he is about
but not for a long time.
Popping online & here to say a HI! From Thailand, where I've been the last fortnight or so & which I depart from in approx 2 hours. Onward: Kuala Lumpur. First notable thing that happened to me in Thailand after doing the 1 minute river crossing from Laos was actually my last meal(s) in Laos. Yip, succumbed once again to an awe-inspiring performance of toilet dance. I was telling the time by bowel movements after the first 24H - every 30minutes was time for another squirt. Delightful fun. So, needless to say, Chiang Rai was not all it could have been. I could go on, but you've probably decided to tune out already!
Looks like I'm shit outta time already - what with photo uploading, skype chatting & kelkoo price-checking & various other multi-tasks. Suffice to say, very much aboard the coundown train to europe now. Not an unhappy journey, but not brimful of delights neither. Hopefully my 5 days in KL will be a crowd-pleaser....
OK =- blogpickers - over & out. Hopefully brevity is in for July.
Wednesday, 2 July 2008
Friday, 30 May 2008
Rant ON!
.......A time to reap & a time to sow. Not sure quite which my current chapter would fit under, but it makes for an eloquent introduction, so what the hey! Hey? In the event that you are unaware, let me fill you in on what's up with Aodan. Plus, now comes with imbedded photos, there - internet, huh! Where'd we go before it?? Ask me eye! - opposite. Lest you forgot what it looks like. Not at all scary, right? Or blurry.
When I left London in February one of my objectives was to secure some voluntary work experience for myself whilst away. Now, there's heaps of 'agencies' that can line up such opportunities for you & you pay them hundreds if not thousands for the privilege. I think it's pretty corrupt, the whole nature of volunteering should be that the giving of your time is payment enough, ne? Avoiding this line, I instead ploughed my contacts & yielded much help from several friends (thank you each for your assistance) to find something for me appropriate to do somewhere in South East Asia. As is so often the case though it's the human touch that makes all the difference. As a tourist one day about a month ago, I wandered into a visitor centre that I had heard good things about.
This centre aims to explain to tourists such as myself what their organisation (COPE Laos) does for people who have been affected (i.e. limbs blown off by bombs left over from the American bombing of Laos in the 60's & 70's in the 'Secret War') by unexploded ordnance (UXO to us tecchies in the field). They offer services to those poor citizens who cannot afford hospital health care, whereby they pay travel expenses & lodgings for them to come to one of 5 centres around Laos to have their homemade limbs (often made from tree or even scrap metal from bombs!) replaced by modern prosthetics that are clearly a much more appropriate way forward. That's it in a miniature nutshell - phew!
I could probably write a short book on what I've learnt since that first day in the centre, but now's not the time for my tears, as some of you probably need to go for a toilet-break already. Suffice to say, I was moved by the exhibition & in having a break outside afterwards had a serious talk with myself about whether I should ask see if they needed my help with their aims, it being a relatively new visitor centre & not completely finished. The conversation with Jo, centre manager, clearly went to this conclusion & the very next day I came on a kind of trial (more for me than them!) to help hang some pictures in a temporary exhibition, clearly a field you will all know I have much experience in! Perhaps not actually.
I agreed to a 2/3 week posting (oh, it's in Vientiane, capital of Lao PDR btw) but I felt it would be better for me to do it after I had seen a bit more of the country (see, not so selfless!), so accordingly I took off for the hills after a far too languid relaxing week in Vientiane. First stop: Vang Vieng, which I talked about in a previous post. After there & a fairly gruelling 8 hour bus journey, it was Phonsovan, which has a wild-west, wide open streets, frontier-town kinda feel, bang in the middle of the country.
I can fairly safely say that the ONLY reason to go here is to see one of the main attractions of Laos, the nearby Plain of Jars, which is exactly what it says on the tin/jar. Ahmm, similar to Stonehenge in that nobody quite knows exactly what their origins or purpose are, but suffice to say there are thousands of them scattered across the landscape. The landscape itself is pretty barren, not so much a reflection of the soil or weather patterns, instead more evidence of the destruction wrought by American bombers in the Secret War, where they blasted the whole area, it being a strategically important location with Vietnamese troops using caves to store munitions & what have you. Again, a long story. But, if like me you were an ignoramus when it comes to Laos & especially the Secret War, I would urge you to google it or more & fill yourself in. You might find that you look at America more stringently, the America of today & it's vainglorious incarnations of the past.
On that topic, I am feeling very proud to be Irish at the moment! Yes, can't say you hear me say that aloud too often, but, those of you following the news this week should be aware that there has been a 10 day conference in Dublin convening some 180 nations that have decided that they will agree a treaty that will ban cluster bombs. If those last 3 words mean nothing to you, then sit up! We all know and hopefully agree that war is bad, evil & all the rest. Nonetheless, time has shown that there is no likelihood of that sinking sentiment being enough to stop war occuring.
Within modern warfare, however, there is a disgusting little weapon (cluster bomb) that is quite monumental in causing damage to anything it comes in contact with, up to anything within about 18km sq from where it is dropped. This giant bomb opens up mid air & out of it comes about 800 small orange-sized balls, nicknamed 'bombies' by Lao people.
They whirr around mid-air & when they gather enough momentum or when they hit a surface, explode, each one dispelling a few hundred ball bearings in all directions at a huge m/p/h. Bad, right? Bad enough, but as I've learnt in my stint with COPE, this is not something that is all tidied-up when the war ends. Opposite is an artistic interpretation of those bombies hitting land, this was taken on Monday, when the Queen of Malaysia came to visit the centre, it's not nearly always so busy. I could tell you a story about those young boys in crutches behind the installation (who've lost legs & are getting used to their prosthesis) & how they were being instructed on how to courtesy to the Queen before her arrival, but that might make me look a little callous, so I'll stop, oh, have I said too much?....Many of these 'bombies' don't detonate & remain dormant, hidden and untouched. Laos is still infested with them, 40 years after they were first bombed. Clearly humans come into contact with them at some point. These old weapons are still killing children & disabling adults today & will into the future. The same type of bomb is being used in Afghanistan now & in Iraq in recent times, amongst other warzones. It predominantly affects only innocent civilians; it's just so wrong. I best stop this little tirade before you mark me down as a hippie zealot. Suffice to say, that a ban on these is a huge step forward. That USA, China, Russia & Israel did not attend the conference or submit to the treaty says a lot about their governments & their future intentions. I hope, like some commentators suggest, that this treaty will nonetheless intimidate them to stop using the weapons for fear of international outcry. Time will tell.
