Day 155: A day at the races

It was ladies' day at the races - but not quite as you may know it. There were no hats, no handbags and no horses - we were in Pak Ou for the provincial boat races.

The boat races themselves involve two teams of between 20 and 30 men in brightly coloured shirts rowing vigerously in longboats (very long boats) down a strech of the Mekong past the crowded banks of locals cheering, banging drums and drinking beer lao. But that is just the reason for the parties that were breaking out along the water.

Jeff and I, on thinking we'd found a bar set up on the river side - there was a large number of beer crates, a spit-roast pig, a huge ice bucket and chairs and tables under a gazebo - enquired after a beer. We were invited to sit down and thus joined the work-day-out of the local electicity board who did not thereafter allow our glasses to be empty; apart from, that is, after cheers-ing and shouting 'muut!' which means just that; empty.

We spent the day meeting the friends and families of our hosts and through one man that spoke the best English we were introduced to wives, daughters, sons, a friend that worked in construction ("he build that bridge!"), a man that made furniture ("you want chair?"), and a lady that ran a guest house in Luang Probang ("you stay with me now, na?").

It was such a show of the famous Laos friendliness. I think this will be the main thing I miss about travelling in Asia. Imagine turning up to the Thames on the Cambridge/Oxford boatrace day and spending the whole day eating and drinking with perfect strangers who insisted on not accepting any money ("your our friends, your with us, now you pay nothing") and even going on to drive us home and invite us to stay in their luxury guest houses. It just wouldn't happen, which is a shame.

We managed to drag ourselves away for just long enough to buy cakes for the children as a thank you and by the time it was dark and we were driving home it is safe to say we were pretty drunk - it was a truely unexpected and wonderful day.

Day 113-114: Boat trippin and Smokin' Pot

It's become something of a recurring theme on this trip that the unplanned things, the spur-of-the-moment decisions, the yeah - let's just go for it 's that provide some of the most magical times.

This was the case when we decided we'd been on enough buses for a while and opted to take the long way round from Siem Reap to Battambang; by boat.

On purchasing the tickets we'd received a number of different estimates regarding the trip time. Some came in at a speedy 4 hours while others pitched in at closer to 8; everyone agreed it depended on the season, no-one was able to confirm whether travelling the route in the rainy season (as we were) actually made it faster or slower.

None the less we set off early and made ourselves comfortable on the roof of the boat (as you do) with the luggage in the morning sun. We quickly met some fellow travelers and shortly after introductions we were all happily sweating profusely together as we sailed through whole communities floating on the banks of the river under the clearest blue sky we had seen since Vietnam.

Nine hours (and for 365's new best friend, Steve, a t-shirt tan to end all t-shirt tans) later with sore arms from waving to children on the bank and shouting 'hello!' we were still none the wiser as to whether that was faster or slower than it was meant to be. What we did know was that tomorrow our extended group of friends would be taking a cooking class together at the fantastically named Smokin' Pot restaurant.

The day began with a trip to the market to buy our supplies with our knowledgeable and super-chilled out host, Vannak. First we made the traditional Khmer dish, Amok; a creamy coconut and chili dish served with big chunks of veg and rice. Please note, how happy Rob (above, far right) looks at the consumption of this dish.

Then, when I was definitely too full to eat any more, we made the spicy beef [tofu for me] stir-fry with basil and chili. This was a simple 4-minute frying wonder of a dish that was based around the same paste we'd made for the Amok, but with a few added extras. Here Rob decided to "do it like to locals"and on ascertaining that Vannak would usually add 10 chilis to his, decided to follow suit. Please note how Rob looked after finishing this dish (below).

Definitely, definitely too full to possibly continue we moved onto the final dish of the day; a chicken [veg] soup. A simple soup with a fresh citrus flavour that, it's safe to say; finished us off.

Vannak gave us a great recipe booklet - so expect a re-run of the above events when we return home - and we slumped helplessly into afternoon naps.

Day 85: Karsts and kayaks and other things

If we thought that leaving India meant waving goodbye to long journeys...and we definitely did think that we were waving goodbye to long journeys...we were sorely mistaken. And I use the word 'sorely' in the truest sense of the word.

Here Team 365 would like to impart a newly learned bit of travel advice; those of European proportions should not contemplate travelling in any sort of comfort in vehicles designed for tiny Vietnamese folk. Those of, say, Scandinavian proportions should consider a double leg amputation before contemplating fitting into a "sleeper" or "semi-sleeper" vessel.

Anyway. A leg-cramping 22 hours later we had arrived on Cat Ba Island; our chosen gateway to the beautiful 1,553 square kilometers of Karst islets that is Halong Bay.
We secured ourselves a lovely room with a stunning view of the harbour and then arranged ourselves onto a tour that meant we would spend the minimum amount of time in the afore mentioned room. That's how we roll.

As soon as we departed it was clear that this was going to be a very special day indeed. Our boat passed through Lan Ha Bay - a landscape that contrasted the greenest of seas with sheer rock faces that stood precariously balanced on eroded bases. Even above the boat engine the sounds of the many species of wildlife that live there were audible.


We sailed on. Past caves with gravity-defying stalactites and, after stopping for a delicious lunch, onto one of the many desserted white sand beaches dotted around. Apart from the other guests on our boat, we had the place to ourselves - a far cry from some of the nightmare tales we had heard about those who had taken backpacker-tours from hostels in Hanoi.

And so we threw ourselves (and eachother) overboard and explored the mollusc-coated coves until it was time to sail through more stunning scenery, past 'floating villages' and onto the dubiously-named kayak farm. They weren't exactly farming kayaks in the traditional sense of the word but they did let us have one until our arms were sore.

Somehow in and amongst all the sights and sounds a whole day had passed and we were soon back at our hotel; elated, exhausted and extremely satisfied with another wonderful day.

Day 47&48: The boat that rocked

"All aboard!" was the captain's call
And on the Ushas stood one and all
We were ready to depart
From the dock and into the heart

Of Kerala's back waters - but it wasn't easy
To negotiate our trip with 'agents'; dishonest and sleazy
But a deal had been made and we meandered out
To see what the fuss was all about

The river network there was vast, some narrow and winding
Some busy and wide, as we were finding
Along the banks, life went on as normal
Kids went to school in uniforms so cute and formal

Menfolk fished, to catch what they could
And animals grazed while palm trees stood
And swayed in the breeze, calm as if sleeping
Until the monsoon came and they seemed to be weeping

On the upper deck we passed the day
Travelling in the most relaxing way
Drinks were prepared and delicious food served
We felt like stars; much more than we deserved

After dinner, a glorious sunset
We toasted, with beers, to the great friends we'd met
It was over to soon though, all did agreee
And by early next morning; back to reality

Such "once in a life time" events, we're happy to say
Seem to be coming thick and fast, our way
But we treasure each one, and thank you for reading
Because who knows which way our next adventure is leading?