We decided to explore some of SE Asia by plane and train…
First stop – Bangkok – we did the usual tourist things – including a ride on the river ferry.
And a visit to the Grand Palace…
Certainly some impressive temples and statues.
Then, for something totally different, we visited the Museum of Counterfeit Goods…
It was amazing how many different lines of goods are faked – medicines, machinery and the usual merchandise…
The museum marks the genuine items with ‘G’ and the fake with ‘F’. The collection is the evidence used by the legal firm that prosecuted the counterfeiters.
We took a day trip to the ‘Bridge on the River Kwai’…
… part of the Burma-Thai Railway.
This part of the original track remains.
The Death Railway Museum was very touching – as was the cemetery.
Then, in another quirky adventure, we visited the Red Cross Snake Farm where they collect venom for treating snake bites.
The handlers keep a very close eye on the particularly venomous and agile snakes!
This cobra was particularly active on the day.
Keith was brave enough to wear this python. He said it was very heavy!
Luang Prabang was the original capital of Laos – and has some amazing temples…
Luang Prabang was the original capital of Laos – and has some amazing temples…
The detail on some of the temples is fantastic.
… more amazing temples.
… more amazing temples.
The local market was colourful.
We didn’t recognise some of the produce, but the cuisine was wonderful – influenced by the French earlier last century.
There were a wide variety of rices available – the sticky rice was the best we’ve ever tasted.
This restaurant is run for the benefit of orphans from the Vietnam war – Laos was heavily bombed by the US – and the food was great.
Keith did a cooking class at the restaurant, which he enjoyed.
The French colonial influence was also evident in the architecture…
… and in the sheer style of the town and people.
Christine enjoyed OckPopTok, an organisation that works with 16 local tribes to preserve their handicraft traditions.
The silk weaving was some of the best we’ve seen…
We both loved this wall hanging – stylish and beautifully made – but too big for our walls!
They also do beautiful basket weaving …
And the centre had excellent displays of the work available.
This Hmong lady was applying a natural ink pattern to the fabric before it is dyed a stunning indigo colour.
Each morning the monks proceed through the streets collecting alms from the locals. It is a religious ceremony, not a tourist attraction…
… and there are strict protocols governing both the giving and receiving of alms.
It appeared mainly to be cooked rice or fruit which was given. Then taken back to the monasteries for eating.
While we were at Luang Prabang, the annual boat race was on – a huge event during the wet season (hence the muddy river).
The boats raced from the Mekong around into the Nam Khan river – the whole town turned out to support their teams.
Keith did an elephant ride through the jungle…
… including a swim!
The elephant seemed to enjoy the swim as much as Keith, apparently!
The excursion included a trip to the Kuang Si waterfalls…
… and a trip to a hill tribe which distils whisky and rice wine…
… they put some weird things in the whisky, but Keith did buy a bottle of the rice wine to try. Very different!
In Vientiane, the capital of Laos, we visited the COPE centre, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to supporting the victims of UXB (unexploded bombs)…
An estimated 260 million bomblets were dropped on Laos between 1964 and 1973 – sadly 78 million failed to explode.
An estimated 260 million bomblets were dropped on Laos between 1964 and 1973 – sadly 78 million failed to explode.
This sculpture is made from war debris and shows that the victims include women and children. A sad but inspiring memory of Laos.
The wet season was well and truly in force when we arrived in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia.
The city is beginning to recover from the Khmer Rouge regime of the 1970’s…
The Royal Palace is being restored as funds become available.
We enjoyed drinks at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club – a colonial gem with views over the Mekong River
We hired a tuk-tuk and driver for the day and he insisted we wear face masks due to the air pollution…
This high school was taken over by Pol Pot’s security forces and transformed into Security Prison 21 (S-21)…
The school rooms were turned into toruture chambers and equipped with various instruments to inflict pain and suffering.
The hallways contain haunting photos of the victims…
The gallows were busy – only 7 people were alive when the Vietnamese Army liberated Phnom Penh in early 1979.
About 14km out of town are the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek where most of the 17,000 detainees held at the S-21 prison were executed…
Prisoners were often bludgeoned to death to avoid wasting precious bullets.
The memorial stupa contains more than 8,000 skulls.
After that we took a bus ride from hell to get to Siem Reap – pot holes, heavy rain, traffic accidents – we had it all.
We hired push bikes to explore Angkor Wat – a great way to get around.
The sheer scale of the area is mind boggling and every time you turn around there is another photo opportunity.
The Bayon has some 216 enormous coldly smiling faces…
The bas relief carving is astounding – it goes on for miles.
It is still a place of pilgrimage…
… although the jungle is reclaiming some of the outlying temples.
Cycling through the countryside was a great way to see the area.
