I was so disappointed arriving in Laos, there are many new roads mainly dirt which the locals use the opportunity to grab land, burn forest and claim it as theirs. I can’t blame the people because you always need to find a way to feed your family. One of the pledges of the Copenhagen Accord, see below, is for Developed countries to pledge 100 billion dollars a year by 2020 to address the needs of developing countries. This is also a similar issue for Northern Thailand, Burma, South China and Cambodia.
One point of the accord that is specifically applicable to Laos:
Recognises "the crucial role of reducing emission from deforestation and forest degradation and the need to enhance removals of greenhouse gas emission by forests", and the need to establish a mechanism to enable the mobilization of financial resources from developed countries to help achieve this.
The air pollution, natural beauty and tourist destinations are diminishing so quickly I would not recommend anyone visit Laos, relative to other countries. The Copenhagen Accord implementation to assist and fund the setup of National departments to manage and protect the forests and provide a assistance to the local people can’t happen quick enough.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Coffee on the Plateau
I drove from the capital of Laos, Vientiane, south down to the Bolaven Plateau, almost the Cambodian border. As I drove up onto the plateau the temperature dropped 6 degrees as I climb to 1300m, a massive relief when in my riding gear. The French successfully established coffee plantations here in the 1930s and now produce up to 20,000 tonnes a year with a 80% Robusta and 20% Arabica. The Ho Chi Minh Trail passes through the plateau and the US carpet bomb the whole area, there are still huge numbers of UXO (unexploded ordnance).
I met a Dutch guy in Paksong who roasts and sells coffee. There is a specialty coffee which is made when weasels eat the coffee berries, unable to digest the nut inside the coffee bean ends up in their dung. The dung is then collected, washed, the bean is extracted and processed. It may sound a little gross but produced a very nice cup of coffee with delicate fruit flavours.
I met a Dutch guy in Paksong who roasts and sells coffee. There is a specialty coffee which is made when weasels eat the coffee berries, unable to digest the nut inside the coffee bean ends up in their dung. The dung is then collected, washed, the bean is extracted and processed. It may sound a little gross but produced a very nice cup of coffee with delicate fruit flavours.
French Influence
There is only so much rice one can eat, similar to my feeling about kebabs after three months. So when visiting the former French colonial cities of Luang Prabang and Vientiane I splashed out on French Restaurants and wine. I now realize I really do miss the finer points of life!
As in the Portuguese and British colonial buildings in India, the architecture of the French colonial buildings in Laos gave you an insight into a period of recent history. I could imagine the lifestyle as a French land owner over 60 years ago in Luang Prabang.
As in the Portuguese and British colonial buildings in India, the architecture of the French colonial buildings in Laos gave you an insight into a period of recent history. I could imagine the lifestyle as a French land owner over 60 years ago in Luang Prabang.
Pathet Lao Headquarters
I drove from Western Laos over to the eastern town of Vieng Xai, on the Vietnam border. The road was a pleasure to ride, single lane though jungle, across ridges and winding over mountains. Many small road side villages have been built as the local move out of isolated jungle villages.
Vieng Xai was used as the base for the Pathet Lao, who was the communist group that fought the Royalist Government from the 1950s. The Pathet Lao were supported by the North Vietnamese, Chinese and Russians, which caught them in a proxy war between the Cold War superpowers. In 1964 the US started dropping bombs on Lao with 2 million tonnes dropped on Lao over nine years – 10 tonnes per km2. To protect them from the US bombardment the Pathet Lao lived in limestone caves. Up to 23,000 people lived in the caves, which contained a hospital, a school, Pathet Lao offices, bakeries, shops and even a theatre.
Onto Laos
I spent a week driving around awesome motorbike roads of North West Thailand, fantastic surface, cambered corners and big hills with 1263 corners spread over about 1000kms. It was hot, really bad pollution and fewer tourists on the north east circuit.
Which brought me onto the main tourist loop for backpackers and kids on gap year - North from Bangkok to the Laos border at Huay Xai then down to Luang Prabang, onto the capital, Vientiane. Then down to a Thousand Islands on the Cambodian border, Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville, Ankor Wat then back to Bangkok. It was so different from the Middle East and India but also great to meet other travellers.
Which brought me onto the main tourist loop for backpackers and kids on gap year - North from Bangkok to the Laos border at Huay Xai then down to Luang Prabang, onto the capital, Vientiane. Then down to a Thousand Islands on the Cambodian border, Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville, Ankor Wat then back to Bangkok. It was so different from the Middle East and India but also great to meet other travellers.
A sign of Insanity
It was an easy decision to take 18 months off work and travel home but missing an intellectual challenge I have decided to enroll in a Masters of IT by internet correspondence. I should easily be able to fit two subjects a semester with my travels? Currently five weeks into the semester, I better buy the text books and get studying!!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Thailand – underdeveloped or developed country?
Landing at the new Suvarnabhumi Airport, freeways into central Bangkok, internet access everywhere, clean streets, modern buildings, expresso, I could not help but thing I had stepped into a different world. Since leaving Europe 8 months ago I had experience small pockets of modern western environments. As I drove north with up to 5 lane freeways with new Toyota 4x4s, I could not help but think I was in the developed world.
