What makes Laos special

Here we go, why did I love so much this country whereas I just went there because it was part of the South east Asia package?

Some things I've already mentioned, the country is really laid-back and it has gorgeous scenery.

But Laos is also:

Being awaken every morning by cockerels. Actually these lovely stupid animals do not start to sing when the sun rise but well before as some of them started as early as 2.30 am.

Starting to believe in Buddha as the drivers of buses do when they take over cars without any sight what is coming after the curve. Almost all my bus drives have a funny story attached to it: I got a flat tire when the bus was overtaking a truck with the flashlight of a car coming in opposite direction it is time to be back on your lane; one day our bus was cruising so slowing that I thought it would take me 10 hours to do 300 kms when two buses overtook it and it started to drive like crazy (80 kms even in curves) because he feared the other buses would steal its customers on the way, all locals were looking anxious and I was not so comfortable as well; another one the driver damages so much the cooling system of the engine that we had to change bus.

Asking for some food and getting something else (for instance once I ordered noodles with vegetables and I got them but I also had sticky rice (it must be my English pronunciation). By the way this is not so typical Laos since I've had similar experiences in Holland.

The smile of the people when you tell them sabai-dii. Some children are just so funny they keep saying sabai-dii and laughing when you reply to them. Playing the catapult with children in the Mekong. They never stop and that's when you realise you are not so fit anymore

Having a haircut with a hairdresser who does not speak a word of English (not even the word short!!!) and who decided to cut just the front so I looked like a 1980's rocker after the cut (and I just realised later on)

Paying everyday 5,000 chicken for a bottle of water (the Laos currency is the kip which means chicken in Dutch)

The lousy and loud music in the buses that they import from Thailand. And they never stop it, even at 4.am in the morning!!!! (by the way, this music is worse than Celine Dion!!)

All of this contributes to make Laos special and explain why it is my favourite country so far.

Travel mates and food

Before I always said my trip would depend mostly on people I would meet and these four weeks in Laos have just been that.
In Vietnam and Cambodia I followed my own plan and although I met great people there as well I preferred to follow my own route than to change and go with them (especially in Cambodia when I headed Eastwards by myself but the time I had there proved me right to do so).

In Laos I did not really have any plan and the people I met were in line with Laos: Relaxed and flexible. Our favourite activity (next to the bikes) was to get a bungalow with a nice view and a hammock, swim in the Mekong or the Nam Ou and have a good lunch/diner.
Actually outside Ventiane and Luang Prabang the food has been quite a challenge. It seems that the locals prefer the intestine and that kind of things than the meat we are used to. They also like lizards, and all sorts of nice rodents and fertilised eggs (I have never been so happy to be allergic to eggs, that was my best excuse not to taste).

Overall I had quite some dodgy meals (see my last day) and this is the least good food i had since I started the trip. But funny enough if Laos is the place where bread is not as good as Cambodia and especially Vietnam (best food so far) the bakeries in Luang Prabang and Ventiane are really good good: I remember the chocolate cake of LP as well as the pain of chocolat and chausson aux pommes from Ventiane, DELICIOUS. One side story, I saw also Scandinavian and Australian bakeries and I have to say that if they are not as bad as I assumed they would be, they are really not as good as ours (I know, I am so French sometimes :-).
Two more specialties of Laos are the Lao Beer than you cannot miss with its big yellow signs and the Lao Lao, the local "whisky" which is a pretty certain way to get a hangover.


I've noticed that if you cross a border with a group of people you keep following them in the country. You usually end up bumping into them by chance and I was lucky. Overall I did not spend a day by myself in Laos. I's like to introduce them to you:
Sergi y Rebeca (left hand pic) are not only among the most laid back persons I've ever met, they helped me to learn my first basics of Spanish; I still have a bit more than 6 months to learn the rest before practicing in South America. I already had jokes on my accent since it seems the French are usually unable to do the Spanish r (rouler les r),
Thanks to Max & Geraldine (pic in middle) I know could go by myself in some remote places (Tha Kaek or Udomxai) and still bump into them and really have a great time (see last day in Laos),
With Catherine and Hariet we traded bug fighting against chicken protection and had really nice time in quiet Nong Khiaw,
The Dutchies of the Cambodia-Laos border crossing team advised me to go to the amazing waterfall near Luang Prabang and girls I cannot thnak you enough for that that was sooooo nice,
Thanks to Emma and Philip (right hand pic, in the bus) I had these two intense motorbike days to the pure saphir lake and the Kong Lo cave through the magnificent karts limestone of Central Laos.

