09 August 2002

2. - 9 AUG: Enter Indochina, a little corruption and massage

After an uneventful flight, a tropical Summer night welcomed us at the airport of Siem Reap (pronounced Seem Reep), the modern city which rises next to the ruins of ancient Angkor – which means "the Capital" in Khmer, and was indeed the capital of the Khmer Empire from the 9th century to 1431, when the Emperors moved to Phnom Penh’s region. The air was hot, very hot, completely still, and invasively sticky under my shirt. Pearls of sweat began to form on my forearms as I descended the plane's ladder, before I even had a chance to touch the Cambodian soil. The few uncertain floodlights which punctuated our solitary airplane's parking area cast an eerie spell over the tarmac. After a short walk, we were directed into the arrivals building. At passport control, two lines formed under a battery of lazy fans which churned the air from the ceiling above: first we lined up to have our passports checked, then again to get a visa. Funny, usually you get a visa first and then have your passport checked and stamped, but never mind.

08 August 2002

1. - 8 AUG: In the air over Asia, beginning of trip to Cambodia and laos, along the Mekong river

Bangkok is far and away the biggest hub for all South East Asia travel. I flew into the Thai capital on a Swiss Airlines plane from Zurich. I have flown with them many times, but never had they been so corteous as on this flight; it must be their fear that, after Swissair's bankruptcy, the face-lifted SWISS airline (same planes, same crews) is their last chance to survive. Yet, the plane was old and noisy and I was not sure about the future of this airline…

07 August 2002

Itinerary of trip to Cambodia and Laos, along the Mekong, 8-30 August 2002


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A journey to Cambodia and Laos, along the Mekong, 8-30 August 2002

Click on an Itinerary or a date to go to the post for that day
Day
Date
Itinerary
Night
Km
hrs
1
In the air
0
0
2
Siem Reap
0
0
3
Siem Reap
20
1
4
Siem Reap
50
2
5
Phnom Penh
270
6
6
Phnom Penh
50
3
7
Sambok
150
6
8
Stung Treng
130
5
9
Muang Khong
35
2
10
Pakse
130
2
11
Vientiane
0
0
12
Luang Prabang
0
0
13
Luang Prabang
0
0
14
Luang Prabang
0
0
15
Nong Kiaw (Muang Ngoy)
130
8
16
Muang Khua
70
6
17
Udom Xai
135
5
18
Muang Sing
210
7
19
Muang Sing
trek
8
20
Luang Namtha
70
3
21
Luang Prabang
250
7
22
Bangkok
0
0
23
Bangkok
0
0


TOTAL

1,700
71

MAP of Cambodia

 

18 July 2002

Book Review: River's Tale, A year on the Mekong (2003, by Edward A. Gargan, *****

Synopsis

From windswept plateaus to the South China Sea, the Mekong flows for three thousand miles, snaking its way through Southeast Asia. Long fascinated with this part of the world, former New York Times correspondent Edward Gargan embarked on an ambitious exploration of the Mekong and those living within its watershed. The River’s Tale is a rare and profound book that delivers more than a correspondent’s account of a place. It is a seminal examination of the Mekong and its people, a testament to the their struggles, their defeats and their victories.