So, where was I??? Oh yes, leaving Phonsovan after 3 days to go to my most remote location thus far methinks. Sam Neua, in North Eastern Laos, close enough to Hanoi in Vietnam, where I had been a month earlier. My experiences in Sam Neua were quite brilliant, and therefore deserve their own separate post, coming to a screen near you soon, well next month. That should cover it! Meanwhile, to whet you up, here's a photo I took from the toilet in the bus station of the Sam Neua vista beneath - stunner, eh?Jumping ahead in a bid to save your eyes, I returned to Vientiane (3rd time on this trip - what funk!) primarily to begin my 3/4 week stint volunteering, 9-5, M-F with COPE Laos (I'll plug the website now: www.copelaos.org & bedivil you later for more elaborate plugs!). I caught up with a few friends that I had made here previously & began to make new ones. Working in the Centre means there's a steady trickle of 'falang' (foreigners) coming in, the vast majority are utterly interesting & indeed interested in the COPE project. So, meeting some cool peeps that way is a bonus of the role. As for what I'm actually doing, little bits of everything. A lot of photo & poster design & printing, some proofing, spotting information gaps in the exhibits & the like.
I had been staying in the 'Ministry of Information & Culture Guesthouse' for a few nights, which while a bit bare & austere, did boast huge rooms & en suites with charming, eager staff. They also did the best damn laundry I've had all trip! However, the nature of my longer-term posting here meant I felt deserved of somewhere with a bit more luxury. Namely, fridge & TV topped the requirements.
So, I've upgraded to a sweet little guesthouse a bit out of town for $10 a night, but still along the mighty Mekong river, opposite, that has been my home for the last few days. I will be happy to end my Vientiane days there, he thought sadly. My companions there are the tiny frogs living outside my door & their (hopefully) food source: the mosquitoes, who have really gone for me ankles in a big way on this leg of the journey - maybe I'm not keeping up the requisite amounts of Beer Lao in my system to deter them...Allinall, life is quite sweet my friends. A funny little break from the travel/tourism regime & a welcome one at that. To feel contented with your work & location is a wonderful feeling. Thoughts of course have turned to perhaps looking at staying here longer. Come on, you knew that would happen, right? However, eagle-eyed amongst you will be checking your computer calendars to see that I am indeed about due back in Blighty any day now, specifically June 5th. At this time, it's appropriate to tell you that I have indeed rescheduled myself to a later return in mid-july. Great news for me but it does also means that I have concreted that these are also the latter days of my trip. Not a nice thought. Buuuuuuuuuut all good things, as they say.... It is important for me to return when there's some semblance of summer going on in Europe, acclimatisation & all that, so them's the breaks.
On that note, I sign off for now, eager to please you again soon - - for feic sake! Mailme ur craic.
@X
PS: you've got to do yourself a justice & checkout this awesome little gem: http://www.send-a-whale.com. A mate of mine in Sydney made it for Greenpeace & it will warm the cockles of your heart.
Monday, 5 May 2008
Vang Vieng
Well, a quick update only 5 days later - am I actually getting into this?
Made my way to Vang Vieng on a 3 hour bus trip with far too many young & loud English backpackers - sorry, but it's true. A taste of what was to come. This joint has a reputation as a party-town & indeed it's the biggest concentration of beckpeckers, fisherman trousers, pancake makers & ridiculous haircuts I've encountered probably on this whole trip. Think Glastonbury maybe!
So, anyway, after a day or so met a cool Finnish guy & we hung out a bit. TBH, I did f***all for the last few days except hang out on hammocks & read my book, as well as eat drink & be merry of course. Today, this changed. We hired a moto & took off for the hills, of which there are few really; what they do have an abundance of thought are giant limestone cliffs marooned across the landscape. Trees hang on every possible ledge making it a rather spectacular sight.
Anyway, enough descriptivism, cut to the actionism. Got on the bike & got lost in the hills. We had only a half tank of gas left when we decided to about-turn. We stopped at one of the many local caves on the way back-still not sure of the name, but one of the names was 'Shell Cave' so that will do. Well, wow wee to use a phrase from childhood! Some of you will remember me in Australia becoming generally 'over' caves. Well, consider that rewound & erased. This was something else. Every kind of terrain was inside this cave. Pebbles, sand, clay, hard, soft, wet, slippy, drippy, sloshy & often muddy. We had been pre-advised there would be swimming - happy days - haven't done that in an age. However, once we were safely inside & our guide ( who had materialised & stepped up to the task without our say-so) piped up that 'swimming one hour'. No, not swimming for an hour, swimming was one hour away. I baulked. I was hungry already & needed a pee, but we persevered.
Before long, the birkenstocks had to come off to wade through some murky water pools. Thereafter was what I can only imagine is like a Lough Derg pilgrimage, walking barefoot through craggy ground, where pebbles become blessed relief as not jagged. Anyway, cutting to the action again, we next arrive at a pool which first of all looks like a dead-end. No, this is where the swimming starts. We brace ourselves for the cold water (oh, it's me & my finnish mate, Matias who are on this jaunt btw) & get to. There's just enough space for our heads to be over water as we doggypaddle through. The other side reveals enough space to hold a small party - the terrain constantly changing.
Fastforward to the good bits, we go through another mile of caverns & corridors, stalagmites & the rest abound, barely lit up by our head-torches. The sound of waterfall becomes audible & after 5 more minutes we finally arrive at an underground river, which we have to wade through the various levels to get to a deep pool where we have a quick dip & take some snaps. Absolutely brilliant & the water was cool but refreshing. Our guide spoke to us and what I took from it was that the river continues upstream for much longer still. Quite something. 2 and a half hours later we emerged to the afternoon's heat subsiding.
I will quit while I'm ahead now & warn you that I'm off to do some tubing & zip-lining & perhaps beer-lao'ing tomorrow - wish me luck
Made my way to Vang Vieng on a 3 hour bus trip with far too many young & loud English backpackers - sorry, but it's true. A taste of what was to come. This joint has a reputation as a party-town & indeed it's the biggest concentration of beckpeckers, fisherman trousers, pancake makers & ridiculous haircuts I've encountered probably on this whole trip. Think Glastonbury maybe!
So, anyway, after a day or so met a cool Finnish guy & we hung out a bit. TBH, I did f***all for the last few days except hang out on hammocks & read my book, as well as eat drink & be merry of course. Today, this changed. We hired a moto & took off for the hills, of which there are few really; what they do have an abundance of thought are giant limestone cliffs marooned across the landscape. Trees hang on every possible ledge making it a rather spectacular sight.
