Asian backpacker

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The Shan state town of Hsipaw

03-06 March 2014 I never considered myself as a morning person, but if it’s necessary or worth it I can get up at unhuman hours 🙂 Getting up at 3am to catch a 4am train is one of those moments. The 12-hours trainride from Mandalay to Hsipaw was however never boring. Although I had a ‘first class’ ticket, sleeping on the train wasn’t easy as the train rides up into the hills via steep, zig-zagging hills. Amazing views and a breathtaking gorge is what you get for the not so comfortable ride. The train makes however enough stops to stretch...

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Into Myanmar, welcome to Mandalay!

28 Feb – 2 March 2014 It is the first time in all my travels that I go to a country where there is a time difference calculated in half hours. Meaning, when you come from Belgium, you need to add 5,5 hours to the Belgian time. In my case, coming from Bangkok, I turned my watch 1/2 hour back.TIP: If you fly into Mandalay with Air Asia, there is a FREE shuttle bus from Air Asia waiting for you to bring you to downtown Mandalay, it stops somewhere at 80th and 27th street. Be aware that this service is...

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Bangkok twice

Was it 10 years ago? The last time I was in Bangkok? It was for sure more than 8 years ago that I’ve been to Thailand’s capital. Actually, I was in Bangkok for 1 night 2 months ago when I flew into it from Brussels. My hostel back then was close to Chinatown, so after check-in, I went out to explore the neighbourhood. Chinatown in Bangkok is quite huige! It has so many little alleys where you can easily get lost in. I got lost in a part where they sell all kinds of 2nd hand motorbike parts, and then again a part...

Battambang bats, caves and volunteering

Battambang Many people don’t know it, but Battambang is Cambodia’s second most populous city. Youwouldn’t say however when wandering around town. Not that it was deserted, but one wouldexpect the place to be packed with Khmer people. My busride from Siem Reap to Battambang took 4,5h. Alex instead took the slowboat. A ridethat ‘should’ take 7-8 hours, but because the water in the river was too low, the boat got stuck on the sandbanks several times. All men had to help to push it back into the water which made it only arriving after 12 hours! Well, it was hot,...

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Siem Reap and the Temples of Angkor

You can’t say Siem Reap without saying Ankor Wat in 1 sentence. This is THE only sight inCambodia that all, but than ALL foreigners go to. You can do the whole site in 1 full dayif you hire a tuk-tuk to drive you around. We bought the 3-day Angkor pass (40 USD) andrented bikes for 3 days to explore Siem Reap and Ankor at our own pace (TIP: There are 2roads going to Angkor from Siem Reap. Take the mainroad on your first day as the only ticketboot is along that road). Ankor Wat is actually only one of the many...

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Pre-Ankorian capital city of Kompong Thom

You won’t see crowds of tourists in Kompong Thom. When our bus stopped there for a break and we told the driver that we needed our luggage as we were staying for a night, I’m sure he was laughing behind our back.But it’s actually not SO crazy to make a stop here. The most exciting thing that this town has to offer, are the hunderds of large fruit bats living in 3 old mahogany trees. If you have problems finding the trees, just follow the high sound that the bats are making. Wait till dusk, when you can see them...

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Phnom Penh and its Killing Fields

Phnom Penh is Cambodia’s capital and the place to know more about the most barbarous, cruel crime committed by the Khmer Rouge during 1975-1979. One of the main museums about the genocide is the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, former Office S-21 during the Khmer Rouge regime. I recommend visiting this museum first before heading to the Killing Fields for a correct cronological order of the events. It’s hard to imagine that this place, where in only 4 years more than 20.000 people where imprisoned, interrogated and inhumanly tortured, used to be a school with happy, playing primary school children. Many...

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Biking along the Mekong Discovery Trail in Kratie

When I arrived at the busstation in to take the bus to Kratie many people were already there waiting for the same bus. Almost everyone was also busy filling in some kind of forms. It appeared that the buscompany provided the service to get your visa for Cambodia done without you queuing at customs. As it was only 5 USD more than I would do it myself, I let them do it for me. From the busstation it’s a 20 minutes ride to the Lao border. Once there we had to get off the bus, take all our belongings and...

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Relaxing at the 4000 Islands

It’s only 3 hours driving from Pakse to Si Phan Don, literally called the 4000 islands. It’s called 4000 islands because during the dry season the river recedes and leaves behind hundreds of islands and islets! We stayed on one of the bigger ones called Don Khon, which is much more quiet and have a more village vibe than Don Det..well, that’s at least how I feel about it. We decided to go for a little bungalow with a shared riverview terrace Ă nd hammocks. I used the restaurant nextdoor quite frequently as ‘office’ 🙂 Life on the 4000 islands is...

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Thakek, Pakse and Bolaven Plateau coffee

Thakek In Thakek itself there is not really much to do. Most people come here to do the Loop, an off-the-beaten-track circuit through some of the more remote parts of the Khammuan and Bolikhamsai Provinces. I did consider doing The Loop but I think I was still a bit scared of riding a motorbike myself  😐 Writing this blog made me once more reading about the places I visited. And it appeared that there are some sites around Thakek that were worth a look. There are eg. several caves, an abandoned railway line and some natural swimming pools. A pity...