Sunrise at Angkor Wat

We have had such an incredible time wandering through the many ruins in the Angkor region of Cambodia. Leanne felt like Lara Croft from Tomb Raider and I felt like Indiana Jones as we explored them. In one of the larger complexes we had the place to ourselves and purposefully went in opposite directions to have the wonder of being alone through the crumbling long corridors and many rooms. We saw snakes, spiders big enough to eat birds, as well as numerous bugs including a massive poisonous millipede in our path. There are around 16 major ruin sites within Angkor of varying sizes some have been restored and some have been preserved the way they were found with the jungle taking over the ruins. We managed to see most of them over the days we were here. It would impossible to do the site justice with a single day visit. It boggles my mind how this all would have looked in its prime. They are truly impressive and incredibly ornate. Every section of wall was carved with artwork.

Our days consisted of waking up in the dark to make our way to Angkor Wat for sunrise. We’d spend the early morning around the ruins before retiring back to the hotel through the mid-day heat and returning again in the afternoon until sunset. It was a perfect way to explore and remarkably, with the notable exception of Angkor Wat, we avoided the tourists in the ruins. It was an incredible way to see them and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We had met such a great, friendly, tuk-tuk driver (Sam) on our first day that we hired him exclusively for the remainder of our time here. You can get a tuk-tuk and driver for about $15 USD a day! For a break from the temples we also had a little tour through Siem Reap and visited a memorial that contained many of the skeletons of those massacred in their dark days when one to three million people were killed under the Khmer Rouge regime.

Leanne exploring a vacant Angkor Thom

The highlight of our visit was the sunrise we witnessed behind Angkor Wat on our second day. The clouds were perfectly positioned and as the sun rose it set the sky on fire and the colours were remarkable. As much as I tried to capture it on camera, events like these just can’t be reproduced. I was much more impressed with the area than I expected to be. I can’t believe we were able to climb all over the ruins. They are talking about roping it off to preserve the ruins from the erosion by the tourists. I am so happy I got to visit here before this was done. It has left us with wonderful, happy memories.

Photos are posted at: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=133170&id=673382190&l=ea2b72f447

Tiger's Nest, Bhutan

The Kingdom of Bhutan seems to be everything the rest of Asia is not. It is not crowded, not polluted, no scams, almost no crime, more women than men, and even smoke free. The selling of cigarettes here is, for non-smokers like us, blissfully illegal, but they still have some excellent local beer. It has been ranked the happiest country in Asia. Everyone is fed and they measure country success based on Gross National Happiness rather than GDP. Bhutan was never colonized and their pride and strength lies in their traditions and culture. There is only one runway for the whole country and only two planes that use it. It is nestled in the Himalayan Mountains and the scenery is stunning. Most people still wear their traditional dress which consists of different patterned robes and sashes. While it is not a place for action and excitement, it is a traveller’s dream for being somewhere very different and being able to visit wonderfully friendly people in a safe environment. I’ve heard a lot of seasoned travellers say this is one of their favourite countries and I wholeheartedly agree. When we first arrived there was a fellow from Texas who came to celebrate his 60th birthday. He had been before and wisely told us the only thing we won’t like here is leaving. He was right.

One of the strangest curiosities of Bhutan is that many of the buildings are depicted with painted erect penises, often at the point of ejaculation. There is a large following of a Saint known as the Divine Madman who used this as his symbol and these images on people’s homes and businesses are thought to ward off evil spirits. If you’ve had a chance to see the pictures we already posted you were probably surprised to see what looked like pornographic cartoon material. It is everywhere here and no one but the tourists think anything of it.

Dawa, Michael, and Wangchuk

We were met at the airport by our guide Thinley (Wangchuk) and our driver Dawa. They have been incredible throughout the week and perfect hosts for our visit. During our week in Bhutan we visited the following areas: Paro, Dochula pass, Punakha, Wangdue, Phobjikha and Thimpu. We saw numerous highlights including a number of fortresses known as Dzongs. They are a combination of a monastery and administrative building in each town. I really like them, particularly the one in Punakha. We have done some trekking through blue pine forests, muddy marshes, and climbed to a cliff side monastery. We drove through mountain passes and we visited people in their homes to share drink and food. We spent time feeding the national animal, the Takin, which is unique to Bhutan. It looks a bit like a goats head stuck on a cow’s body. We watched archery competitions and tried throwing large darts which is their other favourite pastime. We tried on local dress and I even had a $2 haircut that is as good as the best I’ve had that also included an extended head massage.

