VZHODNA CAMBODIA

Julijan... brihten decko iz Kanade je na izmenjavi studentov v Singapurju in obcasno izkoristi priloznost za potepanje po JV Aziji. Srecala sva se ze v Laosu, ob ponovnem srecanju pri preckanju meje pa sva ugotovila, da imava priblizno isti namen - najprej obiskati odmaknjene vasice vzhodne Cambodie. Pri najini misiji naju je se najbolj oviral transport, saj so odmaknjeni predeli Camobodie tezko prehodni (dzungla). Potovanje smo zaceli s 'pick up jeepom' in sicer nismo sedeli v jeepu ampak zadaj na vrecah riza. Mama vem, da tega ne odobravas... sej jst tut ne... sam ni druge, tko se vsi vozjo. Voznja je trajala celih 6 ur, 2 krat nas je dez namocil in 2 krat nas je soncek osusil. Preziveli smo!!! Tole je bil nas prevoz in blatna cesta skozi junglo - prava avantura.
Julian... smart boy from Canada is at the moment on student exchange in Singapure. When there is a chance he goes travelling on SE Asia. We have had already met in Laos before and later then when crosing the border to Cambodia. We found out that we have the same aim... first to visit rural villages on East Cambodia. When trying to complete our mission transtport was the biggest problem, because that part is more or less jungle and it is impassable by normal buses. So we started on 'pick up jeep' sitting at the back on bags of rice. Mum I know you do not approve this... neither do I, but no other way... this is how they travel. The ride was 6 hours long, twice we were cought by rain and twice drought by sun.

No zdej vidte zakaj je bilo vredno to cjazenje - narava je neverjetna... mali hribcki, slapovi in veliko kratersko jezero, kjer smo se naplavali...

By pictures you can see that this trip was worth it - the countryside is incredible... litle hills and slopes, waterfalls and big crateur lake, where we could swim...

Skoraj vsak dan je bila pozno popoldanska orng ploha... enkrat nismo uspeli uiti nevihti in smo bli v minuti mokri ko cucki.

Almost every day was late afternoon cloudburst... once we didn't make to the shelter and we were soaked to skin in a minute.

Ti soferji so nori (kriminalci!!!), ce se le da bodo nalozili celo familjo na motor (tud po 5 ali 6 se jih vozi na motorju) in tako naju je vodic oba nalozu in popeljal na slapove. Tudi na in v kombi bodo nalozili boga in pol.

This drivers are crazy (kriminals!!!!). They would drive the whole familiy or bags of rice on a motor if there is possibility (there could be also 5 on motor bike). So there were three of us sitting on motorbike when going to see the lake and waterfall. They also love to overload vans with everything you can imagine.

JUG LAOSA: PAKSE & 4000 OTOKOV

Pocasi proti jugu... Savanakhet in Pakse... Iz mesta Pakse sem 3 dni z motorinom raziskovala bliznji nacinalni park Bolaven Plateau... in 'domorodce'.
Slowly towards south... Savanakhet and Pakse... From Pakse I went with motorbike for 3 days to explore nearest national park Bolaven Plateau and 'aborigines'.

Takole pa zraste kavica, ki jo vsako jutro radi srknemo... Laozani pripravijo odlicno kavo z mlekom... in seveda z ogromno ledu.

Coffee that we like to drink it every morning is planted like this.... In Laos you can get tasty cofee with milk.... and of course a lot of ice.

Tik pred preckanjem meje v Camobodio je se ena obvezna postojanka na reki Mekong - SI PHAN DON (4000 OTOKOV). Na 14 km siroki reki se prepletajo sipine, kanali, slapovi, ceri in otocki... Otocke polne rizevih polj okrasujejo palmova drevesa. Razigrani otroci v reki, pridelovalci riza, ribici in zenske, ki perejo perilo popestrijo popoldansko voznjo s kolesom po otocku. Je postojanka, kjer ni veliko za pocet, je pa zame bil najbolj relaxing plaz. Popotniki take plaze zelo hitro izvohamo, tako da je tu veliko poceni hostlov, restavracij in barckov za uzivat.

There is one more 'must place' before crossing the boarder to Cambodia - SI PHAN DON (4000 IRELANDS). Here the Mekong river fans out forming network of channels, rocks, sandbars and islets 14 km wide. The islets full of rice fields are decorated by palm trees. The round-island cycle through rice fields was diversified by kids playing in the river, farmers, fishermans and women that were wasing clother in the river. There is not a lot to do here, but for me was one of the most relaxing place in Laos. Of course backpackers find places like this very fast, so here are many chip guesthouses, restaurants and bars to enjoy.

VIENTIaNE - glavno mesto LAOSA

Je ze bil cas da raziscemo glavno mesto Laosa - VIENTIANE. Vientiane se po videzu zelo razlikuje od ostalih glavnih mest po svetu. V njem ni stanovanjskih blokov, neboticnikov in ni plocnikov... ocarljivi pogledi na Mekong, sopek templjev, "avenije" ki se stikajo pri "koloseju" v stilu pariskega... eden najbolj odstekanih soping centrov (ponujajo vse mozne izdelke en cez druzga)... policaji na nujnih vožnjah na mopedu in s piscalkami v ustih namesto siren... razlicni lokalni nocni klubi in bordeli... Kljub vsemu, je Vientiene glavno mesto drzžave in tako se tudi obnasa ceprav malo bolj po laosko. V primerjavi z severom, je strom tu ves dan.

