Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Sunken forests, floating schools...

A change in pace for our last morning, as we ventured onto Tonle Sap with our superb guide, Ley, of Hanuman Tourism.

Visiting a floating village (comprising floating pig pens, floating hospitals, floating schools attached to floating playgrounds and - an inspired one this - a floating car battery charging station!), we joined in with the local school children at playtime.

Banging drums on an old wheel with the younger kids (too young for school, but seeking mischief nonetheless - just look at my friend in this photo!), this trip left me with the realisation that we can connect in this world without even sharing a single word.

Later, beckoned onto a small wooden raft, we discovered a dreamworld for the princely sum of $3. The simple sound of birdsong echoed off the still water, broken only by the gentle lapping of an oar. Complete tranquility as we weaved past sunken trees in this magnificent place, Thich Nhat Hanh's 'Calm Waters' meditation sprang to mind.

Mrs T captured, in my opinion, the magic and mystery of this stunning location with this shot:


Note: we travelled with Audley Travel to whom we thank for their truly exceptional customer service. Jack, their Indochina specialist, really looked after us, is knowledgeable and most importantly, passionate about the area. Highly recommended.

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Christmas 2006


Trying to load a photo of our Christmas for your blog! Wish you were here, too!! xx

Monday, December 25, 2006

Christmas Day in the jungles of Cambodia

We rose at dawn and drove to the Ta Prohm temple in the jungles of Cambodia with Ley, our guide. Arriving at 7 am, well before the masses, we were alone and it was a dream world. Mist covered the temple complex, clearing gradually as sunlight broke through the trees to illuminate each detail of the intricately carved stone.

Quite the reverse of Angkor Wat (which rises magically from the jungle), Ta Prohm itself has been consumed by the giant strangler fig trees over a millennium. These trees, host to squawking parakeets & red and white squirrels, are as alive with sounds as the temples themselves lay silent.


As we departed an hour or so later (just before the hoards arrived), the jungle stirred with the sounds of drums, evoking a lost world when Khmer civilisation dominated South-East Asia. But the reality of modern day struck us as we passed the musicians, each member a victim of landmines.

Saturday, December 23, 2006

Matt Peak's photo of Debs and Cambodian Village kids


Matt Peak
Originally uploaded by .JT
An amazing, unplanned stop as we entered Cambodia on the mighty Mekong. Needing a comfort stop, Debs, Matt and I hopped off at this village, the kids crowding round our digital cameras. We had nothing by way of a thank you to the village chief, so our skipper found some coffee and left this! I guess it was the gesture that counted.

Christmas Eve

It all sounds fantastic, very poetically written & a wonderful experience! Most enjoyable to read, too!!
Will raise our glasses to you on Christmas Eve, our time 11pm, your time 7 hours on!!

Have fun.

Friday, December 22, 2006

The journey is the reward

The day started with a blood red sunrise over the Bassac (lower Mekong). It was in 1979, close to this spot, that the world first awoke to the full horror of the Khmer Rouge. Vietnamese patrols spotted dead bodies floating down stream from the closed world of Cambodia up river. This flow of death increased as the days passed: many starved, many were executed. Either way, the bodies swelled the river and the secret was exposed.

Yet two generations later, an irrepressible spirit lives on. You can see it in the smiling faces of school children; you can feel it through the determination of survivors of the Khmer Rouge to let go and look forward.


As we travelled up river into Cambodia, a whole new world opened up to us. When Matt*, our American 'speedboat hitchhiker' need a comfort break we surveyed the distant banks of the river for signs of life and eventually moored at a local village. Graciously allowing us to use their facilities, we were all directed to the cashew fields to pee in the wind!

Isn't it funny how the unplanned activities breath life into a holiday? Chancing on the local kids' inquisitiveness, we took photos on our digital cameras and were able to show them the results. The smiles and laughter (truly a universal language) remain with me to this day.

*See Matt's photos of his trip as it merged with ours during a memorable day.

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Goodbye Vietnam

It seems a bit crazy to be writing this 200km up river on the Mekong, at the Vietnam / Cambodia border. But that's the miracle of modern technology - and the setting is out of this world (Victoria Hotel, Chau Doc). We woke at 5:45 this morning for a sunrise breakfast on a junk at Can Tho, and leave it looking out over the Bassac River in the Mekong Delta sunset.