One of the most identifiable places in Bhutan is the Tiger’s Nest Monastery and on our last day we spent plenty of time admiring it and wandering through it. I’ve really enjoyed my time here and have appreciated the slower pace of the country. I certainly recommend coming here and would love to recommend the agency we used if anyone plans on going.

Photos are posted on Facebook at : http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=132085&id=673382190&l=8e393130f5

The Grand Palace

We flew from Kathmandu to Bangkok for a brief two night visit. We decided to make an effort to get to Bhutan after talking to someone in Africa who had seen 120 countries and ranked it as one of his all time favourites. Unfortunately the late itinerary change made flights a bit complicated and we had some trouble booking things overseas. Many thanks to Moe and Earl back home for helping us getting things sorted out.

Leanne at the Palace

We stayed at our favourite hotel chain in absolute comfort.  Our time in Bangkok was spent doing legwork for the next couple weeks of travel, but we did have time to venture to the former Royal Palace, also known as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, and the Grand Palace. On arrival we were steered clear of the entrance being told it was closed to foreigners for the morning due to a religious ceremony. We followed a chain of three colluding scammers to the point where they tried to get us to take a Tuk-Tuk for a cheap tour. If you have ever been to Bangkok you know taking a Tuk-Tuk can often lead to being dumped at a jewellery or tailor shop regardless of where you ask to go. We parted from the scam at this point and went back to the hotel. When we were told  the Palace was closed to foreigners until the afternoon by a number of people it seemed plausible, but I asked the hotel about it anyway. They double checked and confirmed no restriction existed. We rushed back only to have the group of scammers try the same thing again. This time I took blatant photos of everyone involved as armed guards were in close range if it became ugly. Our intent is to send the photos to the Tourist Police when we go.  They scattered and we went in to enjoy the palace. When we left we interrupted the scam a number of times to the relief of the tourists about to fall for it. We stayed for a bit thwarting their business, but when we saw mobile phones come out we reconsidered as it is organized crime and if it is linked to the mob we could get ourselves in trouble. We quickly made our exit back to the hotel. We are now at an airport hotel preparing for a very early flight to Bhutan. We are excited about the trip and hopeful that it goes well.

Michael with locals in Nepal

Arriving in Nepal I had a rush of nostalgia. It was one of my favourite countries when travelling through Asia with my friend Vic over ten years ago. The nostalgia wasn’t just returning to the country, almost all of the cars near the border were four-door sliver 1976 Toyota Corollas. They are almost identical to my first car, except the steering column is on the opposite side. Regretfully, I thought I’d be able to get a photo with one in Kathmandu, but we stopped seeing them when we got into the valley.

Nepali Bus

The drive from Tibet to Kathmandu was scenically stunning. Rice terraces covered the hills as we followed a glacially fed river from Tibet to the Kathmandu Valley. We passed buses packed inside and outside beyond their capacity, and watched locals carrying goods equal to their size while hiking up the hills to their villages.

We were slightly delayed arriving by a bus that had gone off the road earlier in the day. I shudder to think what injuries might have been sustained by the passengers. The driving in Nepal is chaotic at best. Almost all the vehicles have dents in them and it is a non-stop horn honking festival as drivers remind others they are there. Kathmandu was a dusty, busy mess, and it didn’t feel like it had any charm. We spent our first night in a noisy budget hotel around the busy Thamel area. The few streets around here have the highest concentration of tour operators in all of Asia. It is packed with tourists, shops and it is always a challenge to avoid the motorcycles that keep going down the narrow roads.

Bodnath Stupa, Kathmandu

We had a farewell dinner with our group and ended the night at a bar before we wandered home through the seedy streets with all the prostitutes and drunks spilling onto the streets as everything closed down.

The following day we moved into pure luxury accommodation. It is a quiet and calm oasis in Kathmandu, a short walk from the incredible Bodnath Stupa. We had an incredible dinner there that would rival the best of what we could get at home. We spent the next few days exploring some of the gems of the region. The old town and square around Bhaktapur was as I remembered, but the monkey temple was run down and was even missing the iconic eyes that should have been painted on the stupa.

Photos of our time there are posted on Facebook at  http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=130514&id=673382190&l=f71900c82b

Mount Everest. The highest point on Earth.

