A few days in Cambodia...

Quick update that I am yet again traveling (it's been a few weeks, okay?).  Leaving tomorrow morning (around 3 AM to catch a 5 AM bus) for Cambodia!  Will be spending the rest of the week exploring the gorgeous Angkor Wat!  Blogging will resume upon my return, just in time for MK's 21st birthday on Saturday!!

2nd Asia-Oceania Algae Innovation Summit

  Immediately upon arriving in Bangkok we headed to class, and from there went to an algae conference!  So some of you may not know why I'm actually in Thailand...I am here to study!  I know, surprise, I'm not just here to travel around Southeast Asia as I please.  So, my capstone project (the thing you do if you're an environmental science major when you're about to graduate) is doing a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of creating biofuel from algae.  Cool, right?  I think so. That's all that matters anyways.

    K, enough ranting.  The conference was a two day event (for which my university paid for my group and I to attend) filled with scientists/professors (and the occasional graduate student) presenting their work on algae.  My group (of 4 other students from UNC) went in with very basic knowledge and came out experts! Just kidding.  But really cool to hear all of the countries that are working on promoting sustainability through algae as a biofuel- a few countries represented (that I can remember off the top of my head) were Thailand, Japan, Malaysia, Brazil, Australia, and New Zealand, and I'm sure I forgot a few.

The presenting stage

 

my group!

  I have never been to a scientific conference before, but this one seemed pretty fancy. It was held at the Royal Orchid Sheraton right on the river (which is gorgeous), we were given cute canvas totes with the conference logo on them, a name-tag (that doubles as a flash drive!), and two lunches/one dinner, and many many snacks/coffee/tea.  The food was amazing.  Lunch was buffet style both days and we all stuffed our faces with amazing Thai dishes, bread and butter (I haven't had that since I left!), cheese, and many desserts.

some lunch-time desesrts

On the ferry after the 1st day

     Okay so I feel like I talk about food a lot, but the "farewell" dinner was insane! It was free for us, so we decided to stay an hour after the conference was over and scope it out.  During the break we decided to watch the sunset, which was the best sunset I've maybe ever seen...at least in Bangkok.  

see the color scheme? we didn't plan that

 

    We were ushered into the gigantic room the conference was held in, and it was completely transformed!  Circle tables with tablecloths (I just had to think long and hard about what they were called...), the stage transformed for a puppet show, and waiters everywhere you looked ready to refill your drinks or bread plate. The food was impeccable, and I really can't stop thinking of how amazing the snow fish was that was served as the main course.  There was also a Thai-style puppet show during dinner where the "characters" came out into the audience for some interaction.  

   Two days full of learning and good eats.  But mostly learning.

Vang Vieng

    Mega apologies for the delay in Laos' blogging, have been busy busy researching.

8/30/2012--
   MK and I got up to an early start eating a "Parisian breakfast" at a local cafe and headed to pack up for Vang Vieng.  We boarded a mini-van to head to the bus station to board another mini-van for a 7 hour ride to meet up with the rest of our Chapel Hill group!  After frequent snack stops we finally arrived around 5 PM, in time for dinner and celebrations for Ty's 21st birthday!

The birthday boy with his cake!

8/31/2012--
   Feeling adventurous, the group decided to rent mountain bikes and head to a waterfall about 8 km away from our guest house.  The bike ride there was mostly uphill and of course there was no shade blocking the beating sun.  We finally made it to the ticket booth- dripping with sweat and out of breath.  Quickly purchasing our tickets we bike on only to find what seemed like a thousand stairs leading to the sound of rushing water.

 
   















     Revamped with excitement, we hop up the stairs to find the biggest waterfall I could imagine- it had rained a ton recently and words don't describe the sheer power behind the waterfall.  Mist was spraying everywhere at the top of the stairs and we walked back down to venture into the stream below, which also had an extremely strong current.  It took the help of one of the guys for me to cross certain parts (to whom I may owe my life as I almost slipped between his legs and into the rushing stream).  Once we made it across we were rewarded with freezing cold water to cool down in.

