How To Make A Cloth Doll

Vietnam and Laos, where rice

Sabai dee!

With jovial greeting of Laos, 3 weeks we have been practicing non-stop (no we welcomed so many people in our lives :-), started the last entry in the first half of our trip. For if, in the original brief on the right come down counter of the 183 days that mark the Ecuador of this wonderful year for us, and since then it was now less of what we run. However, there are sad ... and here is that many of you who read this will have come to mind quite a number of expletives followed by "to be!" ... but as we have come very far (at Cochin, which according to the "conventional wisdom" is where you go when you want to go as far as possible), our ears are safe from bursting by the buzz. No, what I meant by not being sad is that time also flies in a year like that, but less . Passes quickly and the days you wish you they had 48 hours, but do not you slip through your fingers without squeezing every last drop of juice. You look back and, the last thing comes to your mind is a "but" when I lost half a year? ". And besides, to this day I still look at the calendar and enter the rush of the number of months ahead and spectacular destinations ahead :-)

re-position ourselves for these 2 last months in Asia we are using to travel the romantic Indochina (so called as a French colony): Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. We started in Hanoi, north Vietnam, and after 10 days touring the area of \u200b\u200bcross country (one of the most beautiful borders we've crossed) north of Laos. What we have traveled up and down (we love and we are resisting to leave, extending the last days in the south), and soon move on to Cambodia, where we will visitilla a little lightning covering the most relevant. From there, south of Vietnam and, little by little, do it again way up to complete the loop where it began, in Hanoi. Both

in northern Vietnam and Laos have enjoyed a lot, though in different ways. And again, the difference is marked by the people. In both countries there are countless claims for the traveler, whether you're a lover of nature, Buddhist temples, or the cuisine of this area is no waste, both are highly recommended.

And the Vietnamese are lovely people, and very enterprising and very efficient service to tourists. But in Laos, easy jokes are ... Laostia! It is, above all, a place with happy people and incredibly friendly, the length and breadth of the country. As told in the beginning, we've had enough (in a good way) to greet children and adults they give you smiles from ear to ear. In the cities, sometimes it was and not much else (which is something, I think!), But in the villages the children came running from their huts to meet you, and I flashed radiant happy when you stood even at swap 2 words (do not know much more about his language) and 4 gestures with them. We have spent a night in remote villages in the mountains and jungles of Laos, and some of them welcome the premises lent you would make you swear you were the first foreigner they saw. Some adults even nearby villages came to meet the falangs (so called for the foreigners), with a genuine interest in seeing us face, share a few shots of lao-lao (rice whiskey, and Japanese sake), and if We encouraged them to sing together the folk repertoire of each country. We have great anecdotes to bore ... so, seriously, that although had targeted for publication in the "glob" I always reserve that for something to have around :-)

All you have read ever, in this humble blog among other places, that poor people are much happier, if anyone has any doubt, to come to Laos, it is the quintessence of this paradox. Centuries ago they were known as "the land of million elephants" ... Now as they are a thousand, but in all fairness it could be known as "the land of million smiles." It is, moreover, a country extremely quiet, if you can not change the chip can reach exasperarte and have known several cases, but if it fits you and you just go ... gets you. As I said the advertising slogan of Luang Prabang, the capital Laos Tourism, "Stay another day" ... and one after another, up to five we were us. And is that Laos is a peaceful country, sometimes up to duty, and that at 12 everyone has to be home and the streets empty by government mandate =: -0 Anyway, the French and impeccably summarized the mode of being of the people of Indochina, the Vietnamese plant rice, the Cambodians watch it grow ... Laos and hear what grow.

And by the way, also in Laos are almost all Buddhists (of a type somewhat different from the Nepali and Tibetan Buddhists but finally after all), and total freedom even being a communist country such as the environment (Vietnam Cambodia, China ... all with uni-ruling parties and no option to elections). Here, indeed, most men are monks during a season, short as it is, at least once in their life. You will see a few pictures of them because they are very colorful with his shaved head and bright orange robes. Will I have any relationship this religion with the good vibes given off by these people? Well no, but it's the second time the two go together as we travel, I like :-)

