31st of August – 2nd of September – Being foxy

As my office is closer to the airport than home is and I was leaving on a Friday early evening I decided to grab all my stuff and take it with me to work. After work I jumped onto a train, went to the airport, checked in my bags, went through security, spent time in the crowded lounge (though free food and wine makes everything better) and departed 30-45 minutes delayed.

Having originally a 1½ hours layover in Oslo the delay wasn’t that big an issue, but arriving I realized that my next flight was delayed half an hour, turning it into a complete non-issue. A short visit to the lounge (amazing brownies!) I went to the gate where I met 3 from my previous Antarctica trip, a girlfriend and this tour’s official photographer who I knew from my first Arctic tour.

As the flights was originally supposed to arrive in Longyearbyen at 0040 the delay meant that I didn’t get to the hotel until around 0230. On the Saturday I had a tour with focus on photography starting at 1000 so I went straight to bed. After 5 hours of sleep I crawled out of bed, sorted by stuff and repacked a bit before having breakfast, checking out and getting picked up for the day’s tour.

The weather was grey and dull with the occasional drizzle to light rain (which was better than the 80% that had been forecast). We got to see some viewpoints in and around town, and a few places where there were good chances of bird sightings. We also went past the see vault (which is being restored due to melting permafrost preventing us getting close) and the fire department’s plane training location. Having it close to the airport means that the first sight of some arriving tourists would be what looks like a plane in flames, and adding to that a nearby shooting range first impression would be very interesting). We ended up in Bjørndalen where we had great view of the valley before returning to town, seeing an arctic fox on the way and ending at the hotel at 1600 sharp.

Purple sandpipers.

Arctic tern.

Bjørndalen.

Arctic fox.

I grabbed my stuff, checked into my next hotel and went for a walk where I bumped into the photographer (who, after 30 hours of travelling from San Francisco passed out for 12+ hours when reaching the hotel) and we quickly decided to go and grab some dinner together. I had a short walk afterwards, passed by the shit that at that point had arrived at port, realised that there was no chance of any good sunset tonight and retired to the hotel. An hour later around 2330 I passed out for the day.

The alarm went off at 0900, I grabbed a quick breakfast before checking out and handing my luggage over to the ship’s crew. I went for a short walk, tried to shoot some birds but despite the weather being better than yesterday there wasn’t much going on. I ended up in the North Pole Expedition Museum which turned out to be quite interesting but with a lot of dry text, before finding a place for lunch. I found a café where I had their chili con carne which was closer to “carne con slightly undercooked beans, no chili but otherwise not bad”, washed down with a delicious semi-large soft vanilla bun.

Wandered about a bit after that, found to my disappointment that the photo gallery was closed, and finally got onto the bus, drove to the ship, checked in and found my cabin (back in 327!).

During the guides’ presentation one asked for any repeat customers to raise their hands. Normally they have 10-20 on a tour doing so but this time at least ¾ of the passengers who put them up. The usual safety briefings and welcomes were performed and dinner was served – reminding me why I was so fond of the food here. It was delicious. During dinner the Expedition Leader came over to say hi to us (we who met at Oslo airport) – apparently she remembered us from the Antarctic trip.

The rest of the evening was calm. We were anchored just outside the harbour due to inspections but at midnight on the spot the engines picked up and we left to go north for tomorrow’s program, effectively starting the tour.

Impulsive return to Southeast Asia

So… This was not planned just a few days ago. I blame the rest of the group from my most recent trip as they kept posting photos from their continued travelling after I was gone. It has absolutely totally nothing to do with my lack of self-control when it comes to travelling whenever I have a few days off at some point. Or… 11 days off in a row by only having to take 3 vacation days.

It’ll be a long flight (again) but Cambodia just looks too damn inviting, and going during the end of the year means that I will be there in the dry season, hopefully avoiding rain. Travelling during Christmas will be a first for me but having the holidays line up just perfect it was difficult not to take advantage of it.

Anyways – on to the itinerary.

21^st – 23^rd of December

Flying out to Ho Chi Minh City where I will arrive the day before the tour starts, giving me a night and almost a full day in the city to explorer by myself before meeting with the rest of the group.