Thanks to you all, if I enjoyed Laos so much I owe it a lot to you and I hope our travel/life paths will cross again.

Laos: Motorbike chronicles

Laos is a full of stunning scenery and the best to enjoy them is by motorcycle. Although I was an absolute novice I had a fast learning curve because I rented a bike 3 days and rode 400 kms (much more than the 120 kms in my whole life before).

For me, the difficulties on the bike are many:
first the bike itself, when it is not Japanese, can be dodgy. It seems that each time I rent one, the quality is going down. The one before last had barely any brakes, the mirrors would swing inside as soon as I had speed and the "tenue de route" was more than questionable (maman, quand tu liras ca, ne t inquiete pas car j adapte ma conduite et je fais tres attention).

The roads: honestly they are on average good and definitively better than what is written in travel guides. But as soon as you leave the main roads the quality drops: so far I have ridden on good roads, average roads with small stones (graviers), dirt road, dirt road full of wholes and stony roads.
the driver is not experienced; and that shows when I took my first real curve the day I had decided to start a big loop of 350 kms by myself, I tried to gear down when I was already in the curve and the bike decided to lie. Nothing serious, a good warning and some scratches on both palms. I then changed my plans and stayed instead with Emma and Philip with who we rode the following two days.

The animals; well, I really wonder why they cannot do it in another way but many animals (dogs, chickens, cows, goats and even pigs) try to commit suicide by running at the last minute in front of my bike; actually one chicken even hit my bike and luckily I did not see it coming (otherwise I would probably have felt trying to avoid it) and just hit my bike instead of me over running it. Beginner's luck I guess. Anyway I elect the chicken the most stupid animals on earth, here they are even more ridiculous because they miss many feathers.
all unforeseen events like: riding by night when we came out too late of the 7kms long cave (which we went through on a boat, that was really cool and kind of mystic); the funny thing in here is that animals stay outside and sometimes they decide to sleep on the road and when it is combined with poor lights on the bikes (actually the one of the Swedish couple was not even working they used my lamp fiets to be seen) the 10 kms we had to do in the dark felt much more to us than 10 kms. another foreseen even is a flat tyre (still with the Swedish couple) so I rode the bike a couple of kms on a dirt rode with my back tyre flat


But overall I really love it, this is both thrilling and fun and the locals are really helpful when the bike breaks down (the flat tyre was a good example, we were surrounded by the local kids of the small village and workers on the way stopped to help us). If I go back to Laos (I want to but if I say it for each country I go to, I also have so many more to visit) I will go through it on a bike.

Anniversaire avant l heure

Today is labor day but traveling is not really about resting especially when we (Sergi y Rebeca that I travel with since a week) had decided to ride 180 kms with the motorbike so we were outside at 7 am.
The menu of the day was a waterfalls in the morning and then temples for the afternoon. I was not really so comfortable to ride so much since it is only the second time that I ride a motorbike. Even was super-ego agreed with me since I dreamt last night that I arrived at a scene of a car crash where 7 people died (don't ask me why my brain produced this I have no idea except that it meant be careful) last but luckily roads in Laos are "good" quality. What was not welcome were the showers that confirm that we have entered the rainy seasons. I got soaked a couple of time today and sometimes the rain felt like hail and slapped the face.
Despite this I had a fantastic day, I saw some stunning waterfalls, some wonderful views of the Mekong...

I really enjoyed riding and cherry on the cake I had a birthday cake from Sergi y Rebeca before they took off to Ventiane in the VIP night bus.

This day sums up pretty well what I live for almost two months now:
1) Do unusual things that I would probably not dare to try at home,
2) Visit some beautiful sites and soak beautiful sceneries,
3) Meet some great people from all over the world and knowing I will see them again.

This was my birthday one day in advance.

Tomorrow, I will be in a bus most of the day to go to Tha Khaek, where few travelers go but where a I expect to trek a couple of days and probably ride a motorbike again.

