Clairesj's Travel Blog a travel blog by Clairesj

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beetle spirits, and capsizing! Vientiane, Laos Kayaking was awesome! to start at the beginning of the day- we woke up for a special breakfast at 8, put on by the owners of the hostel. they wanted to thank us for staying with them, and send us off in a traditional Laos style. this meant that they cooked us a rice pudding type dish with pork in it. it was delicious. we then had to gather in a circle on the floor while the man said a few words of luck to us. then cme the surprise- we were each given shots of locally made alcohol- in fact one of the bottles was full of crushed beetles on the bottom and we had seen the girl catching the beetles the day before! unfortunately there was no way of refusing as they came round giving us blessings and each family member tying a bit of white cotton around our wrists while saying a prayer. the older lady had a great chuckle and found everything hilerious. she then kept giving some of the guys more shots that htey couldnt refuse!! the alcohol was strong, and i escaped after 3 shots feeling a bit drunk! it was not a good way to meet the kayake tuk tuks!! we drove for an hour in the tuk tuks to reach a section of the river where we put the kayakes in the water and had a very bad description of what to do down the rapids and if we capsize. we were also assured that we probably would capsize as all 11 of the last group had!! the kayakes were tourist ones that sit above the water and so are quite wobbly. they were also 2 person. i went with Dan as he is normally a raft instructor and pretents he knows what hes doing! so i wouldnt need to worry about capsizing! the first rapid was quite fast with very strange currents. i got excited and forgot to paddle! but luckily i started again, only to fnd we had gone too far right and quickly capsized! we got back on the boat without too much trouble and followed the others round the courner, almost going over again when we headed straight for a rock! 2 other kayakes capsized too. i was glad to capsize as it seemed all part of the fun! the next rapid was easier and we made it through fine. after that we stopped for a great lunch- barbequed chicken kebabs, fried rice and bagettes that the guides prepared on the river bank. then a short stretch of easy water to meet a taxi to take us the rest of the way to Vientiane. it was too short asnd i was just getting into the rapids when we finished them, but it was great fun. Vientiane is nothing special- its a capital city. they have a lot of western food but unfortunately at western prices if not even more. we will see a temple today to do the touristy bit. we relaxed at a waterpark yesterday. next is bushcamp which i am looking forward too. written by  Clairesj on November 5, 2009 from Vientiane, Laos from the travel blog: Clairesj's Travel Blog Send a Compliment comment on this...

sunsets, soldiers, and a belated bonfire night Vientiane, Laos we had a beautiful bushcamp in a small village somewhere in Laos, which was very picturesque. we camped on a small part of a locals field that was about 20 mins walk from the climbing area. we were surrounded by fields and a river not too far away with water buffalo bathing in it, mountains framing the area. the stars were awesome, and so were the sunsets. the climbing however was not so hot! there was one route at 6b, a couple of scary 6cs and everything else was much harder. so i tried a 6c a few times, which was a thuggy climb with an awkward roof in it. i took the opportunity to relax and enjoy the area. there was a huge cave we found on the last day, which we think went miles into the mountain. i would have liked to swim right into it if it wasnt getting dark. we had some nice bonfires, one we made a guy falkes as we had missed bonfire night while we were in Vientiane. Ed added some petrol and guy falkes disappeared very quickly! we were all ready to move on after 4 days, and get back on the road. we stopped by the side of the road on the first day as it got dark and set up tents and cooked. just as a few of us started going to bed, a car pulled up and 3 guys got out telling us we shouldnt stay here- it wasnt safe. we tried to communicate with them that we were fine, but they hung around trying to persuade us to move. then another car stopped and more people were saying the same. we eventually found out that Laos is hosting the South East Asia Games soon and they were worried about bad publisity if anything happened to us. the cars went away but soon the first one came back and 2 more stopped. in the end, one man told us there were 200 soldiers around, and he sent 7 soldiers to come and stand around in the road and protect us. they had guns, and some of the unofficial men had guns- one was a machine gun. it all felt very intimidating becasue you didnt know who we could actually trust, when we were in the middle of nowhere surrounded by men with guns! i tried to sleep, then moved into the truck and slept their. it was a relief to wake up in the morning and see an awesome sunset. the soldiers left us as we woke up. we are now in an area called 4 thousand islands, known as Si Phan Don, so yes we are currently on an island! we picked an island and got a boat across- Don Det. its small with lots of cheap guesthouses and restaurants. we sat and watched the sun set over the water last night, went to a few bars before they closed with curfew and found some other people with a bonfire on the beach. today we will do some relaxed exploring before crossing back to the mainland and on to the border to Cambodia. written by  Clairesj on November 13, 2009 from Vientiane, Laos from the travel blog: Clairesj's Travel Blog Send a Compliment comment on this...