Anyway, enough descriptivism, cut to the actionism. Got on the bike & got lost in the hills. We had only a half tank of gas left when we decided to about-turn. We stopped at one of the many local caves on the way back-still not sure of the name, but one of the names was 'Shell Cave' so that will do. Well, wow wee to use a phrase from childhood! Some of you will remember me in Australia becoming generally 'over' caves. Well, consider that rewound & erased. This was something else. Every kind of terrain was inside this cave. Pebbles, sand, clay, hard, soft, wet, slippy, drippy, sloshy & often muddy. We had been pre-advised there would be swimming - happy days - haven't done that in an age. However, once we were safely inside & our guide ( who had materialised & stepped up to the task without our say-so) piped up that 'swimming one hour'. No, not swimming for an hour, swimming was one hour away. I baulked. I was hungry already & needed a pee, but we persevered.
Before long, the birkenstocks had to come off to wade through some murky water pools. Thereafter was what I can only imagine is like a Lough Derg pilgrimage, walking barefoot through craggy ground, where pebbles become blessed relief as not jagged. Anyway, cutting to the action again, we next arrive at a pool which first of all looks like a dead-end. No, this is where the swimming starts. We brace ourselves for the cold water (oh, it's me & my finnish mate, Matias who are on this jaunt btw) & get to. There's just enough space for our heads to be over water as we doggypaddle through. The other side reveals enough space to hold a small party - the terrain constantly changing.
Fastforward to the good bits, we go through another mile of caverns & corridors, stalagmites & the rest abound, barely lit up by our head-torches. The sound of waterfall becomes audible & after 5 more minutes we finally arrive at an underground river, which we have to wade through the various levels to get to a deep pool where we have a quick dip & take some snaps. Absolutely brilliant & the water was cool but refreshing. Our guide spoke to us and what I took from it was that the river continues upstream for much longer still. Quite something. 2 and a half hours later we emerged to the afternoon's heat subsiding.
I will quit while I'm ahead now & warn you that I'm off to do some tubing & zip-lining & perhaps beer-lao'ing tomorrow - wish me luck
Thursday, 1 May 2008
Circular
Well here I am, once again magnetised to the bright lights of capital cities. This months turn its lucky Vientiane (again), the capital of Laos. For those closest of followers, you should remember that this is where I had my first stint on the trip, where I met Colm & Debbie. That time around we had no more than 3 days & my abiding memory of the small city (pop. 400,000) is that it permanently felt like a Sunday afternoon, granted one of those days was a Sunday!
This time around I got a different feel for the place, although some of the haunts are much the same as before. I’m staying a bit closer to the action, down by the Mekong River, which forms the boundary between Vientiane & Thailand on the yonder side. What[s been different? Well, the food is just non-stop brilliance here, which I don’t remember so fondly last time I was in V. Papaya Salad is a national dish, but don’t be fooled by such innocuous titles, it[s bloody spicy hot-definitely need a refreshing Beer Lao to wash it down. Its not as hot as the Laap, which is either minced chicken, fish or beef, also in a salad presentation which is tongue bursting. Due to the French occupation of Laos (& Indochina) there are quite a few lasting remnants of French cuisine, comprising baguette stalls & bakeries in the main; far too tempting for this sweet-toother.
(Just so you know & sympathise, I’m having to do a lot of corrections on my otherwise near-perfect prose! - as the Y button gives you Zs with this kezoard and vice versa, if zou see what I mean?!)
I had good fortune to meet a lovely Japanese-Lao lady the other night, who while living in Singapore is currently volunteering in one of the local hospitals here in Vientiane - she is a doctor, but also runs fish & tree farms in Luang Prabang. Always nice to meet nice people of course, but even better if they can teach you about the country you are experiencing... so I can now say nearly as many phrases in Lao as I had picked up in Vietnam - not bad for this semi-retired linguist.
Speaking of retirement, I too may be coming out of my premature retirement! As some may already know, I had hoped that part of this trip would see me knuckle down to do some work or volunteering which would see me based in one spot for a few weeks. Well, I have found an opportunity to do some informal volunteering here in Vientiane. It will be with an NGO, who go by the name of COPE Laos (www.copelaos.org for more of a background). I[all write more about that as & when it goes live, which hopefullz will be in 3 weeks. Meanwhile, I want to squeeze in as much "tourism" as I can. After nearly a week here, I get a bus (VIP, not Chicken-bus!) to Vang Vieng in 2 hours (hence slight hurried style of writing). It is a reputation as a rowdy partay town, which I’m not feeling too in sync with right now, so hopefully some of the outdoor activities that it first became famous for, along with apparently beautiful karst cliffs landscape will mean I find adequate repose. Although a sprucing up of my sociality should be welcomed if that were to happen also. …
Kip is the currency here in Laos and contrary to what I remembered (and belying Laos’ reputations as one of the world’s poorest countries) the bang for my buck isn’t as great as I had thought. 1 million kip (what I withdraw regularly!) is about 55 stg, so I’m going to have to be ‘carefuler’ with me cash & ‘spendthriftness’. The average meal comes in around 60,000 kip, so it’s not exactly daylight robbery either. Accommodation is definitely more expensive here – 12 US dollars a night is typical & that was the most I ever paid in all of Vietnam, which I would have expected to be more expensive…
Speaking of Vietnam, I had a pretty yuck adios to Vietnam! I decided to spend my last days in Vinh, not exactly on the tourist trail. I won’t go into it now, as the memory is thankfully getting fainter, but lots of things went awry & that was just the weather!! I was GLAD to be leaving it behind, even if it meant a 12 hour daytrip in a Chicken Bus across the border. The border crossing which my bus took has a reputation as being DODGE-galore, but thankfully I managed it stress-free. Being the only Westerner on my bus of cross-border smugglers meant I delayed them by 20minutes on the Laos side. Entirely not my fault guv’nor! This was the most disorganized border crossing I’d ever seen. There seemed to be a dearth of electricity, and the poor women officials were working to (1 tiny red) candle-light each. There were the usual four or five different transactions to be done with various missing officials, but I got there in the end, with the help of one of the bus-staff. By the time I got to Vientiane 12 hours after leaving Vinh, I was absolutely ready for bed
And that’s what I am now; I’m needing to go pack up my bag & do some final ‘tidying up my affairs’ in Vientiane. So, I sign off speedily, hoping you can go to your weekend with a sense of what my week has been like….
