Rabbits, puppies, spiders and frogs - Sihanoukville, Kep and Phnom Penh - Cambodia

Sihanoukville (Otres) and Kep

Otres 1 beach

Khmer New Year kicked off on 14^th April so we knew the beaches would be starting to get busy. We managed to find a semi decent place for a fairly reasonable price. We stayed at Otres beach 1 near Sihanoukville which is an idyllic beach town, mainly for western tourists. There are a few beaches along there, the main ones being Serendipity which is more party, Ochheuteal, and Otres 1 and Otres 2 which are less busy but you’re still able to get anything you need, including the good old shroom shakes and happy pizzas. 

It was a nice break for a few days where we relaxed on the beach and on one day, we took a boat trip to three islands off the coast called Koh Chrolosh, Koh Ta Kiev and Koh Tres, where we snorkelled, cliff jumped and chilled on the beach with a few beers. This was only $15 for the day and included a tuk tuk to the boat, a vegetable omelette and coffee for breakfast, all day tour, lunch which was a baguette, grilled chicken breast and salad, and all the water we needed. Cans of beer were a dollar each. The trip was great value and lasted from about 8.30am to 4.30pm. 

Otres 1

We spent a lot of time in Pizza Pippo, an Italian restaurant opposite our bungalows with amazing pizza where we bumped into a couple of people we had met on the slow boat – small world. 

There are a couple of other, larger islands off the coast of Sihanoukville; Koh Rong, Koh Rong Samloem and further away is Koh Kong. We were thinking about staying at Koh Rong but didn’t bother in the end. I was annoyed with myself when I remembered that one of the reasons we wanted to stay there was to see the glowing plankton. However, we found a boat to take us on our last evening and we paid $10 to go fishing and see the plankton, from 4pm to 7pm. We fished with a reel of twine and some squid for bait and when we ran out our fellow passenger Francois shared his sandwich with us to use as bait. I caught 2 fish, one with squid and one with bread. Baby D managed to catch 2 rocks…

The trip was really nice and relaxed (for us, maybe not for the fish) and we saw some phosphorescent plankton just as it got dark. They are like small flashes in the water and when we trailed our hands we could see them move away on the ripples of the water. I think they get more prominent the darker it gets but the boatman wanted to get back and start boozing with his family for New Year so we were back just after 7pm; not long after sunset.

Kep market

The next day we set off on the bus to Kep, around 3 hours along the coast towards the east. We arrived at some lovely bungalows in front of the National Park, called Bird of Paradise. Reasonably priced considering it was New Year and we had a gorgeous room. The owner was really helpful, advising on our visas for Vietnam, buses, trips, places to eat. 

Kep view from restaurant

The bungalows were about 5 minutes’ walk from the crab market which was full of stalls selling barbecued fish of every type, clothes and shell knick knacks. Along from there are numerous restaurants selling mainly seafood, most with a happy hour on booze and amazing views over the sea for the sunset. We spent 2  days wandering round the town or sunbathing at a nearby hotel’s pool which we were allowed to use as guests of our place. One morning we got up early to trek around Kep National Park. This was a fairly easy route with good views of the town and the sea, spotting butterflies, lizards and monkeys on the way. The route is 8km but the last 2km or so is on a huge road which has been built in the park, which ruined it a bit for us. We headed into town later to sort out our visas for Vietnam, which was going to take a few days because of the New Year and public holidays in Cambodia and Vietnam. In the afternoon we chilled by the pool at the hotel next door.

After a good night’s sleep in our gorgeous bungalow we left our luggage and headed down to the harbour to take a boat over to Rabbit Island or Koh Tonsay. We paid $11 for the tuk tuk, boat and pick up again in a tuk tuk the following day. The boat trip only took around 15 minutes and we arrived on a lovely island which was covered in jungle except for the sandy beaches in front of us. We hadn’t booked a place to stay but there was no shortage of bungalows. We paid $7 for a wooden bungalow facing the sea. It was really basic, with a squat toilet and a rainwater butt to wash and flush the loo. We used bottled water to wash.

