the journey continues...

immediately i greet my good old friend with a handshake and a hug. why the BIG smile? he actually saw me at the immigration and was smiling... but i didnt notice him until i got through the immigration. and yes it did, the BIG smile caught my attention.

here i am... in LAOS... 

as i dumped by backpack at the backseat of his Pajero, we rolled towards the city of Vientiane. not as big as Phnom Penh (of course), we were at the Mekong River in 10 minutes... and i had my first meal in Laos, Vietnamese food. weird, yes, food, delicious! without a doubt we started chatting about the old times, 10 years ago mind you. it was funny, yet memorable. things that happened in school should stay in school, but heck, 10 years on it should be brought out on the table! done with the eating and we headed to his office, Lao-Singapore Business College. yes, he used to be a teacher at this school before becoming the Operations Manager. nice and simple office, shared with another Lao colleague, we continued chatting as he brought me here to "show face" at the office. 

IndoChina Handicrafts

Home sweet home, not mine, but such a lovely house Horace got here. single storey with huge trees in the compound. took a cool shower, changed me clothes and my next destination is SengDara, a local Club House cum Sports Club. just the perfect time for me to relax after quite a hectic few days ago. went swimming, sauna, steam room, and a relaxing body massage. oh yesss, besides feeling that i was floating, it was all goooooooooooooooooooooooooood! wait, before this, we had lunch at Khop Chai Deu, the most popular falang hang-out in town, according to the Lonely Planet book. lunch was good, typical Lao food. great experience and it was buffet! :D

half a day gone by and we were off to a gathering at his friend's house. upon arriving, we were greeted with this huge house! yes, its big, wide compound and a guard house... suddenly i felt like i was in Bukit Damansara. it was a FS Gathering, where a religion called Baha'i have their followers in a Faith, Fun and Fascinating surrounding. met many new friends here i might add... the owner of the house is a French man, working as the Finance Advisor to the UN... now that explains the house. :D dinner was simple Lao food, yet delicious. it was a great night, listening and learning about a different religion with the company of people from different countries. 

haywire!

the next morning, Horace, Cathy (Horace's wife) and i went for breakfast at Sticky Finger's, close to the riverside. the pork ribs are good here and i tried a piece myself, and yes, it was fantastic! the sauce was amazing, sweet yet sour. after breakfast, i was dropped at Talat Sao, The Morning Market. walked through the market but nothing seems to attract me... other than the Beerlao t-shirts. walked another round and into the shopping mall... i told myself, thats it... im done with the Morning Market. left the market with a Beerlao t-shirt i purchased in my bag, i headed to the Palace. as i was walking half way, i thought to myself, better not waste my time walking there, so i detoured and went towards the Patuxai, the Victory Monument. as i was walking, i detoured again, this time i saw the signpost that pointed me to That Dam, the Black Stupa. as i strolled in the very blue sunny sky with the sun shining through my skin, i noticed infront of me many guards and sorts. so i mind my own business and continued walking. then it struck me about the guards... it was the American Embassy! hah! still afraid eh? That Dam is actually one of many stupas around Laos, but this one is exceptionally special, its Black. no idea why it is black; maybe it aged since centuries ago... or maybe it built with a significant meaning behind it that im not wary of.  anyway, a roundabout is built around the Black Stupa and i headed back to the main road towards my original destination, the Patuxai.

That Dam @ The Black Stupa

amazing as it looks, the Victory Monument looks like a piece of huge concrete  from far, but the architecture and design is beautiful. built looking like an arch for the Greek Gods, this structure is also known as the Vertical Runway, because the money donated was to build a runway for planes but they government instead built this Arc de Triomphe. detailed designs of ancient beliefs can be found all around the monument, images of Gods and mythical creatures are part of the internal design of the arch. pay 3,000kip (less than a dollar) and i am up in the monument itself! the view is magnificent and i get to view Vientiane city in a super wide panoramic view. again at the top, craftsmanship of high details can be seen on the statues and shapes of the pillars. as i wandered around at the top, there was more flight of stairs going upwards... skeptically, i went up and hey, a spiral staircase to the peak of the monument! up there, the space is pretty limited, i would say maybe 8 persons or less, 2 to a window. didnt stay up there too long as it was a little crowded, i went downstairs and browse through some souvenirs that were sold by vendors inside. took another long look at the city, absorbing the sunshine and i am off... strolled downstairs back to solid ground. rested a moment, contemplating and thinking where would be my next destination.

