Ubud
We then moved onto the ever charming Ubud, central Bali. Hiked for half an hour to find our cheapish accommodation, Biang's cafe and Home Stay. Biang was absolutely lovely, spoke great English and made the best banana crepes I've had, search it out if you're heading there! It's also a great place to stay and quite cheap, just east of Ubud. Here's a bit about Ubud if interested http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubud
We found out that we had came to Ubud at a very sacred time! Bali's independence day and the cremation of the late Kings second wife. Now this is a big deal here. The people of Ubud built a 25m tower to move her body through the streets and giant bull in which she was rashly burnt. It was quite a sight, seeing the scorched body falling from the underbelly of the cow. It was far from graceful but 'very good luck for you travel'. 2 days before we witnessed hundreds of local kids light torches in anticipation for independence day, it was like the beginning of a riot. Quite spectacular...not so great for the lungs.We hired a couple of bikes and danced the crazy driver dance on their local roads to see some raunchy monkeys in Monkey Forest then headed out to Tegallalang to the beautiful slopes of rice paddies bathed in the afternoon sun, incredible! but like everything else, accompanied by endless touts. Wouldn't be Bali otherwise. our bike ride up there was epic, 11kms uphill in 30degree heat. For us no bikers, quite a hike, but worth it! The way back down I think I pedaled twice, "I believe I can fly!" We also spent 6hrs hiking through town and along the rapid Ayung river, just west of Ubud...notably we got lost, shouldn't have taken that long. The hike was beautiful but if you're going to do it, ask for directions!
Last of all I mention the food, always delicious and so, so cheap!
Sanur
Was only here for a night so didn't explore too much. Pretty cool night market with great street food and deep fried sweets. The beach is average, lots of random man made 'mini walls' out 30m into the ocean. Aimed at great views but kind of takes away from the beach, gives the seaweed a place to build up. Bit more expensive here, lots of middle-aged to elderly people setting up camp. Pretty much sums it up right there. Nice place though.
Uluwatu
This is where all the surf is, southern tip of Bali. We stayed the night with Owen, an expat from Britain who works for a dive company in Bali. Great guy, we stayed the night at his place and are now shacked up at Padang Padang beach. Finally found some climbing to be done! Amiee has started her work experience at the architects firm today, have to teach her how to ride a scooter now so she can get around. I leave on Wednesday to Cambodia, going to be sad goodbyes for 2 months :( Will pick this back up when I get to Cambodia.
CAMBODIA
Phnom Penh
I arrived in PP just after 4pm after nearly missing my flight from KL. The impossible to understand PA system and my flight not coming up on the screen at my gate led me to believe my flight had been delayed...not the case. After freaking out because my flight was now 'closed' I ran up to the gate people and said ''Plane! What the! Not on the flight! LET ME OUT THE DOOR!" They, of course acted like it was my fault...maybe a little...and casually let me out the doors. Long story short, I made it. The Ton Le Sap river is incredibly flooded so I was treated to some amazing views flying into PP. Staying at the same Guesthouse as last time, 'Okay Guesthouse'. Really nice place, cheap rooms, good food (little pricy, go for a walk to find street food and you won't pay over a dollar) and movies all the time. That night I was on the net, oblivious to what was going on outside only to finish up and realise it was pouring rain. At first I went 'Oh Shit', but the ensuing ride was absolutely amazing, really made me feel alive. It was a bit of a freak storm so the air was really charged. Very cool!
The next day was great. Got my Laos visa organised then walked for hours around Orussey market looking for a bike to buy. This was successful!
Today I went to a company called 'CSPO'. They specialise In making prosthetic limbs for landmine victims and people suffering from diseases like diabetes and lepracy
The Road to Laos
I left on Sunday morning at 6:15, it was beautiful and cool...for about an hour.
slaping on the sunblock and riding all the way to my climbing spot(see main entry), 51kms, by lunch time.
After checking out the site I was about to ride on when I see a huge storm coming in, I'd had too much. Disheartened after not being able to climb I decided to flag down a taxi to Kampong Cham. Not much of an adventure I know but I learnt a lot - to do this kind of thing successfully you need to be a fit rider(not me), have a decent bike(not a $60 buck Kmart type) and not be carrying 25kgs of climbing gear. As for hitchhiking without a bike I would say this is plausible but it's not a well know way of travelling, so you will get some stares, but a lift I'm sure you will come across(a bike takes up too much room). Another problem with the bike is they charge you extra for taking it on the bus, beware of this! So the bike story ends with me deciding to sell it after my stint in Tha Khaek, sad but true :(
Being Hit on by the Khmer...Men!
