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Wednesday, 15 July 2015
Monday, 13 July 2015
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.
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.
Friday, 10 July 2015
Hello (Schuyler Fisk) - Cover by Melissa Cantello
Monday, 6 July 2015
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.
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.
Wednesday, 1 July 2015
Revolutionise - Original Song by Melissa Cantello
Monday, 29 June 2015
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.
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.
Friday, 26 June 2015
Wanderlust by Melissa Cantello (Original)
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