The idea of traveling in Southeast Asia without a clear destination or route has long been haunting my dreams.
Everything should remain floating, unclear. I want to fall into the uncertainty, the unforeseen, the surprising. Checking from day to day. If necessary, change all plans in seconds.
I have an approximate route in mind; but it can be changed overnight.
Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia. These are the countries of my dreams.
Maybe even China. Yunnan Province is within easy reach, so to speak. Why not across the border from Laos to China, then to the northeast to Kunming and then from the north to Vietnam? Everything is possible. But maybe it will be very different in the end ...
But for now only the start in Chiang Mai is clear, nothing has been organized, only the flight and the first hotel.
Everything else will just happen ...
Thailand
A trip through Southeast Asia starts best in Thailand. If you already know Bangkok and the south, you better fly directly to Chiang Mai. From there to the north and then - who knows where the wings carry you.
However, the city has changed and has become a noisy and hectic metropolis. Nevertheless, it is worthwhile to spend a few days settling in here.
Here are some tips
Chiang Mai
During the Old town is full of cheap accommodation and restaurants. There is also a good chance to meet other Travelers. Not bad when traveling solo. You can get used to the changed climate, the Asian culture, life, food ...
Mekong,
You can get offers for the journey to the north, towards the Lao border and the Mekong or on to Luang Prabang: hotels or numerous travel agencies offer the full program. The prices do not differ significantly, but the quality of the offers will vary depending on the provider.
On the Mekong to Luang Prabang
the River cruise on the Mekong River to Luang Prabang (see below) in advance. The offer includes the trip by minibus to Chiang Khong and the overnight stay as well as the boat trip to Luang Prabang (duration 2 days). The overnight stay in the stopover Pak Beng has to be organized and paid by yourself. To find a cheap room is no problem.
Laos.
Laos. the first highlight.
Compared to Thailand, Laos is a developing country, poor and backward, but with overwhelmingly friendly people who make the sometimes strenuous journey a pleasure.
Until a few years ago, the Mekong was crossed by ferry. That is past. There are no more ferries, no more stairs, no more hustle and bustle at the customs post, instead a wide bridge, guarded by two ostentatious buildings on both sides of the border. You cross to the other side in no time, and as a Swiss citizen, for some inexplicable reason, you don't need a visa for a 2-week stay.
And a few tips
On the Mekong to Luang Prabang
The River cruise on the Mekong from Houayxay to Luang Prabang is of course a first rate tourist trap, but not to be missed. An unforgettable drive along picturesque stretches of shore, through wild rapids, along dangerous-looking rocks and shallows. And all of this in the company of like-minded people ... Incomparable.
Luang Prabang
Luang Prabang – although more and more occupied by Chinese tourist crowds - is an absolute must. The highlight of every trip to Laos.
With the most beautiful of all wats - Wat Xieng Thong. Some of the temples are not only beautiful, but simply stunning in their timeless splendor. It starts with the paintings that the eye can not get enough of. Birds, beasts, deities, in all colors of the spectrum that still enchant after so many years (or centuries).
Whether you want to join the crowd of onlookers who want to marvel at the daily begging of the Buddhist monks in the early morning and above all take pictures is up to you. I advise against it.
Luang Namptha
In Luang Namptha , a dreamy, small town in the north, a typical backpacker hotspot, you can organize treks through the jungle. And who wants to make the short trip to Yunnan in China, is here at the right starting point.
Nam Ou,
The Nam Ou, . A painful chapter. Until a few years ago, you could take an unforgettable river trip in narrow boats from Muang Khoua via Muang Ngoi to Luang Prabang. All over. (please refer Blog)
The dam built by the Chinese makes this trip impossible, leaving a small remnant of it. It's a pity. A great pity. I refer you to the blog about Laos; it describes in detail and euphorically the incomparable trip on the wild river.
4000 islands
The 4000 islands. Shortly before the Cambodian border in the south of Laos, the Mekong is transformed into a gigantic archipelago of thousands of islands of every size. The two sister islands Dom Khon and Dom Det are the largest and form together a first class tourist hotspot, a kingdom for travellers and backpackers.
Yunnan - China
The most important first - Yunnan is not China.
The ethical melange of this southernmost province is everything, except what is commonly thought of as China. It exudes a completely unchinese serenity and tranquillity.
No rush, no stress, the shops are still closed at 9 o'clock in the morning, the shopkeepers sit on tiny chairs and sip their noodle soup in peace and quiet.
A few tips on Jinghong
Jinghong. is also situated at the Mekong; however, its name here is Lancang River. The city is a good choice for first-time China tourists, relatively small in Chinese terms and does not offer much of an attraction. For this purpose you have to look outside the city, in the small villages.