Our guide, Thuy, has been fantastic - taking care of us in Saigon and around, traveling with us down through the Mekong Delta to Can Tho and on to the border. Absolute professionalism, great sense of humour and a fountain of knowledge. I'd recommend Vidotour as a great local tourism company that really look after you. Having said that, there's a definite feeling of guilt touring around like this as the lives of the locals continue on a couple of dollars a day, and the French-owned Victoria stands aloof and arrogant. It's been a weird day, seeing the best and worst of a developing country.

The best of Vietnam (a cliché) are its people - warm, generous, with open hearts. These kids saw us stop along the roadside and ran to investigate - offering their innocent, happy faces for a photograph; or when we waved back at startled teenagers from our car, shocked at our white, doll like faces (their dolls all have western features, so when they see a westerner they see a giant version of their own doll!), bursting into laughter at these crazy looking westerners!

But the draw of the city is strong in this, like any, developing country. Villagers leave their traditional working practices for the promise of the dollar, but lose the unquantifiable wealth of a social network, family unit and let go of the fabric that bonds them together.

So tomorrow we say goodbye to Vietnam and take a speedboat up the Mekong to Phnom Penh and I have to say we're both a little nervous but it's gotta be done, and Angkor beckons!

Sunday, December 17, 2006

10,000 clicks from home

The 777 'cockpit cam' flickered into life at dawn as the sun reflected on the mighty Mekong, a silver snake winding its way through the delta - our first sight of Vietnam.

We landed at Saigon and spent an absorbing few days exploring the city by day, then strolling down the old Rue Catinat and sinking a beer or two at the haunts of foreign correspondents in darker days. The Majestic, Caravelle and Rex (where the US Press Corps gave their daily updates on 'progress' against the VC, then moved to the bar to forget the reality of war).

Thuy, our local guide, painted in words what the books can't describe - what are the hopes and fears of the new generation of Vietnamese? Has the 'American War' been laid to rest? You've really got to make your own mind up by visiting this incredible country and talking to its people.

Following Saigon and the inevitable trip to Cu Chi, we travelled into the heart of the Mekong Delta, visiting local business, factories, and crossing this magnificent river along the way (16km wide at one point). My usually conservative tastes were put to one side whilst we sampled Elephant Ear fish, Snake wine and the like!

After an exhausting few days, we plunged into the luxury of the
Victoria Can Tho and its majestic setting on the banks of the Hau River, and relaxed.

Thursday, November 30, 2006

Into the Heart of Darkness

I guess the Vietnam War lodged itself in my memory alongside The Beatles, Nixon and the death of John Lennon as iconic moments during my formative years. My taste for the Orient deepened during our honeymoon to Thailand and, soon, we'll be flying out to Saigon, and working our way up the Mekong into Cambodia.

It's almost time to say bye bye to Blighty and head for the humidity of the Mekong and its lands. We fly into
Saigon and then have some boat trips planned throughout the Mekong delta, visiting family businesses and floating markets. Our guide then takes us from Can Tho to Chau Doc via village wanderings which should be great! From Chau Doc the speed boat takes us to Phnom Penh ("5 hours" - every trip in Cambodia apparently takes "5 hours"!). Nothing prepares you for Tuol Sleng and the Killing Fields, but we're here to immerse ourselves in the culture and history, not lie on a beach somewhere. We'll then fly on to Siem Reap for a good few days to look around Angkor, before the trio of flights home (Siem Reap to Saigon; Saigon to Frankfurt; Frankfurt to Heathrow).

We're both passionate readers and and there's no better book than Francois Bizot's "The Gate" to understand recent Cambodian history. I'd urge anyone with an interest in Indochina to read this important book. For an insight into life as a foreign correspondent, try John Swaine's "River of Time".


The alternative Lake District

Being a piscean, I was destined to settle in the area described as the "alternative lake district". Based around Theale (a relatively unscathed village in the heart of the Thames Valley), over 30 lakes have been created out of the gravel pits, excavated for the construction of the M4.
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Like Hosehill Lake, shown above: it really is a haven for wildlife and it will always have a place in my heart. Kingfishers, Peregrines, Nightingales, Hobbies and Ospreys have all been sighted in and around Hosehill Lake Local Nature Reserve.
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Working from home occasionally, the best possible start to the day is a dawn bike ride around the lakes, lifting the spirits and helping centre me for a day of emails, phone calls and general office emergencies. Places like Hosehill help to remind me of the relative unimportance of work, office politics and the rat race in general. Focus instead on the beauty of the sun's reflection or the song of the nightingale.