We spent the day relaxing on the beach, having a massage and playing with 3 super-cute tiny puppies that were in a hole in the sand under our table. The dad actually came over at one point growling and baring his teeth and the mum was scared. One of the pups had got loose and the dad looked like he wanted to kill it, which is common. We chased the dad off but we wonder what happened to the pups and if they’re still alive. Cambodian people aren’t soppy over animals as a rule, and if the dad killed the pups they would accept it as the animal’s natural urges. 

Hopefully not a dog's dinner

Electricity was only available from 6pm to 10pm as they turn the generator off at night. Just after 10 we went down to the water’s edge to look at the glowing plankton. It was more visible than the plankton we had seen when we went out on the fishing boat near Otres, but there was less of it. It didn’t quite match up to the Google image bank.  

We took the last boat back the following day which was scary as the water was so choppy – we’d had crazy thunderstorms both nights we’d stayed in Kep on the mainland so we thought another one was brewing. Rabbit Island was lovely and relaxed; the food was very good and a lot cheaper than the mainland. We had eaten a mixed seafood platter in Kep which cost us $20 for 2 of us – cheap in comparison to other places. On Rabbit Island, it cost us $5 each. Drinks were cheaper too, as were massages. 

Rabbit Island

We were back in Kep for one more night and we had been moved to a different bungalow. Just as nice but with a very chatty gecko that woke us up every 30 minutes. Our visas still weren’t ready the next morning so we had to book in for another night and we relaxed by the pool.

Phnom Penh

We took the bus to Phnom Penh from Kep and jumped in a tuk tuk to take us to a guest house. After checking out a couple, we settled on one near the riverside within a 10 minute walk from the palace. The area was quite touristy but had everything on our doorstep. We arranged with our driver to go to the killing fields, or Choeung Ek genocidal centre, and S21 or Tuol Sleng genocide museum on the following day, so we had the rest of the day to wander round town and visit the Central market with its massive array of anything you could possibly want, and Wat Phnom, built in 1372 and which is the largest religious structure in Phnom Penh, and the palace. 

Palace in Phnom Penh

Choeung Ek is the most notorious killing fields in Cambodia, and there are over 300 of them. The excellent audio guide took us around the site which saw maybe 20,000 Cambodian people killed by the Khmer Rouge. The site is very peaceful and picturesque now, but it masks a horror story. After the Khmer Rouge was overthrown, the site was discovered and on it were multiple mass graves, torture buildings and storage rooms for killing and torture tools and chemical substances which were used to dispose of the bodies. 

Memorial stupa at Choeung Ek

One of the most shocking and upsetting things for me was the killing tree against which the Khmer Rouge smashed babies to death. They didn’t want to face retribution from these babies when they grew up for killing their families, so they just smashed them against the tree and threw their broken bodies into a pit. Bones and items of clothing often come to the surface still and we noticed some on the ground which would be collected by the people that work there. There is a beautiful stupa which contains the broken bones and clothing of the victims and the whole site is a worthy memorial to those that tragically lost their lives there.

After lunch we went to Tuol Sleng genocide museum. This former school was the site of the Khmer Rouge prison where normal Khmer people were locked up in tiny cells, usually lying on their backs and shackled, and starved and tortured. Up to 20,000 people were imprisoned there before being trucked to Choeung Ek to be killed. 

Memorial at Tuol Sleng

Again, the audio tour was very good and we learned about the buildings, the people and the torture they endured there. We were lucky to notice a sign on a door which said that there would be a video at 2.30pm, so we headed across along with 3 or 4 others. The sign wasn’t very prominent so I don’t think many people spotted it. After a short video re-enacting a story of young boys and their experiences living under the Khmer Rouge, we had a Q&A session with a lady who worked for the museum, who endured the regime as a girl. It was very interesting to learn about her experiences and we were able to ask her questions about her experiences and feelings of that time. 

Tuol Sleng

On the way out of the museum we noticed some books for sale and we realised that the books had been written by the man selling them; Chum Mey, 1 of only 7 survivors of the prison, and 1 of only 2 surviving today. It was a privilege to meet him; he was a friendly, seemingly happy man who is at the prison almost every day to help educate people about the horrors he and millions of others endured.