BEST
AODANx
PS-I have fetched a Laos mobile SIM Card, mainlz because I have been inundated with requests from you guys desperate for a chat with me!!! NOT! But seriously, & if you want to give me a call, then why not ask me by gmail for my number e- i dont think texting works so well mind! I am also on Skype as Aodan1.... regularly using that these days
This time around I got a different feel for the place, although some of the haunts are much the same as before. I’m staying a bit closer to the action, down by the Mekong River, which forms the boundary between Vientiane & Thailand on the yonder side. What[s been different? Well, the food is just non-stop brilliance here, which I don’t remember so fondly last time I was in V. Papaya Salad is a national dish, but don’t be fooled by such innocuous titles, it[s bloody spicy hot-definitely need a refreshing Beer Lao to wash it down. Its not as hot as the Laap, which is either minced chicken, fish or beef, also in a salad presentation which is tongue bursting. Due to the French occupation of Laos (& Indochina) there are quite a few lasting remnants of French cuisine, comprising baguette stalls & bakeries in the main; far too tempting for this sweet-toother.
(Just so you know & sympathise, I’m having to do a lot of corrections on my otherwise near-perfect prose! - as the Y button gives you Zs with this kezoard and vice versa, if zou see what I mean?!)
I had good fortune to meet a lovely Japanese-Lao lady the other night, who while living in Singapore is currently volunteering in one of the local hospitals here in Vientiane - she is a doctor, but also runs fish & tree farms in Luang Prabang. Always nice to meet nice people of course, but even better if they can teach you about the country you are experiencing... so I can now say nearly as many phrases in Lao as I had picked up in Vietnam - not bad for this semi-retired linguist.
Speaking of retirement, I too may be coming out of my premature retirement! As some may already know, I had hoped that part of this trip would see me knuckle down to do some work or volunteering which would see me based in one spot for a few weeks. Well, I have found an opportunity to do some informal volunteering here in Vientiane. It will be with an NGO, who go by the name of COPE Laos (www.copelaos.org for more of a background). I[all write more about that as & when it goes live, which hopefullz will be in 3 weeks. Meanwhile, I want to squeeze in as much "tourism" as I can. After nearly a week here, I get a bus (VIP, not Chicken-bus!) to Vang Vieng in 2 hours (hence slight hurried style of writing). It is a reputation as a rowdy partay town, which I’m not feeling too in sync with right now, so hopefully some of the outdoor activities that it first became famous for, along with apparently beautiful karst cliffs landscape will mean I find adequate repose. Although a sprucing up of my sociality should be welcomed if that were to happen also. …
Kip is the currency here in Laos and contrary to what I remembered (and belying Laos’ reputations as one of the world’s poorest countries) the bang for my buck isn’t as great as I had thought. 1 million kip (what I withdraw regularly!) is about 55 stg, so I’m going to have to be ‘carefuler’ with me cash & ‘spendthriftness’. The average meal comes in around 60,000 kip, so it’s not exactly daylight robbery either. Accommodation is definitely more expensive here – 12 US dollars a night is typical & that was the most I ever paid in all of Vietnam, which I would have expected to be more expensive…
Speaking of Vietnam, I had a pretty yuck adios to Vietnam! I decided to spend my last days in Vinh, not exactly on the tourist trail. I won’t go into it now, as the memory is thankfully getting fainter, but lots of things went awry & that was just the weather!! I was GLAD to be leaving it behind, even if it meant a 12 hour daytrip in a Chicken Bus across the border. The border crossing which my bus took has a reputation as being DODGE-galore, but thankfully I managed it stress-free. Being the only Westerner on my bus of cross-border smugglers meant I delayed them by 20minutes on the Laos side. Entirely not my fault guv’nor! This was the most disorganized border crossing I’d ever seen. There seemed to be a dearth of electricity, and the poor women officials were working to (1 tiny red) candle-light each. There were the usual four or five different transactions to be done with various missing officials, but I got there in the end, with the help of one of the bus-staff. By the time I got to Vientiane 12 hours after leaving Vinh, I was absolutely ready for bed
And that’s what I am now; I’m needing to go pack up my bag & do some final ‘tidying up my affairs’ in Vientiane. So, I sign off speedily, hoping you can go to your weekend with a sense of what my week has been like….
BEST
AODANx
PS-I have fetched a Laos mobile SIM Card, mainlz because I have been inundated with requests from you guys desperate for a chat with me!!! NOT! But seriously, & if you want to give me a call, then why not ask me by gmail for my number e- i dont think texting works so well mind! I am also on Skype as Aodan1.... regularly using that these days
Friday, 18 April 2008
6 weeks later...
'Xin Thao' Europe et al!
Hanoi is a funny one; it's the real Asian city of cramped lanes, streets that specialise in selling one particular range of products; be it saucepans, handbags, sweets, lanterns or even wedding invitation cards! and like any Vietnamese town, has a million motorbikes on the move at any given minute. On the other hand it hasn't grabbed me in the way that Saigon did or some of the spots I've visited inbetween.
I got up early this morning (7.30am - are you impressed?) to get to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (a museum hosting the embalmed remains of Uncle Ho) which is somewhat of a mecca for the Vietnamese who revere him as the author of the country's reunification in 1975. The queues for here are known for being around the two hour mark, so an early start was called for. You'd think I had done adequate research, but I was to find out at 8 from some tourists staying in the same place as me that the museum is shut on Fridays! Doh, there went that plan. Bed beckoned as well as the ever-useful HBO channel; yes TV choice can be quite good in the better Vietnamese hotels.
FOOD: I gave a mixed review to food here before. That's changed. I'm really enjoying 90% of what I eat now. I'm just back from mountainous Sapa which has a temperate climate, which might influence the food quality, but without fail each dish was very yummy. IN one day i ventured into 2 new food territories. Namely, rabbit and later frog. I recommend the frog. Sorry Kermit lovers.
OK: it's time for the daily rendezvous at the Bia Hoi & while I'm sure I could wax on with nonsense for another bit, I feel a bit full, do you? I'm possibly able to write more before I leave Vietnam next week, when I aim to return to see the bits of Laos (Northern) that I missed before. In my experience, internet is a bit flakier in Laos. I hope that you find this interesting; as the cliche goes: if you like it tell others; if you don't tell me! I welcome all thoughts. Mailme, like!
PS: Thought for the day is from a book i'm reading at the moment called the Indochina Chronicles which recounts that "If you've tried everything and failed, try Hanoi". I'm sure no-one reading is in need of taking note of this!
So, back from the lake & only slightly hot & bothered; drinking some cane-juice with passionfruit takes the edge off the day for sure. The lake in question is the one of the main ones in Hanoi city centre, reputed to still play host to seldom-seen turtles, which have been here at least as long as the city (1000 years).
