Amazing Laos heading North
Arriving in Laos and reading and hearing so many stories from the most beautiful places to go here I decided to move even further north what Carlos didn’t like so much, because he is now interested in these amazingly beautiful beaches we heard about further south. We made some three days travel together the three of us and Carlos decided to go back. Up here is jungle, mist, hills and wet season. So everyday rain and sometimes hard, two weeks ago so many places were flooded here next to Mekong river and others.
Here in Laos people are very friendly, smiling a lot, kind and polite though prices raised quite much for a developing country. They received a lot of help from other countries and about 600 NGOs work here in this decelerated country. Buddhism is their religion and orange robed monks receive food and shelter for free, it is a good omen if you can help these dedicated believers.
Laos has one of the highest percentages of country surface covered with real national parks or woods in general. There is almost no garbage thrown away next to the road and eco-tourism booms. There is only one place that reminds me of touristy islands in Greece and drunken tourists are as common here, Vang Viang.
Moving northern shows the mystic beauty of this mountain dominated region. Ranges of steep mountains are slashed and burned, which leaves a typical landscape. We are fascinated every day once more of these impressions.
We have been into a water cave and slept in unbelievable places, everyday camping eating domestic fruits and vegetables like Rambutan or wild varieties of cucumber. We crossed muddy and steep roads and also sometimes without road at all. We booked adventure holiday and expected to little.
Luang Prabang finally 380 km north of the capital Vientane and one week later is a UNESCO World Heritage town. It lies at the delta of Nam Khan into the Mekong River and is residence of many different former tribal people as well as monks living in one of the uncountable monasteries and temples. Its laotic or buddhistic flair mixed with colonialistic influence is extraordinarily picturesque. This is our last broadband touristic stop as we will go northern and another way back.
Some places close to Vietnam War were carpet-bombed during the war and many UXOs (unexploded ordnance) still explode nowadays in north eastern territories, were we decided not to camp nor leave main roads when we cross it.
I hope I will catch Carlos on his way at some point; we once had in our minds to travel together till his hometown in the Andes of Argentina…
Bangkok
I arrived in Bangkok one day late and I enjoyed cycling from the airport the 46 km to downtown even after two nights of miserable very little sleep. I was driving on the highway in the morning and people were polite, no honking, no cutting, no unsuspected turns or whatever so far. I also finally met Carlos downtown who already got to know the city. We stayed a couple of days and even this was dangerous for financial terms. Things here are cheaper, especially electronic equipment.. We’ve been to the biggest malls in my life, or actually mall complexes, one next to the other, one fancier than the other. Bangkok is an impulsive city, people friendly and quite used to tourists. Chinatown was impressing with all the light and different smells again. Many buddhistic temples and pagodes loll in the blue sky. I will pass there again anyway on my way back from my unexpected detour to Laos and Cambodia.
Carlos met one more German cyclist in Nepal and he was also with us in Bangkok. We decided to go north to Laos, where we would head somehow to Cambodia and from then on coastline and some islands till Singapore.
India Review
People
India is a multi talented country, it is rich in colours and people. You can find the poorest and the wealthiest, beggars and bogglers. The new generation is on the move and computerisation striking. Some of the best computer engineers are Indian being needed by many industrialised countries.
Big technical schools are everywhere, bookshops full with proper lecture and courses offered. Education generally here is not to bad as most children in rural areas finish at least primary school, mostly even secondary. Helping programmes introduced by NGOs or missionaries start to be all over, whereas funds are raised in Europe. One big issue is helping women to empower themselves to produce either clothes or baskets or other handmade valuables; child marriage is also still an issue where awareness needs to be established in whole villages. Organic farming is one more big thing on this list. Financial aid from the state is poor.
I got to know many fascinating people who are assured and devotional to do the best thing and they help the community to be better once.
It was the first time for me that it got difficult to express myself with body language and vice versa the understanding of their way of expressing, our bodies seem to speak different languages.
Whenever we stopped with the bicycle to buy food or even to change tire for one of this uncountable flats I had there in the middle of nowhere we could be sure that within minutes we would be crowded with people staring at us and touching our things. When we camped and people found us they came over to watch us doing our usual preparations and would not be able to chat nor trying to but to be around and stare… At some part we almost got used to it after more than one month.
We were in every local newspaper and sometimes people just asked for autographs or pictures with us which was much friendlier.
Religion
You can still fell the distance between Muslims and Hindus; they can be both fanatic which often leads to bombing attacks or other violent. Some acts are saying a lot, for example when masses of people come together to tear a big mosque down, claiming this area being only Hindu. There is also this beautiful and divine prayer to one of their many gods; watching after holy cows and receiving blessings.
I got to know the amazing way of spreading religion or better to say of singing wisdoms, manifesting god into oneself and feeling love with an open heart. The sounds of Kabir, one of 99 names of Allah.
Ecology
Usually in any settled area you can find garbage next to every road, the problem is that India is overpopulated, many people almost everywhere and garbage is a side effect with no proper disposal areas nor recycling systems. Only a few fancy areas try to claim a plastic free zone, where things are wrapped in paper or leaves. In poor areas canalisation is also rare and bad smells absolutely normal. Cows, goats and many other animals eat whatever they can find and die of intestinal obstruction or carry one of many illnesses. Often dead corpses are thrown into rivers which do not make any things better; sometimes they are even halfway burned. Some rivers are so polluted that if you still don’t be chased away of the bad smell, bathing or worse drinking it may end fatal or with diseases, even for inhabitants..
On the other hand NGO movements won’t stop here. There is awareness establishing for the next generation and big efforts are being made in means of biodiversity protection with botanical sanctuaries or sustainable organic farming with protecting some area of the property for a biodivers triangle. After some years one would see the effort, natural protection of the own crops would be a side effect.
Friends
A plenty of people I got to know are very interesting for friendship and important enough to meet again somewhere, anytime. It is possible that future projects will happen in good cooperation.
I got one new real friend on this part of my journey, my companion was very important for me. Without him I guess India would be my last station but having someone who you can share your thoughts with, helping you out of difficulties, being there waiting for you and your works being done and even to learn more about yourself. I got to know that it is not always easy to travel together since everybody has different needs and imaginations. Angelos is not so far after all, we may meet again on this journey.