Afterwards we went to the Russian market which is a huge covered market selling pretty much anything and everything you can think of. It is called the Russian market because it used to have so many Russian visitors.

On our last evening in Cambodia we went on the hunt for a Khmer delicacy of tarantula. There is a town a couple of hours away from Phnom Penh called Skuon which is overrun with tarantulas. Under the Khmer Rouge when people were starving, the villagers started to eat the tarantulas for a source of protein, and this has continued. We searched high and low to try them but we weren’t able to find them – they had sold out everywhere because the Khmer people had eaten them during their New Year celebrations! 

Deep fried frog

We found deep fried frog instead which was pretty good – it tasted like chicken wings. That night I had my recurring spider nightmare where I half wake up, pull the covers off the bed, do a somersault, shrieking about a spider in the bed. This time I had imagined an albino tarantula and the next day woke up with something suspiciously like a spider bite on my arm…

Onto Vietnam, farewell to fabulous Cambodia.

#cambodia #phnompenh #tuolsleng #choeungek #killingfields #s21 #kep #rabbitisland #sihanoukville #otresbeach

Cambodia - Siem Reap and Battambang

Siem Reap

Finally, over the border to Cambodia, and after being conned out of the cost of a night’s accommodation, we endured a bone rattling 6 hour journey with another lunatic driver to Siem Reap where we were met by several tuk tuk drivers charging $5 per person to go 3km. Baby D and I started walking along with another girl from the bus and we were soon approached by another tuk tuk driver who charged us a dollar each. The heavens opened as soon as we got in the tuk tuk and it poured all night.

Angkor Wat

The next day we bought a day pass for the famous Angkor Wat and surrounding temples and hired a tuk tuk driver. Having stopped to get some cash at an ATM, we were surprised to see that we’d been given US dollars which, along with the Cambodian currency of Riels, is also acceptable tender. This turned out to be a pain in the backside as change is often given in Riels, confusingly. We stopped to get a sim card – 5gb for $8, and then to get the day pass for the temples which was an eye watering $37 each. On top of that was $15 for the driver. Not a cheap day out.

Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat is informally known as the 8th wonder of the world as it missed out on the new 7 wonders list a few years’ ago. It really is an awe-inspiring sight. It was originally a Hindu temple, built in the 12^th century before being taken over by Buddhist monks as a monastery in the 16^th century. It is no longer a monastery; the monks moved into a newer place next door in the 20^th century. According to our guide it took 37 years to build, and the architect died during its construction so parts of it were left unfinished. The famous towers, which also appear on Cambodia’s national flag, are awesome, but the intricate carvings depicting Hindu stories are just as impressive. 

The temple has three levels, all of which are accessible, although visitors have to cover their shoulders and legs (for women) when going up to the very top level. We hadn’t actually planned on going to the temples on our first day in Cambodia, so I had on a vest top. Much to the amusement of our guide and others around us, Baby D suggested we swap tops so that my shoulders were covered, as apparently men could wear vests. Once we got there though, we were told that Baby D couldn’t go up in my vest so he stayed downstairs. I am not sure if this is the case for all men, or just ones wearing pink vests but probably best to be prepared if anyone is planning on going.

We also visited Angkor Thom,  Ta Prohm Temple, Banteay Kdei, Bayon, and South Gate; other temples and complexes in the Angkor area, built around 12^th century.

Angkor Thom

Later on we discovered ‘Pub Street’ where beer costs from 25 cents so we were happy after forking out so much to see the temples.

The next day we headed over to the National Museum which was interesting. We learned about the history and city of the country and saw many artefacts, most religious and constructed of sandstone. The museum was $12 entry.

We then went to the war museum which was $5 entry. I have to say that the National Museum paled in comparison. As soon as we got to the war museum we were approached by a tour guide. There was no fee for the guide, although you are encouraged to tip. Our guide was Sinarth, aka The Cat. He told us his story of growing up fighting the Khmer Rouge in the mid to late 70s. He had gone fishing one day as a 10 year old, and when he returned he found that his family had been slaughtered by the Khmer Rouge. He had little choice but to fight and he told us of his near death experiences, showing us his war wounds where he had been shot multiple times, and the shrapnel in his knee. 

