What have these things to do with each other? Well, not much, I just don't want to start too many posts...
It's nothing precisely Asian, but I enjoy them every morning: fresh, crispy croissants. A legacy from colonial times, you can find them not only in the pure tourist restaurants. Together with a tasty Laotian coffee it's a great breakfast. Yes, Laos grows its own coffee... I'm heading south now and I guess I will tell more about this topic later...
Concerning the croissants: in almost 2 years in Barcelona I haven't come across tasty croissants... what are they doing there and what could be a solution to this disgrace? Work camps in Laotian or Vietnamese bakeries for every Spanish baker? Quite costly, I know, but maybe it would be worth it...
I was asked to publish some photos... well, I took two cameras along, but both of them are not digital. I had to find out that the one I got repaired in Barcelona, still don't work... So there's only one left, which I need to use for the black and white-films of the planned reportages.
I was looking around a bit, but Vientiane isn't Bangkok. Looking at my budget, I simply couldn't afford paying 200 US-$ for a fairly decent digital camera. Yet I stumbled upon a solution: in one store I found something which ressembles a camera, uses 200 ASA color negative film and is about the most primitive thing I have seen in my life... but I paid only 25 $ for it... so I'm going to give it a try... it just takes a while, because first I have to shoot the film, later get it devellopped and scanned on CD. Then I have to find someone to show my how to place the pictures in internet... I admit, I'm not really up to date concerning some simple everyday-things of the year 2007...
So expect some photos in about 2 or 3 weeks... if this so-called camera functions...
martes, 3 de abril de 2007
Books
For those who can't travel themselves, there are some books available which describe in a magnificent and atmospheric way life in Indochina, at one time or another...
An all-time classic: Graham Greene's "The quiet american", a novel set in Saigon around 1950 during the first Indochina war. It's been translated into probably every major language (including catalá), so there's definitely no excuse if someone doesn't know it.
Right now I'm reading "La nuit de dragon" by Norman Lewis, an english journalist who travelled Indochina in the 1950s. The original title is "A dragon apparent", and it's a collection of smaller and larger reportages, written in a vivid and very descriptive way. I don't know whether it's available in other languages. From the same author was published a book about his travels to Burma, don't know the title right now, if one's interested, just feed your search engine with the author's name.
Many years ago I read "Borderlines" by Charles Nichols, a collection of shorter stories about his travels to Thailand... easy and pleasant reading...
It was definitely one of the last true adventures on this planet: in 1985/86 the swedish journalist Bertil Lindner crossed in 18 months northern Burma, starting in India, in Naga Land, and travelling through the lands of ethnic minorities until crossing the Chinese border. The written testimony is "Land of Jade - A journey through insurgent Burma". I must admit, it requires probably some interest in Burma's past and present... but if someone got just that, this is a book not to miss (before I left, I saw a new edition in Altair, Barcelona's travel bookstore).
These are just a very few recommendations, but all of these books are easy literature and definitely worth reading...
An all-time classic: Graham Greene's "The quiet american", a novel set in Saigon around 1950 during the first Indochina war. It's been translated into probably every major language (including catalá), so there's definitely no excuse if someone doesn't know it.
Right now I'm reading "La nuit de dragon" by Norman Lewis, an english journalist who travelled Indochina in the 1950s. The original title is "A dragon apparent", and it's a collection of smaller and larger reportages, written in a vivid and very descriptive way. I don't know whether it's available in other languages. From the same author was published a book about his travels to Burma, don't know the title right now, if one's interested, just feed your search engine with the author's name.
Many years ago I read "Borderlines" by Charles Nichols, a collection of shorter stories about his travels to Thailand... easy and pleasant reading...
It was definitely one of the last true adventures on this planet: in 1985/86 the swedish journalist Bertil Lindner crossed in 18 months northern Burma, starting in India, in Naga Land, and travelling through the lands of ethnic minorities until crossing the Chinese border. The written testimony is "Land of Jade - A journey through insurgent Burma". I must admit, it requires probably some interest in Burma's past and present... but if someone got just that, this is a book not to miss (before I left, I saw a new edition in Altair, Barcelona's travel bookstore).
