Egypt
TUESDAY 8 FEBRUARY
Having missed the flight on Monday I had to say goodbye to my family again. But
it was easier this time – there were no tears in my mother’s eyes. I was very
sad to leave everybody but also very excited about the next few months. I’d
been looking forward to this tour for nearly a year and the time had finally
arrived. No more countdowns. Mustafa, for whom the adventure started on
schedule, called from Cairo just before I left the house.
And so I headed for Heathrow airport. How would I fare with the London
Underground today? First, I had to go to the Bangladesh high commission. Both
my parents hold the Bangladeshi passport and even though I only have the
British passport, I don’t need a visa to enter Bangladesh. But I do need a ‘no
visa required’ stamp saying that I don’t need one! Free service but it’s red
tape nonetheless.
I had photocopies of my parents’ passports but the official said that they
could’ve been anybody’s for Rashid is a very common name after all. He was
right but I spoke Bengali, explained that I was flying in just a few hours,
smiled, answered questions about my village in Bangladesh and he eventually
obliged. - helpful guy with a lot of commonsense, rare qualities amongst
embassy officials.
Arrived at the airport in plenty of time, London Underground behaving itself
today. Slight problem with checking in, as I didn’t have an onward ticket from
Egypt. Was I destined to travel at all, I asked myself? But I thanked them for
the warning and said I’d take the risk of the Egyptians returning me. Went to
another terminal to pray Zuhr and Asr. Changed some money at a place where the
lady thought I was a foreigner. Already? I put away my Palestinian scarf.
Sat next to a couple of Japanese tourists (who have a relative married to a
Bengali in the States). Talking to an airhost about the profession I became
interested in it but the interest would soon wane. Felt quite emotional when
the plane took off. I was leaving my city, my home. It was neither a sad nor
happy emotion but just one that makes you feel. I can’t describe it exactly but
it made me feel thoughtful and reflective.
I felt very happy on the plane. Very happy and even more excited. The tour had
barely started and I was already feeling on top of the world. (At that time, I
literally was on top of the world!) I was to have these feelings of sheer joy
and contentment many times on this tour. Whenever I felt like that I wanted to
bottle the joy and keep it forever. That not being possible I guess the next
best thing is to talk to people so that I can pass on some of the happiness.
Talked to the Japanese but the conversation didn’t progress much. The Japanese
are the worst speakers of English of any minority world country. Listened to
the in flight radio that made me feel even happier!
Hadn’t ordered a vegetarian meal but got one anyway. It must’ve been good, I
guess. Arrived in Cairo at about 11pm. Cairo airport smelt stuffy but I’d soon
get used to that. Bought a visa for 16USD and went through immigration without
any problems.
Mustafa wasn’t waiting but came soon after. The last bus had left and so we
took a taxi - 8 USD was to be the highest we’d pay for any taxi ride on this
whole tour. The taxi had no seat belts; the driver ignored the red lights and
drove like a madman. But I’d soon get used to that.
Went to the house of a friend of Mustafa, also of the name Mustafa (Mr. Dawud
from London), who lived near the Al-Azhar mosque and university. Dawud was
studying Arabic and living with Al-Azhar students from Yemen, Syria, the
Comoros and Egypt. It was a great place to spend the first night of the tour.
Dawud asked what my intention (niyaah) was for the tour. I couldn’t give a
straight answer for I hadn’t thought of it much. He pointed out that whatever
we do, we must have a clear intention and then we will have a good time,
Inshallah, and meet great people.
WEDNESDAY 9 FEBRURAY
I was surprised that we didn’t go to a mosque for Fajar. Nonetheless it was a
sizeable jamaat at home. After the prayer there was a long series of group
dhikirs. “Ya hayyu, Ya Qayyum, Ahlis Sunnah…”. Take over, Ahsan! One Yemeni
seemed to go in to a trance whenever we did the dhikirs but he always seemed to
be in another world.
We went back to sleep and I was so tired that I slept through breakfast. By the
time I was ready to go out it was almost time for Zuhr. Dawud first took us to
a hostel where we were planning to spend the night - the house was very
crowded. We then went to the Al-Azhar mosque for Zuhr. The first day and there
I was in one of the most famous mosques in the world. Very nice indeed. The
supporting wooden pillars reminded me of pictures of the Cordoba mosque in
Andalucia. (I haven’t been to Cordoba so the two probably look nothing like
each other.) I wish I’d taken more pictures.
Dawud left us for his classes. At the bus stop we met a Bengali who studies at
Al-Azhar but he also had to go to classes. Ahsan and I had lunch and then did a
tour of Old Cairo.
Old Cairo is a bustling place. Sometimes I loved it, other times I wanted to
get away. So many people, so many vendors, so many cars, so much pollution. To
me it seemed very hectic and disorganised and yet the people were going about
their business the way they always do. Not a place for the feint-hearted. (Or
should that be ‘faint’?)
We visited souks and many mosques, including the Ibn Tulun, which I think is
the second the oldest in the city but it is not very used. Prayed Asr at
another mosque. Cairo has so many mosques that it's no surprise that it is
known as the City of Mosques.
Can’t remember where we prayed Maghrib but after sunset we went towards New
Cairo, which was different to the old city - different architecture and
differently dressed women, with fewer wearing the hijab in the ‘modern’ part.
Cairo has Africa’s only metro. It is quite good. Took it to the mainline train
station. Bought tickets to Luxor for Thursday. Returned to the old part by bus
– very busy but I’d soon get used to that. Tried to enter the beautiful Hassan,
which I think it had the tomb of Imam Hassan, mosque but there was a guy at the
door who wanted to charge us. We didn’t pay and he didn’t let us in. Should’ve
barged in for it’s a mosque after all, not a museum.
Had my first fool and falafel (though I remember having them before somewhere)
for dinner. Returned to the students’ house, talked, prayed Isha, and it was
now very late so we spent the night in the house again. I think we had dinner
again before going to bed.
SATURDAY 12 FEBRUARY
A cruise on the Nile was the priority for the day. But all the cruises seemed
to be too expensive for us, though they were still less than 9USD for two. It
had only been four days but already paying 4.50USD for a cruise on the Nile
seemed too much. In London, it costs more to go a few stops on the metro. The
asking price for the sailboat was 30EGP (1 USD = 3.8EGP). The captain asked us
to find others so that we could share the cost. We tried but all the tourists
ignored us!
And so we agreed on 30 and set sail. The wind was good for a nice cruise though
at times I thought we’d topple over. We sailed upstream to Banana Island, so
called for obvious reasons. It also had mandarin plantations. Neat island but
we were soon on our way back to Luxor.
It seems crazy now but for some reason we suspicions about the captain and so I
picked up a stick from the island! Our suspicions grew stronger when we started
putting away the sail even though we were still on the other side. “This is
where he pulls a gun and robs us” Nothing of the sort happened of course! It
was a very pleasant cruise – water, boats, sails and wind are always good
combinations for me. Gave the captain some bananas for a tip.
Back in Luxor, there was a Pharonic temple in the centre of town that we wanted
to visit but the admission price was beyond our means. And besides, we could
see everything from the outside and for photographic purposes it was even
better to be outside. There was another site on the outskirts of town where a
sound and light show was to be held. Took a minibus there, the fare being paid
by a very nice passenger on our behalf, only to find that this was also too
expensive for us. But again we could see a lot from the outside.
Tried to look for an even better lookout point but ended up at a village. The
curious kids soon surrounded us. There were so many of them, all excited too
see us and I was happy to meet them. Took pictures and said I’d send them but I
think I’ve lost the address! Said goodbye and took a minibus to the bus station
for Hurghada. Prayed Zuhr and Asr at a nearby mosque and bought take-away
kushuri for dinner.
Arrived in Hurghada at about 9pm. After some deliberation and bartering went
with one of the hoteliers. Shared the room with a Japanese.
SUNDAY 13 FEBRUARY
The reason for stopping in Hurghada was to go diving in the Red Sea. The
pervious night we didn’t bother finding out the times so we woke up after the
dive team had left. I was gutted but with hindsight I didn’t have a certificate
and they may not have had anything for a total beginner, anyway.
Tried to go down to a beach but every decent beach had a fat hotel in front of
it so we demanded money. 5USD was too much, especially as we didn’t have much
time. Went to a very good aquarium that had fish of all colours and shapes
imaginable. I’m really looking forward to seeing the photos. As I write this I
am getting a strong urge to dive in the Red Sea.
Next we walked to the biggest mosque in town. Very pretty but not comparable to
the grandeur and architecture of the ones in Cairo. On the way to another
mosque we stopped for lunch. Falafel with eggs, some of which were given free –
very cheap, very tasty, very nutritious.
Continued on to the mosque and prayed Zuhr and Asr. Walked through a market,
where we bought a fruit called Atafall (in Bengali) and returned to the hostel.
Collected our bags and rushed to take a taxi (it was a minibus but we agreed on
a taxi fare but the driver still stopped to pick up others) to the bus station.
Caught the 5o’clock to Suez.
On the bus there was a middle-aged, but very wily, man who we were very
suspicious of and had to keep an eye on. There were also a couple of young guys
who we had to think twice about too. But one of them in the end said how much
of an honour it was for him to meet me and if I ever wanted anything all I had
to do was ask. It made me feel terrible about my initial thoughts. The
middle-aged man was no trouble either but he might’ve been, I still feel. But
we were just a little too security conscious in the beginning.
But there was trouble on the road – a major crash involving an oil tanker.
Heard rumours that two there were two fatalities. A traffic jam in the desert,
how about that? Just as soon as we’d resigned ourselves to spending the night
in one spot, the bus set off.
Prayed Maghrib and Isha at a service station where the man taking us to the
designated prayer room asked if we were Muslims. It was now Monday the 14th and
we still hadn’t reached Suez.
MONDAY 14 FEBRUARY
In order to make up for the disappointed of missing out on the diving in
Hurghada, before arriving at Suez I proposed that we climb Mt. Sinai. Mustafa
agreed. So after dinner, at 3am we took a bus going towards St Katherines, the
monastery from where the mountain is climbed. The bus was going further South
so we got off a police checkpoint.
The officers were friendly but they still wanted to see our ID. I showed my
ISIC card. "What has happened to you, Muhammad?", asked the guy in charge,
upset by my health at the time in comparison to the photo on the card. I wonder
what he'd think if he saw me now, when I'm at my lightest.
After a wait, we eventually caught a paid lift with a guy who worked at the
monastery. The monastery was full of tourists and pilgrims. Left our main bags
in a hotel reception and headed for Mt Sinai (or Jabal Musa).
There were rough steps going most of the way up to the summit. The steps are
the life time's work of a very dedicated monk, apparently. Though the climb was
steep it only took two hours to reach the top. It was one of the shortest
climbs, but at 2285m it was at the time the highest mountain that I'd climbed
The views from the summit were spectacular. Not a single cloud was in sight so
the view extended for miles in every direction. Quiet stunning and different
too for I hadn't come across mountains so barren previously.
But of course we didn't climb Mt Sinai just for the views. Most people agree
that it was climbed by Prophet Moses to receive the Ten Commandments from God.
Quiet an overwhelming thought that we were there. (There was a small disused
house on top.)
After the initial backtracking segment, where we bumped in to of couple of
Japanese maths students and arranged to share a taxi to the East coast of the
Peninsula, we went down a steeper but quicker route, passing a sacred
(Christian, I think) well. It was a much more fun and scenic route that
involved hiking along a gorge for much of the time. In the excitement, I guess,
I left my bag behind. Though with the help of a couple of Americans and a Czech
I soon got the bag back, on returning down couldn't find Mustafa!
Arrived back in St Katherines to find that Mustafa hadn't. When he had and so
had the Japanese we took a taxi (the last bus was no more) to Nuweiba - the
longest taxi ride I've ever been on.
Had to barter real hard for accommodation. Eventually settled for 4.50USD per
person. I wish I could speak Arabic. Besides many other reasons, it would've
got us even better prices here as the guy at the desk, who thought I could
speak but wasn't doing so, told us.
Very cheap but very good food (not kushuri!) for dinner. The very confident cat
thought so too!
TUESDAY 15 FEBRUARY
In general, Egypt is very cheap but ferry travel is very expensive - $35 for
the four hour voyage from Nuweiba to Aqaba, Jordan. The ship was due to leave
at 1pm. We got there with still more than half an hour left but weren't allowed
in. It was very frustrating, especially as they let in a group of Americans.
They paid more, apparently.
So we had more time in Nuweiba. More time than we needed for Nuweiba doesn't
have much. Once upon a time it had aspirations of being a resort but now I
couldn't even find postcards. (Hadn't bought one at Mt. Sinai)
Went to the pebble beach but the water wasn't very welcoming. It was
nonetheless very good to relax. Was joined by a couple of village kids, who
want to be fishermen, just like their dads, when they grow up. Sweet! Prayed
with the kids. Nice kids.
It was soon time to leave for Jordan. This time we were present at the gate a
full hour before departure time but only to wait inside. Inside, prayed Asr in
a musollah. And then there was a delay. Long delay. And poor and expensive food
when we eventually got on. (There was a large group of Malaysian students on
the ferry.)
It was very late when we eventually arrived in Aqabah. It was worrying walking
out of the ship without our passports but the officials eventually gave them
back. Whilst waiting, met a traveller from Seuol (I'm sure it was elsewhere),
South Korea.
Was gonna share a taxi with Seoul to a hostel but then was offered the chance
to go all way to Petra for what seemed a reasonable price. But then another
driver offered a better price and the two started arguing. Another joined,
offering an even better price. The argument got very animated. One even offered
to take us for free! It was fun to watch but it was also getting ridiculous.
Followed the advice of a police officer and took a taxi to the hostel. The nice
officer followed us to make sure nothing went wrong. Poor hostel, with a
trickling shower, but liveable.
Jordan
WEDNESDAY 16 FEBRUARYThis was to be one of the best days of the tour. This was the day when we
visited Petra.
After buying the minibus tickets, we had breakfast. (I shouldn't write about
food when I'm fasting!) On the bus we met a Palestinian who was on the way to
Petra for business. Was angered by a couple of Europeans disrespectively
wearing short pants in this a Muslim country.
Arrived in Wadi Musa just after noon. Was met by the usual touts, one of whom
was very rude - too rude to mention - when we refused him. After much bartering
and pleading for preference, we eventually settled for a place on the condition
that they'd try to get Mustafa, who spoke fluent Arabic, through to Petra at
the local price - local price is 1JD per day, foreigners 20JD.
Without further ado we headed for Petra. After being dropped off near the
entrance, Seoul and I went ahead of Mustafa and the Palestinian so that we
didn't ruin Mustafa's chances of getting through as a local. It still didn't
work for they wanted an ID card! We reunited and parted from the Palestinian.
Three words sum up the way I felt about Petra - wow, wow, wow! I was so
overwhelmed by it's beauty. I wish my English was better equipped to describe
how I felt and make appreciate it's splendours and beauty. I don't know where
to begin. Let me by giving a brief history.