The Cat

The Cat had one leg, and was blind in one eye where his toe was blown off by a landmine and the bone went into his eye. Later on in life, after settling down with his family to put the horrors he endured behind him, his wife died of lung cancer brought on by uranium used in the Vietnam war. His stories were shocking and upsetting, especially with the backdrop of the guns, shells, tanks, other armoured vehicles and photos and descriptions of the atrocities around the museum park. Sinarth had a book written about him which I bought and he signed for me. 

The Cat's shrapnel

Battambang

The next day we took a bus to Battambang. This is the 2nd biggest city in Cambodia and is a prominent place for Khmer Rouge atrocities. Many of the Cambodian people were told to evacuate Phnom Penh, the country’s capital and ended up in Battambang. The Khmer Rouge was a communist guerrilla group fighting against the country’s military power. It overthrew the government and took control, forcing the ‘new’ people into slavery. The ‘new’ people were the 2^nd wave of people to be indoctrinated into the system; usually city people who were well educated or professionals, that had no choice but to comply with the new regime. 

The Khmer Rouge slaughtered millions of new people, threatened by their education, as they knew these people would be the first to question their methods and motives. They also didn’t fit the principles of the communist ideals. The murder of so many innocent people was fairly recent; from 1975 to 1979 and there are still many people in Cambodia who remember or had some part in this awful period. Apparently around 1 person in 4 was killed; over 2 million, perhaps closer to 3 million people during the regime.

War museum

In Battambang, we were met at the bus by a tuk tuk driver who was to take us to the hotel. He talked us into using his services for a couple of days and we were glad we did. Phi Lay our driver, firstly took us to the Bamboo Train, which is a few kilometres out of the city. This old railway line helps the rural people move goods and people quickly from A to B. 

Bamboo train

The train was a rickety old contraption of a wooden ‘raft’ on 2 sets of metal railroad wheels. We sat on cushions and had a 20 minute journey through the Cambodian countryside, having to stop once to dismantle our train to let another train past coming from the opposite direction. We stopped for 10 minutes at a small touristy market area before returning. The journey costs $5 each, not including the driver’s tip. It was fun, if really dangerous, and a lovely way to see the countryside. 

Bas-relief depicting Khmer Rouge atrocities

We then visited an area called Phnom Sampeau where the killing caves are located. This is where thousands of innocent people, including babies were thrown to their deaths and the caves were left as a mass grave. There are still bones and skulls there as a memorial.

Killing cave

At the entrance to the area, there is another cave, full of bats which fly out every night before sunset. It was a sight to behold as between 3 and 7 million bats fly out, but I have no idea how they would manage to count them all. The bat exodus took around 40 minutes. 

Phare Ponleu Selpak Circus

Phi Lay then drove us to the famous Phare Ponleu Selpak circus. This is not a typical animal circus but a performing arts/acrobatic one. It cost $15 each and lasted around an hour and a half. I could have watched the performers all night; they were fantastically talented. In the evening we found ‘Pub Street’ which is a scaled down version of the one in Siem Reap. 

The next day we were picked up by Phi Lay who invited us to his daughter’s engagement party at his house but first, he took us to the local market. 

Live tortoise for sale in the market

The market in Battambang opens at 3am and shuts at 1pm. It was a real shock to the system as our senses were assaulted by the range of different things for sale, from clothing to jewellery to food. The food was the most interesting. We saw snakes, live tortoises, ducks and lizards all either desperately fighting to escape, or in the ducks’ case, seemingly resigned to their fate. We saw cows’ trotters and tails, insects and frogs, clams and snails. Phi Lay told us that Cambodians eat anything.

Yum..mouse and rat

On the way to his house for the engagement party, we stopped at the side of the road to try some grilled mouse and rat. This has been eaten in Cambodia since the Khmer Rouge days.