F*#K This is the fourth time I've tried to write this post, Blogger I am going to kill you!
You will have to ask me about this post in person because I have lost all will to write it as I've written it 3 times already! I had my best work on the last post, tried to save it so I didn't lose it again and when I came back to keep writing it had disappeared!!!!! GAARRRHHH!!!! It was funny and everything, now I don't feel so funny!
Ok, so there were 2 instances in PP. The first was a young guy, who was asking me the usual questions and then, casually, propositioning me to come back with me to my room tonight! Subtlety is not their strong point.
The second guy, about 30ish, came and found me while I was reading with my shirt off trying to escape the noise and the heat...he gave me both! And, he worked in the Guesthouse. He sat in the chair next to me and started trying to talk to me in Khmer while I'm politely telling him 'I have no idea what you are saying'. Then, he starts rubbing the hair on my chest and legs, comparing it to his complete lack of hair. He found this very amusing. For those of you who know me, you will know that my current coat isn't at it's normal length...so I was lucky! He then started rubbing my thighs and offering a massage, I brushed it off, little weird but I held my nerve. THEN,out of nowhere, he (no he doesn't grab my penis...worse!) sticks his finger in my BELLYBUTTON!! Even Amiee isn't allowed to do that! I couldn't believe it, I jumped and said "No" like I was scorning a 2yr old...he promptly got the hint...after offering me another massage.
I can't believe I finally got this down!
LAOS!!!
Finally I have arrived...first thing I do is grab myself a sandwhich, the cheese is exactly as I remember it! Pakse is a nice little town, there is an abundance of great food and reasonably priced accom and a heap of seafood restaurants along the river. I'm here as the base of my trip onto the Bolaven Plateau. Rented out a cheap moto and headed up early onto the BP, hammered with rain the whole way through which I grinned and bared it. It was actually pretty damn fun! I spent the afternoon on a coffee plantation tour with a Dutch guy named Mr. Koffie, an expat who fell in love with a Lao lady and the coffee, some of the best in the world! The tour was great, I now know that the best coffee is grown in the shade. I had my first hot shower here and mended my jacket. The next morning I met an awesome Spanish couple who I did not want to say goodbye to, they were amazing! We had breakfast, talked about life then hugged our goodbyes.I moved onto Tat Lo from here, arriving about lunch time with a mind for a tour the next day. So I decided to put on my boardies and a singlet and hunt down a waterhole. I ended up walking 10kms through the jungle and corn fields, along shin deep mud tracks and slippery rice fields to find my swimming hole. It cost me a couple of bucks and some of my snacks to help find my way. So I ended up having my tour after all. But it was worth it! I ended up at Tat Seoung where I met a young German couple who offered me a ride back as I got lost in the jungle on my way there. The local kids showed me a great waterhole with a jumping rock and a few boulders which I had some fun on. Then we climbed to the top of the 80m waterfall and ginned around up there for a while, very cool!
Worth the epic climb up there; so damn muddy and slippery, something which shouldn't be done in thongs! When we came down to get on their bike home, we found their tyre was flat. At this stage we suspected nothing. After getting that fixed we got about half a km down the road and conked out. Thinking we were done for we were just about to start pushing the bike back to the village when a local man came up and discovered that our fuel had been turned off. A penalty for not parking your bike in the village and paying them to look after it. Now the fuel, was funny, but the flat tyre, I think, was too far. Still, it was a bit of an adventure. We went back to have dinner at Mama Paps, this small restaurant that serves HUGE meals for next to nothing! The lady that runs the place is so warm and lovely, an amazing place to eat! We chatted for hours, solving the worlds problems...and we weren't even drinking! The next morning for breakfast though, was devastating. Mama's father passed away while we were eating. We didn't know what to say or do. My respects go to her deceased and her family, he lived to 98yrs old, an amazing life! 
Back in Pakse now, heading to Tha Khaek tomorrow night...the climbing begins!!!!! :D
Tha Khaek!
I arrived at 3:30am, pouring down rain deciding whether I should take the tuk-tuk in front of me or try and ride in the rain, 3kms, to the Travel lodge...So glad I chose the tuk-tuk. I wouldn't have been able to find this place in a million years! There is a sign....it's behind a big tree 30m up a concealed driveway. The lodge itself is hidden behind trees so it's really hard to find! Tha Khaek, took me a day to settle in. It is a quiet town and the scenery around this place is incredible. I'm really setting myself up here, everything is so cheap and to cut costs even more I've bought a bucket to do my washing in (30c) and 10L of drinking water ($1.20) and I've found places to eat that set me back $3.50 for 3 meals!