From Siem Reap we took a boat ride across the Tonle Sap Lake which was really interesting…
The largest fresh water lake in SE Asia is home to some 90,000 people who live in 170 floating villages.
Waiting for the ‘bus’…
We were amazed the boat managed to plough through this water hyacinth area – with occasional stops to remove plants from the propellor!
The trip by boat to Battambang is only possible during the wet season – and it is easy to see why!
Battambang is supposed to be a charming French colonial town, but didn’t live up to its promise…
This restaurant didn’t hold much appeal to us, so we ate at the hotel’s restaurant.
But at least our hotel room was luxurious!
Our trip to Vietnam started in Ho Chi Minh city (Saigon) and the Presidential Palace brought back memories of the Vietnam War.
Now called Reunification Palace, the interior is a time warp back to 1966 when it was built…
Now called Reunification Palace, the interior is a time warp back to 1966 when it was built…
The War Remnants Museum documents the atrocities of the Vietnam war from their perspective – unique and brutal.
THAT famous photo…
… and a model of the tiger cages used to house Viet Cong prisoners.
Also, captured US Army and Airforce pieces.
Another US remnant – really messy overhead cables – but state-of-the-art fibre optics!
A more European remnant – the beautiful train station!
Hoi An is simply stunning – graceful, historic and delightful.
It is a great town to walk around…
It is a great town to walk around…
Every angle provided great opportunities for photos.
This old lady takes a lunchtime siesta.
And bicycles are everywhere.
The street vendors carry very heavy loads…
For the tourists…
The river silted up at the mouth which closed the port, but preserved the town.
The bridge was a work of art on its own!
We cycled out to the South China Sea and they had these coracles.
The countryside around Hoi An was also very interesting.
This impressive dragon bridge is at Danang.
We took a train ride from Danang to Hué…
When the train arrived there was an almighty scramble, despite there being seat allocations!
The track follows the coast and some of the scenery was spectacular.
But these fellow passengers obviously didn’t think it was worth seeing!
The Orchid Hotel in Hué was another fantastic find.
Hué was the former imperial city and construction of the moated Citadel began in 1804.
There are palaces, ceremonial halls and gardens within the 6m high, 2.5km long walls.
The interiors are spectacular…
The interiors are spectacular…
And the Gates are amazing!
Good to see the students being taught about their heritage – we found the information fascinating and spent many hours here.
This statue of Ho Chi Minh himself is at the DMZ.
They seem to be keen on dioramas and this one was a bit weird.
We also explored the Vinh Moc Tunnels – about 2km of subterranean bedrooms, meeting rooms, and even a maternity unit…
Another diorama!
This cave was used as part of the Ho Chi Minh trail to hide amunition trucks during daylight hours. US pilots tried bombing the entrance without success.
The caves at Phong Nha Ke Bang national park are certainly impressive.
Keith did an adventure day which included this cave…
… and this one…
… zip-lining across a river…
… pot-holing through another cave…
… getting VERY muddy…
… and finally a kayak trip!
Once again, the countryside was just beautiful – still using buffalo in the paddy fields.
‘This little piggy went to market…’
Another adventurous train journey – delayed for four hours, but at least no one was injured!
Hanoi has fascinating streets dedicated solely to a particular type of business.
This man was delivering toilet brushes to the brush selling shop!
Hanoi is famous for its Bun Cha (BBQ pork) and stalls are everywhere. This one was obviously well regarded!
The Vietnam Museum of Ethnology was superb and in the grounds are examples of traditional village houses.
This long house was enormous…
… and the interior was divided into separate living/activity areas.
We caught the end of a water puppet demonstration, and this was one of the musicians.
So we went to a real water puppet theatre to see what we had missed…
… but our main camera ran out of batteries so these were taken with the phone!
In the grounds of the Temple of Literature…
In the grounds of the Temple of Literature…
… and finally, the infamous Hoa Lo Prison nick-named ‘Hanoi Hilton’ by the US POWs.
Towards the end of our travels we visited Chiang Mai – a real mix of old and new.
Ornate temples…
… and old beautiful timber ones.
Trying to be artistic and colourful.
Trying to be artistic and colourful.
We visited a village of hill-tribe people and could see the different costumes the women wear…
The ladies sell woven and embroidered scarves which they make themselves.
Isn’t this lady’s head dress amazing!
But at least they benefit from modern optometry!
This girl’s head dress was made from solid silver.
And this old lady proudly shows off the results of chewing betel nut for years – red teeth and happiness!
The ‘long neck’ tribes take pride in the number of gold rings they wear…
This teenage girl has several rings on her neck as well as on the arms and legs.
Even this young girl has begun to wear them. Good to see them proudly continuing their customs.
The houses are amazing works of woven palm fronds…
… but still pretty primitive.
Christine gets some pampering before we visit Rob, Jas and Rosie in KL!
