Night arrival in Kuala Lumpur

 

Night Impression of Kuala Lumpur.

 

Arriving in a new city in the middle of the night, often engenders a sense of excitement. An  unknown, hidden behind  walls of darkness, broken only by the random cry of brilliant lights. All the colours of a rainbow, spreading out, twinkling in a tapestry of patterns. Speeding through the dark from airport to hotel, your eye and mind only see the brilliant floral display of colour without the distracting presence of any ugly sight. Kuala Lumpur seems dressed for some great occasion, its’ public parks and streets dressed in Sunday best. Trees combed with bright coloured lights lead the eye from one delightful vista to the next. Iconic building clothed in a coloured light show, that travels down walls and across  streets. My driver informs me it is all for Independence Day later in the week.

 

The unforgiving light of dawn draws back this wondrous curtain, revealing the underbelly of reality. Still first impressions remain strong, fixing themselves in mind and soul, prompting further exploration of this new world. The urban landscape offers up an extraordinary contrast of old and new. Adventurous architecture stands shoulder to shoulder like sentries guarding the past. Buildings with stained tropical cement walls, support rows of air conditioners that piece their rooftops. Trees and greenery somehow survive in their elevated position among solar panels, and assorted roofline additions. All cities from an elevated height offer this exciting canvas to the eye, and inspire new ways of looking at the world.

Ohi Night & Ioannis Metaxas

Ohi [No]  night 28th Oct is with us again. I am always left wondering what sort of man was Ioannis Mataxas, the Greek Prime Minister who in 1940 by saying no, took Greece into the Second World War, when he refused Mussolini's demand for occupation rights to certain Greek sites. The paradox of this man revolves around his political ideology. Mataxas portrayed himself as"Saviour of the Nation" when declaring a state of emergency in 1936, while suspending parliament indefinitely, banning political parties, prohibiting strikes and censoring the press. His government was very authoritarian, he modeled his rule on the fascist regimes then current in Europe. He even held his own book burnings and re-wrote all school text books!

The question that always puzzeled me is why do Greeks today celebrate this event? When
 the man whose action in 1940 resulted in Greece's entry into the second world war and the eventual German invasion of the country in 1941. Are they monarchists, fascists or simply see Metaxas' action as restoring pride in themselves and the country. There is no question that "The National Father" was a military dictator who's constitutional claim to office was only legitimate for a few months. Yet despite this he is considered in some quarters as a national hero.

Greek politics has always been divided by extreme positions on both right and left. A divide that lead to a civil war and again to the coup of the Generals during the 70's. I only hope that our volatile Greek friends are not today eembarking on yet another installment of violent decent into anarchy. Still as I sit here with my friends in Hobart's Greek Club , eating, drinking, talking, dancing these political considerations are drowned by the sounds of  loud Greek music and the feeling of camaraderie

Plain of Jars, Laos

                                               
                                                 Stone Jar one metre high.

No one seems to know what these 2500 year old jars were used for, the 450 odd stone containers scattered across hills and plain have puzzled archaeologists since the French first became aware of them in the 1930s. Situated some 30 minutes from Phonsavan are 331 jars spread across a hilly plain, while further out are another 93 on a woody hillside at Hai Hin Phu Salato. Local folklore claims they were the ancient wine cups of the mythical King Khun Cheum. Research has discovered human bones inside some suggesting they were funerary urns. Bones removed from a jar may be viewed in Lao National Museum in Vientiane. The jars vary in size from 3m to 50cm in height, some with lids, while others have sculptural relief on the outside. Other jars had examples of Chinese ceramics inside, so this area must have engaged in trade with the outside world at the time of their carving. Another mystery puzzling researchers is method by which they were moved here, as the stone source is some forty or so kms awa

The jars are situated in an area subjected to heavy bombing during the Vietnam War. Fortunately there are seven sites cleared UXO [Unexploded Ordnance], and are quite safe for visitors. I was lucky enough to meet up with an ex-British soldier in Vientiane who is employed in bomb clearing on Lao wages. I must say he was in quite a state, twitchy, nervous, and generally in a state of high agitation. I felt quite sorry for him, as I do for all these brave souls carrying out this dirty work. In addition to the bombing, the Phonsavan area was sprayed with agent orange resulting in very sparse vegetation. Each year the local people plant trees, but they rarely grow for more than a year or so before dying. This area was apparently forested according to photos I viewed in Vientiane National Museum, hillsides covered in rain forest. It must dishearten the children who plant them young trees ever year to see then die..

