xian’s airport - my flight to Guilin is delayed - sitting in the airport listening to the various languages and dialects, again reminding me that Xian is a terminus of the Silk Road. Therefore, it should not necessarily surprise you that earlier today I was strolling through the Muslim Quarter around Xian’s Great Mosque – a 13,000 square meter Muslim/Chinese mix of architecture. As the streets grew narrower, wonderful pungent and spicy smells increased as it was near lunchtime; I saw various broths, meals, and meats being prepared. Many men with white caps worn and scraggly beards with women wearing headdresses. Xian, a city of 6 million mainly Han Chinese, has a 60,000 Muslim population.

These past two days featured highlights from 6,000 years ago (Banpo Village – an excavated ancient village) to 600 years ago as seen in the City Walls which surround central Xian and are lit up at night. The beginning of the Ming Dynasty was also represented by the Bell Tower which was used to indicate that it was morning and the drawbridge to the city could be lowered and the Drum Tower which indicated the reverse, evening.

Of course, the most famous aspect of any visit to Xian are the Terracotta Warriors from the Qin Dynasty. Given the emperor’s status, he was buried with a huge army which was only uncovered in the 1970’s. Thousands of warriors, officials, generals, horses, and even bronze chariots have been unearthed. Sometimes referred to as the Eighth Wonder of the World, it is a truly impressive sight.

The Tang Dynasty was the Golden Age as this was a relatively peaceful time and literature, poetry, and the arts flourished. Thus, I found myself one night enjoying a Tang Dynasty show of dancing, singing, and concert of traditional instruments.

The food is highlighted by Xian’s dumplings, a special type of broth, and more grains/breads than rice, as can be found throughout the north. Rice is more a southern staple.

After the sprawl of the capital and the pollution at Xian (there are various weapons factories that have been converted to car factories in these capitalist times), Guilin was an extremely pleasant change as it is a beautiful green city with lots of parks and lakes. The Li River is a popular trip to admire the karsts (limestone hills and mountains), some of whom resemble The Monkey King, the Old Woman Waiting for her Fisherman, an Elephant, etc. Four hours on the river just relaxing is an extremely good way to spend the morning.

The river trip took me to Yangshuo which is a very famous spot on the backpacker trail and for good reason – extremely laid back and beautiful. More karsts, more green than Guilin, and a small town. Walked through wet markets and around the countryside. That night, returned to Guilin and headed out to the night markets where all of Guilin was enjoying a Saturday night: karaoke on the streets, haggling for some souvenirs and presents, watching whole families enjoying the nice night.

Neither at the night market nor the next morning walking around the lake are areas where many tourists don’t go. Therefore, I was the center of attention for families: grandmothers whispering into babies ears as they looked on wide-eyed (at this weird blond pink creature!), giggling teenage girls asking if they can take a picture with me, bold college students asking if they can speak with me to practice their English, and even a whole 4th grade class surrounding me (“What’s your favorite color?” After I responded “blue” I was accosted with “My favorite color is yellow…blue…green…red… purple…” Ten minutes on they each and every one told me “Wish you a pleasant journey.”) The afternoon, I climbed up peaks for a wonderful view over the river and the city and was a spelunker in Reed Flute Cave (with lots of stalagmites and stalactites which all resembled various things, but with a decidedly Chinese theme).

Shanghai'd

The top Shanghai attractions get all the attention. They really give you a good sense of where Shanghai’s been and where it is heading. For Chinese history, Yu Yuang Garden is the place. Not only is it a classic Chinese garden, with the Old Temple, it is surrounded by a bustling market, a famous teahouse, and a stand that has the best xia long bao (Shanghai’s dumplings) in town. The Bund (Wai Tan) has its British imperialist architecture such as the Peace Hotel, Old HSBC Bank, and other stately buildings, plus Huangpu Park (which used to have an infamous “no dogs or Chinese” sign during the days of the British Concession). It looks directly across the Huangpu River at Pudong, which ten years ago was farmland, and now towers over the Bund with some of the tallest, sleekest buildings in the world like the TV tower and Jin Mao.

However, there’s so much more to see in Shanghai. There’s a great temple which houses the Jade Buddha (there’s very few Buddhist temples in China because the Communists destroyed them all – this temple was saved because they plastered pictures of Mao everywhere), Fuxing Park, the Flower Market, and shikumen (old houses). Not to mention the French Concession still has some French colonial touches (including the old French Club – now a hotel). The Art Institute is located in this Concession as well, housed in the former French Embassy. Besides the institute, there are various galleries throughout the city. The Shanghai Museum helped to teach me a tremendous amount about Chinese history through Coins, Jade, Furniture, Painting, Calligraphy, Seals, the Four Treasures of the Study, Ceramics, Bronze, Sculpture. There was also a very interesting exhibit on Tibet at the museum.

A major Shanghai pastime is shopping. Through shopping and visiting a teahouse, pearl center, and silk shop, I learned a lot about the various Chinese teas, freshwater pearls from the Yangtze River, and the silk making process. Similar to the faceoff between the Bund and Pudong, modern shopping areas (Nanjing Road, Xiantandi) do battle with traditional markets (where I used my haggling skills to buy an old seal, a traditional tea set, and a ‘30s Shanghai Girl poster). Food is also important in Shanghai and it has lots of local favorites – xia long bao, fried noodles, the ubiquitous big family style spread, and other delicacies. I relaxed as well at The Portman Ritz-Carlton (Po Tah Mah), which is very conveniently located next to shopping and the famous Shanghai acrobats plus chockfull of amenities. Friends of mine stayed at the Grand Hyatt (Jin Mao), the highest hotel in the world which has great restaurants and bars.

Shanghai nightlife is great! Unfortunately, it was really foggy so while I made it up to Cloud 9 in Jin Mao (85th floor!) did not see the view, which is supposed to be fantastic. I did have some drinks at the Peace Hotel (and caught the rickety old jazz band) and at M on the Bund (where some friends had gone for dinner). Also went to Face, a house tucked back on some nicely landscaped grounds with great decoration (think India/South East Asia, red walls, old opium den couches, incense) and trance music being spun. Anchoring Lan Kwai Fong in Shanghai is California, a funky place (dark, comfortable couches, and house music) located in Fuxing Park. Around it are Park 97 and Tokyo Joe’s (which are also in Hong Kong’s Lan Kwai Fong). No visit to Shanghai is complete without visiting Mao Ming Lu (and specifically Judy’s Too), a street of bars/clubs that is constantly being shut down by the police. Shanghai parties late and clubs include Buddha Bar/DKD, Pegasus, YY's, and there's always new ones popping up so picking up a guide to the nightlife (That's Shanghai is I think the name) is key.

Shanghai is a city of contrasts. It’s a cosmopolitan city with world class hotels, great nightlife, shopping that compares to anything in not just Hong Kong, but New York and London. It’s newer, glitzier, and flashier than any city I know. Yet, it is also a Communist country. You notice it in the presence of police and the fact that houses are razed to beautify the city (and put in parks). While it feels like you are in a capitalist society, you are in Communist China. When I was struggling to come out with something like “…when the Communists took power”, a local Shanghainese I had met filled in the words “…when the Chinese people were liberated.” I thought that exchange was very interesting, as I had just seen the Tibet exhibit in the Shanghai Museum which had noted that it was being put on to celebrate “the fifty year anniversary of when Tibet was liberated.” Ask the Dalai Lama about that one. When Beijing is awarded the Olympics in 2008 next month and when China becomes a member of the WTO by the end of this year, China’s capitalism will continue to grow and its human rights record will come under increasing scrutiny. How China handles this change will have a huge impact on the next ten years.