Dymuniadau gorau i bawb ohonoch i'r flwyddyn newydd a mwynhewch y dathliadau heno. Mi welsom yn flwyddyn newydd i mewn yn gwylio sioe tan gwyllt yn yr awyr dros dinas Melbourne. Mae hi nawr yn bedwar o gloch y bore ac mae'r tymheredd dal i fod yn 32 gradd celsiws ar ol bod lan yn y pedwardegau drwy'r dydd - yn union fel bod mewn ffwrn!
Very best wishes for the new year - hope it brings all you wish for. We saw in the new year watching spectacular fireworks on the Melbourne skyline over the skyscrapers. It is now four o'clock in the morning and the temperature is a sticky 32 degrees celsius. It peaked at 42 degrees this afternoon - oh for a little Aberystwyth prom breeze ...
Monday, 31 December 2007
Sunday, 30 December 2007
Hwyl Fawr Asia
Trist iawn oedd ein hymweliad olaf a Bangkok mewn ffordd gan fod cymal cyntaf ein antur yn dod i ben. Rydym wedi mwynhau pob munud yn gweld a phrofi pethau na fydden byth yn credu y bydden yn cael y cyfle i'w gwneud. Cael gweld tair gwlad mor debyg ar yr un llaw, ond mor wahanol ar y llall, a chwrdd a gwneud ffrindiau gyda sut gymaint o fobl. Byddwn byth yn eu anghofio. Ar ol un 'massage' olaf a diolch a ffarwelio gyda bobl yr hostel ar caffi drws nesaf oeddem wedi dod i'w hadnabod yn dda dros yr amser buom ym Mangkok, i ffwrdd a ni i'r maes awyr ... ac am Awstralia.
Edrychwch allan chi'r Aussies - dyma ni'n dod!
Edrychwch allan chi'r Aussies - dyma ni'n dod!
Pont Dros yr Afon Kwai
Gyda'n hamser yn Asia yn gloi yn dod i'w ben, tref Kanchanaburi oedd ein stop olaf cyn dychwelyd i Bangkok am y tro olaf a hedfan allan am gyfandir newydd. Cafodd Kanchanaburi ei wneud yn enwog oherwydd y bont dros yr afon Kwai a'r ffilm o'r un enw (Bridge Over the River Kwai). Dyma'r bont fe'i hadeiladwyd gan garcharorion rhyfel (POWs) Prydain, Awstralia, Yr Iseldiroedd, Seland Newydd ymysg eraill yn ogystal a llu enfawr o lafurwyr gorfodedig o Asia. O dan amodau creulon ac amgylchiadau ofnadwy gorfodwyd cannoedd o filoedd i adeiladu rheilffordd er mwyn cysylltu Burma a Thailand gan y Siapaniaid yn ystod yr Ail Ryfel Byd.
Nid y bont wreiddiol sydd yno bellach. Cafwyd ei ddinistrio fwy nac unwaith gan fomiau'r 'Allied Forces' yn ystod y rhyfel ond y mae o hyd yn cael ei ddefnyddio'n ddyddiol fel croesfan i'r rheilffordd. Nid yw iechyd a diogelwch wedi cyrraedd Thailand eto - ac ar y cyfan mae'n brofiad hynod o ffres - ond wrth groesi'r bont ar droed roeddwn i hyd yn oed yn cwestiynu yr angen amdano ac mae hyna yn dweud rhywbeth! I ddechrau roedd yna 200-300 o dwristiaid yn ei chroesi un ffordd neu'r llall ar yr adeg yr ymwelon ni a'r bont ac ond un llwybr cul, tua dwy droedfedd o led oedd ar gael yn rhedeg lawr canol y trac gyda dim barau diogelwch naill ochr y llwybr i'n cadw rhag cwympo degau o droedfeddu islaw i'r afon. Er i'r ddau ohonom groesi o un ochr i'r llall a nol eto nid oeddwn yn teimlo'n saff iawn ac yna yng nghanol mynd draw fe ddaeth y tren a rhaid oedd i ni fynd am ochr allan y trac ble roedd yna fan sefyll i'w gael bob hyn a hyn gyda sawl ymwelwr wedi eu gwasgu gyda'u gilydd er mwyn gadael i'r tren fynd heibio.
Rydym erbyn nawr wedi dechrau amseri ein hymweliadau a threfi Thailand yn well. Tra ar y cychwyn roeddem ond yn methu dathliadau gwahanol wylau mewn sawl tref (naill a'i yn gadael yn rhy gynnar neu yn cyrraedd yn rhy hwyr) mi'r oeddem wedi cael amser da yng Ngwyl Ayuttaya ac eto nawr yn Kanchanaburi wrth gyrraedd ar ddiwrnod olaf eu Gwyl. Fe aethom i sioe Golau a Sain gyda'r hwyr ar lan yr afon ger y bont a oedd yn ail-adrodd hanes adeiladu'r bont. Er nad oeddem yn gallu deall beth oedd yn cael ei ddweud, wedi'r cwbwl Gwyl i'r brodorion ydoedd, nid oedd yn anodd i'w ddilyn ac mi'r oedd yn wych gyda'r tan gwyllt mwyaf swnllyd, golauiadau lliwgar ac ambell i stynt arbennig.
Ar yr ail ddiwrnod fe ymwelon ni a un o dair mynwent arbennig ar gyfer y carcharorion rhyfel a fu farw wrth adeiladu'r bont - roedd bron i saith mil bedd yno i gyd. Roedd y fynwent yn heddychlon, syml a phrydferth, fel dylai fod, ac o'r ychydig amser y buom ni yn cerdded ogwmpas daethom ar draws pedair bedd gyda arysgrifiau Cymraeg arnynt. Yn hwyrach daethom nol a gadael blodau ar y bedd 'Gymraeg' cyntaf a welom. Nesa i'r fynwent roedd yna amgueddfa ble cawsom ein haddysgu ymhellach o'r hyn ddigwyddodd. Profiad sobor ydoedd ond roedd teimlad o obaith yno hefyd gan nad oedd y meirw wedi cael eu anghofio na felly y creulondeb mawr a fu, a ddylai fod yn wers i ni gyd.
Ar ein diwrnod olaf roeddwn wedi bwcio trip yn ymweld a :
1) Rhaeadr Erawan - prydferth iawn gyda fwy na saith lefel iddi. Cawsom nofio yn un o'r pyllau ble roedd y pysgod yn dod lan atom os bydden yn llonydd yn rhy hir ac yn dechrau niblo arnom. Teimlad rhyfedd a difyr wrth deimlo'r pysgod yn ein ticlo.
2) Ar ol cinio aethom i Hellfire Pass - un o'r mannau mwyaf anodd roedd rhaid twrio trwyddi wrth i'r rheilffordd cael ei hadeiladu. Nid yw'r rheilffordd yn rhedeg trwy'r man yma bellach ond cawsom y fraint o gerdded trwyddi cyn ymweld a amgueddfa arall a oedd wrth law.
3) Cawsom fynd ar drip ar y tren ei hun ond nid dros y bont. Nid oedd yn drip hir iawn ond cawsom weld ychydig mwy o'r cefn gwlad prydferth.
4) Diwedd y trip oedd ymweliad arall o'r bont (ble wnaeth y mozzies ymosod unwaith eto ar goesau Nia!).
Nid y bont wreiddiol sydd yno bellach. Cafwyd ei ddinistrio fwy nac unwaith gan fomiau'r 'Allied Forces' yn ystod y rhyfel ond y mae o hyd yn cael ei ddefnyddio'n ddyddiol fel croesfan i'r rheilffordd. Nid yw iechyd a diogelwch wedi cyrraedd Thailand eto - ac ar y cyfan mae'n brofiad hynod o ffres - ond wrth groesi'r bont ar droed roeddwn i hyd yn oed yn cwestiynu yr angen amdano ac mae hyna yn dweud rhywbeth! I ddechrau roedd yna 200-300 o dwristiaid yn ei chroesi un ffordd neu'r llall ar yr adeg yr ymwelon ni a'r bont ac ond un llwybr cul, tua dwy droedfedd o led oedd ar gael yn rhedeg lawr canol y trac gyda dim barau diogelwch naill ochr y llwybr i'n cadw rhag cwympo degau o droedfeddu islaw i'r afon. Er i'r ddau ohonom groesi o un ochr i'r llall a nol eto nid oeddwn yn teimlo'n saff iawn ac yna yng nghanol mynd draw fe ddaeth y tren a rhaid oedd i ni fynd am ochr allan y trac ble roedd yna fan sefyll i'w gael bob hyn a hyn gyda sawl ymwelwr wedi eu gwasgu gyda'u gilydd er mwyn gadael i'r tren fynd heibio.
Rydym erbyn nawr wedi dechrau amseri ein hymweliadau a threfi Thailand yn well. Tra ar y cychwyn roeddem ond yn methu dathliadau gwahanol wylau mewn sawl tref (naill a'i yn gadael yn rhy gynnar neu yn cyrraedd yn rhy hwyr) mi'r oeddem wedi cael amser da yng Ngwyl Ayuttaya ac eto nawr yn Kanchanaburi wrth gyrraedd ar ddiwrnod olaf eu Gwyl. Fe aethom i sioe Golau a Sain gyda'r hwyr ar lan yr afon ger y bont a oedd yn ail-adrodd hanes adeiladu'r bont. Er nad oeddem yn gallu deall beth oedd yn cael ei ddweud, wedi'r cwbwl Gwyl i'r brodorion ydoedd, nid oedd yn anodd i'w ddilyn ac mi'r oedd yn wych gyda'r tan gwyllt mwyaf swnllyd, golauiadau lliwgar ac ambell i stynt arbennig.
Ar yr ail ddiwrnod fe ymwelon ni a un o dair mynwent arbennig ar gyfer y carcharorion rhyfel a fu farw wrth adeiladu'r bont - roedd bron i saith mil bedd yno i gyd. Roedd y fynwent yn heddychlon, syml a phrydferth, fel dylai fod, ac o'r ychydig amser y buom ni yn cerdded ogwmpas daethom ar draws pedair bedd gyda arysgrifiau Cymraeg arnynt. Yn hwyrach daethom nol a gadael blodau ar y bedd 'Gymraeg' cyntaf a welom. Nesa i'r fynwent roedd yna amgueddfa ble cawsom ein haddysgu ymhellach o'r hyn ddigwyddodd. Profiad sobor ydoedd ond roedd teimlad o obaith yno hefyd gan nad oedd y meirw wedi cael eu anghofio na felly y creulondeb mawr a fu, a ddylai fod yn wers i ni gyd.
Ar ein diwrnod olaf roeddwn wedi bwcio trip yn ymweld a :
1) Rhaeadr Erawan - prydferth iawn gyda fwy na saith lefel iddi. Cawsom nofio yn un o'r pyllau ble roedd y pysgod yn dod lan atom os bydden yn llonydd yn rhy hir ac yn dechrau niblo arnom. Teimlad rhyfedd a difyr wrth deimlo'r pysgod yn ein ticlo.
2) Ar ol cinio aethom i Hellfire Pass - un o'r mannau mwyaf anodd roedd rhaid twrio trwyddi wrth i'r rheilffordd cael ei hadeiladu. Nid yw'r rheilffordd yn rhedeg trwy'r man yma bellach ond cawsom y fraint o gerdded trwyddi cyn ymweld a amgueddfa arall a oedd wrth law.
3) Cawsom fynd ar drip ar y tren ei hun ond nid dros y bont. Nid oedd yn drip hir iawn ond cawsom weld ychydig mwy o'r cefn gwlad prydferth.
4) Diwedd y trip oedd ymweliad arall o'r bont (ble wnaeth y mozzies ymosod unwaith eto ar goesau Nia!).
Saturday, 29 December 2007
Gwyl, Temlau a Bwyd Da yn Ayutthaya
Ayutthaya oedd y stop nesaf ar ein taith - hen brifddinas Thailand (cofiwch mae Sukhothai oedd y brifddinas hynafol). Nid yw Ayutthaya yn ddinas arferol llawn o deithwyr fel rydym wedi canfod ar rhan fwyaf o'n taith mor belled. Mae'n ddinas tipyn fwy cyffredin a oedd yn syndod i raddau o ystyried yr holl hanes sy'n gysylltiedig a'r ddinas yn ogystal a nifer fawr o demlau sydd wedi eu lleoli yno. Yn unol a awgrymiad Lonely Planet euthom yn gyntaf i Ganolfan Astudiaeth y ddinas i gael dealltwriaeth o ddatblygiad y ddinas ac reit yna fe ddaethom ar draws paratoadau mawr ar gyfer dathlu Gwyl Treftadaeth Ayutthaya.
Roedd yna ganoedd o fobl mewn pob math o wisgoedd lliwgar yn adlewyrchu gwahanol gyfnodau a phobl yn hanes y ddinas. Yn ogystal roedd plant ysgol gyda'u gwisgoedd arbennig eu hunain, dwsin o eliffantod wedi eu harddurno'n lliwgar (ac un wedi ei beintio'n wyn) gyda rhyfelwyr yn eu marchogaeth, degau o cerbydau tuk tuk o wahanol lliwiau, byddin o ddynion a llu o wragedd mewn gwisgoedd traddodiadol a Nia a finne yng nghanol hwy i gyd - yr unig ddau nad oedd yn cymryd rhan yn yr Wyl ac yn mwynhau pob munud a phawb ond yn ddigon hapus i mi gymryd eu lluniau - buodd y camera erioed mor frysur.
Byddai'r profiad yma yn ei hunan yn fwy na digon i ni adael Ayutthaya yn hapus ac yn gwybod ein bod wedi gwirioneddol mwynhau ymweld ar ddinas ond doedd hynny ddim yn cynnwys yr holl demlau arbennig oedd yna, rhai mewn cyflwr arbennig o dda i ystyried eu hoedran a'r cwbwl yn ddiddorol dros ben. Fe gwbwlhawyd mwynhad y ddinas wedi i ni ddod ar draws bwyty bychan ble roedd y bwyd Thai yn fendigedig - rhaid oedd ei ymweld eto y diwrnod canlynol.
Fe warion ni ddiwrnod a hanner yn ymweld a Ayutthaya, ac ni wastraffon yr un eiliad tra yna a ni chawsom ein siomi chwaith.
Y Brenin yn 80
Wedi'r cyffro o drafaelu i Cambodia a nol a chael y fraint o weld y temlau arbennig yn Angkor roeddwn yn disgwyl cael rhai dyddiau o orffwys yn Bangkok. Ond y diwrnod cyntaf ar ol cyrraedd nol roedd yn benblwydd y brenin yn 80 ac mi'r oedd yna ddathliadau mawr. Yn Nhailand mae'r teulu brenhinol, yn enwedig y brenin a'r frenhines, yn cael eu parchu a'u hanrydeddu'n fawr gan y bobl i gyd (yn bersonol credaf fod y gyfraith sy'n bodoli ac sy'n galluogu'r awdurdodau i garcharu pobl am ddweud pethau amharchus am y teulu brenhinol yn helpu'r achos - ond mae pawb yn dweud mae hen 'cynic' dwi).
Yn digwydd bod ar yr un diwrnod roedd Nathan, sy'n gweithio gyda Nia, a'i bartner Chai, ym Mangkok ar yr un pryd ac fe dreulom y diwrnod cyfan yn eu cwmni. Gan fod Chai yn wreiddiol o Dailand a bod Nathan wedi byw ar adegau ym Mangkok roedd ganddynt ddigonedd o 'insider knowledge' o ble i fynd er mwyn ymuno a'r dathladau. Felly, dyna le oeddem yng nghanol Bangkok, ddim yn bell o balas y brenin, yn y dorf fwya dwi wedi bod ynddi erioed - tua miliwn o fobl ym marn Nia ond dwi'n siwr bod yn dipyn yn fwy na hynny. Roedd gan pob un ohonom dwy fflag yr un - un yn fflag Thailand ar llall yn fflag melyn y brenin, a rhaid oedd chwifio rheini at y brenin pan basiodd ac nid a'ch dwylo gan nad oedd hynny y peth iawn yw wneud. Mae tipyn o brotocol yw ddilyn yma yn Asia. Wedi diwrnod hir iawn o sefyllfan a disgwl - disgwyl i weld y brenin (am dwy eiliad!) ac yna disgwyl i weld y tan gwyllt ( a oedd yn eitha da i ddweud y gwir) ac yna disgwyl i weithio ein ffordd o ganol y ddinas drwy'r dorf enfawr a chilio am tuk tuk i fynd a ni i bwyty bach ar ochr y stryd ble roedd ond y brodorwyr yn mynd yn bennaf. Gan fod Chai yn frodorwr roedd yn gallu darllen y fwydlen (a oedd yn yr iaith Thai yn unig) ac mi'r oedd yn gallu archebu y prydiau gorau - tua dwsin ohonynt i gyd, ynghyd a bowlenni o reis stici a photel o'r wisgi lleol. Cawsom wledd o fwydydd gwahanol - bwyd wirioeddol lleol na fydden ni wedi trio heb Chai a Nathan gyda ni. Hyfryd iawn, iawn. Gorffenom y noswaith gyda ymweliad i'r Saxaphone Bar am gwpwl o ddiodydd a gwrando ar fiwsig y 'Blues' wedi ei ganu gan bobl leol. Diolch yn fawr i Nathan a Chai am ddiwrnod bendigedig yn eu cwmni ac am edrych ar ein holau a dangos ochr o Fangkok na fydde ni wedi ei ddarganfod ar ben ein hunain.
Yn digwydd bod ar yr un diwrnod roedd Nathan, sy'n gweithio gyda Nia, a'i bartner Chai, ym Mangkok ar yr un pryd ac fe dreulom y diwrnod cyfan yn eu cwmni. Gan fod Chai yn wreiddiol o Dailand a bod Nathan wedi byw ar adegau ym Mangkok roedd ganddynt ddigonedd o 'insider knowledge' o ble i fynd er mwyn ymuno a'r dathladau. Felly, dyna le oeddem yng nghanol Bangkok, ddim yn bell o balas y brenin, yn y dorf fwya dwi wedi bod ynddi erioed - tua miliwn o fobl ym marn Nia ond dwi'n siwr bod yn dipyn yn fwy na hynny. Roedd gan pob un ohonom dwy fflag yr un - un yn fflag Thailand ar llall yn fflag melyn y brenin, a rhaid oedd chwifio rheini at y brenin pan basiodd ac nid a'ch dwylo gan nad oedd hynny y peth iawn yw wneud. Mae tipyn o brotocol yw ddilyn yma yn Asia. Wedi diwrnod hir iawn o sefyllfan a disgwl - disgwyl i weld y brenin (am dwy eiliad!) ac yna disgwyl i weld y tan gwyllt ( a oedd yn eitha da i ddweud y gwir) ac yna disgwyl i weithio ein ffordd o ganol y ddinas drwy'r dorf enfawr a chilio am tuk tuk i fynd a ni i bwyty bach ar ochr y stryd ble roedd ond y brodorwyr yn mynd yn bennaf. Gan fod Chai yn frodorwr roedd yn gallu darllen y fwydlen (a oedd yn yr iaith Thai yn unig) ac mi'r oedd yn gallu archebu y prydiau gorau - tua dwsin ohonynt i gyd, ynghyd a bowlenni o reis stici a photel o'r wisgi lleol. Cawsom wledd o fwydydd gwahanol - bwyd wirioeddol lleol na fydden ni wedi trio heb Chai a Nathan gyda ni. Hyfryd iawn, iawn. Gorffenom y noswaith gyda ymweliad i'r Saxaphone Bar am gwpwl o ddiodydd a gwrando ar fiwsig y 'Blues' wedi ei ganu gan bobl leol. Diolch yn fawr i Nathan a Chai am ddiwrnod bendigedig yn eu cwmni ac am edrych ar ein holau a dangos ochr o Fangkok na fydde ni wedi ei ddarganfod ar ben ein hunain.
Tacsi Rhywun?
