E-biking in Bagan

Possibly my favourite photo ever... sunrise over Bagan.

When asked to picture Myanmar, most people will think of Bagan: endless stupas puncturing the horizon as far as the eye can see, hot air balloons hanging majestically in the sky. It is Myanmar's main tourist sight and most hyped up attraction.

Normally I decry big tourists sights as overrated, over crowded and annoying but not this time... Bagan was AMAZING! Magical, mystical and ancient, everything it said on the label!

First balloon of the morning takes flight over Bagan.

Ric and I hired 'ebikes' for our two days sightseeing in Bagan. We had little idea of what ebikes entailed before renting them and were surprised to find that they looked and felt quite similar to motorised scooters. 

Following Ric's accident in India in 2013 we swore never to ride scooters again and have fastidiously avoided them during our travels through Asia. Understandably, we were a little hesitant to set off on these new intimidating ebikes. An ebike is an electric scooter that charges via mains electricty, it has pedals like a regular bicycle which can be used to recharge the battery in case of emergency. They have a top speed of about 18mph. 

We weren't taking any chances on these ebikes and insisted on helmets, even though there wasn't a single other ebike user in the town wearing one. As Ric drove off ahead of me the ebike shop owner tapped me on the shoulder and advised "you can go a little faster you know." 

We soon got the hang of whizzing around Bagan on our little ebikes and had an exhilarating time. Although we did get a few laughs from the locals as we trundled by wearing our helmets, on our pink bikes, travelling at the same speed as pensioners on mobility scooters!

Ric nervously getting back on a pseudo-scooter.

On our second day of ebike fun the divine powers that be intervened and sent us a loud and clear message that we really aren't destined to ride motorised bikes. 

A loud popping sound brought our excursion to a premature end and we had to wait at the side of the road for a man to come along and fix it. Not only had I popped the inner tube, the entire tyre was torn. Fortunately the repairs only cost me $10 and an hour of my time and we were back on our way, no casualties this time. 

As testament to the kindness of the Burmese people, while we waited at the roadside for our repair fellow to arrive, several people stopped to ask if we were ok, many of them stopping to chat to us and offering us the use of their mobile phones. Dozens of tourists passed us and not a single one stopped to see if we were ok.

Disaster. Note that the battery pack is tied to the bike with bungee rope... it's no wonder the tyre popped really.

We zipped around Bagan on our bikes for two days, checking out any temples that took our fancy as we passed, climbing up this one, going inside that one, it was fun and the temples were stunning. 

The view over the town from on top of the temples is simply mind blowing, especially at sunrise. There are thousands upon thousands of stupas and temples in every direction, some over 900 years old. 

On our final evening we took a luxurious sunset boat cruise on the Ayarwaddy River. We arrived at the riverside to a secluded, lush garden where we were given unlimited free tea, coffee, fruit and nuts and were told to relax for as long as we liked. Once we were ready, we were lead to our own longtail boat and asked if we would like a cold beer (we would). We spent the next 90 minutes lounging in our deck chairs in the glow of the setting sun, floating gently down the river. All for just $12/£7.20

Enjoying life.

We Stayed At...
Innwa Hotel: expensive at $45 a night but so worth it.

Ric's Luxurious Birthday in Can Tho

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RIC STOPHER!!!

We celebrated Ric's 28th birthday in Can Tho, the biggest town in the Mekong Delta region. We started the day at 5am with a sunrise river cruise to Cai Rang floating market where countless boats of all shapes and sizes zig-zagged between one another selling their wares. We bought coffees from one boat and noodle soup from another, before crashing into an old lady's boat and crushing her pan of rice!

Sunrise on the Mekong.

After breakfast at the market our boat 'captain', a middle aged lady in a conical hat, took us around the backwater canals where we witnessed real Delta life; women washing their pans in the river, children bathing, men fishing. The truth is that the water is smelly, dirty and full of rubbish. The waterways and rivers in the Mekong Delta region are all tributaries and channels of the Mekong River that has its source in Tibet. The river runs through China, Burma, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia before flowing into the South China Sea in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam. Washing your pans/children in a river that has picked up waste and pollution in six different countries has got to be pretty unhealthy. 

Pineapple boat-stalls.

Boats at Cai Rang floating market.

