Vientiane Sand Art Competition 2015, Mekong River, Laos

Thirty minutes tuktuk drive back to my hostel later (it had been a long walk!), and I was happily washing the dust off my feet (they’d turned a browny sort of grey). I then had a very welcome hour-long siesta on my bed, as I was also still recovering from mild flu. When my feet were slightly less swollen, I headed out as promised to visit the sand art competition that I’d seen on my first evening. 

Clambering down the steep sand dunes to get to the competition proved interesting and I was glad I was still wearing my walking boots! My favourite by far was the enormous sand yellow elephant which dominated the designated space for the competition. It sat majestically gazing out across the Mekong, small local children clustered at its feet. As the sun sank slowly, hugging the horizon line, the elephant was bathed in a soft, warm, golden light, its lines softened.

 

Car load upon car load of locals began to appear and wind their way to a sand headline in the middle of the river bank. Watching the sunset was evidentially a popular local pastime as by the time I’d got back to the far river bank to head back to the hostel, literally hundreds of mopeds, bikes and scooters had appeared – their owners clearly with the same intention.

I later headed out to find some street food with 3 peeps I’d met at the hostel, a fellow British chica from Birmingham and a French guy and a guy from Malta. The food we eventually chose, delicious spring rolls, glass noodles, spring onions sprinkled with peanuts with a peanut sauce, was interestingly cold, but absolutely yummy. After 90 mins or so I said goodbye to them and headed back to the massage place where I’d had a very good (if slightly overly friendly – they really mean FULL body!) oil massage the night before. This time I wanted to try a foot massage but they were fully booked so I had a traditional (no oil) Thai Cambodian one instead. Man it was painful! I didn’t know that my body could twist into some of the positions she put me in! There was a lot of petrissage, alongside lots of finger and toe pulling. I felt slightly like a stretched pretzel by the time she’d finished but as parts of it were still relaxing it was all good, and I’m sure I’ll feel the benefits. I’m recovering from a ripped ligament in my left ankle so I do think that will be a bit sore, but hey ho sure I’ll be fine :)

Little House (Amanda Seyfried) - Cover by Melissa Cantello

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Wat Si Sasket, Arch de Triomphe/Patuxai, Pha That Luang - Vientiane, Laos

The main Wat Si Sasket is beautiful. A high wall surrounds it and you have to pay an entrance fee of 5,000KIP (about £4). The wat had an outer courtyard filled with golden statures of Buddhist deities and spirits, and of Buddha himself of course. The wat itself was protected by another inner walled corridor which was roofed over with dusky red brown tiles to shelter all the statues within its walls. The inner wall of the corridor had hundreds of pockets in which each sat a tiny statue, placed a regular intervals along the wall. These were guarded by large statues of spirits sitting in the lotus position and gently fragranced flowered bushes in pots.

The inner temple was protected at the rear by a long boat-like structure. At its bow, as the mast head, was a large dragon or narga, and over the stern sat a delicately carved swan. Inside the temple itself was an ENORMOUS golden bronzed Buddha which filled the far wall from floor to ceiling. You were forbidden to talk photos either inside the temple or from the door looking in as a stream of locals, monks and (mainly Asian) tourist entered the wat to pray, meditate and pay their respects. After another long slow walk around the gardens surrounding the wat, I’d drunk my fill, and so began the long hot dusty walk alongside a large dual carriageway to Laos’s answer to the Arch de Triomphe, Patuxai.

After about twenty minutes walking under the baking sun I was very tempted to get a tuktuk, but resisted the temptation as I always thing that you experience more by walking. I paid 3,000KIP (about £1.75) upon arrival to the tower to climb the four, mainly spiral, flights of stairs up to the roof which afforded excellent views of the city. After descending, I took a much needed 10 minute break sitting by the refreshing fountains to cool off. I then took a tuktuk to the incredible gold guilded, Pha That Luang, as it was another 30 minute walk from where I was, and my energy levels were beginning to flag and my feet were becoming increasingly swollen! The vista was well worth it. The entrance fee was 5,000KIP (around £4) and was so worth it. I was basically the only western tourist there, the majority were Asian tourists who were obviously also Buddhists and had come to pay their respects. The sun glinted deliciously off the bright gold of the temple roofs and made an idealistic picture against the bright baby blue of the sky and the lush green of the grass.