In Chiang Mai, I went for a beer with a Director of an NGO I had met earlier on my travels and he has concluded in 3-5 years time, Thailand will not require NGOs on the ground. I left Thailand thinking it is closer to developed than developing.
In Chiang Mai, I went for a beer with a Director of an NGO I had met earlier on my travels and he has concluded in 3-5 years time, Thailand will not require NGOs on the ground. I left Thailand thinking it is closer to developed than developing.
Myanmar
Myanmar is not just an obstacle for the foreign diplomats and the United Nations but also for something just as important – Overlanding. There are 3 choices:1. Drive around through China – expensive.
2. By sea from India to Thailand – long process.
3. Fly from Kathmandu to Bangkok – quickest option and my choice.
India – a land of contrasts
Travelling from the north to the south, seeing the difference between the rich and poor areas, India is a land of major contrasts that make it interesting, frustrating and a place I won’t forget. Below are some of the contrasts that I experienced during my 10,000kms:
Cold in the North to Hot, Humid weather in the South
I wore all my clothes on the drive to Delhi from Katmandu while under a blanket of smog. In the south the sun burnt through a thin layer of smog and made for hot days.
Mountains to beaches
I did not get into Kashmir, Indian Himalaya, but relaxed and explored the coasts of Kerala and Goa. Beautiful landscapes of palm trees down to the green waters in Kerala and the beaches of Goa. Each place I stayed was a traditional fishing village turned into a backpacker resort.
Mumbai – the haves and have nots
I visited a few nice restaurants, drank some Indian wine (more work required) and enjoyed a few western luxuries. I visited the biggest slum in South East Asia, where people lived in fox holes and Western work place healthy and safety would have shutdown the whole slum, but I came away positive about human ingenuity. The slums had education, healthcare and vibrant energy while rural Indians battled against drought, famine and access to education and health care.
Conglomerates to an individual
A visit to India sees every man, women and child using all means to make a rupee. Anyone that has demonstrated success has had their ideas copied by everyone around them. This is in contrast to the conglomerate Tata Group who comprises of 114companies, from steel , cars to tea and water. Tata had revenue of US$70 billion in 2009… a little more than the average man, woman and child on the streets.
Socialism to democracy
India is the largest democracy in the world but there is socialist populism in the southern states of India. Southern India is the economic, agricultural and industrial power house of India with the highest literacy rate and university educated individuals but have a leniency towards socialism. Part of the reason for high education and regional economic power is the colonial rulers occupied the south of India, yet Socialist parties dominate the political landscape.
Rules to practicality – motorbikes on the freeway
We need rules to ensure there is order in society but they need to be sensible. On many freeways in India motorbikes are not allowed, makes sense when they only travel 30km/h. The rule should be under 150cc no freeway. I got past one set of officials to drive travel 80km along a 120km section where the alternatives limited – 5 officials flagged me down after the several individual officials on the side of the road I ignored.
Religious openness to closed communities and untouchables over 10% of the population
The former Portuguese town of Fort Cochi or French town of Puducherry are opposites of the Muslim and Hindu communities in the North of India where communities are isolated in a different world. In Fort Cochi Christian women are emancipated but in the north Hindu and Muslim women are veiled and are second class citizens. I visited a rural community near Jodhpur where women attended only the equivalent of junior school, married below 18 years of age and were veiled. Gandhi spent a majority of his time to remove the idea and segregation of the underclass but still today the hierarchy of Indian society sets your path in life.
Culturally unique – constant staring and no personnel space
On my travels to date, I have to conclude that Indians on a whole are culturally unique for three reasons, staring, personal space and sharing.
Staring - the most amazing part is the staring. The unflinching, frozen state where people do not flinch when I say ‘Hello’, wave and even jump up and down.
Personnel space – stopping in remote places, men would gather around, jostling to get forward to the bike. Sometimes I was getting pushed away or onto the bike...similar to a Bollywood star stopped at a truck stop.
Touching - The expectation that my bike is the same as any bike where they can sit, touch and borrow for a ride goes against my culture where you do not touch other people’s property. A Norwegian biker referred to it as touching ones wife... but the language barrier lost the menaing.
Cold in the North to Hot, Humid weather in the South
I wore all my clothes on the drive to Delhi from Katmandu while under a blanket of smog. In the south the sun burnt through a thin layer of smog and made for hot days.
Mountains to beaches
I did not get into Kashmir, Indian Himalaya, but relaxed and explored the coasts of Kerala and Goa. Beautiful landscapes of palm trees down to the green waters in Kerala and the beaches of Goa. Each place I stayed was a traditional fishing village turned into a backpacker resort.
Mumbai – the haves and have nots
I visited a few nice restaurants, drank some Indian wine (more work required) and enjoyed a few western luxuries. I visited the biggest slum in South East Asia, where people lived in fox holes and Western work place healthy and safety would have shutdown the whole slum, but I came away positive about human ingenuity. The slums had education, healthcare and vibrant energy while rural Indians battled against drought, famine and access to education and health care.