24^th – 25^th of December

We spend a day in Ho Chi Minh City before we on the second day drive west-wards and leave Vietnam and enter Cambodia, ending up in Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh.

26^th – 27^th of December

Spending a day touring Phnom Penh and being all tourist-like before going north and driving to Siem Reap.

28^th – 29^th of December

Spending time in Siem Reap, with Angkor Wat being the main attraction. There will be plenty of time sightseeing at the temple complex, seeing floating villages, museums or otherwise just exploration and relaxation.

30^th of December

After these few days we will be leaving Siem Reap and heading further west, now leaving Cambodia and crossing the border into Thailand and ending up in Bangkok.

31^st of December

Got a flight just past midnight so I’ll probably have to cut the departure evening short. It means, though, that I will be coming home the 31^st early morning, letting me celebrate New Year’s at home (if I don’t fall asleep before).

As an added bonus, when I was looking into flights I realized that by just paying a bit extra for the flight down I’d be able to upgrade myself from economy to plus, giving me bigger seats, more legroom, larger monitor and better food. It was hard not to do. On the way back the price was almost double for the upgrade though the economy was fairly cheap – so after a short deliberation I decided I’d be allowed to also upgrade this flight. It is only Christmas once a year, after all!

Pakistan - second attempt

An update to this trip can be found here.

Back in January I had my trip to Pakistan this year cancelled due to the Foreign Ministry dragging their feet with regards to the travel recommendations and updating them to reflect the current situations in the area where we were going. Understandable, but annoying.

In March, two months later, they got their act together and updated the information to a more favourable level. This meant that in April I received a new mail from the travel company informing me of a new departure next year around the same time if I was still interested in that destination?

If I’m interested? Let me thinYES PLEASE!

And a few days ago I received the final itinerary with flights and departure dates. Of course, everything can change and things might get cancelled again (let’s be frank, this isn’t just a simple trip to Europe) but I’m crossing my fingers that it will work out this time. We’ll see!

The itinerary is the same – even the dates are the same – as last time, but just to recap:

10th - 11th of July

Flying out of Copenhagen and going to Islamabad, having some time to see the city after arrival.

12th of July

Plane to Skardu at 2500m, where we will be staying at a simple hotel. If the weather is bad the trip is done by bus. Afternoon is spent on sightseeing.

13th - 17th of July

The start of the trek will be relatively gentle, while the distances are 12-20km per day the ups and downs during the days are not that bad, usually less than 500m either way. Nights will be spent at Korofon (3075m), Jhola (3150m) and Paiju (3420m) where we will have an acclimatization day.

18th - 22nd of July

We'll start off heading towards Horbose (3795m) followed by Urdukas (3900m) which will be reached after a relatively short day. Then we're heading to Goro (4295m) and Concordia (4500m) which will be the furthest camp. Here we'll have an extra day where there are several paths we can take, among others a trek to K2 base camp, but also reaching Broad Peak base camp or walk towards Gasherbrum I ("Hidden Peak") so you get to see that, too.

23rd - 28th of July

From Concordia we will be making our way back down towards Skardu passing by Shachspong (4100m) before reaching known places Horbose (3795m), Paiju (3420m), Jhola (3150m), Askole (3000m) and in the end Skardu where we will have the first night since being here last time in a hotel.

29th - 31st of July

Again; depending on weather we will either fly back to Islamabad or take a jeep via Chilas. Having returned to Islamabad we will take a flight home on the last day.

5th – 6th – Last day and heading home

As my 2-week trip was only a part of a larger 30-day tour I was only 1 of 3 people from the group that would be leaving today. So I got up early to say goodbye to the group leaving at 0800, had the reception book a taxi to the airport at 1800 and to extend my room until that time, and then I went back up and slept some more. 2 people joined the group for the next leg and it just got more British; we were originally one Dane, two Americans, two Australians and 10 Brits. The group lost the Dane and two Aussies and the newcomers are Brits. I don’t think I have ever seen such a majority of Brits (or just one nationality) in a group before.

