Tag: Plain of Jars

My Top Highlight in each Country

This is a long time coming, and I’ve been meaning to publicly summarize my thoughts and consolidate my experiences on my journey. Since returning, so many people have reached out to me, expressed their curiosity, and asked me for advice. I’ve become a de facto Asia travel planner and role model for other women who want to travel solo as well (which makes me feel great, actually).

The number one question I’m asked is, “What was your favorite place you went to?” My answer is none of them— they were all my favorites. It’s an extremely hard question to answer, because each country was special to me in many different ways. There are highlights across the entire journey, of course.

Here are my top memories from each country (paired with my favorite photos as well) and why it is so meaningful to me. If there is something you absolutely must do or see in each of these countries, then this is my recommendation for what it must be.

India

I feel like I can’t answer this question very well because I’ve been to India so many times. My favorite memory is simply going to Chennai and spending time with my grandparents.

Nepal

Without a doubt, it’s the Everest Base Camp trek. I’ve written extensively about the trek (FAQ, Pre-trek, Days 1-7, Days 8-14) because it was so incredible and I recommend everyone do it. The entire experience is truly life changing and there is nothing more spectacular than seeing Mt. Everest in person and the entire Himalayan mountain range. The people you meet, the pain you fight through, the perseverance you gain, and the strength you find within yourself are all the more reason to do this. You discover a lot about yourself on this trek. Top moment of my life, if not just this trip.

Myanmar

Beautiful, serene, stunning Bagan. This place will take your breath away. Three days biking around Bagan is enough to enjoy the splendor of all the old temples and feel like you’ve truly stepped back in time. Catching the sunrise while watching hot air balloons rise above the plains in this still very untouched place is a magical experience. If I could go back and had more money to spend, I would absolutely pay for the $350 (per person!) hot air balloon ride.

Thailand

Even though I’ve been here before, it’s still Chiang Mai. There is something very spiritual about Chiang Mai. I always meet excellent people here and feel truly at home. I would move here in an instant. What made Chiang Mai so special this time around was the friend I met who made me realize how much I had changed, the monk who gave me perspective, and a single hike to a forest temple that made me realize how happy I am. These were pivotal moments for me in my journey.

Laos

This is a tough one, but I’m going with the Plain of Jars. This is an undoubtedly non-touristy area. I’ve written about the tragedy that occurred here, which I had no knowledge of prior to coming to Laos. Despite the amount of blood shed at the hands of the U.S. and continuing struggle the people of Laos face, they still go on. I’m glad to have finally learned about the Secret War.

Cambodia

Really I can’t decide for Cambodia. Angkor Wat and the Killing Fields were both humbling to see and learn about. Angkor Wat in Siem Reap was obviously majestic. The Killing Fields and the Prison in Phnom Penh were educational and critical to understanding Cambodia and its people.

The island of Koh Rong Samloem also stole my heart. I decided to skip Koh Rong, the party island, headed straight to its smaller sister island. I had no lodging or anything booked, but luckily a guy approached me as I got off the ferry and asked if I wanted to camp at the end of the island near their resort. Highly improvised but ended up being the best choice. The best things in life are unexpected. What followed was four days of hanging out, relaxing, meeting incredible people from all over the world, fresh fish BBQs, swimming in the clearest water, a stunning trek through the forest, and walking along the whitest sand. One night we decided to get into the water and everything began to sparkle around us. We sat there like kids playing around watching the bioluminescent plankton light up. Truly magical.

Vietnam

Many people skipped out on Sa Pa, the mountainous region in the northern most part of Vietnam where you can find the most stunning rice fields and the kindest people. Let me tell you— everyone who skipped out on Sa Pa made a huge mistake! The month I spent there traveling south to north was the best decision I made, despite the cold and bad weather I faced up north. I absolutely loved living in the villages of Sa Pa, eating with the local people, and hiking around the mountains. I even extended my stay because I loved it so much.

Malaysia

I wish I had spent more time in Malaysia because I did not get to fully experience it, but the Cameron Highlands was my favorite part of my 1.5 weeks there. I met my favorite people in Malaysia here and had such excellent conversations. The tea plantations are a dream to walk through. Not to mention, I had some of the best Indian food and strawberry scones I have ever had in my life here.

Philippines

Again, another place I needed more time in. The lack of transportation and 7,000 islands to explore did not help my very indecisive self. However, the entire island of Palawan is seriously stunning. The Big Lagoon is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to in the world. On top of that, when I finally allowed myself to have fun, Palawan was definitely the place to be— much better than Boracay which is just a ridiculous party destination. The little town of El Nido is a great place to meet people and find a group of friends. Everyone in the town knows each other. This is a place where you could get sucked in for sure…

Indonesia

This is the hardest one for me, but scuba diving in Flores on a live-aboard beats everything else I did in Indonesia (even all the incredible treks!). I spent 4 days living on a boat in the middle of the ocean with a few other people, waking up at 5:30am to get into the water by 6am for our first dive, followed by two more dives throughout the day. I have never seen more incredible, colorful, and diverse marine life and coral. It’s considered one of the best places to dive in the entire world, so I am ecstatic I had the chance to do this. Thankfully I got my advanced scuba diving certification before coming here (its required really), because the current is out of this world and occasionally frightening. Also, I will never forget that moment a manta ray just came out of the blue and swam right above my head. I stopped everything and just watched in awe. Majestic.