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| My tiny room |
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| Green Climbers home |
The rain has made things tedious but, I did know I was coming in the wet season. I've had to set my room up so everything can dry out, lucky the beds are built just right for it. Kind of makes the room feel like the inside of a wet towel though. Not that much exciting has been happening except for the climbing...I won't bore you with that here :p
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| Slack-lining |
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| My clothesline |
Being at the lodge has taken my fancy and wooed it into a sense of love (lets hope it lasts). I get to ride into town for food(good exercise), there are perfect trees for slack-lining next door and there is always a new stream of people staying at the lodge which means I get a staple diet of conversation in broken English with the occasional full lingo rant! The usual question 'so have you done "The Loop"' gets quite annoying after a while. 'No, I have not done the loop!' Damn lonely planet haha motorbike prices are waaay up because of 'The Loop', had to bargain hard for a reasonable price for me and Fabian. Fabian arrives tonight, very exciting as we have a lot of climbing to conquer!
Fabian and I had an amazing time climbing! Before I picked him up I visited every bank and ATM in Tha Khek...Every single one! I was freaking out, I couldn't get money out anywhere...the people in the bank were like 'sorry no can help, try ATM again'. I was ready to lose my shit then go back to Pakse to get money out. Good thing I slept on it because it turned out to be a glitch with the banks, Thank God! Not having access to your own money is a nightmare!
Fabian arrived and we were getting pumped for our first day of climbing the following day...then we were approached by a friendly German(so many Germans!) who asked if we'd like to go to the raved about Tham Kong Lo the next day, it was the cheapest price we had heard so we went...What a mistake! Now, lonely planet describes this overrated tourist attraction as one of the 'Natural Wonders of Laos'. I mean it's pretty cool, a river flowing through a mountain but it has been turned into a tourist trap with steps and pretty lights being built into one section where you have to get out and walk while the boats go through. It wasn't worth the 6hrs in a bus and the $23 to get there. If you think this cave is the most amazing thing you've ever seen, you need to get out more!
Short story of a cow; 'There once was a cow named Gina, she had a good life in Tha Khek. Wandering the fields, eating grass, pooping wherever she likes(one of her favourite pass times). Then one day, she's wandering along the side of the damn when 'BANG', out of nowhere, Bruce loses his shit and head butt's her into the dam! There lies Gina, may she rest in peace' Could not believe my eyes!
That about sums up Tha Khek, I had an amazing time here. Meeting Uli and Tanya, climbing my heart out, enjoying street food and frowning at the rain. I'm coming back in a year, the climbing will have increased 10 fold :D Instead of coming here for 'the loop', courtesy of Lonely Planet, come here for the people, the food and the climbing! This is going to be climbing heaven when Green Climbers Home is finished! From what I've heard of the loop it's kind of overrated anyway...I'll leave that up to you though.
The story of my bike,
'I've moved on, there's someone else, it's me not you' These were some of the phrases flung around on the day I parted with my bike. It wasn't as economical as I would've hoped for. I mean sure, it was handy, very handy in fact, but it ended up costing me more than it's worth. I had to pay extra to get it on the bus, no one wants to pick up a hitchhiker with a pushbike except taxi's and I'm not fit enough to ride it from town to town. It was a good experiment, a bike for the unfit rider. It's definitely doable if you had your own tour bike and not 24kgs of climbing equipment to lug around, sure, it's practical then. I sold it to Tanya and Uli, the first of their rental bikes. She has gone to a good home :)
Vang Vieng
This place hasn't changed...the 'expletive' road has though! Oh the abuse I gave this road, this frustrating, pothole rattled road. 120km, 6hrs, a desperate need for a chiropractor and part of my sole missing, never to be found again. The road, due to the rain, has been ruined. It's their main highway and it won't be fixed until the dry season in a month. You know a country is in a bad way when their main highways look like a meteor barrier for the moon! But, nonetheless, we made it. Gorgeous, tube ridden Vang Vieng. I missed this place, the scenery here is incredible! The only downside is the tubing...Now the tubing itself is a hell of a lot of fun, don't get me wrong, but it's ruining the landscape and the culture here. It's sad to see and I could explain my heart out but it's something you have to see to understand. I'm not against tubing itself but there needs to be limits without wrecking the fun, something needs to go back into the community not just taken away from it. Over the next few weeks I hope to meet some of the people who are spearheading this idea, should be interesting. We've had 2 days of climbing so far, incredible stuff! Found some great shops that supply us with muesli, fruit, yoghurt, bread, tuna, cheese, jam and snacks, all our needs for breakfast and lunch. Great way to save money! The weather could be better, but again, it's the wet season. We met some awesome people out climbing, pity they are leaving soon because they have been great to get to know! Not much else has been happening except for climbing but there is something I will mention here that has annoyed me a bit. The climbing guides in VV have been sabotaging routes that are close to town so no one else will climb on them. Hammering in and removing bolts and slings so that it makes it dangerous to climb. Not going to help the image of the climbing community has of the area. This is only around VV though, 20kms north is an incredible untainted climbing spot, absolute heaven! Also, there is a $1.20 toll to get up to the climbing area. This apparently goes towards looking after the area...it doesn't. Just another way to get money off tourists. Now I know it's not much but that's not the point, if you think otherwise I would love to hear your opinion!