panoramic view of Vientiane

as i walked through the extreme heat of the sun, i just wanted to goto the Riverside... and from there, let my feet do the talking. wasnt too sure about the roads in Vientiane as well, so i just walked and walked and walked and hey... a very familiar place. it was the restaurant i had lunch with Horace yesterday. brilliant! now i know where i am... as i strolled through the streets of Vientiane, one most common sight would be the Wats. there are about 5 temples within the 5km radius in Vientiane. namely, Wat Mixay, Wat Xieng Gneun, Wat Chanh, Wat Onteu and so forth. the most disappointing part would be not knowing which Wat i have visited as the signs are all in Lao language! only one temple stated their name in English, which is Wat Mixay! these temples have amazing architecture and design... looking at them makes me go wow! stopped by at a local souvenir shop and got myself some postcards and other misc souvenirs. "only these?", i heard someone saying... ok ok, i got myself 2 other t-shirts as well. souvenirs are not really cheap, compare to Phnom Penh, t-shirts are roughly around USD3, compared to USD2 in Phnom Penh. well, i have enough of t-shirts now. another attraction would be the Fountain, with no water. yes, i went there and the fountain wasnt operating. its just a pretty small park with a fountain in the center of it. nothing much actually... 

water-less fountain

various Wats @ Temples

as i continued walking, i ended up at the Lao National Cultural Hall. amazing, the building is simple beautiful, kept me in awe most of the time, even when i was snapping away on my camera. with pillars as high as 4-floors greeting you, it was magnificent and grand. opposite would be the Lao National Museum. not as outstanding as the Cultural Hall, the Museum is just 2-storeys high and looks pretty dull. i didnt enter the Museum as the operating hours were done. as a matter of fact, i didnt enter any of the buildings i visited... mainly the Wats. the Lao culture on a Wat is pretty strict... it is best not to enter the Wat if you are not dress for it; long pants and a t-shirt, nothing fancy, nothing revealing for ladies. since i was in my usual shorts, i didnt go into it or even the vicinity... RESPECT! talking about culture, i read somewhere that Lao people are pretty conservative and all, including tattoos, dreadlocks,etc... but i got a culture shock when i saw many locals with tattoos, all over their hands and legs... hmmm... i guess that particular article i was reading is a little too outdated... :D

Lao National Cultural Hall

the signboard speaks for itself :D

ala Sunway Lagoon

tired... only thing that can describe me... i took a tuk tuk to meet up with Horace at a Lao waterpark. it seems that the owners of this waterpark (forgot the waterpark's name) is from Sunway Group, the people that brought Malaysians to Sunway Lagoon! hah! nothing compared to the one in Bandar Sunway but i guess it was good enough for the locals. as we left the waterpark, i just realized the time... it was sunset!! you know me and sunsets... so i told Horace to drop me off at the Riverside and there i was... soaking in the sunset, gold in color... breathtaking! as the sun sets from the Mekong River... i just took a moment to savor everything insight... it was plain calming and relaxing. not forgetting taking photographs of nature's beauty of course. *speechless*

Lane Xang Cruise

as the sun set, it was closed to 7pm and i was walking through a wave of shops selling all sorts of stuffs by the roadside and riverside. trying to look like a local, doing his shopping at night stalls, i came across a painting seller. it was different, creative and... different. had a pep talk with the seller and it is him, the painter of all the paintings in the stall... ok, him and his girlfriend's. he is actually a lecturer in Vientiane University of Fine Arts and paints for fun. very innovative painting skills... and im pretty sure to buy one when i am there again. hehe. dinner was at SingMal Restaurant (i think), located next to the Cultural Hall, a Malaysian owner, that cooks one heck of a Mee Goreng Mamak! haha! how much i missed this. 

headed home early, as i was going to VANG VIENG the next morning!! woohoo! bought a VIP Bus ticket that costs me 40,000kip (close to USD5) and i am damn excited! before i decided on VV, i was thinking about Luang Phrabang... a UNESCO Heritage Site. but then, i chose VV as i think that i needed more days in LP compared to VV...

we shall find out what the BUZZ is all about Vang Vieng soon!

Mr. Scherzinger Won!

yup, Lewis Hamilton won the Singtel Singapore GP just. my man Kimi was 10th... crapp!

oh well, Congrats... 