Singapore

Truth be told, I did not do much in Singapore. I did hardly anything touristy. Rather, I just ate a lot of food and walked around with my friend. But while I was here, I felt so independent, free, confident, and happy. I had learned everything I had wanted from this trip. I was exactly where I wanted to be.

September 25, 2016
Three Weeks in Laos

Laos offered much more than I expected. I intended on staying for maybe a week or so, but I stayed longer because I wanted to get off the beaten path. My general impressions: super friendly people, amazing sandwiches, the cutest children I’ve ever seen, amazing scenery, and an overall authentic country. Laos is what Thailand was 20-30 years ago. I hope it stays this way.

Huay Xai

My first destination in Laos was the border town of Huay Xai. Crossing the border was painless, but was an entire day of traveling by bus. Most people only come here to do the Gibbon Experience (a zip-lining and treehouse living activity which I skipped since I did not want to spend $200-300, though it seemed wonderful). Really nothing to see here, except a temple at the top of a hill.

Luang Prabang

Luang Prabang is a UNESCO world heritage site with beautiful French colonial architecture and history. I was thrilled to have my first taste of real bread here, not that terrible packaged bread that tastes like air. Sandwiches! Baguettes! Almond croissants! Thank you French people for your bakeries and cuisine. I loved just walking around the town, going into temples and talking to monks, sitting at the cafes, walking along the Mekong river, and visiting the stunning waterfalls nearby. The Kuang Si waterfalls are absolutely worth the trip, as are the other ones. I’ve never seen a prettier waterfall in my life.

The market here was one of the best I’ve seen, and the all-you-can-eat vegetarian buffets for $2 were a delicious steal. I really miss my sandwich lady.

Nong Khiaw

Just a day before leaving Luang Prabang for Vang Vieng, I learned about this village town in the mountains of northern Laos. A group of people I had befriended were going, so I decided to join their caravan. Not many people go here, as it is off the typical backpacker route. It was so worth it. This little town had some of the most stunning scenery I had ever seen. Nestled between enormous mountains, Nong Khiaw is the perfect place to relax and enjoy nature. It doesn’t have much to do here except explore the villages in the countryside by bike, kayak, and hike. The viewpoint hike at sunset was a highlight of the trip, with a glorious view of the river winding through the mountains. Sidenote, the Indian restaurant here had the best chai I’ve ever had in my life.

On the second day, the six of us took motorcycles and drove through the countryside. Instead of doing an organized, commercialized tour, we found and explored the villages ourselves. This was so much better and gave us a much more authentic experience. We stumbled upon a New Year’s party where the villagers were celebrating with music, drinking, dancing and delicious food. Of course, we joined the festivities. They continued to push Laolao, the local rice whisky, and BeerLao in our hands. One Laotian man was very keen on dancing with me, which consisted of walking in a circle, slowly moving your hands. They would be shocked if they saw us back home. The kids were absolutely fascinated with us, always saying hello and following us around. The children in Laos are the cutest I’ve ever seen. So sweet, so happy.

Phonsavan

I’ve written an entire blog post on the Secret War and the Plain of Jars in Phonsavan, which was what took me to Eastern Laos. Again, another town off the beaten path. The area was not as pretty as Nong Khiaw or Luang Prabang, but it was beautiful in a different way. War torn, dusty, and very industrial. The land reminded me so much of California, I felt like I was transported back home.

There were so few tourists in this town. My friend and I got the chance to play Snooker with the locals, which took a while to learn but we got the hang of it. MUCH harder than pool. It was definitely the local activity everyone participated in, with lots of BeerLao. None of them spoke English, and we spoke zero Lao, so it was fun trying to communicate with them with broken sentences, hand gestures, and Google translate.

Vang Vieng

Vang Vieng… beautiful scenery, amazing caves, and adventurous treks, but most travelers don’t come here for that reason. Infamous for drunk tubing down the river, Sakura Bar bro tanks, and happy pizzas, Vang Vieng has developed a huge backpacker party reputation. It’s definitely a problem and I find it very disrespectful. There are signs telling people not to roam around shirtless and in bikinis, but people don’t follow the rules. Many people have died in the past tubing down the river because they got irresponsibly drunk, forcing the town to shut down the majority of the bars. I’ll be honest, I partied one night— it was fun— but I could do no more than that. I didn’t even go tubing, which is the only reason some people even go. Instead I grabbed a bike on two of my days there and explored the outskirts myself. I found a couple caves that were just dazzling and jumped off a tree into an aquamarine lagoon (this was way scarier than I expected, and I stood there paralyzed in fear while a million Chinese tourists were chanting at me to jump). I topped off my stay here with a hot air balloon ride that took me high above the limestone mountains.

