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.

Kampot

After five nights in Phnom Penh we took the bus to Kampot. The 170km journey took a tedious five hours and we were relieved to finally have a bed for the night in Kapot Pepper Guest House. Kampot is a small town close to the South coast of Cambodia, surrounded by salt flats, pepper plantations and the locally named elephant mountain range.

Ric at Kampot's Durian Monument. Durians are an asian fruit that taste like gone off melons. They also stink and can be smelt from several meters away.

Lilly pond in Kampot.

Kampot’s main attraction is Bokor Hillstation 1080m above sea level. The hill station has been a much disputed area since its construction in 1920. It was first occupied by the French who built luxurious mansions and a casino that still stand today, abandoned and supposedly haunted. During the Asia-Pacific war the Japanese took over the hill station but where defeated by the Khmer Rouge in the early seventies. By the end of the seventies the Vietnamese took over the mountain and finally, left it to the Cambodians. We took a tour up to Bokor on possibly the most miserable morning we’ve had so far. The entire mountain was shrouded in a mist that hid the dilapidated buildings until we’d walked right up to them. The abandoned casino and Catholic Church looked spectacularly spooky in the swirling mist, with the wind howling through the doorways. Unfortunately we didn’t have any sort of view over the surrounding land but we did stop at a nice waterfall.

Spooky Bokor Casion.

The Catholic Church built by the French.

At the waterfall.

Included in the tour was a sunset river cruise. After the weather we’d had in the morning we had no expectations of a sunset but boarded the wooden catamaran and settled in for a relaxing cruise up the river. As we travelled further out of Kampot we passed fishermen on their way out to sea, they didn’t look particularly thrill to be spending the night on their old wooden fishing boats in the open sea. After an hours boat ride we stopped and some of the more daring passengers (Ric) jumped into the river and splashed about with rubber rings whilst the captain and his family ate their dinner. To our surprise the monsoon clouds parted and we were rewarded with the most stunning sunset we’ve seen during this trip. The river cruise was really a highlight of the day for us; it was wonderfully relaxing and we sat comparing travel stories with two English girls off the tour.

Beautiful sunset.

It’s easy to walk around Kampot and take in all the sights (of which there are few), but it’s really worth getting out into the countryside and seeing some of the surrounding area. We took a tuk-tuk to Phnom Ch’nork caves where a local nine year old girl asserted herself as our tour guide and directed us around. It really wasn’t necessary to have a guide, the area and the cave are very small, but she was a cool kid; she spoke brilliant English and made some witty jokes.

Our cute little guide, overlooking rice fields outside of Kampot.

Children in the village by Phnom Ch'nork cave.

One night we ordered food in our hotel restaurant, deciding to treat ourselves to a rather expensive burger instead of the usual fare of rice of noodles. I went for a bacon cheese burger and Ric ordered a maxi burger. When the burgers arrived I had bacon, cheese and bread but no burger. Ric’s maxi burger was two fried eggs on a bun. He was furious and stormed into the kitchen to find his burger, after all $5.50 for an egg butty is extortionate. After a confusing exchange with the manager, the chef was able to resolve the problem; she held up a burger bun and said “yes, burger”. Something had been lost in translation somewhere along the line.

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.

Life On The Other Side (Of The Pennines)

In spite of all my foreign travel, I've never actually lived anywhere in England other than Manchester, I've never even left the great grey metropolis of Swinton, so it is noteworthy that since returning to England in October, I've been living  with Ric in Huddersfield, ont 'uther side o t'ills!

Taken from our bedroom, beat that Swinton?!

He didn't romantically ask me to move in with him, we're past that. It was just a given that he'd need someone to do his washing until he could walk again!

The train station before Christmas

Ric's just about walking around again now but I'm sticking around. It's nice to see green hills and yellow stone cottages when I leave the house instead of row after row of red brick semis, and sometimes there's even a glimpse of that magical, clear, blue sky that Mancunians learn about in school, but very rarely get to see.