Os roedd y siwrne o'r ffin i Siem Reap yn gyffroes yna roedd y siwrne nol i'r ffin bron yn angredadwy. Dechreuodd popeth fynd o chwith yn Siem Reap, cyn gadael y dref. Fe'r aeth Sky a ni i'r man cyfarfod ar gyfer dal y bws a oedd i fynd a ni nol i Dailand - er roedd y bws fod i'n codi o'n gwesty. Y rheswn dros hyn, mae'n troi allan, yw fod sut gymaint o fobl wedi bwcio sedd ar y bws ac erbyn i'r bws droi lan i'r man cyfarfod roedd yn barod bron yn llawn dop. Am ryw reswm roedd rhai pobl a oedd yn y man cyfarfod gyda ni yn cael cymryd yr ychydig le oedd ar ol ar y bws ond nid y rhai eraill, gyda Nia a finne yn ddau o'r rhai hynny. Mae'n troi allan fod trefnwyr y bws wedi derbyn llawer fwy o archebion am seddi nac oedd yna le ar y bws. Felly, yn hytrach na chael cynnig lle ar y bws cawsom ein tywys, gyda 3 person arall, i dacsi a oedd i fynd a'r pump ohonom, gan gynnwys ein bagiau (a cofiwch mae trafaelwyr oeddem i gyd gyda bagiau mawr) i'r ffin. Wel, ar ol i ni stwffio gymaint o fagiau a phosib i fewn i fwt y car fe drio ni weld a allem ffitio un yn y sedd flaen ger y gyrrwr (dim problem) a 4 i'r sedd gefn gyda gweddill ein bagiau!! Nes i son mae car digon cyffredin ydoedd y tacsi yma ac nid ryw 'estate' fawr neu 'people carrier' moethus. Roedd y dasg yn amhosib ... os nad oeddem am cael ein trin fel anifeiliaid fferm. Ac fe ddechreues i ddweud hynna yn blwmp ac yn blaen wrth y 'jumped up little' Hitler a oedd yn gyfrifol am bopeth. Dywedwn ni fod yna ychydig o gwmpo mas wedi digwydd cyn i mi ystyried fod angen i mi gnoi fy nhafod ychydig os yr oeddem am adael Siem Reap ar ryw adeg y bore 'ny. Yn hytrach fe gadawais y teithwyr eraill i gario ymlaen ble gadawais i hi, i ymladd am elfen o gysur i'n taith. Dwi'n siwr nad oes gair yw cael yn iaith Cambodia am cysur.
I dorri stori hir yn fyr, fe ddechreuom ar ein taith i'r ffin gyda ond 3 person yn sedd gefn y tacsi dim ond ar ol i'r pedwar ohonom a oedd yn rhannu'r tacsi gytuno i dalu dwy dolar (UDA) yr un yn fwy am y fraint o cael elfen o gysur. Nawr, dim ond punt yr un roedd rhaid i ni dalu'n ychwanegol ond oherwydd egwyddor y peth (roeddem eisioes wedi talu am ein sedd ar y bws) nid oedd yn beth rhwydd yw dderbyn a'i wneud. Ond talu gwnaethom o dan brotest ac o'r diwedd roeddem ar ein ffordd.
Dyna ddiwedd y cynwrf bydde chi'n feddwl ... o na!
Un peth da am gael mynd yn y tacsi yn lle'r bws oedd y bydde'r siwrne ddim yn mynd i gymryd 6 awr. Yn wir roedd ond dwy awr wedi mynd heibio a ninne ond tua 10 munud o'r ffin pan ddigwyddodd rhywbeth roedd y pedwar teithiwr yn y tacsi wedi bod yn gweddio am ddim i ddigwydd - cawsom deiar fflat! Dim syndod o ystyried cyflwr y ffordd a'r cyflymder gyrrwyd y car. Dim problem meddyliwch, y cwbwl sydd yw wneud yw newid y teiar. Wel yn gyntaf roedd cael y teiar fflat i ffwrdd o'r car bron a bod yn amhosib, gyda llwyddiant ond yn dod unwaith i'n cyd deithiwr o'r Almaen cynnig ychydig o cyngor synhwyrol i'r gyrrwr. Daeth y teiar fflat yn rhydd ond i ddarganfod fod y teiar sbar hefyd yn fflat. Digwydd bod, jyst ar yr adeg pan roedd pawb yn meddwl y byddai rhaid i ni gario ein bagiau a cherdded gweddill y daith i'r ffin fe basiodd rhywun mewn car gweddol moethus a oedd yn nabod gyrrwr ein tacsi a ni fuodd ein gyrrwr yn hir yn trefnu lifft i ni i'r ffin. Hwre meddyliom, mae ein lwc wedi newid ... o na!
Cyrrhaeddom y ffin yn iawn, dim problem, ac fe adawodd ein gyrrwr newydd ni allan reit wrth ymyl y swyddfa mewnfudiad. Gyda Thailand mewn golwg dechreuom feddwl ein bod wedi goroesi popeth roedd gan ffawd mewn golwg iddom y diwrnod hynny. Ond mi'r oedd yna un prawf arall iddom ymdopi a - methodd bwt y car a oedd yn cynnwys ein bagiau i gyd agor. Fe driodd y gyrrwr bopeth, fe ddaeth ei ffrind draw i drio agor y bwt hefyd ond dim llwyddiant. Rhaid oedd felly i mi fynd ar ben fy hun (fe arhosodd Nia a'r ddwy deithwraig arall ger y ffin) gyda'r gyrrwr i wilio am garej er mwyn cael sortio'r broblem. Diolch byth doedd dim rhagor o gymhlethdodau ac fe cawsom afael a'n bagiau a dianc allan o Cambodia a nol am Bangkok.
Rwyf newydd feddwl am deitl ffilm i fynd gyda'r sgript uchod ... Carry On Get Me Out of Cambodia!
I dorri stori hir yn fyr, fe ddechreuom ar ein taith i'r ffin gyda ond 3 person yn sedd gefn y tacsi dim ond ar ol i'r pedwar ohonom a oedd yn rhannu'r tacsi gytuno i dalu dwy dolar (UDA) yr un yn fwy am y fraint o cael elfen o gysur. Nawr, dim ond punt yr un roedd rhaid i ni dalu'n ychwanegol ond oherwydd egwyddor y peth (roeddem eisioes wedi talu am ein sedd ar y bws) nid oedd yn beth rhwydd yw dderbyn a'i wneud. Ond talu gwnaethom o dan brotest ac o'r diwedd roeddem ar ein ffordd.
Dyna ddiwedd y cynwrf bydde chi'n feddwl ... o na!
Un peth da am gael mynd yn y tacsi yn lle'r bws oedd y bydde'r siwrne ddim yn mynd i gymryd 6 awr. Yn wir roedd ond dwy awr wedi mynd heibio a ninne ond tua 10 munud o'r ffin pan ddigwyddodd rhywbeth roedd y pedwar teithiwr yn y tacsi wedi bod yn gweddio am ddim i ddigwydd - cawsom deiar fflat! Dim syndod o ystyried cyflwr y ffordd a'r cyflymder gyrrwyd y car. Dim problem meddyliwch, y cwbwl sydd yw wneud yw newid y teiar. Wel yn gyntaf roedd cael y teiar fflat i ffwrdd o'r car bron a bod yn amhosib, gyda llwyddiant ond yn dod unwaith i'n cyd deithiwr o'r Almaen cynnig ychydig o cyngor synhwyrol i'r gyrrwr. Daeth y teiar fflat yn rhydd ond i ddarganfod fod y teiar sbar hefyd yn fflat. Digwydd bod, jyst ar yr adeg pan roedd pawb yn meddwl y byddai rhaid i ni gario ein bagiau a cherdded gweddill y daith i'r ffin fe basiodd rhywun mewn car gweddol moethus a oedd yn nabod gyrrwr ein tacsi a ni fuodd ein gyrrwr yn hir yn trefnu lifft i ni i'r ffin. Hwre meddyliom, mae ein lwc wedi newid ... o na!
Cyrrhaeddom y ffin yn iawn, dim problem, ac fe adawodd ein gyrrwr newydd ni allan reit wrth ymyl y swyddfa mewnfudiad. Gyda Thailand mewn golwg dechreuom feddwl ein bod wedi goroesi popeth roedd gan ffawd mewn golwg iddom y diwrnod hynny. Ond mi'r oedd yna un prawf arall iddom ymdopi a - methodd bwt y car a oedd yn cynnwys ein bagiau i gyd agor. Fe driodd y gyrrwr bopeth, fe ddaeth ei ffrind draw i drio agor y bwt hefyd ond dim llwyddiant. Rhaid oedd felly i mi fynd ar ben fy hun (fe arhosodd Nia a'r ddwy deithwraig arall ger y ffin) gyda'r gyrrwr i wilio am garej er mwyn cael sortio'r broblem. Diolch byth doedd dim rhagor o gymhlethdodau ac fe cawsom afael a'n bagiau a dianc allan o Cambodia a nol am Bangkok.
Rwyf newydd feddwl am deitl ffilm i fynd gyda'r sgript uchod ... Carry On Get Me Out of Cambodia!
Tuesday, 25 December 2007
Nadolig Llawen Awstralaidd i bawb gartref o Melbourne
Nadolig Llawen Awstralaidd i bawb gartref o Melbourne.
Rydym dros hanner ffordd trwyddo'r diwrnod yma a chithe ond megis cychwyn ond mi'r ydym wedi cael brecwast mawr ffantastig gyda Rhiannon a Jamie, cael mynd am dro hyfryd ar hyd y traeth o Brighton i St kildas a nol, cinio bendigedig gan Eifion o wstrys (oysters) a cimwch (lobster) a chwrw oer a byddwn yn mynd nol i Rhiannon a Jamie cyn hir am ginio Nadolig hwyr. Rydym wedi cael Dolig gret mor belled a gobeithio y gewch chi gyd yr un fath nol adre.
Gyda llaw, jyst rhag ofn bod rhai ohonoch yn meddwl beth yw'r tywydd fel yma, mae Nia a finne wedi dal haul bore 'ma ar ein wac ar hyd y traeth ... mae'n fendigedig ac rydym yn edrych fel dau Rudolff bach.
Rydym dros hanner ffordd trwyddo'r diwrnod yma a chithe ond megis cychwyn ond mi'r ydym wedi cael brecwast mawr ffantastig gyda Rhiannon a Jamie, cael mynd am dro hyfryd ar hyd y traeth o Brighton i St kildas a nol, cinio bendigedig gan Eifion o wstrys (oysters) a cimwch (lobster) a chwrw oer a byddwn yn mynd nol i Rhiannon a Jamie cyn hir am ginio Nadolig hwyr. Rydym wedi cael Dolig gret mor belled a gobeithio y gewch chi gyd yr un fath nol adre.
Gyda llaw, jyst rhag ofn bod rhai ohonoch yn meddwl beth yw'r tywydd fel yma, mae Nia a finne wedi dal haul bore 'ma ar ein wac ar hyd y traeth ... mae'n fendigedig ac rydym yn edrych fel dau Rudolff bach.
HAVE YOURSELVES A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS
While you're all still tucked up in bed fast asleep, we'd like to wish you all a wonderful and peaceful Christmas and very best wishes for the New Year.
It is late afternoon here and we started our day with breakfast with Marc's family, followed by a sunny walk on the Melbourne beaches before dining like kings on lobster and oysters, washed down by a couple of tinnies !
Thanks to all of you for your Christmas cards and good wishes, and yes, the blog will return very shortly, as soon as my RSI has subsided.
Hope Santa brings you what you always wanted ...
It is late afternoon here and we started our day with breakfast with Marc's family, followed by a sunny walk on the Melbourne beaches before dining like kings on lobster and oysters, washed down by a couple of tinnies !
Thanks to all of you for your Christmas cards and good wishes, and yes, the blog will return very shortly, as soon as my RSI has subsided.
Hope Santa brings you what you always wanted ...
Sunday, 16 December 2007
Thursday, 13 December 2007
Teml Angkor Wat ar gweddill
Wow, beth yw hyn? 3 blog mewn 4 diwrnod gan Richards - beth sy'n bod ag ef. Wel yr ateb yw dwi wedi cael rhai dyddiau ychydig fwy hamddenol a nid yw'r deithlen (itinerary) wedi bod mor fishi. A hefyd mae gwaith dal lan gyda fi achos fod swoti pants Ifans reit 'up-to-date'.
Ar ol gadael Laos roedd hi'n cwic dash i Nang Kong (ble cawsom ni pryd bach hyfryd arall o fwyd Fietnam) er mwyn dal tren dros nos am Bangkok. Gadael am 6 yr hwyr a chyrraedd 6 y bore gyda ychydig o gwsg er fod bobi wely ar gael iddom. Cysgodd Nia fel babi gan iddi gael y bync gwaelod! Dwy awr ar ol cyrraedd roeddem ar fws i Siem Reap, Cambodia. Ges i lot fwy o gwsg ar y bws i'r ffin a Chambodia na ges i ar y "sleeper" tren. Wedi'r rigmarol o cael fisa i Cambodia a fynd drwy'r imigresion cawsom ein tywys ar fws oedd wedi mynd rownd y clock ddwy waith yn barod cyn i dad cael ei eni! Ac os oedd hynny ddim yn digon drwg, wel dylech chi weld y ffyrdd - a dwi'n defnyddio'r term ffyrdd yn rhydd iawn yma. 'Dirt track' caled llawn tyllau mawr oeddynt ac fe gymherodd hi dros 6 awr yn y 'heap of junk' roeddent yn ei alw yn fws i deithio'r 150km i Siem Reap. Nawr gallwch weithio allan pa mor gloi roeddem yn ei drafaelu! Ac i wneud pethach yn wath byth eto, nid oedd drws y bws yn gallu cau ac felly erbyn i ni gyrraedd roedd pawb gan gynnwys ein bagio wedi eu orchuddio gan y dwst coch y ffordd - roedd y dwst ym mhob man. Dwi wedi son gymaint a phosib am yr elfen yma o'r daith fel fod pawb gartref yn gallu cymryd bach o gysur nad yw popeth yn fel i ni yma ochr hyn y byd ... ond mae bron a bod ddo. (Sori ond dwi ddim yn gwybod sut mae cael 'to' ar ben llythyrau wrth ddefnyddio bysedd fwrdd Thailand felly bydd rhaid i chi fod yn amyneddgar gyda'r sillafu.)
Ta beth am y siwrne, y rheswm am fynd i Siem Reap yw mae yma yw man yr Wythfed Ryfeddod y Byd. Dyma lle mae Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Ta Phrom a gweddill yr holl demlau sy'n gwneud yr ardal yma yn un pwysig ac arbennig. Ac mi'r oeddent yn arbennig dros ben. Cawsom ddau ddiwrnod o cael ein tywys o'u cwmpas yn mwynhau pob munud ac yn tynnu lluniau fel petai yn mynd allan o ffasiwn. Gwnes i hyd yn oed fwynhau gweld yr haul yn codi yn Angkor Wat er roedd rhaid codi am 5 y.b. (ie, da chi heb ddarllen yn anghywir - 5 y.b. ydoedd hi) er i ni fod yna llai na 12 awr cynt yn gwylio'r haul yn machlud. Dwi'n cytuno gyda Nia mae Angkor Tom, gyda'i teml Bayon, Terrace of the Elephants, Terrace of the Lepers ynghyd ac eraill oedd fy ffefryn. Roedd y cwbwl i gyda yn brofiad a hanner.
Ar ol gadael Laos roedd hi'n cwic dash i Nang Kong (ble cawsom ni pryd bach hyfryd arall o fwyd Fietnam) er mwyn dal tren dros nos am Bangkok. Gadael am 6 yr hwyr a chyrraedd 6 y bore gyda ychydig o gwsg er fod bobi wely ar gael iddom. Cysgodd Nia fel babi gan iddi gael y bync gwaelod! Dwy awr ar ol cyrraedd roeddem ar fws i Siem Reap, Cambodia. Ges i lot fwy o gwsg ar y bws i'r ffin a Chambodia na ges i ar y "sleeper" tren. Wedi'r rigmarol o cael fisa i Cambodia a fynd drwy'r imigresion cawsom ein tywys ar fws oedd wedi mynd rownd y clock ddwy waith yn barod cyn i dad cael ei eni! Ac os oedd hynny ddim yn digon drwg, wel dylech chi weld y ffyrdd - a dwi'n defnyddio'r term ffyrdd yn rhydd iawn yma. 'Dirt track' caled llawn tyllau mawr oeddynt ac fe gymherodd hi dros 6 awr yn y 'heap of junk' roeddent yn ei alw yn fws i deithio'r 150km i Siem Reap. Nawr gallwch weithio allan pa mor gloi roeddem yn ei drafaelu! Ac i wneud pethach yn wath byth eto, nid oedd drws y bws yn gallu cau ac felly erbyn i ni gyrraedd roedd pawb gan gynnwys ein bagio wedi eu orchuddio gan y dwst coch y ffordd - roedd y dwst ym mhob man. Dwi wedi son gymaint a phosib am yr elfen yma o'r daith fel fod pawb gartref yn gallu cymryd bach o gysur nad yw popeth yn fel i ni yma ochr hyn y byd ... ond mae bron a bod ddo. (Sori ond dwi ddim yn gwybod sut mae cael 'to' ar ben llythyrau wrth ddefnyddio bysedd fwrdd Thailand felly bydd rhaid i chi fod yn amyneddgar gyda'r sillafu.)
Ta beth am y siwrne, y rheswm am fynd i Siem Reap yw mae yma yw man yr Wythfed Ryfeddod y Byd. Dyma lle mae Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Ta Phrom a gweddill yr holl demlau sy'n gwneud yr ardal yma yn un pwysig ac arbennig. Ac mi'r oeddent yn arbennig dros ben. Cawsom ddau ddiwrnod o cael ein tywys o'u cwmpas yn mwynhau pob munud ac yn tynnu lluniau fel petai yn mynd allan o ffasiwn. Gwnes i hyd yn oed fwynhau gweld yr haul yn codi yn Angkor Wat er roedd rhaid codi am 5 y.b. (ie, da chi heb ddarllen yn anghywir - 5 y.b. ydoedd hi) er i ni fod yna llai na 12 awr cynt yn gwylio'r haul yn machlud. Dwi'n cytuno gyda Nia mae Angkor Tom, gyda'i teml Bayon, Terrace of the Elephants, Terrace of the Lepers ynghyd ac eraill oedd fy ffefryn. Roedd y cwbwl i gyda yn brofiad a hanner.
Wednesday, 12 December 2007
PS - Asia Smiley Moments
- The dog on the platform at Nang Kong that had been fast asleep for 2 hours. When the National Anthem came across the tannoy at six o'clock prompt, he stood to attention like everyone else, howled loudly all the way through it, then left.
- The monk waiting for a bus at Vientiene, resplendent in saffron robes and designer sunglasses, enjoying a fag. His pleasure was interrupted when his mobile started to play Auld Lang Syne.
- The Thai tourguide in Chiang Mai. When he opened his mouth to speak, out came the broadest Cockney accent we've heard since Frank Butcher left Eastenders. He'd never lived in London, but I'm nominating him for Pearly King when I get home. Marc reckons he's watched The Italian Job one too many times.
Laos, Comiwnyddiaeth a Tiwbio (Rhan 2)
Wedi Luang Praban, tro Vang Viene ydoedd hi ac ni all VV fod yn fwy wahanol i LP. Yr unig beth yn gyffredin roedd ganddynt oedd y ffaith fod y wlad o'u cwmpas mor brydferth. O'r cyfan gwelom ni o Laos y mae'n wlad heb ei sbwlio a ble mae dyn o hyd yn cydfyw a natur. Mae ganddi ei mynyddoedd a'i chymoedd a'i choedwigoedd jyst fel Cymru ond nid yw cweit mor wyrdd - fwy o gyfuniad o felyn a gwyrdd.
Yn VV roedd y dref wedi ei amgylchynu gan olygfeydd dramatig o greigiau 'Karst'. Creigiau calchfeini ydynt wedi ei herydu gan law. Cefais y fraint o drafaelu drwyddynt wrth fynd ar diwb mawr rwber i lawr yr afon Nam Song. Ond i fod yn hollol onest, nid yr olygfa oedd y prif nod y daith ar y tiwb rwber 'ma. Gwir pwrpas y tiwb oedd symud i lawr yr afon, yn reit hamddenol, ac aros bob hyn a hyn wrth ymyl far am ddiod neu ddau. Yn ogystal a'r cwrw ac er mwyn cystadlu yn erbyn eu gilydd, byddau gan bron bob far swing mawr ble byddai pawb yn dringo i fyny i lwyfan (wedi ei wneud o fambw) cyn neidio i ffwrdd ar rhaff fawr a hedfan drwy'r awyr cyn gadael fynd a chwympo i fewn i'r afon islaw. Llawer iawn o sbort! Er mwyn cadw fy 'Tarzan act' i fyny, rhaid oedd, wrth gwrs, neidio oddi ar bron pob swing oedd ar gael. Nes i ddweud gymaint o sbort ydoedd? Roedd mor dda, fe wnes i ei ail wneud y diwrnod canlynol.