  

  The ride back was relaxing and incredibly easy as it was all downhill or flat...but took us just as long as the way there because our frequent stops for pictures.  The landscape was breathtaking- we were surrounded by green and gorgeous mountains in the distance.

   We capped off the day with dinner at a restaurant on the Nam Song River- getting a mix of Lao and Western food.  We ended up getting stuck at the restaurant for much longer than anticipated thanks to heavy monsoon-like rains that occurred pretty much every night. 

9/01/2012--
   Our last day in Vang Vieng was also filled with activities and adventure- we did a tour through Green Discovery that involved hiking, kayaking, tubing, and caving!  After a brief ride to 14 km north of Vang Vieng, we hopped in a tiny boat to cross the river (which was slightly terrifying because we were weighing down the boat).

    We hopped off the boats and head out to the first cave, Tham Xang, (Elephant Cave) on foot.  The cave is small but dark and cool, with a Buddha shrine in the center and off to the side a rock that was apparently naturally formed into an elephant shape.  

    We continue on to the next cave, Tham Hoi (Snail Cave) which winds deep into the mountains but unfortunately was extremely slippery and wearing Rainbows was not conducive to wandering around this cave.  Making our way down the hill leading to the cave was a slippery, muddy mess, and we quickly regained our bearings and set off for the next cave on a few hundred meters away called Tham Loup (Deep Cave), which is known for its stalagmites and stalacites.  It was sadly too dark to get any good pictures but you will have to trust me that it was gorgeous and the rock formations were amazing (shoutout to my geology internship a few summers ago for which I owe my current appreciation for rocks).

    We were allowed a quick break for lunch that was included in our tour fee and was surprisingly delicious- a baguette (something about SE Asian countries that were ruled by the French at some point), beef and various vegetables on skewers, and yellow rice!  Inhaling our food and "playing" with the roosters, chickens, and puppy that lived at the nearby farm; our next cave two feet away.

   Grabbing some tubes we walk through the shallow part of a stream (an offshoot of the Nam Song) that leads to the Tham Nam (Water Cave).  In order to cross the stream you had to pull yourself across with a rope hung from tree to tree (while not losing your balance in the tube).  Skirting around some jutting rocks at the mouth of the small cave, we pull ourselves along the rope also strung inside the cave, which proved to be slightly difficult with a strong current inside.  We didn't end up getting to go far because the current was so strong, but it was definitely a cool experience.  

    Quickly drying off and heading out again, our tour guide lead us through rice paddies, mud puddles, and a Hmong village on the way to kayaking.  The scenery again was breathtaking with green fields and stunning mountains in the background.  While walking through the Hmong village our tour guide told us about local life- they practice polygamy (even today!) and the women bear the brunt of the work.  Our tour guide told us that he had recently seen Hmong women walking up the mountain with children on their backs working away while the men sat around the village and slept.  It kinda felt like being in a documentary because we were allowed to walk completely through the village and no one even bothered looking up at us.

    

     Post 40 minute trek through the mud, we reached the river where our kayaks were.  We paired up (boy-girl) and headed down the Nam Song.  Normally this kayak trip can take about 2 hours with some physical exertion, but because of the heavy rain our trip only took 1.5 hours with pretty much no physical activity needed.  The only paddling necessary was steering which really didn't require a lot of effort.  This was my first time going through white water with a kayak and it was awesome!  I was in the front of my kayak so I was splashed the most (which got a bit tricky with my contacts) but was so so much fun.  The big thing to do in Vang Vieng is go tubing down the river but after seeing the rapids and the people that were tubing we were all relieved we chose kayaking and caving instead of tubing.  Being the only ones kayaking on the river and completely submersed in nature was a nice change of pace from always being in the city (in Bangkok) and refreshing.  

     After an exhausting day we headed to bed early, ready for the long train ride back to Bangkok.

Big thanks to Ty, MK, and W for pictures seeing as my bulky camera isn't ideal for trekking or bike riding.