corrupt border guards, granite climbing and off-putting locals! Phnom Penh, Cambodia I have arrived in Cambodia! we set off from the islands in the morning and arrived at a very unofficial border! it was a tin house and a wooden barrier! the offical then charged us $2 for an exit stamp from Laos which was probably corrupt, but the Cambodians did it too on the other side of the border! it all went surprisingly smoothly and off we drove into a new country. it felt quite similar to Laos if not quite as pretty and a bit more dirty. the first night we stopped by the side of the road to camp, infront of a half built house that was relatively expensive by Cambodian standards, and had a fence around it. as we started setting tents up infront of the gates, the owner appeared, and rather than getting cross, he invited us to set our tents up inside the house (it was currently a concrete shell), then helped bring us fire wood for our cook team! it was quite a comfortable nights sleep a bit away from the road. next it was on to the climbing destination, which was in the province Kampong Cham. we camped by the road, by a poor village and right next to the rocks. the climbing area was small but a pleasant change as it was slabby, crimpy granite rather than limestone. some routes had only had anchors bolted so you had to top rope them but they were nice easy climbs. i found a 6c that i toproped, which had a boldery start, then gradually got easier as you went up. it took me quite a few goes of holding lots of different horrible crimps until i found a nice sidepull and suddenly the move felt easy. i came back to the route this morning and led it which i was pleased about. the weather here is rediculously hot, so we ended up climbing at 6am until 10 then having breakfast and sitting around until 3 or 4 as it started to cool down. the locals surrounded us, especially the school kids, so it was noisy and a bit intense, when we were being stared at by 20 people when we were just trying to eat our lunch! we quickly ran out of routes at this crag so voted to leave the area early and come to the capital city today after a mornings climbing. the city is not bad for a city. i went into a pharmacy today and it was actually like going into Boots! it had make-up by known brands, Olay moisturisers, hair dye, etc etc! i was not expecting to find the most Westernized shop so far on the trip in Cambodia! a small area by the river is a westerners haven with the usual hippy restaurants and bars that sell pizzas and burgers and play american music. the killing fields are on tomorrows agenda which should be interesting. written by  Clairesj on November 18, 2009 from Phnom Penh, Cambodia from the travel blog: Clairesj's Travel Blog Send a Compliment comment on this...

the shocking history of Cambodia Phnom Penh, Cambodia Our hostel in Phnom Penh is really nice, by the river, or i should say on the river as it is built on stilts. we headed out to the killing fields, getting a tuk tuk between 6 of us and first going to the area where there were lots of mass graves uncovered. it was shocking to see so many skulls together, especially when therewere childrens skulls amoungst them. 300 people would be brought there in a day and they would all be executed then buried in one grave. they were all innocent people, killed becasue they were educated or someone in their family was. we then went to the school which was turned into a prison camp when Pol Pot took control of Phnom Penh. there were rooms and rooms of mug shots of the prisoners, of all ages, and some photos of dead men laid on stretchers. all this was so recent, which makes it more shocking. anyone above the age of 30 in the city, lived through the period and have probably lost friends and family becasue of it. apparently there is an age gap of Cambodians in their 30s becasue the conditions were so harsh 30 years ago, and there was so much starvation that it took women a while to recover enough after the revelution to be able to have children again. it was surprising how well Phnom Penh had recovered in a relatively short time. there was no evidence of the suffering that had existed, in fact it came across as a modern and thriving city. two hours was enough time to look at the school before it became a bit intense. it is scary how such radicals can take over a country and empty a capital city. to lift our moods, we went back to find a western restaurant and i had the best beef burger in a long time. written by  Clairesj on November 18, 2009 from Phnom Penh, Cambodia from the travel blog: Clairesj's Travel Blog Send a Compliment 1 comment...