Yn y dref ei hunan, nid oedd ryw lawer i wneud heblaw am orweddach, ie gorwedd, mewn barau a gwylio pennawdau o'r rhaglen 'Friends' un ar ol y llall ... drwy'r dydd! Ar ein llw, a dwi yn cyfadde ein bod ni'n dau yn ffan mawr o 'Friends', ond ni wnaethom wylio'r un bennod. Ac os oeddech yn dod ar ddraws bar nad oedd yn dangos 'Friends' yna byddau 'Sex in the City' yn cael ei ddarlledi. Roedd bod yn VV yn syril reit - methu a chredu ein bod yn Laos ar adegau - roedd yn teimlo fwy fel Ibiza neu Aya Napa. Ond jyst fel roeddem yn amau ein bod yn Laos fe ddigwyddodd rhywbeth gwnaeth gadarnhau ein bod yn wirioneddol yno. Ar un achlysur aethom gyda chriw o deithwyr eraill draw i'r ynys fach yng nghanol yr afon am ddiod tawel gyda'r hwyr (bar bach agored ydoedd heb ddim teledu yn agos). Yn fuan wedi i ni cael ein diod fe caewyd y bar gan ei bod yn hanner i ganol nos (amser cau arferol yn Laos). Nid oedd hyn yn ein poeni gan ein bod ni gyd yn cymdeithasu'n ac yn cael hwyl yng nghwmni'n gilydd ger coelcerth fawr. Roedd yna griw arall yr ochr draw i'r goelcerth ac roedd pawb yn ddigon hapus. Hapus hynny yw tan i griw o ddieithriaid droi fyny a jyst sefyll wrth ein hymyl. Pan dwi'n dweud dieithriaid mwy fel y 'local militia' oeddent. Pobl lleol, aelodau o'r Parti, wedi dod i sicrhau ein bod yn dychwelyd yn brydlon i'n gwelau cyn gynted ac sy'n bosib. Araf roeddem i ddeall y neges ond unwaith i ni sylwi beth oedd yn digwydd ni wnaethom hongian ogwmpas yn hir ac off a ni am ein gwestai gyda'r 'militia' yn ein dilyn. Nid oedd yna unrhyw problem yn dilyn y digwyddiad ond mi'r oedd yn atgof o'r ffaith ein bod mewn wlad gomiwnyddol, ble roedd Y Parti yn rheoli bron popeth - hyd yn oed yr amser roedd pawb i fynd yw gwelau!
Pen ein taith yn Laos oedd y brifddinas Vientiene. Efallai y brif ddinas mwyaf 'laid back' yn y byd ble roedd popeth yn mynd yn ei flaen yn hamddenol reit. Ymwelon ni a fersiwn Laos o'r Champs Elysees, roedd Laos gynt o dan rheolaeth Ffrainc ac mi'r oedd yno lawer o ddylanwadau Ffrengig, a hefyd Phat That Luang sef teml mwyaf pwysig Laos. Hefyd, cawsom ein pryd cyntaf mewn bwyty Fietnamaidd. Bwty syml ydoedd ac fe ddysgom mai 'Spring Rolls' yw bwyd cenedlaethol Fietnam a finne bob tro wedi meddwl mae bwyd Tsieiniaidd ydoedd ('da ni'n dysgu rhywbeth newydd bob dydd). Rhiad oedd cael gwers o'r weinyddes (heb fawr o Saesneg) i'n dangos beth i wneud a'r holl fwyd o'n blaenau ond mi'r oedd popeth yn flasus dros ben.
Yn anffodus daeth ein hamser yn Laos i ben yn llawer rhy gloi a ninnau ond wedi megis crafu wyneb y wlad. Mwynheuon pob munud o'n taith yn y wlad fach hyfryd yma - hyd yn oed pan cawsom ein hebrwng i'n gwelau gan swyddogion Y Parti. Hyfryd oedd gweld gwlad sydd prin wedi ei datblygu ond oherwydd hyn tlawd iawn yw'r pobl. Er eu tlodi roedd yn fraint cael cwrdd a chymaint o fobl oedd yn edrych yn hapus gyda'u byd, gwen parod ar eu gwynebau a pharod eu cymwynas. Yn ogystal a hyn, braf oedd cael cwrdd a gwneud ffrindiau a chymaint o deithwyr eraill wrth i ni deithio gyda hwy drwy Laos: Thomas o'r Swistir, Martha o'r Ffindir, Maria ac Evelina o Sweden a chael cwrdd eto a'r criw trecio o Chiang Mai - Gibbo, Katie, Mezza a Scott.
Yn VV roedd y dref wedi ei amgylchynu gan olygfeydd dramatig o greigiau 'Karst'. Creigiau calchfeini ydynt wedi ei herydu gan law. Cefais y fraint o drafaelu drwyddynt wrth fynd ar diwb mawr rwber i lawr yr afon Nam Song. Ond i fod yn hollol onest, nid yr olygfa oedd y prif nod y daith ar y tiwb rwber 'ma. Gwir pwrpas y tiwb oedd symud i lawr yr afon, yn reit hamddenol, ac aros bob hyn a hyn wrth ymyl far am ddiod neu ddau. Yn ogystal a'r cwrw ac er mwyn cystadlu yn erbyn eu gilydd, byddau gan bron bob far swing mawr ble byddai pawb yn dringo i fyny i lwyfan (wedi ei wneud o fambw) cyn neidio i ffwrdd ar rhaff fawr a hedfan drwy'r awyr cyn gadael fynd a chwympo i fewn i'r afon islaw. Llawer iawn o sbort! Er mwyn cadw fy 'Tarzan act' i fyny, rhaid oedd, wrth gwrs, neidio oddi ar bron pob swing oedd ar gael. Nes i ddweud gymaint o sbort ydoedd? Roedd mor dda, fe wnes i ei ail wneud y diwrnod canlynol.
Yn y dref ei hunan, nid oedd ryw lawer i wneud heblaw am orweddach, ie gorwedd, mewn barau a gwylio pennawdau o'r rhaglen 'Friends' un ar ol y llall ... drwy'r dydd! Ar ein llw, a dwi yn cyfadde ein bod ni'n dau yn ffan mawr o 'Friends', ond ni wnaethom wylio'r un bennod. Ac os oeddech yn dod ar ddraws bar nad oedd yn dangos 'Friends' yna byddau 'Sex in the City' yn cael ei ddarlledi. Roedd bod yn VV yn syril reit - methu a chredu ein bod yn Laos ar adegau - roedd yn teimlo fwy fel Ibiza neu Aya Napa. Ond jyst fel roeddem yn amau ein bod yn Laos fe ddigwyddodd rhywbeth gwnaeth gadarnhau ein bod yn wirioneddol yno. Ar un achlysur aethom gyda chriw o deithwyr eraill draw i'r ynys fach yng nghanol yr afon am ddiod tawel gyda'r hwyr (bar bach agored ydoedd heb ddim teledu yn agos). Yn fuan wedi i ni cael ein diod fe caewyd y bar gan ei bod yn hanner i ganol nos (amser cau arferol yn Laos). Nid oedd hyn yn ein poeni gan ein bod ni gyd yn cymdeithasu'n ac yn cael hwyl yng nghwmni'n gilydd ger coelcerth fawr. Roedd yna griw arall yr ochr draw i'r goelcerth ac roedd pawb yn ddigon hapus. Hapus hynny yw tan i griw o ddieithriaid droi fyny a jyst sefyll wrth ein hymyl. Pan dwi'n dweud dieithriaid mwy fel y 'local militia' oeddent. Pobl lleol, aelodau o'r Parti, wedi dod i sicrhau ein bod yn dychwelyd yn brydlon i'n gwelau cyn gynted ac sy'n bosib. Araf roeddem i ddeall y neges ond unwaith i ni sylwi beth oedd yn digwydd ni wnaethom hongian ogwmpas yn hir ac off a ni am ein gwestai gyda'r 'militia' yn ein dilyn. Nid oedd yna unrhyw problem yn dilyn y digwyddiad ond mi'r oedd yn atgof o'r ffaith ein bod mewn wlad gomiwnyddol, ble roedd Y Parti yn rheoli bron popeth - hyd yn oed yr amser roedd pawb i fynd yw gwelau!
Pen ein taith yn Laos oedd y brifddinas Vientiene. Efallai y brif ddinas mwyaf 'laid back' yn y byd ble roedd popeth yn mynd yn ei flaen yn hamddenol reit. Ymwelon ni a fersiwn Laos o'r Champs Elysees, roedd Laos gynt o dan rheolaeth Ffrainc ac mi'r oedd yno lawer o ddylanwadau Ffrengig, a hefyd Phat That Luang sef teml mwyaf pwysig Laos. Hefyd, cawsom ein pryd cyntaf mewn bwyty Fietnamaidd. Bwty syml ydoedd ac fe ddysgom mai 'Spring Rolls' yw bwyd cenedlaethol Fietnam a finne bob tro wedi meddwl mae bwyd Tsieiniaidd ydoedd ('da ni'n dysgu rhywbeth newydd bob dydd). Rhiad oedd cael gwers o'r weinyddes (heb fawr o Saesneg) i'n dangos beth i wneud a'r holl fwyd o'n blaenau ond mi'r oedd popeth yn flasus dros ben.
Yn anffodus daeth ein hamser yn Laos i ben yn llawer rhy gloi a ninnau ond wedi megis crafu wyneb y wlad. Mwynheuon pob munud o'n taith yn y wlad fach hyfryd yma - hyd yn oed pan cawsom ein hebrwng i'n gwelau gan swyddogion Y Parti. Hyfryd oedd gweld gwlad sydd prin wedi ei datblygu ond oherwydd hyn tlawd iawn yw'r pobl. Er eu tlodi roedd yn fraint cael cwrdd a chymaint o fobl oedd yn edrych yn hapus gyda'u byd, gwen parod ar eu gwynebau a pharod eu cymwynas. Yn ogystal a hyn, braf oedd cael cwrdd a gwneud ffrindiau a chymaint o deithwyr eraill wrth i ni deithio gyda hwy drwy Laos: Thomas o'r Swistir, Martha o'r Ffindir, Maria ac Evelina o Sweden a chael cwrdd eto a'r criw trecio o Chiang Mai - Gibbo, Katie, Mezza a Scott.
Monday, 10 December 2007
Bangkok, Auytthaya and Kanchanaburi
Well it's our last week in Asia before we descend on unwitting friends and family in Australia for Christmas and the New Year.
We came back to Bangkok on 5th December in time for the King's 80th Birthday celebrations and spent the day with Nathan and Chai. After lunch and the crazy shopping experience known as the MBC Centre, we made our way down to the Grand Palace and joined another million people gathered on the streets in party mood. It was a huge sea of yellow t-shirts and Thai flags, bands and processions and it was just about impossible to move. We waited a couple of hours for a glimpse of the King as he and the Queen sped past on their way to the Temple. Protocol dictates that it is inappropriate to wave directly at the King but it is OK to wave flags and as the crowd saw the cavalcade approaching on the huge screens by the side of the road, there was some pretty serious flag waving and cheering. It took us about 2 hours to move about 50 yards to a good spot to see the fireworks and we waited another couple of hours for them to start. It was definately not the place for anyone claustrophobic or not keen on crowds, but I felt quite privileged to be a part of such a significant and sincere celebration. We eventually managed to get away, the four of us stuffed into the back of a tuk-tuk and had a superb meal cooked al-fresco on the street where Chai ordered about 26 different dishes between us. The evening ended with a couple of drinks in a club that was playing live jazz - I thought I'd spotted John Davis sat in the corner with a glass of red wine in hand, foot tapping at one point, but the person had gone when I went over. Has anyone seen him lately? It was a great day out - thanks guys.
Auytthaya was the ancient capital of Thailand until it fell at the hands of the Burmese in the late 18th Century. It is a city built on an island, encircled by three rivers and it is scattered with ruins and not-so-ruined strutures dating back to its halcyon days as a vital port, when it traded with the four corners of the world. At that time, over a million people lived there, compared to 90,000 today and it was known to many as the most illustrious city in the world. Only a matter of minutes after arriving in town, we found ourselves at the centre of preparations for a huge procession which was part of the annual Auytthaya Heritage Festival. There were thousands of people in the procession and it was a riot of colour and sound with paragliders circling ahead. Heading the line-up were 12 elephants, adorned in red and gold finery, complete with stick-on tusk extensions. We were the only people on the streets, everyone else was in the procession and Marc was like some BBC foreign correspondent, taking photos of everything and everyone, who were only too happy to pose, wave and dance for him. I had national flags thrust into my hands and did some patriotic waving from time to time to the delight of the carnival. The party carried on until the small hours but we didn't as we were absolutely exhausted from the heat. This week has been the hottest of the trip so far, we guess that it's been in the mid 30's all week. We spent the second day walking around the city with our copy of Lonely Planet, picking out the recommended sights and finished the day with a Vietnamese meal (a lot of this blog is about food isn't it).
Kanchanaburi was our next stop. It is the location of the Bridge Over the River Kwai and we walked over it to the strains of We Wish You a Merry Christmas in the background. There is a narrow steelplate footpath down the centre of the bridge, just wide enough for 2 people to pass, back-to-back. Just crossing the bridge was enough to concentrate on, then we heard the whistle of an approaching train and had to stand with others on a small passing-place platform on the edge of the bridge and wait for it to pass. As was becoming a habit by now, there was a festival in town and that evening there was a light and sound show on the bridge re-enacting the story of the bridge and its bombing by the Allied Forces. After a very slow and quiet start, the show literally exploded into action, with thunderous fireworks that shook you to the core. There were people on fire jumping off the bridge into the water below - I thought that they must have been dummies, but you could see them swimming ashore afterwards. There were those big bamboo watch-towers that you always see in war-films, exploding in flames and crashing into the water, great big chunks of 'bridge' fell into the river - it carried on for ages. It all finished to the sound of the famous Bridge Over The River Kwai film theme, which I had been whistling as I crossed the bridge earlier on.
On our second day we went to visit the Kanchanaburi Allied Forces War Cemetery that is the final resting place of nearly 7ooo British, Dutch, Australian, New Zealand and Canadian Prisoners of War along with 300 unknown soldiers who perished from starvation, disease, physical abuse or just sheer overwork at the hands of their captors during the construction of the infamous Death Railway. Another 6000 lie in two cemeteries along the railway, but there are no such resting places for the 100,000 Asian Forced-Labourers who died alongside the Allied Prisoners. The American soldiers were repatriated after the war. The cemetery is very serene and immaculately kept and people walk silently up and down the rows, reading the moving inscriptions on the stones from families far away. We laid flowers on the stone of T.Davies, Bombadier with the Royal Artillery, one of four stones we found within a short time that had Welsh inscriptions.
We had a bit of exercise on the third day in the Erawan National Park with a short trek to the 7-tiered Erawan waterfall and its clear blue pools. The National Park operates an excellent system to stop litter being left in the park. Any plastic drinking bottles taken into the park have to be 'registered' at the bottom of the track. The bottle is numbered and a book is completed with a name and nationality against each bottle and a 10 baht deposit paid. When you return at the end of the day, you take your bottle back to be recycled and you get your 10 bahts back otherwise you are named and shamed. Simple eh? We walked on paths through jungle to the top level and saw a troop of monkeys swinging above us in the trees. We had been warned earlier on that monkeys may try to run off with trekkers' possessions, so we made sure that ours were tied to trees when we went swimming in pools where the fish nibbled at our arms and legs - a very weird feeling.
That afternoon we went to see the Death Railway Hellfire Pass where POW's had excavated a long cutting through solid rock and we walked along the original rail sleepers. In some places the cutting is 25 metres deep and every bit was cut by hand by men working shifts of 18 hours, day and night while being beaten mercilessly. There was also an excellent museum where, like everyone else there, we walked around in complete silence, appalled by what we were reading and seeing. The day ended with a journey on the railway. The Allied Forces disabled the railway by removing some sections as did the Thai Railway years later but 130 miles out of the original 300 are still in use today. "A Life for Every Sleeper".
And today sees us back in Bangkok, doing essential things like confirming our flights out to Australia tomorrow and getting all our washing done properly in a machine for a change, instead of being trampled in the shower - I hope they don't mix the coloureds and the whites.
Thanks to everyone who has read the blog and posted messages and to those who have sent e-mails saying that you're enjoying it - it encourages us to do a bit more. And if you haven't posted a message yet - what are you waiting for?
See you in Oz ...
We came back to Bangkok on 5th December in time for the King's 80th Birthday celebrations and spent the day with Nathan and Chai. After lunch and the crazy shopping experience known as the MBC Centre, we made our way down to the Grand Palace and joined another million people gathered on the streets in party mood. It was a huge sea of yellow t-shirts and Thai flags, bands and processions and it was just about impossible to move. We waited a couple of hours for a glimpse of the King as he and the Queen sped past on their way to the Temple. Protocol dictates that it is inappropriate to wave directly at the King but it is OK to wave flags and as the crowd saw the cavalcade approaching on the huge screens by the side of the road, there was some pretty serious flag waving and cheering. It took us about 2 hours to move about 50 yards to a good spot to see the fireworks and we waited another couple of hours for them to start. It was definately not the place for anyone claustrophobic or not keen on crowds, but I felt quite privileged to be a part of such a significant and sincere celebration. We eventually managed to get away, the four of us stuffed into the back of a tuk-tuk and had a superb meal cooked al-fresco on the street where Chai ordered about 26 different dishes between us. The evening ended with a couple of drinks in a club that was playing live jazz - I thought I'd spotted John Davis sat in the corner with a glass of red wine in hand, foot tapping at one point, but the person had gone when I went over. Has anyone seen him lately? It was a great day out - thanks guys.
Auytthaya was the ancient capital of Thailand until it fell at the hands of the Burmese in the late 18th Century. It is a city built on an island, encircled by three rivers and it is scattered with ruins and not-so-ruined strutures dating back to its halcyon days as a vital port, when it traded with the four corners of the world. At that time, over a million people lived there, compared to 90,000 today and it was known to many as the most illustrious city in the world. Only a matter of minutes after arriving in town, we found ourselves at the centre of preparations for a huge procession which was part of the annual Auytthaya Heritage Festival. There were thousands of people in the procession and it was a riot of colour and sound with paragliders circling ahead. Heading the line-up were 12 elephants, adorned in red and gold finery, complete with stick-on tusk extensions. We were the only people on the streets, everyone else was in the procession and Marc was like some BBC foreign correspondent, taking photos of everything and everyone, who were only too happy to pose, wave and dance for him. I had national flags thrust into my hands and did some patriotic waving from time to time to the delight of the carnival. The party carried on until the small hours but we didn't as we were absolutely exhausted from the heat. This week has been the hottest of the trip so far, we guess that it's been in the mid 30's all week. We spent the second day walking around the city with our copy of Lonely Planet, picking out the recommended sights and finished the day with a Vietnamese meal (a lot of this blog is about food isn't it).
Kanchanaburi was our next stop. It is the location of the Bridge Over the River Kwai and we walked over it to the strains of We Wish You a Merry Christmas in the background. There is a narrow steelplate footpath down the centre of the bridge, just wide enough for 2 people to pass, back-to-back. Just crossing the bridge was enough to concentrate on, then we heard the whistle of an approaching train and had to stand with others on a small passing-place platform on the edge of the bridge and wait for it to pass. As was becoming a habit by now, there was a festival in town and that evening there was a light and sound show on the bridge re-enacting the story of the bridge and its bombing by the Allied Forces. After a very slow and quiet start, the show literally exploded into action, with thunderous fireworks that shook you to the core. There were people on fire jumping off the bridge into the water below - I thought that they must have been dummies, but you could see them swimming ashore afterwards. There were those big bamboo watch-towers that you always see in war-films, exploding in flames and crashing into the water, great big chunks of 'bridge' fell into the river - it carried on for ages. It all finished to the sound of the famous Bridge Over The River Kwai film theme, which I had been whistling as I crossed the bridge earlier on.
On our second day we went to visit the Kanchanaburi Allied Forces War Cemetery that is the final resting place of nearly 7ooo British, Dutch, Australian, New Zealand and Canadian Prisoners of War along with 300 unknown soldiers who perished from starvation, disease, physical abuse or just sheer overwork at the hands of their captors during the construction of the infamous Death Railway. Another 6000 lie in two cemeteries along the railway, but there are no such resting places for the 100,000 Asian Forced-Labourers who died alongside the Allied Prisoners. The American soldiers were repatriated after the war. The cemetery is very serene and immaculately kept and people walk silently up and down the rows, reading the moving inscriptions on the stones from families far away. We laid flowers on the stone of T.Davies, Bombadier with the Royal Artillery, one of four stones we found within a short time that had Welsh inscriptions.
We had a bit of exercise on the third day in the Erawan National Park with a short trek to the 7-tiered Erawan waterfall and its clear blue pools. The National Park operates an excellent system to stop litter being left in the park. Any plastic drinking bottles taken into the park have to be 'registered' at the bottom of the track. The bottle is numbered and a book is completed with a name and nationality against each bottle and a 10 baht deposit paid. When you return at the end of the day, you take your bottle back to be recycled and you get your 10 bahts back otherwise you are named and shamed. Simple eh? We walked on paths through jungle to the top level and saw a troop of monkeys swinging above us in the trees. We had been warned earlier on that monkeys may try to run off with trekkers' possessions, so we made sure that ours were tied to trees when we went swimming in pools where the fish nibbled at our arms and legs - a very weird feeling.