Though humans first set foot in the area back in the 8th Millennium BCE (that's
10,000 years ago!), it wasn't until the arrival of the Nabateans ( a nomadic
Arab tribe) in the 6th Century BCE that the area started to really flourish. In
106 CE the Romans claimed the Nabatean kingdom but coupled with two major
earthquakes in 363 and 747 and a shift in trade routes, the city declined. For
700 years Petra was lost to all but a Bedouin tribe. However, in 1812 the Swiss
explorer Johann Burkhardt managed to find the 'lost' city. And then the
tourists followed.
So, what's so special about Petra? It's uniqueness and beauty. At the time I
compared it's beauty to that of the Grand Canyon but there are many such
canyons in the world, though none are as beautiful, but there is only one place
like Petra.
Petra is the only city, which I know, that is carved rather than built. The
city is built in to the red sandstone that protect it. As a result, the city
just blends in to the natural environment, not surprising as the city is it's
environment, existing in perfect aesthetic harmony with the mountains as it is
the mountains.
The Nabatean carvings are simpler, with the most basic residential housing
being nothing more than regular shaped caves, but the palaces, tombs and
temples are quite elaborate. The Roman structures are much more intricate.
The entrance to the city, and once the only entrance, is along the canyon-like
siq, a mile long rift. As you head towards the siq from the entrance to the
site, large ghost tombs and caves stare down at you from distant mountain
faces. And then as you enter the siq, 200m high walls on either side begin to
block the sunlight, the temperature decreases and the rift channels cold winds.
Despite the cold wind it was a fantastically beautiful walk.
After about 30 minute along the siq one comes to a small opening and to the
130m high royal tomb that is called the Khazanah (treasury), Petra's best
preserved monument, and after more siq the 7,000 seater Roman theatre, from the
top of which one gets soul-scorching views, particularly of the long row of
royal tombs on the face of Jabal Khubtha. And so the magic continues. The
monuments never cease to amaze you but it was Petra's beautiful setting that
held me more captive.
Wow! I had deliberately avoided seeing any pictures of Petra before visiting
and that made every moment that extra special. Every few minutes, sometimes at
every turn of corner, I'd shriek out aloud uncontrollably, to the bemusement of
Mustafa and Seoul, at the image in front of my eyes. Petra was the best place
in the Middle East. Inshallah, I'll be returning soon, perhaps as early as
2001.
The siq started to widen in to a valley but it was getting late and we,
particularly Seoul, were hungry and so headed back to Wadi Musa. Ate at a cheap
looking place that turned out to be quite expensive (3 to 4 GBP per person) but
I didn't care for it was the most fantastic of days! It was very cold at night
so a hot shower would've been good but had to struggle to even get luke warm
water. But who cares!
Thailand Part 1
MONDAY 24 APRILDespite spending the most fantastic six weeks in Sylhet, it was
time to move on. It was time for South East Asia and, first, Thailand.
An uncle - the elder of my mother's two brothers - made the tortuous
(in Sylhet we say that it's easier going to London!) journey to Dhakah to
drop me off at the airport. Of course, I was booked on an economy seat
but was upgraded to first class so as to balance the plane! It was the
first time that I'd flown first-class! Pity the journey lasted only
three hours.
Landed in Bangkok at about 2pm. It was effortless getting from the airport
to the Khao San Road area - the main travellers centre of Thailand and
arguably the whole of South East Asia - but I did pay a whopping 70 bhat
(60 bhat = 1 pound) for an airport bus. Booked in to a guesthouse for a
ridiculous 150 bhat a night. It was the first day and I just couldn't be
bothered to look around. Had planned on moving the day after but just got lazy!
Didn't do much in the evening - showered, settled in, ate, called the London
home and, of course, e-mailed! It had been 6 weeks since the previous time -
I was in Bangladesh, remember!
It was great to read all your emails, especially as I was already missing
the people back in Sylhet. You know, I hadn't been to Sylhet for nearly 8
years but as soon as I went back all the love for it came back. When in
London I often ask myself "where is home?", and though most of the times
the answer is "Sylhet", quite often it is "London". But as soon as I got on
the bus (from Dhakah) to Sylhet, there was not a shadow of doubt in my mind.
The question even seemed ridiculous!
TUESDAY 25 APRIL
Woke up for good at about 8am. Went to the Vietnam embassy to apply for
their visa. The application cost less than 35 pounds. On Monday night I
was told at a travel agent that it'd cost me more than 45 pounds. They
were gonna charge me more than 10 pounds just to take the form and my
passport a distrance of 7km or so to the embassy! Rip off or what!
(The journey to the Embassy cost just over 11 pence by bus!)
I then went on a temple round. There are quite a few here as you can
imagine! The oldest and the grandest is Wat Po. It's quite spectacular. Had
never seen anything quite like it before. I'd heard about the illicit nature
of Bangkok massage parlours and so went to the one offered by the monks at the temple. It was
quite expensive (2 pounds for half an hour) but pretty good.
Pretty good but I felt no different after than I did before - I didn't have
any pain before nor did I after! It definitely wasn't as good as the Arabian
bath I had in Damascus but I hope it did some good!
I then went for a walk around the city, being stopped by locals
admiring my new sun hat! It cost only 83 pence, and even the locals are
impressed by that price! Not many people here spoke English outside of the
touristy areas but the ones who did liked to speak a lot. Most are friendly
but I came across a couple of guys, one a few minutes after the other,
who told me about "the great jewellery sale" that Bangkok only has for three
days a year. And of course this was the last day! Though very suspicious I
probably half believed it at the time but had no intention of buying
jewellery even at "rock bottom" prices. Later, in Cambodia, I met a New
Zealander who fell for the scam, paying 1100 GBP for sapphires and rubies
that were worth next to nothing.
Anyway, I returned to the hostel at about 5:30pm, had a shower, slept an hour
before going out to a nearby hostel for dinner. Ate sweet and sour vegetable
with rice and tomato soup. The former was good, the latter wasn't. Sleep
followed catching up with more emailing.
WEDNESDAY 26 APRIL
Had a great day in Ayuthya! Would've been fantastic had it not been
for two things. Firstly, I got ripped off by a tuk-tuk driver. My bus wouldn't come so
I decided to take one of these things, which look like auto-rickshaws and baby-taxis of the
sub-continent that are meant to be cheaper than the regular yellow taxis, to the main train
station. I’d
asked the price before and the driver showed 6 fingers. I thought it a little cheap, but got on
anyway. Once I’d gotten on, it came to me that he might have meant 60, which would certainly have
been way too much for a journey of less than 4km. And so it turned out when we arrived at the
station. I
didn't want to pay. I asked other people what the fare ought to be but they also said it should
be 60
baht. (I'm sure they were part of the gang!). I then asked a traffic police man but he didn't
wanna
know. Then asked another lady who spoke English but still no joy. The fare should be no more
than 30 but everybody was saying 60. I got totally pissed off but had to pay anyway. I didn't
lose much
money (60 baht is 1 pound so I lost only 50 pence) but it certainly didn't feel good being taken
for a ride.
Secondly, you know that bargain sun-hat that I was talking about on Tuesday, well, I lost it to
the wind whilst cycling in Ayuthya! I retraced my steps all the way back to where I started
cycling but to no avail. I thought I'd be able to buy the hat again but couldn't even find the
shop again! For some reason I'd totally forgotten where I bought it on Tuesday!
Man, I'm spending most of the time on negative things...on to the good stuff.
Yes, Ayuthya was great! Arriving there by train at about 1pm, I hired a bike for the day and made
very good use of it, covering the city thoroughly. It was the first time that I’d cycled since
Luxor, Egypt, so it was great just to cycle, never mind sightseeing.
After a shower and some very good value food, I went to the only, apparently, elephant kraal in
Thailand. It wasn't as spectacular as I'd imagined, as most of the elephants were elsewhere
giving tourists rides 'round town. Tourists like me! Yes, I went on my first ever elephant ride.
It was brief but an experience nonetheless!
Ayuthya is an ancient capital of Thailand so there are many temple ruins to be seen. Most of them
are quite spectacular. It's funny, but the temple ruins there looked better than the functioning
temples
of Bangkok! I think it's because the temples of Bangkok are too coulourful and so look a bit
tacky.
I then went to my first mosque in Thailand. It was quiet a bit out of town and I couldn't have
gone without a bike. And I took a wrong turning, so came back, thinking that the mosque doesn't
exist, realised where I’d made the mistake, went back, but still couldn't find it. The map was
meant to be to scale but I'm sure it wasn't. Had almost decided to give up, but then went on for
a bit more. And there it was! A blue domed mosque! It was a great relief to finally find it! I
got
there only a few minutes before maghrib.
It was a pretty small mosque, well, bigger than the ones I've been praying in the village of
Bangladesh, but small nontheless. But they had a women's section and in the Maghrib prayer there
were as many women as men. After the prayer they offered me food. I knew that
there wouldn't be much for a vegetarian but didn't know how to say no. So went to see what there
was. Sure enough, fish curry and rice. My Thai wasn’t good enough to say that I am a vegetarian
but
somehow I managed to mime that I don't eat fish. So they got me some potatoes. (Not the normal
type, but another type which I've also had in Bangladesh). I would've liked to have hung around
but
it was getting dark, my bike didn't have lights and the streets weren't very well lit.
Enjoyed more great food before calling it a night. (Stayed for only 60 bhat.)
THURSDAY 27 APRIL
Woke up for good quite early. The plan was to go Nakhom Pthom and return to Bangkok in the
evening. Caught the 9am ‘rapid’ train to Bangkok. (No direct trains from Ayuthya to Nakhom
Pathom.)
Only in Thailand are trains called ‘rapid’, though cost 3 times as much, actually take longer than
ordinary trains! As a result I didn’t get much time in Nakhom Pathom – it was about 11am when I
reached Bangkok, the next train for Nak Path was more than an hour later, arriving at 2pm and the
last train back to Bangkok was at 4pm.
So only two hours in Nak Path but that was enough for there isn’t much there besides the biggest
single structured wat in the world – a huge orange thing that dominates the whole town. It was
absolutely gigantic! Had a walk around the local markets after returning from the wat. Lots of
fresh (and dried) fish, which almost made me wish I wasn’t a vegetarian. I said, almost!
Returned to Thonburi just before 7am to catch the last ferry across to Bangkok. It was a very long
time ago and so I really can’t remember what I did that evening. I’m sure I ate and showered but
besides that I don’t have a clue! It can’t have been too exciting, I guess!
(Stayed at the same 150bhat/night place. I told you that I was too lazy to move!)
FRIDAY 28 APRIL
This was a great day but it didn't start off very well. First, I went to a hospital to get a
Yellow Fever vaccination but was told that they didn't have it - the ministry of health had
confined it in Nonthonburi but I didn't go there. Then looked for a mosque to pray Jum'a but
couldn't find it at first. You see, there are two types of 'sois' (alleys) in Thailand; small
roads off main roads and alleys off main roads. And they have separate numberings of course. I
followed the wrong ones at first and so missed jum'a.
So, I went to the Vietnam embassy to collect my visa. And it was ready. Fantastic! Then I went
mosque hunting again. This time looking for the other soi type I found the Darun Aman masjid. It
was pretty big and well facilitated. Prayed Zuhr and Asr there. There were quite a few musollis.
Next up was the Harun masjid near the river. Was gonna take the bus there but on way to a bus
stop I stumbled on to something absolutely amazing - the Bangkok Sky trains! They were brilliant,
fast, clean , quiet and overground so you get fantastic views of the city. I forgot that I was in
Thailand for this could've easily been something out of Star Trek. I was mightily impressed. The
Harun masjid, unlike the other one, I think was run by migrant workers from the subcontinent.
Then took a river bus in search of my third mosque in Bangkok. Unfortunately, I couldn't find
this
One. It was dark, there were many stray dogs (and rough looking people) and it was getting
late so I gave up after a while. Missed the boat back to where I stayed so had to go the long way
home, taking a boat to a ponit further away
SATURDAY 29 APRIL
Breakfast, a beard trim and it was time to head towards Northern Thailand and Laos. Was gonna
leave in the morning but had a lie in due to sleeping late on Friday because of all the racket
outside. I tell you, I was staying in the busiest traveller centre of Bangkok. The advantage of
course is that all the conveniences are there and everybody speaks English. In contrast, nobody
seemed to speak English in Northern Thailand. Even Syria wasn’t as bad and, besides, I knew some
Arabic.
Before leaving Bangkok I left my backpack at the train station. I was to travel the next three
weeks or so with just my daypack, containing the bare essentials – only one extra of each item of
clothing. I can travel like this all the time.
Anyway, took a bus to Khorat (Nakhon Ratchasima), about 200km NE of Bangkok, at about 3pm,
arriving 5 hours later. Stayed in a really nice place, with en-suite bathroom, for only 3 pounds.
It was more expensive than I'd planned but they didn't have anything cheaper. The place was very
nice
but the elderly couple, especially the guy, were very grumpy!
SUNDAY 30 APRIL
Got out of the guesthouse with the grumpy hosts as soon as possible in the morning! Took a bus to
Pimai (only 35 pence for a distance of 60km - this is even cheaper than Bangladesh and needless to
say the bus was of better quality!
First, I went to the Pimai National Museum which covers the whole of North East Thailand. Not
being a museum guy, I found it pretty interesting. It had local, Budhist and Hindu artefacts
dating back more than a millennia, including, of course, images of Budha in as many positions as
you can imagine - meditating, standing, arguing, subduing mara (evil), reclining, just sitting,
being protected by the head of Naga...
Then I went to the main thing I came here for - the Prasat Hin Pimai Historiac Park. It's a
complex
(210m x 250m or so) of Hindu and Budhist temples but no one really knows who built the thing or
why at the place it's at. It looks great but a lot of is restored stuff, and some of the modern
metal supports are even visible, which kinda takes the gloss off it. But without the restoration
it wouldn't be much to look at.
Next, I went to the Sai Ngam (Banyan tree). It's a park full of Banyan trees whose branches are
so
Inter-woven that you can't tell where one ends and the other begins, so that you get a totally
covered area the size of a football pitch. (no undergrowth of course.)
Returned to Khorat at about 8:30pm. Went to a masjid but couldn’t pray. You see, despite taking a
motor-cycle taxi that cost a fair 50 pence, I went to the masjid a bit after Isha. The gates were
closed; the driver rang the bell; somebody came saying salam; I was heartened. I asked to be let
in to pray but was refused point black. Felt very saddened and ashamed.
I was gutted but I think it was a fitting punishment and a lesson well learnt. Fitting punishment
for I hadn't prayed Zuhr and Asar even by Isha time, planning on praying all together in Nakhon
Ratchasima (Khorat). There was nowhere to pray in Pimai but that is just an excuse. I could've
prayed anywhere but Shaytan overtook me.
So I felt gutted and returned to the bus station. There was nowhere to pray there either
(of course) but I prayed Zuhr and Asar between two stairways near a waiting area, it not
mattering that there were many passengers watching me. But I was stopped by a couple of security
guards from continuing. They said something about praying elsewhere but didn't show me where
exactly. So I went to a less busy waiting area and prayed Maghrib, Isha and Witr.
The whole experience was very valuable. Firstly, it has taught me never to be lazy about prayers
again. Also, the experience of praying at the bus station has given me the confidence to pray
anywhere in future, except perhaps in wats, churches, mondirs, sinagogues, etc.