Just thought I'd mention the Shepard's pie I had at the Irish Pub here...It was Divine, absolutely Divine!
Just thought I'd mention the Shepard's pie I had at the Irish Pub here...It was Divine, absolutely Divine!
I will be here for another 5 weeks, Fabian will leave in just over 2 so I will be in need of a climbing partner and something to do to stave off boredom. I've found places to volunteer and also in town there are pubs where you can work for food and lodgings. Not exactly ideal but it will be an experience. The volunteering will be amazing though, I have the owner of the guesthouse I'm in at the moment asking around the local farms to see if there's anything I can do. Great guy! I won't be bored that's for sure.
In case my family is wondering, I am well, I have lots of leech marks and have cut my finger pretty bad but apart from that I am in the highest spirits I have ever been in! :) Also, my beard is getting quite long...this is my photo of the day today, enjoy ;)
Time is flying by..
Apologies for the delay, I know it's been a while. This town has a warped perspective of time, beautiful and cesspool-ish as it is. A town of chalk and vintage chedar, I love it, I really do. I'll start from where I left off, but first I just want to amend something I rashly stated earlier; The reason the bolts have been bashed and the slings cut is because there is only 2 climbing places in town, Green Discovery and Adams climbing school, who put any money into bolting and maintaining the wall. The other places that run tours, there's about 4 of them, refuse to help bolt the walls and abuse what is already there so GD and ACS have made it dangerous for them to use these walls. Apologies to them both. But still, there needs to be warnings!
We had a stroke of luck, climbing up on Pha Daeng mountain we met this amazing group of climbers, who formed in the fabled TonSai, and immediately fell in love! They are an amazing group of human beings and we climbed hard for over a week with them, partied with them, chilled with them and had a down right incredible time. Gaia, Riley, Samson, Chris, Jen and Sarah Sunshine, thank-you for existing! I know I mentioned them in my earlier post but I've got to know them properly in a short period of time.
Not much happened in the period up until Fabian left. We climbed almost every day, ticked off some hard routes, ate great food, were annoyed by the jungle, tried to budget, laughed at drunk tubers, read endless books, chatted with T(our GH manager) and contemplated life. I know that last one sounds a bit daft but this place is mesmerizing and it constantly has you thinking about how lucky we are to be able to travel to a place so filled with corruption and beauty and to watch it grow and fall apart at the same time. It's an odd experience. You need to be very open to VV when you come here. Talk to the locals, talk to the tubers and try to understand what this place really is and what it's future holds. OK, yes, the town itself is dirty, filled with drunk scantily clad tubers who abuse their right to have a good time but if you wander around town and meet the locals and find the great places to eat and generally open your eyes you'll find this town growing on you. Also, you don't have to walk far out of town to see the beauty that encompasses it! The tubers don't see it, I was the same when I came here last year, I just wanted to let loose and have fun. Awareness is the key to saving this place...a little un-corrupt law enforcement wouldn't go astray either. The locals are starting to fight back though, the obnoxiously degenerate shit-hole called Q bar is gone when their lease is up in 2 months. It's about 50m from the Buddhist temple and blares music until 1:30am which is anything but soothing for the monks that have to get up at 4 in the morning. The swings and slides and jumping platforms on the river have been made safer, still dangerous but safer, but the alcohol still flows freely. I've been tubing twice now. I know what you're thinking, 'You say how bad these tubers are yet you partake yourself'. Yes of course I do, it's heaps of fun when you are with the right people and I don't go and annihilate yourself on cheap whiskey! The reason tubing is such a leech is that it promotes excessive drinking therefore creating an army of drunk trolls who don't give a shit about the traditions of the native Laos person. If they somehow could be made to realise how much fun they can have without getting smashed then the infamous 'tubing' wouldn't be a problem. That's why I tell people who 'aren't here for the tubing' to get away from the town and realise how much potential this place has so as to not write it off to their family and friends. If everyone stops coming here they will miss out on an incredible part of Laos. Even the town has it's own sort of charm, you just need a sense of humor.
