Full Moon Island

First of all I'd like to apologize for the long wait. At the moment I'm quite busy with a new project and I don't have to much time to blog. My return to Bangkok three weeks ago closed the Southeast Asian loop that drove me through the north of Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia. I really enjoyed this stage of my journey but I'm not done yet.

60 hours after my arrival to the City of Angels I was on the road again. This time my travelmates -Carmen (26, Spanish), Jelle (23, Belgian)- and me were heading south to Kho Phangan. Phangan is a beautiful island in the the gulf of Siam home to the famous Full Moon Party. I must admit that the three of us had serious doubts about the whole party-island business. On the one hand we were excited about the legendary party but the sight of an endless caravan of beer-in-hand teens escorting our way to the island was quite discouraging. Too old for that?

We reckoned that the island should be big enough for everyone and consequently we searched for a quiet spot to become our base camp. Haad Yuan seemed perfect for the job: small, tranquil and at a stone's throw distance from Haad Rin (the party quarters). The favourable weather conditions of the first week elicited some of the most enjoyable days I've had in Thailand. Sun, sea and sand; need more? oh yes, the party. It did fulfill all my expectations which -as I said before- weren't high. Tons of people, countless bars offering buckets! buckets! buckets! and huge sound systems pouring a rather poor selection of house tunes. The most disgusting sight of the night award went to a couple of lovers making out meters away from a bunch of fellows taking a piss in the sea. All things considered I rate the party as fun but to be honest I prefer smaller ones.

The second half of my visit to the island turned out quite different. For one my good friends were forced to leave as they run out of time in the country. Moreover the weather got worse, overcast when not rainy. However there were some exciting moments too. I met Sandro (German, 26) who told me about the beauty of the northeastern shore that he had visited a few years earlier with his girlfriend. I convinced him to trek our way up despite the recommendations of the locals who discouraged the idea since hardly anyone hikes around this part of the island. Next morning we set off with our heavy rucksacks and a few liters of water. The first hour went fine, a dirty trail guided our steps. We arrived to a deserted beach, the kind of place you see in the movies. Then things got a little bit more difficult. The until then hardly visible trail extinguished and we had to navigate through the jungle based on the location of the ocean and a few landmarks that we found in our way. We worked our way breaking branches and climbing steep slopes (some 300+ m) using our bare hands. Finally we found a couple of farmers who pointed at a dirty path which should take us to a village. We reached the village just before dusk. That night we shared our bungalow with a tiny snake and the next morning we hiked and hitchhiked for 4 hours to reach Haad Sadet (our final destination) where we said goodbye.

I spent the rest of the week completing my tour around the island. Days of hitchhikes, snorkeling and delightful reading. After 4 days I realised that the bad weather was not going to change so I decided to leave the island. Once again a bitter end for a sweet time. No worries, my diversion will surely take me to more islands!

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Pido disculpas por la larga espera, pero me encuentro inmerso en un nuevo proyecto que casi no me deja tiempo para escribir en el blog. Mi vuelta a Bangkok cerro el circuito alrededor del norte del sureste asiatico. Un tour genial pero insuficiente para calmar mis ansias de aventura. Apenas 60 horas despues de llegar a la Ciudad de los Angeles, mis companeros de viaje, Carmen y Jelle, y yo nos encontrabamos de camino al sur, a la isla de Phangan. Phangan es una preciosa isla en el golfo de Siam, famosa en el mundo entero gracias a su legendaria Fiesta de la Luna Llena. La caravana de adolescentes cerveza en mano que escoltaba nuestro autobus desperto nuestras dudas respecto a nuestro destino, demasiado viejos para esto? Una vez en la isla intentamos escapar la marabunta escondiendonos en Haad Yuan, una pequena y tranquila playa a tiro de piedra de Haad Rin (la playa donde se celebra la fiesta). El buen tiempo y la buena compania propiciaron algunos de los mejores dias que he pasado en Tailandia. Sol, mar y playa, quien necesita mas? Luego la fiesta. Estuvo bien, aunque demasiado masificada para mi gusto.