That afternoon we went to see the Death Railway Hellfire Pass where POW's had excavated a long cutting through solid rock and we walked along the original rail sleepers. In some places the cutting is 25 metres deep and every bit was cut by hand by men working shifts of 18 hours, day and night while being beaten mercilessly. There was also an excellent museum where, like everyone else there, we walked around in complete silence, appalled by what we were reading and seeing. The day ended with a journey on the railway. The Allied Forces disabled the railway by removing some sections as did the Thai Railway years later but 130 miles out of the original 300 are still in use today. "A Life for Every Sleeper".
And today sees us back in Bangkok, doing essential things like confirming our flights out to Australia tomorrow and getting all our washing done properly in a machine for a change, instead of being trampled in the shower - I hope they don't mix the coloureds and the whites.
Thanks to everyone who has read the blog and posted messages and to those who have sent e-mails saying that you're enjoying it - it encourages us to do a bit more. And if you haven't posted a message yet - what are you waiting for?
See you in Oz ...
Laos, Comiwnyddiaeth a Tiwbio
Pen y daith hir ond hyfryd ar hyd y Mekong oedd dinas hynafol Luang Prabang. Hen brifddinas Laos yw LP, dinas hyfryd dros ben ac mae'r ddau ohonom wedi penderfynnu yn barod y byddwn yn mynd nol rhyw ddiwrnod (yn fuan gobeithio) gan mae ond cwpwl o nosweithiau roedd gyda ni yno. Wedi i ni gyrraedd fe aethom allan am bryd o fwyd ac yn gorffen lan yn bwyta ar y stryd gyda torf o deithwyr eraill. Roedd yna deulu o weithwyr yn cynnig gymaint ac y gallwch roi ar eich plat a gyda photel o Beer Lao costiodd popeth ond punt iddom. Pobl cyfeillgar iawn yw pobl Laos ac er mor dlawd yr oeddent nid oedd neb yn eich gwyneb yn gwerthu'u nwyddau. Roedd y farchnad yn cynnig nwyddau a chrefftau roedd y brodorion wedi gwneud ei hunain o'r safon uchaf ac roedd popeth mor lliwgar. Os un peth yn unig byddaf yn cofio o Laos yna lliwiau ffantastig y farchnad bydd hynny. Roeddem am brynnu popeth ond yn anffodus nid oedd hynny yn bosib. Pan ddown ni yn ol byddwn yn dod gyda bobi 'suitcase' gwag i'w llanw.
Tra yn LP euthom i weld Rhaeadr Quang Si - prydferth iawn gyda'i dwr lliw glas tyrcwais. Cefais gyfle i ymestun fy rhan fel Tarzan wrth swingo ar raff o dop goeden i fewn i'r pwll oer o danaf - llawer o hwyl. Ond y ser y sioe oedd Phet y teigr a chriw o eirth bach du (Asiatic Moon Bears). Roeddent i gyd wedi eu achub o grafangau potswyr - Phet pan oedd ond yn 4 diwrnod oed. Roedd yn brofiad anhygoel gweld y teigr yma yn gorwedd yn hamddenol reit ond cwpwl o lathenni ohonom gyda'g ond ffens weiar cyffredin rhyngddom (un uchel iawn diolch byth - doedd gennyf ddim chwant fod yn agosach er pa mor hyfryd a thawel roedd Phet i'w weld). A chawsom dipyn o hwyl yn gwylio'r eirth yn chwarae gyda hen deiars neu yn dringo yn y coed neu ond yn cysgu ar lwyfan gyda un choes yn hongian i lawr.
Un o'r pethau cyntaf i ni sylwi roedd yn wahanol yn Laos wrth gymharu a Thailand oedd y cyflymder roedd pawb yn ei drafaelu ar y ffyrdd. Ychydig iawn o geir oedd yno o gymharu ac adref ond roedd digonedd o scwters a tuk tuks a phawb yn trafaelu mor araf ... na, yn fwy hamddenol yn well ffordd o'i ddisgrifio. Doedd pryn neb yn trafaelu yn gyflymach na 20 milltir yr awr a oedd yn help i rhoi'r argraff hamddenol iawn o LP a phob man arall yn Laos yr oeddwn wedi aros yno.
Elfen ffres arall daethom ar ei draws yn Laos oedd yr angen i fod nol yn ein gwesty cyn hanner nos. Dyma rhan o fywyd yn y wlad gominyddol yma. Mae Laos yn un o ond 5 gwlad yn y byd bellach sydd o dan reolaeth comiwnyddol (Tsieina, Gogledd Korea, Cuba a Vietnam yw'r 4 arall). Fel yr oeddwn yn teithio o un ardal i'r llall rhaid oedd i'r bws roeddem yn trafaelu ynddo adrodd i'r awdurdodau yng nghyntaf gan fynd heibio ei mannau gwirio. Roedd hyd yn oed yr angen i ni adrodd i'r awdurdodau pan roeddem ond yn gadael tref er mwyn ymweld a man cyfagos. Ond doedd dim byd 'sinister' am hyn o gwbwl, dyma beth oedd y drefn - dyna'r cwbwl. Ac i raddau roedd rhywbeth digon cysurus am y drefn yma.
Tra yn LP euthom i weld Rhaeadr Quang Si - prydferth iawn gyda'i dwr lliw glas tyrcwais. Cefais gyfle i ymestun fy rhan fel Tarzan wrth swingo ar raff o dop goeden i fewn i'r pwll oer o danaf - llawer o hwyl. Ond y ser y sioe oedd Phet y teigr a chriw o eirth bach du (Asiatic Moon Bears). Roeddent i gyd wedi eu achub o grafangau potswyr - Phet pan oedd ond yn 4 diwrnod oed. Roedd yn brofiad anhygoel gweld y teigr yma yn gorwedd yn hamddenol reit ond cwpwl o lathenni ohonom gyda'g ond ffens weiar cyffredin rhyngddom (un uchel iawn diolch byth - doedd gennyf ddim chwant fod yn agosach er pa mor hyfryd a thawel roedd Phet i'w weld). A chawsom dipyn o hwyl yn gwylio'r eirth yn chwarae gyda hen deiars neu yn dringo yn y coed neu ond yn cysgu ar lwyfan gyda un choes yn hongian i lawr.
Un o'r pethau cyntaf i ni sylwi roedd yn wahanol yn Laos wrth gymharu a Thailand oedd y cyflymder roedd pawb yn ei drafaelu ar y ffyrdd. Ychydig iawn o geir oedd yno o gymharu ac adref ond roedd digonedd o scwters a tuk tuks a phawb yn trafaelu mor araf ... na, yn fwy hamddenol yn well ffordd o'i ddisgrifio. Doedd pryn neb yn trafaelu yn gyflymach na 20 milltir yr awr a oedd yn help i rhoi'r argraff hamddenol iawn o LP a phob man arall yn Laos yr oeddwn wedi aros yno.
Elfen ffres arall daethom ar ei draws yn Laos oedd yr angen i fod nol yn ein gwesty cyn hanner nos. Dyma rhan o fywyd yn y wlad gominyddol yma. Mae Laos yn un o ond 5 gwlad yn y byd bellach sydd o dan reolaeth comiwnyddol (Tsieina, Gogledd Korea, Cuba a Vietnam yw'r 4 arall). Fel yr oeddwn yn teithio o un ardal i'r llall rhaid oedd i'r bws roeddem yn trafaelu ynddo adrodd i'r awdurdodau yng nghyntaf gan fynd heibio ei mannau gwirio. Roedd hyd yn oed yr angen i ni adrodd i'r awdurdodau pan roeddem ond yn gadael tref er mwyn ymweld a man cyfagos. Ond doedd dim byd 'sinister' am hyn o gwbwl, dyma beth oedd y drefn - dyna'r cwbwl. Ac i raddau roedd rhywbeth digon cysurus am y drefn yma.
Wednesday, 5 December 2007
Cambodia and The Temples of Angkor
Between Glandyfi and Machynlleth, the borders of Ceredigion and Powys are clearly visible in wintertime as a line across the road, as Powys have always gritted up to their side of the line and Ceredigion have not. Similarly, the border between Thailand and Cambodia is clearly visible - the tarmac road stops and turns into a rut-filled dirt-track. The distance to Siem Reap from the border town of Poipet is only 100 miles, but it took 6 hours in an old shed of a bus, our teeth chattering together as we loped from side to side and up and down. The dust was incredible - it was just like taking part in the Paris - Dakkar rally in an old jalopy, and to make matters worse, the door of the bus didn't close. Marc was trying to read and had to stop from time to time to wipe off the thick layer of red dust off his glasses! Having said all that, the landscape was beautiful - very flat with green fields of rice as far as we could see. We eventually found our guesthouse and were taken under the wing of Sky - a tuk-tuk driver and complete star, who would be with us for the whole of our stay.
On our first day Sky took us to see The Temples of Angkor and he timed our visits to the different temples to avoid the dozens of tour-groups. First of all, we went to Angkor Thom - a large site 3km square with many amazing features such as the Terrace of Elephants, The Terrace of the Leper King and my favourite of the whole lot - The Temple of Bayon, while Sky dozed in the tuk-tuk awaiting our return. It is difficult to put into perspective how long these temples have existed, then you see a wall that a root system of a massive tree has grown around and you begin to realise they've been there a pretty long time. After seeing Ta Phrom (very Lara Croft), we came back to Angkor Wat and marvelled at the structure, the carvings in the sandstone walls stayed until sunset.
Siem Reap is far from the back-packer scenes that we have mostly encountered so far on the trip. There are many luxury hotels and it is a very cosmopolitan place, with excellent restaurants and nightspots, catering for a whole range of budgets. Khmer food is excellent - still quite spicy but in a far more subtle way - not so many pouty lips!
We were up early on the second day and left the guesthouse at 5.30am to return to Angkor Wat to see sunrise. We joined literally hundreds of people gathered to watch Angkor Wat silhouetted against the changing colour of the sky just before sunrise but I'm sure that not many had a warm banana pancake to eat for breakfast while they waited, courtesy of Sky. We saw more amazing temples before travelling south to Lake Tonle Sap and a trip on the lake to see the people of the Floating Village carrying on their daily business. There were floating shops and shop-boats that just stopped outside your window; a floating school; floating police station; floating garage for boats; floating tv repair workshop and 4 pigs floating in a bamboo pen on a raft and a whole lot more. On the way back, Marc was invited to take the helm of the boat - he didn't need asking twice, but I can't understand why I wasn't asked too.
Our third morning was spent in the brand new museum at Siem Reap, seeing the Room of a Thousand Buddhas and many other interesting exhibits and information which put a lot of what we had seen over the last two days into context. We went to see the Siem Reap monument to people who had died in the Killing Fields at the hands of Pol Pot - a chilling experience. After haggling for a last few souvenirs at the market (Marc is getting better at it as we go along - I think it's because he does it with a big smile and good humour) and another superb Khmer meal, we called it a day.
We thought that the trip to Siem Reap had been bad, but it was a doddle compared with the return journey. In a nutshell - Sky dropped us off at the bus station. Turns out there is no bus and some local guy with attitude who seems to be running the show expects all the tourists waiting for the bus to get into taxis instead - no problem but he expects 6 people, plus luggage in each car! He says it's company policy and Cambodian people fit in no problem! We all protest and end up having to pay more money to travel with just 4 passengers ... eventually. All went well until 10km from the border when we had a tyre puncture. The wheel was removed after a big struggle and lots of jumping on the wrench and advice from Bea, the German lady sharing the taxi (she can teach Carwyn a thing or two about mechanics) but guess what ... the spare tyre was also flat! The taxi driver called his brother to pick us up and take us the rest of the way but fortunately for us (at this stage) an aquaintance of the taxi driver happened to be passing and took us to the border, where ... we tried to get all the rucksacks out of the boot, but the boot wouldn't open and all our stuff was stuck inside. They tried to get it out through the back seat and to lever the boot open, but nothing doing. Marc then had to go with the driver to a local garage (incase that was the last we ever saw of our rucksacks) to get the boot open whilst Nia stayed at the border with the other two passengers. Finally, we crossed the border back into Thailand with a huge sigh of relief and thankfully the remainder of the journey back to Bangkok was quite uneventful and our familiar hostel was a very welcome sight.
On our first day Sky took us to see The Temples of Angkor and he timed our visits to the different temples to avoid the dozens of tour-groups. First of all, we went to Angkor Thom - a large site 3km square with many amazing features such as the Terrace of Elephants, The Terrace of the Leper King and my favourite of the whole lot - The Temple of Bayon, while Sky dozed in the tuk-tuk awaiting our return. It is difficult to put into perspective how long these temples have existed, then you see a wall that a root system of a massive tree has grown around and you begin to realise they've been there a pretty long time. After seeing Ta Phrom (very Lara Croft), we came back to Angkor Wat and marvelled at the structure, the carvings in the sandstone walls stayed until sunset.
Siem Reap is far from the back-packer scenes that we have mostly encountered so far on the trip. There are many luxury hotels and it is a very cosmopolitan place, with excellent restaurants and nightspots, catering for a whole range of budgets. Khmer food is excellent - still quite spicy but in a far more subtle way - not so many pouty lips!
We were up early on the second day and left the guesthouse at 5.30am to return to Angkor Wat to see sunrise. We joined literally hundreds of people gathered to watch Angkor Wat silhouetted against the changing colour of the sky just before sunrise but I'm sure that not many had a warm banana pancake to eat for breakfast while they waited, courtesy of Sky. We saw more amazing temples before travelling south to Lake Tonle Sap and a trip on the lake to see the people of the Floating Village carrying on their daily business. There were floating shops and shop-boats that just stopped outside your window; a floating school; floating police station; floating garage for boats; floating tv repair workshop and 4 pigs floating in a bamboo pen on a raft and a whole lot more. On the way back, Marc was invited to take the helm of the boat - he didn't need asking twice, but I can't understand why I wasn't asked too.
Our third morning was spent in the brand new museum at Siem Reap, seeing the Room of a Thousand Buddhas and many other interesting exhibits and information which put a lot of what we had seen over the last two days into context. We went to see the Siem Reap monument to people who had died in the Killing Fields at the hands of Pol Pot - a chilling experience. After haggling for a last few souvenirs at the market (Marc is getting better at it as we go along - I think it's because he does it with a big smile and good humour) and another superb Khmer meal, we called it a day.
We thought that the trip to Siem Reap had been bad, but it was a doddle compared with the return journey. In a nutshell - Sky dropped us off at the bus station. Turns out there is no bus and some local guy with attitude who seems to be running the show expects all the tourists waiting for the bus to get into taxis instead - no problem but he expects 6 people, plus luggage in each car! He says it's company policy and Cambodian people fit in no problem! We all protest and end up having to pay more money to travel with just 4 passengers ... eventually. All went well until 10km from the border when we had a tyre puncture. The wheel was removed after a big struggle and lots of jumping on the wrench and advice from Bea, the German lady sharing the taxi (she can teach Carwyn a thing or two about mechanics) but guess what ... the spare tyre was also flat! The taxi driver called his brother to pick us up and take us the rest of the way but fortunately for us (at this stage) an aquaintance of the taxi driver happened to be passing and took us to the border, where ... we tried to get all the rucksacks out of the boot, but the boot wouldn't open and all our stuff was stuck inside. They tried to get it out through the back seat and to lever the boot open, but nothing doing. Marc then had to go with the driver to a local garage (incase that was the last we ever saw of our rucksacks) to get the boot open whilst Nia stayed at the border with the other two passengers. Finally, we crossed the border back into Thailand with a huge sigh of relief and thankfully the remainder of the journey back to Bangkok was quite uneventful and our familiar hostel was a very welcome sight.
Y Mekong!
Ymddiheuriadau i'm gwylwyr cyson sydd heb cael hanes ein antur yng Ngymraeg ers beth amser ... ond mi'r wyf wedi bod yn brysur iawn ... yn mwynhau fy hun!
Buom dau diwrnod yn trafaelu i fewn i Laos gan hwylio'n araf i lawr yr afon Mekong. Yn anffodus, nid oedd moethusrwydd yn uchel iawn ar restr perchnog ein cwch, ei brif nod oedd cael gymaint a phosib o bobl ar ei gwch (roedd tua 100 ohonom i gyd). Yn ffodus i ni, cawsom bobi "sedd" sef darn o bren caled ryw 3 trodfedd wrth 6 modfedd, un tu ol y llall, tra roedd rhaid i eraill rannu un sedd. Yn ffodus hefyd roedd yr olygfeydd ysblennydd a wnaeth fyny am unrhyw ddiffygion y cwch. Dau diwrnod hir ydoedd ond fe'i mwynheuais, yr ail ddiwrnod yn arbennig gan roeddwn yn gwybod beth oedd yn ein disgwyl ac mi'r oedd yr haul allan yn twynnu'n braf tra roedd y diwrnod cyntaf braidd yn dawchlyd (hazy). Roedd fwy o sbort ar y cwch hefyd erbyn hynny gyda pawb yn nabod eu gilydd yn well ac felly roedd tipyn fwy o gymdeithasu.
Rhaid dweud roedd hi'n anodd credu ein bod wedi gwario dau ddiwrnod cyfan yn hwylio'r afon Mekong. I mi roedd y Mekong erioed wedi bod yn le anghysbell reit, yn rhedeg drwy jwngwl dwys mewn man peryglys o'r byd (yr argaff yma yn tueddi dod o wylio ffilmiau Holywood ac o'r hyn wyddwn am hanes y rhyfel yn Vietnam). Y gwir yw, mae yn le anghysbell ac mae'r afon yn rhedeg drwy jwngwl dwys ond nid am un funud teimlais ei fod yn le beryglus o gwbwl. Roedd y cwch yn hwylio'n hamddenol i lawr yr afon yn osgoi'r trobyllau a chreigiau bob yn awr ac yn y man ac yn glanio ambell i dro i bigo rhai brodorwyr i fyny. Cawsom eistedd a chymryd i fewn y wlad hyfryf o'i chwmpas a thynnu dwsine o luniau a chwifio at y plant wrth ymyl y glannau bob hyn a hyn wrth i ni basio'r pentrefi bach sydd wedi eu ymwasgaru ar hyd yr afon. Braf oedd y profiad a braint oedd cael ei wneud.
Buom dau diwrnod yn trafaelu i fewn i Laos gan hwylio'n araf i lawr yr afon Mekong. Yn anffodus, nid oedd moethusrwydd yn uchel iawn ar restr perchnog ein cwch, ei brif nod oedd cael gymaint a phosib o bobl ar ei gwch (roedd tua 100 ohonom i gyd). Yn ffodus i ni, cawsom bobi "sedd" sef darn o bren caled ryw 3 trodfedd wrth 6 modfedd, un tu ol y llall, tra roedd rhaid i eraill rannu un sedd. Yn ffodus hefyd roedd yr olygfeydd ysblennydd a wnaeth fyny am unrhyw ddiffygion y cwch. Dau diwrnod hir ydoedd ond fe'i mwynheuais, yr ail ddiwrnod yn arbennig gan roeddwn yn gwybod beth oedd yn ein disgwyl ac mi'r oedd yr haul allan yn twynnu'n braf tra roedd y diwrnod cyntaf braidd yn dawchlyd (hazy). Roedd fwy o sbort ar y cwch hefyd erbyn hynny gyda pawb yn nabod eu gilydd yn well ac felly roedd tipyn fwy o gymdeithasu.
Rhaid dweud roedd hi'n anodd credu ein bod wedi gwario dau ddiwrnod cyfan yn hwylio'r afon Mekong. I mi roedd y Mekong erioed wedi bod yn le anghysbell reit, yn rhedeg drwy jwngwl dwys mewn man peryglys o'r byd (yr argaff yma yn tueddi dod o wylio ffilmiau Holywood ac o'r hyn wyddwn am hanes y rhyfel yn Vietnam). Y gwir yw, mae yn le anghysbell ac mae'r afon yn rhedeg drwy jwngwl dwys ond nid am un funud teimlais ei fod yn le beryglus o gwbwl. Roedd y cwch yn hwylio'n hamddenol i lawr yr afon yn osgoi'r trobyllau a chreigiau bob yn awr ac yn y man ac yn glanio ambell i dro i bigo rhai brodorwyr i fyny. Cawsom eistedd a chymryd i fewn y wlad hyfryf o'i chwmpas a thynnu dwsine o luniau a chwifio at y plant wrth ymyl y glannau bob hyn a hyn wrth i ni basio'r pentrefi bach sydd wedi eu ymwasgaru ar hyd yr afon. Braf oedd y profiad a braint oedd cael ei wneud.