Said goodbye to Fabian, we had an amazing time climbing together, absolutely amazing! Little bit lonely for a couple of days but then I met Violeta and had myself a new climbing partner. Also, met Andy and Brendon...an odd couple. No, not gay, just travel buddies. Brendon is from the states and Andy is from Vietnam. B ran into him on his travels in Vietnam and got to know him quite well then asked him 'What are you doing with your life?' A replies 'I'm not sure'. B 'You should come travel with me'. A 'Why not'. So A left his job And his girlfriend, sold his possessions, packed his bags and began his new journey! When you've gotta go you've gotta go I guess. I've met a few people like that, just had enough of their lives and decided to wipe the slate clean and start afresh. Just met a Norwegian who is going to sell everything he owns when he returns home and see where life takes him...he's 38, midlife crisis I guess. But then again, that's what my trip was all about; something was not quite right in my life so I needed to find out what it was...but I won't get all mushy here haha Staying in one place for a long time is amazing! I've met so many interesting people that I will never forget. I met a lady who used her entire life savings to start an NGO in India to get children off the streets. A crazy Irish expat named Jo who has married a Laos lady, had a daughter and built a guest house now he's slowly losing it. A dutch guy named Tony who accidently landed in VV and prints of all the Armageddon paraphernalia and all the bad things happening in the news and comes into Sakura(my new workplace) and reads them. I've picked up a couple myself, interesting but I don't have a timeline printed with the end of the world on it and a belief in God like Tony does. A fifty year old who ran up to me and yelled 'Jesus, I've found you!' then promptly showed me his tattoo of Jesus on his back...there were similarities. A Thai Architect who came, with his wife, to Laos to run a GH. His stories of corruption in this town are very interesting. An Alaskan sailor who looks like rambo. 2 Icelandic Pharmacists. 2 British tree surgeons. And the list goes on! Now, I was about to say that 'Everyone' I've met has an amazing personality and a unique character but then I forgot about the multitude of drunk 'tourists' I've tried to strike up a conversation with. I won't bore you with all the details, my time in Vang Vieng has been incredible. Another 9 days and I'll be heading to see my girl!
I'm going to leave it here for now, lunch calls! My next post will actually contain some of the events that have happened after Fabian left, I found a job and have found a way to make a bit of a difference here. You may be skeptical but so far it is working.
Where were we...
Lets start with the crappy stuff....leaving Laos. For starters I'm going to miss the place, I was there for long enough to form some great friendships and find all the best food and know enough about the place to be handy when asked for directions. My visa, was my last dilemma. I thought I had 2 months to spend in Laos, alas, I only had a month. You incur a $10 a day fine for every day you overstay. So, $300! I was pissed, but, it was my mistake. I ended up getting them down to $250 but still, it was painful. Anywho, such is life, I learnt a lesson from that - the expiry date on your actual visa stamp is when you can ENTER the country, how much time you have is on the immigration stamp when you ACTUALLY enter Laos. Laos 1 - Steve 4. It was about time I had a loss. Nothing really went wrong for me in Laos. OK, I had my drink spiked on the last night of working in Vang Vieng but my scratches from that have healed. Had some close calls and some instances where, had my head been screwed off, I wouldn't be writing this. Referring to climbing here.
As my last post so mentioned long ago, I got a job working at a restaurant/bar/placetochillandwatchamovie called Sakura. Fabian had left and I was looking for a way to meet people and save money(thank god I did!) so I became the promoter for S(akura). S was probably the biggest b/r/p in town, with a huge dancefloor in the entry way, following straight back to a large dining area and then even further back to a projector screen and makeshift day beds for watching movies on. It was a great setup! My lodgings, food and drink, all provided for by the Chinese owner Kai. He spoke no english, well, as I say I can speak no Laos - I know how to say hello and thankyou and smile. Keo, the Laos Manager, was awesome! He had such personality and I loved him to death. So nice to me and always was quick to procure any money needed to make games and costumes, to my delight. It was like going back to kindergarten.