I'd made a scene by praying in public so after I'd finished dinner I was interrogated by a couple
of policemen. (They'd been watching me for a while when I was talking to a middle-aged Welshman
and approached me as soon as he left and this worried me.) It was the usual deal of checking
passport and asking boring questions. They found nothing of course and left me alone after a
while. But, in the middle of the interrogation the lights in the whole station went off, worrying
me further, but they soon came back.
So, I was finally ready to head for the Laos border on an overnight bus to Nong Khai. But every
bus for it was full! So I took one for Si Chiang Mai and was meant to change at Udon but slept
through it (I was in first class (less than 3 pounds though for a 350km journey) so it was very
very comfortable; the best bus I've ever been on). I had to take another two buses before arriving
at the border. I was kinda lost in Si Chiang Mai but the people really helped me.
Laos
MONDAY MAY 1
The number one rule of border crossings: if you are not of the two countries
concerend and are not white then always expect problems. I was given a thorough
going over in trying to leave Thailand. So many boring questions. I don't mind
them as I don't have anything to hide but am always suspicious of corrupt
officials. They weren't on this occasion. I had no problems in getting in to Laos.
So in to Laos and in to the capital, sharing a tuk-tik with a Brit, a Thai and
a Dane. I also shared a room with the latter, along with a very experienced
(travelwise) Canadian. Only USD 2 per person.
Vientianne is not that impressive. The level of development is not that much
higher than that of Sylhet but whereas my home town is lively 24 hours a day,
this place seems to be sleeping for the same length! In the centre of town
there are more backpackers than locals!
There isn't a hell of a lot to do and see here besides visiting more wats but
the ones here don't compare with those I've already seen in Thailand. So spent
most of the day hanging out with the Canadian and the Dane but didn't really
like their company. Though at first I found them pretty interesting, when
the conversation shifted to the topic of which country's girls are the sexiest
and where the next joint could be gotten, I knew it was time for me to shift.
These people are so sad! There are better people amongst backpackers of course,
like this Dutch guy who seem to know so much about South East Asian history.
So I went to a mosque. There are two mosques in Vientiane; there are two mosques
Laos. There are about 500 muslims in Viantiane; there are about 500 muslims in
Laos. And so I was told by Hafeez Muhamamd Fayez of Lahore but currently teaching
Arabic to kids at the Jami Masjid in Central Viantiane.
The central masjid, run by Pakistanis (most of whom seem to giant footed Patans!),
is big enough to hold the entire Muslim population of Laos! There are two main
halls, but only one is used (only a quarter needed even for Jum'a), each about a
quarter to a third the size of the main hall of East London Masjid. It's amazing
that they have such a big place here. But unfortunately there aren't enough musollis
to fill it. Aside from Jum'a the biggest Jamat that I've seen consisted of less than 15.
TUESDAY MAY 2
Tuesday was one of the best days ever!
Took an 11 o'clck bus to the tiny town of Vang Vieng. En route , every few kilometers you'd see
heards of uniformed school children on cycles going/returning to/from schools. I'd
never seen so many school children, or any other group for that matter, cycling together.
Sometimes the groups were more than 100 strong! It was a fantastic site!
Vang Vieng is nestled in a bend in the Nam Song river, surrounded by very scenic karst topography
with limestone caves and tunnels. But I spent most of the first day mountain biking. And boy did I
have a good time or what! It's kinda wierd that I am so much in to cycling and yet I
hadn't really done much off-road biking before. I will do as much as possible from now on. It was
so much fun even though I had a crap bike! Imagine what it would be like with my Edinburgh Contour
500!
I cycled through the scenic mountains in to neighbouring villages. The people in the villages,
especially the kids, were so welcoming. Everybody would smile, say hello and wave...even kids of
two or three! It felt so good. They were also very helpful with directions. And they felt happy
that I went in to their villages and was taking pictures. Village people everywhere, I'd imagine,
are friendlier than townsfolk. But the people in Vientiane were also very nice.
When I went in to the villages I was always wishing that I could speak Lao. It would've been so
much better if I could speak. Man, I can't wait to go to Latin America! ( I can speak a little
Spanish). Hopefully the people are as friendly!
Now let me tell you a sad story. You know that Dane I shared with, well, he told me that he
doesn't want to meet local people but just wants to meet other backpackers so that he can improve
his English. Sad git!
I didn't go in to any caves on Tuesday nor climb any mountains. Tried to go in to one but the
river was in the way. But cycling was so much fun as it was! And it wasn't even difficult, just
fun! I cycled close to 30km but didn't feel tired at the end of it. In London I feel tired after
doing much less. I must be fitter now than when I started. The lack of air pollution also has
something to do with it of course.
You know, I felt so happy on Tuesday. I just wished my friends were here to share in the joy that
I was feeling. Well, seen as that won't be possible for most of you (Mustafa should be re-joining
me when I return to Bangkok and Faizal hopefully in Mexico) I thought I should at least write
these reports in slightly more detail. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I do writing.
WEDNESDAY MAY 3
The plan was to climb a mountain straight after Fajar. But I still felt sleepy after the prayer
and so went back to sleep, waking for good at about 7. Headed for the mountain straight after
breakfast.
I was told by the bloke from whom I hired the bike on Tuesday that a return trip to the mountain
from town would take only an hour. Liar! But he could've mean "up to" rather than "up". Anyway, it
took close to 2 and a half hours. But it was such a fun trek! Getting to the base involved having
to cross two rivers, the second of which was thigh deep. I wish I was wearing my lungi, but I
didn't really notice the wet trouser for concentrating on the mountain.
It was a good thing I didn't go straight after Fajar for climbing the mountain - Pap Puak -
involves having to go through a cave whose entrance was locked. The gatekeeper came about 5
minutes after I did, opening for 25 pence.
I scrambled - yes, scrambled rather than walked - up Pap Puak with this elderly lady from Cologne.
It was quite a challenge to climb, especially for her, but the view from the top was well worth
the effort! Behind us were steep green mountains and in front lay the rivers, Vang Vieng and the
villages. I wasn't consertaive with the camera!
On the way down we went in to another cave. It wasn't a huge one for we were on the other side
before long. And this is where I lost my second sun-hat of this tour! Yes, the one with the silly
Adidas logo! Down the steep side of the mountain it went as I posed for a photo! It would've been
very very risky to attempt to get it back and I wasn't gonna take the risk for 83 pence!
Took a pick-up truck back to Vientiane. It took longer than the bus of the previous day and so I
missed the last bus to Lao Pako, an ecological resort on the Nam Ngum river. Could've taken
another pick-up but there would've been no point in arriving there at night. So stayed in
Viantiane and spent the evening relaxing in the masjid.
After Isha, went to an Indian restaurant, (which was actually run by Indians!), for rice and dhal.
I hadn't had dhal for 10 whole days! It wasn't as good as the stuff I had in Dhakah. Before
leaving, I asked the manager about the sub-continent community in Vientiane but he said that he
didn't know much as he's only been here for 3 years! (" I beleive there are more Pakistanis here"
)
THURSDAY MAY 4
Prayed Fajar in a masjid for the first time since Jhigly (my home village for those who don't
know). Took the 6:30am bus to the village of Somsamai, from where, for the last 12 km or so, took
a boat to Lao Pako. Unbeknown to me it is possible to go there without having to take an expensive
( 1 pound 50 pence) boat. My guidebook and the flyers didn't mention this at all!
Anyway, I had a great time im Lao Pako! It would've been fantastic as it was a great place for
some heavy duty mountain biking but all the bikes were totally messed up. Pity.
First went on a nature trail through the forest. It was quite enlightening and enjoyable. Most of
the trees there are replanted eucalyptus but there are some virgin forest.
I then canoed - I didn't do any of it in Bangladesh! - to the other side of the Nam Ngum river and
was ready to go on an another nature train (this time in a virgin forest). But as soon as I
crossed over I met these four boys (late teens) who were out hunting snake eggs with rifles and
machettes. (In Bangladesh you are told not to even touch them!). So I decided to join them. Well,
more like hanging around and taking the occasional snap of their activities! Unfortunately, they
didn't find any eggs while I was with them! They thought they'd found a nest but after much heavy
duty digging found nothing.
So they settled for picking 'lubies' (you know that fruit I was talking about in an earlier email,
the one I had in Bangladesh as a kid and absolutely love!) and gave me some. In return, I gave
them a packet of biscuit that I've been carrying around since Bangkok.
They then invited me to their village (Ban Thakai). I accepted gladly of course. Lao villages are
not as developed as the ones in Sylhet. Some of them are quite primitive in fact, but I did see
some fairly well to do ones in the Vang Vieng vicinity.
Didn't hang around for long in the village for my Lao is virtually non-existent - I only know the
words for "Thank you" and "hello" - and besides, I had to return for a Lao bath. It would've been
fantastic had I spoken any Lao!
Returned to camp for the Lao bath - sauna with herbs. Earlier I said that I had only had a great
time in Lao Pako and not a fantastic one. But the bath actually made it fantastic! It wasn't as
intense as the Arabian bath but the herbs made up for it.
Thoroughly cleansed, I relaxed on a hammock for the last hour of daylight. It was very relaxing
and I remember thinking how wonderful life is!
Only one bad thing about Lao Pako - the food wasn't all that hot! I had omlette and rice for
breakfast, lunch and dinner! But I saved a lot of money by having that and managed to get out of
the place having spent just over 10 pounds (for everything). Not bad for a touristy place!
Not much to do there in the evenings besides talking but there weren't many to talk to. There were
two nice couples from England besides the staff. Actually, the English people I've met so far have
generally been quite nice. Guess who, apparently, has the worst reputaion? The Israelies for their
impoliteness. Apparently, there are even 'no Israelies' signs outside certain establishments. I
haven't come across any though.
FRIDAY MAY 5
Yesterday I found about the boat free/cheaper way to get to/from Lao Pako. It involves a 3km (35
minutes) walk through the forest before catching a bus/pick-up. Needless to say I returned to
Vientiane this way. Got here just in time for the start of Jum'a.
There were more than 100 for Jum'a at the central masjid. There were quiet a few Lao muslims but
the majority were from the sub-continent. I even heard some Bengali being spoken. The sermon was
in Urdu and the Khutbah in Arabic so I didn't understand jack!
Had lunch after Jum'a at my favourite place right bang in the centre of town. The food is great
there and cheap (by London standard). One thing I am not compromising on is food, spending 3 to 4
pounds a day (almost half my daily allowance) and am eating very healthily.
Last day in Viantiane today. I've actually gotten quite fond of the place. It's so laid back for
a capital city. The people here can still leave their front doors open in some parts of the city.
It would be a nice place to live but I'm not moving in just yet!
Like Bangkok, Vientianne has become almost like a second home as I've been using it as a base. In
someways it will be quite sad to leave it for good. And it will most probably be for good that I
leave...but it is also exciting moving on to a new place!
The number one rule of border crossings: if you are not of the two countries
concerend and are not white then always expect problems. I was given a thorough
going over in trying to leave Thailand. So many boring questions. I don't mind
them as I don't have anything to hide but am always suspicious of corrupt
officials. They weren't on this occasion. I had no problems in getting in to Laos.
So in to Laos and in to the capital, sharing a tuk-tik with a Brit, a Thai and
a Dane. I also shared a room with the latter, along with a very experienced
(travelwise) Canadian. Only USD 2 per person.
Vientianne is not that impressive. The level of development is not that much
higher than that of Sylhet but whereas my home town is lively 24 hours a day,
this place seems to be sleeping for the same length! In the centre of town
there are more backpackers than locals!
There isn't a hell of a lot to do and see here besides visiting more wats but
the ones here don't compare with those I've already seen in Thailand. So spent
most of the day hanging out with the Canadian and the Dane but didn't really
like their company. Though at first I found them pretty interesting, when
the conversation shifted to the topic of which country's girls are the sexiest
and where the next joint could be gotten, I knew it was time for me to shift.
These people are so sad! There are better people amongst backpackers of course,
like this Dutch guy who seem to know so much about South East Asian history.
So I went to a mosque. There are two mosques in Vientiane; there are two mosques
Laos. There are about 500 muslims in Viantiane; there are about 500 muslims in
Laos. And so I was told by Hafeez Muhamamd Fayez of Lahore but currently teaching
Arabic to kids at the Jami Masjid in Central Viantiane.
The central masjid, run by Pakistanis (most of whom seem to giant footed Patans!),
is big enough to hold the entire Muslim population of Laos! There are two main
halls, but only one is used (only a quarter needed even for Jum'a), each about a
quarter to a third the size of the main hall of East London Masjid. It's amazing
that they have such a big place here. But unfortunately there aren't enough musollis
to fill it. Aside from Jum'a the biggest Jamat that I've seen consisted of less than 15.
TUESDAY MAY 2
Tuesday was one of the best days ever!
Took an 11 o'clck bus to the tiny town of Vang Vieng. En route , every few kilometers you'd see
heards of uniformed school children on cycles going/returning to/from schools. I'd
never seen so many school children, or any other group for that matter, cycling together.
Sometimes the groups were more than 100 strong! It was a fantastic site!
Vang Vieng is nestled in a bend in the Nam Song river, surrounded by very scenic karst topography
with limestone caves and tunnels. But I spent most of the first day mountain biking. And boy did I
have a good time or what! It's kinda wierd that I am so much in to cycling and yet I
hadn't really done much off-road biking before. I will do as much as possible from now on. It was
so much fun even though I had a crap bike! Imagine what it would be like with my Edinburgh Contour
500!
I cycled through the scenic mountains in to neighbouring villages. The people in the villages,
especially the kids, were so welcoming. Everybody would smile, say hello and wave...even kids of
two or three! It felt so good. They were also very helpful with directions. And they felt happy
that I went in to their villages and was taking pictures. Village people everywhere, I'd imagine,
are friendlier than townsfolk. But the people in Vientiane were also very nice.
When I went in to the villages I was always wishing that I could speak Lao. It would've been so
much better if I could speak. Man, I can't wait to go to Latin America! ( I can speak a little
Spanish). Hopefully the people are as friendly!
Now let me tell you a sad story. You know that Dane I shared with, well, he told me that he
doesn't want to meet local people but just wants to meet other backpackers so that he can improve
his English. Sad git!
I didn't go in to any caves on Tuesday nor climb any mountains. Tried to go in to one but the
river was in the way. But cycling was so much fun as it was! And it wasn't even difficult, just
fun! I cycled close to 30km but didn't feel tired at the end of it. In London I feel tired after
doing much less. I must be fitter now than when I started. The lack of air pollution also has
something to do with it of course.
You know, I felt so happy on Tuesday. I just wished my friends were here to share in the joy that
I was feeling. Well, seen as that won't be possible for most of you (Mustafa should be re-joining
me when I return to Bangkok and Faizal hopefully in Mexico) I thought I should at least write
these reports in slightly more detail. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I do writing.
WEDNESDAY MAY 3
The plan was to climb a mountain straight after Fajar. But I still felt sleepy after the prayer
and so went back to sleep, waking for good at about 7. Headed for the mountain straight after
breakfast.