the ruins of Angkor Wat Siem Reap, Cambodia the next stop was Siem Reap which is home to Angkor Wat. we were told theseold ruins from about the 9th century (i think) were really impressive and needed at least 2 full days to look around them all. they cover 25 km. so we set of at 6.30 in the morning to make the most of the day, and it was expensive to get in! the first temple was very impressive, intricate carvings were still in tact, showing battles that happened and depicting religious myths. we got a tuk tuk for the day, which drove us around a standard circuit, visiting about 10 ruins. some were temples, there was a royal palace, and other buildings. to be honest, without a guide we were guessing! and unfortunately by the 4th building, they started to look the same, a collection of stones. there were so many tourists there that they took any magic away from it, and the touts were aweful, continuously trying to get us to buy drinks or clothes or scarfs. however one of the last buildings was really nice, as it was further into the trees, and had a pond infront of it. some trees were growing out of the rock in amazing positions, with their roots melting around the stones. it looked quite mystical. we had finished by 3.30 and went back to get a late lunch at a local restaurant. a bit of shopping in the night bazarre was successful. the Cambodians are friendly people with more English than the Laos. I have also been surprised with how developed the country is, and have enjoyed our brief visit. next we are looking on to Thailand! written by  Clairesj on November 20, 2009 from Siem Reap, Cambodia from the travel blog: Clairesj's Travel Blog Send a Compliment comment on this...

boy scouts, bad leads and being locked out of my room! Chiang Mai, Thailand one drive day to the border of Cambodia, and a sigh of relief when we got across (as we got there 2 days early and BiRT was permitted to enter and leave Cambodia on pre-decided dates) but luckily the Cambodians are laid back enough to let us through and into Thailand. we slept by the road again in Thailand before continuing another full drive day to reach Chiang Mai. we are camping about 30km outside the city, in a campsite- yes it is camping but with toilets and showers! however (because there is always a 'however'!) we were told to camp away from the nice grass,on the rocky ground instead, because the next day 300 boy scouts were arriving! and we definately noticed them! they came up to a roofed area near our tents to have an assembly. the guide used a microphone and got them all cheering. this was fine until we decided to go to bed. however it was worse when they all came back at 5am and the microphone got switched on. the whole of HotRock was woken up at that point. so people were not happy this morning! the climbing is brilliant though. i have climbed so many routes already. the temperature here is much nicer- it is sunny but not too hot, so its possible to do 6 or more routes a day. i have done some really nice 6as and 6bs, some leads and some top ropes. i was somehow convinced to lead a 6c today, and before i had a chance to look at it and think aboutit, i got on it. i sat on the rope a fewtimes, and i got scared and backed down to the last bolt a couple of times, but i got to the top! its getting frustrating because my new habbit is to get to the next bolt, or one move from the next bolt and then realise how far below me my last bolt is. i then get scared and dont think i can hold on to clip the quickdrw when i pull up slack (and therefore can fall the furthest), so i start down climbing and then usually take a little fall onto the last bolt. whereas after i have done all that i could have just clipped the quickdraw and kept climbing! but logic doesnt work when you get worked up! im going to go back to the 6c and try to do it with less or ideally no takes. there is also a 6b i want to do the same with. i am in Chiang Mai city tonight. i came in this evening to arrange an elephant trek for tomorrow. i then went to get a Thai massage which was really good, then lost the others who have the room key- so im stuck in the waiting area of the hostel until they come back and its 1am! luckily there is free internet! written by  Clairesj on November 26, 2009 from Chiang Mai, Thailand from the travel blog: Clairesj's Travel Blog Send a Compliment comment on this...