By 9am we were hungry again and ready for a second breakfast of yet more noodle soup (Vietnam's national dish). Then we checked into Can Tho's four star Holiday One Hotel, where we spent the rest of the day in the ice-cold, roof-top swimming pool overlooking the city. It was great to have a bit of luxury after spending the past seven weeks on a serious budget. We had air conditioning, cable TV, a bath tub, the comfiest bed in the world - I enjoyed Ric's birthday just as much as he did! 

We watched the sunset drinking beers in the Sky ar, then after a fancy dinner in the hotel's restaurant we crossed the road to the karaoke bar. Like in Korea, we got our own private room and spent three hours singing everything from Britney Spears to Puff Daddy to Bette Midler.

Ric chilling by the pool at dusk.

Sunset from Holiday One.

No, we're not in France, it's just the Paris Karaoke Bar.

Karaoke is back in our lives again, happy times.

The Temples of Angkor

When we first arrived in Siem Reap we didn't have a clue about how much it would cost to go around the temples, we thought we could walk around ourselves, earning us a few sniggers from the locals - the temple complex covers 390 square miles! Fortunately we had the good sense not to go with the first enterprising tuk-tuk driver we encountered, who offered us his services over three days for $80! After a couple of days weighing up our options, we ended up spending our three day temple passes ($40 each) as follows:

Day 1 - Half-day tuk-tuk sun rise trip
As we expected, the sunrise in the middle of monsoon season was not worth the 4.20am wake up call, it was black one minute, grey the next, however it did mean we were among the very first tourists arriving at the temples. We started at Angkor Wat, the most celebrated temple that even features on Cambodia's nation flag. I expected it to be bigger.

Angkor Wat at 7am

The next stop was the ancient walled city Angkor Thom, which once was home to one million people who lived in hutments around the temples. The main temple, Bayon, was much more enchanting than Angkor Wat, with it's crumbling walls and carved faces. 

Bayon, at Angkor Thom.

Carved faces of Bayon.

From Bayon we exited Angkor Thom via the East gate and stopped at two minor temples, Thommanon and Chau Say, and then Ta Keo, which we climbed to the top of in the powerful morning heat.

By 10:30 our tuk-tuk had whizzed us around to Ta Prohm, the 'Tomb Raider' temple. Unlike the other temples, Ta Prohm has not been restored to its former pristine glory, it is overrun with jungle: giant snake-like roots and creepers, and the stones from many of its walls lie scattered in piles on the floor. I loved this temple. It felt like another world, tropical, ancient and wild. The trees burst out from the walls, their roots twisting around door frames. It's unlike anything I've ever seen before. 

The outer wall of Ta Prohm.

Demolished by nature; Ta Prohm.

After a long time exploring Ta Prohm we were pretty exhausted from the heat and our early start. We stumbled through Banteay Kdei temple before flopping into the back of the tuk-tuk and heading back to the hotel for a well deserved nap!

Taking a tuk-tuk on our first day visiting the temples a was great way to familiarise ourselves with the route and the distances before taking to the roads ourselves with bicycles.

[We booked a tuk-tuk through our guest house and paid $12 for the small circuit of the major temples. If you haggle with the drivers sitting around the Old Market in Siem Reap you can get expect to pay $10]

Day 2 - Late afternoon jaunt up the mountain
We used our second day of the temple pass to climb Phnom Bakheng mountain. The temple at the top of the mountain is dubbed 'sunset point'. Fortunately, after our grey-scale sunrise at Angkor Wat I managed to talk Ric out of going there for the sunset, and I'm glad too as it poured it down that evening! An easy 15 minute meandering climb brought us to Phnom Bakheng temple and the stunning 360 degrees view of the temple complex and Siem Reap. 

Angkor Wat is significantly more impressive from afar. View from Phnom Bakheng.

From the temple you can see the perfectly flat, green countryside that surrounds Siem Reap: paddy fields and forest as far as the eye can see.

We arrived at the temple at around 3:30pm and it was deserted, we had the wonderful view to ourselves. It didn't take long, however, for the crowds to arrive, competing for the best spot to watch the sunset. As the temple started filling up we made our way back down the mountain, passing packs of tourists power walking uphill for the much acclaimed sunset. At dusk, when the heavens opened, Ric and I shared a cruel laugh from the safety of our tuk-tuk at the poor fools crammed at the top of the hill.

