One hour has 19 minutes

Chiang Mai

One of the main activities travelers do going to Chiang Mai, in the north of Thailand, is a trek in a forest near the city.

There are tens of them offered in hotels (some of them will require you book the trek with them, otherwise, they will limit the lenght of your stay), all of them being similar.

The prices varie, which doesn't mean the experience is gonna be better. It is recommended to book directly in Chiang Mai because the prices are higher in Bangkok.

I took a chance with the Travel Hub Chiang Mai agency. Professionnal website, convincing pictures, seven years of experience and best price guaranteed.

I chose three days for 1600 bahts. From the moment they picked me up, I understood I didn't get an unbeatable price. My trek partners got a price of 1300 or 1400 for three days and two nights.

According to the schedule, the first day was about stopping at the market to collect food for dinner, than a one hour elephant ride and a difficult three hours walk to get to the village of Lahu, on top of a mountain. 

Each time we would ask how long it would take to get somewhere, our guide would say "19 minutes". But too many activities lasted only 19 minutes instead of one hour like it was listed on the schedule. Like that elephant tour... too short.

In the end though, we all had enough of these elephants, especially since they were not treated well. A man sits on their head to control them and hits them with a big hook. Chains link their leg to their neck...

The meal, a little bit of rice with tofu, looked too little for the two (not three) hours of walking uphill we had to do.

Sleeping in the mountains is charming. Toilets and showers are basic as we expected. Mattresses on the bamboo floor were basic too. But the covers with humidity and mold smell were a surprise. Nobody really slept, but we had a lot of fun.

The second day went according to plan, which was a couple of hours of walking and swimming near some falls. Same type of room, with mosquito nets full of holes.

For the third day, a short walk should have brought us to a mindblowing rafting experience, followed by 15 minutes on a bamboo raft.

I couldn't take part in those activities because of my health situation. I could at least find out the guide didn't have a first aid kit. Surprising when you bring a groupe of newbies in a forest for three days, when the ground is slipplery all the time and when we need to cross rivers in very acrobatic ways. That was the goal of the adventure, I must say. But the risks are real.

In the same order of business, I was told I would have to wait for the end of the third day to see a doctor, which meant to wait for the departure time established for the group. What would happen if someone was to hurt themselves to the point they can't even walk?

And they made me pay for the transport to the hospital, even if the price of the trek included an insurance.

That said, back to the waves, the lucky ones who took part in the rafting experience were not wet at all, floating on top of a very calm water stream... for about 19 minutes.

So, don't believe those who are trying to sell you an expedition. Even if the landscape is wonderful, expect less than what they promised you.

Visiting Angkor Wat

The main reason to stop in Cambodia : Angkor Wat temples, of course. I spent two days there, but you definitely can stay longer.

Traditionally, visitors go to Angkor Wat around 5 AM to see the sunrise. But at this time of the year, lots of clouds in the morning. So I didn't get to see it.

Still, I spent five hours in the main temple, including the sunrise (!) and breakfast. Because yes, there are people selling food at the temple.

That said, the other temples are also worth it. There is Bayon, with its 54 tours and 216 faces scarved in the stones, or that other one, with a complicated cambodian name, with a huge Shiva head in the stones of the whole wall. We can also access the one where they filmed the Tomb Raider movie.

It is hard to decide the lenght of our stay in Siem Reap and at the temples. There is a passport for one day, three days or a week. The lenght will depend on everyone's taste. And they are not joking about the entry ticket... They take your picture to make sure you won't transfer it to anybody else.

Like I said, there is water, drinks and food here and there, but the prices are higher than anywhere else. There is also an impressive amount of kids and sellers  trying to sell us postcards and books. All the same. And they agree on a price so you can't bargain really.

One of them tried his luck and made me angry. For a book everyone was trying to sell for 10 $, than 5 $, but for which I was offering 3 $ because I don't have room in my bag, a man asked for 1 $. Really? Repeat! 1 $ for that book?

So I get my wallet out. For the third time : " One dollar, right?"

Answer : "Yes!"

I asked for change, since I didn't have any, giving him a 10 $ note. He answers : "Not enough! It's 11 $."

Oh, you little... It's not like "one" and "eleven" sound the same.

Anyway!


Located at a distance from Siem Reap, temples can be visited by bike, for a small cost, or by hiring a tuk-tuk driver for the day. It is better to book one the night before if you want to  see the sunrise. And shopping around is important, because the drivers waiting outside hostels and restaurants often have a deal with the owner of those places. They pay a commission. So they charge more.