I was told by the bloke from whom I hired the bike on Tuesday that a return trip to the mountain
from town would take only an hour. Liar! But he could've mean "up to" rather than "up". Anyway, it
took close to 2 and a half hours. But it was such a fun trek! Getting to the base involved having
to cross two rivers, the second of which was thigh deep. I wish I was wearing my lungi, but I
didn't really notice the wet trouser for concentrating on the mountain.
It was a good thing I didn't go straight after Fajar for climbing the mountain - Pap Puak -
involves having to go through a cave whose entrance was locked. The gatekeeper came about 5
minutes after I did, opening for 25 pence.
I scrambled - yes, scrambled rather than walked - up Pap Puak with this elderly lady from Cologne.
It was quite a challenge to climb, especially for her, but the view from the top was well worth
the effort! Behind us were steep green mountains and in front lay the rivers, Vang Vieng and the
villages. I wasn't consertaive with the camera!
On the way down we went in to another cave. It wasn't a huge one for we were on the other side
before long. And this is where I lost my second sun-hat of this tour! Yes, the one with the silly
Adidas logo! Down the steep side of the mountain it went as I posed for a photo! It would've been
very very risky to attempt to get it back and I wasn't gonna take the risk for 83 pence!
Took a pick-up truck back to Vientiane. It took longer than the bus of the previous day and so I
missed the last bus to Lao Pako, an ecological resort on the Nam Ngum river. Could've taken
another pick-up but there would've been no point in arriving there at night. So stayed in
Viantiane and spent the evening relaxing in the masjid.
After Isha, went to an Indian restaurant, (which was actually run by Indians!), for rice and dhal.
I hadn't had dhal for 10 whole days! It wasn't as good as the stuff I had in Dhakah. Before
leaving, I asked the manager about the sub-continent community in Vientiane but he said that he
didn't know much as he's only been here for 3 years! (" I beleive there are more Pakistanis here"
)
THURSDAY MAY 4
Prayed Fajar in a masjid for the first time since Jhigly (my home village for those who don't
know). Took the 6:30am bus to the village of Somsamai, from where, for the last 12 km or so, took
a boat to Lao Pako. Unbeknown to me it is possible to go there without having to take an expensive
( 1 pound 50 pence) boat. My guidebook and the flyers didn't mention this at all!
Anyway, I had a great time im Lao Pako! It would've been fantastic as it was a great place for
some heavy duty mountain biking but all the bikes were totally messed up. Pity.
First went on a nature trail through the forest. It was quite enlightening and enjoyable. Most of
the trees there are replanted eucalyptus but there are some virgin forest.
I then canoed - I didn't do any of it in Bangladesh! - to the other side of the Nam Ngum river and
was ready to go on an another nature train (this time in a virgin forest). But as soon as I
crossed over I met these four boys (late teens) who were out hunting snake eggs with rifles and
machettes. (In Bangladesh you are told not to even touch them!). So I decided to join them. Well,
more like hanging around and taking the occasional snap of their activities! Unfortunately, they
didn't find any eggs while I was with them! They thought they'd found a nest but after much heavy
duty digging found nothing.
So they settled for picking 'lubies' (you know that fruit I was talking about in an earlier email,
the one I had in Bangladesh as a kid and absolutely love!) and gave me some. In return, I gave
them a packet of biscuit that I've been carrying around since Bangkok.
They then invited me to their village (Ban Thakai). I accepted gladly of course. Lao villages are
not as developed as the ones in Sylhet. Some of them are quite primitive in fact, but I did see
some fairly well to do ones in the Vang Vieng vicinity.
Didn't hang around for long in the village for my Lao is virtually non-existent - I only know the
words for "Thank you" and "hello" - and besides, I had to return for a Lao bath. It would've been
fantastic had I spoken any Lao!
Returned to camp for the Lao bath - sauna with herbs. Earlier I said that I had only had a great
time in Lao Pako and not a fantastic one. But the bath actually made it fantastic! It wasn't as
intense as the Arabian bath but the herbs made up for it.
Thoroughly cleansed, I relaxed on a hammock for the last hour of daylight. It was very relaxing
and I remember thinking how wonderful life is!
Only one bad thing about Lao Pako - the food wasn't all that hot! I had omlette and rice for
breakfast, lunch and dinner! But I saved a lot of money by having that and managed to get out of
the place having spent just over 10 pounds (for everything). Not bad for a touristy place!
Not much to do there in the evenings besides talking but there weren't many to talk to. There were
two nice couples from England besides the staff. Actually, the English people I've met so far have
generally been quite nice. Guess who, apparently, has the worst reputaion? The Israelies for their
impoliteness. Apparently, there are even 'no Israelies' signs outside certain establishments. I
haven't come across any though.
FRIDAY MAY 5
Yesterday I found about the boat free/cheaper way to get to/from Lao Pako. It involves a 3km (35
minutes) walk through the forest before catching a bus/pick-up. Needless to say I returned to
Vientiane this way. Got here just in time for the start of Jum'a.
There were more than 100 for Jum'a at the central masjid. There were quiet a few Lao muslims but
the majority were from the sub-continent. I even heard some Bengali being spoken. The sermon was
in Urdu and the Khutbah in Arabic so I didn't understand jack!
Had lunch after Jum'a at my favourite place right bang in the centre of town. The food is great
there and cheap (by London standard). One thing I am not compromising on is food, spending 3 to 4
pounds a day (almost half my daily allowance) and am eating very healthily.
Last day in Viantiane today. I've actually gotten quite fond of the place. It's so laid back for
a capital city. The people here can still leave their front doors open in some parts of the city.
It would be a nice place to live but I'm not moving in just yet!
Like Bangkok, Vientianne has become almost like a second home as I've been using it as a base. In
someways it will be quite sad to leave it for good. And it will most probably be for good that I
leave...but it is also exciting moving on to a new place!
SATURDAY MAY 6
Took the 7am bus from Vientiane to Savannakhet. The distance of 540 km or so took 9 hours, only an
hour more than scheduled. I was impressed. But wasn't with the interior of the bus - more than
half of the space was taken up by crates of beer!
There were five other travelers on the bus - a Brit and an American who were travelling together
and a Brit and two Canadians (Montreal and Winnipeg) who were also together. I hooked up with the
group of three and shared a room with them at the Mekong Hotel. There were only three beds in the
room so the Brit slept on a mattress on the floor. I offered but he insisted. A very nice guy from
Birmingham who I'll be meeting up again in Sydney, hopefully.
SUNDAY MAY 7
There were no buses going to the Laos-Vietnam border on Sunday so we were to spend another day in
Savannakhet. (Montreal and I were to head for Vietnam while Birmingham was to cross in to Thailand
and Winnipeg to return to Vientiane.)
Savannakhet is a very provincial feeling provincial town. It was so laid back. Much more laid back
- or should I say lazy - than Vientiane and that is saying something. The infrastructure and
level of development was like that of Sylhet but it's in no way as busy as my home town even
though the population sizes are similar.
Like the town, my three companions were also of the laid back/lazy variety though Montreal was
less so. I wanted to hire a bike bicycle and cruise the town but they didn't. So I went to hire
one on my own but couldn't find a bike! I didn't really look that hard though.
Apart from going to the main market, where I went mango crazy, we didn't do jack. Just bummed
around talking about how great travelling is. Actually, they were moaning a bit about the
discomforts of travelling in the majority world but I pointed out that it's all part of the
experience. You know, these days I seem to be able to put everything down to experience and enjoy
it, both at the time and later. Life is so good!
MONDAY MAY 8
Montreal and I took the 6am bus to the Laos-Vietnam border. On the bus we met an Australian from
Melbourne with whom we shared most of the mangoes I'd bought the previous day. But I was to leave
two of them on the bus, much to the regret of everyone. They were good!
This journey was the best yet (as I'd say in my current state of mind.). The distance of only
270km or so took more than 11and half hours, including almost an hour for a flat tyre. The road
was very bad to say the least with large pot-holes every few metres for the entire length of the
journey. Of course, we were sitting at the very back so felt their full effects. Oh, I haven't
mentioned that we were also packed-in like the unfortunate pickled fish also the victims of one of
Eric's outbursts.
Montreal didn't enjoy the ride at all and even Melbourne got annoyed by the end. I loved it all
the way through even when I was told that we may not make it to the border before it closes.
Actually, I kinda liked the idea of spending a night on the primitive border post!
We got there on time but before arriving at the border the bus was stopped by Laos customs police.
And it wasn't because of me this time! No, it was to stop these ladies smuggling live animals -
lizards, snails, birds - to Vietnam. The lady to my left dropped an iguana right by my side just
as the police boarded. Man, it freaked me out!
The bus terminated a short way from the border so we had to take motorcycles for the last km or
so. The crossing was pretty hassle free but again it took me longer to get through. Being used to
it doesn't make it any better, you know.
On the Vietnamese side we were 3km away from Lao Bao, the place to take a bus to the coast and
Dong Ha. The four of us, now joined by Rotterdam, took bikes again. And in Lao Bao we boarded
another smuggler's bus. (Actually, it wasn't a bus really but it had wheels and it moved so that
was enough.)
Apart from the four of us and two other travelers, one from Bangkok and the other from Illford ,
England I think everybody else was smuggling something or rather, from cigarettes to umbrellas. We
were stopped by the police twice but they found nothing and we didn't rat either! It was so
obvious that the people were hiding stuff under their clothes but the police seemed to ignore
that. Maybe they were only allowed to search the vehicle and not individuals. Anyway, we got to
Dong Ha in one piece. I split a room with Melbourne while Montreal split with Rotterdam.
It was a very long day!
Took the 7am bus from Vientiane to Savannakhet. The distance of 540 km or so took 9 hours, only an
hour more than scheduled. I was impressed. But wasn't with the interior of the bus - more than
half of the space was taken up by crates of beer!
There were five other travelers on the bus - a Brit and an American who were travelling together
and a Brit and two Canadians (Montreal and Winnipeg) who were also together. I hooked up with the
group of three and shared a room with them at the Mekong Hotel. There were only three beds in the
room so the Brit slept on a mattress on the floor. I offered but he insisted. A very nice guy from
Birmingham who I'll be meeting up again in Sydney, hopefully.
SUNDAY MAY 7
There were no buses going to the Laos-Vietnam border on Sunday so we were to spend another day in
Savannakhet. (Montreal and I were to head for Vietnam while Birmingham was to cross in to Thailand
and Winnipeg to return to Vientiane.)
Savannakhet is a very provincial feeling provincial town. It was so laid back. Much more laid back
- or should I say lazy - than Vientiane and that is saying something. The infrastructure and
level of development was like that of Sylhet but it's in no way as busy as my home town even
though the population sizes are similar.
Like the town, my three companions were also of the laid back/lazy variety though Montreal was
less so. I wanted to hire a bike bicycle and cruise the town but they didn't. So I went to hire
one on my own but couldn't find a bike! I didn't really look that hard though.
Apart from going to the main market, where I went mango crazy, we didn't do jack. Just bummed
around talking about how great travelling is. Actually, they were moaning a bit about the
discomforts of travelling in the majority world but I pointed out that it's all part of the
experience. You know, these days I seem to be able to put everything down to experience and enjoy
it, both at the time and later. Life is so good!
MONDAY MAY 8
Montreal and I took the 6am bus to the Laos-Vietnam border. On the bus we met an Australian from
Melbourne with whom we shared most of the mangoes I'd bought the previous day. But I was to leave
two of them on the bus, much to the regret of everyone. They were good!
This journey was the best yet (as I'd say in my current state of mind.). The distance of only
270km or so took more than 11and half hours, including almost an hour for a flat tyre. The road
was very bad to say the least with large pot-holes every few metres for the entire length of the
journey. Of course, we were sitting at the very back so felt their full effects. Oh, I haven't
mentioned that we were also packed-in like the unfortunate pickled fish also the victims of one of
Eric's outbursts.
Montreal didn't enjoy the ride at all and even Melbourne got annoyed by the end. I loved it all
the way through even when I was told that we may not make it to the border before it closes.
Actually, I kinda liked the idea of spending a night on the primitive border post!
We got there on time but before arriving at the border the bus was stopped by Laos customs police.
And it wasn't because of me this time! No, it was to stop these ladies smuggling live animals -
lizards, snails, birds - to Vietnam. The lady to my left dropped an iguana right by my side just
as the police boarded. Man, it freaked me out!
The bus terminated a short way from the border so we had to take motorcycles for the last km or
so. The crossing was pretty hassle free but again it took me longer to get through. Being used to
it doesn't make it any better, you know.
On the Vietnamese side we were 3km away from Lao Bao, the place to take a bus to the coast and
Dong Ha. The four of us, now joined by Rotterdam, took bikes again. And in Lao Bao we boarded
another smuggler's bus. (Actually, it wasn't a bus really but it had wheels and it moved so that
was enough.)
Apart from the four of us and two other travelers, one from Bangkok and the other from Illford ,
England I think everybody else was smuggling something or rather, from cigarettes to umbrellas. We
were stopped by the police twice but they found nothing and we didn't rat either! It was so
obvious that the people were hiding stuff under their clothes but the police seemed to ignore
that. Maybe they were only allowed to search the vehicle and not individuals. Anyway, we got to
Dong Ha in one piece. I split a room with Melbourne while Montreal split with Rotterdam.
It was a very long day!
Vietnam
TUESDAY MAY 9
Couldn't go back to sleep after Fajr. Melbourne also got woken up early, at about 7:30am, by one
of the staff wanting to know whether we were heading out to Hue that morning. I'd wanted to the
previous night but changed my mind. The thought of touring the DMZ (Demilitarised Zone) between
the old North and South Vietnam and the tunnel village of Vinh Hoc was just too tempting.
Melbourne decided to move on.
But he didn't have any money, only travelers' cheques that couldn't be cashed in Dong Ha. So I
lent him 30USD. (It was a hop-on-hop-off ticket all the way from Dong Ha to Saigon. ) We planned
to meet up at a guesthouse in Hue.
And so on to the DMZ tour with Montreal and Rotterdam. Three travelers, three motorbikes, three
drivers/guides. The first part of the tour wasn't all that exciting - a tour of the battlefields,
American bunkers and the river marking the old border. Not all that exciting but the bike rides
were fantastic!
Then we went to one of the highlights of this tour - the Vinh Hoc tunnel village. The tunnels,
which extend for over 2km (not including the rooms to the sides), were dug by villagers trying to
escape from American bombers. Some 350 villagers lived there for 2 to three years. There were tiny
family rooms, a maternity room (14 children were born there), a kindergarten, a medical room, a
meeting room, a deep bomb shelter and many wells and bathrooms. It was extraordinary. They would
only go out at night when it was safer from the Americans, so they got very little sunlight. A
remarkable way of life.
After the tunnels we went down to a very beautiful and quiet beach where I swam for the first time
on this tour. The waves were great and the water was warm too. Must hit beaches more often! The
motorcycle rides through the Vietnamese countryside were fantastic too! Man, I'm gonna have to get
myself one of these gadgets when I return to London. The sooner the better!
Returned back to Don Ha just before 4pm to take a minibus to Hue. Parted from Montreal and
Rotterdam who were to head North to Hanoi later that evening.