Phnom Bakheng

Day 3 - Biking to the far out temples
On our third and final day of temples we bit the bullet and hired bikes for the day; at only $2 each it was much cheaper than a tuk-tuk! I was actually (secretly) dreading the bikes as it's so hot and humid here, but Siem Reap is completely flat, and even I was able to cycle around with little difficulty. 

We set off early, before it got too hot, and stopped at a roadside restaurant opposite Angkor Wat for breakfast. We then ambled around Angkor Thom; Baphuon temple with one entire side made out of a stone carved, reclining Buddah; the Terrace of the Leper King and Elephants Terrace. 

Our bikes at the north gate of Angkor Thom.

By the time we got to Preah Khan it was boiling, I was tired, and then I split my pants! So that pretty much signaled the end of my bike ride and I left with the shame of having flashed two dozen Chinese tourists.

Ric carried on and completed the entire temple complex on his bike! He returned three hours later with sun stroke and spent the rest of the evening in bed. 

Prae Roup, the last one Ric visited.

It took about half an hour to cycle to the complex at a leisurely pace, it wasn't a difficult ride. From Siem Reap to Preah Khan, one of the further temples, it takes about an hour non-stop. It took Ric eight hours to cycle around the full outer circuit of temples (starting and finishing in Siem Reap.) It's certainly manageable even for a novice cyclist like me. It was a nice way to experience the temples and we could go at a leisurely pace having already visited the main temples in a tuk-tuk on the first day.

Mokpo; Chuseok Backpacking Part I

For the Chuseok five day weekend Ric and I went on a mini-tour of South-West Korea.
First stop: Mokpo. 2 hours and 45 minutes away from Cheonan on the high speed KTX train.

Yudal Beach
Don't go. It's tiny, barely big enough to build a sandcastle on! The trip to the beach wasn't entirely wasted however, as it did lead us to getting slightly kidnapped by an over friendly Korean man named Leon. He offered us a lift to one of the islands and, keen to seize the moment and save bus fare, we accepted. Unfortunately, Leon had other plans and tried to take us across the country to some place 6 hours away. When we tried to make our excuses and escape he begged us not to leave him alone and forcefully invited himself to join us camping in our tiny tent! Slightly creeped out, we left Leon looking heartbroken and set off up Yudal mountain.

Naff beach, but there is a bar...

Yudal Mountain
The mountain has two peaks, we climbed both with all our backpacks and camping equipment on our backs because we are that badass. From the highest peak you get a 360 degree view of Mokpo and all the islands that sprawl out towards the horizon. Be warned though, the summit is nothing but a couple of rocks and it's windy up there! Unlike the Koreans who hiked to the top, took a photo and then hurried down, Ric and I stayed there for ages, hogging the small space, drinking gin 'n' tonic and playing cards - may as well make the most of the view!

Stopping for a rest half way up the mountain.
Nuff baggage.

View from the smaller peak

View from the highest peak

Sunset from our camp

Mokpo's famous bridge impressively illuminated

Mokpo

 Camping
Just 100m down from the summit of the mountain we found a cave that made a perfect camp for the evening. We assembled our crumby tent, made an awesome camp fire and watched the sunset with a beer and a picnic. The cave made a perfect place to camp, so much so that we slept for almost 12 hours!

Koreans sharing their lunch with the sweaty Westerner

Tent, fire, picnic, gin, beer.

Sunrise over Mokpo

Old vs. New
Around the train station and mountain is known as Mokpo old town, most of the buildings are traditional one-storey shops, homes and restaurants. On the other side of town, a 10-15 minute taxi ride away, is new Mokpo. This is where all the cool bars and trendy restaurants are. It's really worth visiting both just to get an idea of how different the two areas are. The new part has the "Ocean Dancing Fountain", a water display with music and lights.

Mokpo Ocean Dancing Fountain

Mokpo was great, camping was serene and getting kidnapped... well it's funny in hindsight. Don't talk to strangers kids!!

• Sleeping: we stayed two nights, the first we camped and the second we stayed at F1 Hotel. It's in a rather seedy yet excellently located area behind the train station and is gorgeous inside: 42 inch plasma TV, huge shower, remote controlled mood lighting. All for 50,000won (about £27) - bargain!!
• Transport: the number one bus conveniently served all our needs: bus station ~ train station ~ beach.