Singapore 6 - 0 Cambodia

just got back from the Olympic Stadium to witness how Cambodia got a footballing lesson from the Lions of Singapore in a friendly match here in Phnom Penh. who was the better team... i would say its Cambodia, creating chances after chances but their finishing and crosses were just not doing it. opportunists they are, the Lions took advantage of slack defending and made it 2 -0 before half time. as the fourth goal struck the back of the net, Khmer supporters started to  leave the stadium. great experience for me though the Cambodian crowd were not at all singing with grace.rare shouts from the crowd were deemed funny. 

it started to drizzle as the teams came out of the tunnel onto the pitch. the light drizzle didnt damper any hopes of the Cambodian as many of them took shelter under the huge roof of the stadium. i would say that the stadium was half full, not bad the turn out... just that i was told by my Asst Manager, Phyrum, that many locals doesnt really come to the stadium to support their clubs from the Cambodian League... many prefer to bet on it rather than watching the game. well, seems all too familiar back at my homeland... hah!

match was pretty dull, until the last quarter of the match when flying tackles started to zoom in. there was a shout from a Khmer footballer at a Lion player too... well, guess it was all too late. seems that the last time these two countries met, the Lions won 5 to nothing... and this time, surely they didnt improve from the last outing. 

applause to the local team as they did their best and tried as hard as they could but the Lions were just too stronger as an outfit compared to them. 

F1 starts in 30 minutes... i'm late! gotta cook before the race starts! how ironic, its the Singapore GP. hahaah! Au Revoir!!

the journey begins... Angkor - Singha - Lao

my fight was at 9.40am; dragged my excited yet lazy ass up, got ready, concluded some final details, fine tuning my backpack and i am off to Phnom Penh International Airport. i guess the feud between the Thais and the Khmers are still raging, hence the "passport checker" asking me WHY am i going to Thailand... "holiday", i answered... hmmm... skeptical.... flying on Asia's Boutique Airlines; Bangkok Airways was not what i expected... i could say that it was good... not a budget airlines for sure, food was serve and just as i munched down my last bite of the Thai salad, the cockpit dude announced that we will be descending in any moment. yes, the flight only took an hour max, and here i am in Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok! woo hoo!

Sawadi-kap

pink is in!

BANGKOK - yes, im excited and all... embarrass to say this but... shhh... its my first time in BKK... hahah! yes, you can imagine my excitement... i hope... anyway... got out of immigration, collected my backpack, went to the money changer, got myself a bus ticket to Hualamphong Railway Station and i was sitting and waiting for 20 minutes before the bus arrived. there was only 5 of us in the bus... which was great! haha! arrived at the Railway Station and was approached straightaway by touts; "you got train ticket, sir?", "you can keep your luggage here" (whilst pointing at a shady old shophouse across the street). "NO THANK YOU..." with a smile of course. 

i think they are in the wrong field... Realtors cum Designers? 

Singha... reprazent!

dropped off my backpack at the Railway Station's luggage center and noticed tonnes of luggages and backpacks scattered from the room all the way to the main entrance of the station! ok, i might have exaggerated, but seriously, they were everywhere! mine was comfortably snugged with other backpacks behind the counter. *phew* 

aint hot here, boy!

it was noon... hungry and had little time to move around BKK. decided to take the underground MRT to Si Lom, 2 stations away and turned to McD's right away when it stood in front of me.... how RUDE! had lunch there, and strolled across the cross junction to a monument... some dude standing coolly under the blazing sun... neway, got some photos and walked myself to the BTS, Bangkok's SkyTrain. station was called Sala Daeng... took it and headed to Saphan Taksin station, where the Central Pier, Sathorn Taksin is located. 

the plan was to take the Chao Phraya Express Boat down the Chao Phraya River (of course) to anywhere i would like. took the one price for all day... 150baht... regretted... the furthest destination is priced at 11baht one way... sigh... anyway... the boat ride was not bad, where you get to see Bangkok's mega structures... including a train on water! 

spot the lady washing her clothes...

choo choo boat

Wang Lang... heard they sell guns here... ;)

Wat Arun, one of Thailand's oldest temples is perched close to the riverside and its stunning. though i didnt go into it, from afar, it looks amazing. as the boat spears through the waters of the Chao Phraya, villages can be seen washing their clothes, doing their routine as visitors look with amazement. my first stop was Wang Lang, not too sure why but heck, im going down. they had a little market by the river and also food stalls along the roadsides. just a typical day in Bangkok i guess as the locals stroll past me as i stood there snapping away my camera. didnt really wanna walk far from the pier, i strolled down the road and made a u-turn before reaching the main road. i wasnt equipped with a map, so thats the reason for me to turn back anyway. grabbed an Iced Coffee from a stall and it was Kopi Tarik! gracefully Tarik right before me; priced at 25baht. back to the boat, i got off at Tha Thien.