Wat walk, Vientiane, Laos

Thankfully I had a good 10 hours sleep thanks to exhaustion and the great massage id had down the road – only $6 for an hour! The private room at Dream Hostel 2 was dark, quiet and clean with a comfortable bed. I made sure I got up in time for the excellent free breakfast (choice of pancakes, French toast, omelette, scrambled or fried eggs with toast and bacon and tea/coffee). Once my hunger was sated, I set off to explore. I’d seen on a map at the hostel that it was pretty much a straight line of wats (temples) leading to the main temple, Wat Si Saket (Vientiane’s oldest and most important wat – the rest were destroyed by the Khmer Rouge during the late 1970s).

Boy it was hot, after the first few temples I took out my umbrella to use as a parasol. The pagados (temple buildings) were so beautiful and majestic under the scorching sun. high inverted V shaped rooves with elongated sections reaching towards heaven. They had nagas (dragons) and garuda (a large bird-like creature that appears in both Hinduism and Buddhism) standing guard under the eaves. Nagas and garudas are natural enemies but when they are depicted together it represents peace. 

The sky overhead is mainly a grey cloudy haze with the bright sun periodically busting through, drenching everyone with roasted light. The range of russet reds to earthenware browns picked out with white and gold stood out in sharp contrast with the wide variety of bright luscious greens of the palms and vegetation surrounding the wats. The heat is omnipresent, with the oppressive sun still streaming its way through the cloud cover. 

Most of the wats are complexly void of tourists, making photo taking an absolute pleasure. This enabled me to choose the exact angles I wanted without having to carefully choose shots which excluded my fellow camera-slung rucksack-ridden tourists. Every now and then, the vivid orange of a monks robe caught my eye. They were generally sitting under trees or in doorways by the wats. Either praying or just sitting in quiet contemplation. In Buddhist culture monks are forbidden to eat after midday, so I imagine they want to conserve energy. I did my best not to disturb them.

Hello (Schuyler Fisk) - Cover by Melissa Cantello

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Checked in, Vientiane, Laos

I have to say I was very relieved to check in and take a much needed shower. The private bedroom was clean, quiet and comfortable with AC, large wardrobe, a TV (not that I would be using it), a fridge and en-suite bathroom. All for a tenner a night with a yummy free breakfast included. I then laid on the bed for 30 minutes with my feet in the air as they were somewhat swollen from the 14 hour flight, even though I’d done my best to get up and move around. After unpacking a few things I decided to walk to the Mekong River and stretch my legs whilst walking past the local nightly riverside market. I deliberately didn’t take my camera as I wanted to soak everything up unobstructed. As much as I love taking photos I think that sometimes the photo taking can get in the way of just being in the moment. Also, the first time you visit somewhere I think it’s good just to allow your senses to soak up everything without your brain having to think about camera angles etc.! Plus, even though my cameras are gradually getting larger and/or more expensive as I get older, no photo cannot accurately describe what it was like actually being there. Sometimes it’s best to just carpe diem.

Upon arriving at the (raised concrete enforced) river bank I had a slight sudden shock. Where was the river? I had arrived at the beginning of May, so at the end of dry season. It was clear by the contours of the landscape of the river bed that by half way through rainy season the river would become a wide vast flowing rampage of water hurtling its way southwards towards the Cambodian border and then beyond to Vietnam and the Ocean. Currently, from where I was standing, over half to two thirds of the enormous river bed was a dry dusty sandy yellow, only interrupted by small irregular fields of some sort of long green grasses and bulrushes and the occasional large pool of water. The ribbon of water was just visible through a late afternoon haze coasting along the far bank. The diminished river was ebbing its way slowly along the opposite bank, at least it looked slow moving from a distance. I couldn’t see any boats moored or otherwise so I could only presume that the water must be rather shallow.

On a raised sand bank in the middle of the ‘river’ sat several large sand sculptures. As I watched, a jeep and several motorbikes were winding their way towards them from about 500 meters further down the river from where I was standing. My stomach was beginning to growl with hunger so I promised myself I’d come back the following evening for a closer look.

Revolutionise - Original Song by Melissa Cantello

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Arrived in Vientiane, Laos

I stepped of the plane into an oppressive wall of hot water vapour. It didn’t even feel like air it was so stifling. The humidity (which during the trip was sometimes up to 95%!) clings to my skin and settles itself deep in my lungs. The ‘air’ feels so thick it’s almost as if you need to wade through it. In the short walk from the plane to the terminal building I could already feel sweat begin to break out along my hairline. Not that I’m complaining as I’m very happy to be here. This is my first proper trip to South East Asia and I cannot wait to explore properly.