Having made clear that Vietnam and Laos are worth seeing, this rice can link to me title of the post. And it is funny how land in each new country always with expectation, and often with totally erroneous expectations influenced by previous destinations. So we step in Vietnam, much more modern and advanced than we expected. In his day and took the decision to skip Thailand, because the references we had was too exploited, too touristy for our taste (and we have confirmed many backpackers we've met around here). We knew that Vietnam had the same way, with several years of delay ... and though we liked what seen to date, and is actually much more "attention to tourism" than we imagined, so the country loses some of its authenticity. As one example: in a place that we visited are building a piece of prey at the base of a waterfall ... to have water all year round and is also a tourist attraction in the dry season: - / Laos, for now, do not reach this level, although there are some scary examples: in Vang Vieng, the "sound environment" in the streets are episodes of "Friends" or "The Simpsons" cast loud through the hells of the people while tourism "quality" that is geared this site (the hooligans, I call them) are cytokine drinking and eating in front of the TV for hours. Come to a country like Laos so special for this!

In recent weeks, we made enough life on the road. Incidentally, shortly after arriving in Vietnam had a strange feeling that he could not decipher ... and proved to be the first country of our trip which leads to the right! Is tricky, after 5 months there ... And we thought that English was driving to an exception, and it is but not quite. The strange sensation immediately following the figure: for every car you see in Vietnam, you see a hundred bikes. In fact, a guide told us that the country had 40 million motorcycles (one every 2 inhabitants, approximately), and we believe it. Over Vietnam and bikes is not love, is passion. In fact, Motorola should shoot his next ad here, because the "greeting" the most common is "Hello," moto? "For you to get your bike (in taxi plan) or the rent you see in the Los :-) motorcycle loaded with the most savage, if not directly street shops. In Spain, as is becoming more difficult to fit into normal cars so chair for children, became fashionable "monogolumenes" invest in a seat here a little longer, or move from Vespino to Vespa, because where they enter 2 enter 3 ... and 4 (child, parent, child, mother!) and is also on a motorcycle where you appreciate the fast pace of progress in Vietnam, when the teenager in his motillo writing an SMS while driving forward the abuelillo on your bike with the typical hat. We have also done many hours of bus, mountain roads, combined with sometimes viejillos vehicles, to the eternal journey ... but precious. Encourages rather twisty little interaction with the locals, that the poor get dizzy with the least. So I had to wait the stops "scheduled", always unbalanced to the beast: a journey of 6 hours non-stop until we could be half an hour before arriving! Or the other way around, which is even more disconcerting to stop anything else up "for breakfast" and then make 6 or 7 hours a tug. In short, a year working as a travel guide about 10 days with American students, and as it mounted the bus drivers ... but in Spain conceal better and stop when you touch :-)

Obviously, both driving times always had a goal and quite often was away from the classic routes to get lost in remote areas. And here, if something is uninhabited, the forest grows. We have made several mini-treks of 2 or 3 days, some roll "multisport" combined with kayaking on the river, and is possibly where we have been better (in these night trips to villages very authentic, as I had before.) However, the monsoon season and has caught us in full, and gradually we realized that walking in the jungle in rainy season was not the most appropriate. In the first of the treks, Vietnam, the guides were in boots rain boots ... at first I freak out, then I understood. In the latest in Laos, went directly to flip-flops, the experience made us suspect, and we were right: - / I is not got time to send me some very cool photos of both of the two crossing a river with water up to his neck and carrying backpacks in the head, but when the publishes have to testify.

We eat and drink

In these countries, this section could give me to pages and pages! So I will try to synthesize and, as you finish doing when working last year in Australia where they have no patience for long texts mcuh too substance, what better way than using bullet points and was automatically and readable (?)

* As all have heard, here is everything and eat all the bugs. For those that are already squirming in the seat I would say that quiet, we have not succeeded in establishing "pets" (dog, cat, etc ... =: -0) But we have seen in markets and / or the menus, CASQUERIA from chicken, duck, through the more "classical" (pork, beef, etc). The frog is also very typical ... and not just the legs =: -0 For very typical Vietnamese roast barbecues all these bugs in the streets, around which quickly assembled a makeshift terrace and er world to nosh! Does it sound? For if, in the percentage of use of animals, such as a penchant for eating racioncitas on the street, are much like us :-)

* Roll insectivore, however, should be more Chinese and Thai because We have seen almost nothing (some grilled grasshoppers on a site in Laos and cicada larvae in the market, na more.) Anyway, should not be in this section because we have not animae, glups: - /

* Interestingly, in these forests can not hear birds singing until you're in enough, because if there village near, here eat everything shakes =: - 0 We have seen in the markets the "skewer grilled bird," enterito, and would deserve mention in this section if we had had the courage. But they were expensive for what everyone knows, few things are less chicha the ankle of a canary.

