The mid-afternoon squall hit with but a few minutes’ warning. I was in the middle of a large courtyard at Ta Prom, negotiating my way amidst ancient crumbling stone walls and overgrown roots. The monsoon rain was thick, determined, unforgiving and very noisy, almost to the point of being overwhelming. The water level on the ground immediately began to rise (the ancient Khmer draining system either was wanting or was clogged up, and modern Khmer had not done anything about it yet) and after a half hour or so the awsome courtyard was transformed into a murky pond. Local guides waded across, ankle-deep in the murky water, looking for their clients who had sought shelter in those structures which still stand in defiance of centuries of assaults by both nature and man. As the rain pours from above my roofless temple tower I stood with a few others under the entrance vault; the walls were so thick that even without a roof I could keep dry if I was careful to keep my balance on the threshold. Inside the tower, a weird echo transformed our multilingual chatter in a true Babel...
10 August 2002
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
-->
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
| |||
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)