At around mid-day I finally got out and around and my plan was basically only that I wanted Pho (more or less a noodle soup) for lunch and otherwise just having a walk. The guide from our street food tour had recommended a restaurant for Pho but it was closed until dinner so I walk around randomly until I found one that looked promising. Got a beef Pho and it turned out to be… phoking fantastic. I circled the Hoàn Kiếm Lake and ended up in a Harry Potter themed bar called Always where I had a Polyjuice Potion (which tasted better than what the books hinted at).

Pho!

Hoàn Kiếm Lake.

St Joseph's Cathedral.

I returned to the hotel, checked out and left for the airport, checked in and went through security without a single issue or having to wait. Got a bowl of Bun Bo Hue at Hanoi airport, and despite it only being a two-hour flight to Bangkok we were also fed on the flight, and it was a full-sized Boeing 777 they used on the route (which is built for long range, i.e. CPH-BKK or CPH-SIN), but considering it was completely full they must have needed it. To kill some time at Bangkok Airport I ended up in a Japanese restaurant and got Wagyu sushi and a "I don't know what to get so I'll just get the big one"-sushi. It was delicious with bigger pieces of fish and higher quality than I usually see at home. I was happy – despite having to rush the last pieces due to getting close to boarding.

Returning to the airport.

Wagyu sushi.

A boatload of "a bit of everything"-sushi.

On the leg home from Bangkok I was entertained by Red Sparrow, Downsizing, Hostiles and first episode of Black Lightning. And I actually managed to get some sleep, so that was actually quite nice. Arrived in Copenhagen on time, got my stuff and took the train home, everything according to plan. And that was it.

This is not quite the type of trip I usually do; I usually travel for trekking/climbing or wildlife, while this was more travelling through countries and seeing sights on the way. A slightly cultural trip. While I did at times feel that trip was missing a bit compared to my usual trips it was still worth the time going there. Great sights and people. Big thanks to Amanda, Jonjo, Ollie, Joe, Teri, Rosie, Wazim, Craig, Shay, Nick, Sophia, Michelle, Paul and Ann, and our guide Bun for being such amazing people and being great fun on the trip. I miss you all and hope to see you again some other time!

Full album can be seen here.

4th – A generous mix of genres

We left the hotel at 0830 to go and see the Ho Chi Minh Complex where we started with the mausoleum just outside the complex. It’s a massive soviet-style concrete-looking building containing a wax-figure of Ho Chi Minh as he wished to be cremated after his death. It wasn’t open today so we didn’t get to see it but if it had been the case we would potentially have been stuck in a 4+km long queue with people wanting to pass by seeing the figure. It is also only open 5 days a week in the mornings so the pressure is on when it is open.

From there we continued on entering the complex and seeing the buildings he had lived in, a bunker and the hospital he died in. It was all placed around a lake with coifish and seemed very serene ignoring the hordes of people. The last stop before leaving was the one-pillar pagoda which was basically what the name implies: a pagoda built on top of a single pillar.

Inside the Ho Chi Minh Complex. Here a lake with one of the houses that "Uncle Ho" lived.

The house he moved to the last years of his life.

The one-pillar pagoda.

From then on we were free until 1700 so some of us went to see the Literature Temple, (what was left of) Maison Centrale aka Hanoi Prison aka Hanoi Hilton and the museum inside, and the Woman’s History Museum.

The temple was interesting enough, in the end it was a temple of worship of Confucious, a scholar from before when the temple – then university – opened in 1070, which makes it one of the world’s oldest.

Inside the Literature Temple.

Confucious.

The Hanoi Hilton was quite interesting and not as horrifying as I had expected, and far from as bad as the two UXO museums, but still quite unnerving as places like that are. In the end I got the impression that while people were treated quite badly in there (but the American pilots shot down during the Vietnam war were treated significantly better) it didn’t feel much different that similar prisons around the world. The significance comes from the role it played in the country’s fight for independence from the French, with many of the survivors ending up working for the government. 

  

Inside the Hanoi Hilton.