At the party we were made to feel very welcome and were immediately presented with chilled beers (at 10am). We met the extended family and were fed with typical Cambodian cuisine, including roast chicken, grilled catfish, morning glory, sour mango and as much rice as we could eat. Phi Lay and his sons told us about wedding traditions in Cambodia and showed us photos of the eldest son’s wedding, where the bride and groom had at least 5 changes of clothes.

After we left the party, we went to a memorial to those killed there by the Khmer Rouge called the Well of Shadows near to a Buddhist temple called Wat Somrong Knong which was used as a prison and was actually where our tuk tuk driver was incarcerated. More than 10,000 people were murdered there and the bas reliefs surrounding the Well of Shadows memorial depict the horrors faced by the local people.

Phi Lay and his sons

 Phi Lay was a great tuk tuk driver and guide. He was a Khmer Rouge survivor, having been part of a wealthy military family in Phnom Penh. Most of his family was killed by the Khmer Rouge except for him and his brother and sister. Phi Lay spent those terrible years doing back breaking work, surviving on bugs and leeches from the paddy fields and seeing three of his close friends killed for giving him food when he was sick with malaria. He told us some awful stories about watching people being gutted, how children were duped into saying what their parents did for a living which often got them killed, how everyone had to cut their hair off and were so emaciated, that women and men looked the same, but he had a good sense of humour and strength about it all. For instance, when his friends gave him extra food, he took great delight in telling us how big his poo was the next day and how good it felt!

Fruit bat

We were shown some special local things such as a tree full of fruit bats, and Phi Lay started a fire so we could see the bats fly out. He took us along the river to show us some clever fishing methods like using a litre plastic bottle where spikes are cut and pushed into the bottle, making it easy for the fish to get in but not out. We also saw ladies making spring rolls on the side of the road including the round rice papers which were left to dry in the sun. 

We spent 3 days in Battambang which, although it is the 2^nd biggest city in Cambodia, has a very rural feel, quite different from Siem Reap. It was a lot less touristy although there is a great deal to see, including the colonial French architecture. We booked a bus to go to Sihanoukville, a beach area in the south west of the country. A 13 hour journey with a stop in Phnom Penh ensued…

#cambodia #siemreap #angkorwat #angkorthom #battambang #khmerrouge #bambootrain #killingcave

Lazy Laosy travels

Laos

We were picked up at 6am by a very grumpy bus driver to take us to the Laos border as we were getting the boat down the Mekong river to Luang Prabang in Laos. Actually the driver turned up at 5.45, barged into our room and told us he wouldn’t take us unless we hurried up.

We had decided to save a bit of cash and travel from Chiang Khong on the Thai side to Xuay Hai on the Laos side where we would pick up the slow boat. We were to travel by boat for 2 days, stopping at a small town called Pakbeng for the night. We paid 1650 baht each, which is about £40, and this included the trip to Chiang Kong, bus to Xuay Hai, tuk tuk to the harbour and the 2 day boat trip.

Straightaway the journey was interesting as the driver was seriously stressed out, having yelled at us already. When he put his glasses on upside down, he had the minivan in stitches and he cheered up. We waited until 4 busloads had left immigration on the Thai side and finally we were on our way to Laos. We were told we had to pay 35 USD for our visa for Laos, (although we were actually charged $36) and we needed to have a passport sized photo to go with our application. 

We were then met by an agent who piled us into a tuk tuk and we stopped for a while to grab some food before going down to the harbour to get in the boat. We had heard horror stories about the boat – being overcrowded and uncomfortable, and being stuck with other travellers that in normal circumstances you wouldn’t speak to. We definitely had some characters on the boat but by the end of the second day everyone had formed their own group, including us. The boat journey was fabulous; the scenery was incredible and the company was great. The village of Pakbeng where the boat stopped after 6 hours felt purpose-built for tourists, with hostels, free whiskey and rip-off artists peppered everywhere. Laos is just full of butterflies. I have never seen so many in one place.