Tras la fiesta mis amigos tuvieron que abandonar la isla, pues se les acababa su tiempo en el pais. Este hecho junto al mal tiempo hizo que la segunda parte de mi visita fuese bastante diferente. Conoci a Sandro, un aleman que me hablo de la belleza de la costa noreste de la isla. Le convenci para explorar la costa a pie. A la manana siguiente y a pesar de las advertencias de los paisanos (que dudaban que fuese posible atravesar la costa a pie) salimos con nuestras pesadas mochilas, algunos litros de agua y disposicion a dormir en alguna playa si fuera necesario. Las primeras horas fueron bien pero tras un alto en el camino para disfrutar de una playa paradisiaca, la timida senda que guiaban nuestros pasos desaparecio bajo nuestros pies. De ahi en adelante nos guiabamos por la posicion del oceano y las rocas y arboles caracteristicos que encontrabamos a nuestro camino. Tras unas horas nos topamos con una pareja de granjeros que nos senalaron el camino a una pista forestal. Esta pista nos llevo hasta un pueblecillo donde pasamos la noche en un bulgalow acompanados por una pequena serpiente. A la manana siguiente salimos pronto y andando y haciendo dedo llegamos hasta nuestro destino. Alli nos congratulamos y despedimos. El resto de la semana la pase leyendo, buceando y esperando a que el tiempo mejorara. Tras 4 dias sin cambios decidi abandonar la isla. Un final un poco amargo para una historia dulce, pero no me preocupa demasiado pues estoy seguro de que pronto habra mas islas que visitar!

Pics'n'vids: Kho Phangan

Pic of the Week: Here, There and Beyond!

Angkor Temples: They Don't Build Them Like This Anymore!

Sorry for the delay, but Internet is all but cheap in the remoteness of a Thai island. I've been wanting to bury the creepy entry about Pol Pot's murders for more than two weeks, it's time to show the bright side of Cambodia's history.

There was a time when Cambodia was the pretty girl of Southeast Asia, a glittering empire that arouse astonishment -as well as fear- amongst the neighbour nations. During those golden years the Khmer devarajas (good-kings) paid homage to the gods by building the greatest religious complex ever created in history: the Angkor temples.

One sunny morning almost one thousand years later a sweaty Spaniard (that would be me) broke through the vast compound on a rusty bicycle. Poor soul! the naive explorador had surely underestimated the area of the worship field. After more than 7 hours pedaling under an evil sun and only a couple of temples glanced the wannabe Indiana Jones cursed himself for not having done his homework before setting off that morning. Lesson learnt: always check the distances before leaving.

The next morning the sunburned fellow (that would be me again), Johanna (28, Portuguese) and Evo (27, German) teamed up to explore the temples emulating Lara Croft's Tomb Rider - except for the fact that she didn't use a tuk-tuk. The tour included a mere third of the total amount of temples, enough to get an idea of the grandeur of the place. The highlights of the day were: Massive tree growing on temple, Big stone heads drooling at the sight of ColaCao and last but not least: the ColaCao handstand in front of the legendary Angkor temple. Regarding the latter, I got the feeling that I had seen it somewhere before... but where?

In conclusion an unforgettable day at the temples in great company. Hopefully this entry will make justice to this beautiful country that everyone should visit at least once in their life.

Interesting things that I've learnt:

• At the time that the temples were built, Angkor boasted a population of one million (200x the population of London).
• The Khmers used wood for any other construction except for the temples. The gods deserved stone.
• 20 kilometers -that I covered by bike- from the temples there is a very interesting landmine museum where one can see and learn how landmines are dismantled.
  

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Siento no haber posteado nada, pero la conexion a internet en las islas tailandesas es del todo menos barata. Voy a intentar borrar el mal sabor de boca que dejo mi anterior articulo sobre los asesinatos del regimen de Pol Pot con un resumen de mi visita a los templos de Angkor.

Estos templos representan -por mucho que digan- una de las siete maravillas del mundo. El complejo, el mayor parque religioso del mundo, incluye unos centenares de templos del los que solo pude dar cuenta de algunos. Para mas informacion sobre quien, cuando y por que fueron construidos os podeis dar un garbeo por este articulo de la wikipedia: Angkor. Mi visita, la cual comparti con Johanna y Evo (una pareja muy maja), se resume en tres imagenes: 1) Arbol gigante sobre templo gigante, 2) Cabezas gigantes a las que se les cae la baba ante mi bote de ColaCao y 3) Pino dos apoyos + ColaCao en frente del mitico templo de Angkor. Con dos h*evos! Pues nada mas, solo espero que estas fotos os animen a descubrir unos de los paises mas interesantes (por km cuadrado) del mundo.