The power lines have been looking quite chaotic on the entire trip, but this is the first time we saw it starting crawling out onto the sidewalk. 

The woman’s museum was pretty much Vietnam’s history seen through the eyes of the women. Unfortunately we had to rush a bit as we were running out of time getting back to the hotel in time.

At 1700 we met up and went to see a Water Puppet show. While the introduction was in English the entire show was in Vietnamese, so nothing really made any sense, but the live music was nice and the show itself looked good and was interesting to watch.

Leaving we went and had a nice dinner and greeted two new members of the group, both of them Brits. The group will continue south to Ho Chi Minh City where some will leave and others will join, and then continue back west through Cambodia and end up back in Bangkok.

After dinner some of us went out for drinks, we started in a nice and quiet place where it was easy to have normal conversations but being part of a younger group, we ended up in a place with very loud music. From there some of us went back to the hotel while others, just getting warmed up, went to a night club.

3rd – Wet, wet, wet

We started at a reasonable time around 0830 where we got picked up by a taxi that took us to three different sights in the city; Patuxay Monument, The Golden Temple and CARE. CARE is the local museum about cluster bombs, the consequences of the usage of these during the secret war, and what they do to help the locals living with them in their presence. So pretty much like the smaller UXO in Luang Prabang. 

The Patuxay Monument is from the 60s and built by the French and looks like a smaller version of their Arc de Triomphe, but built in a local style. It was possible to go up onto a viewing platform, and the two internal floors were basically just two mini-markets with anything souvenir-related. It felt a bit ingenuine but the view from the top was nice. Vientiane doesn’t have much in tall buildings so there wasn’t much to look at as such but you could get a good impression of the size of the city.

The Patuxay Monument.

The view from the top. The presidential palace can be seen in the distance.

The ceiling between the four pillars.

The Golden Temple was huge and very golden – I assume that’s why it got its name. Other than that, though, it was quite a bit like the others we have seen throughout the trip.

The CARE museum was as expected; informative and harrowing. They showed the consequences of the left over UXOs and focused on the work they do with building prosthetics from simple means, not only for victims from the bombs (though that is their priority), but also for people who have lost limbs through accidents, deceases and so on.

 We were back at the hotel at 1130 and left an hour later to pick up our ordered lunches and go to the airport to catch our flight to Hanoi. Despite the flight only being an hour long they still managed to serve sandwiches and drinks.

We arrived at our new hotel in bustling Hanoi around 1730 and 1800 10 of us went on a night market food tour. We ended up at 7 different places where we got to taste various things and when we finally returned to our hotel around 2200 we were truly full. We ended up tasting steam hot rice cakes, fruit candy, Vietnamese bread, BBQ pork with noodle soup, fruits, egg coffee (and -chocolate) and a local beer.

During the tour we got hit by rain. Lots of it. At first you walk down the street keeping to one side as the other side is forming a new major river, then you make a turn down another street and suddenly you are in water to above your ankles. And yet only shortly after it stopped raining most of the water had gone and everything was back to normal. That was quite an experience.

Notice the disappearance of feet.

2nd – Haggling but not haggling

We left the guesthouse at 0800 and departed on a fairly unremarkable drive to the Lao capital, Vientiane. Here we stopped at a small restaurant for lunch before checking in at a very nice hotel.

The elevator here is weird; the elevator has buttons 1-12, but the screen says G-11. So when you press for 9^th floor you have to get off when it says 8^th. The doors are weird, too; as a key you get a small wireless dongle to scan but only one on the floor managed to get in when they tried – the rest of us just saw a number pad materialize where you scanned your dongle. After returning to the reception for assistance we were shown that you scan, pull the door making sure it’s shut and then it unlocks. Good to know! On a Lao scale the beds are odd, too. They are actually really soft and comfortable!