Hanoi is a funny one; it's the real Asian city of cramped lanes, streets that specialise in selling one particular range of products; be it saucepans, handbags, sweets, lanterns or even wedding invitation cards! and like any Vietnamese town, has a million motorbikes on the move at any given minute. On the other hand it hasn't grabbed me in the way that Saigon did or some of the spots I've visited inbetween.
I got up early this morning (7.30am - are you impressed?) to get to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (a museum hosting the embalmed remains of Uncle Ho) which is somewhat of a mecca for the Vietnamese who revere him as the author of the country's reunification in 1975. The queues for here are known for being around the two hour mark, so an early start was called for. You'd think I had done adequate research, but I was to find out at 8 from some tourists staying in the same place as me that the museum is shut on Fridays! Doh, there went that plan. Bed beckoned as well as the ever-useful HBO channel; yes TV choice can be quite good in the better Vietnamese hotels.
Speaking of what's good, what's not so good is that there seems to be a 'block' on these blogspot.com websites outside of the two main cities (Saigon & Hanoi) - don't ask me how 'they' do it, but the evidence is there. It's also a rather handy excuse for why I've been one month inbetween posts. I guess these are the joys of living in a communist state. Surprisingly, police presence is close to negligible across the land and apart from the above example and having to hand in your passport at each hotel, the eyes of big brother are nigh on invisible.
So, what would the folks back home like to know, I ponder? It's hard, of course, to offer a coherent view of a country over a few paragraphs, so maybe instead a few snapshots will suffice...?
Daywear: most women go around their daily business dressed in floral pyjamas, in much the same way as housecoats were de rigeur for homemakers in the 40's. Some are more able to pull off this look than others.
Beer: 'Bia Hoi' is the best way to spend an evening in Vietnam. Translated as 'fresh beer' it is just that. Delivered from the local brewery, these kegs have a lifetime of a day max and so they sell it cheap on the roadside, customers trying to make themselves comfortable on doll-house sized plastic furniture inches from the ground. There's a great mix of locals & tourists and conversation flows as easily as the beer. Typically 3000 Dong a glass, that works out at about 8.5 glasses for a euro - happy nights indeed.
The people: Vietnam sometimes gets a bad rap as a place where the locals take advantage of tourist trade and capitalise on whatever service they're offering. It's true, the Vietnamese know how to make a buck and naive tourists can come a cropper as a result. After 6 weeks here I can confidently say that while the people involved in business are indeed canny operators, the tool needed is to be a savvy customer and know the price of a pound of bacon, so to speak. Generally whatever the first price proffered is will be ridiculous & you can often get the item for half that price, which is approaching it's 'Vietnamese street value'. Aside from those involved in business (which is the majority you come across) the people can be charming, inquisitive & quick to laugh.
FOOD: I gave a mixed review to food here before. That's changed. I'm really enjoying 90% of what I eat now. I'm just back from mountainous Sapa which has a temperate climate, which might influence the food quality, but without fail each dish was very yummy. IN one day i ventured into 2 new food territories. Namely, rabbit and later frog. I recommend the frog. Sorry Kermit lovers.
OK: it's time for the daily rendezvous at the Bia Hoi & while I'm sure I could wax on with nonsense for another bit, I feel a bit full, do you? I'm possibly able to write more before I leave Vietnam next week, when I aim to return to see the bits of Laos (Northern) that I missed before. In my experience, internet is a bit flakier in Laos. I hope that you find this interesting; as the cliche goes: if you like it tell others; if you don't tell me! I welcome all thoughts. Mailme, like!
PS: Thought for the day is from a book i'm reading at the moment called the Indochina Chronicles which recounts that "If you've tried everything and failed, try Hanoi". I'm sure no-one reading is in need of taking note of this!
Monday, 17 March 2008
Update for Patrick
I’m back! No, not at home or ought like that; just online & blogging, like. So, I do feel a tad apologetic for my lack-o-bloggo for those what have read (enjoyed, even?) my musings thusfar. In the meanwhile, I’ve either not had reliable connection, will to type or actually time to consider either of these. Enough with the sorry already, you probably will find my location more interesting, huh??
I’m in HCMC. Not familiar with this acronym? Try Saigon on for size instead. Yip, capital of Southern Vietnam & infamous from n-n-n-n-19, for those old enough to remember that 80’s #1. So, that’s quite a geographical jump from the last chapter, but I aim to fill that gap later. I got here on Saturday night, late. Quite a baptism of fire, arriving into a new city at 10pm without a definite room booking, as you can probably imagine?! Got sorted easily enough with a room with the smelliest en-suite I’ve ever had the misfortune to frequent: would-be ammonia-cleaned gutters reeking up the pipes, otherwise ales knar.
Dumped the bags & headed for the more central backpacker area where we (my new German friends having been in Saigon a week ago, knew the score) settled down to some ‘Bia Ahoi’ which is watered down draft beer in a mug, but at 4000dong a glass, that’s about 4 mugs to a euro –who’s complaining?? We met an ocker Ozzie, Brad, who gave us his take on Vietnam. Loves it. He was an interesting character who made me laugh heartily when he did the standard routine of ‘where you from? - ME: Ireland. ‘ah, a Paddy, to be sure, to be sure……… ‘ - [& then, wait for it] ‘… oh, we don’t say that in Ireland’, in rather a good brogue, he added. One has never heard such a clever self-referential touché on the classic leprechaun slang before. He told us yarns about his wife of 7 months running off with the best-man, his mate of 20 years & his life as a young-crim in Brisbane.
Returning to sleep, I had my poorest night’s sleep since that night on the island, after diving, if you remember? You see, I’d developed ear trouble a few days ago, which increased incrementally with each day. I’ve been popping paracetemol to beat the band & using a nasal spray, which Lars, my German comrade, on hearing my symptoms, had proffered. It helped, but the discomfort woke me three or four times that night. So, yesterday, I went on a bid for medicality. (Oh & we moved to a nicer guesthouse too)
Now, you can imagine the difficulties of a) reading through the legalese of my travel insurance documentation to see what I was entitled to, b) calling their call centre to learn I could goto any doctor in Saigon to get a diagnosis, pay now & claim later. So, Easy!: c) Just find a doctor! I got the help of guesthouse owner who rang a few hospitals he knew. They turned out to be all closed. Sunday, you see. I too was surprised. I guess they took emergencies maybe? I got a second opinion from a pharmacist to the same result – I had to wait until Monday. Dammit, but I didn’t want to have to do this on Paddy’s Day. Nonetheless, I weathered Sunday as the discomfort waned a tad. This morning I got up early & headed to the EAR NOSE & THROAT hospital. Well, golly, but I’ve never had better service. They booked me in in jig time, got me a lovely translator who guided me through the various layers of bureaucracy, got my nose sprayed to clear the passages, wait 20minutes watching poor local kids scream in pain as the technicians administered their doses & then I saw my doctor. He diagnosed, using state-of-the-art camera equipment, ‘external otitis’; basically a non-serious ear infection. Relief for me that it wasn’t anything perforated.