After quickly queuing for a visa and collecting my bag, which amazingly was already there after only 15 minutes of getting off the plane, I was headed to the money exchange counter. It’s impossible to buy or sell Laos KIP outside of the country so I purchased enough for a day or so. I got talking to a fellow solo female traveller and as luck would have it she was staying at my hostel so we agreed to share a taxi together (my first tuktuk ride will have to wait until tomorrow). A fairly short but interesting (in terms of the view) journey later and we had arrived at Dream House Hostel (2), Vientiane.

The staff were very friendly and welcoming and even carried my rucksack up to my room (which was unusual for a hostel in my experience!). I’d made sure I’d memorised ‘hello, good day (sam-bah-dee deh), how are you, thank you very much (gchop-choy deh), please etc.’ on the plane ride over. It always really helps slightly breakthrough the skin of a country if you can at least speak the basics (sometimes it’s highly necessary if no one speaks English!) and locals will always really appreciate it that you’re trying make an effort. Also, for me it’s about respecting someone else’s culture.

Wanderlust by Melissa Cantello (Original)

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No more TTIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership ‘Agreement’) #stopTTIP #noTTIP

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Thanks for watching :) #stopTTIP #noTTIP

The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is a comprehensive free trade and investment treaty currently being negotiated – in secret – between the European Union and the USA. As officials from both sides acknowledge, the main goal of TTIP is to remove regulatory ‘barriers’ which restrict the potential profits to be made by transnational corporations on both sides of the Atlantic.

#TTIP and #CETA are a threat to democracy, the environment, consumers and labour standards. But we can stop them!

Information on TTIP:
What is TTIP? - http://www.waronwant.org/campaigns/trade-justice/more/inform/18078-what-is-ttip

TTIP: The EU-US trade deal explained - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-30493297

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transatlantic_Trade_and_Investment_Partnership

What is TTIP? And six reasons why the answer should scare you - http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/what-is-ttip-and-six-reasons-why-the-answer-should-scare-you-9779688.html


Petitions to stop TTIP:
http://occupylondon.org.uk/petitions-to-sign-stop-ttiptafta-the-tpp/

https://stop-ttip.org/

http://www.waronwant.org/act-now

https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/page/s/eu-ttip-petition

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/European_Union_Stop_TAFTA_TTIP/?pv=33

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/Eu_Parliament_Stop_TTIP/?pv=3

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/Stop_the_EUUS_free_trade_agreement/?pv=17


Lyrics:

No more TTIP  (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership ‘Agreement’)

Chorus

No more TTIP, No more TTIP

Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership

No more TTIP, Must stop now


Verse

So you’ve heard of this trade ‘agreement’ called TTIP

In other words an attack on, jobs and democracy


Bridge

The rich will get richer, will the poor suffer


Verse

Governments think that removing regulations is going to help

Social standards such as labour rights, privacy and food safety


Bridge

Removing trade barriers, will cost a million jobs


Verse

They want to keep TTIP private so we can’t speak out

We must protest as this is going to affect, everyone round the world


Chorus

No more TTIP, No more TTIP

TTIP is a recipe for disaster

No more TTIP, No more TTIP

Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership

Must stop now (x 3)



Bio:

Melissa Cantello (formerly known as Emma Saville) is a singer/songwriter who has worked throughout the UK and internationally. She sings soul, funk, Latin, jazz, blues, gospel, R&B, rhythm and blues, house, and chillout. Melissa is based in London and also plays the piano, guitar, djembe and clarinet.

Happiness is an inside job - Melissa Cantello (Original)

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Travelling round the world 101 - San Jose, Costa Rica

Wednesday, San Jose, Costa Rica, 22.49pm 

Back in good old Costa Rica. I wonder how much of my life this country will claim? Not that I am at all complaining mind as I feel so at home here. I love these green rolling hills, the people, the beaches, the mountains, its’ rivers and lakes, the language with its accent and all its idiosyncrasies, the culture, the lack of an army (the government disbanded it in 1946 after making a deal with the US, so all the money goes into schooling, healthcare and reducing crime)....

...the food, asking a thousand questions in the panaria (sort of a convenience store), 'que es eso?' 'que es eso?' 'que es eso?', (it has now almost become a running joke between us...it’s just everything is so different and new every time you go!!) the rafting/zip-lining/canoeing, and the general feel of this wonderful patch of planet earth.