Pics'n'vids: Angkor Temples

Phonm Penh: The Dual Nature Of Mankind

Eventually I got rid of my viral travelmate in Phonm Penh. The capital of Cambodia is a fairly developed mid-sized city with not many charms. Nonetheless visiting this city is a must for those who want to understand Cambodia and its terrible recent history.

The Khmer Rouge, a communist party led by dictator Pol Pot, devastated the country from 1975 to 1979 in what it is known as one of the most dramatic examples of tyrannical madness. Their social revolution described an agrarian-based society where individual propriety, thinking and even family ties were suppressed in favour of the new system. Thousands of people were forced to leave their cities and jobs to become farmers. The educated Cambodian (people who had higher studies, spoke a foreign language, or simply wore glasses!) were killed along with all their families. Children were separated from their families in order to undergo a brainwashing process that would set the principles of a new and 'better' life for them. Intellectuals were tortured and murdered in the most savage ways that can be imagined (think of the worst). Overall it is estimated that 1.5 million Cambodians (10% of the total population) died under the regime.

Nowadays one can perceive the tragic consequences of these years not only at the genocide museum or memorial but in every street. The lack of education can be noticed in everyday events such as tuk-tuk drivers violently elbowing each other to earn a tourist's dollar, hotel maintenance staff repairing an electric socket without taking any precautions and -above all- in the street children. There must be something wrong when a 7-year old has to make his living selling fake Lonely Planet guidebooks on the streets because his family can't afford PAYING for his school.

Given the levels of corruption of the current government, any hope for a better future in Cambodia relies on foreign aid. It must be difficult for a country that has witnessed the greatest atrocities to understand the passionate and selfless work of anonymous people. People like Chris, an American man that I met in Bangkok and who co-runs an orphanage in PP. There are others. People who build and teach at schools, educate adults, develop rural areas, provide health care... in conclusion people who prove wrong the evil nature of mankind that some Cambodians were forced to believe in during their childhood.

PS: In a recent message my friend Chris explained the financial problems that some organisations are facing due to the global economic crisis. I'm not going to ask you for money because I haven't donated anything myself but if you are interested in helping him in one or another way please let me know and I'll provide you his contact details.

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Una vez recuperado completamente de mi pequeno incidente con la fiebre, me propupuse descubrir los encantos de Phonm Penh. La verdad es que la capital de Camboya no destaca por su belleza, sin embargo es un lugar interesante si se quiere entender a la sociedad camboyana. Entre 1975 y 1979, Camboya sufrio los delirios de un regimen comunista liderado por Pol Pot, sin duda uno de los mas cruentos e irracionales jamas concevidos. Los Khmer Rouge (como se les denomino) quisieron implantar un nuevo sistema basado en una sociedad 100% rural. La gente que vivia en las ciudades fueron obligados a emigrar al campo, dejando sus trabajos para convertirse en labradores. Toda persona con estudios o sospechosa de tenerlos (p.ej. todo individuo que usaba gafas) fue eliminado junto a su familia. Ninos fueron separados de sus familias para englosar las filas del ejercito. Intelectuales fueron torturados y ejecutados de la manera mas cruenta. Un autentico genocidio que acabo con la vida de millon y medio de camboyanos.

Hoy en dia se pueden peribir las consecuencias de esta locura en procesos mundanos del dia a dia. La falta de educacion propicia taxistas luchando violentamente por servir a un turista, electricistas que arreglan enchufes sin tomar precauciones, y los ninos de la calle, sobretodo ellos. Ninos que se ganan la vida vendiendo libros porque sus padres no pueden pagar la escuela (la educacion no es gratuita).

Dados los niveles de corrupcion del gobieron, toda esperanza para Camboya reside en la ayuda exterior. Hombres y mujeres como mi amigo Chris que dan el cayo en orfanatos, escuelas y hospitales. Me pregunto si los camboyanos podran entender su labor desinteresada, especialmente despues de haber conocido la sin razon humana.

Pics'n'vids: Phnom Penh

Pic of the Week: Phonm Penh's Central Market