Next came the prescription: No less than 5 different items. One set of drops & 4 lots of pills. It should clear in a week with these & if I don’t come out a pill-crazed patient, luck will be on my side. I proceeded to take 7 pills & 5 drops, as instructed. Despite the excellent service, they didn’t tell me that the biggest of the pills (containing paracetemol) was to be dissolved in water. Cut to scenes of mild hyperventilation outside the clinic, as I got a disc the size of 10p stuck in the oul oesophagus. I finally got it down with a litre of water & felt okay then. Cut to 45minutes later as I dash into the well appointed Norfolk Hotel for emergency sick-up session. Yip, the first bout of medication may not quite have made its way to my ear, just yet!
Enough of the medical history already. What else should you like to know about HCMC?? Well, similar to the rest of Asia, life is lived on a moto (mopeds, scooters or lo-fi motorbikes). Everyone’s at it & usually not alone. I cannot begin to tell you the multitude of humans, animals, tools, bricks, and various combinations of these you will see in a day here. It is becoming more normal for me though. Crossing the road is surprisingly easy, however. You just go for it. Slowly. Making good eye contact as you slowly proceed across the breadth of 20 or more revving mopeds. They slow or swerve, but I’ve not been struck yet.
Vietnamese food hasn’t won me over just yet…. Though, it could happen yet. I never embraced it in London either, mind. Rice, naturally, features a lot. Chicken is usually on the bone. Seafood abounds & pork crops up a fair bit too. Myriads of fruit – half of which I’ve not previously encountered. Durian is the scariest of fruits as the smell is quite off-putting; haven’t made friends with it as yet. The sweet-toothed Vietnamese are well catered for, so you would think that my luck too was in. Sadly no. First, everything is caked in ice (best avoided in Asia, unless you can be sure of the source & did I mention the Mekong??), and the concentration of e numbers in the brightly coloured unknown concoctions would boggle the mind I should think. In other words, I choose to play safe & perhaps starve my sweet-tooth a little more than normal.
OK, I’ve made a swipe at an update, it feels now top-heavy with my medical status, but hey-ho, I’m only as good as my body. Errrr! So, be assured that I’m in no way letting my minor maladies encroach on the experience. I am taking it easy as a tourist since hitting ‘Nam; no museums or galleries as yet; just trying to soak up the scene. Mañana, mañana. Next up is fetching myself a Vietnamese mobile, to replace the one I lost in Cambodia with all your numbers, grrr. & then make for the Oirish pub, gan dabht, & see what an Asian Guinness amounts to. Be good or be gone!
I’m in HCMC. Not familiar with this acronym? Try Saigon on for size instead. Yip, capital of Southern Vietnam & infamous from n-n-n-n-19, for those old enough to remember that 80’s #1. So, that’s quite a geographical jump from the last chapter, but I aim to fill that gap later. I got here on Saturday night, late. Quite a baptism of fire, arriving into a new city at 10pm without a definite room booking, as you can probably imagine?! Got sorted easily enough with a room with the smelliest en-suite I’ve ever had the misfortune to frequent: would-be ammonia-cleaned gutters reeking up the pipes, otherwise ales knar.
Dumped the bags & headed for the more central backpacker area where we (my new German friends having been in Saigon a week ago, knew the score) settled down to some ‘Bia Ahoi’ which is watered down draft beer in a mug, but at 4000dong a glass, that’s about 4 mugs to a euro –who’s complaining?? We met an ocker Ozzie, Brad, who gave us his take on Vietnam. Loves it. He was an interesting character who made me laugh heartily when he did the standard routine of ‘where you from? - ME: Ireland. ‘ah, a Paddy, to be sure, to be sure……… ‘ - [& then, wait for it] ‘… oh, we don’t say that in Ireland’, in rather a good brogue, he added. One has never heard such a clever self-referential touché on the classic leprechaun slang before. He told us yarns about his wife of 7 months running off with the best-man, his mate of 20 years & his life as a young-crim in Brisbane.
Returning to sleep, I had my poorest night’s sleep since that night on the island, after diving, if you remember? You see, I’d developed ear trouble a few days ago, which increased incrementally with each day. I’ve been popping paracetemol to beat the band & using a nasal spray, which Lars, my German comrade, on hearing my symptoms, had proffered. It helped, but the discomfort woke me three or four times that night. So, yesterday, I went on a bid for medicality. (Oh & we moved to a nicer guesthouse too)
Now, you can imagine the difficulties of a) reading through the legalese of my travel insurance documentation to see what I was entitled to, b) calling their call centre to learn I could goto any doctor in Saigon to get a diagnosis, pay now & claim later. So, Easy!: c) Just find a doctor! I got the help of guesthouse owner who rang a few hospitals he knew. They turned out to be all closed. Sunday, you see. I too was surprised. I guess they took emergencies maybe? I got a second opinion from a pharmacist to the same result – I had to wait until Monday. Dammit, but I didn’t want to have to do this on Paddy’s Day. Nonetheless, I weathered Sunday as the discomfort waned a tad. This morning I got up early & headed to the EAR NOSE & THROAT hospital. Well, golly, but I’ve never had better service. They booked me in in jig time, got me a lovely translator who guided me through the various layers of bureaucracy, got my nose sprayed to clear the passages, wait 20minutes watching poor local kids scream in pain as the technicians administered their doses & then I saw my doctor. He diagnosed, using state-of-the-art camera equipment, ‘external otitis’; basically a non-serious ear infection. Relief for me that it wasn’t anything perforated.
Next came the prescription: No less than 5 different items. One set of drops & 4 lots of pills. It should clear in a week with these & if I don’t come out a pill-crazed patient, luck will be on my side. I proceeded to take 7 pills & 5 drops, as instructed. Despite the excellent service, they didn’t tell me that the biggest of the pills (containing paracetemol) was to be dissolved in water. Cut to scenes of mild hyperventilation outside the clinic, as I got a disc the size of 10p stuck in the oul oesophagus. I finally got it down with a litre of water & felt okay then. Cut to 45minutes later as I dash into the well appointed Norfolk Hotel for emergency sick-up session. Yip, the first bout of medication may not quite have made its way to my ear, just yet!