* As disheveled but we have been in fruits and vegetables: more than half of what they sell in the markets we have not seen in life, and we like the fruit ... had to risk :-) We all liked, although I am going to drop names that sounded like Chinese to you, literally. Well, one thing: "have you ever eaten at a Chinese restaurant that put the lychees for dessert? If, like us, you seem repulsive, it is because they are in syrup, are delicious natural. Although we did not know until we were "forced" to eat on a train journey, when our neighbor's Vietnamese compartment shared with us (and is very rude to refuse food to share with you)

* Obviously rice is the basis of the feed around here. But I could not stop talking about a special type of rice eaten in Laos, called "sticky rice", literally "sticky rice" ... is tremendous, a kind of edible gum, and has an INCREDIBLE ability to stick to the intestine (auch! !!!). Also I love the lao-lao, rice whiskey which I've mentioned.

* Finally, we are especially grateful to the French heritage of these countries, because the baguettes and pastries / confectionery are cojonudas, almost comparable to those at home ... prices from here :-)

Who know (worthy of mention)

As the "circuit Indochina is a region of the world frequented by backpackers (especially for value for money), we agreed repeatedly with the same people. But one thing is to match, and other travel together as we have done for many days with Ingrid and Eric (her Dutch American), and Malou and Bas (Dutch). Agree with the first going to Fansipan, the highest peak in Southeast Asia, and the second soon after they met. Together the 6 cross from Vietnam to Laos by the most remote border of both countries, and toured the north of Laos. Ingrid and Eric still agree on some other occasion, as we have similar schedules, but Malou and Bas and returned to Holland. Although quite different in age (early twenties and Bas Malou, through the thirtieth day of Ingrid and Eric, our thirty-enough :-), all we traveled for several months and got along very well, has been a pleasure to share walks, anecdotes, and Beerlaos! (Beer in the country)

And though Martin knew him briefly, the experience was intense. It is a German who has worked for 2 months in Laos for the German Development Agency, and we met with him on a muddy track we were doing us bike, in his new motorcycle ... that was not exactly in the field, but one of those "cheap Harleys" I call them. And with a vengeance (and inexperience) attempt to traverse the mud and, of course, spitting stayed. Now we laugh remembering as between 3 and two local boys we got mud up to his ears to get your bike there, and then we got all the river to cleanse minimally. But it cost us an hour of clock, and weighed the damn bike! When they finally take it off, Martin Climbed to the kids on the bike and led them to their village, which entered uploaded swollen with pride in the MotAcer Falang ;-), and that night insisted on inviting us to dinner, but did not let him. ************************



And these are, enjoying our tour of Indochina, where not only rich in sensations you feel and experiences ... also money, because every time we took the ATM in Laos and especially in Vietnam, we get millions. Sometimes you get your hands on your head when someone says that the bottle of water is 8000 or the 120,000 hotel room ... until you remember they are only 30 cents and $ 5 respectively

:-) So, to within about a month! Juan and Eva



PD1 We have noticed a certain impatience because actualizabamos blog. While we are flattered that follow us with expectation, understand that the last thing that the blog should mean for us in a year so is a must. Like everything in this year, we do because we like and we want to, but running away from any feeling of attachment or it would be very paradoxical, do not you think? Eva why not write, so as I do (taking notes on the road, then composing a story of a certain size, but every few weeks), I enjoy it, but she just 2 or 3 hours then I pass it on to the web costs will make heavy, so ... will understand that the plan is not to be forced to do when you do not want. As for me, happy but at this rate (every 3-4 weeks). If someone wants to put you in my mailing list to alert you to each new entry, has only to ask!, I think we all know our e-mail. PD2

And now, if I write I (Eve, of course), just to mention to everyone that if you know me well enough know that the computer I like little and even less when there are many other things to do in special outdoor obligations that are not :-) So the blog topic and the stories are not for me. The emails you write me, you know that answer. I am most of the time and count on "Live" so do not worry I have everything in my journal. Anyway thank you for the request. Enjoy

Juanjo stories that are a facet for which he wanted to exploit and puts much effort and detail in everything he does and gets very BENONE!. E indirectly my thoughts are there because many of the issues the talk, the debated, the share before the end become part of the story of our great trip. I go charging energy absorbing everything that we are living that I will be required for the return. Kisses. Eva