Sunday, 2 December 2007
Vang Viene to Vientiene
Left Vang Viene in a bus "not even fit to carry sheep" (it's a long story) destined for Vientiene - contender for most laid back capital of the world. Found digs smack-bang in the centre of the city then went to see a show of Traditional Lao song and dance performed by a local youth group, with Katie, one of the Trekking 4. Flower petals were laid before us and friendship bracelets tied to our wrists - everything went well until the end, then horror of horrors, the audience (all 14 of us) were invited to join in the last dance. We eventually got some sort of coordination of the pointy fingers and twisting hands but doing the feet as well was asking too much. Marc said that Katie looked like she was charming a snake and Katie said that Marc looked like an old stoned Rastafarian! The T4 left for Vietnam the next day and we spent the day sightseeing around the city. Vientiene has its own version of the Champs Elysees and Arc de Triomphe, although this one wasn't built until 1969 and is constucted from concrete that was donated by the USA specifically to build an airport but they used it for this instead and it is known locally as the 'vertical runway'. We walked across the city to a great big golden stupa - Pha That Luang, the most important national monument in Laos, had a quick mooch about then decided it was lunchtime and took a jumbo (a big tuk-tuk) to a little restaurant recommended by good old Lonely Planet. We ordered Vietnamese spring rolls and a dazzling and bewildering array of dishes arrived. There were mountains of lettuce, fresh mint, coriander and other herbs we've never seen before, garlic, ginger, beansprouts, cucumber, starfruit, noodles, chillies and pork mince kebabs. The waitress could see that we didn't have a clue and came over and made the most perfect parcel of a bit of everything, with a spoonful of lovely sweet chilli and peanut sauce drizzled over the top. We only needed to be shown once - yum!
Next day we left Vientiene bound for Nong Khai, back in Thailand to catch the overnight sleeper train to Bangkok so we could catch a bus to Cambodia. Not much going on in Nong Khai, except that we found another place on the banks of the Mekong that did Vietnamese spring rolls! I enjoyed the overnight journey on the train - no sooner had we left the station, the attendant came around and started turning seats into beds and bunks appeared from the ceiling. I had a lovely big bed with nice white sheets, a blanket and pillow. A curtain pulled over my compartment and I lay there nice and cosy in the dark, the blinds on my window pulled back, watching the stars and listening to Paul Weller on my i-pod til I fell asleep. Things weren't that good on the top bunk apparently - there was light shining in over the curtain, it was more cramped with no window and not much sleep was had. In my defence, I always have to sleep on the bottom bunk as my mother doesn't like me sleeping on the top one as I used to sleepwalk when I was about five.
We arrived in Bangkok (one refreshed and one not) at 6.00am, had a coffee then went in search of our bus to Cambodia which was leaving a couple of hours later. We had a nice comfy and cool bus (absolutely everything was purple, the seats, curtains, floor, ceiling ...) to the border where we went through Thai and Cambodian Immigration and got transferred onto another bus for the journey from Poipet to Siem Reap. Remember what we said about the bus from Vang Viene not being fit to carry sheep? Well this one looked as if it had been carrying sheep for the last 50 years ...
Next day we left Vientiene bound for Nong Khai, back in Thailand to catch the overnight sleeper train to Bangkok so we could catch a bus to Cambodia. Not much going on in Nong Khai, except that we found another place on the banks of the Mekong that did Vietnamese spring rolls! I enjoyed the overnight journey on the train - no sooner had we left the station, the attendant came around and started turning seats into beds and bunks appeared from the ceiling. I had a lovely big bed with nice white sheets, a blanket and pillow. A curtain pulled over my compartment and I lay there nice and cosy in the dark, the blinds on my window pulled back, watching the stars and listening to Paul Weller on my i-pod til I fell asleep. Things weren't that good on the top bunk apparently - there was light shining in over the curtain, it was more cramped with no window and not much sleep was had. In my defence, I always have to sleep on the bottom bunk as my mother doesn't like me sleeping on the top one as I used to sleepwalk when I was about five.
We arrived in Bangkok (one refreshed and one not) at 6.00am, had a coffee then went in search of our bus to Cambodia which was leaving a couple of hours later. We had a nice comfy and cool bus (absolutely everything was purple, the seats, curtains, floor, ceiling ...) to the border where we went through Thai and Cambodian Immigration and got transferred onto another bus for the journey from Poipet to Siem Reap. Remember what we said about the bus from Vang Viene not being fit to carry sheep? Well this one looked as if it had been carrying sheep for the last 50 years ...
Wednesday, 28 November 2007
PENBLWYDD HAPUS MAM
Penblwydd Hapus i ti
Penblwydd Hapus i ti
Penblwydd Hapus i Maaa-aaam
Penblwydd Hapus i ti !
Hip hip - hwre, hip hip - hwre, hip hip - hwre.
Yn meddwl amdanat ar dy ddiwrnod arbennig. Mwynha dy barti heno.
Llawer o gariad a swsus mawr x x x x x x x x
Penblwydd Hapus i ti
Penblwydd Hapus i Maaa-aaam
Penblwydd Hapus i ti !
Hip hip - hwre, hip hip - hwre, hip hip - hwre.
Yn meddwl amdanat ar dy ddiwrnod arbennig. Mwynha dy barti heno.
Llawer o gariad a swsus mawr x x x x x x x x
Sunday, 25 November 2007
SABADEE FROM LAOS - THE LAND OF A MILLION ELEPHANTS
Marc has gone off for the day with Martha and Tomos doing something on the river involving an inner tube of a lorry wheel and a lifejacket, which he can tell you all about again. As I only got my 25m swimming badge about a week before my driving licence it didn't really appeal to me and I've got plans for this afternoon that involve a mango smoothie and foot massage, a far more relaxing prospect, so I'd better get on with it.
We seem to have done so much in the last few days and we have certainly travelled hundreds and hundreds of kilometres by boat and bus, so if you're sitting comfortably ...
We crossed the border from Thailand to Laos after a lot of kerfuffle of being stamped out of one country and stamped into the next. The People's Democratic Republic of Laos is one of the poorest and most remote countries in the world, having opened its doors to the rest of the world only in the last 10 years. We were packed into a long slow-boat for the 2 day journey down the mightly Mekong river, stopping overnight at Pak Beng en route. We had been warned beforehand that time-keeping in Laos is a very hit and miss affair - "in a minute'' can mean anything from half an hour to next week and we waited an hour and a half in the boat on a rock-hard wooden bench before the boat left the pier. It was a hazy morning and soon after leaving, just beyond the banks became dense, lush forests of bamboo, banana and dozens of other different trees. The river itself is as brown as gravy and is infamous for it's strong currents and we steered our way through whirlpools and around rocks, some poor souls (on the other side thank heavens) getting soaked a few times by waves that splashed into the boat. The amazing scenery and sight of tiny settlements living, working and playing on the banks of the river took our minds off the fact that our bottoms were fast asleep and legs stiff and crampy.
After 8 long hours as dusk fell, we pulled over into the tiny village of Pak Beng. No sooner had we wobbled our way down the gang-plank onto the sand-bank, we were surrounded by boys keen to run off with our ruck-sacks and guesthouse owners falling over each other to get our business. We settled for a guesthouse with the promise of a hot shower for 2 minutes - this turned out to be no minutes but what can you expect for 2 quid a night. As the town runs on generators the electricity supply is cut off at 10.30pm (and it still hadn't come back when we left at 8.30am) and we were provided with a candle for the night (but no matches). We left Pak Beng for another 8 hour journey to Luang Prabang, this time in a slightly more plush boat - this one had curtains and tassels and a floor - the boat the day before was just the metal hull underfoot. The second day was a bit sunnier and Marc enjoyed it more than the first - but I dozed through a large part of it! We saw more life on the second day and stopped a few times to pick up Lao passengers and drop off provisions and the children would all run down and wave. And so we arrived at Luang Prabang, the old capital city, just as it got dark and once again we were accosted by the local guesthouse possy, but this time Marc made sure that there was hot water.
LUANG PRABANG
It is said that Luang Prabang is a tonic for the soul and it's easy to see why. It retains the influence of French Colonial times in its language and architecture and it is an UNESCO World Heritage site. No large vehicles are allowed into the town and chickens and small black pigs wonder around the streets of the old quarter down by the river. Monks collect alms from the people at dawn every day and there is a general curfew which means that all businesses must close at 11.30pm to enable everyone to be at their registered abode by midnight - this includes tourists.
We took a trip out to the Khung Si waterfalls in the afternoon which were lovely. They are a series of 7 waterfalls and aquamarine pools set in lush vegetation with a rope-swing over one of the bigger pools. Yes, there will be photos of Marc swinging into the water following soon! In the park we also saw Phet who is a 7 year old Indo-Chinese tiger. Phet's mother was shot by poachers just after she was born. By the time she was four days old, she had been sold 4 times within the illegal wildlife trade and was rescued just in time. Today she is a stunning 7 year old creature and the figurehead of an organisation to Keep Tigers Free. We also met some other great little chaps - small black Asiatic Moon Bears (they have a white crescent shape on their chests). These were also rescued from the terrible fate of a life in a bile-farm. We just had to buy a t-shirt with bear prints all over it.
We ate a hearty supper on a makeshift table from a street vendor then wondered around the night market which is just a riot of colour and incredible smells. The handicrafts here are absolutely beautiful - I wanted to buy just about everything. All this talent is so incredibly cheap to buy - we were reminded in a note in the back of a menu of a restaurant owned by a Westerner that the average daily earning here is less than we were paying for a bottle of beer and while there are 20,000 Lao kips to one pound and we could be trying to barter for a few thousand kips off a price, we are only talking about a matter of pennies for us, but education and health provision for the families of these incredibly nice and polite people. I would really have liked to have spent more time here and will definately coming back one day (but I think I''ll fly in - I'm not doing that boat trip again!)
VANG VIENE
We arrived here yesterday afternoon after the most incredible journey, for more than one reason. As soon as we left Luang Prabang we started a 6 hour, 230km journey of twists and turns, up and downs across a series of interlocking valleys. It was just like driving up and down a corkscrew. I'm sure that as the crow flies, it was only about 50km in total. The mountains around us were stunning - it is called karst scenery (maybe Myfanwy, our geology guru can explain more) with great big mountains with jagged ridges and sheer sides covered in dense forest. Vang Viene is a one horse-town that looks as if it has just landed in the middle of nowhere amonsgt these great mountains. There is one main street, lined with bars and guesthouses and some further places to stay down by the river, which is where we managed to get a room. The reason that Vang Viene is so popular is its setting, remoteness and tranquility which has of course being ruined by the hoards of party goers that descend here to take advantage of the liberal attitude to drugs. No self-respecting Lao would still be living here out of choice I'm sure in the Ibiza-type atmosphere. Having said that, a few of us went to a Full Moon Party last night (just to see what it was like of course) that was being held on an island in the river just behind our hotel. After a couple of hours of seeing people drinking cocktails of beer and spirits out of small plastic buckets, wearing their pants on their head and climbing up trees howling at the moon (which by now had gone into hiding behind the clouds) we left the party to the relative calm of the town. At least I can put on my CV that I've been to one.
Before I sign off, I'd just like to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO GWENDA - have a Pina Colada for me!
OK, I'm off now, Marc can fill in the gaps in the Language of Heaven later. That foot massage is calling ... xxx
We seem to have done so much in the last few days and we have certainly travelled hundreds and hundreds of kilometres by boat and bus, so if you're sitting comfortably ...
We crossed the border from Thailand to Laos after a lot of kerfuffle of being stamped out of one country and stamped into the next. The People's Democratic Republic of Laos is one of the poorest and most remote countries in the world, having opened its doors to the rest of the world only in the last 10 years. We were packed into a long slow-boat for the 2 day journey down the mightly Mekong river, stopping overnight at Pak Beng en route. We had been warned beforehand that time-keeping in Laos is a very hit and miss affair - "in a minute'' can mean anything from half an hour to next week and we waited an hour and a half in the boat on a rock-hard wooden bench before the boat left the pier. It was a hazy morning and soon after leaving, just beyond the banks became dense, lush forests of bamboo, banana and dozens of other different trees. The river itself is as brown as gravy and is infamous for it's strong currents and we steered our way through whirlpools and around rocks, some poor souls (on the other side thank heavens) getting soaked a few times by waves that splashed into the boat. The amazing scenery and sight of tiny settlements living, working and playing on the banks of the river took our minds off the fact that our bottoms were fast asleep and legs stiff and crampy.
After 8 long hours as dusk fell, we pulled over into the tiny village of Pak Beng. No sooner had we wobbled our way down the gang-plank onto the sand-bank, we were surrounded by boys keen to run off with our ruck-sacks and guesthouse owners falling over each other to get our business. We settled for a guesthouse with the promise of a hot shower for 2 minutes - this turned out to be no minutes but what can you expect for 2 quid a night. As the town runs on generators the electricity supply is cut off at 10.30pm (and it still hadn't come back when we left at 8.30am) and we were provided with a candle for the night (but no matches). We left Pak Beng for another 8 hour journey to Luang Prabang, this time in a slightly more plush boat - this one had curtains and tassels and a floor - the boat the day before was just the metal hull underfoot. The second day was a bit sunnier and Marc enjoyed it more than the first - but I dozed through a large part of it! We saw more life on the second day and stopped a few times to pick up Lao passengers and drop off provisions and the children would all run down and wave. And so we arrived at Luang Prabang, the old capital city, just as it got dark and once again we were accosted by the local guesthouse possy, but this time Marc made sure that there was hot water.
LUANG PRABANG
It is said that Luang Prabang is a tonic for the soul and it's easy to see why. It retains the influence of French Colonial times in its language and architecture and it is an UNESCO World Heritage site. No large vehicles are allowed into the town and chickens and small black pigs wonder around the streets of the old quarter down by the river. Monks collect alms from the people at dawn every day and there is a general curfew which means that all businesses must close at 11.30pm to enable everyone to be at their registered abode by midnight - this includes tourists.
We took a trip out to the Khung Si waterfalls in the afternoon which were lovely. They are a series of 7 waterfalls and aquamarine pools set in lush vegetation with a rope-swing over one of the bigger pools. Yes, there will be photos of Marc swinging into the water following soon! In the park we also saw Phet who is a 7 year old Indo-Chinese tiger. Phet's mother was shot by poachers just after she was born. By the time she was four days old, she had been sold 4 times within the illegal wildlife trade and was rescued just in time. Today she is a stunning 7 year old creature and the figurehead of an organisation to Keep Tigers Free. We also met some other great little chaps - small black Asiatic Moon Bears (they have a white crescent shape on their chests). These were also rescued from the terrible fate of a life in a bile-farm. We just had to buy a t-shirt with bear prints all over it.
We ate a hearty supper on a makeshift table from a street vendor then wondered around the night market which is just a riot of colour and incredible smells. The handicrafts here are absolutely beautiful - I wanted to buy just about everything. All this talent is so incredibly cheap to buy - we were reminded in a note in the back of a menu of a restaurant owned by a Westerner that the average daily earning here is less than we were paying for a bottle of beer and while there are 20,000 Lao kips to one pound and we could be trying to barter for a few thousand kips off a price, we are only talking about a matter of pennies for us, but education and health provision for the families of these incredibly nice and polite people. I would really have liked to have spent more time here and will definately coming back one day (but I think I''ll fly in - I'm not doing that boat trip again!)
VANG VIENE
We arrived here yesterday afternoon after the most incredible journey, for more than one reason. As soon as we left Luang Prabang we started a 6 hour, 230km journey of twists and turns, up and downs across a series of interlocking valleys. It was just like driving up and down a corkscrew. I'm sure that as the crow flies, it was only about 50km in total. The mountains around us were stunning - it is called karst scenery (maybe Myfanwy, our geology guru can explain more) with great big mountains with jagged ridges and sheer sides covered in dense forest. Vang Viene is a one horse-town that looks as if it has just landed in the middle of nowhere amonsgt these great mountains. There is one main street, lined with bars and guesthouses and some further places to stay down by the river, which is where we managed to get a room. The reason that Vang Viene is so popular is its setting, remoteness and tranquility which has of course being ruined by the hoards of party goers that descend here to take advantage of the liberal attitude to drugs. No self-respecting Lao would still be living here out of choice I'm sure in the Ibiza-type atmosphere. Having said that, a few of us went to a Full Moon Party last night (just to see what it was like of course) that was being held on an island in the river just behind our hotel. After a couple of hours of seeing people drinking cocktails of beer and spirits out of small plastic buckets, wearing their pants on their head and climbing up trees howling at the moon (which by now had gone into hiding behind the clouds) we left the party to the relative calm of the town. At least I can put on my CV that I've been to one.
Before I sign off, I'd just like to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO GWENDA - have a Pina Colada for me!
OK, I'm off now, Marc can fill in the gaps in the Language of Heaven later. That foot massage is calling ... xxx
Tuesday, 20 November 2007
Cyrraedd Chang Kong - Laos yn ein disgwyl
Wedi cyrraedd ein cartref am heno mewn hostel fach yn Chang Kong. Mae wedi ei leoli ar lannau'r Mekong yn edrych yngroes i Laos ar yr ochr arall. Hyfryd iawn, gyda llwybr yn rhedeg ar hyd ochr yr afon. Trueni ein bod yma am gyn lleied o amser, mae'n dawel ac yn 'very laid back' - bydd jyst rhaid i ni ddod nol yma eto. Newydd brynnu bobi cwshin i'n tunau bach delicet ar gyfer y trip ar y 'slow boat' fory - rhywbeth ac argymhellwyd iddom.
Just arrived in the sleepy little town of Chang Kong on the banks of the Mekong river - and we thought that Chiang Mai was laid back .... Tomorrow morning we cross into Laos via the Friendship Bridge then we have two days of floating down the river, staying at Pakbeng tomorrow night. We read in the guidebook on the way that it's a good idea to take a cushion with you as the wooden benches can be a bit hard on the butt for 2 whole days, so we strolled into town and found a place just like Charlies in Aber and bought a couple. Others on the same trip have spotted them and there is now an official rush on cushions in town.
I'd like to take you on a slow-boat to Laos ....... all by myself ........
Just arrived in the sleepy little town of Chang Kong on the banks of the Mekong river - and we thought that Chiang Mai was laid back .... Tomorrow morning we cross into Laos via the Friendship Bridge then we have two days of floating down the river, staying at Pakbeng tomorrow night. We read in the guidebook on the way that it's a good idea to take a cushion with you as the wooden benches can be a bit hard on the butt for 2 whole days, so we strolled into town and found a place just like Charlies in Aber and bought a couple. Others on the same trip have spotted them and there is now an official rush on cushions in town.
I'd like to take you on a slow-boat to Laos ....... all by myself ........
Monday, 19 November 2007
Lluniau ar lein Flickr / Flickr Online Photo Album
Newyddion da o lawenydd mawr. Rydym wedi llwyddo i roi rhai o'n lluniau ar y linc isod:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/marc_nia/
Great news. We have managed to upload some of our photos for your perusal on the above link.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/marc_nia/
Great news. We have managed to upload some of our photos for your perusal on the above link.
Eliffantod, Jwngwl a Bocsio Thai
Buom ddiwrnod cyfan yn mynd ogwmpas hen ddinas Sukhothai ar gefn feic yn gweld fwy o demlau a bwdas na sydd o Gapeli yng Nghymru. Mi'r oedd yr hen ddinas wedi ei leoli yng nghanol y wlad gyda gerddi hyfryd ogwmpas y temlau a diolch byth mi'r oedd yn ddiwrnod gweddol gymylog oherwydd doedd dim lloches o'r haul heblaw ni. Gyda'r hwyr cawsom y pryd bwyd orau hyd yma - cyri Masaman mewn bwyty bach wrth ymyl ein hostel. Rwy'n credu fod yna gystadleuaeth brwd rhwng y rhes o fwytau sydd wedi eu leoli un ar bwys y llall oherwydd pan y byddwn ni'n cerdded heibio pob un byddai'r staff yn galw allan "Sawadee Kup" i'n cyfarch a'n croesawi i fewn i'w bwyty nhw.
Y diwrnod canlynol roeddem ar fws eto yn teithio i fyny i Chiang Mai. Prif tref gogledd Thailand. Cawsom ein casglu gan staff yr hostel o'r orsaf fws a'n perswadwyd ni i fynychu trec dau ddiwrnod un noswaith yn y jwngwl ar y diwrnod canlynol yn hytrach na diwrnod yn ddiweddarach a felly rhoi'r gorau i ddiwrnod o orffwys roeddem wedi bwriadu cael. Ond fe drodd popeth allan yn dda iawn a cawsom llawer iawn o hwyl a sbort. Roedd yna 11 ohonom yn y parti trecio gyda dau grwt ifanc lleol yn ein harwain, sef Pwn a Jo-Jo - dau llawn hwyl a oedd yn ymuno gyda sbort y grwp. Gan gynnwys Nia a finne, roedd yna gwpwl o Ffrainc, Jimmy a Auda, Ed o Kent, Danny a Eddie o Lincoln ac yna grwp o bedwar o Swydd Rhydychen, Gibbo, Katie, James (Messa) a Scott. Tynnodd y grwp gyda'u gilydd yn syth ac roedd llawer o hwyl a sbri dros y ddau ddiwrnod buom gyda'n gilydd.