These are just a very few recommendations, but all of these books are easy literature and definitely worth reading...
lunes, 2 de abril de 2007
Saturday night in Vientiane
A full moon is shining over Vientiane. I leave the river area to stroll through the darker streets and alleyways. Although it's saturday night, it's incredibly quiet. People sitting on their porches, talking in low voices, the continuous sounds of what could be crickets or cicadas, the rustling of leaves of palm and banana trees in the evening breeze, smells of charcoal fires and barbecued meat in the ubiquitous food kitchens... I'm only a few blocks away from the "center"...
When turning around a corner, I get to a night market: again rows of food stalls, the sweet sounds of Asian pop music from a shack selling CDs, a few tables where clothes and kitchenware is being sold... but in spite of all the people tranquility is still like floating in the air..
Slowly I head back, taking as many turns as possible through unlighted alleyways... I'm not too eager to get to the mainstreet with its continuous flow of cars, scooters and tuk-tuks, and yet this flow of vehicles, people and noises is so far away from the habitual frenzy of Barcelona... so why not getting another Lao beer before going back to the guest house?
When turning around a corner, I get to a night market: again rows of food stalls, the sweet sounds of Asian pop music from a shack selling CDs, a few tables where clothes and kitchenware is being sold... but in spite of all the people tranquility is still like floating in the air..
Slowly I head back, taking as many turns as possible through unlighted alleyways... I'm not too eager to get to the mainstreet with its continuous flow of cars, scooters and tuk-tuks, and yet this flow of vehicles, people and noises is so far away from the habitual frenzy of Barcelona... so why not getting another Lao beer before going back to the guest house?
Translation
A little help for all those who don't speak spanish ...
I already wrote more than what would fit on one page. At the bottom of each page you find several links: "entradas antiguas" means going back one page to the older posts, "página principal" to return to the page with the actual posts...
Any more questions or complaints? Just write me a "comentario" ...
I already wrote more than what would fit on one page. At the bottom of each page you find several links: "entradas antiguas" means going back one page to the older posts, "página principal" to return to the page with the actual posts...
Any more questions or complaints? Just write me a "comentario" ...
sábado, 31 de marzo de 2007
Mekong
I couldn't wait to see it, knew that I arrived in the dry season, yet was almost a bit disappointed: the mighty Mekong is not much more than a shallow, small river. Its bed must be almost one kilometer wide, but most of it is dry land at the moment. On the bank where Vientiane lies, there's practically no water, on the other side it's maybe 150 mts wide, hard to estimate. There's a floating restaurant that has fallen dry... it's still open, but I imagine the impressive feeling that a full-sized Mekong offers, can't be beaten...
Anyway, the monsoon should arrive around middle or end of may, so on my way back through southern Vietnam and Cambodia I should be able to get a glimpse of what the Mekong looks like in better days...
In spite of the pitiful appearance (only for me, though, after all it's the normal rhythm of this river's seasons) the banks of the Mekong are full of life: open-air food-stalls and restaurants, one after the other, in an endless row, are seaming the bank from Vientiane's center until the outskirts. As night falls early at around 7 pm, you can see the lights glowing on the other side, belonging to Thailand. When you wander around it's hard to make a decision, but the choice is definitely to stay here and enjoy the atmosphere. Why sit in any of the regular travellers restaurants somewhere in the city, if a light breeze, the setting sun, smells of charcoal fires and the local's gentle and soft-spoken voices make this the unforgettable ambience I came here for?
Anyway, the monsoon should arrive around middle or end of may, so on my way back through southern Vietnam and Cambodia I should be able to get a glimpse of what the Mekong looks like in better days...
