What could possibly be so interesting about looking at a pile of jars on a plain? Well… they are made of stone, they are big, and there are hundreds of them! No one really has any idea why they are there and what they were used for.
“For what purpose, and by whom the jars were created remains, to this day, a mystery. There are, of course, many theories surrounding these ancient jars. Some theories are backed up by partial evidence including Madeleine Colani’s research in the 1930’s which concluded that the jars were associated with burial practices. Local theories include the jars being used to brew rice wine and, my favourite… that they were the cups of giants.”
Once in the cave we took hold of the rope and began to pull ourselves deeper into the cave. Soon all natural light had disappeared. It was dark, very dark and my torch was pretty much useless… I was sticking to Dwayne like glue. I didn’t like the fact I couldn’t see anything and, surprising myself, I was a little scared! Yep me, I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t relax, I was almost on top of Dwayne now, holding onto his leg, I just couldn’t get close enough to feel safe….
We were really looking forward to our cruise down the Mekong River and it didn’t disappoint. We had heard mixed reviews from people on the slow-boats, the majority of which were positive but still mixed, so we had a decision to make. We did choose to pay a little extra to have some of the organising done for us. With Nagi of Mekong, getting to the border from our hotel in Chiang Khong, crossing the border and getting to the boat was all taken care of. For us that was a bonus. It probably saved us a day or two, which meant more time in Laos! The cruise included accommodation, village tours, rice whiskey tasting, hot buffet meals and drinks and tour of caves…
There is a profusion of things to see and do, in and around, the Chiang Mai area in Northern Thailand. During the time we spent there we really only scratched the surface of this interesting cultural destination…… Pai is as touristy as a place can get and still be full of character and culture. This quirky town is full of backpackers, hippies and tree-huggers……. Our next overnight stop was at Mae Hong Son. We left Pai early in the morning and rode through the mist covered mountains. It was beautiful… but very cold!…… Back in Chiang Mai it was time to visit the markets….
The snorkelling and diving in Pulau Weh, and the other islands of the Sabang area, was outstanding! We were truly astounded by the amount of fish, variety of marine life and the size of some of the fish we saw… We saw a manta ray, sharks, nudibranchs, frogmouth fish, ribbon eels and a gargantuan sweetlip. We also saw lionfish, scorpionfish, shrimpfish, long-horned cowfish, peacock manta shrimp, painted lobsters, sea snakes, and the entire star-studded cast of Finding Nemo!
Finally we were in Thailand in the right season. In fact since leaving Australian waters over a year ago, this was the first time we had been sailing in an area at the “right” time. What does the “right” time mean? Well it means it is dry season, therefore not so much rain and not as humid… and more tourists. But for sailors the “right” time, in Thailand, means you are able to explore the west coast of Thailand and visit islands such as Koh Phayam, Koh Surin and Koh Similan, because the prevailing wind is from the north east and you therefore have some protected anchorages to use on the west coast.
We spent a fabulous week snorkelling and diving in the Tarutao National Marine Park. Our favourite spots included Koh Chuku (aka Koh Khai), Koh Lipe and Koh Yang. The snorkelling was great! The corals and marine life were impressive and we spent hours exploring a number of the many snorkelling sites the Tarutao National Marine Park has to offer.
Travelling around Cambodia on a motorbike for near on three weeks was an adventure in itself… eating some seriously crazy food, added yet another dimension to our adventure! We love to travel, we love to eat, and we love to try different foods! We didn’t get to try all the different foods that we wanted to, while in Cambodia, but the following five, I think, are the craziest we did eat. I’ll start with my favourite!
Choeung Ek Genocidal Centre (The killing Fields) – Pol Pot’s slaughter of millions of innocent people. Visit – pay your respects at this historic site of tragedy.