Saturday, August 16, 2008

and i'm back!

After living out of a backpack for 17 days, it feels weird having to stay put in one place. Nothing much has changed while we were gone, except that time flew by and I think I had the greatest times exploring Indochina with yq. Yayy! :)

I think travelling should be about experiences - not just going to a place and shooting with your camera (unless of course you are a photographer). Been there, done that. Check. No, that's not what I would call travelling. Travels should be filled with experiences and memories because that is what you will take with you - not how you were posing next to the Angkor Wat. So, armed with this newfound travelling belief, I shall describe what happened in the whirlwind 17 days:

1. Tubing in Vang Vieng, Laos. This has got to be the highlight of Laos, sitting in an inflatable tyre and letting the strong currents of the Nam Song river carry you down. As you float, you admire the mountains around you and suddenly you see bars appearing on both sides of the river. A strong man throws you a float and pulls you to shore. You disembark, climb onto the muddy banks and do some serious damage to your liver - cheap beers at US$1.20! You go for a quick and thrilling ride down the swing and jump straight into the river, almost like suicide. After you've had your fill of beer and loud thumping music, you get back into the tube and float down the river to the next bar. Now that's the chillex life!

2. Pingpong girls in Bangkok, Thailand. The show didnt turn out to be as disgusting as its made out to be - in fact, its almost like no big deal. But the scary part was when they charged us 3900 Baht (~150 SGD) when we asked for the bill and refused to let us leave, shouting at us for MORE MONEY MORE MONEY and 100 BAHT MORE 100 BAHT MORE after we've pleaded with empty pockets and given them everything we've had. The keywords here are extortion, helplessness and fear. After that we walked almost 2 hours back to the hotel because we just didnt have enough baht to take a taxi or even the MRT.

3. Cycling around Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia. I really liked this - following a 17km small circuit taking in the key temples of Angkor Wat. The impressive Angkor Wat, beautifully destroyed Ta Prohm and the 216 faces of Bayon at Angkor Thom. All on bike! What I liked most was the feeling of being in control - seeing what i want, where i want and stopping when i wanted. And also not having to pay exhorbitant prices to an unscrupulous tuk tuk driver!

4. Going to the Cu Chi Tunnels in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam. This must have been the cheapest, best and most worth it tour in our whole trip. USD5 per person with a very well-informed and entertaining guide. I wanted to tip him at the end of the trip but yq suggested not to. Anyway, we climbed into the tunnels the Vietcong had used during the "American War" and also fired AK-47s in the rifle range! Damn damn fun haha. The fastest time where USD14 was gone just like that (10 rounds - 1 round was USD1.40).

But all in all, I like Indochina. Laos and Vietnam come out tops and I really don't mind going back there again, especially unspoiled and untainted Laos :)

Mrs Brightside at 2:18 am

{xoxo}