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.

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…

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	8 Aug	Departure from Europe	In the air	0	0
2	9 Aug	arrive Bangkok and Siem Reap	Siem Reap	0	0
3	10 Aug	Angkor	Siem Reap	20	1
4	11 Aug	Around Siem Reap, land mines museum	Siem Reap	50	2
5	12 Aug	Depart to Phnom Penh by hydrofoil	Phnom Penh	270	6
6	13 Aug	Phnom Penh, torture prison, killing fields, shooting range,	Phnom Penh	50	3
7	14 Aug	Depart to Sambok, near Kratie by hydrofoil	Sambok	150	6
8	15 Aug	Depart to Stung Treng by hydrofoil	Stung Treng	130	5
9	16 Aug	Depart to Laos border by motor pirogue	Muang Khong	35	2
10	17 Aug	By bus to Pakse	Pakse	130	2
11	18 Aug	Fly to Vientiane	Vientiane	0	0
12	19 Aug	Fly to Luang Prabang	Luang Prabang	0	0
13	20 Aug	Luang Prabang	Luang Prabang	0	0
14	21 Aug	Luang Prabang	Luang Prabang	0	0
15	22 Aug	Depart along the Mekong/ Nam Ou by motor pirogue	Nong Kiaw (Muang Ngoy)	130	8
16	23 Aug	Depart to Muang Khua by motor pirogue	Muang Khua	70	6
17	24 Aug	By bus to Udom Xai	Udom Xai	135	5
18	25 Aug	By bus to Muang Sing	Muang Sing	210	7
19	26 Aug	Morning market, Trek	Muang Sing	trek	8
20	27 Aug	By bus to Luang Namtha	Luang Namtha	70	3
21	28 Aug	By bus to Luang Prabang	Luang Prabang	250	7
22	29 Aug	Luang Prabang, flight to Bangkok	Bangkok	0	0
23	30 Aug	Bangkok, end of the trip	Bangkok	0	0
		TOTAL		1,700	71

MAP of Cambodia

click here to see this map in full size

 

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.