Up River

We decide to travel by small boat - it actually is a pretty basic little craft once we get a look at it - see pics! -

up the Mekong and the Nam Ou. It is the only place still navigable by river this time of year and this determines our decision of where to head in Northern Lao. So we book a trip - 7 hours up river to Nong Kieu and plan to travel next day 1 more hour to Mong Ngoi (I think, Hata, you did this too?) The Nam Ou is such a beautiful river - tall mountains covered in palms and bamboo come down to the water, and all along the banks are temporary gardens taking advantage of the silt left by the rainy season, fenced off from water buffalo. The water comes from China and flows down the continent to the Mekong delta. We are close to the Vietnam border here.

We reach Nong Kieu around 4 - and we travellers struggle up the steep stairs to the village to find our rooms for the night.We have ditched some of our luggage at guesthouses where we will return - some in Bangkok, some in Chiang Mai so we are carrying only one shoulder bag and for this we are grateful as we see other travellers struggling with huge pacs and bags. Our guesthouse is very nice and has mosquito nets and a balcony overlooking the river.

The next morning we catch an even smaller boat to travel 1 more hour upriver -to Mong Ngoi. The village is not connected by road so there is only river access - so no cars or motorcycles at all. We walk down the main raod, past shops, past chickens, and gardens and find a guesthouse right by the river, there is a balcony, there are hammocks - an attached restaurant for 50,000 kip - which is $5.88 a night. It is cool and misty in the mornings and hot in the afternoon. This might be heaven. There are defineatly lots of backpackers but also lots of Lao life - I tell Dave that we are doing this now because we didn't do this - enough - when we were 20. We ARE the only people our age here - we mostly laze - we don't trek to hilltribe villages, nor go upriver to fish - just hang out in the hammocks. We are both reading a series of books that star a 70 year old Laotian pathologist who is plagued with psychic powers - they are funny, cynical and set in Laos - perfect - I'd say. Which also may be the reason we don't have time to trek... We spend 2 nights and reluctantly leave - back to Nong Kieu and then the following day, back to Luang Prabang.

This leg we did by truck - see pics. That is 3 hours crammed in the back with - at one point - 25 other people, 1 chicken, a baby and assorted luggage on board. I passed around oranges bought at market and we all squooze our way down the highway. Northern Lao is very beautiful - no wonder the Lao people love their country. Tall tall mountains, rice paddies, blooming tropical trees. We know, from our homesteading days, that you can have everything you need with a vegetable garden,fruit trees, chickens, a water buffalo or two, a river flowing by and majestic view.



I am lobbying Dave to delay our trip one week so we can go to the beach - if you remember - I only got a 1/2 day in and when we think how cold Sausalito will be - we feel justified to stay....

Catch up Blog - From Bangkok to Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang

Bangkok was going to be a challenge - we had never been here before but I found a great place in a little neighborhood that is so manageable - the laundry is 90 steps to the left from our guesthouse; street food is right out front along the canal; there are restaurants along the riverside; the people at the front desk are so cheerful and helpful that we decide that BKK is OK. We shop at the huge weekend market Chatachuck to find our Red Stella goods.

We left Bangkok for Chiang Mai - it was such a great return. The streets looked clean and wide - the buildings are only 2 stories. From the chaos of Bangkok we see the familiar - almost suburban Chiang Mai - this is the 3rd visit for me, second one for Dave - and it was the coming back to: where you go for skicky rice,we know the stores where we buy things and surprise - the merchants remember us!! It's been 3 years but walking the familiar streets and seeing the things that have changed - it is comforting. We stay at the same place (they have added a pool!) - Baan Orapin is an old teak house that is now surrounded by guestrooms - the owner studied architecture at Arizona State. Nice peaceful oasis in the middle of the busy city.

Soon enough, we leave for our Luang Prabang jag - we fly from CM to LP - we had never been before and it is an incredibly beautiful city (World Hertiage) The French were here with their architecture (think Indochine) and it is a pennisula between two rivers - the lovely Mekong and a river flowing into it - I cannot imagine a more beautiful town There are 43 temples (called wats) and every morning the monks walk out to collect their daily food from the devoted. See pics.

It is actually a bit of a tourist zoo ( some quite aggressive - I think it is the French!). However is also evocative and special. Just a block away from the main road, the monks return back to their wat and this looks like it must have - no tourist cameras, just old ladies giving rice to the orange clad monks - beautiful!

We are here for a few days - mostly go out in the mornings, sleep during the afternoons (it's hot) and have G&Ts, then dinner at night, watching the sun go down over the Mekong.