Enough of the medical history already. What else should you like to know about HCMC?? Well, similar to the rest of Asia, life is lived on a moto (mopeds, scooters or lo-fi motorbikes). Everyone’s at it & usually not alone. I cannot begin to tell you the multitude of humans, animals, tools, bricks, and various combinations of these you will see in a day here. It is becoming more normal for me though. Crossing the road is surprisingly easy, however. You just go for it. Slowly. Making good eye contact as you slowly proceed across the breadth of 20 or more revving mopeds. They slow or swerve, but I’ve not been struck yet.
Vietnamese food hasn’t won me over just yet…. Though, it could happen yet. I never embraced it in London either, mind. Rice, naturally, features a lot. Chicken is usually on the bone. Seafood abounds & pork crops up a fair bit too. Myriads of fruit – half of which I’ve not previously encountered. Durian is the scariest of fruits as the smell is quite off-putting; haven’t made friends with it as yet. The sweet-toothed Vietnamese are well catered for, so you would think that my luck too was in. Sadly no. First, everything is caked in ice (best avoided in Asia, unless you can be sure of the source & did I mention the Mekong??), and the concentration of e numbers in the brightly coloured unknown concoctions would boggle the mind I should think. In other words, I choose to play safe & perhaps starve my sweet-tooth a little more than normal.
OK, I’ve made a swipe at an update, it feels now top-heavy with my medical status, but hey-ho, I’m only as good as my body. Errrr! So, be assured that I’m in no way letting my minor maladies encroach on the experience. I am taking it easy as a tourist since hitting ‘Nam; no museums or galleries as yet; just trying to soak up the scene. Mañana, mañana. Next up is fetching myself a Vietnamese mobile, to replace the one I lost in Cambodia with all your numbers, grrr. & then make for the Oirish pub, gan dabht, & see what an Asian Guinness amounts to. Be good or be gone!
Saturday, 1 March 2008
on the beach
Hey again blogpickers,
So, I have been lured by the call of the ocean & remained in situ (moreorless) since.
Evenly, I have news both good & bad.
I have ended my hiatus from diving & have been back down to heady (opposite?) depths of actually only about 8m off the coast of Koh Koun in the Gulf of Thailand to see some coral & fishy delights. The first dive was not as enjoyable as the second which was the guts of an hour under, checking out things that mainly I don't know the names of, starfish, parrotfish, coral, kelp & clownfish amongst seriously many others.
As we had signed up for an overnight dive package, to include 5 dives, we were hosted on a remote island community that was quite ahmmm, rustic, shall we say. It was a real insight, but sadly for us we started to feel a bit woozy before the night was through & I did indeed get my first (last too hopefully) of Delhi Belly. It was quite manageable actually & it was jsut the heat and the basic conditions of the hut on stilts over the surf that made me all the more resltess in waiting for morning to come. One more skip to my Lou and I was out of the woods. i remained shaky for all of yesterday & had to take it easy on my last day with colm & debs, but hey-ho, that's life in such terrain.
Gearing up for a last stint in Cambodia now, before considering my Visa requirements for 'Nam.
Aodan in waiting
So, I have been lured by the call of the ocean & remained in situ (moreorless) since.
Evenly, I have news both good & bad.
I have ended my hiatus from diving & have been back down to heady (opposite?) depths of actually only about 8m off the coast of Koh Koun in the Gulf of Thailand to see some coral & fishy delights. The first dive was not as enjoyable as the second which was the guts of an hour under, checking out things that mainly I don't know the names of, starfish, parrotfish, coral, kelp & clownfish amongst seriously many others.
As we had signed up for an overnight dive package, to include 5 dives, we were hosted on a remote island community that was quite ahmmm, rustic, shall we say. It was a real insight, but sadly for us we started to feel a bit woozy before the night was through & I did indeed get my first (last too hopefully) of Delhi Belly. It was quite manageable actually & it was jsut the heat and the basic conditions of the hut on stilts over the surf that made me all the more resltess in waiting for morning to come. One more skip to my Lou and I was out of the woods. i remained shaky for all of yesterday & had to take it easy on my last day with colm & debs, but hey-ho, that's life in such terrain.
Gearing up for a last stint in Cambodia now, before considering my Visa requirements for 'Nam.
Aodan in waiting
Wednesday, 27 February 2008
Laos then & Now
Blogging is it? Is that the new thing? OK so, we’ll give it a lash. (Can’t say I’m loving it so far, mind)
I am on extended leave from London, due to a dearth of desire to remain in situ. I met up with Colm (mate from DCU days) & his in the capital of Laos, Vientiane. He’d been trekking around Thailand and Laos for a few weeks prior with his friend Debbie. The 3 of us spent a rowdy evening acquainting and reacquainting and eating dinners without rice and anti-malarial tablets for me. The local ‘Beer Lao’ was tremendously tasty and helped wash down.
The only other part of Laos I really got a feel for was a part of the region called ‘Four
Thousand Islands’, which is part of the delta on the River Mekong. (Laos is land-locked you know?). We stayed at a lovely guesthouse place on the riverside called Mr Pon’s. The Mekong Fish curry I had that evening and again a day or so later rank up there in the memorable meals of all my time! We toured around for most of 1 day, and can claim to have seen the rare freshwater dolphins, if only from a distance and not too clearly.
Pushing on from there was really hard after only 2 nights, but that’s the name of the game when you’re a beckpecker! Next up was skipping down by plane to Siem Reap, the second city of Cambodia, which serves the Angkor Wat temple area. If you don’t know about Angkor Wat, then I’m not going to tell you, as it’s a big story. Google it, innit? Inna nutshell though we spent the best part of 3 days touring ancient temples of the centuries goneby, in various states of ruination. Terribly intricate beautiful buildings. Siem Reap itself is a frenetic place that could nearly be a tourist city anywhere in the world now, though one feels it has modified its charms to become more attractive to the lazy tourist dollar. We did stay in a fab hostel there though, that had a pool, very good staff & wifi access & other useful things. Also had our induction to the system of ‘beer girls’, which left us abit confounded. English was not her forte, but a more elegant beer-pourer I have not seen. When she poured herself some of our beer and sat down to our table as we ate, we just weren’t sure what was the protocol; so we tried our best to go with it; without encouraging her untowardly. The bill came in and the beers were as much as the food when Big Momma came out with the bill.
