Advertisement
Published: July 17th 2009
Edit Blog Post
Our time in Sandukhan (or Sandustink as the boys have named it) was again spent with the boys watching HP, and Rowan Atkinson and us on the internet. We tried, we did go for a walk along the coast - but it was dreadful. It is hard to believe this town exists in a place as beautiful as Sabah, and I am sure most tourists pass by without even stopping other than at the airport.
We were relieved to return to KL. Early the next morning I queued for tickets for the sky bridge, and after a 2 hour wait got tickets for 3:45. Other people in the queue were grumbling, but I quite liked the democracy and egalitarianism of the system. Money could not buy a ticket, the only way to get one is to queue up in person, so all society is there waiting to receive them.
After a quick breakfast we headed off to the Bird Park. It was a long hot walk, and we were proud of how the boys coped without grumbling. It is advertised as the world’s largest free flight aviary, and there were aspects of it we loved and others we were
troubled by -sadly there were birds of prey in cages that seemed far too small. The boys planned and followed a route with their maps, and although as Jake admitted it was not the hardest map to read, we were impressed that they always knew exactly where we were on the map! Most of the park is like an ordinary park but with netting way above the tops of the trees, so birds wander freely (except owls, eagles, ostrich, emu and some hornbills and parrots) and we saw a huge array of beautiful birds there. We were particularly taken with the loris and Jake nearly brought a rainbow lorikeet out under his hat. We have never known him take so to an animal, and yet within seconds he was happy with one perched on his head!
Twins loom large in our lives, my mother is one (as is my aunt - fancy that!) as are our nieces/cousins. Twin towers loom large in KL too. We left the park and took a taxi to Lily and Bess (or the Petronas Twin) towers. It did not disappoint. Yes we had to sit through a truly dreadful Petronas promotional film, but getting
in the high speed lift which whipped you up 41 floors at roughly a floor a second soon left that behind. Walking onto the sky bridge takes your breathe away. The towers are an elegant somehow islamic looking meld of steel and glass, tapering towards the top. The tallest building in the world until 2003, they are still the tallest twin towers. The bridge is roughly half way up and suspended, with room to move and yet even here you are looking down on other tower blocks in the area. We got about 10 minutes to wander on it looking down on the ants and matchbox cars below. As we came down the boys agreed they were fan-tiddly-tastic, but not as good as their twin cousins.
We had a hairy trip to the airport the next morning. Our first taxi kept breaking down (as had our taxi the last time we flew out of KL) and eventually we abandoned it for another, that tried to take us to the wrong terminal. We arrived with about 5 minutes to spare and Jake feeling sick. Hey ho, we made it, hearts pumping and arrived eventually in Laos. At last an Asian
country that gets bread!
There are roughly 3 things that “everyone” seems to know about Laos: it has no cash machines (rubbish there is one in the airport and lots in the capital - none out in the sticks, perhaps); it is the most bombed country per capita in the world, and there are still major problems with unexploded ordinance (something to thank the dear old Americans for!); Vientaine is the most laid back capital on the planet.
The final point is true as far as we can vouch. Laid back and friendly, with fantastic food, we could live like millionaires (genuinely since our daily budget of roughly £80, translates into just over a million Kip. We wandered the city, and were disappointed by the banks of the Mekong - but there is a project on to protect and develop those banks. Actually we are impressed with how they are trying to develop Laos, there is a real emphasis on Green, Sustainable, Local, with all sorts of businesses making efforts to be responsible, and also to help preserve and develop local crafts and skills. The town was full of delicious French cafes, with a SE Asia twist, and
You know you have left former British Colonies
When instead of the Morris Minors that adorn Galle, you have a beaten up 2 Horses! delightful shops selling handwoven local silks.
Our first night “in” Vientaine we actually spent an hour outside on an eco-lodge on a river. Built mostly out of locally grown produce (except things like the shower) it was beautiful. The owner ran English classes at the weekends for the children of the local village, and there was a floating restaurant (nothing like the horrors of the now infamous “Mama Chop”. Better still the restaurant had an open water section - they called it a floating swimming pool, actually just a fenced in section of the river, and it was there that the boys spent their day. In life jackets leaping in and out of rubber tubes, hauling each other up and down, and even eventually with a big sit on style kayak! Everyone at the place seemed to spend the afternoon amused by their antics.
The other nights in Vientaine were in a delightful guesthouse called Lani, from where we were able to explore. We walked to the triumphal arch (known as the vertical runway because it was built out of concrete given by the Americans to buid an airport - were they feeling guilty about something?) We found
the Vietnamese embassy and sorted visas (3 days), we shopped - 2 dresses for close on 2 million- but most of all we swam. On the first day we swam in the National Swimming Pool. It is described in the guidebook as gloriously central, spending time there we realised why this was the selling point. The water was dirty, the changing rooms full of mosquitos, and weeds appeared everywhere through the concrete. Still it was lovely as we left to see the under 10s National Laos Swimmers arrive and go through their paces.
After that we took the boys to the newly opened (1st June) and not yet finished Water Park. On our first day there we were just about the only people, and after hours on the slides, and a few minutes in the lovely pool, the boys finale was to be taken down the chutes in a chain of 6 with whooping and cheering lifeguards. They were beaming, and when they asked to come back the next day it was hard to refuse. It was a little busier the next day, but still you never had to wait for more than one or two people in the
Boys look forward to going back to the Water Park
After more sight seeing nonesense from their parents! queue. We did visit the impressively gold roofed Pha That, and see several other temples, but really for the boys it was all about good food, and the swimming!
Visas sorted it was with a little trepidation we left for a 3-4 hour bus journey to Vang Vieng. Very mixed things are written about this place and it is variously described as a hedonistic backpackers den, and a beautifully set town with river, rocks, waterfalls and caves. We booked into one of the most salubrious of hotels - Elephants Crossing - and then worried about if we were spending too much!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.139s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 11; qc: 76; dbt: 0.081s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
Chaz Stoll
non-member comment
Hey Joe
Joe, Interesting reading, to say the least! Last day of term here, Joe! For some reason I am on a free and so it was great to have a read and see what you are up to. Thanks for the blogs, Joe...they'll be something for you all to treasure. I quite liked the democracy and egalitarianism of the system...pity it can't be extended to here, Joe You take care and best to the family...Chaz