Nobody, really nobody, speaks a foreign language. Ultimately, you have to rely on good luck to meet a stranger who speaks Mandarin.
All Inscriptions are basically written in Chinese characters, so a big problem for foreigners. Be sure to carry a business card from the hotel in Mandarin to find your way back to the hotel.
Hotels are often in huge blocks of flats on different floors. So it may well be that you have to find the right reception on the sixth floor in an endless corridor. If you forget them, panic is announced.
Vietnam
First of all - Vietnam is great.
If you think back to the 60 years, to the cruel war between the Americans and the Vietcong, you can imagine what suffering these people have endured. And don't forget – the Vietnamese have won every war. Against the French, the Americans, even the Chinese,who withdrew in frustration.
But now the country is in an explosion of development. An hour in the old city of Hanoi shows everything: the enormous dynamics, the speed, the will to achieve something. In short - it is more than exciting. The noise, the speed, everything.
A few Tipps
Hanoi
There are things to miss (the famous Ha Long Bay, for example), but never Hanoi. The city is stunning, but also quite exhausting. Especially the old town – synonym for hustle and bustle, for noise and stench, for millions of motorcycles that somehow pass each other (despite a permanent look on the mobile phones). All in all (if you can stand it) – a sensory pleasure of the first order!
A macabre highlight: the sarcophagus of uncle Ho Chi Minh. In the center of the room, illuminated by bright white light, lies the sarcophagus, in it, pale, drawn by the rigidity of the dead, with a pointed nose, Uncle Ho sleeps his eternal sleep, exposed to the curiosity of his descendants. A dead silence surrounds him, one hears only the soft tap of the feet on the ground, sometimes the frightened inhalation of a child, the soft coughing of a visitor (see blog).
Hue
The intellectual, spiritual and historical center of Vietnam - Hue, the imperial city. And one of the worst battle zones of the Vietnam War. It's hard to believe, but this old city with its UNESCO World Heritage listed sites has been heavily bombarded for a long time.
Hoi An
Hoi An is another cultural heritage of Vietnam (and a little bit of France) that has not been destroyed by war.
The streets are overflowing with tourists, most of them Japanese and Chinese. Hoi An was for a long time a trading post of the two countries, and both peoples have left their mark, including as a special highlight the covered Japanese bridgewith crowds of tourists.
Mui Ne
Mui Ne was until a few years ago an inconspicuous fishing village, today a several kilometre long holiday village, with endless white beaches, as the advertising would have it, with numerous restaurants to delight the culinary heart and fill the coffers of the innkeepers.
Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City)
On arrival in Saigon, this cesspool of sin, the difference to Hanoi is at best recognizable by the somewhat wider streets and the climate, everything else is the same, including the millions of cars and motorcycles competing for space.
Mekong Delta
The Mekong Delta. The Mekong has long since lost its homogenous shape, has become a multi-armed octopus, which has created a hundred-kilometer-wide delta, a spider web of creeks, canals, narrow and wide waterways, the banks where millions of people live. From here it is not far to the South China Sea, where he finally - maybe a little tired and lethargic - reaches its destination.
Cambodia
After the hectic days in Vietnam, Cambodia is a place to catch your breath. Maybe not in Phnom Penh, but outside the capital. In Kep, the small dreamy place by the sea or Kampot just north of it.
And there is of course Siem Reap with the largest and most impressive temple complex in the world - Angkor Wat. The beauty defies the tourist crowds. And that's quite something!
A few Tipps
Phnom Penh,
Phnom Penh, the capital of the old and new Kmer Kingdom. You can' t escape the past, at the latest when visiting the infamous Khmer Rouge prison – Tuol Sleng.
Even the name sounds like a threat, like the evil itself. You have to read the information boards to understand the horror. Nevertheless, do not miss it. However, afterwards you need a long break in order to process the impressions. And to recognize what crime man is capable of.
Kep
Kep is a small, unnoticed village by the sea. Crossing the border from Vietnam is the first contact with the country. I have found here one of the friendliest and most wonderful hotels of the whole trip, a bit remote, but perfect to find distance and peace.
Kampot
Kampoton the way to Phnom Penh, worth a short break, like Kep rather quiet and therefore ideal to take a breath before the hustle and bustle of the north.
Siem Reap
Siem Reap, known to every Swiss as the place where Beat Richner, a in Swiss pediatrician and musician, founded children's hospitals in Cambodia.
To all others of course the starting point to Angkor Wat. The place is noisy and polluted by too much traffic, also overflowing with crowds of tourists. But it still has a certain charm, especially outside the center.
Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat is probably the most famous temple complex in the world and attracts every year millions of tourists from all over the world. Although we thus get to the positive as well as the negative sides of fame (see blog).
And here the journey begins ...