In spite of the pitiful appearance (only for me, though, after all it's the normal rhythm of this river's seasons) the banks of the Mekong are full of life: open-air food-stalls and restaurants, one after the other, in an endless row, are seaming the bank from Vientiane's center until the outskirts. As night falls early at around 7 pm, you can see the lights glowing on the other side, belonging to Thailand. When you wander around it's hard to make a decision, but the choice is definitely to stay here and enjoy the atmosphere. Why sit in any of the regular travellers restaurants somewhere in the city, if a light breeze, the setting sun, smells of charcoal fires and the local's gentle and soft-spoken voices make this the unforgettable ambience I came here for?
Millionaire again
A hidden dream has come true, although only for a couple of weeks. I'm running around with a lot of money. Everyone knowing me for at least a while, if not many years, knows that this is something very unusual... but don't worry, reality still holds me in its tight grip.
The reason is nothing more but the Laotian currency: 1 US-$ equals 9615 kip. As the exchange rate is stable and does not fluctuate very much, I decided to exchange 150 $. Count yourself, how much that is...
The last time of being a millionaire was in Argentina many years ago: 1$ equalled 80.000 pesos...
The nice thing about travelling in Indochina is that you don't have to worry too much about thieves and robbery. With a rational sense of cautiousness you won't run into any problems... This is even more pleasant if one lives in Barcelona. It's not that you get beaten up or stolen at every other corner, but there are a lot of behaviours that maybe don't reach the state of paranoia, but come close to extreme cautiousness.
So here it's: relax, man, and take it easy...
The reason is nothing more but the Laotian currency: 1 US-$ equals 9615 kip. As the exchange rate is stable and does not fluctuate very much, I decided to exchange 150 $. Count yourself, how much that is...
The last time of being a millionaire was in Argentina many years ago: 1$ equalled 80.000 pesos...
The nice thing about travelling in Indochina is that you don't have to worry too much about thieves and robbery. With a rational sense of cautiousness you won't run into any problems... This is even more pleasant if one lives in Barcelona. It's not that you get beaten up or stolen at every other corner, but there are a lot of behaviours that maybe don't reach the state of paranoia, but come close to extreme cautiousness.
So here it's: relax, man, and take it easy...
Vientiane, 31/03
Second day in Vientiane, Laos' capital. If there are a handful of capital cities in this world that do not have the appearance to be exactly this - political and economical center of a country - then Viantiane definitely belongs to them. With about 200.000 inhabitants (compare this to Bangkok's 6 or 7 million) it's even smaller than the city I was living in for almost 20 years, Kiel. Yet even Kiel has more of "sprawling life" to it. Vientiane reminds me a little bit of Managua, or let's say the Managua I got to know around 1990 ( at least one of the readers of this blog knows what I'm talking about - I got to know him there). A city stretched out, with a very small center that does not ressemble to be a center, 6 or 7 blocks long and maybe 5 blocks deep... some streets are "under construction", which means that they were still dirt roads, being asphalted now. Add to this the complete absence of skyscrapers and the almost complete absence of high-story-buildings...
I didn't venture so far into the more distant parts of the city - it's hot, I'm here to relax (I don't have to "do" something every other minute), and I enjoy strolling around in this small center anyway...
By the way, I don't know whether I will be able to mount some photos. I would have to buy a cheap digital camera, which would screw completely my already screwed budget. But maybe it would be worth it, heaven knows whether there will be "another time"... in the meanwhile, if you would like to see a little bit of the places I mention, you only would have to introduce the corresponding words in your search engine... "Vientiane", "photos", something like that... internet is full of information about everything imaginable, I don't have to tell you...
I didn't venture so far into the more distant parts of the city - it's hot, I'm here to relax (I don't have to "do" something every other minute), and I enjoy strolling around in this small center anyway...
By the way, I don't know whether I will be able to mount some photos. I would have to buy a cheap digital camera, which would screw completely my already screwed budget. But maybe it would be worth it, heaven knows whether there will be "another time"... in the meanwhile, if you would like to see a little bit of the places I mention, you only would have to introduce the corresponding words in your search engine... "Vientiane", "photos", something like that... internet is full of information about everything imaginable, I don't have to tell you...
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