I saw the immediate potential in this place to be something unlike the other clones here. So, I built giant Jenga, then twister and with the help of my new co-worker, the ever charming Brit Felix, we turned the place into game central! A place to have fun before sloshing off to the seedy cesspool known abhorrently as 'Q Bar'. So it began, with Taylor on the music and behind the bar we rocked the town of Vang Vieng. It was a Lot of fun and I met an incredible group of individuals. We workers grew in number to 5, with Jen, Sandra and Dave all joining the ranks we were unstoppable...well the floods in Bangkok saw an unusual scarcity of Farangs roaming the streets but we still managed to fill the bar nearly every night. We made costumes regularily; I made a top hat, walking cane, t-shirt vest, cape with tails and a monicle. This landed me with the name 'Evil Abe'. Abe, from the costume and Evil, from my hysterical evil laugh. Also, I graciously accuired the nick-name Jesus for my ever increasing beard and longer hair. Works well with my last name and the jokes were a-plenty!
I could write in here how amazing Fee, Jen, Sandra and Dave are but it won't do them justice - just know that they have touched my heart and our friendship will never die, even though there are a couple of oceans in between. I love you guys!
In between working for S until midnight, drinking more than I should have (ended up just putting softdrink in a glass to keep the drunkards from bantering me), dancing for every song and generally trying to be the life of the party, I still managed to get some more climbing in during the day. I met a few people who I took out and then generally left early to get a nap in before work. It was exhuasting and I'm only recovering now as I write this. Still, it was an incredible amount of fun which I will never forget!
Yes, I got drugged. It happens quite a bit a Q bar. They brug you and then when you're stumbling around the road (actually I couldn't stand up, or speak or do anything except throw up) a few Laos boys will try and get money from you claiming that you caught a tuk-tuk there to your friends who have just found you. A few people had been robbed while I was there, it's not good and it's happening more. I don't know whether it's out of resentment for Farangs or because they are just low but either way it's bad news.
I had planned on going to SAELaos to volunteer but I deduced that I was doing this for selfish reasons. Instead I donated a bunch of stuff I'd accumulated in Laos to them; a hammock, a bucket, 2 pairs of gum boots, a funnel and a piece of hose. Until I actually have a real skill to offer them, volunteering only made me feel good about myself.
I could dribble on more in finer detail about what I did in VV but the stories are more personal experiences that can't be put into words. I have a new view on this town, and a mission to tell everyone I meet not to judge it purely on 'Tubing' even Lonely Planet's write up on VV is now warped. This screws up the future for the place even more than tubing does! If everyone who isn't a tuber walks away with a bad opinion of the town then in the end the only people that will travel there are tourists looking for no boundaries in an extreme setting where the buckets of booze flow cheaply. There is so much more the surrounding areas of VV have to offer, as you'll see in my climbing photos. I want to one day come back and start up Mini Mountaineering and work with the locals to set up hikes to the top of these gorgeous peaks, but if people leave the place saying how unsightly and noisy and dirty it is, observations all based on the town itself, then my work is already going backwards! The fact is, you don't have to stay and eat in the town, there are some amazing places just on the other side of the river so you don't have to see any of it! VV has a piece of my heart, I've seen it from all sides (except that of a local, although I have heard a lot of their opinions) and it always comes up trumps.
I'll miss you Vang Vieng.
We had a stroke of luck, climbing up on Pha Daeng mountain we met this amazing group of climbers, who formed in the fabled TonSai, and immediately fell in love! They are an amazing group of human beings and we climbed hard for over a week with them, partied with them, chilled with them and had a down right incredible time. Gaia, Riley, Samson, Chris, Jen and Sarah Sunshine, thank-you for existing! I know I mentioned them in my earlier post but I've got to know them properly in a short period of time.