The weeks of the unusual (for me)

My first Koniginnedag missed in the last five years, I hope the amsterdamers are enjoying it as usual and I wish for them they had the same weather as here.
Long silence on the blog but after leaving Phnom Penh I realised that having Internet is not given to everyone. I have put 2 new albums in the pics but no time for the comments.

Before starting, just try to guess how many people managed to travel on the outside of this pick up for 4 hours...(answer later in the post)

The past two weeks have been really good, maybe they are a bit like the "honeymoon of the trip" when everything I tried turned out right.

First I have tasted the crispy cricket (miam miam, it was good; just kidding, actually no taste at all). Unfortunately there was no spider but I still have most to Laos to find one. I have also learned to cook the Amok chicken (a kind of mild curry with coconut milk) and fresh springrolls, look the picture it was a real "festin" (I had to make a 3 hours siesta to digest).

Two weeks ago was the Khmer New Year. Since all families reunite in the country side it is pretty difficult for tourists to really be apart of the celebration (it is a kind of Christmas for them). Luckily the wats (Buddhist temples) organise events that look like kermisses. I happened to be at one and go attacked by kids with white powder. Later on as we passed by a small village with my guide we got invited by a group of drunk men for a couple of beers, we had a very nice time with them.

In Mondulkiri, I had the opportunity to meet the NGO crowd that deals mainly with helping the local minorities and protect the jungle and wildlife. Mondulkiri is really beautiful and I had a great time there: riding a mortorbike on my own for the 1st time (had to go through a road full of rocks and that was scary); doing a two days trek through the jungle being attacked by leeches, walking through rivers, staying in a village in the middle of the forest, riding an elephant on its neck (having (almost) nowhere to hold yourself), having a shower under a waterfall.

I am now in Laos for almost a week and I can confirm all the rumors about this country, it is totally relaxed. People are so easy going that after a few days you take their pace and days go by and you wonder how it is possible since you have done (almost) nothing. The typical Laos experience is stay in a bungalow with a view on the Mekong or in the countryside, trek or bike in the morning, lunch, rest, have a swim (in the Mekong), go for a beer, a diner etc... but not too late since around 10 pm you are almost the only one still awake. That is for Don Det in the 4,000 islands. The same applies without the Mekong parts to Tad Lo in the Bolaven Plateau where I spent the last days.

Some other funny things en vrac:
Wash your clothes in the Mekong, they end up more muddy than before you wash them,
Following a buffalo in the dark on the only path on the island to go back to your bungalow, hoping he will not stop otherwise that means you cannot pass,
Going through a land border even if you have to pay $1 at both borders (Cambodia and Laos) for the workers to play cards with it,
Riding in a bus that even the iron scrapper in Europe would refuse,
Getting stuck in Snoul where you realise what in the middle of nowhere means.

Finally what I preferred in the last two weeks is this: the 4.30h journey between Snoul and Sen Monorom on the supposedly the worst road in Cambodia.
This is how the truck was loaded: the boxes with the water to keep the fishes fresh and alive pic at start of post), then the vegetables, then the bags ...

and then the 22 passengers (and I do not count the two chickens and the scooter). Yes, 22, it was so great, I could not fall since three persons were sitting on my feet, I was myself sitting half on a rope and the other half on what I assumed to be a melon; and although the trip was far from comfortable (wihtou mentionning that I was red with dirt and dust at the end) the views and the experience would not make me doubt about doing it again if I could.

After a week at the Southern Laos pace I will now move north to visit caves and try to do a 4 days trek in the jungle.
Considering Internet access, I think the next post will only be early June; I'll make a big update on Laos then.

Last week in Vietnam and first one in Cambodia

It is a while I could update my blog and i have done so much since then:
Saigon where I had a lot of fun sitting at the back of a motorcycle,
Phnom Penh where one could feel the interesting (and daunting) Cambodian recent history
Battambang and some off beaten track temples before riding on a bamboo train
and the amazing temples of Angkor

I have put the albums on the left (some just as hyperlink not to slow down too much the site).