elephants, oxs and bamboo rafting Chiang Mai, Thailand i have just ridden on an elephant! the day started with seeing the elephants and having your photo taken with them, before watching them washing in the river. i was surprisingly intimidated by them! they were so big! we then had an elephant show which was very touristy and quite cringy. the elephants did various tricks- including kicking a football into a net, painting a picture of a tree on canvus which they did well, moving logs onto a raised pile, and other things. the elephants would bow after doing any of these in time with their master. next we got an ox cart ride, which was bumpy and not very exciting! they are ugly creatures! then we got on an elephant. i sat in the basket with Yvonne; Dan and Claudia went on an elephant infront. we went along a little track through a jungle area and into the river. the elephant tipped forward down the muddy banks to get into the river, and i thought i was going to fall out! but i got used to it and it was quite good fun! i think we had a slightly rebellious elephant as it wanted to go down different tracks than the others, and at one point it raised its head in arguement so the Thai guy had to kick it behind the ears to behave! we ate a really nice buffet, which we all got carried away with, then onto bamboo rafting down the river. this was relaxing, but the river was low so there were no rapids. we ended with a look at an orchid and butterfly farm as part of the day package, but it was disapointing as i have seen far better butterflys just sitting outside the hostel in Laos or at the crag. back to the campsite now by taxi and 3 more days of climbing before we hit Bangkok. written by  Clairesj on November 27, 2009 from Chiang Mai, Thailand from the travel blog: Clairesj's Travel Blog Send a Compliment 1 comment...

christmas songs, smoking monks and scary haircuts! Bangkok, Thailand climbing in Chaing MAi continued well, and i did a total of 40 routes there. we drove on to Bangkok in one long day. as it was the 1st December, we discovered that Rich had some christmas tunes on his ipod, so put them on in the truck and sang along to all the old classics! i cant say it felt even slightly christmassy, sitting on BiRT, watching the palm trees go past, and the sun pour in through the window! the 3 or 4 lane road with rest stops all the way made the driving pretty pleasant. Alice and i had fun watching 2 coach loads of Monks have a break at one rest stop. we were shocked to see them using an ATM, talking on their mobile, and even smoking!! monks are becoming modernised! Bangkok immediately had a feeling like london about it- 3 or 4 lane traffic, with endless traffic lights and traffic jams, with a '7 Eleven' store on every street and grand hospital and university buildings everywhere. we stopped at the main tourist street- Khao San Road, which has souvineer stalls all the way down, and hostels everywhere. we bought the local 'Pad Thai Curry' from a street stall. its tasty but not actually a curry, its not spicy, and its not rice, its more of a noodle stir fry! we had a good night out in the city, as it was Alices,and Matts last night. i will miss Alice as she became my room mate, locker mate and climbing partner. Matt and Ed had gone ahead of hotrock for the last few weeks, and as predicted, they got into trouble- Ed got bitten on the hand by a crocodile that lived in a bar- apparently he tried to pet it between the eyes so obviously it went for him! he was lucky to get 11 stitches but has got full movement back in his hand! yesterday a few of us went to a shopping mall across town. it was huge- 5 floors tall, with hundreds of shops and stalls and a cinema and foodcourt. i found a harddrive to copy everyones photos onto. i then found some frameless glasses for much cheaper than i could get in England. they made them with my prescription in a few hours. i also got my hair cut- which was scary! it was the quickest hair cut i have ever had, and the hairdresser brushed some of my hair, then just started cutting (or i should say hacking!). i asked for layers, and about 2 inches off. it came out a bit shorter but is actually a success! today i decided to do all my washing (in the sink using bodywash!!) and made sure to not wash my shorts so i had something to wear. unfortunately i didnt do the same with a top, so after standing on the bed, holding up a top to the fan desperately trying to dry it out, i gave up and am currently wearing a damp top! i have booked my flight home for 10 days before the trip actually ends, so i will be flying back from Kuala Lumpur on the 4th Jan. its exciting to have an end date for the trip. i now have one month left. written by  Clairesj on December 2, 2009 from Bangkok, Thailand from the travel blog: Clairesj's Travel Blog Send a Compliment comment on this...