                                                                         On a more positive note, many local residences have used the empty shell cases to build their houses. When stood on end they make excellent rot proof piers for their buildings. Many people collect old shells for metal scrap, often with deadly results. This scrap is sold for the manufacture of spoons and an array of objects for the tourist trade.

Distance jars

Collection of jars

Eating in Vientiane

Vientiane is a gourmet paradise with first rate examples of every type of national cuisine available. Over the last month I have enjoyed a huge variety of foods. Excellent Korean restaurants, serving a dozen or more side dishes with their main courses, all were wonderful and tasty.Great Chinese food serving more varieties of dumplings than I knew existed. They would have made piggy green with envy the thought of all those different dumplings on his journey to India.

Lao cafes abound, there seems to be one in every third doorway, open air street restaurants, and market eatery filling the air with tempting aromas. There are Japanese, Italian [ one Italian visitor complained to me he could not get back home soon enough to have a pasta]. so you can't please everyone. First rate French establishment in Colonial Villas, I had dinner in one last night,  the food was excellent but the wine questionable. No doubt it must be hard to find a cellar at ten degrees anywhere it Vientiane. I have enjoyed some first class Indian and Pakistan curries, one called the Taj Mahal [what else] serves a delicious eggplant dish. The eggplants here are quite small, almost the size of a lime, unlike the large purple ones we are used to in Australia.

Even a Turkish cafe serving Dona kababs, naturally called Istanbul, and even an Australian restaurant for those who can't handle the rice intake. One day I lunched at the Makphet, a project to help and train former street kids. They learn English, how to cook, serve table, and manage a cafe, What a great idea, it is a pity some of our government bodies don't take this approach for our drop outs in Australia. This establishment reminded me of an American women doing a similar thing in Luang Prabang. She took young girls from villages with dirt floors, trained them in cooking and service, sent them to school. They learned English and many other things, so as to be able to gain employment when they turn sixteen. Most of these girl were unable to read or write, let alone add up when they started.

What are my favourite dishes, well the chicken and cashew nuts dishes I tried were very tasty, and the wide variety of eggplant flavours would be hard to beat. Finally the country has some excellent French bakeries. One I frequented, The Scandinavian Bakery [they also make French Pastries], claim to bake enough baguettes [ pardon my French] each year that if they were laid end on end they would reach Bangkok! At least you wouldn't go hungry along the way.

Cluster Bombs in Plain of Jars, Laos

Bomb Detector

Sitting here in a cafe in Phonsavan, Lao, surrounded by recovered bomb shells, make it pretty hard not to recall the horrors of the Vietnam War. While drinking my coffee, I gaze at the collection standing like guardian around the door, making a unique screen between terrace and street. This rather nondescript town with it dusty streets and broken footpaths could represent any number of provincial towns in many parts of the world. The difference of course is that Phonsavan is the new capital of Xieng Khuang, established in 1975 after the old one was obliterated by saturation bombing by the American Air Force during their Lao adventure. As a seventy five year old who lived through similar experiences , I spent my early childhood with a saucepan on my head during air raids, I can fully appreciate the trauma of the locals. At the time I had an exhibition of my paintings on the Vietnam War closed on the grounds of causing a demoralising public attitude.

Cafe Enterence

The reality for these people is that America saw fit to drop some 78 million bombs on this country, more than all the bombs dropped by all participants during World War two. If that was not enough, many were cluster bombs that break open before impact scattering mini bombs over a wide area so as to kill as many as possible. Many of these explosive devices are still out there, killing and maiming some 300 odd people annually. Many of these UXO [unexploded ordnance] have been found and disabled. Since the beginning of this year according to Lao's Foreign Minister, some 26,600 bomies as they are called have been destroyed, and the government should be congratulated. But I can't help thinking that if this number of bombs were found each year in Europe or America there would be an uproar. Yet because this is a poor peaceful  country these facts hardly rate a mention in Western media.

It is little wonder that the people of this province are poor. They are naturally reluctant to plough fields to increase their food supply, to forage in the forest gathering food because of this concern for safety. Children are the main victims, finding a nice round ball to play with is too tempting.  In Phonsavan there are two organisations devoted to these problems. One the UXO mine clearance museum who need funds, and a few doors down a group who try to rehabilitate the maimed, blinded and limbless. Teaching new skills and raising funds to send victims to Vientiane for further treatment, both these organisation are worthy of support.There is a move  by the U.N. to prohibit the use and trade of cluster munitions. I feel sure all civilised people will not only support these endeavors, but actively lobby their governments to take action.