Soon, we shall be returning to Quepos/Manuel Antonio where my favourite beach, friends and lots of fond memories await us, and I know that all too soon I shall find myself on a plane to Cuba leaving this lush, vibrant green behind and beneath me. Best enjoy it whilst I can :)

 

Internet dating by Melissa Cantello (Original)

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Travelling round the world 101 - San Juan de Sur, Nicaragua

Saturday, San Juan de Sur, Nicaragua
It is so good to be back at the coast again. I have missed it so much, I always feel at peace when I’m close to the ocean. I adore little beach towns like this. They are so laid back and quiet, yet so busy and bustling with life at the same time. Each has its own unique character and style. In this particular case, the scores of little shops selling everything from clothes to orange juice to shampoo, the vibrantly coloured cemetery, the endless rammed, squashed-in rides on open-aired pickup trucks to the more spectacular beaches nose-to-nose with tens of differently coloured and sized surf boards, the tattoo shop on the corner that is run by a Swiss whom, not surprisingly, is fluent in both English and Spanish...as well as goodness knows how many more, the sand that seems to perpetually between your toes, the people that you meet from all over the world, all over the world. Ahh to be by the sea. I drift gently to sleep in this noisy hostel with the crash of the ocean still happily humming in my ears.

For the past year I’ve been wanting to get my first tattoo, and so have spent the past 3 months doodling and designing tattoos alongside researching the best places of the body to get one (i.e. a place that can be easily hidden if required and where the skin won’t stretch or age much). Much of this time has been designing has been during long bus journeys. I wanted something to be very personal and to represent my immediate family. I’d also asked local friends if they could recommend a tattooist and the Swiss guy (whose name for the life of me I can’t remember) had been mentioned as being excellent. I took my designs over to him to ask about price and when he could fit me in. He spent my first visit altering my design slightly so that it would better fit the line of my foot. My design resembles a flowered vine, with 3 petals at the top and 3 at the middle section (representing my mum, dad, sister, brother and my mums’ parents – as I didn’t know my fathers). We set a date for 2 days time. What followed was $35 and a very painful 55 minutes. It is the incessant noise of the tattoo drill that affects you the most, it goes right through you and grates your teeth. I was pleased with the finished result and it healed well, though meant I couldn’t get in the water for 10 days. Not such great planning time wise as we were shortly heading back to one of my favourite beaches in Costa Rica where I adore to swim!

Travelling round the world 101 - Granada, Nicaragua

Friday, El babre del mono, Granada 10.28am
I am currently in the lovely colonial town of Granada, Nicaragua. Much needed after the relentless multi-storey shopping malls and high rise buildings of Managua.

I do not think I shall be returning to Managua unless I absolutely had to. We were staying in a local hostel not too far from the bus station. We were advised by locals to get taxis everywhere but as we were travelling on a shoestring we thought we’d be fine walking to the post office a mere 15/20 minutes walk away to send a package home. Thankfully we arrived safely, packages intact. On the way back we took a detour to admire the shoreline, a few powerful looking statues and an old church. We stopped off at an ATM to get a big more cash. I always (luckily) squirrel any withdrawals away in my socks and/or bra along with my debit/credit cards. 10 minutes later, we were walking down a relatively busy crowded street (of locals) when 3 men suddenly appeared out of the crowd. The older of the 3 had a gun, which he pointed directly at my chest, and the younger 2 had knives which they aimed at my friend. To this day I cannot remember if he spoke to me in English or Spanish but the meaning was clear. I didn’t have a bag and my very small purse was attached to my belt with a looped string, I opened it and offered it to him (it had about $5 in it) he took the money and ran off, his two fellows followed suit after wrestling my friends bag away from her (which contained her withdrawal of several $100, her camera, umbrella, contacts, credit cards and other useful bits and bobs – as well as our hostel key). So. The moral of the story is to always listen to the locals! At the end of the day, it could have been much worse and we weren’t hurt. If anything, the thing that upset me most was the attitude of the other locals. Once the men had ridden off, people simply returned to their business, and no one asked us if we were ok or anything (which most certainly would have happened in Costa Rica). This either spoke of people assumption that as we were tourists we were therefore wealthy (which comparatively we obviously are) and/or of their distrust in the legal and justice system. Or simply that no one wanted to get involved.

 

Annnyyywaayyy. The town here in Grenada is beautiful. The cathedral? Wow. Set against a (thankfully) pure clear forget-me-not blue sky, to which the rich, sunflower yellow of the cathedral stands out in brilliant contrast. I cannot believe some of the photos I have taken. Not that I’m an amazing photographer or anything but it’s just so easy over here! Everything looks like its straight out of a guide book or something.

