i crossed into Thailand Sunday.  I did not realize when I decided to do this that this is a corner of Thailand which rarely sees a tourist.  There is really nothing of any major significance to see here, neither man made features nor any natural phenomenon.  There is little information; I have some very brief description in the Lonely Planet and that is all.  There is more English signs than Laos or Cambodia but not a lot of people speak English; and my Thai certainly does not exist. However, an English speaker is always found to sort out my want/need when needed and sort out my dilemma.

My first challenge was to change money.  There are often free market money changers at a lot of these border crossings.  However, on that Sunday, there was no one.  I got picked up by a tuck-tuck driver at Nakhon Phanom bus station who spoke some English.  The first thing he did was to ask everyone, bus drivers and passengers.  He then proceeded to drive me all around town to find a bank/money changers that is open with no luck.  He asked everyone he knew until he found a bank that is open in a mall.  He waited while the transaction was done and then delivered to my hotel.  Yes, he did charge me a whole $8 but I am not complaining.

Next day, I was in transit.  I accidentally left my Lonely Planet in a tuck-tuck.  By the time I realize that, he has left.  Now, it is not as traumatic with all the information available on the web but … still … Anyways, behold, he found me before my bus departed to return my book.  That was so nice of him.

I enjoyed my 3 days away from the tourists and my interactions with real Thai’s.  All good things must come to an end.  I am heading for Bangkok tomorrow for my flight back home Thursday.  May peace be with you.

It all started by trying to get to my destination, Tha Khaek, during day light hours.  For some unexplained reason, all the tour agents in Vientiane will only sell 3 departures and only one can do it.  Unfortunately, that one was not the air conditioned, assigned-seat VIP bus.  After much debate, I decided to go for the chicken bus, although no chicken was sighted.

As bus trip goes, it was okay.  The road was good and the bus driver drove at a reasonable speed and only passed when safe.  We even arrived on time.  Everyone has a seat but that means kids sat on parents’ lap and late comers get a plastic stool in the aisle.  There was no lunch stop to slurp down a bowl of noodle.  Food peddlers came onboard to sell stuff and hop off a few km down the road.  One of the pee break was watering the field.  Oh, open windows and fans provided air con.  No one smoked in the bus.

It is impressive how much they can load onto the bus

I did not arrive early enough to watch all that went on top.  Notice the motorcycle strapped to the back.  There is another one tied down just inside the front door.  The tall box on top is a washing machine.  I don’t know how that got up there but 2 young men got it down.  My bag?  It was perched on top on the front door pile and it was still there at the end of the trip.

By now, you are all questioning my sanity.  Why bother with all the troubles to go to a corner of Laos that no one has ever heard of?  You see, there is this cave with a river flowing through it and one need to hire a motorized boat to do it.  Getting there will be the next challenge.  Stay tuned.

Luang Prabang is peace and tranquility compared to the frentic pace of Cambodia. Yes, there are still tourists around but the number is much more manageable.  The pressure to buy and buy more just is not there.  It is a good place to take a deep breath and watch the monks go by.

The entire city of Luang Prabang is a UNESCO world heritage site due to the large number of Buddhist temples within a very small areas.  Laotians are devoute Buddhist and every male must spend some time in a monastery as part of his education.  There is a tradition of alms giving that happens every day at day break; 5:30 AM to be precise.  It has become quit the tourist activity.  However, I must say that this morning was the only time on this trip that an entire Chinese group stayed very quiet for the whole event; and there was none of the “me and the monk” photo.

I was impressed with all the tourists; the were all gussied up at 5:30. I barely crawled out of bed. I would have missed the event if my guest house was not straight across the street.

This is guest house number 2. The first one was pricey at $35. This one has all the requirement, air con and wifi, plus a balcony, for $20 per night.

On of the many temples in Luang Prabang. Please don’t arks me high one.

Every day life along the Mekong River.

the name Angkor refers to an enormous archeologist park and it is the name of a specific temple complex.  I have not got to the actual Angkor Wat yet but the place is certainly impressive.  It is the biggest religious complex in the world with Hinduism and Buddhism as the two representative religions.  It has been compared to Machu Pichu but it reminds me of of Tikal, Guatemala; ancient buildings emerge from the forest.  Some of the structures have been restored but there is so much more in the jungle.  However, the precision and beauty of the carving compares with Egypt or India.

Ta Prohm is the first complex I visited.  The power of nature is evident here.  The giants of the rainforest are putting down roots here.  I would say that the roots are winning.  I am sure that it is a challenge for the archeologists; many buildings will fall apart if the roots are removed.

The power of nature in Ta Prohm. Indiana Jones would feel at home here except for the swam of tourists.

Bayon is famous of these enormous cold smiling faces of Avalokiteshvara.  My Lonely Planet says that there are 216 of these faces but I did not count.

The smiling visage of Bayon.

I am amazed by the bars-relives carving of Bayon.  The exterior walls of the building is covered by these long panels of everyday life from 12th century Cambodia.  I am amazed that Mother Nature did not do more damage.

The outer walls of Bayon are covered in fine sandstone images. The style is similar of those in India and Nepal.

More from Angkor Wat shortly.

I went and visited the National Museum and the Royal Palace, definitely prettier and more pleasant than S21.  They are located on spacious grounds beside Mekong River.

First, I will admit that I knew little about Cambodia history and culture until today.  It does date back about 2000 years.  It was strongly influenced by India. Both Hinduism and Buddhism came from India.  I don’t think that Hinduism is practiced much today but Buddhism is certainly the main religion.  A lot of the culture artifacts and religious art are very similar to those of India and Nepal.  The other fact is that the building style is known as Khmer which is very similar to the Thai style.  This is probably due to the fact that at one point in history, Thailand invaded and took back Khmer artisans, dancers, and intellectuals.  The Royal Palace Bangkok is very similar to the one in Phnom Penh.  They both have a jade Buddha; the one in Phnom Penh does not get new cloth with the changing of the season.

The National Museum houses a large collection of Buddhas. I love the serene expression. I would consider taking one home if this was not the beginning of my trip.

The architecture of the Royal Palace is similar to its counterpart in Bangkok.

The grey conical building is similar to many I have seen in both India and Nepal

I will admit that I had enough of big cities after Taipei and Phnom Penh. I am heading for Battambang tomorrow.  Yes, it is another city but hopefully not as hectic.