Getting to the base camp of Mt. Everest involved some very long travel days, some incredibly bumpy roads and some of the best mountain views imaginable. We stayed in incredibly basic accommodation. We spent the night at the world’s highest monastery at over 5000 meters. No running water and multi-share rooms. The toilet was simply a raised outdoor hut split for men and women each with two side-by-side holes in the floor for multiple no-privacy use. The women’s side had no door so it could be seen from the outside and I was told the floor felt like it could give way into the massive pile of excrement that had built up over the years. Not Leanne’s favourite accommodation. The views of Everest helped make up for it. The weather couldn’t have been better and we had picture-perfect views of the world’s tallest mountain. From where we stayed we could get to tent city in 3km and from there to Base Camp One in another 4km. Visiting Base Camp required a permit, which we had, but it only offered a closer view as there were no climbers there preparing for an ascent to the top. They are expected to arrive in early November.

Leanne and Michael at Everest Base Camp

From Everest we made a long journey to a lousy little town called Nyalam. It is a tiny place and the locals were generally unfriendly. One little kid was trying to run cattle down the street into us. We had shared squatters to use a distance from the room and I had to go across the street and pay to use the public showers to wash up after our Everest visit. In the evening a few of us went to a pub on the top floor of a neighbouring building. The girls who worked there were really funny and wanted to learn a bit of English. They also tried to get Leanne to dance with them, but had little success. We were the only ones there in the main area, but there was a private room that had some others in it. It turned out to be a good night. The following morning we didn’t hear my alarm. This is the first time ever on our trip. It was on my wrist buried under five layers of blankets as there was no heat in the room. We awoke to someone banging on our door. It was 6:10 AM and we needed to be packed and leaving at 6:15. The urgency to go was to make it through a road pass that had a lot of washouts on it before construction resumed at 8AM and would keep it closed for 12 hours. The road seemed treacherous but it was too dark to see any of the scenery. We arrived eventually in the border town of Zhangmu where we left our bus behind and carried our bags a kilometre or two past all the trucks waiting to clear customs. Leaving China from this border is a royal pain. They pick through everything in your bag and flip through all the pages in your books and magazines looking for anything supporting the independence of Tibet from China. Leanne and I were lucky that the person who searched us was taking a break from being thorough after the people ahead of us. Everyone eventually made it through and we crossed into Nepal.

Photos can be found on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=130514&id=673382190&l=f71900c82b or on our web at http://mcwilliams.ca/photos/China

Michael jumping above the Himalayas

On our last day in Lhasa I went with three others to visit a monastery out of town. It is situated at 4750 meters above sea level. The highlight of the day for me wasn’t the monastery but the climb we did to the top of the mountain beside it. We each bought some prayer flags and wrote our family name and the date on it and tied it to others atop the hill. The view was stunning and we felt like we were above all the mountains. The same day Leanne had a more relaxing time walking the city with some of the other travellers. She was back in the hotel room when a girl knocked on the door. She let her in and she sat on one of the beds and motioned for a photo. I had the camera with me so Leanne couldn’t take one of her, but she was probably showing Leanne how she wanted her to pose. Leanne sat on the bed, the girl took her photo, and then she left. It was such an unusual interaction. There is something about Leanne that really fascinates the people here.

looking at the Glacial Lake

The following day we took a stunning drive through the mountains to the small town of Gyantse. The views along the way were incredible and we stopped numerous times. One of the passes was over 5000 meters and we wandered around looking at the snow capped mountains that rose above 7000 meters. We also saw a glacial lake that was coloured so brightly the colour did not look real. In the evening a few of us went for a great dinner at a tiny restaurant with the friendliest most likable cook imaginable. He put on an impressive display with a flaming wok.

the friendliest cook

Yesterday we drove to Shigatse. We wandered through the local markets and explored the town. This morning we are off to see another monastery before heading to the town of Sakya. We are on our way to the Mount Everest base camp and will likely be out of touch until we reach Kathmandu in four days.

Potala Palace in the early evening

“Hello lookie, lookie,” almost seems to be a Tibetan greeting as we have heard it over and over again. All the vendors say exactly the same thing with the same intonations as they try to sell their trinkets to the tourists. We even heard it from someone who wasn’t selling anything, and must have picked up the phrase from overhearing it and not understanding what it meant.

We are very lucky to be here. In the last year it had been closed off for a while to all tourists. Currently it can only be visited by permission which is only granted when travelling with a group. Up until the last couple of weeks you had to be escorted when travelling outside of the hotel. Now we have had the rewarding freedom of being able to wander around and interact with people by ourselves. However, when entering any of the major sites you still need to be escorted.

local Tibetan girl

Our first afternoon here we wandered through town to see the incredible Potala Palace. It is a magnificent building built into a stand alone hill and had been the on and off again home of the Dali Lamas since construction in 1645 up until 1959. In the evening the entire group went out for dinner and most of us had various forms of yak meat which makes up most of the menus in this area.