Met Melbourne at the designated guesthouse. You're probably thinking that I took a risk by letting
him leave Dong Ha with 30USD of my money. And yes, it was a risk but you have to do that a bit.
Nine times out of ten your gamble will pay off. It will of course fail one time but the other 9
times will more than make up for it. I figured if it failed the I'd lose 30USD but if it worked
then I'd feel great for trusting someone I'd known less than a day. It felt great!!!
Couldn't go back to sleep after Fajr. Melbourne also got woken up early, at about 7:30am, by one
of the staff wanting to know whether we were heading out to Hue that morning. I'd wanted to the
previous night but changed my mind. The thought of touring the DMZ (Demilitarised Zone) between
the old North and South Vietnam and the tunnel village of Vinh Hoc was just too tempting.
Melbourne decided to move on.
But he didn't have any money, only travelers' cheques that couldn't be cashed in Dong Ha. So I
lent him 30USD. (It was a hop-on-hop-off ticket all the way from Dong Ha to Saigon. ) We planned
to meet up at a guesthouse in Hue.
And so on to the DMZ tour with Montreal and Rotterdam. Three travelers, three motorbikes, three
drivers/guides. The first part of the tour wasn't all that exciting - a tour of the battlefields,
American bunkers and the river marking the old border. Not all that exciting but the bike rides
were fantastic!
Then we went to one of the highlights of this tour - the Vinh Hoc tunnel village. The tunnels,
which extend for over 2km (not including the rooms to the sides), were dug by villagers trying to
escape from American bombers. Some 350 villagers lived there for 2 to three years. There were tiny
family rooms, a maternity room (14 children were born there), a kindergarten, a medical room, a
meeting room, a deep bomb shelter and many wells and bathrooms. It was extraordinary. They would
only go out at night when it was safer from the Americans, so they got very little sunlight. A
remarkable way of life.
After the tunnels we went down to a very beautiful and quiet beach where I swam for the first time
on this tour. The waves were great and the water was warm too. Must hit beaches more often! The
motorcycle rides through the Vietnamese countryside were fantastic too! Man, I'm gonna have to get
myself one of these gadgets when I return to London. The sooner the better!
Returned back to Don Ha just before 4pm to take a minibus to Hue. Parted from Montreal and
Rotterdam who were to head North to Hanoi later that evening.
Met Melbourne at the designated guesthouse. You're probably thinking that I took a risk by letting
him leave Dong Ha with 30USD of my money. And yes, it was a risk but you have to do that a bit.
Nine times out of ten your gamble will pay off. It will of course fail one time but the other 9
times will more than make up for it. I figured if it failed the I'd lose 30USD but if it worked
then I'd feel great for trusting someone I'd known less than a day. It felt great!!!
WEDNESDAY MAY 10
On Tuesday I saw something about there being a bus to Hoi Ann sometime in the afternoon. But it
was of a different bus company and so we stayed another day in Hue and planned to take the morning
bus on Thursday. I'm glad we stayed.
Hue is a great place. I loved it. The best thing was seeing all the zillions of cyclers all around
town, from little kids of 5 or six to grannies and granddads. It was a fantastic sight, one I'm
sure we'll never see in London. Naturally, we both spent the day cycling.
The second best thing was the huge river that cut the city in two. It looked fantastically clean
despite the zillions of motorised boats. It's banks weren't walled either. It was a fantastic to
see the zillions of cyclists crossing the river. The next best thing was the huge market where you
could buy any fruit known to man, it seemed. Of course, we had to bargain hard for everything.
Oh, there was also a citadel, the only one of it's kind that I'd seen in South East Asia thus far.
The entrance fee was a monstrous 5USD so I didn't go inside but saw quite a bit of it just cycling
around.
Saw a (Northern European) tourist get totally ripped off at the entrance to the Citadel. He wanted
to buy a roll of film (Kodak 100 or 200, 36 exposure). "How much is it?". "60,000 dong" (14,000
dong = 1 USD). That was way too much. "What?". "60,000 dong". "70,000 dong?". Before the vender
could answer the tourist handed over 60,000 and had another 10,000 in his hand. "That's too much,
my friend, 60,000 is enough". And he walked away thinking he'd saved 10,000! "He pay too much", I
said. I'm sure he agreed though wouldn't admit it! I later bought 2 Kodak 400, 36 exposure, for
75,000.
The one disappointing thing about Hue was that it's only mosque was no longer in use for prayers.
It was now solely a tourist attraction. The mosque was built by Indian Muslims in 1932 but they
all left after the Communists came to power after the American war. The mosque and adjacent houses
which belonged to the Indians were distributed to local Vietnamese by the government. Sad.
THURSDAY MAY 11
We took the 8am bus to Hoi Ann. Arrived there in mid-afternoon. The bus took much longer than it
should have as it stopped off at a museum, a beach and a couple of restaurants. This was a very
annoying feature of these buses. Much as I hate to admit it we, like almost all the other
travelers, took a tour bus. In Vietnam it is the cheapest way. Local buses and trains are required
to charge foreigners up to 5 times the regular fare - the 80km or so journey that we did on Monday
from Lao Bao to Dong Ha cost 7.5USD each!
Hoi Ann is a beautiful little town, but it's probably a tad too touristy. The place is littered
with souvenir shops. But even the people who had nothing to sell you were very friendly.
(Actually, the people have been very friendly in every single place that I have been to with the
exception of Bangkok.) I also liked the compactness of the town - though we stayed on the
outskirts of town we were only 15 minutes walk away from the centre.
Spent the evening shooting some pool with a few locals and then with Melbourne. Lost to the locals
but beat Melbourne. Melbourne and I also beat the locals in doubles. I think this was the first
time that I'd played since London. Vietnam is very hot for pool.
FRIDAY MAY 12
It was generally a good day but with a notable exception - there was nowhere to pray Jum'a.
In the morning we went to the ancient ruins of the Champa empire. The site became a religious
centre as early as the 4th century and was occupied until the 13th. Most of the temples were
dedicated to Cham kings associated with divinities, especially Shiva who was regarded as the
founder and protector of Cham's dynasties.
The entrance fee was 10,000 dong for the locals but 50,000 for us. But it was well worth it, even
though most of the temples are completely destroyed and others lie in very sorry states,
especially following the American war.
Came back to Hoi Ann in the afternoon. I was to leave that evening but Melbourne was to spend
another day so moved to another guesthouse. I spent my remaining time cycling around town. In the
middle of it, played this game (with Melbourne and a few locals) of trying to keep up a
shuttle-cock. It was really tiring and difficult, much easier with a ball I think!
Parting from Melbourne, I took the 6:30pm overnight bus to Nha Trang. Had two seats to myself so
managed to get some sleep.
SATURDAY MAY 13
Arrived in Nha Trang just after 7am. Had a look at the big concrete jungle and took the 8am bus to
Dalat. I was only intending to visit Nha Trang for some snorkeling or scuba diving but en route I
was told that it's kind expensive there.
Arrived in Dalat, set in beautiful mountain scenery, at about 3pm. Shared a room with a Canadian
(another from Montreal) who I met on the bus. After a short walk around town and some fruit buying
at the main market, we went to the "Crazy House". And it was crazy! It's very difficult to
describe the Crazy House but it, rather they, looked like much like connecting tree houses. But
even the bits that looked like trees are man-made.
Went to this fantastic vegetarian restaurant for dinner. The tofu, mushrooms, onions and
vegetables in a spicy sauce was absolutely fantastic! Montreal was also a vegetarian but had only
been for a about 8 months.
After dinner we went to shoot some pool. I lost 3-2. Before that we went to find the cost of
adventure tours around Dalat. They were all too expensive. This, coupled with the rainy mountain
weather, was enough to send Montreal on the way to Saigon the next morning. I decided to the
spend the next day cycling come rain or shine.
SUNDAY MAY 13
A while back I told you guys that, Inshallah, I'll be getting married next year and said that I'd
be asking you to look for someone suitable. Well, make sure you find somebody who's nuts about
mountain biking! OK, at least in to mountain biking or even has a mild interest in it! Man,
mountain biking is so much fun!
Despite the rain I spent most of the day biking in the mountains and countryside around Dalat. But
before starting I went back to that vegetarian restaurant. It wasn't as good this time around as
one of the vegetables in my dish looked like chicken! But I was to return there for a great
dinner.
The cycling didn't start off too well. Whilst cycling around Lake Xuan I stopped to take a picture
of Dalat from the other side. I took a bridge to a small Island in the like, going past these four
guys (late teens/early 20's) swimming by the bridge. On returning after taking the photo I found
them on the bridge. I started chatting with them and they were asking the familiar questions of
where I'm from and all that. Their English was very broken but I didn't think much of it at the
time - they were Vietnamese after all.
The conversation moved to my brand new fake Nike sunglasses. I let them try one by one. They all
liked them but the fourth one a little too much. He wouldn't give it back and ran with them! I
tried to follow him on my bike but it was very grassy and I didn't get far. I asked the other
three to get my glasses back but they wouldn't. The other guy eventually came back but without my
glasses. He said that he'd left them by a tree on the Island. I told him to come with me to find
it. He wouldn't. I couldn't afford to take it beyond just sounding really pissed off as there were
four of them after all.
And they were drunks! I smelt it in their breaths. Should've been able to tell from the way they
were stammering but I thought that was just because their English was very bad. They sped away in
their scooter while I was left to look for the glasses. Needless to say I didn't find them.
The incident really pissed me off. But only for a few minutes though. With everything these days,
I started looking at the positive side. I'd forgotten that it can be quite dangerous out here if
one wasn't careful. This was a very good reminder. I have been very open and trusting since
Bangkok. I wasn't gonna suddenly close up, no way, but I will be more careful.
Before hiring a cycle, I was tempted enough to try a motorbike. I told them that I’d never ridden
one before but they said to have a go anyway. So I did and crashed in to some flower pots! They
still wanted me rent it! I declined. Just before setting off on the mountain bike I witnessed a
motorcycle crash in the centre of town.
I first cycled around some villages, then up a mountain, then around the top of it. Man, going up
was so difficult but I managed to do it without having to push the bike up. Coming down was so
much fun! So exciting! I It gave such an adrenaline rush that I couldn't help but scream out
aloud!
It rained for some part of the day and so the dirt tracks were impassable at times. It was very
muddy and once when going downhill I fell in to a mud hole. Got very mucky but washed some of it
at the lake of the drunken youth.
Even though it had both front and rear suspension, it wasn't much of a bike. And to prove it, on
the way to my guesthouse one of the joints in the chain came apart. I tried to fix it but it came
apart again after a while. I was prepared for the daunting task of walking all the way back, but
then, only a few metres on, I see a bicycle repair shop! What luck! It was the best day of
mountain biking I've ever had!
Returned to the guesthouse just in time to pray Asr. After Maghrib went to that vegetarian
restaurant again. Great food! Also developed one of the many rolls of films that I'd accumulated.
The pictures can never be as good as the real thing!
In Thailand, trimming one's beard cost 1USD; in Laos it costs 35cents; but in Vietnam it's free!
Well, not quite but it was free for me. I got a really good trim but when I tried to pay, the
barber wouldn't accept my money. "It is for you". Fantastic!!!
On Tuesday I saw something about there being a bus to Hoi Ann sometime in the afternoon. But it
was of a different bus company and so we stayed another day in Hue and planned to take the morning
bus on Thursday. I'm glad we stayed.
Hue is a great place. I loved it. The best thing was seeing all the zillions of cyclers all around
town, from little kids of 5 or six to grannies and granddads. It was a fantastic sight, one I'm
sure we'll never see in London. Naturally, we both spent the day cycling.
The second best thing was the huge river that cut the city in two. It looked fantastically clean
despite the zillions of motorised boats. It's banks weren't walled either. It was a fantastic to
see the zillions of cyclists crossing the river. The next best thing was the huge market where you
could buy any fruit known to man, it seemed. Of course, we had to bargain hard for everything.
Oh, there was also a citadel, the only one of it's kind that I'd seen in South East Asia thus far.
The entrance fee was a monstrous 5USD so I didn't go inside but saw quite a bit of it just cycling
around.
Saw a (Northern European) tourist get totally ripped off at the entrance to the Citadel. He wanted
to buy a roll of film (Kodak 100 or 200, 36 exposure). "How much is it?". "60,000 dong" (14,000
dong = 1 USD). That was way too much. "What?". "60,000 dong". "70,000 dong?". Before the vender
could answer the tourist handed over 60,000 and had another 10,000 in his hand. "That's too much,
my friend, 60,000 is enough". And he walked away thinking he'd saved 10,000! "He pay too much", I
said. I'm sure he agreed though wouldn't admit it! I later bought 2 Kodak 400, 36 exposure, for
75,000.
The one disappointing thing about Hue was that it's only mosque was no longer in use for prayers.
It was now solely a tourist attraction. The mosque was built by Indian Muslims in 1932 but they
all left after the Communists came to power after the American war. The mosque and adjacent houses
which belonged to the Indians were distributed to local Vietnamese by the government. Sad.
THURSDAY MAY 11
We took the 8am bus to Hoi Ann. Arrived there in mid-afternoon. The bus took much longer than it
should have as it stopped off at a museum, a beach and a couple of restaurants. This was a very
annoying feature of these buses. Much as I hate to admit it we, like almost all the other
travelers, took a tour bus. In Vietnam it is the cheapest way. Local buses and trains are required
to charge foreigners up to 5 times the regular fare - the 80km or so journey that we did on Monday
from Lao Bao to Dong Ha cost 7.5USD each!
Hoi Ann is a beautiful little town, but it's probably a tad too touristy. The place is littered
with souvenir shops. But even the people who had nothing to sell you were very friendly.
(Actually, the people have been very friendly in every single place that I have been to with the
exception of Bangkok.) I also liked the compactness of the town - though we stayed on the
outskirts of town we were only 15 minutes walk away from the centre.
Spent the evening shooting some pool with a few locals and then with Melbourne. Lost to the locals
but beat Melbourne. Melbourne and I also beat the locals in doubles. I think this was the first
time that I'd played since London. Vietnam is very hot for pool.
FRIDAY MAY 12
It was generally a good day but with a notable exception - there was nowhere to pray Jum'a.
In the morning we went to the ancient ruins of the Champa empire. The site became a religious
centre as early as the 4th century and was occupied until the 13th. Most of the temples were
dedicated to Cham kings associated with divinities, especially Shiva who was regarded as the
founder and protector of Cham's dynasties.
The entrance fee was 10,000 dong for the locals but 50,000 for us. But it was well worth it, even
though most of the temples are completely destroyed and others lie in very sorry states,
especially following the American war.
Came back to Hoi Ann in the afternoon. I was to leave that evening but Melbourne was to spend
another day so moved to another guesthouse. I spent my remaining time cycling around town. In the
middle of it, played this game (with Melbourne and a few locals) of trying to keep up a
shuttle-cock. It was really tiring and difficult, much easier with a ball I think!
Parting from Melbourne, I took the 6:30pm overnight bus to Nha Trang. Had two seats to myself so
managed to get some sleep.
SATURDAY MAY 13
Arrived in Nha Trang just after 7am. Had a look at the big concrete jungle and took the 8am bus to
Dalat. I was only intending to visit Nha Trang for some snorkeling or scuba diving but en route I
was told that it's kind expensive there.