The last two weeks have been really good, I have enjoyed my last days in Vietnam and I dived into Cambodia from the first moment.
Saigon is really a Western city so apart from the War Remnant museum (about the Vietnam War) there is nothing really attracting with regard to architecture or historical buildings. But the thing to do in Saigon is to get on a motorbike and go into the traffic. I went a bit outside the center just to experience it and I made videos here, here and here. This is so fun in real, much more than it looks on the videos (and I find them already good) because this is all around you like on the video. This is difficult to know how there are so few accidents (I did not see any) because with the sheer amount of bikes it is a complete chaos. It is so much that tourists who arrive in Saigon find it very hard to cross roads (and I do not exaggerate)

Next thing was my homestay during one night when I was in the Mekong delta. The delta itself can be very nice when you cruise on small rivers (see album Saigon & Mekong delta) but my homestay was my best time. I was in a small village where the family is used to welcome tourists (there were many beds for tourists) but luckily I was the only one that night. I then had rice wine with locals and later on I had a delicious local diner prepared by the grand-ma of the place and I played cards with the little kids (they were designing techniques in Vietnamese to cheat and beat me). That was a very good evening and the next day I left very early by boat so I could see the morning lights on the river.


We crossed the border on the Mekong and I feared the customs would be bothering us. Que neni they did not even have a look at our bags (they stayed on the boat while we went to the desk) so we could have smuggled in whatever we wanted. Anyway it was a funny experience.

Cambodia is a country full of contrasts. On the one hand it is really poor, many beggars sit in the streets and some buildings are in a desperate state (remember, Phnom Penh remained empty for 3 years when the Khmer Rouge emptied it from its 3 mln inhabitants when they took power); on the other hand you see big 4*4 and many guarded villas so obviously there are some Cambodian who enjoy a luxury life. You can also find many Westerner brands in the supermarkets whereas this was not the case in Vietnam. Second contrast is between the terrible recent history (the torture camp S21 of the KR in PP is really interesting, check pics (from p35 in PP album) as well as the killing caves (p18 in Battambang album)) and how Cambodian people are truly friendly. They are really less "aggressive" than the Vietnamese even when they try to sell you something and they smile all the time.

Finally the Khmer art is really nice and impressive: check the picture of the Royal Palace in the Phnom Penh album and the Angkor temples. Regarding the latter I was a bit cautious of again one must-see site. I still have the experience of Halong Bay where I have to admit I was slightly disappointed. But here it is absolutely not the case I was really impressed and the temples are amazing. If you like this type of historical visit then you have to make a trip to Cambodia.



One funny experience I had was the Bamboo train close to Battambang. I have made a video here of the ride and another one when two trains meet. The idea of this train is to take a bamboo platform, lay it on two set of wheels, get one engine and the whole set is easily disassembled when you meet other trains on the track (there is just one track).

After a week here I really think Cambodia is a fantastic place, one that is 100 times worth visiting and I am convinced this will, explode as a prime tourists destination in the coming years (remember that fights just stopped in 1998 when Pol Pot died).

I will now head to the east of the country to less-traveled roads and then into Laos. Before that the Khmer New Year starts in 2 days for three days of celebrations (it seems you get water-attacked during the celebrations).

Dalat, its surroundings and the easy riders

More than 3 weeks in Vietnam so far and the 3 days trip with motorbike guides (called Easy riders) finished to convince me this was a nice country. The negative impression of Hanoi (see with my European eyes instead of viewing it as a traveller) is totally erased and I really enjoy myself here.

Pity this is almost the end but there are 11 months and probably as many countries remaining to visit (from the original 10 I will probably add Bolivia and Peru following advice from other travellers). I still have more the feeling to be on vacations that on a world trip but many other people told me they had the same feeling at the start. When I go from countries to countries I will definitively realise.

The easy riders took me and my fellow traveller Jasmijn to the Central Highlands with the aim of showing us how locals live and to off-beaten tracks. Indeed, we haven't seen a tourist the last two days. Our guides were very nice and we could really speak about anything (including politics, the first time in this country). I really learned a lot and the landscapes were well worth it. Check the pictures called easy riders.

I have added also two new slideshows: Hue and Hoi An in "getting into Vietnam" (see post below) and "Jungle Beach" where I really relaxed. Jungle Beach, whom I heard on the road is basically a place far from the tourists spots where the water is blue like I had never seen with my own eyes before and where the important questions sound like :Do I go for a nap or for a swim? Furthermore they were very nice people and I ended staying 5 days instead of two.



Finally I want to show you the fashion I have started: the layer tan

Probably my next post will be once I am in Phnom Penh (it takes so much time to upload and put comments on piuctures) and luckily I will have beautiful pictures from the Mekong Delta.