Luang Prabang

   Luang Prabang has been one of the most culturally rich and beautiful cities I have visited so far, and that is saying a lot.  The entire city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which is cool in itself.  But first- how we got there.  Our bus ride (which was a non-sleeper, so sitting up) ended up being 12 instead of the proposed 8, and there were also people seated in the aisle on plastic stools.  I happened to get an aisle seat, and was lucky enough to sit next to a guy that wanted to share my armrest, seat, and leg room- it was awesome (sarcasm, people).  Moving on.
   We arrived in a daze after not having slept on stationary beds for two nights, and after checking in at the Pathoumphone Guest House (for a mere $7.50/night) we headed to the "Scandinavian Bakery" for a hearty breakfast of a bagel, "tea roll," eggs, orange juice, and coffee.  Post-stuffing our faces, we set out for some temples.  I can't describe the amount of monks walking around the streets and the sheer amount of temples we saw while only walking a few blocks from each end of town.  There was at least 2 temples per each block it seemed like, and about 10-20 monks for each temple.  The monks were unusually young (boys around the ages of 8-15) as compared the monks I see in Bangkok which are much older men.  It was strange to see monks playing and giggling, as they are usually solemn and quiet.

  We ended up only going inside the temples at Phu Si, a temple complex on top of a gigantic hill (which only means amazing views at the top, righttt?).  We climbed what seemed like hundreds of stairs, and could have actually been thousands, and reached the ticket booth sweaty and out of breath.  We paid for our tickets and continued up the never ending stairs (picture Mount Doom) that the monks ahead of us easily hopped up.

    We finally reached the top, and words do not describe how gorgeous the views were.  I will post some pictures but they absolutely do not give it any justice.  There was sprawling green jungles in every direction, along with the Nam Song River in the middle and cute quaint villages with red roofs below.  

   We caught our breath and decided it was time we actually look at the temples in the complex, and begin wandering around.  We explored the temple at the top of the hill, and wandered down to find a garden of Buddha images.

 

 After having some fun posing with the Buddhas, we stumbled upon a cave shrine!  It was super creepy, and there is a large possibility parts of Indiana Jones was filmed there (I mean not really, but it looked like it).

   We finished wandering around the temples and headed back to our room to put down our things and head out for dinner.  We selected the restaurant based on cheap prices and WiFi, and it paid off.  I got a club sandwich (random, I know) which was delicious and right on the main road- conveniently next to the Hmong Night Market!  Two of the main roads shut down at night and a night market appears out of no where!  Rows upon rows of stalls with handicrafts such as bracelets, paintings on mulberry bark, slippers, and sterling silver jewelry.  MK and I both bought some cute trinkets and headed to bed for a good night's rest before hopping on a mini-van to Vang Vieng the next morning.

 

Vientiane

    After a brutal night train ride from Bangkok, we were abruptly stopped and awoken to be told there was a wreck on the train tracks and we couldn't make it to our destination in Nong Khai (right before crossing the border to Laos).  We hopped on a double-decker bus and headed to Nong Khai, to then board another train to cross the "friendship bridge" between Thailand and Laos.  A solid 12-13 hours later, we were in Laos!  Pulling out our trusty Lonely Planet guide, we set off to explore the capital of Laos, Vientiane (which coincidentally has the least amount to do in the country).
   We first set off four the Laos National History Museum, hoping for some air conditioning in the sweltering heat.  We were sadly wrong, but walked around the museum anyways which is held in an old mansion.  You weren't allowed to take pictures inside but I learned a lot about the country's history that I didn't know (which may not be saying much considering I knew nothing).  There was a whole room dedicated to American involvement in their history, almost every picture labeled "American imperialists savagely..." with a picture of some white guy (and sometimes Lao children- still not sure what that was about).

   Our next destination was Wat Si Saket, which is Laos' oldest monastery and has over 2,000 ceramic and silver images of Buddha!  It was incredible, and put Wat Pho to shame! 

A random stupa

There were thousands of these

little Buddhas!

more Buddhas

Finally, we headed to "That Dam" or The Black Stupa.  We thought it may be a little more exciting, it was basically just in the middle of a round-a-bout.  But still cool, we don't have random stupas in ours at home.

   And so concludes our first day in Laos, a whirlwind of culture, heat waves, and good pizza.  Our next stop: Luang Prabang, Laos- a supposedly 10 hour bus ride.  Coming up next-- the bus ride from a horror film, as told by me.