The rest of the afternoon we were free to do what we wanted. On needed a new pair of shoes so two of us joined him into the city centre at a mall. He found a pair he wanted and the vendor told him they cost 240.000 kip. He was a bit skeptical so she quickly dropped her price to 200.000. He said he had to find an ATM first; 180.000! He checked his wallet to see how much he had right there and when she saw he had 160.000 that was the new price. He reiterated several times he had to get to an ATM first and every time she decided just to drop the price. Without even haggling (in our minds, at least) or commenting on the price he ended up getting the price dropped to 100.000 and at that point we convinced him to just pay her for the shoes on principle. Walking around afterwards and seeing other shoe shops, these with price tags, we concluded both parties could let themselves be happy with the final price.

We walked past the presidential palace and saw the nearby Sisaket temple before returning to the hotel. Despite the temple being alongside a nearby main road the walls and vegetation almost completely blocked off the traffic noise. And because it was just an “ordinary” temple it wasn’t crowded as many of the other more high-profile ones we have visited. It was overall quite a nice break.

The presidential palace.

Sisaket temple.

At 1830 we left the hotel, ordered lunch for pickup tomorrow at a café, had dinner, had a short walk in the night market before returning to the hotel around 2200, ending a fairly quiet and relaxing day.

1st of August – Watering and zipping

Wake up, breakfast and leaving the village at 0730 went all according to plan. Lao people seem to prefer hard beds – my theory is that airy soft mattresses (i.e. normal comfortable mattresses) suck up the moisture from the humid air making them… moist… therefore requiring something less inclined to take in water. I give you: The Lao Rock Mattress. While I wouldn’t say they are completely like rocks (rather like very thin mattresses on rocks), there were people not getting much sleep due to the concrete as they called them.

We arrived at our guest house in Vang Vieng an hour later with barely any issues when leaving the town (the lack of rain during the night helped a lot) and soon after arrival we paid for the day’s activities; kayaking, ziplining, tubing and vising the Blue Lagoon nearby.

View from our hotel room.

We got into 2-man kayaks not far from the guest house and with a guide in front we went down the Mekong River. I was in the rear and had never done this before, but the girl in front knew exactly what to do when to do it so she yelled commands, I did them as well as I could, she commented how (almost) useless I was, I agreed, and so we went down the river in a fun and relaxing manner. We at least didn’t tip over on the way – a few others did and one lost his glasses, and considering how firm she was about not wanting to tip over I have my doubts I would have survived if we did.

Halfway down the river we stopped and went up on land. Here we got put into our tubes and went through a cave after been given head torches. We got into the water in the tubes and then used mounted ropes to pull ourselves along. Due to the rainy season some parts of the cave were inaccessible so the tour ended up being relatively short lived.

Coming back out we had lunch before doing the zipline course. Having never done it before I was a bit nervous (wouldn’t be the first time I’d get hit by my fear of heights) but being tied up in a harness and clicked into the wire it wasn’t nearly as bad as I had feared. The last two lines on the course, one being the longest of them, was done superman-style; instead of just being hooked up and sitting (-ish) while zooming across the mount got moved to your back putting you in an almost horizontal position. That was fun – after the first few seconds, that is.

View of the river from the tubing/ziplining place.

Coming down we returned to our kayaks and went back out on the river. We were moored in a sharp turn in the river and to leave we had to navigate the obvious stream that you came into almost immediately. We started with a quick 360° turn when leaving land which left my co-kayaker very unimpressed, but we were soon after heading in the right direction without further issues and shortly after we arrived back at our hotel around 1500.

From there a ½-hour drive took us to the Blue Lagoon, but to be honest it wasn’t as impressive as they had made it sound. It was a natural pool of water being blue-ish with a few towers you could jump from, a couple of inflatable boats and the like, but that was pretty much it. It was nice and relaxing, though.

Everybody were just enjoying some relaxing time.

A reddish dragonfly at the pool.

Back at the hotel – again – a well needed shower was had and at 1900 we went out for dinner. We ended up in an Irish bar which people were happy about as it guaranteed the possibility of food without rice (our guide is Cambodian and even he admits that he and his stomach isn’t too happy about having sticky rice multiple days in a row). Afterwards some people went out for a few drinks while half of us went back to catch up on some much-needed sleep.

Sunset.

This guy was spotted returning from the restaurant. Estimated length 20-30cm.