Dawn Chorus in Chiang Mai

Dave says:
One of the things I really enjoy about travelling is awaking to the foreign sounds of whatever country we may be in. In Sri Lanka it was both Buddhist and Muslim prayers being broadcast from the neighboring temples. Preceding this, though, always seems to be a chorus of roosters - and I like this because it reminds me of our life in Bodega. Sometimes the rooster, especially on full moon nights, decides to start at about 3 AM but when he hears no response he decides maybe he should get back to the roost. I, on the other hand, am now completely wide awake. I bring this all up because here in Chiang Mai there seems to be a unique difference in the creature. For those who remember the classic cartoon, 'Lady and the Tramp', you will recall some of Tramps buddies serenading the couple. I believe it may have been a quintet. Right behind our hotel appears to be the equivalent to Ladysmith Black Mambazo. There must be at least 20 dogs ranging from baritone to soprano and even falsetto, some in the bark tone and others in the howl. It generally starts about 5AM with a soloist howler that laments for about 5 minutes and then as if being conducted everybody else joins in for their part. This continues maybe 20 minutes and then, again as if a conductor has given his command, they all come to rest. It amuses us no end because we remember this from 3 years ago here, and we are generally early risers, but the overheard comments from new guests ... well sometimes we have to bite our tongues to stop from laughing. Maybe an hour after our lot has stopped we hear another chorus - just the same - from further down the street. Obviously another neighborhood with there own choir. Anyway, it will be nice to hear roosters again - maybe when we get down to the coast.

This is a little out of order and Bettysue can catch you up on Laos and I have a few observations about eating in Thailand, but for that you will have to wait just a little.

Oh Hideous beastie

For your viewing pleasure!

Elaine Benes in Thailand?

I am pursued and horrified by a mannequin that is everywhere I look in Thailand. I can't stand it - Bettysue warns me when we are approaching one so that I can look in the opposite direction. Those who remember the Elaine Benes mannequin episode of Seinfeld will perhaps understand this, but I wonder about the fixation the maker of this mannequin has. She looks like she was at a Full Moon Ecstacy Rave at Phuket. Sometimes she even has rainbow hair! If there was one thing I could change about Thailand it would be the elimination of this creature - and just for good measure, her creator and model. Chiang Mai is wonderful after Bangkok ... very laid back and clean. We have revisited some old friends - the noodle soup man across the road, vendors at the night market, and our non kick boxing masseuses. We are here for a couple of more days and then off to Laos for 10 days before we work our way back to Chiang Mai and Bangkok.

Back In Thailand

OK - we are back in Thailand. Bangkok was busy and productive for us at the Chatachuck market, though we will have to return there when we are done up here in the North. My first Thai massage in many years proved to be excruciatingly painful, all the time the pint-sized masseuse was nodding with a huge grin on her face, "Is good?" I, of course, was nodding back with what I hoped would pass for a grin, " Yes, yes", not wanting to appear a crybaby. When it was over I found out she was also an exhibition kick-boxer.

Hooray Thailand!!

Bettysue says: Hooray - we are back in Thailand - we are feeling good - acclimated to the heat - not jetlagged and everything seems a little more familiar - we were a little concerned about being in Bangkok - it is the first time for us and everyone said - so congested! - so busy! but even though more people in Sri Lanka could understand us (English is taught in the schools and they have about 98% literacy), somehow it seems easier to find what we need - there is more infrastructure for tourists, maybe. There is a little less tourists - people got scared off because of the airport closure in December - but I figure if we braved the Tamil tigers, what are a little peaceful protesters?


We found our ride to the hotel just fine but I was just a bit stressed because Sri Lanka airlines sent my bag on to Hong Kong and I faced the prospect of losing all of my clothes! But, at 1:45am we had a knock at the room door and my bag had returned to us! So, the first day we headed off to see Jim Thompson's house - it's a strange story about this American but basically he had a very beautiful teak house built and filled it with Asian beautiful objects - he is gone but they have tours of his house. We loved it all and were filled with envy - want that - want this! It's funny but most things don't inspire this craving - we kinda feel that we have had enough - big houses, land, etc and we now don't really want much more. However, we did feel this want and need for a beautiful tropical Asian style house.


We had our first sticky rice and mango and it was wonderful. Then we headed for Khao San Road. It's a legend and you really can't say - I have been to Thailand 3 times but I have never seen Khao San Road. Uhm, now we have seen it and now we know what we haven't missed. I did get some knit pants (brown) and a teeshirt top - more travel clothes.

Today, we went to the Chakachak weekend market - huge huge market with anything you can imagine for sale. We were looking for hilltribe textiles and silver and mostly noting what we can get here if we don't see it in Chiang Mai.


And, we made the decision to return to Bangkok after Chiang Mai and before returning to San Francisco. We like our guesthouse and the neighborhood (our neighborhood now). Not many tourists around - it's near the river and we have been to 2 riverside restaurants within walking distance - great food - fish - huge prawns for under $10 - can't get that in SF!


I have had a foot massage already and I am now looking at Dave getting a full massage from the same lady that hurt me yesterday! I have to say that it was the most intense massage ever but my legs and feet felt like they were not there afterwards. Maybe Dave will feel like his body has disappeared!


Our guesthouse is so cute - it is 'artsy' - I guess - you can see it if you go to www.phranakorn-norlen.com - people are really nice and there are a number of people with little children - babies and toddlers - I have to admire the energy it would take to travel with little ones in this climate - and what do you do? - hit the city parks!


We return to the Chatachak market tomorrow - we lasted only 4 hours today and then, we leave for Chiang Mai on Monday. We have a dinner date with Janah (and Brady) - meeting at a riverside restaurant just down the street from our hotel that evening. Always so much fun to meet up with friends half way around the world!


Hey tomorrow is Sunday and HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAN! Many happy returns and all - I think we should start celebrating your day first thing - whilst you sleep.

No pics this time - will post some next time. More from the north....