Arrived in Dalat, set in beautiful mountain scenery, at about 3pm. Shared a room with a Canadian
(another from Montreal) who I met on the bus. After a short walk around town and some fruit buying
at the main market, we went to the "Crazy House". And it was crazy! It's very difficult to
describe the Crazy House but it, rather they, looked like much like connecting tree houses. But
even the bits that looked like trees are man-made.
Went to this fantastic vegetarian restaurant for dinner. The tofu, mushrooms, onions and
vegetables in a spicy sauce was absolutely fantastic! Montreal was also a vegetarian but had only
been for a about 8 months.
After dinner we went to shoot some pool. I lost 3-2. Before that we went to find the cost of
adventure tours around Dalat. They were all too expensive. This, coupled with the rainy mountain
weather, was enough to send Montreal on the way to Saigon the next morning. I decided to the
spend the next day cycling come rain or shine.
SUNDAY MAY 13
A while back I told you guys that, Inshallah, I'll be getting married next year and said that I'd
be asking you to look for someone suitable. Well, make sure you find somebody who's nuts about
mountain biking! OK, at least in to mountain biking or even has a mild interest in it! Man,
mountain biking is so much fun!
Despite the rain I spent most of the day biking in the mountains and countryside around Dalat. But
before starting I went back to that vegetarian restaurant. It wasn't as good this time around as
one of the vegetables in my dish looked like chicken! But I was to return there for a great
dinner.
The cycling didn't start off too well. Whilst cycling around Lake Xuan I stopped to take a picture
of Dalat from the other side. I took a bridge to a small Island in the like, going past these four
guys (late teens/early 20's) swimming by the bridge. On returning after taking the photo I found
them on the bridge. I started chatting with them and they were asking the familiar questions of
where I'm from and all that. Their English was very broken but I didn't think much of it at the
time - they were Vietnamese after all.
The conversation moved to my brand new fake Nike sunglasses. I let them try one by one. They all
liked them but the fourth one a little too much. He wouldn't give it back and ran with them! I
tried to follow him on my bike but it was very grassy and I didn't get far. I asked the other
three to get my glasses back but they wouldn't. The other guy eventually came back but without my
glasses. He said that he'd left them by a tree on the Island. I told him to come with me to find
it. He wouldn't. I couldn't afford to take it beyond just sounding really pissed off as there were
four of them after all.
And they were drunks! I smelt it in their breaths. Should've been able to tell from the way they
were stammering but I thought that was just because their English was very bad. They sped away in
their scooter while I was left to look for the glasses. Needless to say I didn't find them.
The incident really pissed me off. But only for a few minutes though. With everything these days,
I started looking at the positive side. I'd forgotten that it can be quite dangerous out here if
one wasn't careful. This was a very good reminder. I have been very open and trusting since
Bangkok. I wasn't gonna suddenly close up, no way, but I will be more careful.
Before hiring a cycle, I was tempted enough to try a motorbike. I told them that I’d never ridden
one before but they said to have a go anyway. So I did and crashed in to some flower pots! They
still wanted me rent it! I declined. Just before setting off on the mountain bike I witnessed a
motorcycle crash in the centre of town.
I first cycled around some villages, then up a mountain, then around the top of it. Man, going up
was so difficult but I managed to do it without having to push the bike up. Coming down was so
much fun! So exciting! I It gave such an adrenaline rush that I couldn't help but scream out
aloud!
It rained for some part of the day and so the dirt tracks were impassable at times. It was very
muddy and once when going downhill I fell in to a mud hole. Got very mucky but washed some of it
at the lake of the drunken youth.
Even though it had both front and rear suspension, it wasn't much of a bike. And to prove it, on
the way to my guesthouse one of the joints in the chain came apart. I tried to fix it but it came
apart again after a while. I was prepared for the daunting task of walking all the way back, but
then, only a few metres on, I see a bicycle repair shop! What luck! It was the best day of
mountain biking I've ever had!
Returned to the guesthouse just in time to pray Asr. After Maghrib went to that vegetarian
restaurant again. Great food! Also developed one of the many rolls of films that I'd accumulated.
The pictures can never be as good as the real thing!
In Thailand, trimming one's beard cost 1USD; in Laos it costs 35cents; but in Vietnam it's free!
Well, not quite but it was free for me. I got a really good trim but when I tried to pay, the
barber wouldn't accept my money. "It is for you". Fantastic!!!
MONDAY 15 MAY
Took the 8am bus to Saigon/Ho Chi Min City. (The city was called Saigon before the Communists came
to power following the American war. They expanded the municipal area (which now stands at over
2000 square km) and renamed it Ho Chi Min City, after the first president of the country of
course. Officially, Saigon is now merely the name of one of the districts of HCM - District 1, the
central one - though South Vietnamese still refer to the whole city as Saigon.) Arrived sometime
in the afternoon. A Spaniard (from Valencia), who'd been here before, took me to a cheap
guesthouse where I stayed in dorms for 3USD/night. (Saigon is more expensive than the rest of
Vietnam.)
The area I stayed in was much like the Khao San area of Bangkok in atmosphere, you know, full of
backpackers. I didn't much like being around other backpackers then, but now I don't really mind
it and actually like it. I guess I am now more of a "backpacker" now than I was before. I'm least
like a backpacker when I'm travelling with Mustafa. He's here now so hopefully I'll revert to
being an alternative backpacker again.
Didn't really do much on the first day in Saigon. Found out about domestics such as visas, buses
to Cambodia, photos, Mekong Delta trips. Went to a vegetarian restaurant in the evening with the
Spaniard where we met the Montreal of Dalat. We shot some pool after the meal.
TUESDAY MAY 16
The number one priority for today was to get a Cambodian visa. It was an effortless process - gave
the passport in at 10:30am and collected only 5 hours later. It cost 30USD.
Needless to say I decided to see the city with a rented bicycle. Saigon is a very busy place.
Congested traffic being a major part of it of course. Like all Vietnamese cities the vehicles were
of the two wheeled variety, but mostly of the motorised sort unfortunately. And of course nobody
cares for the traffic laws, which is good in some ways as one can take many short cuts!
After the Cambodian consulate I went to the American War Remnants museum. I'm sure it was biased
but it told, very graphically, of the atrocities committed by the Americans, including horrifying
images of the effects of agent orange. It was very sobering.
I then cycled to the Saigon central mosque. It is a very pleasant and beautiful mosque. Met a
couple of Cambodians who study at the University of Madinah. I'd heard a few rumours about the
Champa muslims of Cambodia that they believe in some strange things like only praying 3 times a
day. I asked the students but they assured me that the Champa Muslims were just like any other
Muslims of the Shafi school of thought.
Went back to the mosque after collecting the visa. Met a Nigerian who lives in Ealing, London, who
was here on business. He was quiet surprised to find someone who spoke English! We went for dhal
and roti with a couple of the locals from the mosque, one of whom was so excited to meet a couple
of foreigners!
For dinner, went to another vegetarian restaurant with Montreal and Valencia. And, as was becoming
the norm, went to play some pool afterwards. Valencia was a bit sad but we didn't know how to tell
him to get lost. And besides, he was an Arsenal supporter!
WEDNESDAY MAY 17
Earlier, I was saying that in Vietnam it is cheaper to take organised tours than to travel
independently. So I took a 6USD tour of the Mekong Delta with a whole bunch of tourists. It was a
very good day but I'm much happier doing things independently even if I don't see as much.
Firstly, we drove to a wide part of the Delta from Saigon. Then took a boat trip around a couple
of Islands in the Delta. The Delta region reminded me so much of Bangladesh - so flat and wet.
Well, Bangladesh is a huge Delta after all! The flat areas of other parts of Vietnam are also very
similar to Bangladesh, especially in the endless fields of rice.
Stopped off at one of the Islands for lunch. The free lunch only consisted of half a plate of rice
and vegetables. It was in no way enough but worst still we even had to pay for water!
After lunch we went to a bee far where they also make snake eggs. The bees and honey were great
but nothing compared to the pythons and the boa constrictors! At first we just saw them in cages
but after some light local entertainment they got out one of them and invited us to take hold of
it. I was one of the few who couldn't resist! I was expecting it to be slimy but it was very dry.
It felt strange at first but then it was very normal. Quite an experience though.
From the bee farm we rowed down to the Mekong from where we took a motorised boat to a coconut
candy farm. This was far less interesting. The boat trip back to the bus was good though. (Wasn't
planning on going to Melbourne, Australia, but got an invitation from a couple I met on the trip
so just might go now. It's fantastic when people you've only known for a few hours invite you to
their place. Man, travelling is so great!!!) Returned back to Saigon just after Maghrib.
It was the night of the Arsenal-Galatasaray UEFA cup final. It was to start at 2am local time. I
was planning a quiet of evening reading and writing but then met this Swiss guy and we did the now
repetitive rounds of vegetarian restaurants and pool. Valencia, Cape Town, San Diego and London
were there too but only Valencia and I stayed up to watch the match. Watched it at a local cafe.
It was packed as you can imagine so we sat on the road outside - they love European, especially
English, football here! Needless to say there wasn't much celebrations after the game.
Took the 8am bus to Saigon/Ho Chi Min City. (The city was called Saigon before the Communists came
to power following the American war. They expanded the municipal area (which now stands at over
2000 square km) and renamed it Ho Chi Min City, after the first president of the country of
course. Officially, Saigon is now merely the name of one of the districts of HCM - District 1, the
central one - though South Vietnamese still refer to the whole city as Saigon.) Arrived sometime
in the afternoon. A Spaniard (from Valencia), who'd been here before, took me to a cheap
guesthouse where I stayed in dorms for 3USD/night. (Saigon is more expensive than the rest of
Vietnam.)
The area I stayed in was much like the Khao San area of Bangkok in atmosphere, you know, full of
backpackers. I didn't much like being around other backpackers then, but now I don't really mind
it and actually like it. I guess I am now more of a "backpacker" now than I was before. I'm least
like a backpacker when I'm travelling with Mustafa. He's here now so hopefully I'll revert to
being an alternative backpacker again.
Didn't really do much on the first day in Saigon. Found out about domestics such as visas, buses
to Cambodia, photos, Mekong Delta trips. Went to a vegetarian restaurant in the evening with the
Spaniard where we met the Montreal of Dalat. We shot some pool after the meal.
TUESDAY MAY 16
The number one priority for today was to get a Cambodian visa. It was an effortless process - gave
the passport in at 10:30am and collected only 5 hours later. It cost 30USD.
Needless to say I decided to see the city with a rented bicycle. Saigon is a very busy place.
Congested traffic being a major part of it of course. Like all Vietnamese cities the vehicles were
of the two wheeled variety, but mostly of the motorised sort unfortunately. And of course nobody
cares for the traffic laws, which is good in some ways as one can take many short cuts!
After the Cambodian consulate I went to the American War Remnants museum. I'm sure it was biased
but it told, very graphically, of the atrocities committed by the Americans, including horrifying
images of the effects of agent orange. It was very sobering.
I then cycled to the Saigon central mosque. It is a very pleasant and beautiful mosque. Met a
couple of Cambodians who study at the University of Madinah. I'd heard a few rumours about the
Champa muslims of Cambodia that they believe in some strange things like only praying 3 times a
day. I asked the students but they assured me that the Champa Muslims were just like any other
Muslims of the Shafi school of thought.
Went back to the mosque after collecting the visa. Met a Nigerian who lives in Ealing, London, who
was here on business. He was quiet surprised to find someone who spoke English! We went for dhal
and roti with a couple of the locals from the mosque, one of whom was so excited to meet a couple
of foreigners!
For dinner, went to another vegetarian restaurant with Montreal and Valencia. And, as was becoming
the norm, went to play some pool afterwards. Valencia was a bit sad but we didn't know how to tell
him to get lost. And besides, he was an Arsenal supporter!
WEDNESDAY MAY 17
Earlier, I was saying that in Vietnam it is cheaper to take organised tours than to travel
independently. So I took a 6USD tour of the Mekong Delta with a whole bunch of tourists. It was a
very good day but I'm much happier doing things independently even if I don't see as much.
Firstly, we drove to a wide part of the Delta from Saigon. Then took a boat trip around a couple
of Islands in the Delta. The Delta region reminded me so much of Bangladesh - so flat and wet.
Well, Bangladesh is a huge Delta after all! The flat areas of other parts of Vietnam are also very
similar to Bangladesh, especially in the endless fields of rice.
Stopped off at one of the Islands for lunch. The free lunch only consisted of half a plate of rice
and vegetables. It was in no way enough but worst still we even had to pay for water!
After lunch we went to a bee far where they also make snake eggs. The bees and honey were great
but nothing compared to the pythons and the boa constrictors! At first we just saw them in cages
but after some light local entertainment they got out one of them and invited us to take hold of
it. I was one of the few who couldn't resist! I was expecting it to be slimy but it was very dry.
It felt strange at first but then it was very normal. Quite an experience though.
From the bee farm we rowed down to the Mekong from where we took a motorised boat to a coconut
candy farm. This was far less interesting. The boat trip back to the bus was good though. (Wasn't
planning on going to Melbourne, Australia, but got an invitation from a couple I met on the trip
so just might go now. It's fantastic when people you've only known for a few hours invite you to
their place. Man, travelling is so great!!!) Returned back to Saigon just after Maghrib.
It was the night of the Arsenal-Galatasaray UEFA cup final. It was to start at 2am local time. I
was planning a quiet of evening reading and writing but then met this Swiss guy and we did the now
repetitive rounds of vegetarian restaurants and pool. Valencia, Cape Town, San Diego and London
were there too but only Valencia and I stayed up to watch the match. Watched it at a local cafe.
It was packed as you can imagine so we sat on the road outside - they love European, especially
English, football here! Needless to say there wasn't much celebrations after the game.
Cambodia
THURSDAY MAY 18
Took the 8:30am bus to the Vietnam-Cambodia border. Do you remember the number one rule of border
crossings? Let me remind you: if you are not of the two countries concerned and not white, always
expect problems. Getting out of Vietnam wasn't a problem but getting in to Cambodia proved to be a
mare.
They found it really strange that a brown guy had a British passport! My passport was checked for
any forgeries but obviously none were found. But then they checked me inside out while the Western
backpackers passed by without encountering any problems at all. I've written about this sort of
thing before and I'm sure you're probably a little bored of reading about it so I'll say no more
except to say that they found nothing, of course, and I got through unscathed.
Got on a minibus bound for Phnom Penh. The distance of only 180km took more than 6 and a half
hours. But that's a very good rate for Cambodia. The road was fantastically fun but the best was
yet to come!
Arrived in Phnom Penh just before 7pm. Took a motorbike to a fantastic place on the Boeng Kak
lake. The guesthouse had a free pool table and I spent most of the evening playing with a Dane who
actually knew the name of the ruling party of Bangladesh! Being a politics student helps though!