Not much happened in the period up until Fabian left. We climbed almost every day, ticked off some hard routes, ate great food, were annoyed by the jungle, tried to budget, laughed at drunk tubers, read endless books, chatted with T(our GH manager) and contemplated life. I know that last one sounds a bit daft but this place is mesmerizing and it constantly has you thinking about how lucky we are to be able to travel to a place so filled with corruption and beauty and to watch it grow and fall apart at the same time. It's an odd experience. You need to be very open to VV when you come here. Talk to the locals, talk to the tubers and try to understand what this place really is and what it's future holds. OK, yes, the town itself is dirty, filled with drunk scantily clad tubers who abuse their right to have a good time but if you wander around town and meet the locals and find the great places to eat and generally open your eyes you'll find this town growing on you. Also, you don't have to walk far out of town to see the beauty that encompasses it! The tubers don't see it, I was the same when I came here last year, I just wanted to let loose and have fun. Awareness is the key to saving this place...a little un-corrupt law enforcement wouldn't go astray either. The locals are starting to fight back though, the obnoxiously degenerate shit-hole called Q bar is gone when their lease is up in 2 months. It's about 50m from the Buddhist temple and blares music until 1:30am which is anything but soothing for the monks that have to get up at 4 in the morning. The swings and slides and jumping platforms on the river have been made safer, still dangerous but safer, but the alcohol still flows freely. I've been tubing twice now. I know what you're thinking, 'You say how bad these tubers are yet you partake yourself'. Yes of course I do, it's heaps of fun when you are with the right people and I don't go and annihilate yourself on cheap whiskey! The reason tubing is such a leech is that it promotes excessive drinking therefore creating an army of drunk trolls who don't give a shit about the traditions of the native Laos person. If they somehow could be made to realise how much fun they can have without getting smashed then the infamous 'tubing' wouldn't be a problem. That's why I tell people who 'aren't here for the tubing' to get away from the town and realise how much potential this place has so as to not write it off to their family and friends. If everyone stops coming here they will miss out on an incredible part of Laos. Even the town has it's own sort of charm, you just need a sense of humor.
Said goodbye to Fabian, we had an amazing time climbing together, absolutely amazing! Little bit lonely for a couple of days but then I met Violeta and had myself a new climbing partner. Also, met Andy and Brendon...an odd couple. No, not gay, just travel buddies. Brendon is from the states and Andy is from Vietnam. B ran into him on his travels in Vietnam and got to know him quite well then asked him 'What are you doing with your life?' A replies 'I'm not sure'. B 'You should come travel with me'. A 'Why not'. So A left his job And his girlfriend, sold his possessions, packed his bags and began his new journey! When you've gotta go you've gotta go I guess. I've met a few people like that, just had enough of their lives and decided to wipe the slate clean and start afresh. Just met a Norwegian who is going to sell everything he owns when he returns home and see where life takes him...he's 38, midlife crisis I guess. But then again, that's what my trip was all about; something was not quite right in my life so I needed to find out what it was...but I won't get all mushy here haha Staying in one place for a long time is amazing! I've met so many interesting people that I will never forget. I met a lady who used her entire life savings to start an NGO in India to get children off the streets. A crazy Irish expat named Jo who has married a Laos lady, had a daughter and built a guest house now he's slowly losing it. A dutch guy named Tony who accidently landed in VV and prints of all the Armageddon paraphernalia and all the bad things happening in the news and comes into Sakura(my new workplace) and reads them. I've picked up a couple myself, interesting but I don't have a timeline printed with the end of the world on it and a belief in God like Tony does. A fifty year old who ran up to me and yelled 'Jesus, I've found you!' then promptly showed me his tattoo of Jesus on his back...there were similarities. A Thai Architect who came, with his wife, to Laos to run a GH. His stories of corruption in this town are very interesting. An Alaskan sailor who looks like rambo. 2 Icelandic Pharmacists. 2 British tree surgeons. And the list goes on! Now, I was about to say that 'Everyone' I've met has an amazing personality and a unique character but then I forgot about the multitude of drunk 'tourists' I've tried to strike up a conversation with. I won't bore you with all the details, my time in Vang Vieng has been incredible. Another 9 days and I'll be heading to see my girl!
I'm going to leave it here for now, lunch calls! My next post will actually contain some of the events that have happened after Fabian left, I found a job and have found a way to make a bit of a difference here. You may be skeptical but so far it is working.
Where were we...
Lets start with the crappy stuff....leaving Laos. For starters I'm going to miss the place, I was there for long enough to form some great friendships and find all the best food and know enough about the place to be handy when asked for directions. My visa, was my last dilemma. I thought I had 2 months to spend in Laos, alas, I only had a month. You incur a $10 a day fine for every day you overstay. So, $300! I was pissed, but, it was my mistake. I ended up getting them down to $250 but still, it was painful. Anywho, such is life, I learnt a lesson from that - the expiry date on your actual visa stamp is when you can ENTER the country, how much time you have is on the immigration stamp when you ACTUALLY enter Laos. Laos 1 - Steve 4. It was about time I had a loss. Nothing really went wrong for me in Laos. OK, I had my drink spiked on the last night of working in Vang Vieng but my scratches from that have healed. Had some close calls and some instances where, had my head been screwed off, I wouldn't be writing this. Referring to climbing here.