On our second day we went to the Summer Palace, the summer home of the Dali Lamas. It is fascinating walking through this still furnished home and all of its parts. At one point I was standing half way down a walk way taking photos of one of the buildings when I realized a large group of German tourists was standing behind me taking photos with some clearly agitated that I was in their way. I turned around and took their photo to remember the moment. After leaving the palace many of us wandered around trying to find somewhere for lunch. One of the places we went in was so smoky from incense it was nearly impossible to breathe.

In the afternoon we went inside the 1300-year old golden-roofed Jokhang building. There were people praying outside and inside the smell of yak butter candles and juniper incense was suffocating. Our local tour guide was very thorough in describing all the Buddha statues and its history inside. Unfortunately, when you feel you aren’t getting any oxygen there is some anxiousness to get back outside. We were rewarded with going to the rooftop and having a view over the square and all of Lhasa. It is a beautiful location. Lhasa can be hard to photograph though as there is an incredible military presence throughout it and it is illegal to capture any of it on camera.

Summer Palace

Upon leaving the Jokhang Leanne and I wandered around the pilgrim circuit of Barkhor that is lined with market stalls. Many of the people in this region are beautiful in their unique way and it was enjoyable to soak up the atmosphere. We are certainly a spectacle whenever we are on our own. Leanne keeps getting her photo taken by local tourists and I keep having people who want to be close to me, and wanting to follow along as I’m walking. This is sometimes accompanied by mouth opened expressions with eyes gazing up at me. I’m not sure if I should feel complemented or offended. Either way it is a strange experience.

That evening we celebrated the 30th birthday of one of our travelling companions from the UK. What a cool spot to be celebrating a landmark birthday. We went for drinks at a pub on the top of a nearby hostel that has incredible views towards the palace.

Monks debating at the Sera Monastary

Yesterday Leanne and I found our way to an incredibly comfortable café with great coffee and cakes and free WIFI. At noon we went to the Potala Palace. We climbed up the hill to its entrance and went inside to visit a number of its ornate and remarkable rooms. There are over 1000 rooms here and visitors are given only an hour to see inside, so we saw only the most important sections. The massive gold tombs of some of the former Dali Lamas are particularly impressive. No photos are allowed to be taken inside but we will remember it well.

In the late afternoon we went to the Sera Monastery to watch the afternoon debating of the monks. It is thoroughly entertaining. As they make their points they often follow up with a swinging loud hand clap into the face of those they are arguing with. We were desperately hungry after finishing our excursions and had a quick fix from a local fast food restaurant. Later Leanne and I wandered to a Potala view point to watch it light up at dusk and then watched a water and light show in the main square before going for tea and snacks at a nearby top floor coffee house overlooking the palace. As usual we had a highly entertaining interaction with the people working there with all of us laughing as we each tried to use the few words we new of each others’ language.

Today is a free day, and I might go with others out of town to visit a monastery high up in the mountains while Leanne is looking forward to a day of relaxing. Tomorrow we will start making our way through some of the highest passes in the world as we make our way towards the base of Mount Everest.
 
Photos are posted here: http://mcwilliams.ca/photos/China

locals in Shangri-la

On the flight to Kunming I am sitting in an emergency exit row reading when the cute attendant comes over and tells me, “this is an emergency exit row, don’t pull red handle, ok?”  “OK,” I replied and we both smiled. I had a similar thing on the flight today to Tibet. She tells me, “emergency seat, so don’t touch anything, ok?” We have had a lot of interactions with people trying various English phrases they have learned on us. This is often followed with smiles and the occasional giggle. We have had a great time with many of the locals we have come across and it has been a lot of fun.

We are currently in Tibet just down the road from the magnificent Potala Palace. We flew here from Shangri-la after the most overly thorough security screening we have ever had. Not only did I have to remove everything but my pants and shirt, even after I cleared the metal detector without setting it off I was waved over by the female security officer for an inspection. She literally groped me everywhere including some extended cupping and butt cheek squeezing. She was cute and it left me quite flustered. Leanne went through next and had the same treatment, but where I felt like I should be tipping her, Leanne felt violated.

Shangri-La was not quite as impressive as its name suggests. It is a beautiful area and they are trying to turn it into a tourist destination but it feels a bit forced. We still had a pleasant time here visiting a monastery, the world’s largest prayer wheel and wandering the streets of the old town. I particularly enjoyed watching the locals going about their daily lives. Leanne also met a couple girls travelling from Shenzhen who spoke English and had their photo taken with her. In the evening we watched part of a cultural dance in the main square with some girls dressed in traditional outfits. Over the next couple hours it seemed like every resident had joined into the dance as they danced rotating around the square in a large circle.