Yn gyntaf aethom i reido Eliffantod. Dyma'r tro cyntaf i mi gwrdd ar creaduriaid hyfryd - rhai dwi wedi eu edmygu ers amser maith. Mi'r oeddent yn greaduriaid bywiog iawn gyda llawer o bersenoliaeth ac yn ddigon hapus i ni eu cyffwrth a fwy na hapus in ni ei bwydio gyda bananas a 'sugar cane'. Roedd ei croen i gyffwrdd yn llawer fwy llyfn a meddal na'r disgwyl. Cafodd Nia a finne fynd ar yr eliffant mwya - do fe wnaeth Nia gytuno rhoi go arni! Bwjo oedd ei enw a hwn oedd yr unig eliffant gwrwaidd ac mi'r oedd ei faint yn enfawr wrth ei gymharu a gweddill yr eliffantod. Cawsom eistedd ar sedd i ddau berson wedi ei leoli ar dop cefn yr eliffant gyda gyrrwr bach yn eistedd jyst tu ol i glustiau'r eliffant. Roedd y gyrrwr yn fachan hapus iawn a gwen fawr ar ei wyneb yn canu rownd abowt. Beth oedd yn cadw Bwjo'n hapus oedd estyn ei drwnc dros ei ben ef a'r gyrrwr i'n cyfeiriad ni ble bydden ni wedyn yn ei fwydio gyda bananas. Ac wrth i ni drafaelu drwy'r jwngwl byddai gorsaf bob yn nawr ac yn y man lle gallem brynnu rhagor o fananas er mwyn cadw Bwjo'n hapus. Wrth deithio ar lawr gwastad doedd dim prblem, ond pan roedd Bwjo yn dringo ac yn enwedig wrth gostwng rhaid oedd dal ymlaen yn sownd! Wedi ychydig fe neidiodd ein gyrrwr oddi ar Bwjo ac yna fy nghroesawi i i symud lawr o'm sedd er mwyn lleoli fy hun fel gyrrwr Bwjo - er nid oedd gennym unrhyw rheolaeth drosto ac mi'r oedd Bwjo yn gwneud beth bynnag roedd yn mynni - ond fe fuhafiodd yn iawn ar y cyfan ac mi'r oedd yn brofiad gwych.
Wedi cinio fe ddechreuodd ein trec yn y jwngwl, ryw pedair awr o gerdded lan a lawr mewn jwngwl hyfryd yn aml yn cerdded wrth ymyl afon neu nant gan gymryd holl luniau. Cawsom aros wrth ymyl rhaeadr am ychydig ble newidom fewn i'n dillad nofio am dip bach yn y dwr i'n cwlo ni lawr. Rhagor o gerdded wedyn ac erbyn 5 o'r gloch roedd pawb bron wedi blino'n lan yn enwedig gan fod yr awr olaf yn fwy o ddringo na cherdded. Yna gwelsom ar ddraws rhai caeau o reis cwpwl o hyts o bren ac roeddem yn gobeithio mae hyna oedd terfyn ein taith am y diwrnod - a diolch byth mi oedd. Gwell byth oedd gweld focs oer llawn ia a chwrw oer oedd yn ein disgwyl ac aeth pawb yn syth amdano. Cawsom "gawod" fach gloi - yn gloi nid o rhan dewis ond gan mai'r cyfan ydoedd oedd tap dwr oer (iawn) wedi ei leoli reit nesa i'r ty bach sgwat mewn sied bren. Ond yn fuan iawn roedd pawb wedi anghofio eu blinder ac roedd gwenau ar ein gwynebau fel roedd tin ar ol tin o cwrw oer Chang yn llifo i lawr ein gyddgau wrth rhannu storiau o jocs a thynnu ambell goes. Mae'n tywyllu tua 6yh ac fe aeth bron popeth yn ddu bitch o'n cwmpas - peth da oedd i Nia a finne dod a'n 'head torches', rhywbeth roedd pawb yn falch ohono yn enwedig pan roedd angen defnyddio'r ty bach.
Mae'n troi allan roedden ni i gyd i aros mewn 'communal hut' fawr wrth ymyl ffermdy teulu bach (gwr, gwraig a bachgen bach ryw 3-4 oed). Roedd yr adeiladau i gyd wedi eu wneud o bren ac yn ein hyt fawr ni roedd nifer o flancedi a netiau moscito wedi ei drefnu'n daclus ar ei hyd. Wrth ystyried ein lleoliad yng nghanol unman gyda chyfleuterau syml reit i ddweud y gorau cawsom wledd i fwyta y noswaith hynny. Paratowyd digonedd o fwyd - beansprouts a noodles, sweet a sour a'r gorau i gyd cyri coch Thai. Llanwodd pawb ei boliau a chadw ymlaen i yfed y Chang. Maes o law, credai'r 'hosts' fod angen fwy o fwyd arnom a daethant allan a llygoden ffyrnig roeddent newydd ei dal mewn trap. Rhoddwyd y lygoden ar y tan a'i farbeciwio gyda rhai o'n grwp yn tynnu gwynebau ac eraill yn mynu rhoi cynnig ar ei flasu. Cymerias ychydig o'r gynffon a oedd yn blasu fel 'pork scratchings' a ychydig o'r goes oedd yn blasu yn union fel ... ie, cyw iar!
Wedi'r cwrw orffen chwiliasom ein gwelau a cael ein deffro'n llawer rhy gynnar gan nid jyst un ond dau geiliog wedi eu lleoli reit tu allan i'r drws a hynny cyn iddi oleuo'n iawn. Wedi brecwast bant a ni eto am rhagor o gerdded trwy jwngwl, gweld pentref y pobl lleol, rhagor o nofio ger rhaeadr arall a hyd yn oed gem fach o beldroed ar gae o bridd coch. Yna, fel roeddwn bron a llwgi ar ol cerdded drwy cae ar ol cae o goed bananas cyrraeddom diwedd ein taith gerdded ble roedd cinio o Pad Tai yn ein disgwyl. Ond nid oedd yr hwyl drosodd - mynd wedyn ar rafft o fambw. Cafodd Nia, Ed a finne y capten mwya dwl i'n tywys lawr yr afon - 'Captain Crazy' fel yr enwebo ni ef ond eto cawsom llawer o hwyl. Roedd y capen yn benderfynol o'n twli ni oddi ar y rafft i'r afon. Nid byddai hynny wedi gwneud llawer o wahanieth gan yr oeddwn yn cael ein gwlychu sops wrth jyst eistedd ar yr rafft. Mewn ychydig rhoddwyd i mi y polyn roedd yn cael ei ddefnyddio i lywio'r rafft ac yna fe aeth popeth yn gyffroes iawn wrth i ni ond osgoi'r holl wahanol peryglon a hyd yn oed ddim ar ambell i achlysur! Yn rhy fuan ddaeth yr hwyl i ben ac er i'r capten methu yn ei ymdrechio i'n cael i'r dwr roedden ni gyd yn wlyb on top i'n gwaelod gyda Ed druan a rhwyg fawr yn ei siorts a phawb yn gwneud sbort ar ei ben ... a'i ben-ol!
Nol i'r hostel wedyn am gawod poeth hir a hyfryd i ddod dros anturiaethau'r ddau ddiwrnod diwethaf. Allan wedyn am ddiod gyda'r rhai o'n grwp oedd yn aros yn yr un hostel. Cawsom dipyn o grac gyda Gibbo, Katie, James a Scott dros y cwpwl o ddyddiau canlynol - yn gwario amser yng nghwni'n gilydd wrth ymyl y pwll nofio a hefyd pan aethom i gyd i weld bocsio Thai. Maent erbyn hyn wedi mynd ymlaen i Loas ac maent yn gwneud yr union yr un taith yr ydym yn golgu cychwyn arni fory. Efallai y bwddwn yn dal lan a nhw hwyr neu hwyrach, roeddwn yn joio tynnu coesau'r Saeson.
Y diwrnod canlynol roeddem ar fws eto yn teithio i fyny i Chiang Mai. Prif tref gogledd Thailand. Cawsom ein casglu gan staff yr hostel o'r orsaf fws a'n perswadwyd ni i fynychu trec dau ddiwrnod un noswaith yn y jwngwl ar y diwrnod canlynol yn hytrach na diwrnod yn ddiweddarach a felly rhoi'r gorau i ddiwrnod o orffwys roeddem wedi bwriadu cael. Ond fe drodd popeth allan yn dda iawn a cawsom llawer iawn o hwyl a sbort. Roedd yna 11 ohonom yn y parti trecio gyda dau grwt ifanc lleol yn ein harwain, sef Pwn a Jo-Jo - dau llawn hwyl a oedd yn ymuno gyda sbort y grwp. Gan gynnwys Nia a finne, roedd yna gwpwl o Ffrainc, Jimmy a Auda, Ed o Kent, Danny a Eddie o Lincoln ac yna grwp o bedwar o Swydd Rhydychen, Gibbo, Katie, James (Messa) a Scott. Tynnodd y grwp gyda'u gilydd yn syth ac roedd llawer o hwyl a sbri dros y ddau ddiwrnod buom gyda'n gilydd.
Yn gyntaf aethom i reido Eliffantod. Dyma'r tro cyntaf i mi gwrdd ar creaduriaid hyfryd - rhai dwi wedi eu edmygu ers amser maith. Mi'r oeddent yn greaduriaid bywiog iawn gyda llawer o bersenoliaeth ac yn ddigon hapus i ni eu cyffwrth a fwy na hapus in ni ei bwydio gyda bananas a 'sugar cane'. Roedd ei croen i gyffwrdd yn llawer fwy llyfn a meddal na'r disgwyl. Cafodd Nia a finne fynd ar yr eliffant mwya - do fe wnaeth Nia gytuno rhoi go arni! Bwjo oedd ei enw a hwn oedd yr unig eliffant gwrwaidd ac mi'r oedd ei faint yn enfawr wrth ei gymharu a gweddill yr eliffantod. Cawsom eistedd ar sedd i ddau berson wedi ei leoli ar dop cefn yr eliffant gyda gyrrwr bach yn eistedd jyst tu ol i glustiau'r eliffant. Roedd y gyrrwr yn fachan hapus iawn a gwen fawr ar ei wyneb yn canu rownd abowt. Beth oedd yn cadw Bwjo'n hapus oedd estyn ei drwnc dros ei ben ef a'r gyrrwr i'n cyfeiriad ni ble bydden ni wedyn yn ei fwydio gyda bananas. Ac wrth i ni drafaelu drwy'r jwngwl byddai gorsaf bob yn nawr ac yn y man lle gallem brynnu rhagor o fananas er mwyn cadw Bwjo'n hapus. Wrth deithio ar lawr gwastad doedd dim prblem, ond pan roedd Bwjo yn dringo ac yn enwedig wrth gostwng rhaid oedd dal ymlaen yn sownd! Wedi ychydig fe neidiodd ein gyrrwr oddi ar Bwjo ac yna fy nghroesawi i i symud lawr o'm sedd er mwyn lleoli fy hun fel gyrrwr Bwjo - er nid oedd gennym unrhyw rheolaeth drosto ac mi'r oedd Bwjo yn gwneud beth bynnag roedd yn mynni - ond fe fuhafiodd yn iawn ar y cyfan ac mi'r oedd yn brofiad gwych.
Wedi cinio fe ddechreuodd ein trec yn y jwngwl, ryw pedair awr o gerdded lan a lawr mewn jwngwl hyfryd yn aml yn cerdded wrth ymyl afon neu nant gan gymryd holl luniau. Cawsom aros wrth ymyl rhaeadr am ychydig ble newidom fewn i'n dillad nofio am dip bach yn y dwr i'n cwlo ni lawr. Rhagor o gerdded wedyn ac erbyn 5 o'r gloch roedd pawb bron wedi blino'n lan yn enwedig gan fod yr awr olaf yn fwy o ddringo na cherdded. Yna gwelsom ar ddraws rhai caeau o reis cwpwl o hyts o bren ac roeddem yn gobeithio mae hyna oedd terfyn ein taith am y diwrnod - a diolch byth mi oedd. Gwell byth oedd gweld focs oer llawn ia a chwrw oer oedd yn ein disgwyl ac aeth pawb yn syth amdano. Cawsom "gawod" fach gloi - yn gloi nid o rhan dewis ond gan mai'r cyfan ydoedd oedd tap dwr oer (iawn) wedi ei leoli reit nesa i'r ty bach sgwat mewn sied bren. Ond yn fuan iawn roedd pawb wedi anghofio eu blinder ac roedd gwenau ar ein gwynebau fel roedd tin ar ol tin o cwrw oer Chang yn llifo i lawr ein gyddgau wrth rhannu storiau o jocs a thynnu ambell goes. Mae'n tywyllu tua 6yh ac fe aeth bron popeth yn ddu bitch o'n cwmpas - peth da oedd i Nia a finne dod a'n 'head torches', rhywbeth roedd pawb yn falch ohono yn enwedig pan roedd angen defnyddio'r ty bach.
Mae'n troi allan roedden ni i gyd i aros mewn 'communal hut' fawr wrth ymyl ffermdy teulu bach (gwr, gwraig a bachgen bach ryw 3-4 oed). Roedd yr adeiladau i gyd wedi eu wneud o bren ac yn ein hyt fawr ni roedd nifer o flancedi a netiau moscito wedi ei drefnu'n daclus ar ei hyd. Wrth ystyried ein lleoliad yng nghanol unman gyda chyfleuterau syml reit i ddweud y gorau cawsom wledd i fwyta y noswaith hynny. Paratowyd digonedd o fwyd - beansprouts a noodles, sweet a sour a'r gorau i gyd cyri coch Thai. Llanwodd pawb ei boliau a chadw ymlaen i yfed y Chang. Maes o law, credai'r 'hosts' fod angen fwy o fwyd arnom a daethant allan a llygoden ffyrnig roeddent newydd ei dal mewn trap. Rhoddwyd y lygoden ar y tan a'i farbeciwio gyda rhai o'n grwp yn tynnu gwynebau ac eraill yn mynu rhoi cynnig ar ei flasu. Cymerias ychydig o'r gynffon a oedd yn blasu fel 'pork scratchings' a ychydig o'r goes oedd yn blasu yn union fel ... ie, cyw iar!
Wedi'r cwrw orffen chwiliasom ein gwelau a cael ein deffro'n llawer rhy gynnar gan nid jyst un ond dau geiliog wedi eu lleoli reit tu allan i'r drws a hynny cyn iddi oleuo'n iawn. Wedi brecwast bant a ni eto am rhagor o gerdded trwy jwngwl, gweld pentref y pobl lleol, rhagor o nofio ger rhaeadr arall a hyd yn oed gem fach o beldroed ar gae o bridd coch. Yna, fel roeddwn bron a llwgi ar ol cerdded drwy cae ar ol cae o goed bananas cyrraeddom diwedd ein taith gerdded ble roedd cinio o Pad Tai yn ein disgwyl. Ond nid oedd yr hwyl drosodd - mynd wedyn ar rafft o fambw. Cafodd Nia, Ed a finne y capten mwya dwl i'n tywys lawr yr afon - 'Captain Crazy' fel yr enwebo ni ef ond eto cawsom llawer o hwyl. Roedd y capen yn benderfynol o'n twli ni oddi ar y rafft i'r afon. Nid byddai hynny wedi gwneud llawer o wahanieth gan yr oeddwn yn cael ein gwlychu sops wrth jyst eistedd ar yr rafft. Mewn ychydig rhoddwyd i mi y polyn roedd yn cael ei ddefnyddio i lywio'r rafft ac yna fe aeth popeth yn gyffroes iawn wrth i ni ond osgoi'r holl wahanol peryglon a hyd yn oed ddim ar ambell i achlysur! Yn rhy fuan ddaeth yr hwyl i ben ac er i'r capten methu yn ei ymdrechio i'n cael i'r dwr roedden ni gyd yn wlyb on top i'n gwaelod gyda Ed druan a rhwyg fawr yn ei siorts a phawb yn gwneud sbort ar ei ben ... a'i ben-ol!
Nol i'r hostel wedyn am gawod poeth hir a hyfryd i ddod dros anturiaethau'r ddau ddiwrnod diwethaf. Allan wedyn am ddiod gyda'r rhai o'n grwp oedd yn aros yn yr un hostel. Cawsom dipyn o grac gyda Gibbo, Katie, James a Scott dros y cwpwl o ddyddiau canlynol - yn gwario amser yng nghwni'n gilydd wrth ymyl y pwll nofio a hefyd pan aethom i gyd i weld bocsio Thai. Maent erbyn hyn wedi mynd ymlaen i Loas ac maent yn gwneud yr union yr un taith yr ydym yn golgu cychwyn arni fory. Efallai y bwddwn yn dal lan a nhw hwyr neu hwyrach, roeddwn yn joio tynnu coesau'r Saeson.
Chiang Mai - Jewel of the North
Arrived at Chiang Mai last Wednesday from Sukhothai, the scenery getting more mountainous and lush as we travelled further north. Chiang Mai is the capital of the old Lamma Kingdom, the old city being built in the 13th century within 3 concentric walls and 2 moats to keep the Burmese out. Being set in the mountains and surrounded by forest makes it the ideal centre for outdoor activities and there is now a thriving backpacker scene in the new city, outside the old city walls. Even though Chiang Mai is now a Thai province, it still upholds the tradition of having its own King, even though he is a figurehead with no power. Traffic swarms outside the city walls but inside, the streets are small and leafy with cafes and guesthouses. The Chiang Mai night sky is dotted with the little orange lights of paper lanterns sent up into the darkness. We can understand why some people arrive with plans to stay for 2 days then end up staying for 2 weeks instead.
We seem to have done so much since we arrived, so here, in bite-sized pieces is what we've been up to.
TUESDAY - 2 DAY HILL TRIBE TREK
(or otherwise known as I've Got Rat Stuck in my Teeth ...)
11 intrepid adventurers joined our guides, Pun and Jojo in the pickup, carrying our day-packs, containing the essentials on the list we'd been given in the briefing meeting the night before. On the list were a long-sleeved top and fleece as it's cool season in Thailand apparently! We also took along our swiss army knife in case we needed to slay a wild animal for our tea, or construct a bridge to cross a deep ravine (we didn't, just as well). Our first stop was an elephant trek and our ride was called Bujo - the only bull in the herd, 25 years old and twice the size of the others. The ride took about an hour and at intervals along the way there were raised platforms where 'farang' (tourists) could buy a great big bunch of bananas or sugar cane for 20 bhts (30p) 'to make friendly with elephant'. No elephant is going to pass up the chance of a snack and they all stopped expectantly at each one. When the purchase had been made, a huge big muddy trunk would come waving backwards to collect. At the first station, Bojo had taken the whole bunch, so at the second station, we got wise and put them on the seat between us - only for them to be nicked by the elephant following behind! Marc had a go in the driving seat, sat on Bojo's neck, legs down behind his ears - pretending to be a big chief. We had lunch - and guess what was for pudd - yes, a banana!
HILL TRIBE TREK
The clue should have been in the name really, but 20 seconds into the trek and the path started to rise sharply up a red clay path baked solid in the heat. Calf muscles were soon screaming and sweat started to pour off (and continued to do so for 2 days). We walked for about half an hour to the sound of thunderous waterfalls and when Pun told us that we could go swimming in a big pool in the river to cool off, it was heaven. On we went, stopping occasionally to catch breath at the top of particularly steep bits, crossing rivers balancing on logs and bamboo bridges and swinging from the lianas (OK I made the last bit up). Three sticky, humid, sweaty hours later we arrived at our camp for the night, which was one big hut with 12 mattresses (more like a blanket) and sleeping bags side by side on a bamboo floor with mozzie nets hanging above. The facilities for freshening up was a bamboo shed with holes in the side which were covered by blankets for modesty. The shed had a squat loo and a standpipe with icy cold water for showering. There was huge long table and benches which is where we sat all evening eating and drinking by candlelight. I've never been anywhere so dark in all my life - even with night eyes it was like 'bol buwch' - pitch black. Pun made a wonderful meal - six great big bowls of red curry, sweet and sour and noodles and beansprouts with mountains of rice. A meal never tasted so good. One of the ladies of the tribe brought home a rat that she had just taken from the hunting-trap in the woods. Pun singed all its hair off on the camp fire then skewered it head to tail and bbq'd it until it was cooked (charred). We all had pieces to eat - we both had some tail and hind leg and it tasted like a pork scratching! One of the trekkers crunched open the skull and ate the brain (sorry that was probably too much information). And so to bed ... some slept like logs (the males) and others (the 3 females in the group) were awake all night, just dropping off when the cockerel started at about 6am. There was a constant procession to the toilet through the night, people swearing quietly as the fell over everything and nothing in their efforts to get to the hut door in the dark so as not to disturb the others. It poured down at intervals through the night and I was just expecting to feel drops landing on my forehead, but thankfully not. Breakfast was a leisurely affair - lots of toast and jam and piles of fruit.