As my last post so mentioned long ago, I got a job working at a restaurant/bar/placetochillandwatchamovie called Sakura. Fabian had left and I was looking for a way to meet people and save money(thank god I did!) so I became the promoter for S(akura). S was probably the biggest b/r/p in town, with a huge dancefloor in the entry way, following straight back to a large dining area and then even further back to a projector screen and makeshift day beds for watching movies on. It was a great setup! My lodgings, food and drink, all provided for by the Chinese owner Kai. He spoke no english, well, as I say I can speak no Laos - I know how to say hello and thankyou and smile. Keo, the Laos Manager, was awesome! He had such personality and I loved him to death. So nice to me and always was quick to procure any money needed to make games and costumes, to my delight. It was like going back to kindergarten.
I saw the immediate potential in this place to be something unlike the other clones here. So, I built giant Jenga, then twister and with the help of my new co-worker, the ever charming Brit Felix, we turned the place into game central! A place to have fun before sloshing off to the seedy cesspool known abhorrently as 'Q Bar'. So it began, with Taylor on the music and behind the bar we rocked the town of Vang Vieng. It was a Lot of fun and I met an incredible group of individuals. We workers grew in number to 5, with Jen, Sandra and Dave all joining the ranks we were unstoppable...well the floods in Bangkok saw an unusual scarcity of Farangs roaming the streets but we still managed to fill the bar nearly every night. We made costumes regularily; I made a top hat, walking cane, t-shirt vest, cape with tails and a monicle. This landed me with the name 'Evil Abe'. Abe, from the costume and Evil, from my hysterical evil laugh. Also, I graciously accuired the nick-name Jesus for my ever increasing beard and longer hair. Works well with my last name and the jokes were a-plenty!
I could write in here how amazing Fee, Jen, Sandra and Dave are but it won't do them justice - just know that they have touched my heart and our friendship will never die, even though there are a couple of oceans in between. I love you guys!
In between working for S until midnight, drinking more than I should have (ended up just putting softdrink in a glass to keep the drunkards from bantering me), dancing for every song and generally trying to be the life of the party, I still managed to get some more climbing in during the day. I met a few people who I took out and then generally left early to get a nap in before work. It was exhuasting and I'm only recovering now as I write this. Still, it was an incredible amount of fun which I will never forget!
Yes, I got drugged. It happens quite a bit a Q bar. They brug you and then when you're stumbling around the road (actually I couldn't stand up, or speak or do anything except throw up) a few Laos boys will try and get money from you claiming that you caught a tuk-tuk there to your friends who have just found you. A few people had been robbed while I was there, it's not good and it's happening more. I don't know whether it's out of resentment for Farangs or because they are just low but either way it's bad news.
I had planned on going to SAELaos to volunteer but I deduced that I was doing this for selfish reasons. Instead I donated a bunch of stuff I'd accumulated in Laos to them; a hammock, a bucket, 2 pairs of gum boots, a funnel and a piece of hose. Until I actually have a real skill to offer them, volunteering only made me feel good about myself.
I could dribble on more in finer detail about what I did in VV but the stories are more personal experiences that can't be put into words. I have a new view on this town, and a mission to tell everyone I meet not to judge it purely on 'Tubing' even Lonely Planet's write up on VV is now warped. This screws up the future for the place even more than tubing does! If everyone who isn't a tuber walks away with a bad opinion of the town then in the end the only people that will travel there are tourists looking for no boundaries in an extreme setting where the buckets of booze flow cheaply. There is so much more the surrounding areas of VV have to offer, as you'll see in my climbing photos. I want to one day come back and start up Mini Mountaineering and work with the locals to set up hikes to the top of these gorgeous peaks, but if people leave the place saying how unsightly and noisy and dirty it is, observations all based on the town itself, then my work is already going backwards! The fact is, you don't have to stay and eat in the town, there are some amazing places just on the other side of the river so you don't have to see any of it! VV has a piece of my heart, I've seen it from all sides (except that of a local, although I have heard a lot of their opinions) and it always comes up trumps.
I'll miss you Vang Vieng.