Yesterday we went to Laguna Apoyo, which is a natural fresh water lake in the middle of an extinct volcano. It was cloudy by the time we arrived after an hours hike up and down little muddy twisted paths but still absolutely magnificent. The water stretched out still and calm, a faint breeze gently rippling the water’s surface. The heavily wooded sides of the crate slope down to brush the waters´ edge. Everything is so green, peaceful and alive. The indigenous people here say that the lakes’ waters have healing powers. Luckily the day before we bumped into this very friendly chica se llama Sam, from Brighton who was doing voluntary work here and who told us how to get to this private beach, she said it was quite a trek, and she was not wrong. So worth it though. The water felt incredible silk soft-like, caressing, it was almost as if we were in an enormous bath, floating without a care in the world. Felt so good to be swimming again. One would think that you would keep really fit and in shape backpacking but unless you´re a dedicated morning jogger or whatever it can actually sometimes prove rather difficult as apart from various hikes you send an awful lot of time on various forms of public transport!

Travelling round the world 101 - Lake Atitlan, Guatemala

Sunday, Lake Atitlan, Guatemala
After we left Antigua, a brief 3 to 4 hour local bus journey later, and we were dropped on the edge of Parachem on the edge of Lake Atitlan. Oh my pickled cabbage it was cold. I was wearing multiple layers, scarf enveloping my head and I was still as chilly as a pair of frozen beans. We went to Chichi markets on Thursday, o dear I spent a bit too much money (I blame the cold, froze my rational), well it was mostly present buying. The silver and jade here are just so very cheap!! Where else can you get handmade silver and jade pretty pendants etc. for 3 or 4 squids? I haggled a bed through down from 845q to 215q (as I’d been told that was still higher than the local price), I was so proud. Thought the man was going to almost actually cry, Latinos are just so dramatic. The price in the morning was 425 but by the afternoon it had risen to 845! We didn’t quite understand the logic.

The market in itself was fascinating to wander around, a vast array of widely clashing colours, smells and sights to assail the eyes and invigorate the nostrils. It was a large local market with people coming from miles around to buy, sell, peruse and haggle. We didn’t see many other tourists whilst we were there though, although we were there at the end of peak season.

The journey back from Chichi was interesting, we took three connecting local minibus collective taxi things, they ram them SO full! For a minibus that seats 12, they manage to fit about 20-25 people on, several hanging out of the open door as we rocketed along. I have a brilliant photo of my friend, closely resembling a sardine. We were literally pushed onto the bus, sitting half on strangers laps, with armpits and chest/back/arms pressed in on every angle. Thankfully I had a window seat so was pressed up against the glass instead of someone else’s face. I wouldn’t advise it for anyone who is claustrophobic!

Travelling round the world 101 - Antigua, Guatemala

Friday, Old town, Antigua, Guatemala 
This will be a brief entry, as I do not want to torture you guys with having to read too much.

We were in Antigua yesterday, which was lovely. Antigua is beautiful, it has a colonial, seeped in history feel to the place. This is not surprising given that it was the Spanish colonial capital. The architecture was stunning – in a Mudejar influenced Baroque style. It has the charm of an old European town, rather than a bustling cityscape, and is strewn with interesting ruins and attractions. Lots of the houses had stunning painted wooden panels lining them. They were generally coloured in pastel shades which added a restful air to the surroundings. The leafy old town square was bedecked with horse-drawn carriages. I am happy to announce that these horses looked in much better condition than the horses at the volcano. Antigua also has the benefit of being relatively safe and peaceful, which is a happy respite in a country which has a high homicide, but very low (2-3% prosecution rate).


We spent an enjoyable day wandering around Antigua, people watching and soaking up the sights, tastes and smells. I went into a pharmacist in Antigua to buy some cream (labelled with the price on) and asking (on the off chance) for un ´mejor precio´ (a better price) and she just gave me 7Q off (about 25%)...for no reason - I didn’t even say because I’m a student or anything! Love it. Am going to find buying things in the UK very strange…here you can haggle for literally anything, go into a DIV clothes or hardware store....if you don’t like the price...just ask for a better one. Of course, I do like to haggle as that is part of the culture, but I think it is really important to remember that a few Q to me doesn’t mean much so you shouldn’t take the biscuit.

We’re heading to Lake Atitlan tomorrow, we´re planning on going to the nearby market town, so looking forward to soaking up some culture and haggling a lot.