Wat Arun

again, a small market is based near the pier. as i was walking, i was approached by a local. as we talked, he claimed to be the "manager" of the market by the pier. so i was, ok, cool. first he thought i was Thai, then as we chatted, he recommended me this attraction... not known by many. it was a Wat... Wat Rajapradit. a temple where they filmed The King & I... according to him. how true is this, i really dont know. tried Googling bout it but it seemed to be a normal Wat, a very very very old Wat. since 1864 mind you. since i wasnt interested in going too far, i thanked him for the info and went along. next i was at Wat Pho, another beautiful Wat. the statues resembles Buddhism thoroughly, statues that looked like those in China... for real! statues of Gods guarding the gates, etc... for a moment i thought i was in China! again, i didnt pay any the entrance fee to enter the actual Halls of the temple, was just hanging around the garden and surroundings. the Grand Palace is actually situated next to Wat Pho but the visiting times were at 3.30pm and i was too late. so, its back to the pier for me.

right? you feel like you're in China right!?!?

as i feast my eyes to the beautiful surroundings through the boat, i came to a halt at Central Pier, Sathorn Taksin. off i went, hanging around the pier, loitering like bums. as i walked to the SkyTrain, i noticed a garden, sort of like a park where peeps just lay back and hang out. and so i did... relaxed myself, snapped some photos and back on the train. it was more like a big, interesting U-turn from Hualamphong Railway Station. back at Sala Daeng, i had dinner at a local noodle shop. also found a shopping center with a supermarket in it to get some snacks and breakfast whilst in the train. 

arrived at Hualamphong Railway Station at around 6.30pm, i walked towards the attendant and asked about my train to Nong Khai. train leaves at 8.00pm and i was early, but i got a rude awakening when the attendant said i have 20 minutes to board the train before it leaves! oh blardy hell; rushed to the luggage storage, got my backpack, walked as fast as i could to the platform... and i stopped. where the hell is the sign that states the coach number! approached another attendant and lucky me, it was right in front of me. got up the train, found my seat and dropped all i had. yes, i was sweating like a pig! as i waited and waited... damn train didnt move an inch after 20 minutes. then another 30 minutes... and finally it moved at 8.15pm! oh come on!!! damn attendant... screwing up my slow walks. yes, i was cheated by a local. thankfully it was only TIME.... :D

platform number 3

to my relieve....

so much for sniffer dogs... Oi falang... no smoking!

honestly, i was being paranoid if i was on the right train. the whole time actually... i asked a worker in the train where he was preparing the bunks, he has no idea what i was saying. FINE! got off the train and saw a signage outside the train that says "Bangkok - Nong Khai". relieved! got up the train, that worker that was preparing the bunks, was changing to another uniform... he was actually a train attendant! can you believe it...! how can he not know what i said, at least there was a Thai word in it... NONG KHAI. so, paranoia dissolve as the train started rolling...

now you dont...

now you see it!

Hualamphong Railway Station

as i slept through the journey to Nong Khai, the bunk wasnt that bad after all. it was comfy, has a mattress, blanket and a pillow. i didnt believe myself, after sleeping for almost 10 hours, i was awaken by the sight of the early morning sunrise. it was fantastic, just looking at the sun rising from the horizon, a sight that i am not able to experience in life, simply because waking up early for sunrise just dont seemed to be in the agenda. as the sun rises, silhouettes of trees and the green grass just pleases my eyes, and soul. it was fantastic, dreamy yet realistic.

wonderful sunrise plus the cool mists...

NONG KHAI - a tuk tuk to the Thai border would normally cost 30baht, but since i was alone, it costs me 40baht. it was relatively easy to go into Laos by land, through Nong Khai and the infamous Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge. after immigration, get a mini bus at a cost of 15baht. once at the Laos border, go to the immigration counter and get a Arrival & Departure Card. it cant be found anywhere and only in the office. fill it up and you are good to go. the funny yet stupid thing is, this immigration officer held my passport, flipped the pages, looks at my face; and asked me, "you Philipine?"... to my horror, i managed to blurt out, "No, Malaysia". what was she thinking?!! she then started flipping some papers hanging in front of her and then i was thrown a question... or maybe a statement... not too sure from her tone of voice... "no visa". and i coughed up "No". *chop* *chop* thank you! noob... :D

and here i am... in LAOS. and there he was... my good old, high school mate, Horace; looking at me with a huge smile...