Farang used to stay in the village with the hill tribe until a couple of years ago when the tribe decided that they'd had enough of the noise and not being able to sleep so they built a purpose-built camp about 10 minutes walk from the main village for the foreigners - and this is where we stayed. On the way to see the village proper and meet some people, (another calf burning climb) we came to a clearing in the woods that they had flattened and made a football pitch with grandstand! A first to three goals match ensued and by the time we got to the village, all but a few women left at home to look after the animals, had gone to work or to school at the next village. So much for the cultural bit. On we went, slipping and sliding our way downstream to another welcome stop at a waterfall for a swim. This time it was possible to walk behind the waterfall and try and stand under it without falling over. An expensive flip-flop was washed away here and we told Gibbo who had lost it, to throw the other one in too as someone would probably be waiting patiently on a rock downstream somewhere waiting to see if it arrived. The last leg of the trek took us to lunch and back to the pickup - all filthy, sweaty and exhausted but with big smiles. Huge thanks must go to Pun and Jojo, the two local lads, for making the trek so fantastic - they made bamboo walking sticks for us, a bamboo pop-gun for shooting little stinging pellets of soggy paper at each other, caught a snake and threw a stick into a wasps nest then shouting 'run' and making us eat rat.
BAMBOO RAFTING
Last activity of the 2 days was bamboo rafting. We had been told that it was a very sedate way of floating down the river for half an hour - not! 10 thick bamboo logs are strapped together to form a raft about 10 metres long with a one man at the front, one at the back and passengers sat side by side in the middle, in the water. Our first front man was crazy, trying his best to tip us all off the raft and shouting crocodile whilst running up and down the raft then our second front man was even crazier - it was Marc. Once he found his balance, he steered up through rapids and around other rafts that were having a more quiet time. We had one hairy moment as we headed for overhanging trees that would had wiped us all out, had we not lay flat on the raft, clinging on tightly. I had expected to see Marc in the water, but no - he was still on and sprung back on his feet in an instant. One thing that can't go unmentioned was the small tear in Ed's shorts which suddenly turned into a huge rip all the way down to the bottom (past his bottom) that left his shorts flapping. We made sure that we pointed it out to everyone we passed on the riverbank - as Katie said, cracking view!
MUAY THAI (you're doing well if you're still with me)
Friday night is Thai Boxing night in Chiang Mai and we went along with 4 fellow trekkers, Pun and Jojo. The stadium is just outside town and I was expecting to see a rough and ready shack with unruly crowds and no-holds barred stuff but I was pleasantly surprised (if you can be pleasantly surprised at a boxing stadium). There were 8 matches on the programme for the evening, in a professional looking ring, complete with 3 judges and referee. Some of the fighters wore coloured armbands and feathers around their arms to accentuate their muscles and headbands with big ponytails sticking out of the back. After a lot of showing-off and strutting around the ring, the headbands were taken off then, to the sound of a tinkling bell; music to charm snakes to and a cheering crowd, they proceeded to punch and kick seven bells out of each other and it was great! A match consists of 5 rounds of 3 minutes each and the more action there was, the quicker the rounds seemed to go. Every time a kick landed, everyone in the crowd cheered and the seconds went crazy during flurries and holds. Wagers are made between individuals in the crowd, the money being held by another impartial person until the end of the bout. Without doubt - the best fight of the evening was won by a farang, a blond bloke that we reckoned probably came from Glasgow. I'd recommend this to anyone for a great night out.
LONG NECK TRIBE ETC DAY OUT (won't be long now)
A word to the wise - don't' go on this trip unless you're happy to spend 3 times as long on a bus as seeing interesting things outside the bus. First stop was an orchid and butterfly farm where we at least got to try out the macro setting on our new camera and I now know how to breed an orchid but I don't think I'll bother all the same. A long drive to Chiang Dop caves where we saw Burmese Buddhas and other sculptures inside the cave. We could only go so far into the cave as the rest of the complex was closed due to rains and high water levels - understandable given recent tragic events. Ning, our guide was excellent though, explaining the history of Chiang Mai province and the difference between Chiang Mai buddhas and Sukhothai Buddhas. Chiang Mai or Lanna buddhas are the happy little round smiling chappies that we usually associate with Buddha. Sukhothai Buddhas are thin and unsmiling, reflecting all the wars and conflicts that Sukhothai have been part of over the years, in contrast to Lamma who have had a more peaceful history. Last on the list was a visit to see the Padanung tribe, part of the Karen family of Burmese tribes that have settled in North Thailand in the wake of civil war. Children of the tribe born in Thailand are given Thai citizenship so they will be able to work and be a part of the
Thai community in future. The Thai government also provides free education for them.
Adults however, depend on the income from selling handicrafts and the tourist trade and they flock in busfulls to see the ladies of the tribe - known as the long-neck tribe. From childhood, females wear a brass ring around their neck and one will be added to every year until she is 30 and she will wear them until she dies. The tribe believe that the rings protect the girls from being bitten on the neck by tigers as they work in the fields. They also wear rings on their legs as protection from scorpions and snakes. The village consisted of just a dusty street of stalls and women weaving cotton scarves and sewing bags. We had been told that it was OK to take photos of the ladies but it still felt a little voyeuristic until some of them started the hard-sell and it was difficult to get through the sea of painted faces and blackened teeth all calling 'looking here'.
Then is was back in the bus for another arduous 3 hours back to Chiang Mai, a nice cool beer and a wander around the massive night bazaar - but that's another story ...
A Word about Squat Toilets
... because they were the subject of much conversation before we left. I must say that 2 weeks in, I'm getting used to the idea and technique of a squat toilet (you'll only wet your feet the one time). I was so taken by the first one I went into (it was decorated beautifully in pink mosaic tiles) that I had to take a picture of it. Between negotiating the loo itself and the photo shoot, it took quite a while and Marc thought that there had been an incident of some kind. The only thing is, is that it deprives you of what could sometimes be a welcome 2 minute sit down, to 'take the weight off' but looking on the bright side, we'll have thighs of steel by the time we leave!
We seem to have done so much since we arrived, so here, in bite-sized pieces is what we've been up to.
TUESDAY - 2 DAY HILL TRIBE TREK
(or otherwise known as I've Got Rat Stuck in my Teeth ...)
11 intrepid adventurers joined our guides, Pun and Jojo in the pickup, carrying our day-packs, containing the essentials on the list we'd been given in the briefing meeting the night before. On the list were a long-sleeved top and fleece as it's cool season in Thailand apparently! We also took along our swiss army knife in case we needed to slay a wild animal for our tea, or construct a bridge to cross a deep ravine (we didn't, just as well). Our first stop was an elephant trek and our ride was called Bujo - the only bull in the herd, 25 years old and twice the size of the others. The ride took about an hour and at intervals along the way there were raised platforms where 'farang' (tourists) could buy a great big bunch of bananas or sugar cane for 20 bhts (30p) 'to make friendly with elephant'. No elephant is going to pass up the chance of a snack and they all stopped expectantly at each one. When the purchase had been made, a huge big muddy trunk would come waving backwards to collect. At the first station, Bojo had taken the whole bunch, so at the second station, we got wise and put them on the seat between us - only for them to be nicked by the elephant following behind! Marc had a go in the driving seat, sat on Bojo's neck, legs down behind his ears - pretending to be a big chief. We had lunch - and guess what was for pudd - yes, a banana!
HILL TRIBE TREK
The clue should have been in the name really, but 20 seconds into the trek and the path started to rise sharply up a red clay path baked solid in the heat. Calf muscles were soon screaming and sweat started to pour off (and continued to do so for 2 days). We walked for about half an hour to the sound of thunderous waterfalls and when Pun told us that we could go swimming in a big pool in the river to cool off, it was heaven. On we went, stopping occasionally to catch breath at the top of particularly steep bits, crossing rivers balancing on logs and bamboo bridges and swinging from the lianas (OK I made the last bit up). Three sticky, humid, sweaty hours later we arrived at our camp for the night, which was one big hut with 12 mattresses (more like a blanket) and sleeping bags side by side on a bamboo floor with mozzie nets hanging above. The facilities for freshening up was a bamboo shed with holes in the side which were covered by blankets for modesty. The shed had a squat loo and a standpipe with icy cold water for showering. There was huge long table and benches which is where we sat all evening eating and drinking by candlelight. I've never been anywhere so dark in all my life - even with night eyes it was like 'bol buwch' - pitch black. Pun made a wonderful meal - six great big bowls of red curry, sweet and sour and noodles and beansprouts with mountains of rice. A meal never tasted so good. One of the ladies of the tribe brought home a rat that she had just taken from the hunting-trap in the woods. Pun singed all its hair off on the camp fire then skewered it head to tail and bbq'd it until it was cooked (charred). We all had pieces to eat - we both had some tail and hind leg and it tasted like a pork scratching! One of the trekkers crunched open the skull and ate the brain (sorry that was probably too much information). And so to bed ... some slept like logs (the males) and others (the 3 females in the group) were awake all night, just dropping off when the cockerel started at about 6am. There was a constant procession to the toilet through the night, people swearing quietly as the fell over everything and nothing in their efforts to get to the hut door in the dark so as not to disturb the others. It poured down at intervals through the night and I was just expecting to feel drops landing on my forehead, but thankfully not. Breakfast was a leisurely affair - lots of toast and jam and piles of fruit.
Farang used to stay in the village with the hill tribe until a couple of years ago when the tribe decided that they'd had enough of the noise and not being able to sleep so they built a purpose-built camp about 10 minutes walk from the main village for the foreigners - and this is where we stayed. On the way to see the village proper and meet some people, (another calf burning climb) we came to a clearing in the woods that they had flattened and made a football pitch with grandstand! A first to three goals match ensued and by the time we got to the village, all but a few women left at home to look after the animals, had gone to work or to school at the next village. So much for the cultural bit. On we went, slipping and sliding our way downstream to another welcome stop at a waterfall for a swim. This time it was possible to walk behind the waterfall and try and stand under it without falling over. An expensive flip-flop was washed away here and we told Gibbo who had lost it, to throw the other one in too as someone would probably be waiting patiently on a rock downstream somewhere waiting to see if it arrived. The last leg of the trek took us to lunch and back to the pickup - all filthy, sweaty and exhausted but with big smiles. Huge thanks must go to Pun and Jojo, the two local lads, for making the trek so fantastic - they made bamboo walking sticks for us, a bamboo pop-gun for shooting little stinging pellets of soggy paper at each other, caught a snake and threw a stick into a wasps nest then shouting 'run' and making us eat rat.
BAMBOO RAFTING
Last activity of the 2 days was bamboo rafting. We had been told that it was a very sedate way of floating down the river for half an hour - not! 10 thick bamboo logs are strapped together to form a raft about 10 metres long with a one man at the front, one at the back and passengers sat side by side in the middle, in the water. Our first front man was crazy, trying his best to tip us all off the raft and shouting crocodile whilst running up and down the raft then our second front man was even crazier - it was Marc. Once he found his balance, he steered up through rapids and around other rafts that were having a more quiet time. We had one hairy moment as we headed for overhanging trees that would had wiped us all out, had we not lay flat on the raft, clinging on tightly. I had expected to see Marc in the water, but no - he was still on and sprung back on his feet in an instant. One thing that can't go unmentioned was the small tear in Ed's shorts which suddenly turned into a huge rip all the way down to the bottom (past his bottom) that left his shorts flapping. We made sure that we pointed it out to everyone we passed on the riverbank - as Katie said, cracking view!
MUAY THAI (you're doing well if you're still with me)
Friday night is Thai Boxing night in Chiang Mai and we went along with 4 fellow trekkers, Pun and Jojo. The stadium is just outside town and I was expecting to see a rough and ready shack with unruly crowds and no-holds barred stuff but I was pleasantly surprised (if you can be pleasantly surprised at a boxing stadium). There were 8 matches on the programme for the evening, in a professional looking ring, complete with 3 judges and referee. Some of the fighters wore coloured armbands and feathers around their arms to accentuate their muscles and headbands with big ponytails sticking out of the back. After a lot of showing-off and strutting around the ring, the headbands were taken off then, to the sound of a tinkling bell; music to charm snakes to and a cheering crowd, they proceeded to punch and kick seven bells out of each other and it was great! A match consists of 5 rounds of 3 minutes each and the more action there was, the quicker the rounds seemed to go. Every time a kick landed, everyone in the crowd cheered and the seconds went crazy during flurries and holds. Wagers are made between individuals in the crowd, the money being held by another impartial person until the end of the bout. Without doubt - the best fight of the evening was won by a farang, a blond bloke that we reckoned probably came from Glasgow. I'd recommend this to anyone for a great night out.
LONG NECK TRIBE ETC DAY OUT (won't be long now)
A word to the wise - don't' go on this trip unless you're happy to spend 3 times as long on a bus as seeing interesting things outside the bus. First stop was an orchid and butterfly farm where we at least got to try out the macro setting on our new camera and I now know how to breed an orchid but I don't think I'll bother all the same. A long drive to Chiang Dop caves where we saw Burmese Buddhas and other sculptures inside the cave. We could only go so far into the cave as the rest of the complex was closed due to rains and high water levels - understandable given recent tragic events. Ning, our guide was excellent though, explaining the history of Chiang Mai province and the difference between Chiang Mai buddhas and Sukhothai Buddhas. Chiang Mai or Lanna buddhas are the happy little round smiling chappies that we usually associate with Buddha. Sukhothai Buddhas are thin and unsmiling, reflecting all the wars and conflicts that Sukhothai have been part of over the years, in contrast to Lamma who have had a more peaceful history. Last on the list was a visit to see the Padanung tribe, part of the Karen family of Burmese tribes that have settled in North Thailand in the wake of civil war. Children of the tribe born in Thailand are given Thai citizenship so they will be able to work and be a part of the
Thai community in future. The Thai government also provides free education for them.
Adults however, depend on the income from selling handicrafts and the tourist trade and they flock in busfulls to see the ladies of the tribe - known as the long-neck tribe. From childhood, females wear a brass ring around their neck and one will be added to every year until she is 30 and she will wear them until she dies. The tribe believe that the rings protect the girls from being bitten on the neck by tigers as they work in the fields. They also wear rings on their legs as protection from scorpions and snakes. The village consisted of just a dusty street of stalls and women weaving cotton scarves and sewing bags. We had been told that it was OK to take photos of the ladies but it still felt a little voyeuristic until some of them started the hard-sell and it was difficult to get through the sea of painted faces and blackened teeth all calling 'looking here'.
Then is was back in the bus for another arduous 3 hours back to Chiang Mai, a nice cool beer and a wander around the massive night bazaar - but that's another story ...
A Word about Squat Toilets
... because they were the subject of much conversation before we left. I must say that 2 weeks in, I'm getting used to the idea and technique of a squat toilet (you'll only wet your feet the one time). I was so taken by the first one I went into (it was decorated beautifully in pink mosaic tiles) that I had to take a picture of it. Between negotiating the loo itself and the photo shoot, it took quite a while and Marc thought that there had been an incident of some kind. The only thing is, is that it deprives you of what could sometimes be a welcome 2 minute sit down, to 'take the weight off' but looking on the bright side, we'll have thighs of steel by the time we leave!
Sunday, 11 November 2007
Life is but a Dew Drop on a Lotus Leaf
Cawsom ein casglu o'r hostel bore 'ma am 7 o'r gloch - rhy gynnar i gael brecwast oedd ddim yn dechrau tan 7.30 - dim dechrau da i ddiwrnod Marc. Ond gwellodd pethau yn go gloi wrth i ni fynd yn y tacsi gan bod y gyrrwr yn gwybod canlyniadau peldroed Dydd Sadwrn.
Ar ol siwrnau o 6 awr ar y bys, cyrraeddom Sukhotai - brifddinas gyntaf teyrnas Thailand. Rydym yn aros yn yr hen ddinas sydd ryw 10km o'r ddinas newydd "fodern". Mae yma holl olion o demlau ac ati o'r 14fed ganrif ac rydym yn bwriadu hurio bobi feic yfory i weld y safle i gyd.
Mae na ddigonedd o gyfleuserau rhyngrwyd i gael yma - hyd yn oed yn y caffis bach lleiaf felly fydd dim problem diweddaru'r blog.
We were collected from our digs in Bangkok at 7 this morning which was too early for breakfast which was not a good start to the day for Marc, but things soon brightened up as the taxi driver knew all the results of the football on Saturday. He asked us from which country we were from and as has happened with all the males who have asked the same so far, when we mentioned Wales - he said Ryan Giggs straight away! The women have replied Princess Diana and this frustrates Marc very much and he explains that Diana was not Welsh but I don't think they understand. One or two have mentioned Tom Jones and Shirley Bassey - obviously good kareoke material.
After 6 hours on the bus we arrived at Sukhotai which is the ancient capital of the Kingdom. The city is divided into two parts - new Sukhotai is the "modern" bit and the old part where we are staying is a walled city scattered with the ruins of temples and other structures in lush surroundings. Monks still live in a village like settlement in the middle of the city which is on an island in the middle of a lake full of water-lillies. You are free to cross one of two wooden bridges to the island and walk around amongst the monks as they go about their daily business. There are dozens of plaques on trees around the island bearing philosophical quotations and sayings and the Dew Drop on the Lotus Leaf was one of them. I also liked "When the candles go out, all women are fair". We intend to hire a couple of bikes tomorow to see the whole site. At night, the ruins are illuminated by hundreds of little oil lamps, it's really lovely.
Ar ol siwrnau o 6 awr ar y bys, cyrraeddom Sukhotai - brifddinas gyntaf teyrnas Thailand. Rydym yn aros yn yr hen ddinas sydd ryw 10km o'r ddinas newydd "fodern". Mae yma holl olion o demlau ac ati o'r 14fed ganrif ac rydym yn bwriadu hurio bobi feic yfory i weld y safle i gyd.
Mae na ddigonedd o gyfleuserau rhyngrwyd i gael yma - hyd yn oed yn y caffis bach lleiaf felly fydd dim problem diweddaru'r blog.
We were collected from our digs in Bangkok at 7 this morning which was too early for breakfast which was not a good start to the day for Marc, but things soon brightened up as the taxi driver knew all the results of the football on Saturday. He asked us from which country we were from and as has happened with all the males who have asked the same so far, when we mentioned Wales - he said Ryan Giggs straight away! The women have replied Princess Diana and this frustrates Marc very much and he explains that Diana was not Welsh but I don't think they understand. One or two have mentioned Tom Jones and Shirley Bassey - obviously good kareoke material.
After 6 hours on the bus we arrived at Sukhotai which is the ancient capital of the Kingdom. The city is divided into two parts - new Sukhotai is the "modern" bit and the old part where we are staying is a walled city scattered with the ruins of temples and other structures in lush surroundings. Monks still live in a village like settlement in the middle of the city which is on an island in the middle of a lake full of water-lillies. You are free to cross one of two wooden bridges to the island and walk around amongst the monks as they go about their daily business. There are dozens of plaques on trees around the island bearing philosophical quotations and sayings and the Dew Drop on the Lotus Leaf was one of them. I also liked "When the candles go out, all women are fair". We intend to hire a couple of bikes tomorow to see the whole site. At night, the ruins are illuminated by hundreds of little oil lamps, it's really lovely.
Saturday, 10 November 2007
Return from Paradise
Dychwelon ddoe i BKK wedi rhai dyddiau bendigedig yn Ko Samet - nefoedd ar y ddaear. Gwneud dim byd ond bola heulio, nofio mewn dwr mor cynnes, bwyta bwyd blasus Thai, yfed cwrw ardderchog Chang a chymdeithasu gyda ymwelwyr eraill. Ar ein noswaith olaf yna roedd yna wir flas rhyngwladol ar ein bwrdd wrth i ni fwyta gyda dwy chwaer o Israel, Gwyddel ac Almaenes ac ni gyd yn mwynhau a rhannu gwahanol brydiau. Wedyn fe ymunodd pump person arall a'r parti - Gwyddel arall, dyn o'r Iseldiroedd, Almaenwr a dwy Americanes yn llanw'r bwrdd gyda photeli gwag o gwrw tra yn rhannu storiau a phrofiadau mor belled.
Mae Nia yn bles iawn o'i hun gan iddi benderfynnu mae i Ko Samet yr aethom ni - mae'n debyg fod yna lifogydd mawr wedi bod yn ein opsiynau eraill fel Phuket, Ko Phi Phi ac hyd yn oed Ko Samui tra na allai fod yn frafach yn Ko Samet. Anodd iawn felly oedd gadael bore ddoe gyda'r tywydd cystal ac erioed a rhaid oedd codi'n gynnar iawn am 8 y.b. er mwyn mynd am un nofiad olaf (wel, mae 8 y.b. yn gynnar iawn i ni dyddie yma). Dechreuodd ein trip nol am 11 y.b. ar sawngthaew, gan adael yr ynys ar fferi a chyrraedd nol yn BKK ar fws am tua 5 y.p.