Conglomerates to an individual
A visit to India sees every man, women and child using all means to make a rupee. Anyone that has demonstrated success has had their ideas copied by everyone around them. This is in contrast to the conglomerate Tata Group who comprises of 114companies, from steel , cars to tea and water. Tata had revenue of US$70 billion in 2009… a little more than the average man, woman and child on the streets.
Socialism to democracy
India is the largest democracy in the world but there is socialist populism in the southern states of India. Southern India is the economic, agricultural and industrial power house of India with the highest literacy rate and university educated individuals but have a leniency towards socialism. Part of the reason for high education and regional economic power is the colonial rulers occupied the south of India, yet Socialist parties dominate the political landscape.
Rules to practicality – motorbikes on the freeway
We need rules to ensure there is order in society but they need to be sensible. On many freeways in India motorbikes are not allowed, makes sense when they only travel 30km/h. The rule should be under 150cc no freeway. I got past one set of officials to drive travel 80km along a 120km section where the alternatives limited – 5 officials flagged me down after the several individual officials on the side of the road I ignored.
Religious openness to closed communities and untouchables over 10% of the population
The former Portuguese town of Fort Cochi or French town of Puducherry are opposites of the Muslim and Hindu communities in the North of India where communities are isolated in a different world. In Fort Cochi Christian women are emancipated but in the north Hindu and Muslim women are veiled and are second class citizens. I visited a rural community near Jodhpur where women attended only the equivalent of junior school, married below 18 years of age and were veiled. Gandhi spent a majority of his time to remove the idea and segregation of the underclass but still today the hierarchy of Indian society sets your path in life.
Culturally unique – constant staring and no personnel space
On my travels to date, I have to conclude that Indians on a whole are culturally unique for three reasons, staring, personal space and sharing.
Staring - the most amazing part is the staring. The unflinching, frozen state where people do not flinch when I say ‘Hello’, wave and even jump up and down.
Personnel space – stopping in remote places, men would gather around, jostling to get forward to the bike. Sometimes I was getting pushed away or onto the bike...similar to a Bollywood star stopped at a truck stop.
Touching - The expectation that my bike is the same as any bike where they can sit, touch and borrow for a ride goes against my culture where you do not touch other people’s property. A Norwegian biker referred to it as touching ones wife... but the language barrier lost the menaing.
Lost in Translation
Often I have met people who are keen to jump on the back of the bike but timings have never worked out. I meet Yvonne climbing a pass out of the Everest valley, both on the way to India in 2010. After a month in India we met up in Mumbai with the plan to drive 4,000km to Kathmandu – easy for me but you never know how the reaction of riding on the back, bumps, rough roads, heat and dirt would put most people off the idea.
After several days exploring Mumbai, we headed north, to Gurujat, several hours in the freeway car parks of Mumbai and several more on the freeway north. Yvonne quickly learned that the BMW only has one speed, fast, and enjoyed riding on the back. The busiest road in India varied from single lane road works, dual lane freeway and to a car only European freeway (which we got ¾ of the way along before being forced off, but that is another story).
Rajasthan, the state between Delhi and Pakistan, home of Mughal forts, Rajput Kings, Mosques, deserts and the busiest tourist state in India. We did the standard tourist stuff, visited the Mughal forts, learnt about the history, walked the markets and then moved onto the next town.
Travelling with Yvonne was filled with constant miss-interpretations, requests to ‘please repeat’ or ‘please talk slower’, and general miss-communications caused by my slang. My quick, intelligent wit was lost on her, the Aussie sarcasm received with confused looks so we were left to talk about the weather.
The bike performed fantastic, overtaking with incredible speed, much to the horror of Yvonne. Travelling with Yvonne was enjoyable after 10 months alone but for a long trip, the only way is for everyone to have their own bike. The experience of motorbike travelling has converted another and Yvonne learnt to ride the bike and is keen to get her licence back in Germany.
After several days exploring Mumbai, we headed north, to Gurujat, several hours in the freeway car parks of Mumbai and several more on the freeway north. Yvonne quickly learned that the BMW only has one speed, fast, and enjoyed riding on the back. The busiest road in India varied from single lane road works, dual lane freeway and to a car only European freeway (which we got ¾ of the way along before being forced off, but that is another story).
Rajasthan, the state between Delhi and Pakistan, home of Mughal forts, Rajput Kings, Mosques, deserts and the busiest tourist state in India. We did the standard tourist stuff, visited the Mughal forts, learnt about the history, walked the markets and then moved onto the next town.
Travelling with Yvonne was filled with constant miss-interpretations, requests to ‘please repeat’ or ‘please talk slower’, and general miss-communications caused by my slang. My quick, intelligent wit was lost on her, the Aussie sarcasm received with confused looks so we were left to talk about the weather.
The bike performed fantastic, overtaking with incredible speed, much to the horror of Yvonne. Travelling with Yvonne was enjoyable after 10 months alone but for a long trip, the only way is for everyone to have their own bike. The experience of motorbike travelling has converted another and Yvonne learnt to ride the bike and is keen to get her licence back in Germany.
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