fish massage, monasteries, and beautiful beaches Tonsai, Thailand the last day in Bangkok i meandered for most of it. i did get a fish massage out of curiosity! these special fish swim in a pool and you put your feet in there- they feed of dead skin and bacteria so they then come and sit on your feet and nibble your dead skin- sounds a bit weird when i write it down! it tickles especially when they go between your toes. but my feet were very soft afterwards! we were woken up at 4.30am to leave Bangkok, some people decided to just stay up partying instead of catching a small amount of sleep! we escaped the rush hour traffic and drove 150 km north to Lopburi, a small climbing area. we camped in a Buddhist monastery which was really nice appart from the barking dogs. it was a combination of monastery dogs and stray dogs tha lked to fight over their areas. so if anyone went to the toilet in the middle of the night we would all be woken up. likewise when the gong was struck around 5am, the dogs were set off again! but to be honest, it didnt bother me too mu8ch as the campsite was nice and with a small group of 11 people, it was chilled out, especially for our cook duty. we left people in Bangkok and som people flew ahead to Tonsai. the climbing in Lopburi was really nice- crimpy, vertical limestone. the bolts were run out- usually at least 2 metres between them- one route had a 4 metre run out in it. 3 days was enough to climb the best, then a very long drive day to Tonsai, or the mainlnd near it. from 5.30 am- 7pm, we drove with 2 toilet stops/lunch break. we stayed one night in the town with the name i cant remember, before getting the boat across to Tonsai the following morning. the boat was a small wooden one with a huge engine mounted on the back but with a small propeller! it got us to Tonsai in half an hour and we were immediately greeted with picturesque beach and sea- golden sand, clear blue sea etc. the first day of climbing has been good. an awesome multiptich gave us a clear view of the beaches and sea as far as we could see. i cant wait for tomorrow and more climbing! written by  Clairesj on December 10, 2009 from Tonsai, Thailand from the travel blog: Clairesj's Travel Blog Send a Compliment comment on this...

fear of falling, rusty bolts, and dying flip flops Tonsai, Thailand The climbing in Tonsai is perhaps what i expected- good but polished and a little overhyped. when you open up the guide book and flick through all the pages, it looks like there is so many good areas, however, you then start looking at the quality of the bolts and half the climbs you want to do are now unclimbable, or at your own risk. all the rock at Tonsai has some kind of gas within it that erodes around metal. this means that when the areas were first bolted with expansion bolts, it was within a couple of years that the bolts started falling out. they would look cosmetically fine on the outside, but inside the rock they may not be touching any rock anymore. so it is an ongoing project to replace all the bolts with glue-ins or titanium bolts as these seem not to react with the rock. it does add a certain scary factor to the climbing, although the guide book tells you when everything was bolted and with what materials. polished, shiny holds are also a problem on easier routes, so we have been trying to go to areas further away from the easily accesible to find less climbed routes. as Pete put it- the quality of climbing is better in Chiang Mai but here you have the whole package- climbing, beach, sea, and relaxed cafes. having said all that, i have had a couple of good climbing days. yesterday was very successful because i fell off! i was leading a 6b and half way up there were a couple of horrible slopers to move up to the next clip. i wasnt far above the last bolt, and when trying to find a better hold (that wasnt there) i lost balance and fell. Danny had given me some slack for a softer fall which meant i fell 3 or so metres. it was enough to think- why am i not stopping. the last time i had taken a fall like that was when i had hit the ground, so it scared me, but off course this time i did stop. i knew it was important to finish the climb after having a decent fall, because then the fall would be no big deal, rather than something to be afraid of. i was shaking when i came down! i should have taken a good fall a long time ago, but hopefully this will help, and my leading confidence will keep improving. today is a rest day and im struggling to find things to do. im useless at sitting on a beach sunbathing! we had a nice buffet breakfast this morning. it is a sad day though as not only are my flip flops on their last legs, soon to be going to a better place, but i just found a big crack in the sole of my sandals. i may soon be shoe less with only a few weeks of the trip to go. written by  Clairesj on December 11, 2009 from Tonsai, Thailand from the travel blog: Clairesj's Travel Blog Send a Compliment comment on this...

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The Arc of Asia 2009-2010. Bring on the climbing!