Heddiw, rydym wedi mynd ar Tuk Tuk am y tro cyntaf ar draws y ddinas. Roedd yn dipyn o hwyl a'r peth agosaf gallaf ei gymharu iddo yw y 'rollercoaster rides' mawr yn America - 'a bit of a white knuckle ride' wrth wibio drwy'r holl draffig. Aethom i swyddfa TAT er mwyn gwneud trefniadau i fynd lan i'r gogledd ac yna ar draws i Laos cyn gweithio am lawr i Cambodia a nol i BBK ar y 4ydd o Ragfyr er mwyn gweld dathliadau mawr penblwydd y Brenin yn 80. Felly, falle ni fydd llawer o hanes am ychydig, bydd yn ddibynol os oes internet i gael yn y mannau anghysbell yma.
We bounced our way off Ko Samet very reluctantly yesterday morning. I am sure that all the people we passed having breakfast at the beach bar were wearing the same secret smug look that we've been sporting all week, watching others drag their feet up the path and through the trees, glancing back wistfully. We had a great last evening, dinner and a few Singha beers on the beach front with a truly international flavour - two sisters, Elinor and Mika from Israel, Gordy from Germany, Don and John from Eire, Elisha and Sarah from Minnesota, Pascal from the Netherlands and another guy from Germany - sorry I can't remember his name but I do remember that he is 28. We have invited them all to come and stay and it would be great if they all turned up at the same time.
We are now back in BKK making arrangements for the next three weeks. We leave in the morning, heading north then across the border to Laos and down into Cambodia so updates may be few and far between but keep watching incase. We had our first ride in a Tuk Tuk this morning - weaving through the Saturday morning rush and being choked by all the traffic fumes whilst hanging on and laughing all the way, with the driver joining in the fun. However, this was bought to an abrupt stop when our driver was pulled over by a policeman wearing Chips style sunglasses and a mouth mask. He wanted to inspect our drivers documents before he grabbed the Tuk Tuk keys from the ignition and just walked off. Our driver made chase and 10 minutes later he returned with his keys having had to pay 300 Bahts for their return. Given that his fares with us for most of the moring totalled about 70 Bahts, it was quite upsetting to see a victim of what is a common racket. The driver was a real joy - a typical friendly Thai who had been proud to point out places of interest to us as we sped past as we had told him it was our first ride in a Tuk Tuk.
In Thailand the King is very much revered by the people and he'll be 80 on 5th December. We will be back in BKK to join in the celebrations, which promise to be spectacular and we'll be joining no other than Nathan Wallbridge who'll be our guide for the day.
Marc has decided that in the interest of indigenous people and businesses, he will be consuming only the local brew for the duration of the trip and a record will be kept in the form of a bottle label collection. He intends to put them all together in the form of a montage for display. From December 2008, this masterpiece will be open for viewing in the downstairs toilet at Ysgubor Lon. (No doubt there'll be one or two contributions there from Nia as well.)
Mae Nia yn bles iawn o'i hun gan iddi benderfynnu mae i Ko Samet yr aethom ni - mae'n debyg fod yna lifogydd mawr wedi bod yn ein opsiynau eraill fel Phuket, Ko Phi Phi ac hyd yn oed Ko Samui tra na allai fod yn frafach yn Ko Samet. Anodd iawn felly oedd gadael bore ddoe gyda'r tywydd cystal ac erioed a rhaid oedd codi'n gynnar iawn am 8 y.b. er mwyn mynd am un nofiad olaf (wel, mae 8 y.b. yn gynnar iawn i ni dyddie yma). Dechreuodd ein trip nol am 11 y.b. ar sawngthaew, gan adael yr ynys ar fferi a chyrraedd nol yn BKK ar fws am tua 5 y.p.
Heddiw, rydym wedi mynd ar Tuk Tuk am y tro cyntaf ar draws y ddinas. Roedd yn dipyn o hwyl a'r peth agosaf gallaf ei gymharu iddo yw y 'rollercoaster rides' mawr yn America - 'a bit of a white knuckle ride' wrth wibio drwy'r holl draffig. Aethom i swyddfa TAT er mwyn gwneud trefniadau i fynd lan i'r gogledd ac yna ar draws i Laos cyn gweithio am lawr i Cambodia a nol i BBK ar y 4ydd o Ragfyr er mwyn gweld dathliadau mawr penblwydd y Brenin yn 80. Felly, falle ni fydd llawer o hanes am ychydig, bydd yn ddibynol os oes internet i gael yn y mannau anghysbell yma.
We bounced our way off Ko Samet very reluctantly yesterday morning. I am sure that all the people we passed having breakfast at the beach bar were wearing the same secret smug look that we've been sporting all week, watching others drag their feet up the path and through the trees, glancing back wistfully. We had a great last evening, dinner and a few Singha beers on the beach front with a truly international flavour - two sisters, Elinor and Mika from Israel, Gordy from Germany, Don and John from Eire, Elisha and Sarah from Minnesota, Pascal from the Netherlands and another guy from Germany - sorry I can't remember his name but I do remember that he is 28. We have invited them all to come and stay and it would be great if they all turned up at the same time.
We are now back in BKK making arrangements for the next three weeks. We leave in the morning, heading north then across the border to Laos and down into Cambodia so updates may be few and far between but keep watching incase. We had our first ride in a Tuk Tuk this morning - weaving through the Saturday morning rush and being choked by all the traffic fumes whilst hanging on and laughing all the way, with the driver joining in the fun. However, this was bought to an abrupt stop when our driver was pulled over by a policeman wearing Chips style sunglasses and a mouth mask. He wanted to inspect our drivers documents before he grabbed the Tuk Tuk keys from the ignition and just walked off. Our driver made chase and 10 minutes later he returned with his keys having had to pay 300 Bahts for their return. Given that his fares with us for most of the moring totalled about 70 Bahts, it was quite upsetting to see a victim of what is a common racket. The driver was a real joy - a typical friendly Thai who had been proud to point out places of interest to us as we sped past as we had told him it was our first ride in a Tuk Tuk.
In Thailand the King is very much revered by the people and he'll be 80 on 5th December. We will be back in BKK to join in the celebrations, which promise to be spectacular and we'll be joining no other than Nathan Wallbridge who'll be our guide for the day.
Marc has decided that in the interest of indigenous people and businesses, he will be consuming only the local brew for the duration of the trip and a record will be kept in the form of a bottle label collection. He intends to put them all together in the form of a montage for display. From December 2008, this masterpiece will be open for viewing in the downstairs toilet at Ysgubor Lon. (No doubt there'll be one or two contributions there from Nia as well.)
Wednesday, 7 November 2007
Candlelight Beach
Rydym wedi darganfod paradwys o'r enw Ko Samet lle mae bywyd mor rhwydd ac mor bell o'r hyn rydym yn gyfarwydd a. Dim byd yw wneud ond ymlacio ar draeth gwyn o dan haul disglair ger mor wyrdd las sydd fel cerdded i fewn i fath pan rydym yn medru dod o hyd i'r egni i godi o'n stolion haul. Dim lot rhagor i'w ddweud ond fod y cwrw lleol cystal a'r lleoliad. Mae Nia yn argymell y Singha (4.9%) ond mae Marc yn stico i'r Chang (6.3%!!!!!!!).
Candlelight Beach, Ao Thian, Ko Samet - look it up on the internet, or even better come here and see for yourselves.
Arrived on Monday afternoon after a 3 hour bus and boat ride from Bangkok. The island taxi possy were waiting for the boat with their songathews which are basically pick-up trucks with a bench down each side with the object of stuffing as many tourists and their luggage in as possible. For the first 200 yards being wedged in was good, as it meant that we weren't bounced off the back of the truck as the state of the road (we use the term very loosely) is soooo bad. Then we came to the first beach stop and the people who had to get out were moaning and protesting that if they knew it was so close to the port they would have walked and saved the half hour they had to wait until the songathew was jam-packed and also the 20 bahts they paid to go around the corner! 160 bahts and 20 minutes of clinging on for life later, we arrived - and WOW! (Jo - you were right).
Candlelight Beach is very Jack Johnson and coconuts. The pace of life is so laid back it makes the people on the Bacardi advert look as if they're on speed. A typical day is wake up to the sound of waves and the odd nut falling onto the hut roof (yes, I know, they shouldn't have been up there in the first place), swim, banana pancakes for breakfast, beach, swim, read, snooze, swim, walk, swim, snooze, read, and one last twilight swim at 6.00pm before it gets dark. Then dress for dinner - t-shirt and flipflops. The most strenuous thing we do all day is attract the attention of the fruit selling man who must stagger miles up and down the beaches every day, but his fresh mango and pineapple is chin-dribbingly juicy, sweet and wonderful.
One useless observation from this week - all the dogs on this island are the same shape and size! They come in different colours but all are the size of a spaniel with a curly tail and pointy ears! Oh, all the cats have only half a tail - in fact you could say that they're stumpy .....
Candlelight Beach, Ao Thian, Ko Samet - look it up on the internet, or even better come here and see for yourselves.
Arrived on Monday afternoon after a 3 hour bus and boat ride from Bangkok. The island taxi possy were waiting for the boat with their songathews which are basically pick-up trucks with a bench down each side with the object of stuffing as many tourists and their luggage in as possible. For the first 200 yards being wedged in was good, as it meant that we weren't bounced off the back of the truck as the state of the road (we use the term very loosely) is soooo bad. Then we came to the first beach stop and the people who had to get out were moaning and protesting that if they knew it was so close to the port they would have walked and saved the half hour they had to wait until the songathew was jam-packed and also the 20 bahts they paid to go around the corner! 160 bahts and 20 minutes of clinging on for life later, we arrived - and WOW! (Jo - you were right).
Candlelight Beach is very Jack Johnson and coconuts. The pace of life is so laid back it makes the people on the Bacardi advert look as if they're on speed. A typical day is wake up to the sound of waves and the odd nut falling onto the hut roof (yes, I know, they shouldn't have been up there in the first place), swim, banana pancakes for breakfast, beach, swim, read, snooze, swim, walk, swim, snooze, read, and one last twilight swim at 6.00pm before it gets dark. Then dress for dinner - t-shirt and flipflops. The most strenuous thing we do all day is attract the attention of the fruit selling man who must stagger miles up and down the beaches every day, but his fresh mango and pineapple is chin-dribbingly juicy, sweet and wonderful.
One useless observation from this week - all the dogs on this island are the same shape and size! They come in different colours but all are the size of a spaniel with a curly tail and pointy ears! Oh, all the cats have only half a tail - in fact you could say that they're stumpy .....
Sunday, 4 November 2007
Ni yma!
Sawasdee Kup.
Di ni wedi cyrraedd yn saff ac yn iach. Mae'r tywydd yn boeth reit ac mae'n ymdrech jyst cerdded lawr y stryd. Wedi gweld llawer o Buddhas - wedi'u gwneud o aur pur, 'concrete' ac 'jade' a llawer iawn o demlau i gyd wedi eu arddurno'n hardd gyda chrefftwaith arbennig. Cawsom drip ar gwch 'James Bond' ar yr afon a oedd yn wych ac wedi cael blasu'r cuisine lleol sy'n fendigedig. Mynd nawr i chilio am tuk tuk sy'n fodlon mynd a ni lle i ni am fynd ac nid i siopau maent am i ni fynd iddynt!
Sawadee Ka from Bangkok - the Venice of the East. This city is incredible - it's suffocating but breathtaking, filthy but beautiful. It is also very hot and sticky - just like the food. Arrived late on Friday night and went straight to the hostel - too tired to even go and look for food - just crashed until the morning. Saturday, took a tour around the city with Sam our guide and our driver in an old Volvo. We have seen sitting Buddhas, reclining Buddhas, standing Buddhas and plastic Buddhas. We were all templed-out by last night. Took a fantastic trip on the river - hired a thai long-boat for just the two of us and Sam then he took us to eat in a backstreet gaffe where we were the only 'round-eyes' - it was superb. Took a walk through the night market last night and nearly lost Marc to a hand, attached to a large chest that emerged from the shadows. Nia missed it all as she was trying to avoid stepping into a huge family of cockroaches out for their evening walk also. After looking for ages, found great place to eat, just around the corner from the hostel - very tasty and a bargain even for a Cardi - going back again tonight. Staying in Bangkok until Tuesday then heading off in search of paradise on Koh Samet. Bye.
Di ni wedi cyrraedd yn saff ac yn iach. Mae'r tywydd yn boeth reit ac mae'n ymdrech jyst cerdded lawr y stryd. Wedi gweld llawer o Buddhas - wedi'u gwneud o aur pur, 'concrete' ac 'jade' a llawer iawn o demlau i gyd wedi eu arddurno'n hardd gyda chrefftwaith arbennig. Cawsom drip ar gwch 'James Bond' ar yr afon a oedd yn wych ac wedi cael blasu'r cuisine lleol sy'n fendigedig. Mynd nawr i chilio am tuk tuk sy'n fodlon mynd a ni lle i ni am fynd ac nid i siopau maent am i ni fynd iddynt!
Sawadee Ka from Bangkok - the Venice of the East. This city is incredible - it's suffocating but breathtaking, filthy but beautiful. It is also very hot and sticky - just like the food. Arrived late on Friday night and went straight to the hostel - too tired to even go and look for food - just crashed until the morning. Saturday, took a tour around the city with Sam our guide and our driver in an old Volvo. We have seen sitting Buddhas, reclining Buddhas, standing Buddhas and plastic Buddhas. We were all templed-out by last night. Took a fantastic trip on the river - hired a thai long-boat for just the two of us and Sam then he took us to eat in a backstreet gaffe where we were the only 'round-eyes' - it was superb. Took a walk through the night market last night and nearly lost Marc to a hand, attached to a large chest that emerged from the shadows. Nia missed it all as she was trying to avoid stepping into a huge family of cockroaches out for their evening walk also. After looking for ages, found great place to eat, just around the corner from the hostel - very tasty and a bargain even for a Cardi - going back again tonight. Staying in Bangkok until Tuesday then heading off in search of paradise on Koh Samet. Bye.
Thursday, 1 November 2007
Wele Gwawriodd ...
Ie - mae'n gyntaf o Dachwedd ac mae hynny yn golygu fod Margaret Lewis yn dathlu ei phenblwydd yn 50 mlwydd ifanc heddiw. Penblwydd hapus i ti Mags, gobeithio y cei dy spwylo'n racs.
Mae'r bagiau yn barod ar bocs tocyn wedi'i baratoi ar gyfer siwrnau'r bws felly mae'n amser mynd i gwely cyn codi i ddechrau'r antur.
Mae Mam wedi bod wrthi yn cyfansoddi pennillion i ni - rydym yn disgwyl gweld Cadair yr Eisteddfod yn Nhalybont flwyddyn nesaf pan ddown adref - a cwshin bach pert arni siwr o fod.
I Nia a Marc
Pob hwyl a phob sbri
Ar eich taith dros y lli,
Byddwch saff ar eich shwrne
Wrth gario'r holl bwysau,
Meddyliwch amdanom
Nawr yn y man, ac mewn ymgom,
Ac ar ol gweld yr holl fyd
O'i led ac o'i hyd,
A ninnau ar y blog yn eich dilyn
Trowch am gartre nol, bron pen y flwyddyn.
Hwyl pawb - welwn ni chi yn Bangkok. Ta ta.
Well the day has finally dawned, the bags are packed and the sarnies for the bus journey from Swansea to Heathrow have been made. We will probably start tucking-in around 2 junctions down the M4.
Panic has been overcome by a strange sense of calm - the homeopathic diazapan that Tracey brought up earlier is obviously kicking in.
Bye all - Bangkok here we come.
Goodbye Little Columbus,
Goodbye, I'll see you one day,
Goodbye Little Columbus,
You're just travelling, travelling, travelling ...
Chris Rea
Mae'r bagiau yn barod ar bocs tocyn wedi'i baratoi ar gyfer siwrnau'r bws felly mae'n amser mynd i gwely cyn codi i ddechrau'r antur.
Mae Mam wedi bod wrthi yn cyfansoddi pennillion i ni - rydym yn disgwyl gweld Cadair yr Eisteddfod yn Nhalybont flwyddyn nesaf pan ddown adref - a cwshin bach pert arni siwr o fod.
I Nia a Marc
Pob hwyl a phob sbri
Ar eich taith dros y lli,
Byddwch saff ar eich shwrne
Wrth gario'r holl bwysau,
Meddyliwch amdanom
Nawr yn y man, ac mewn ymgom,
Ac ar ol gweld yr holl fyd
O'i led ac o'i hyd,
A ninnau ar y blog yn eich dilyn
Trowch am gartre nol, bron pen y flwyddyn.
Hwyl pawb - welwn ni chi yn Bangkok. Ta ta.
Well the day has finally dawned, the bags are packed and the sarnies for the bus journey from Swansea to Heathrow have been made. We will probably start tucking-in around 2 junctions down the M4.
Panic has been overcome by a strange sense of calm - the homeopathic diazapan that Tracey brought up earlier is obviously kicking in.
Bye all - Bangkok here we come.
Goodbye Little Columbus,
Goodbye, I'll see you one day,
Goodbye Little Columbus,
You're just travelling, travelling, travelling ...
Chris Rea
Tuesday, 30 October 2007
Oooh - cake ...
Yn y pythefnos diwethaf mae pethach wedi bod yn eitha’ gwyllt rhwng siopa gwallgof, dathlu gorffen gwaith, gwerthu’r car a phartio gyda theulu a ffrindiau i nodi ein hymadawiad am draethau pell.
Cawsom lawer o hwyl a sbri a syrpreis neu ddau bnawn Sul dros bryd lawr yn Llety Parc cyn mynd ymlaen i Lindula lle'r oedd cacen anferth a Concorde ar ei thop a llwyth o fybli yn ein disgwyl. Diolch o galon i bawb sydd wedi'n helpu mewn unrhyw ffordd i wneud y dasg o baratoi yn rhwyddach ac bob haelioni a charedigrwydd.
Cawsom lawer o hwyl a sbri a syrpreis neu ddau bnawn Sul dros bryd lawr yn Llety Parc cyn mynd ymlaen i Lindula lle'r oedd cacen anferth a Concorde ar ei thop a llwyth o fybli yn ein disgwyl. Diolch o galon i bawb sydd wedi'n helpu mewn unrhyw ffordd i wneud y dasg o baratoi yn rhwyddach ac bob haelioni a charedigrwydd.
Well after a fortnight of manic shopping, mountains of paperwork & red tape, partying & singing until the early hours (and having to stay awake through next days' conference) we are well and truly ready for that week in the Thai beach-hut on the white sandy beach, lapped by crystal clear waters. The rucksacks are packed and an exercise involving the bathroom scales akin to something from the Krypton Factor, has revealed that we are way under our baggage limit. Nia had to be prevented from wedging in that extra pair of shoes, as having to choose 3 pairs from her extensive collection has been the most difficult decision in recent years for her.
There was a gathering of the clans on Sunday over lunch at Llety Parc, just to make sure that we are actually going at last, followed by a huge cake and bubbly back at Lindula. A great big thank you to everyone who has helped in any way to make the task of organising this adventure easier and for incredible generosity and kindness.
Monday, 15 October 2007
Nawr fod Nia wedi dod nôl o wythnos yn yr haul gyda merched gwaith yn yfed Tenerife yn sych, rydym nawr yn barod i gymryd mlân y byd. Mae’r ‘stafell wely sbâr yn llawn stwff ar wasgar yn barod i’w stwffio i mewn i’n rycsacs ac rydym yn codi ofn ar ein hunain wrth feddwl cyn lleied o amser sy’n weddill i baratoi am ein trip ... rownd y byd ... mewn BLWYDDYN! Wrth i ni sgrifennu mae yna bythefnos a llai na phedwar diwrnod cyn y byddwn ar yr awyren yn anelu am Bangkok. Syniad pwy oedd hwn?
Now that Nia has returned from a week in the sun, drinking the bars of Tenerife dry with girls from work, we are now ready to take on the world. The spare bedroom is piled high with all our ‘essentials’ ready to be stuffed into two very inadequate looking rucksacks. We keep on frightening ourselves by counting the days left before our trip ... round the world ... in a year! As we write there is only a fortnight and a bit left before we will be on an aeroplane bound for Bangkok. Whose idea was this anyway?
... the mozzie nets arrived today.
Now that Nia has returned from a week in the sun, drinking the bars of Tenerife dry with girls from work, we are now ready to take on the world. The spare bedroom is piled high with all our ‘essentials’ ready to be stuffed into two very inadequate looking rucksacks. We keep on frightening ourselves by counting the days left before our trip ... round the world ... in a year! As we write there is only a fortnight and a bit left before we will be on an aeroplane bound for Bangkok. Whose idea was this anyway?
... the mozzie nets arrived today.
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