Vientiane

The capitol of Laos, but not much to see here. The market and river were nice, but the highlight was really the COPE center. I spent a little more time here just so I could sit and do work, before I headed off to the 4000 islands (which I didn’t end up doing). From here I headed straight to Siem Reap in Cambodia, because the 4000 islands didn’t seem worth the time in the end.

February 21, 2016
The Secret War

We need to talk about Laos.

To not know about the Secret War, which was a crime against humanity, is truly a disservice to the people of Laos. This country is beautiful, full of people who are genuinely happy and grateful for what they have even in the midst of such devastation and pain. Despite what they have dealt with, they still welcome us with warm smiles.

I had no idea what happened in Laos. I thought I knew the history of our most recent American wars fairly in-depth, having taken extremely rigorous human rights, world, and U.S. history courses. But no, I had no idea of the tragedy that happened here for not a few years, but 9 years total.

During the Vietnam War, Laos was also dealing with its own civil war. Secretly, the American CIA was supporting the Royal Lao Government against the Communist group, Pathet Lao. So, the U.S. bombed Laos for nine years— illegally and covertly, since Laos was designated a neutral country by the 1961 Geneva Accord. Regardless, the U.S. bombed Northern Laos to attack the communists and bombed the south to disrupt the Ho Chi Minh Trail. All of this was kept a secret from not only the American public, but also Congress.

Because of these unjust actions, Laos is the most heavily bombed country in the world:

“From 1964 to 1973, the U.S. dropped more than two million tons of ordnance on Laos during 580,000 bombing missions—equal to a planeload of bombs every 8 minutes, 24-hours a day, for 9 years – making Laos the most heavily bombed country per capita in history.”

For what reason? Like all reckless violence, none really. Their homes were destroyed and villages annihilated. They were sprayed with Agent Orange, a poisonous chemical herbicide. They were forced to hide in caves for years. What’s tragic is the aftermath the people of Laos are now forced to deal with.

A third of the bombs dropped in those nine years went undetonated. As a result, around 80 million bombs still continue to maim and kill the people of Laos everyday.

Laos is contaminated with millions of unexploded ordnance (UXO), which are risky, expensive, and difficult to get rid of. Thousands of people are dying because of them, and many more are injured. It happens randomly and unintentionally. Children find ‘bombies’ that came from cluster bombs littered on the ground, thinking its a ball they can throw around. A farmer or builder will be digging in the ground. Others try to use them for the gunpowder or high quality metal. There goes another life, a lost arm or leg, someone’s eyesight. These people are in constant threat of being blown up.

Imagine being a parent who is fearful for their child’s life all the time when they simply go outside to play.

The only reason I learned about all of this was because I wanted to visit the Plain of Jars, in the east of Laos. The Plain of Jars is like an Asian stonehenge: ancient megalithic stone figures all over the place, but no one knows where they came from, who made them, and why. They are thought to be funeral urns, as human bones have been found in a few. Some of them were taller than me. Some of them had lids. It was cool to walk around (some) of the plains…

I say some because it’s not safe to just walk around anywhere. The Plain of Jars also happens to be located in the area of Laos with the highest concentration of bombs. Some of the jars are destroyed and in pieces because of the bombs. Enormous bomb craters are everywhere. Remnants of war are everywhere: Russian tanks, makeshift uses of bombs as planets, spoons made from the metal. Bombs are a part of life here in Laos.

There are efforts to get rid of the bombs and help the victims. A non-profit organization, Mines Advisory Group (MAG) works extensively in Laos to clear the land of UXOs, but the process is slow and dangerous. It will take decades to get rid of all the bombs. You can see areas that have been marked clear with stone plaques on the ground with MAG initials. At one point my friend and I wandered off the designated areas to find more jars. Walking back, I was looking at my feet the entire time. I’ll admit, I was a little afraid to be walking around in uncleared areas. I can’t imagine living in fear like that all the time.

In Vientiane, the capitol of Laos, I visited the COPE center. COPE is another non-profit created to provide UXO survivors with support, providing rehabilitation services and prosthetics. While I was there, my heart felt so heavy. It was amazing to learn about so many stories of people with debilitating injuries who are managing to rebuild their lives with the help of COPE.

Just recently I’ve learned that an international treaty, the Convention on Cluster Munitions, was created to ban the use of cluster bombs. More than 100 countries have signed or ratified the treaty since its inception in 2008.

One of the countries that still refuses to sign or ratify the treaty? The United States.

It’s unfortunate that most people who visit Laos never learn this dark history. Most travelers visit the UNESCO world heritage site, Luang Prabang and the backpacker party paradise, Vang Vieng. But there’s so much more to Laos than those two destinations. I’m very glad I made it out to Phonsavan, because it was worth the extra long bus rides to see the real Laos—not through a pair of rose-colored glasses. I only hope one day Laos is able to fully recover from the ravages of war.

February 19, 2016