Thanks for all your comments/messages/suggestions and sorry that I do not answer more. I hope I can share a bit this already great experience with you.

Travellers, get your backpack!!!

Next to my impressions about Vietnam I met so many travellers that I cannot help thinking about you all back in Europe who told me you would like to travel. Here are a couple of people i met:
-An American couple who were on the road for 17 months and had visited 28 countries,
-A kiwi couple touring South East Asia for a couple of months before heading to live in Berlin,
-A mother where her own parents (age: 60) backpacking a couple of weeks in Vietnam,
-A Belgian couple with their 13 months (Caludine/Tom c est pour vous!!) touring South East Asia before visiting Eastern Europe with a van.

And so many solo travellers (ranging from 20 to 60) doing the South East package (Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam), or adding India/Nepal to it. And many of them having actually quit their job.

The point of this is not make you quit yours but just to confirm that travelling many months has nothing exceptional and that if you really want it, it can certainly happen :-)

I hope I have convinced a few undecided.

Getting into Vietnam

It's been now 2.5 weeks down the road and because I cannot upload pictures I would like to quickly share my feelings so far.
I realised that my first post was rather negative and I reckon it was simply the culture shock (especially because Hanoi offers rather the negative side of Vietnam (messy, dirty, people harassing you to sell something and not as nice as Vietnamese in the South)) but this is now over.

Over the past 10 days I realised that I need to be in phase with Vietnam and it starts with adapting myself with the time here: Vietnam wakes up at 5.30 (before the sun gets too strong) and school children are all out at 6.30 etc.. Just by doing this I have been able to see more of the life here like sun rises, kids biking to school or Vietnamese exercising in the morning.

I also have been able to meet more locals which is always a good sign. Bus rides are very helpful for that. I had three funny ones: 1) a 16h night seeting bus being the only non-Vietnamese 2) one to come to Dalat through a new road that is actually not finished yet and 3) a "sleeping" night bus ride in which my legs did not fit and during which I realised that the roads in belgium are actually in a pretty good state.

Overall I think Vietnam is a good first destination because is it still pretty easy (with regards to accomodation and food especially) while I heard from fellow travellers that Laos and Cambodia will be more challenging. I should be in Cambodia (crossing the border on the Mekong river) probably in about a week.
It is hard to tell if I really like Vietnam because I simply had to adapt to many new things that probably I did not enjoy the country as much as I should and I cannot compare it to any similar country (yet). Landscapes are nice (beautiful beaches and I am about to visit the hills) but the fact that the country is so disorganised and therefore you cannot do much by yourself bothers me. I love just getting lost in the streets but here you always get a motorbike approaching you.
The real Vietnam should have been visited 10 years ago and if you plan to visit it do it quickly otherwise you will just see concrete everywhere (the pace at which they build is sadly very fast).

I hope to be able to post pics of Hué (nice), Hoi An (very disappointing because far too touristic and especially to much set up as the Westerners want it to look like) and Jungle Beach where I have spent 5 wonderful relaxing days.

First week: Impressions

This is now a week that I left and I am still into the integration period (trying not to get screwed/scammed, getting my first words of Vietnamese, etc...): have a look at the album Vietnam: Hanoi and Halong Bay (upper right) for the pics and most of the comments.

The best so far has undoubtedly been the food: This is really excellent (springrolls or squid here are fantastic) ; first I stuck to restaurants only but now I try from time to time street shops: I never know what I eat but it is always good. Next time I'll take pictures.
One very nice thing I enjoy is bargaining. I never really thought I would like it but if you don't do it, they really screw you so bargaining becomes a game and sometimes I even go to shop just to see how I could get their first quote down.

The worst has been the hassling by taxis and motorbikes trying to give you rides all the time. With the backpack on, you look like the perfect target for them and it is even worse when you get off of any public transport.

I had the junior traveler experience last sunday when I had forgotten to change my clock from Hong-Kong time and because of that I was certain I did not have time to visit the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum whereas the locals told me I could do it. They must have taken me for a fool!!
Another mistake is the clothes I packed: I am equipped for a 30 degrees climate not a 15ish with lihgt rain but this is easily adjustable.

Since the weather has been too close to what I had in Amsterdam I'm going South to Hué et Hoi An in order to get the sun. I hope I'll be able to have pics with blue sky in the next post.