Back Street, Phonsavan.

Remains of a Buddhaist Temple in the old capitat.

The Asian World of Tuk-Tuk.

Tuk-Tuk

Tuk-Tuk that quintessential form of transportation in most of Asia vary greatly in comfort, size ,and price. In Indo-China some drivers go to extraordinary lengths to validify  their price demands, often producing fare tables to prove their point. I have found the wandering ones are the best value, those you hail down on the open road. Vehicles out side tourist spots and hotel are a no no. Recently when landing at Luang Prabang after sailing down the Mekong, I needed to load and unload a couple of times in order to avoid some outlandish price demanded by the owner. These drivers have a great advantage for unlike the traveler, know their town and the distances involved giving them a great entrepreneurial  advantage, in this case I only needed to go around the corner to my guest house. Here in Vientiane the same seems to apply.

Tuk-Tuks come in a variety of sizes depending on the motorcycle's horsepower. This influences not only the seating capacity, but to some extent the comfort of your ride, particularly over rutted roads.The larger ones may have a "type" padded seat, but these comfort factors don't influence the price, this is always determined by what the driver feels he can extract There are times the rather erratic driving habits require a firm grip on the railings. To fall out would not be a good look as your Tuk-Tuk weaves its way through traffic and pedistarians. Last year while in Phuket prices varied from 200br to 800br for the same journey' so you can see there is considerable flexibility.  Not that I feel you need to exploit various situations, after all they need to earn a living. But this is a two way transaction and a fair price needs to be arrived at by a two-way effort.

The decor of these unique vehicles represents their greatest attraction.Many are overall painted in different designs from flowers to abstracts. The important things is the colours must be bright, so as to be noticed. Some drivers I have noticed rig up a hammock in the back to have a sleep while waiting for custom. Others will sit under a nearby tree, no doubt discussing the world economic crises, and the lack of customers. No matter, travelling by Tuk-Tuk can be fun and is a great local experience not to be missed. I have produced a few drawing of these unique vehicles, but will not be able to post them onto the blog until I return home.

Mekong and Luang Prabang

Mekong Hills

There is no better way to approach Luang Prabang than by boat, sailing down the Mekong on the slow boat from Huay Kai.    You are lulled into a sense of complete relaxation as you wind your way along the Mekong through a magic landscape of green hills and valleys.   They seem to open up before your eyes like the leaves of a picture book.    It is best in the wet season , to sail with the swift flowing currents that swirl around rocky outcrops that rise through the dark brown water from the river bed.    You pass through whirlpools, eddies and contrary currents for the Mekong has no markers and therefore you must sail in daylight.
Sitting in the bow of the ferry you drift into a state of peace with yourself and the world in general, surrounded by hills of various greens.   Hills covered in tropical forest , others with plantings of rice, corn, and hops, the life blood of the hidden villages along the river.   Time seems to stand still, so its best to relax and run with the flow.

                                                                                                                               
                                                Typical French Colonial Building, Luang Prahang


Luang Prabang the old town runs the length of the peninsular and has the capacity to carry you back to a distant past, a time of few cars and time to think.  Of course this is not for everyone, but as a place to relax it would be hard to beat.    Few buildings are more than two stories, built in the French Colonial style of shuttered windows and balconies,streets lined with trees, cafes and bistros.   You could walk down the middle of most streets with relative safety.   You could count the minutes between cars along streets without the need for traffic lights.   This is a lost pre-industrial world..   There is no hurry and everything seems to be done in due course.
I spent a few hours drawing the buildings in these picturesque streets, and walking down such a street it is possible to suddenly find a road that has been blocked at each end with a plastic chairs.   Table and chairs on enough settings for 100 people have been set up on the road under canvas, musicians and singers have been hired after all this is the wet season.    What is the occasion you might ask, well it could be an anniversary of the celebration of a child's birth or simply people having a mass B/B/Q/   With time people start to dance and enjoy themselves without all the undue regulations so common in the west.  It's a bit like stumbling upon Alice's tea party.
It's difficult to convey the sense of freedom, peace and well being without experiencing it.  If you haven't been to Laos, put it on the top of your list before it is discovered by mass tourism.

Vat Xieng Thong, Luang Prahang.

Hmong Village on the banks of the Mekong.

Mekong banks

Port of call a Buddha resting cave.