When we stopped for a sandwich before boarding the boat, we were told that there would be no food or drinks for sale on board and we were strongly advised by our agent to book a hostel in Pakbeng through them. This was all rubbish, there were lots of shops on the way to the way to the boat, although the driver didn’t stop and probably wouldn’t if asked, so we couldn’t have got food or drink, but there was beer, water, some fruit and noodles for sale on board. We didn’t book the guesthouse we were offered by the agent as it seemed overpriced, but once we got on the boat we booked one up with another guy for less. We didn’t really need to bother as there were loads of people selling cheap rooms when we arrived, and all were within a 10 minute walk of the harbour. Ours was actually pretty good so we were happy, and the one offered by the agent before we got on the boat turned out to be a dump.

Slow boat

Back on board the boat for day 2. There were a lot of sore heads after all the free whiskey and other things I won’t mention happening in the ‘Happy Bar’ in Pakbeng, so the mood was a bit more chilled out. New friendships were made, beer was drunk, something fragrant was being smoked at the bow of the boat, and a good time was had by all. Both days we were on the boat for about 6 hours. There were plenty of seats and people were moving around the boat, swapping seats to talk to new friends or sitting outside enjoying the view.

Once we arrived in Luang Prabang, we each had to buy a ticket for the tuk tuk service, which was 20,000 kip per person. We had heard that some travellers refuse to pay this and some even refused to get off the boat until the price dropped but that’s the price and it worked out as £2 each, so it wasn’t exactly going to break the bank.

We were dropped off in the centre of town next to the night market and we were greeted by one or two people selling rooms, which came with free whiskey, free dinners and other perks. We had already booked somewhere, so we headed there to dump our bags. Later on, we met up with the rest of our gang – there were 8 of us and we were staying in the same place as another couple who were spending time in Asia before heading down to Australia to work. On one of our first nights in Laos we obviously wanted to get involved with the local customs, traditions and cuisine so we went to Amigos, the local Mexican restaurant and spent the evening drinking margaritas and eating tacos. Feeling the real Laos vibe there. We returned to the guesthouse around 1am having arranged to visit the Kuang Si waterfall just outside the town the following day.

Bear sanctuary in Luang Prabang

Everyone was slightly the worse for wear the next morning but we got up and found a minivan to take us up to the waterfall. A bear sanctuary forms part of this complex which was an interesting way to start the day. We were soon at the waterfall; a magical place of natural beauty and hangovers were soon diminished. There are three levels of azure pools at the bottom, but the main cascade was the most impressive. We decided to trek up to the top of the waterfall on a trail about 500m long where we swam in the shaded water. Half of the group trekked 3km to the cave, while the rest of us made our way back to the base to relax.

Kuang Si waterfall

That evening we ate at the big night market in town and the next day explored the temples and climbed the 328 steps up to Mount Phou Si to watch the sunset.

The next day we were off to Vang Vieng, further south. We had a four hour minivan journey on winding roads through beautiful fields and mountains and we arrived in Vang Vieng where we booked straight into an 8 person dorm. This was the first time Baby D and I had stayed in dorms on our trip but we knew everyone there so it was no problem for us, although the shared bathrooms were disgusting. I think there were 3 showers and 3 toilets on each floor, between about 20 people.

Vang Vieng

Vang Vieng is a small town in stunning natural surroundings, full of tourists, mainly out to party and enjoy the river’s water activities. It is well known for tubing down the river, which is where you float down the river in a truck’s inner tube. There used to be several bars along the river, but most of them were closed due to the number of alcohol related deaths in the water. In fact, the government put a stop to tubing altogether for a while. We had booked a tailor-made package with kayaking, lunch, tubing and a visit to the town’s blue lagoon; all for 150,000 kip each (about £15).

Kayaking

We kayaked for around 2 hours, then went tubing for around 3 hours. Our day out was enhanced by our guide who soaked us but also pulled us along in his kayak when we were too lazy to propel ourselves in the rings. Baby D got a puncture – of course it had to be him. 

