TravelStream™ news feed for member whiteant on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/whiteant en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Sat, 14 Jul 2007 07:17:58 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/whiteant/laos/1040801460/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/whiteant/laos/1040801460/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/whiteant/laos/1040801460/tpod.html Sat, 14 Jul 2007 07:17:58 -0400 The golden triangle, on $5 a day, more or less

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Luang Nam Tha, Lao Peoples Dem Rep

2nd day on the Nam Tha river. A surprisingly sound night of sleep on a thin straw mat on the wooden floor was terminated with the "classic" model alarm clock - the rooster which had escaped last night's dinner. It was our first real look at the village, and it had its rustic charm. The only water source is a well apparently installed 6 years prior, apparently by some well meaning french people. (Notice the cultural difference - French intervention = building wells; American intervention = carpet bombing).

After tea and the lightest of light breakfasts, it was time for a few futile english lessons, and a short walk stepping around the animals and their poop, back to the river. The day was more of the same; wild jungle scenery, broken propellers, and two mysterious stops - one for an apparent passport check, and one while the boat folk hopped across the river for some secret Lao business - possibly tending to their stash of opium or Ganja.

A bedraggled and wet arrival at Luang Nam Tha at about 4pm, followed by the inevitable search for somewhere to spend the night, and the lowest-key Christmas dinner in history - noodles and rice in a wooden shack, before the 9pm black out kicked in. Luckily we still had a bottle of a nice Barossa Red in the backpack which warmed things up and delivered the Christmas cheer.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/whiteant/laos/1040703300/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/whiteant/laos/1040703300/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/whiteant/laos/1040703300/tpod.html Wed, 14 Mar 2007 07:34:59 -0400 The golden triangle, on $5 a day, more or less

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Huay Xai, Lao Peoples Dem Rep

Border crossing day... the checkpoint is about 50km down the Mekong from the Golden Triangle. A long tail boat ride would have been mellow and set the mood... but apart from being more expensive than a taxi, the boats weren't going anywhere in the early morning mist.

By the time we hit the checkpoint at Chiang Kong, the fog had lifted and dozens of boat dudes were hungry for our baht to ferry us across the river. Unfortunately, a group of 20 Aussies and Kiwis who arrived a few minutes prior had clogged up the immigration counter on the Lao side, and cleaned the border post "bank" out of local currency. A 20 minute hike into the town (using the term generously) of Huay Xai, and another 30 minutes at the bank, resulted in a brick of local currency worth USD 50. It seems the currency of Laos is the kilogram rather than the kip..

By the time all these was sealed away, it was too late to head up river for the day, so there was nought to do but find a lodge to stay in ($5, with a view of the Mekong and a breezy balcony), eat some tasty Lao food, make bookings for the following day and walk up the hill to the temple. Sunset made it more than worthwhile...
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Tachilek, Myanmar

Normally the idea of any kind of organised tour makes me want to reach for my (metaphorical) luger. But with only one day to spare, elephants to ride, 2 borders to cross and no car (or bus) in this part of the world.. to **** with it. So it's off with Super Happy Lucky Golden Triangle Tourist Agency (employment :1) for a morning of elephant riding through Chiang Rai, and an afternoon dash off to Tachilek, Burma (Myanmar for the fascist-friendly).

Elephant riding is one of those things that you should do once, but doesn't hold a lot of attraction as an ongoing sport. Its bumpy, slow, more than a little smelly, and you're no more than a passenger. Still, the views are good, and it's one thing for the "been there, done that" box. Lunch afterwards was pretty tasty too, provided you sit on the side of the restaurant that's upwind from the elephant crapper.

The ride across to Tachilek was riddled with drug checks - this was before Khun Taksin declared Jihad on dealers and started summarily executing them - before the enormous leap of faith required to leave your passport for a couple of hours with some surly Burmese soldiers/border guards. Tachilek itself has the delightful seediness you'd expect of a free-rich country to opressed-poor country - all kinds of contraband heading in both directions, people looking over their shoulders, and all kinds of hawkers selling everything from Chinese binoculars to monkey skulls.

The biggest item here seems to be "Marlboro" cigarettes., $4 per carton. I presume that's cheap, as in Singapore they're $10 a pack.Strangely, the vendors seem to speak quite good english, except for their understanding of the phrase "I don't smoke" - which seems to translate into burmese as "I think your Marlboro cigarettes are nasty rip offs, but I am in the market for some cheap, genuine smokes"....

WIth an hour more to kill, there's an abundance of tuk-tuk guys willing to take you to the scenic highlights of Tachilek (both of them) for $2 - the replica golden pagoda (quite pretty in the afternoon sun) and the "long neck woman museum" (shameless exploitation in which we chose not to participate). Then, a quick dash back through the border mayhem, a few more drug checks, and off to the hotel for a beer and a curry. And Fortify one's selves for the Rugged journey ahead...
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/whiteant/laos/1040475660/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/whiteant/laos/1040475660/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/whiteant/laos/1040475660/tpod.html Thu, 08 Mar 2007 01:47:26 -0500 The golden triangle, on $5 a day, more or less

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Chiang Rai, Thailand

An early morning flight into Chiang Rai and out again as quick as possible, to the Imperial hotel resort thingy in the Golden Triangle. If you push aside all the golden triangle kitsch - including the "U R Here" sign , its not a bad place to chill out (literally - around 10 degrees at night), eat some tasty seafood, suck a few cold beers , and look wistfully across the Mekong into Laos. A fine temple with elevated views of the river completes the picture, but a fulfilling 7 day holiday it wouldn't be. So onwards...
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Luang Prabang, Lao Peoples Dem Rep

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]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/whiteant/laos/1041093840/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/whiteant/laos/1041093840/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/whiteant/laos/1041093840/tpod.html Wed, 07 Mar 2007 23:14:32 -0500 The golden triangle, on $5 a day, more or less

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Muang Sing, Lao Peoples Dem Rep

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]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/whiteant/laos/1041392400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/whiteant/laos/1041392400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/whiteant/laos/1041392400/tpod.html Wed, 07 Mar 2007 23:03:45 -0500 The golden triangle, on $5 a day, more or less

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Phonsavan, Lao Peoples Dem Rep

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]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/whiteant/helsinki/1043816940/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/whiteant/helsinki/1043816940/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/whiteant/helsinki/1043816940/tpod.html Tue, 06 Mar 2007 00:23:33 -0500 Business Trip to Helsinki

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Helsinki, Finland

What's more fun than spending 28 hours in a plane in two days? Getting to your destination to be greeted by minus 18 degree temperatures, howling winds, and a boss who wants your head on a plate and to **** down your throat. Add some lousy food and... you get the picture. Well, here are a few pictures of other things in Helsinki.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/whiteant/helsinki/1043903580/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/whiteant/helsinki/1043903580/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/whiteant/helsinki/1043903580/tpod.html Tue, 06 Mar 2007 00:15:24 -0500 Business Trip to Helsinki

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Singapore, Singapore

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]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/whiteant/helsinki/1043729460/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/whiteant/helsinki/1043729460/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/whiteant/helsinki/1043729460/tpod.html Tue, 06 Mar 2007 00:09:47 -0500 Business Trip to Helsinki

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Singapore, Singapore

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