So, in truth, I’m writing this bit a good 24h after the last bit. I must get this out tonight, as the saying goes. Had a good stint down by the beach in Shinaoukaville on the coast. It’s like, apparently, Thailand 20 years ago, for those of you who know what that may mean. It is rustic and pretty basic in spots. Still, I am writing this in a beachside bar that has wi-fi access, so not all backward. I had my first real interaction with the asian police on account of losing the mobile. I met one beachside ‘guard’ yesterday whose grasp of English at the time could only have been enhanced by the amount of drink he had had at an earlier celebration (someone built a house, apparently) & he wanted $10 for the privilege of being drunk on duty & not able to write me a report. He took off on his moto & I ambled up the beach to the most spectacular seafood dinner we’ve had yet at ‘on the rocks’ which is run by Swedish Anders and his Khmer colleague. Awesome in places, toilet-like in others. All in all another great night. Rounded off by meeting some middle-aged Yankee teachers who were on vacation from their home in Japan – yes, you meet them all here in Camodgie.
I best get this off now, I’m sorry if it’s a bit scrambled. A lot has happened and resources are tight - sure like there’s so much to do and I have so little tan. We have to amble off now and find the sister bar to the Mexican restaurant that we went to in Phnom Penh. It’s run by an old-timer American who’s seen a lot of action. We had a swell time out in PP courtesy of an old mucker from my DCU days, Kevin Doyle, who’s an editor of ‘The Cambodia Daily’ here for the last few years. He gave us quite a special insight into the country, having been here for the last decade.
Ill leave it there now, in the hope that this gives some version of my life just at the moment. I’m off diving tomorrow, for the love of Jebus! If I don’t make it back, at least ye have this. I haven’t doven (sic) since January 2002, so it’s a bit of a panic to get reaccustomed to the lark. It will be great though!
Oh & another thing. From what I understand, you will be able to ‘comment’ on my story above (or the ones yet to be written) within the blogger application. That's cool, if you want to. However, as it’s visible to many, if you’ve anything more special/personal to write me, please just drop me an old-fashioned (email to aodan1@gmail.com). You should know my stance on such things!
My very best & can I just thoroughly recommend these countries to you. Come!
oh, PS: I'm trying to slideshow the pics that are already on my picasa, if that means nought to you. just click here & look happy:
I am on extended leave from London, due to a dearth of desire to remain in situ. I met up with Colm (mate from DCU days) & his in the capital of Laos, Vientiane. He’d been trekking around Thailand and Laos for a few weeks prior with his friend Debbie. The 3 of us spent a rowdy evening acquainting and reacquainting and eating dinners without rice and anti-malarial tablets for me. The local ‘Beer Lao’ was tremendously tasty and helped wash down.
The only other part of Laos I really got a feel for was a part of the region called ‘Four
Thousand Islands’, which is part of the delta on the River Mekong. (Laos is land-locked you know?). We stayed at a lovely guesthouse place on the riverside called Mr Pon’s. The Mekong Fish curry I had that evening and again a day or so later rank up there in the memorable meals of all my time! We toured around for most of 1 day, and can claim to have seen the rare freshwater dolphins, if only from a distance and not too clearly.
Pushing on from there was really hard after only 2 nights, but that’s the name of the game when you’re a beckpecker! Next up was skipping down by plane to Siem Reap, the second city of Cambodia, which serves the Angkor Wat temple area. If you don’t know about Angkor Wat, then I’m not going to tell you, as it’s a big story. Google it, innit? Inna nutshell though we spent the best part of 3 days touring ancient temples of the centuries goneby, in various states of ruination. Terribly intricate beautiful buildings. Siem Reap itself is a frenetic place that could nearly be a tourist city anywhere in the world now, though one feels it has modified its charms to become more attractive to the lazy tourist dollar. We did stay in a fab hostel there though, that had a pool, very good staff & wifi access & other useful things. Also had our induction to the system of ‘beer girls’, which left us abit confounded. English was not her forte, but a more elegant beer-pourer I have not seen. When she poured herself some of our beer and sat down to our table as we ate, we just weren’t sure what was the protocol; so we tried our best to go with it; without encouraging her untowardly. The bill came in and the beers were as much as the food when Big Momma came out with the bill.
So, in truth, I’m writing this bit a good 24h after the last bit. I must get this out tonight, as the saying goes. Had a good stint down by the beach in Shinaoukaville on the coast. It’s like, apparently, Thailand 20 years ago, for those of you who know what that may mean. It is rustic and pretty basic in spots. Still, I am writing this in a beachside bar that has wi-fi access, so not all backward. I had my first real interaction with the asian police on account of losing the mobile. I met one beachside ‘guard’ yesterday whose grasp of English at the time could only have been enhanced by the amount of drink he had had at an earlier celebration (someone built a house, apparently) & he wanted $10 for the privilege of being drunk on duty & not able to write me a report. He took off on his moto & I ambled up the beach to the most spectacular seafood dinner we’ve had yet at ‘on the rocks’ which is run by Swedish Anders and his Khmer colleague. Awesome in places, toilet-like in others. All in all another great night. Rounded off by meeting some middle-aged Yankee teachers who were on vacation from their home in Japan – yes, you meet them all here in Camodgie.
I best get this off now, I’m sorry if it’s a bit scrambled. A lot has happened and resources are tight - sure like there’s so much to do and I have so little tan. We have to amble off now and find the sister bar to the Mexican restaurant that we went to in Phnom Penh. It’s run by an old-timer American who’s seen a lot of action. We had a swell time out in PP courtesy of an old mucker from my DCU days, Kevin Doyle, who’s an editor of ‘The Cambodia Daily’ here for the last few years. He gave us quite a special insight into the country, having been here for the last decade.
Ill leave it there now, in the hope that this gives some version of my life just at the moment. I’m off diving tomorrow, for the love of Jebus! If I don’t make it back, at least ye have this. I haven’t doven (sic) since January 2002, so it’s a bit of a panic to get reaccustomed to the lark. It will be great though!
Oh & another thing. From what I understand, you will be able to ‘comment’ on my story above (or the ones yet to be written) within the blogger application. That's cool, if you want to. However, as it’s visible to many, if you’ve anything more special/personal to write me, please just drop me an old-fashioned (email to aodan1@gmail.com). You should know my stance on such things!
My very best & can I just thoroughly recommend these countries to you. Come!
oh, PS: I'm trying to slideshow the pics that are already on my picasa, if that means nought to you. just click here & look happy:
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