Mine fell from the sky. Kind of. I hired him for cheaper than I would have paid at the hostel. And he brought me everywhere for two days. He informed me that this Sunday is election day. But I will miss that event because I'm leaving in the morning for Bangkok.

Make sure you have a big bottle of water before you visit the temples. Even a sauna wouldn't make you sweat that much. I promise.

In the end, let's say that downtown Siem Reap is only the home of tourists going to the markets and restaurants that are half way between asian and western cuisine. Not that authentic.

Detour in Battambang

Battambang

Everybody knows at least a little bit of Phnom Penh or Siem Reap. The names are familiar. But other than those two places, we know little about Cambodia. City with a strange name, Battambang is unknown but is worth a detour.

It took six hours on a bus to get from Phnom Penh to Battambang. The roads are not that bad to get there. But the leather seats, in the heat and humidity, are not a winner combination. And when your seat is close to the one in front of you like in planes... not winner at all.

But anyway, first nice surprise : someone from my hotel was waiting for me to get out of the bus, on the corner of the street, holding a sign with my  name on it. He drove me to the hotel, with my big bag on his motorcycle, for free. No idea how he knew I was coming on that bus. Probabilities, probably.

He then helped me to get my luggage up in my room and offered to guide me for the rest of the day. Since I decided to leave tomorrow for Siem Reap, I thought it would save me trouble to go with him instead of searching for another guide.

Without a helmet on, he drove me to the bamboo train, literally a plank of wood on wheels, which replaces the traditionnal train, on broken down rails which can't support a real train anymore. For 10 $US, it is expensive. Especially since, for that price, you can eat three meals or sleep for a night or two in a hotel. But it's a "traditionnal" attraction.

On the other end of the rail, there is a village where they try to sell you stuff to drink. You can see how they produce rice in a old wooden barrack or how they make bricks. Children accept to guide you in exchange for some money.

On the way back, they inform us the "driver" of our train doesn't get any money and we should tip him... They try really hard to get as much money as they can...

The stroll on the backcountry road was worth the detour. Landscape is amazing. On the way to Banan, a temple older than the one in Angkor, if I believe my guide, we stopped to see big bats we scared with firecrackers to make them fly. My guide made me taste soursop, a big green fruit.

After a stop at the temple, we crossed the backcountry while the sun was going down slowly. We could see smaller bats flying out of a cave (see the video). There are millions flying out every night for several ours. In the fields, villagers throw objects in the air to catch a couple of these animals for dinner. Yummy!

From there, I went up Phnom Sampeou hill, where there is a grotto where the khmers rouges killed their victims. The view on the city is amazing.

In the end, I chose to take the bus to Siem Reap even if the Lonely Planet recommended to take the boat. True, the landscape must be amazing, but 9 to 12 hours to link two cities, when you can do it in 3,5 hours  by bus... At this point on the trip, I went for the bus. I will spend more time in Thailand, that's all.

Dollar

Note that most of the prices are stated in american dollars even if the local currency is the riel. They won't take the coins though. The change is always given in riels.

Hi, I'm a student

Sapa

Ok! We'll set things clear once and for all. When you come to me saying "Hi! I'm a student. Where are you from?", there is something telling me I can't trust you.

Since my friend Jeannot told me not to talk to strangers, and with what I experienced in China, I'm starting to believe you're trying to get some money from me.

Guess what. In Shanghai, Beijing, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), there are young couples talking to tourists saying they want to practice their english. I've already written about the tea ceremony scam in China. In Vietnam, the intentions are not that obvious.

In Hanoi, I agreed to let a young girl follow me so she could ask some questions to improve her english. But I was fast to set things clear : I didn't have a lot of time to spend with her. She gave up by herself.

Was she sincere? Don't know. But it was clear she wouldn't be able to get any money from me and there was no way she could steal anything from my bag or my pockets.

Had the same experience in Ho Chi Minh City. Left behind a couple who tried to talk to me. When two girls started following me, laughing, and one of them asked for me to answer a couple of questions for a school assignement, I agreed to participate. Again, I kept my belongings really close to me. Maybe they were sincere after all.

Radar

Everywhere in Asia, motorcycle drivers have the eye of an eagle. A tourist just needs to walk around the corner for someone to flag him on the other end of the street. If you are of those having trouble to say no, it's time to practice. Here, you need to say no all the time.

Some insist enough to grab us by the arm... "Where do you go?", they ask.

Saying "no" once and ignoring them is the best solution, I believe. But as soon as you got rid of the first one, another one comes to you. It barely never ends...

And at night, the same drivers offer you to get some massages... They insist for that too...