FRIDAY MAY 19
Started the day by thrashing a New Zealander at pool - 5-0! Another great thing about the No.9
Guesthouse, (which was really next to No.10 Guesthouse!), was that it was only 200 metres away
from the biggest mosque in Cambodia. It was quite a big, the main hall being that of the size of
the Central London Masjid. The golden dome was much like the one of the Dome of the Rock, except
that it was probably a little smaller (I haven't seen the latter except for in pictures) and the
dome was more 'onionesque'.
A while back, Mustafa told me that Assamese was very similar to Sylheti. An uncle of mine in
Bangladesh told me that the two languages were exactly the same. At the mosque I met a guy from
Assam. He spoke exactly like Sylheties! It was so weird listening to an Indian speaking a Bengali
dialect that wasn't spoken in any other part of Bangladesh!
I did Jum'a at the mosque. Unfortunately, the mosque wasn't even a quarter full. After Jum'a I
went for a tour of the city. Wanted to do it by bike, of course, but hiring meant leaving my
passport (or 50USD) as deposit and I had neither with me. They wouldn't accept my ISIC card.
But these days I believe everything happens for the best. And I really had a pleasant day walking
around the town. First went to the huge central market. Didn't find the type of trouser I was
looking for though. Gonna have to get it custom made. Then I walked around the Royal Palace and
the riverside (Tonle Sap). It was very pleasant. I was quite impressed with Phonom Penh. I half
expected it to be like Vientiane but it was both lively and pleasant. (Vientiane was only
pleasant.)
Returned to pray Maghrib at the masjid. Went to have a coconut - I have these at every opportunity
- before returning to do Isha. Went back to the guesthouse and watched the second of the Austin
Powers movie. Very unsophisticated humour but you had to laugh! Played pool with a Brit from
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Won!
Took the 8:30am bus to the Vietnam-Cambodia border. Do you remember the number one rule of border
crossings? Let me remind you: if you are not of the two countries concerned and not white, always
expect problems. Getting out of Vietnam wasn't a problem but getting in to Cambodia proved to be a
mare.
They found it really strange that a brown guy had a British passport! My passport was checked for
any forgeries but obviously none were found. But then they checked me inside out while the Western
backpackers passed by without encountering any problems at all. I've written about this sort of
thing before and I'm sure you're probably a little bored of reading about it so I'll say no more
except to say that they found nothing, of course, and I got through unscathed.
Got on a minibus bound for Phnom Penh. The distance of only 180km took more than 6 and a half
hours. But that's a very good rate for Cambodia. The road was fantastically fun but the best was
yet to come!
Arrived in Phnom Penh just before 7pm. Took a motorbike to a fantastic place on the Boeng Kak
lake. The guesthouse had a free pool table and I spent most of the evening playing with a Dane who
actually knew the name of the ruling party of Bangladesh! Being a politics student helps though!
FRIDAY MAY 19
Started the day by thrashing a New Zealander at pool - 5-0! Another great thing about the No.9
Guesthouse, (which was really next to No.10 Guesthouse!), was that it was only 200 metres away
from the biggest mosque in Cambodia. It was quite a big, the main hall being that of the size of
the Central London Masjid. The golden dome was much like the one of the Dome of the Rock, except
that it was probably a little smaller (I haven't seen the latter except for in pictures) and the
dome was more 'onionesque'.
A while back, Mustafa told me that Assamese was very similar to Sylheti. An uncle of mine in
Bangladesh told me that the two languages were exactly the same. At the mosque I met a guy from
Assam. He spoke exactly like Sylheties! It was so weird listening to an Indian speaking a Bengali
dialect that wasn't spoken in any other part of Bangladesh!
I did Jum'a at the mosque. Unfortunately, the mosque wasn't even a quarter full. After Jum'a I
went for a tour of the city. Wanted to do it by bike, of course, but hiring meant leaving my
passport (or 50USD) as deposit and I had neither with me. They wouldn't accept my ISIC card.
But these days I believe everything happens for the best. And I really had a pleasant day walking
around the town. First went to the huge central market. Didn't find the type of trouser I was
looking for though. Gonna have to get it custom made. Then I walked around the Royal Palace and
the riverside (Tonle Sap). It was very pleasant. I was quite impressed with Phonom Penh. I half
expected it to be like Vientiane but it was both lively and pleasant. (Vientiane was only
pleasant.)
Returned to pray Maghrib at the masjid. Went to have a coconut - I have these at every opportunity
- before returning to do Isha. Went back to the guesthouse and watched the second of the Austin
Powers movie. Very unsophisticated humour but you had to laugh! Played pool with a Brit from
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Won!
SATURDAY MAY 20
I'd planned on leaving this morning for Sienm Reap but really liked Phnom Penh and, in particular,
the guesthouse I stayed in so decided to spend another day. I'm really glad I did.
Spent most of the morning trying to withdraw some money. It was a Saturday so most of the banks
were closed for business. They were open, as in there were people working in them, but closed for
business, which I found really frustrating as I kept going in only to be returned. Eventually
found one that was also open for business.
After brunch took a motorbike to the Killing Fields of the Pol Pot/Khmer Rouge ragime, 15km South
of Phnom Penh. It was the ragime's biggest mass execution site with some 80,000 people meeting
their deaths there. It's a horrifying place, particularly the glass stupa that contained thousands
and thousands of skulls that were found there.
I returened back to Phonom Penh, had lunch, hired a bicycle and next went to a museum that used to
be the prison for those executed at the Killing Fields. (Before becoming a prison it used to be a
school.) They would be tortured for up to six months before taken to the fields. There were
grusome pictures of victims as they were found by the Vietnamese army when they finally overthrew
the Kmer Rouge. Worst still is that most of the atrocities were committed by children under 15.
After their fall, the Khmer Rouge maintained a guerilla war throughout the 80's and they were
armed and financed by China, Thailand and the US to fight agianst the Vietnamese backed government
in Phnom Penh. Their 'Brother No. 1', Pol Pot, died of natural causes in the mid 90's as a free
man. Sad.
Cycled back to the guesthouse in pouring rain. Got totally wet of course but after a while I found
it to be very liberating - your mind is set free as once you're wet you don't have to worry about
getting wet!
I then went for some free water/jet skiing on the Mekong. (Open day promotions). I'd never done it
before so found it really difficult to stand up on the skis. Actually, I found it impossible! But
it was a lot of fun though! The jet skiing was also great as indeed was the swim in the warm
waters of the Mekong.
Went for an Indian for dinner. Had rice and dhal, of course! It was good. I think it was the first
time I had dhal since Bangladesh. Played more pool before calling it a day.
SUNDAY MAY 21
Took a morning pick-up truck to Siem Reap. (Pick-ups cost USD5 inside and USD3 outside while the
bus cost USD9. I bought the USD5 ticket, but swapped with this New Zealander and spent half the
time outside. Didn't expect to get a dollar from him and didn't!)
As you can imagine the journey was quite rough. Cambodian roads get progressively worse as you
move Northwards. Most of the road was just dirt tracks. We got to Siem Reap just before 7pm and
man was I given a warm welcome or what! There were cards saying "Welcome Muhammad to Siem Reap"
and people wanting to shake my hands. Of course, they all had a reason. Basically, a guy from the
No.9 guesthouse in Phonom Penh phoned his mates in Siem Reap to tell them that I'd be arriving and
bringing other travellers with me...and so they were all there to take us to their guesthouses.
On the pick-up truck there were a couple of English travellers from Kent who I'd met the pervious
day. They and I stayed at the same guesthouse while the New Zealander went elsewhere. It only cost
me a USD2 for a double room with en-suite bathroom.
Went to the worst ever Indian restaurant with the Kent couple. Everything tasted bitter, from
Chicken Ticka masala to dhal. The manager was also the rudest I've come across. Not rude with us
but with the friendly staff.
MONDAY MAY 22
The only reason for going to Siem Reap was of course to see the world famous Temples of Angkor.
I'd booked a motorbike and a driver the night before and I was meant to be picked up at about
5:15am but the driver overslept. So I missed seeing the sunrise over the temples. But, as with
everything, it didn't really piss me off.
We first went to the fortified city of Angkor Thom which contained, notably, the temples of The
Bayon, The Baphoun, The Royal Palace, the Terrace of The Elephants and the Terrace of the Leper
King. I won't go in to deail about each of them but the Bayon was the most impressive,
particularly the eerie and unsettling third level with it's icily smiling faces of Avalokitesvara.
Next up were a couple of temples - Ta Prohm and Preah Khan - that were very similar in style but
very different in their state of preservation. Ta Prohm was left completely to the jungle with no
attempt to restore it at all. I found this one of the most impressicve sights. Took way too many
pictures there!
I then went to Phnom Bakheng, a temple on a hilltop from where one gets fantastic views of the
surrounding countryside and Angkor Wat. Seaking of which, that was the next site. And man, what a
site! Absolutely spectacular! Once you've seen Angkor Wat, there's no need to see another wat in
your whole life!
The Wat, built by Suryavaman II (1112-52) to honour Vishu, consisted of three stories each of
which enclosed a square surrounded by intricately carved galleries. There were three main towers,
two at 31m and and one at 55m. The temple was surrounded by a vast moat measuring 1.5km by 1.3km.
The grandeur and intricacy of it is amazing, particularly as it was built almost a millemium ago.
Returned to Phnom Bakheng to watch the sunset. Everybody at the site seemed to gather there. I
think it was the first time that I'd consciously seen the Sun set. And to do it with hundreads of
others made it a bit more special.
I had a great day at Angkor Wat and my guide, despite oversleeping, was great. I paid a dollar
more than the agreed USD6.
I'd planned on leaving this morning for Sienm Reap but really liked Phnom Penh and, in particular,
the guesthouse I stayed in so decided to spend another day. I'm really glad I did.
Spent most of the morning trying to withdraw some money. It was a Saturday so most of the banks
were closed for business. They were open, as in there were people working in them, but closed for
business, which I found really frustrating as I kept going in only to be returned. Eventually
found one that was also open for business.
After brunch took a motorbike to the Killing Fields of the Pol Pot/Khmer Rouge ragime, 15km South
of Phnom Penh. It was the ragime's biggest mass execution site with some 80,000 people meeting
their deaths there. It's a horrifying place, particularly the glass stupa that contained thousands
and thousands of skulls that were found there.
I returened back to Phonom Penh, had lunch, hired a bicycle and next went to a museum that used to
be the prison for those executed at the Killing Fields. (Before becoming a prison it used to be a
school.) They would be tortured for up to six months before taken to the fields. There were
grusome pictures of victims as they were found by the Vietnamese army when they finally overthrew
the Kmer Rouge. Worst still is that most of the atrocities were committed by children under 15.
After their fall, the Khmer Rouge maintained a guerilla war throughout the 80's and they were
armed and financed by China, Thailand and the US to fight agianst the Vietnamese backed government
in Phnom Penh. Their 'Brother No. 1', Pol Pot, died of natural causes in the mid 90's as a free
man. Sad.
Cycled back to the guesthouse in pouring rain. Got totally wet of course but after a while I found
it to be very liberating - your mind is set free as once you're wet you don't have to worry about
getting wet!
I then went for some free water/jet skiing on the Mekong. (Open day promotions). I'd never done it
before so found it really difficult to stand up on the skis. Actually, I found it impossible! But
it was a lot of fun though! The jet skiing was also great as indeed was the swim in the warm
waters of the Mekong.
Went for an Indian for dinner. Had rice and dhal, of course! It was good. I think it was the first
time I had dhal since Bangladesh. Played more pool before calling it a day.
SUNDAY MAY 21
Took a morning pick-up truck to Siem Reap. (Pick-ups cost USD5 inside and USD3 outside while the
bus cost USD9. I bought the USD5 ticket, but swapped with this New Zealander and spent half the
time outside. Didn't expect to get a dollar from him and didn't!)
As you can imagine the journey was quite rough. Cambodian roads get progressively worse as you
move Northwards. Most of the road was just dirt tracks. We got to Siem Reap just before 7pm and
man was I given a warm welcome or what! There were cards saying "Welcome Muhammad to Siem Reap"
and people wanting to shake my hands. Of course, they all had a reason. Basically, a guy from the
No.9 guesthouse in Phonom Penh phoned his mates in Siem Reap to tell them that I'd be arriving and
bringing other travellers with me...and so they were all there to take us to their guesthouses.
On the pick-up truck there were a couple of English travellers from Kent who I'd met the pervious
day. They and I stayed at the same guesthouse while the New Zealander went elsewhere. It only cost
me a USD2 for a double room with en-suite bathroom.
Went to the worst ever Indian restaurant with the Kent couple. Everything tasted bitter, from
Chicken Ticka masala to dhal. The manager was also the rudest I've come across. Not rude with us
but with the friendly staff.
MONDAY MAY 22
The only reason for going to Siem Reap was of course to see the world famous Temples of Angkor.
I'd booked a motorbike and a driver the night before and I was meant to be picked up at about
5:15am but the driver overslept. So I missed seeing the sunrise over the temples. But, as with
everything, it didn't really piss me off.
We first went to the fortified city of Angkor Thom which contained, notably, the temples of The
Bayon, The Baphoun, The Royal Palace, the Terrace of The Elephants and the Terrace of the Leper
King. I won't go in to deail about each of them but the Bayon was the most impressive,
particularly the eerie and unsettling third level with it's icily smiling faces of Avalokitesvara.
Next up were a couple of temples - Ta Prohm and Preah Khan - that were very similar in style but
very different in their state of preservation. Ta Prohm was left completely to the jungle with no
attempt to restore it at all. I found this one of the most impressicve sights. Took way too many
pictures there!
I then went to Phnom Bakheng, a temple on a hilltop from where one gets fantastic views of the
surrounding countryside and Angkor Wat. Seaking of which, that was the next site. And man, what a
site! Absolutely spectacular! Once you've seen Angkor Wat, there's no need to see another wat in
your whole life!
The Wat, built by Suryavaman II (1112-52) to honour Vishu, consisted of three stories each of
which enclosed a square surrounded by intricately carved galleries. There were three main towers,
two at 31m and and one at 55m. The temple was surrounded by a vast moat measuring 1.5km by 1.3km.
The grandeur and intricacy of it is amazing, particularly as it was built almost a millemium ago.
Returned to Phnom Bakheng to watch the sunset. Everybody at the site seemed to gather there. I
think it was the first time that I'd consciously seen the Sun set. And to do it with hundreads of
others made it a bit more special.
I had a great day at Angkor Wat and my guide, despite oversleeping, was great. I paid a dollar
more than the agreed USD6.
TUESDAY 23 MAY
Set off on the gruelling journey from Siem Reap to Poipet (on the Cambodia -Thai border) early in
the morning. The pick-up, being the only option, cost a whooping USD9 for the 170km journey that
took 9 hours! But I wasn't really worried about the cost, the duration or comfort. I was solely
concerned with getting to the border in one piece!
It was so dangerous, both the roads and the bridges. Needless to say the roads weren't paved but
more than that the mud roads were heavily broken with huge dug-outs almost everywhere. It was
often easier to go on the paddy rice fields than to drive along the 'road'. The bridges were
worse. They were all steel bridges but with only the frame present. All but one had two wooden
planks for the two sets of wheels. But there was one which even didn't have these planks. They
had to place small pieces of wood on the frame to cross. These pieces would fall off or get out of
place and would be repositioned after each vehicle croosed over. It was absolutely crazy.