Time to explore the capital city - VIENTIAENE. Vientiane looks very differently then the other capital cities around the world. There are no block of flats, no skyscrapers an pavements, it is steady city without any texas. Comparing to the North of Laos, the electricity here is all day.

PHA THAT LUANG

Svetlikajoce-zlati tempelj - nacionani simbol, ki ga lahko opazis ze kilometer stran.

This shining golden temple is Laos’s national symbol.

PATUXAY - spomenik padlim v boju za neodvisnost republike proti Francozom... ponuja enkraten razgled nad mestom.

Monument dedicated to fought in war of independence against France.

WAT SI SAKET - najstarejsi in najvecji tempel v Vientiane, ki je ohranil prvotno obliko z ogromno kamnitimi kipci.

Vientiene's oldest large tempel surviving in its original shape with stone stupas.

BUDDHA PARK - zelo prijeten parkec s skrivnostnimi kipci budisticnih in hinduisticnih podob. Ogled parka in popoldanski cvek (bolje receno filozofiranje) z Lauro ob reki Mekong, je polepsal zvok dveh akusticnih kitar in bobnov iz restavracije.

Very nice park wiht misterious budist and hindu sculptures. The visit was even more pleasant because of The music of acustic guitars and drums from the restaurant by the Mekong river.

TUBING - VANG VIENG

'Juzno-evropsko' sopotnisko ekipo sem prepricala, da se ustavimo v mestu Vang Vieng.... nic posebnega, sploh pa ne v stilu Laosa, ampak 'tubing' - slauf party pa res ne smem zamudit. Takoj ko smo prispeli smo se nalozili v tuk-tuk z slaufi na strehi... odpeljali so nas 3 km navzgor proti reki in ze smo se frisali in pluli po reki nazaj proti mestu. Na poti je kar nekaj barckov, kjer lahko okrepcas zelodcke, malo zasportas, zapleses, v glavnem cel zur.... Bolj malo fotk - fotic zal ne zna plavat!!!!
I convinced 'South-europe team' to stop in town Vang Vieng... nothing special, especially nothing in Laos style, but I deffinetly can not miss 'tubing'. As soon as we arrived we jumped in tuk-tuk with tubes on the roof.... they took us 3 km towards the river and jump into refreshing river. On the way back there are some bars, where you can take some food, jump into the water with sliding down te rope, play some sport and dance on dance music... you can spend whole day on the river if you want to.

Vzhod Laosa/East of Laos

Na poti iz centralnega Laosa na vzhod sem spoznala simpaticno Lauro (principessa iz Italije) in Luisa iz Spanije - totalne face. Ta predel je precej hribovit, nenaseljen, kar je pomenilo, da tu skozi na vzhod Laosa pelje samo 1 avtobus/dan... torej sredi dneva smo nepredvideno koncali v vasici sredi hribov (bogu za hrbtom), kjer smo cakali na edini bus, ki je peljal tu skozi ob polnoci. Imeli smo ogromno casa da smo raziskali tradicionalno zivljenje odmaknjene vasice,....

On the way from central Laos to the East I met Laura (principessa) from Italy and Luis from Spain-fun people... This part is very mountainous and rural, which means that there is only one bus in a day that passes through. We ended in a small village waiting for the only bus until midnight... we had plenty of time to experience the traditonal life in rural village.....

...nic elektrike, kar pomeni lusenje riza na roke in susenje mesa na soncu (ni hladilnika),/no electricity, no fridge (pilling rice by hands, drying meat on sun)...

...ni ledu (sam topla coca-cola)... sola narejena iz bambusa,... /no ice (only warm Coke), school made of baboo without windows and with next 'thought'...










....je pa reka za osvezitev in pranje perila :) Vsi se kopajo vec ali manj obleceni... sploh pa deklice in zenske, torej bele europejke v kopalkah smo bile prava atrakcija otroke... so kr pozabli na reko in slaufe (fotka pove vse).
...and river for swimming and washing your clothes :) Everybody are dressed while bathing, especially girls and women... so white european girls in swiming suit was real attraction for kids... suddenly they forgot all the joy of the river and tubing (photo shows everything).











Po 12-ih urah voznje z busom smo koncno prispeli v neturisticno oddaljeno mesto - SAM NEUA. Naslednji dan smo obiskali sosednjo vasico Vieng Xai - vasico z 400 jamami, kjer je med Vietnamsko vojno 10 let operirala Laoska vojska in kjer so ziveli domacini. Lahko smo videli sobe, kuhinjo, gledalisko dvorano in kraterje okoli jam, ki so jih povzrocile bombe. Brrrr. After 12 hours of bus ride we finally arrived in very distant town without any turists - SAM NEUA. Next day we visited Vieng Xai - village with 400 caves where army headquarter operated and local pepole were leaving for 10 years while Vietnam's war. We could see rooms, kitchen, theater hall and bomb carters around the limestone hills with caves. Very impresive.










Ob povratku v centralni Laos smo se ustavili v mestu Phonsavan - mesto s skrivnostnimi kamnitimi posodami razlicne velikosti. Posode so vec kot 2000 let stare. Zakaj so jih uporabljali, bo najverjetneje za vedno ostala skrivnost, predvidevajo da so bile uporabljene za zbiranje vode.
On our way back to central Laos we stopped in Phonsavan - town with misterious places of jars around. The jars different sizes made of stone are more than 2000 years old. Why they were used will always remain the secret. It is supposed that they were used for collecting the water...










Tegale pajkca si pa le poblize poglejte.../You shall see this spider closer...