The incredible, almost surreal Lijiang

Lijiang was our previous destination and I have to say, this place is incredible. It is bar-none my favourite tourist town in China and one of my all time favourite towns out of all the ones I have been to in my travels. The restored town is a UNESCO heritage site and it even ranks in the top 100 world wonders. Our tour was supposed to stay two nights here, but due to booking problems we only had one evening. I was very disappointed. This is a spot I hope Leanne and I return to one day to spend time in and to soak up the atmosphere. It is impressive and beautiful with tremendous life to it. There are little hole-in-the-wall pubs, endless little shops, and restaurants to explore.

We are travelling in a group of 15 including the tour facilitator which is a bit big for my liking, but it is a great group and this type of travel allows us to wander away and still have our own personal moments exploring the places we are in.

Our time in the Yunnan province was too brief and involved time in transit than visiting the areas. I think the tour company needs to revise their itinerary to allow for better exploration. I look forward to updating from Tibet. We will be in Lhasa for a number of nights before making our way through the Himalayas towards Nepal.

Michael as Emperor and Leanne as his Concubine

We flew into the very impressive Beijing airport and made our way to the hotel. It was October 1st, and the celebrations for China’s 60th anniversary were well underway. Most of the city was closed down for the festivities. It was an invite only celebration for the country elite though and everyone had to watch it from home. The day before we arrived smog apparently clouded the city, but government used 18 planes the night before to put chemicals into the air to magically make the smog disappear and the weather perfect. We had beautiful clear skies with incredible visibility and it remained during our whole stay here. In the evening we went for dinner at a great little dumpling restaurant. Later we watched the celebrations on TV before heading onto the streets to witness part of the fireworks celebration.

The Great Wall

The next morning we took a bus out to see the Great Wall. We went to Mutiyanu and took a gondola up the hill to the edge of the wall. A few of us climbed to the highest part of the restored section and then ignored signs and carried on well beyond to original parts that were showing their age, with a single small dirt trail through the brush along the top of the wall. It was a great day and we managed to get little sections with very few people on it. On the walk along the restored section to the exit it had become crowded. Leanne took a chair lift down and I took a toboggan on wheels on a metal track.

Leanne posing for locals

In the evening I went to a Kung Fu show, which was ok, and did have the occasional impressive display of action. I followed this with dinner with a few others and we had the funniest local server who helped make the meal a blast. We closed down the restaurant as we were the last to order minutes before it was supposed to close and ate at the same time as the workers. We were brought free dessert at the end and it was great.

Temple of Heaven

Today we spent the morning at the Temple of Heaven before going for great noodles at a restaurant nearby. Later we wandered through Tiananmen Square. It was so busy it felt like half the country was there. Everyone in the nation is on a week long holiday that coincides with the country’s anniversary. All of the floats and display screens from the huge performance were there on display. It was great to see it all. With so many people visiting the capital from non-tourist sections of the country they are endlessly asking to take photos with us. In particular they absolutely love getting their photo with Leanne. Since she doesn’t like having her photo taken this is particularly funny, but she always obliged. We left the square and went through the Forbidden City. We had a local guide and the pace of the tour was frustratingly slow. Leanne and I left a bit early to try to squeeze in a little extra from the city, but just had enough time to visit one more exhibit. After the tour we parted ways with our travelling companions and went to a phenomenal view point on a hill in the park.

The Forbidden City

We had 360 degree views of all of Beijing and stayed there well past sunset. In front of use were the rooftops of the Forbidden City. To the left was a full moon over the financial buildings in Beijing and to the right the sun was setting over the high-rises. Behind us we could see all the way to the hills where the Great Wall is. We were in a pagoda with a lot of others. We were talked into posing in traditional outfits. I was dressed as the emperor and Leanne as one of my concubines. We were quite the spectacle and everyone was taking our photo. We had a great romantic evening there just loving the views. We followed this with a return to Tiananmen and we are so happy we did. In the dark it takes on a whole new look and all the elements from the parade and celebration were impressively lit. We eventually made our way across it and hoped a cab to a restaurant for a farewell dinner with our group. The meal was Peking (Beijing) Duck and it was definitely a meal highlight. It was a nice conclusion to our little tour. We were with a good group of travellers and we hope to see a few of them again sometime in the future.

Early tomorrow we fly to Kunming and start a whole new trip that takes us through Tibet and the Himalayas to Nepal. We are looking forward to it. Photos are uploaded here: http://mcwilliams.ca/photos/China