As if the roads and bridges weren't dangerous enough, our pick-up truck's breaks failed at one
point. Thankfully the driver realiezed this at a point when we were hardly moving and managed to
fix it.
Arrived in Poipet at about 4pm and for the first time (in SE Asia, anyway) I had absolutely no
problems at a border crossing!
This world is full of contrasts and one of the biggest is that between the respective
infrastructures of Cambodia and Thailand. The journey of more than 300km from the border to
Bangkok, on a luxury firts class bus, via boring but safe motorways and bridges, cost only USD4
and took less than 4 hours. Contrast this with the Siem Reap to Poipet journey!
Arrived at the Khao San road travellers centre of Bangkok just before 9pm. Went straight for
e-mail to find that Mustafa had arrived a few hours earlier. Went to the guesthouse he was at but
he'd gone out. Was heading back when I met him on the street! I had a great time travelling alone
but it was great to meet up with him also. I'm sure there'll be plenty of other opportunities to
travel solo on this trip. For one, Mustafa is thinking of ending it all in Venezuela, missing out
on Trinidad & Tobago, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Cuba and the East coast of the States.
Thailand Part 2
WEDNESDAY 24 MAYI'm having to think about this day before writing about it for it was pretty uneventful. Mustafa
and I stayed at different guesthouses - no room at the one he'd already booked-in at. He was meant
to come to my place for breakfast but was recovering jet-lag. I spent the time catching up on
postcards. We met up for brunch at about 11am.
After brunch he went to see the city and I moved my things to the guesthouse he stayed at and
then, after Zuhr, went out to a clothes market. But I didn't find what I was looking for. I will
definitely have to get it tailor made, in Indonesia maybe.
Collected my main backpack from the train station and returned to the guesthouse before Maghrib.
Spent the evening just eating, writing, reflecting and chatting - bumped in to an Australian
couple I met in Cambodia.
Oh, I forgot to mention that I lost my third sunhat and sunglasses of the SE Asian tour! I think I
left them at the train station.
THURSDAY 25 MAY
I'd planned on doing very little this day - I'd seen enough of Bangkok previously - and we ended
up doing virtually nothing! Came out for brunch at about 11am. At lunch we met the first muslim
traveler on this tour - a Pakistani sister from Carshalton, Surrey. She'd travelled for about 4
months in India, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. She was as surprised to meet other Muslims as
we were to meet her. We spent the whole afternoon talking - she was supposed to go to Ayuthya, we
were supposed to ship some extra baggage back to London, but neither got done. We talked, prayed,
ate and then it was time for Mustafa and I to leave for Phucket.
When I bought the ticket I was told that, leaving at 6pm, the bus would arrive in Phucket at 6am
the next morning. Just before leaving the bus's arrival time changed to 11am. Worst was still to
come...
FRIDAY 26 MAY
I managed to get quite a good night's sleep - had two seats to myself. Mustafa also had two seats
but didn't sleep as well. The bus arrived at Surat Thani at about 6:30am. We weren't told about
having to change buses but got on another minibus, again thinking that this would take us all the
way to Phucket, but this one terminated at Krabi. We waited almost two hours there before boarding
another minibus. This one went to the Island but not to Phucket town. Had to change again! It was
almost 2:30pm when we finally arrived in town. We'd missed Jum'a of course.
We weren't told about all the changes when we bought our ticket. But we didn't ask. The air-con
ticket price was the same as a fan bus from the bus station, so I thought we got a good deal.
Hadn't expected to arrive 8 and a half hours later though. From now on I will always take public
transport and not these tour buses. Actually, besides Vietnam this was the first tour bus that I
took.
Booked in to a cheap place in Phucket town. Shipped half of my clothes and shoes and the sleeping
bag nack to London. Mustafa also shifted some stuff. Inshallah, they will get there (by ship)
before we will!
After a late lunch took motorbikes to an Island off the East coast. Not much to see there. In
walking back to the town we kinda got lost! I never get lost when I'm travelling alone! Sleep
followed a beard trim (mine!) and dinner.
SATURDAY 27 MAY
On Friday we'd booked overnight buses for Hat Yai so we only had a day for the beaches of Phucket.
We tried to get an early start but it was 8:30am when we finally left the hostel. Had breakfast at
the same Malay place that we had lunch the previous day so that we could leave our backoacks
there. Met a couple of very dodgy Patans who wouldn't beleive that we were in Thailand
legitimitely! They also wouldn't believe that we could get in to Malaysia legally and showed us
the illegal route! Very dodgy characters.
Before hitting the beaches we went on top of a viewpoint. The views of the East coast were
fantastic but we couldn't see much of the beaches of the West coast that we were headed for.
First up was Kata beach. The beach was good but the clear water and the waves were even better.
The beaches in Phucket were good but not as good as I'd expected, certainly not to the standard of
'world famous beaches' as the Lonely Planet would have you believe. (This is the first time that
I've used LP and I definitely wouldn't recommend it to anybody. Go for "Let's Go").
We walked around a rocky headland, which took about an hour and a half and involved some funky
(climbing) manouvers and seeing Mustafa in constant fear of crabs, to get to the next beach,
Karon.
Karon is a bigger and dirtier beach but not dirty enough not to swim. Prayed on the beach just
before lunch. You know, not long ago I would've been shy about doing that and even walking around
in a lungi on the beach would've felt awkward. But we walked around the whole Island in our lungis
and it felt totally natural. Earlier, I forgot to mention that in my last day in Phnom Penh, most
of the time I was travelling about the town in a lungi. I did get quite a few stares but it didn't
matter at all ( I probably liked the attention but that's not why I was wearing it - trousers
take longer to dry) Now I don't understand why I don't wear lungis outside of the house in London.
Too cold? But that's only in the winter and fall. Definitely not in the summer. It would be much
more comfortable to wear a lungi in the summer heat than to wear a trouser. The only reason I can
think of is that I haven't been wearing a lungi because nobody else wears them. It is not the done
thing. But that is the most stupid reason ever. It is pathetic but i'm sure that was the reason
for it. It is difficult to imagine that somebody would not do something they knew was better only
because they would stand out from the crowd. I can't believe I'm like that, or rather was.
From Karon we were planning on going to a couple of the more remote beaches. But we thought there
would be public buses going there but there weren't. Taxis were way too much. So we walked/ran
about 5km to the busiest beach on the Island, Patong. Got there just in time to see the most
spectacular sunset ever!!! Much better than the one at Angkor Wat. I couldn't help but be totally
inspired by it. The blend of colors in the sky looked unbelievebly beautiful. It was marvellous!
And the most satisfying and joyous thing is that it is a totally natural thing that happens every
day! I think too many of us take the beauty of the sunrise and sunset for granted. I won't from
now on.
The taxis were too much and it was too far to walk - 23km - so we took motorbikes to Phucket town.
Ate at the Malay place and met those dodgy Patans again! They still tried to lure us to their
dodgy ways but we just got an overnight bus to Hat Yai.
SUNDAY 28 MAY
Arrived in Hat Yai at about 4:30am. Immediately got on a bus bound for Yala. Regretted not doing
wudu before boarding - we would've missed the bus - but Alhamdulillah the bus stopped to fill up
with petrol. Went to Yala to search for a friend of Mustafa's from his Syrian days. Arriving there
at 9am we headed straight for the Young Muslim Association of Thailand (YMAT), thinking that
somebody there might know him. They didn't but told us how to go to his home. Well, vaguely
anyway. He, Sufyan, didn't live in Yala City but in Yala State, in the province of Yaha, in the
village of Borah. Went to Yaha town by bus and from there took a motorbike to the village. The
driver asked around a few places and eventually we found the house. But only a house, no people.
Sufyan's family came a while later but there was no chance of meeting him - he was still in Syria!
The family were very hospitable, as one would expect. Mustafa was very careful not to drink any of
their water following his troubles in Delhi. I drank and am alright now, alhamdulillah. I played
soccer with Sufyan's relatives while Mustafa got stuck in a toilet without water! On leaving, they
tried to give us 100 bhats. But there was no way we were gonna accept. The hospitality was great
enough. They gave us a lift to Yaha bus station and we returned to Yala with about 30 minutes to
go before the train for the Malaysian border was due to leave.
I returned to the YMAT office while Mustafa went to take a picture of a mosque. He called a few
minutes later to say that he'd lost his way! I went to look for him but to no avail. He eventually
made it to the office with less than 5 minutes to go. I thought the incident was a very unsubtle
attmpt by him to deliberately miss the train so that we'd have to stay in Yala. But he insists it
wasn't! Anyway, while he was lost in the mystifying concrete jungle of Yala, the President of YMAT
invited us to stay at the centre. I was ready to stay and Mustafa agreed when he arrived.
After dinner, which was at a Pakistani place and paid for by the President at his insistence, we
were invited to a meeting of the YMAT with a delegation from the National University of Malaysia,
Kuala Lumpur. The two lecturers and their students were researching about Islamic movements in
minority Muslim countries. It was a very interesting meeting and they were also intersted in our
opinions.
I managed to get quite a good night's sleep - had two seats to myself. Mustafa also had two seats
but didn't sleep as well. The bus arrived at Surat Thani at about 6:30am. We weren't told about
having to change buses but got on another minibus, again thinking that this would take us all the
way to Phucket, but this one terminated at Krabi. We waited almost two hours there before boarding
another minibus. This one went to the Island but not to Phucket town. Had to change again! It was
almost 2:30pm when we finally arrived in town. We'd missed Jum'a of course.
We weren't told about all the changes when we bought our ticket. But we didn't ask. The air-con
ticket price was the same as a fan bus from the bus station, so I thought we got a good deal.
Hadn't expected to arrive 8 and a half hours later though. From now on I will always take public
transport and not these tour buses. Actually, besides Vietnam this was the first tour bus that I
took.
Booked in to a cheap place in Phucket town. Shipped half of my clothes and shoes and the sleeping
bag nack to London. Mustafa also shifted some stuff. Inshallah, they will get there (by ship)
before we will!
After a late lunch took motorbikes to an Island off the East coast. Not much to see there. In
walking back to the town we kinda got lost! I never get lost when I'm travelling alone! Sleep
followed a beard trim (mine!) and dinner.
SATURDAY 27 MAY
On Friday we'd booked overnight buses for Hat Yai so we only had a day for the beaches of Phucket.
We tried to get an early start but it was 8:30am when we finally left the hostel. Had breakfast at
the same Malay place that we had lunch the previous day so that we could leave our backoacks
there. Met a couple of very dodgy Patans who wouldn't beleive that we were in Thailand
legitimitely! They also wouldn't believe that we could get in to Malaysia legally and showed us
the illegal route! Very dodgy characters.
Before hitting the beaches we went on top of a viewpoint. The views of the East coast were
fantastic but we couldn't see much of the beaches of the West coast that we were headed for.
First up was Kata beach. The beach was good but the clear water and the waves were even better.
The beaches in Phucket were good but not as good as I'd expected, certainly not to the standard of
'world famous beaches' as the Lonely Planet would have you believe. (This is the first time that
I've used LP and I definitely wouldn't recommend it to anybody. Go for "Let's Go").
We walked around a rocky headland, which took about an hour and a half and involved some funky
(climbing) manouvers and seeing Mustafa in constant fear of crabs, to get to the next beach,
Karon.
Karon is a bigger and dirtier beach but not dirty enough not to swim. Prayed on the beach just
before lunch. You know, not long ago I would've been shy about doing that and even walking around
in a lungi on the beach would've felt awkward. But we walked around the whole Island in our lungis
and it felt totally natural. Earlier, I forgot to mention that in my last day in Phnom Penh, most
of the time I was travelling about the town in a lungi. I did get quite a few stares but it didn't
matter at all ( I probably liked the attention but that's not why I was wearing it - trousers
take longer to dry) Now I don't understand why I don't wear lungis outside of the house in London.
Too cold? But that's only in the winter and fall. Definitely not in the summer. It would be much
more comfortable to wear a lungi in the summer heat than to wear a trouser. The only reason I can
think of is that I haven't been wearing a lungi because nobody else wears them. It is not the done
thing. But that is the most stupid reason ever. It is pathetic but i'm sure that was the reason
for it. It is difficult to imagine that somebody would not do something they knew was better only
because they would stand out from the crowd. I can't believe I'm like that, or rather was.
From Karon we were planning on going to a couple of the more remote beaches. But we thought there
would be public buses going there but there weren't. Taxis were way too much. So we walked/ran
about 5km to the busiest beach on the Island, Patong. Got there just in time to see the most
spectacular sunset ever!!! Much better than the one at Angkor Wat. I couldn't help but be totally
inspired by it. The blend of colors in the sky looked unbelievebly beautiful. It was marvellous!
And the most satisfying and joyous thing is that it is a totally natural thing that happens every
day! I think too many of us take the beauty of the sunrise and sunset for granted. I won't from
now on.
The taxis were too much and it was too far to walk - 23km - so we took motorbikes to Phucket town.
Ate at the Malay place and met those dodgy Patans again! They still tried to lure us to their
dodgy ways but we just got an overnight bus to Hat Yai.
SUNDAY 28 MAY
Arrived in Hat Yai at about 4:30am. Immediately got on a bus bound for Yala. Regretted not doing
wudu before boarding - we would've missed the bus - but Alhamdulillah the bus stopped to fill up
with petrol. Went to Yala to search for a friend of Mustafa's from his Syrian days. Arriving there
at 9am we headed straight for the Young Muslim Association of Thailand (YMAT), thinking that
somebody there might know him. They didn't but told us how to go to his home. Well, vaguely
anyway. He, Sufyan, didn't live in Yala City but in Yala State, in the province of Yaha, in the
village of Borah. Went to Yaha town by bus and from there took a motorbike to the village. The
driver asked around a few places and eventually we found the house. But only a house, no people.
Sufyan's family came a while later but there was no chance of meeting him - he was still in Syria!
The family were very hospitable, as one would expect. Mustafa was very careful not to drink any of
their water following his troubles in Delhi. I drank and am alright now, alhamdulillah. I played
soccer with Sufyan's relatives while Mustafa got stuck in a toilet without water! On leaving, they
tried to give us 100 bhats. But there was no way we were gonna accept. The hospitality was great
enough. They gave us a lift to Yaha bus station and we returned to Yala with about 30 minutes to
go before the train for the Malaysian border was due to leave.
I returned to the YMAT office while Mustafa went to take a picture of a mosque. He called a few
minutes later to say that he'd lost his way! I went to look for him but to no avail. He eventually
made it to the office with less than 5 minutes to go. I thought the incident was a very unsubtle
attmpt by him to deliberately miss the train so that we'd have to stay in Yala. But he insists it
wasn't! Anyway, while he was lost in the mystifying concrete jungle of Yala, the President of YMAT
invited us to stay at the centre. I was ready to stay and Mustafa agreed when he arrived.
After dinner, which was at a Pakistani place and paid for by the President at his insistence, we
were invited to a meeting of the YMAT with a delegation from the National University of Malaysia,
Kuala Lumpur. The two lecturers and their students were researching about Islamic movements in
minority Muslim countries. It was a very interesting meeting and they were also intersted in our
opinions.
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