Tubing

We did stop a couple of times to grab a beer but we were struggling to understand how people could have died. Then we hit the rocks, rapids and deeper parts of the river and it became more apparent. If the river was full of pissed tourists, then someone in trouble would probably not even be noticed. At one point I had the guide rope and my bag wrapped around my neck, and there wasn’t much I could do because of the current. After tubing we had about an hour at the lagoon. This was a beautiful deep pool with a tree hanging over, with people jumping in and swimming. Fantastic day all in all.

Plain of Jars

The next day, we said goodbye to most of our group and three of us took a bus up to Phonsavan to see the Plain of Jars. I had the front seat alongside a Laos lady who stared at me, laughed at me and chatted to me most of the way (in Laos). At one point I spotted 2 women at the side of the road holding up an animal although on display for passers-by to purchase. It was the size of a large cat but I think it was a rodent, with a head the shape of a guinea pig. Google tells me it may have been a rock rat which would be about the right size, with the same shaped head and which are commonly eaten in Laos. Later on, 7 or 8 chickens ran out into the road, and we ran one over much to my dismay – the driver and my fellow passenger didn’t bat an eyelid. Travellers 1, chicken nil.

The next day we hired a couple of scooters to drive ourselves round the different sites that formed the Plain of Jars. These megalithic structures are around 2500 years old and were most probably used for burial rituals, but no one really knows. We visited the three sites closest to town which included the spoon-making village Ban Napia where we bought 2 aluminium spoons and a bangle made from bombshells from the Vietnam war. Everywhere in Laos are chickens roaming free which is normally quite a nice sight until they run into the road and get squished…or cause an accident. Baby D and I were driving along on our scooter quite happily after buying our spoons, so why did the chicken cross the road?? To try and kill us obviously. It came from nowhere, hesitated in the middle of the road, then carried on, causing us to swerve to miss it and stack it off the bike. We were okay apart from a few scrapes and bruises, a swollen knee and a torn pair of trousers that got binned. Travellers 1, chicken 1. Best of 3. The decider will be interesting.

Bomb craters

The Plain of Jars sites are littered with bomb craters from the Vietnam war and Laos is the most bombed country per capita in history, with 260 million ‘bombies’ or 2 million tons having been dropped between 1964 and 1973 by the Americans. 80 million of them however, didn’t explode. The locals forage for metal from the bombs with cheap metal detectors and sell it or melt it down to make spoons or trinkets. They often find unexploded bombies and are often injured or killed by them. In fact, even cooking close the ground can cause the bombies to explode, and they affect 1 Laos person a day on average.

View from toy plane

We were heading down to Vientiane, Laos’ capital and largest city the day after, but we didn’t fancy the 10 hour bus ride so we booked a 30 minute flight. We didn’t really think about what to expect but when we got to the tiny Xieng Kouhang Airport at Phonsavan we found that we were in a miniscule twin propeller plane, which had about 8 seats. We had a fantastic, clear view of Laos as we flew across although when we hit cloud we were a bit nervous, but it was another great experience to add to our collection. 

 








That afternoon once we’d arrived in Vientiane, we headed over to COPE, or the Cooperative Orthotic Prosthetic Enterprise. This is a medical rehabilitation centre for people with disabilities, many of whom were injured as a result of the Vietnam war. It trains its staff to manufacture prosthetics and develop rehab activities. It also offers financial assistance to those that are unable to pay. There was a replica of a local Laos home which demonstrated how people use the bomb shells to construct their houses and to make everyday items such as fishing nets from parachute casings and so on. We’d actually seen the bomb casings in use in Phonsavan. 

There was a video of the mother and father of a young boy that had been killed when he found a bombie. He and his 2 friends had followed some adults who were searching for scrap metal. They had put a bombie aside and 2 of the boys started playing with it. Often kids are simply not aware of the dangers of the bombies. The lad that wasn’t playing was the one that took the full force. His family took him to 3 different hospitals, but all were unable to supply oxygen or blood so the boy died at home. It was heartbreaking to watch.

