Six Enchanting Weeks
Published date:
06.28.11
Six amazing weeks of travel—and I could have kept going for another country! What a fascinating journey OAT offers through Southeast Asia. I took both extensions—must say Myanmar (Burma) and Cambodia were absolute jewels holding up the ends of this remarkable package. My advice to anyone considering this trip: If you have the time and stamina, do the entire 6 weeks. It’s a long flight over; get the maximum value for your time and money. And, yes, you will be served rice every day, but you know that before you go!
I came home with thousands of pictures, ready to do a big coffee-table-type travel book. I started at the beginning and quickly realized Burma was so gripping, it deserved its own book. Two months later I can report I have now published four hardcopy volumes, one for each country. After editing, digesting, and reliving every day of this thrilling trip, each country has become a favorite, and the trip only gets better with time.
Definitely a highlight was seeing the ruins of a quartet of key ancient kingdoms—all in one trip: Bagan in Myanmar, Sukhothai in Thailand, My Son in Vietnam, and Angkor Wat in Cambodia. They share a similar history and fate; now they all are in my memory bank!
Trip leaders were excellent (Haymar in Myanmar, Pe in Thailand, Tony in Vietnam, Vanti and Rit in Cambodia), pacing was comfortable, heat in March and April was quite tolerable, and the hundreds of places we went and things we did are unforgettable. Seems there was a surprise a day. We were always informed of what was coming, but the TLs left room for discovery.
Be prepared for the unexpected. We could never have imagined the contrast in living conditions in Burma, from the poverty on the streets to 90 tons of shimmering gold on a pagoda. Three times in Burma we chanced upon novitiate processions so beautiful they remain highlights of the entire trip—especially one in the village of Mingun upriver from Mandalay. I think the entire town turned out, women in stunning gowns, tasseled horses carrying the honorees, and oxen covered in bright pompons and bells pulling golden chariots. It was right out of a movie set! And, we were there at the right moment. I lost count of our modes of transportation even before I left Burma: horse carts, ox carts, boats galore, jostling bus, and (if the wind cooperates) a balloon.
In Thailand we sent flaming paper balloons aloft into a black sky carrying away our burdens and rising with wishes for good things to come. On a free afternoon, we visited tigers and actually entering their enclosures to cuddle young cubs and lie with and stroke the big fellows—how cool was that?? And, I can’t forget riding an elephant through a river, then cruising the river on a bamboo barge. We bumped over dirt roads to what seemed the end of nowhere in the Golden Triangle to enjoy an absolutely delightful home lunch. (First question to our guide: how did OAT find this place?) We rose early one day to give alms to monks and later sat down with a monk, asking any questions we wished. We visited hill tribes wearing colorful, traditional garb and, in places, joined them in song and dance.
In Vietnam, we tasted crickets and silkworms, drank weasel coffee, chewed betel nut (yes, spit red), and handled a python! We toasted the future with former North and South soldiers who welcomed us into their homes. We saw barbershops and sewing machines working right on the sidewalk and nail shops operating on the floor of markets. We visited presidential palaces in both the north and south, crawled through the Cu Chi Tunnels, visited war cemeteries, dodged bomb craters, yet reveled in the beauty of this nation and the amazing progress it has made since the war.
The bustle in Thailand was quiet compared to the mad honking of Vietnam. And, where do those million motorbikes park in Vietnam? On the sidewalks!
Contrast the sobering realities of Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge atrocities of the 1970s with the wonders of its preserved antiquities: not only Angkor Wat, but the amazing overgrown jungle temple of Ta Prohm, the immense stone faces of Bayon, the bridge at Angkor Thom, and the women’s temple at Banteay Srei. One last surprise, we were privileged to be in Cambodia for its New Year celebration.
We learned a little language, just enough to shop for some food, then helped prepare it in homes—and, best of all, ate a wonderful array of dishes, flavored a little differently in each country. Enough meals are provided; you don’t have to buy many on your own, though you want to now and then for the experience.
I came home suffering from information overload; thank goodness for all the photos to keep the memories alive and in sequence.
Traveler: Jane Lehr from Shingle Springs, CA traveled
on March 04, 2011
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