A showery walk along the canal 

It's not all blue skies and rainbows though, I have encountered some problems: 

Finding a job in a small town is much harder than when you live in a big city, especially if you don't have a car. This is the reason I'm still unemployed (or retired, as I like to think of it).

The local graveyard looking wintery.

There are communication problems too, no one understands me when I've had a drink and my high pitched Manc accent shines through. And they call barms teacakes and teacakes are current teacakes... lunatics!

Gakwonsa to Deokjeon, Snow Hiking

After far too many weekends of staying in bed watching episodes of House, we decided to brave the cold and go hiking in the snow. I've never been hiking in the snow before, but unfortunately I neglected to put a memory card in the camera, so I'm going to have to rely on the power of description for the majority of this post.

We went to Taejosan, because it's really close the centre of town and started our hike at Gakwonsa. Walking up the mountain in the snow was no easy feat. There was a fresh layer of snow that provided some grip, but still some parts of the trail were entirely covered in ice. The steam that runs parallel to the path was frozen and there were some really cool ice formations where waterfalls had turned to ice, the water was still running under the ice too.

We eventually got to the ridge at the top of the mountain and our sweat from the hike started to freeze in the icy gale, so we promptly decided to go down the opposite side of the mountain to check out a small farming village called Yuwanggol (유왕골). It was creepy; there were lots of dogs and a couple of cows, there were houses and cars parked up, but we didn't see a single other person there.

Then we decided to wall along the valley, following a river and a dirt track that eventually turned into a road. It was very beautiful; mountains on either side, everything covered in snow, the frozen river, and the only sound was the wind in the trees.

We walked forever, until the sun was going down behind the mountain and our whole bodies ached from the cold. We kept passing clusters of houses, really big, elaborate houses with patios leading on to the river, and yet we still didn't see another person. Perhaps they were all hiding from the cold, like sensible people.

We kept walking towards our unknown destination, wondering whether we'd eventually have to turn back and return the same way we came, or whether at any minute there'd be a path leading up over the mountain and we'd have to endure another steep ascent in the snow. Luckily we emerged from the valley and found a main[ish] looking road with a bus stop!

Our relief was short lived however, when we realised the bus was only three times a day, and that the next one wasn't due for another two and a half hours.

We continued along the main[ish] road, in the direction we considered to be home. Along the way we played in the snow, which was like crystals because the weather had gotten warmer and then very cold again, turning the snow flakes into ice flakes.

We came to Yongyeon Reservoir (횽연저수지) in a place called Mokcheon, it was totally frozen. There we also found a map, which we were very grateful for as we were able to turn off in the right direction.

With only about an hour left before the sun completely set we began the long climb uphill towards Cheonan. We'd been walking for about three hours and had done about 10km, our legs ached and we were very very cold. So, once again, we resorted to hitching our way home.

The first car we saw stopped for us and the elderly driver motioned for us to get in. I was very grateful for the Korean I have learnt as he didn't speak a word of English and I was able to address him using the most formal level of the language, which I think he appreciated, even if what I said was far from grammatically correct. I asked him where he was going and he asked us where we were going, and just as we arrived at his village he turned off the road onto the highway to Cheonan; going well out of his way to get us safely home.

As soon as we passed a bus stop that had more than three buses a day we got out of the car, thanking the old man profusely for his incredible kindness. It was very touching that he was willing to drive us all the way home, even though we could barely communicate and it was miles out of his way.

Finally we got home and defrosted. It was a great walk.

I was so disappointed about not being able to take any pictures that I went back to Gakwonsa the next day and took some photos of the snowy path, the frozen stream and the temple. Here they are:

Frozen pond at the bottom of the mountain.

The beginning of the path that leads up Taejosan.

Frozen stream.

Buddha at sunset.

Gakwonsa temple.

Gakwonsa temple.

Gakwonsa temple.

Winter sunset over Cheonan.

Gakwonsa temple.

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.