Two days. Two full days took us to trace the Mekong river between Luang Prabang and the Thai border. We did a Pequenho and noisy boat that glided upstream soporific between forests and banana plantations. The comfort of the seats was very uneven, although the first day had seats soft (but not all), the second day the stools were as is that of a Romanesque church in the twelfth century: austere. 
The only thing one can do to not despair and throw the water wanting to be devoured by a giant fish the famous river, to relax and enjoy the scenery, read, write ... or do what the locals do, lie on mats and sleeping.
step
John his cumpleanhos So, ten hours by boat reading and doing Sudoku. The latter caused a sensation among some Laotians who asked him to ensenhase technique. The most dificl was in broken English to make them understand that the method of trial and error was not the most appropriate, but at least spent some time entretenidisimos until bored. That night we slept in a village near the river, in the middle of nowhere, where there was no light and everything was running on generators for several hours. We did our best, dinner can say it was romantic and there was even cumpleanhos minimagdalena of candles and gifts. 
the second day, after eight hours, the boat dropped us at the Laotian bank of the river, just ten minutes before they closed the border with Thailand (17:50). We went out like bullets to control immigration to try to cross the border ... but was not possible. Lao agent told us that if we sealed the departure of your country maybe we stopped trapped between the two Thai border because the post was about to close, what reply: call them and tell them to go there ... "I have your phone" was all he got from Answers ... Missing Sync does not? But we wonder what would happen if you cross, because boats had to do, and it lies between two border crossings ... in a kind of geographical limbo? The man was not the work and just staying the night in the Laotian border, watching the river and on the other hand, a stone's throw as they say, Thailand.
However, we must understand that if the ships arrived on schedule, plenty of time for travelers continued on to Thailand, local hotel owners they would not be nothing, but nothing satisfied.
after all not so bad we went, the next day we went on a chalupilla those last meters, and although we had to get nudges us the stamp of entry in the passport, arrived in time to catch a minibus that would take us to Chiang Mai, our destination in northern Thailand. Before 4 pm we were already there. It ended an odyssey of two and a half days to get to Chiang Mai from Luang Prabang by boat, boat and van.
That night we expected dinner with old and new friends. We went to dinner with Fernando and Nina who had been with Maria and Javier, Vigo and Seville, going around the world ... glad we are not alone. Here we are enjoying a custom Thai dinner in bars of "removable" on the sidewalk, accompaniment, one beer Chang Beer elephant, very Thai. 
Chiang Mai is one of the major cities of northern Thailand, was an independent kingdom until the eighteenth century, so the amount of history surrounding the city is not small. As always, there was temples (Wats) to bore, and toured calminha just some of the most important. And we have to confess that by now At this point, we're a little tired of walking sweltering under a blazing sun, adventure treks and physically demanding. And what we really want is a bit of relaxation, or at least a little more quiet activities. 
So first we went to a Thai cooking course, where we continue to expand knowledge will delight at our return. We started to practice with irregular success, the "cut" decorative fruit, it seems easy but once you get ... and not so much. As for the dishes we cook would not know that to stay, perhaps the curries made mortar hit, chicken with cashew nuts and the ubiquitous sticky rice (or glutinous rice). 
The sticky rice is very typical both in Laos (where you forgot to mention) and northern Thailand, this is a sticky rice which forms a large mazacote which we will start taking Pequenho ball with his hand, dipping sauce or eat alone. In short, is the equivalent of our bread, and it is normal to see people with a bag of rice under the arm that they eat slowly. Well, if one that clumps of rice, throw him coconut milk mixed with palm sugar, and bring about pieces of mango on the side, you get one of the most typical desserts, delicious, but a little pump. I fear that was so good that disappeared before that we should remember to take a picture. 
As if cooking is not relaxing enough, we signed up for a course in meditation. Yes, you read that right, Buddhist meditation. And is that not only think it's interesting and beneficial to learn to meditate, but not bad that after so many months touring the South East Asia we learned a little about the area's majority religion. In a meditation center on the outskirts of Chiang Mai we spent two nights practicing different concentration techniques and meditation, as well as discussing Buddhism with Phra Saneh Dhammavaro teacher, and a group of young monks of his students. Obviously there is little time to learn, but enough to make our first steps and can then practice at home. Here you see John days before the course starting and practice, and an image of the modern facilities and rooms allocated to us (not mixed of course) in the center. Were better than most of the hostels where we stayed recently. 
Phra Saneh Dhammavaro is the director of academic affairs at the Buddhist University in Chiang Mai. Knowing I could not help drawing a parallel with Vicente Ferrer, relatively speaking of course. Phra Saneh, like almost all Buddhist monks, has the face of a good person. The saffron robe, his head and eyebrows shaved, all that helps. But also has a soft voice that transmits peace carinho, relaxing, though he speak of the injustices of the world's largest, but is trying to remove our Western consumerist consciousness. The latter, not too hard, it got no doubt. The experience, in short, was extremely rewarding in all aspects. As you can imagine, the teacher is the one in the center of the photo. 
After these days in Chiang Mai we boarded a train bound for Bangkok. We had not tested here and we train have liked a lot, beds with a curtain large, by that of privacy, a luxury we go. The worst thing was that the train was about one sacabn sacudadidas that even the deepest suenho ... much you try to implement all how much he had learned relaxation technique. 
manhana The next he was back in Bangkok, just a couple of days to make the last visit, the last shopping, and prepare for our departure to Singapore. We visited the temple of Wat Arum, which we had not been. We liked a lot, because of its height and vertiginous stairs, and decoration based on porcelain products. The view from the top were fantastic, but climbing was not easy, and I do not say anything about the descent. Not for faint of heart. 
culinary As a side note, our return to Bangkok, we once again enjoy the wonderful and inexpensive street food. Delicious chicken skewers and the inevitable Pad Thai they do in almost any corner, in stalls. The bad news is that eating should be a good one you can sit where, which is usually the nearest stair or sidewalk. Lest you still do not see the photo of Sticky Rice with Mango, we have sacrificed for you and we eat again, this time at a flea market, and we agree to make the picture, here it goes. 
After these days, we finally Thailand, after being in and out during the last three months, but there will come back, because here we still have much to do. So finally we got in the almost sole means of transportation that we lacked in the past few weeks, in this huge Boeing that took us directly to Singapore. I fear we'll leave that part to the next entry. We apologize because we're a little late and I thank you for the congratulations of cumpleanhos to which I could not answer properly. In fact, as we'll tell you my cumpleanhos shortly.
A kiss to all.
0 comments:
Post a Comment