Buddha Park, Vientiane

In the morning we took some scooters about 30km out of Vientiane to Buddha Park. This is a sculpture park with about 200 Buddhist and Hindu images. The park was built in 1958 by Bunleua Sulilat, although a lot of the concrete statues look like they are made of sandstone, so look a lot older than they actually are. There were some pretty strange sculptures and we had a great view from the giant concrete pumpkin. This represents hell, earth and heaven and we were able to climb inside through the different levels to see the creepy images reflecting the three places.

Dinner that night was with the Travelling Hobbits who we’d met in Pushkar in India. It was great to catch up with them and find out about where they’d been and what they had been up to.

Onwards the next day to Konglor Cave. This was an 8 hour trip on a local bus to the middle of Laos. It was stop start all the way, picking people up and dropping them off but it was a nice way to see more of Laos and it wasn’t too crowded so we could all spread out. Bargain at 105,000 kip (about a tenner GBP). We hadn’t booked anywhere to stay but we soon found a great place with double rooms and private bathrooms for 50,000 kip per night, or £5.

Konglor cave

We set off for the cave the next morning after trying and failing to hire push bikes. In the event, it was only a 15 minute walk to the cave so we didn’t need them anyway.  Konglor-Natane Cave is in Phoulinpoun National Park and entry to the park is 2000 kip (20p). The cave goes right through a huge limestone mountainous formation for 7km. We paid 130,000 kip for three of us to take a boat which was the cheapest way to do it. (It was 100k for one person, 120k for 2). We were supplied with a head torch each and we were offered a life jacket each which we declined. We needed the torches because the cave was pitch black.

Konglor cave

The trip through the cave and back was around 3 hours, stopping halfway to walk through and look at the impressive stalactites and stalagmites and then we carried on to the other side where the boat docked for lunch, and we took a stroll to Ban Phon Kham village. We hit some really shallow water a couple of times and at one point we had to get out and wait while the boatman pushed the boat through the shallows. We had been advised that we might need to push, because the water is low at this time of year but he managed without our help. We stopped to swim in the river at the mouth of the cave when we got back, and we hired a couple of tubes to float around while drinking a beer. Sheer bliss.

Inside Konglor cave

Next day, we were on a 2 hour bus ride, 2 hour songthaew ride and 8 hour bus ride down to Pakse. That was fun…the guys went out on the scooters to visit the waterfalls all over the Bolaven Plateau while I stayed at the hotel and worked all day.

I found a tour office that sold cheap bus tickets as part of a deal. I booked tickets from Pakse to Don Dhet/Det, part of 4000 islands in the south of Laos where the Mekong river splits into small islands. We paid 50,000 kip (instead of 65,000) for this part of the trip on the proviso that we also book onward travel to Vietnam or Cambodia. We booked an open ticket to Siem Reap in Cambodia for 220,000 kip (should have been 280,000). The open ticket meant we could just turn up at the bus station an hour before departure on any day, so it suited us perfectly.

Sunset at Don Dhet

Don Dhet is a small island famous for its beautiful sunrises and sunsets. It is also a backpackers paradise with happy bars selling happy pizza and shakes all over the place. We hired bikes one day and visited the huge waterfall Tat Somphamit, on neighbouring island, Don Khone, which is the largest by volume in SE Asia. It was very impressive and I can’t imagine how big and powerful it gets during rainy season. The island was very relaxing and we whiled away a few hours in the Banana Bar, which we renamed ‘Central Perk’ because it showed episodes of Friends on a loop. Although the island was chilled, we didn’t feel it was the friendliest place. The locals seemed to reluctantly accept the presence of tourists because tourism is their livelihood. But it felt as though the tourists had taken over and monopolised their home. 

Tat Somphamit waterfall

We spent a couple of days on Don Dhet, before turning up at the bus station to travel down to Siem Reap. We got a mini bus down to the border between Laos and Cambodia, where we had heard about the officials charging to stamp your passport out of Laos. They demand $2 to do this, when it should be free. Our group refused to pay and they waved us through to the Cambodian immigration, some 300 metres away. Once we got there, the officials refused to let us into the country without the exit stamp. They even slammed the shutters down and drove off on their scooters when we questioned it. We had no choice but to trudge back to the Laos border and pay up.

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