The northern part of Laos is still largely undeveloped and the road network reflects that. Going from Luang Prabang to the Thai border at Houay Xai by bus would mean 14 hours on dirt roads in a vehicle that is old twenty years ago. A more pleasant alternative is to travel on the Mekong. Every […]
Need for Speed Mandalay Edition
I forgot my passport, that’s a first. I realise it when staff at the bus company ask for it. I run outside but the driver who brought me from the guesthouse has already left. It’s 8:25, it’s a 25 minute ride to the guesthouse and the bus leaves at 9:00. The guesthouse doesn’t have a […]
Afternoon Exertion
The meal was good and the rain had stopped, so everybody was ready to tackle the second half of the day. Back into the jungle. Walking got considerably harder. The path was still muddy and now constantly lead up and down, sometimes just inches from a slope down to the river. The guides were doing […]
A very diverse Day
Friday started with a visit to Cambodia’s recent history. The Tuol Sleng museum in town is a former school that was turned into a prison by the Khmer Rouge. They used it to ‘interrogate’ political opponents and interrogation here as the same meaning as with the catholic inquisition. Those unlucky enough to end up here […]
Turnover and Brains
Finding a good place to eat in developing countries can pose a bit of a challenge. Tracking down eateries that serve yummy food is obviously important, but actually poses less of a problem. Simply because if the food at a place is not to your liking, you can just write off the dollar and try […]
Bunga Dyah Jatra
Bhaktapur has a Jatra and it has a chariot. Both are huge. But Bhaktapur is not the only city in the valley that sports these kind of things. I had heard marvellous stories about the Bunga Dyah Jatra in Lalitput, supposedly featuring a 20 metres high chariot. I couldn’t believe that and put it off […]