A Blog is Born in Ventiane, Laos

Fantastisk, ikke nok med at jeg er kommet på Facebook - nu blogger jeg også – langt om længe!!! Så velkommen til bloggen With Love from Asia. En blog skal jo helst være lidt ligesom en dagbog, et øjebliksbillede over tanker, oplevelser, meninger og indtryk. Det har dog vist sig at være lidt svært med den måde vi rejser på, da vi ikke har netforbindelse det meste af tiden. Derfor vil indlæggene komme I “klumper”. Men hvis du har lyst kan du her læse lidt om hvordan en rygsækrejse med mand og to børn igennem Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam og Laos spænder af!
MEN, allerførst en advarsel: alle beretninger er fuldstændige subjektive og det er altså verden ifølge "farangen" Helle Regine og hendes øjne der ser og indfanges af indtryk og historier som hun synes er værd at dele med dig.
So be ware and be warned; måske vil du opdage at du bliver uenig,foraget eller eller synes jeg er komplet langt ude. Godt så! Det er fint med lidt debat og du er mere end velkommen til at give mig en verbal skideballe på bloggen! Jer der kender mig godt, ved at jeg påskønner folk med forskellige meninger! Ingen citronmund her!
Alle værktøjer jeg har lært på journalisthøjskolen er lagt på hattehylden og jeg skriver hvad der falder mig ind. Der vil herske total journalistisk anarki : ). Nogle indlæg vil hovedsaligt være på dansk og andre på engelsk. Læs hvad du har lyst til! Jeg glæder mig til at dele nogle af mine oplevelser med dig!
Bidt af Bangkok
Bangkok er intet mindre end fantastisk! Jeg er fuldstændig betaget af dette storbysmetropol med et sandt mylder af mennesker, scootere, biler, tuk-tuks, paladser, pagoder, buddaher og det næst vigtigste I mit eget liv MAD .Og der er masser af det, overalt på hver kvadratkilometer og det smager vidunderligt – som at tage en bid af himlen hver gang og jeg bliver hele tiden overrasket over nye smagsindtryk forstærket af chili, lime, citrongræs, galanga og you namet it. “Noodle soup for breakfast”, det er hvad Josh hele tiden har fortalt børnene inden vi tog afsted at de nok skulle få. Og de elsker det og slubrer I sig, mysli, yougurth og rugbrød er meget langt væk og de savner det ikke – endnu ihvertfald. Men nok om mad, selvom det indtil videre har fyldt en del af vores alt for korte ophold I Bangkok. Jeg vender tilbage med lidt histoirer fra Bangkok senere, for vi fik ikke taget en stor nok bid af byen denne gang . Et af mine næste indlæg jeg arbejder på er dog fra Bangkok:
Kål og kondomer i lange baner
En anmeldelese af restauranten Cabbages & Condoms, Bangkok.

Bohemian Beach Rhapsody

Life’s a beach – and I almost feel like I’m back in my early twenties, back when the best thing I could have under my feet was a windsurfing board and a layer of neoprene on my body. Stretches of sandy beaches, crystal clear water, coconut palm trees and, surprisingly, a very happening selection of music from the beach bars’ speakers. What’s there to say? I love the beach-bum life! And right at this moment my family and I are living it to the max. Siri in particular looks her part with her almost dreadlock curls and her bandana playing on the beach.
We are at Koh Mak Island. One of the less touristy islands of off Koh Chang, Thailand. We have hit the backpackers’ favorite spot and are staying in a tiny and very modest multicolored cement cabaña. It´s a squeeze, but manageable and with mattresses and mosquito-nets we have everything we need for sleeping. We are outside most of the time anyways. My dear colleague Preben, who is somewhat of an expert when it comes to planes and hotels, would most definitely classify this as a no star accommodation establishment. It is basic – no frills, but what it lacks in luxury it has excessively in atmosphere, friendliness and great (sea) food. Actually the food is so extravagantly good and inexpensive that tourist staying in the much more up-scale and posh resorts walk along the beach to come for dinner here. Fresh Barracuda, giant prawns, crabs, scallops, shark, + various kinds of fish are put on the BBQ every night and tables and chairs are moved directly on to the beach and lanterns are strung up between the palm trees. And that way we dine, accompanied by the setting sun, the waves rolling in and out and we are finished by the time it is pitch black and the stars are out.
Between Yogis and hippies
We are staying here for 10 relaxing days to rid ourselves of city stress. And believe me there is absolutely no stress here at laid back Koh Mak. It’s funny with little islands – it doesn’t matter where in the world they are situated, but they always seem to have the same feel to them. Relaxed atmosphere, a sense of time standing still, cut off from the rest of the world.
This place in particular reminds me of the island where my parents in law live – Sointula (means peace and harmony in Finnish) in B.C. Canada. The climate is definitely different but the atmosphere much the same. As with Sointula and the mix of Native Americans, crazy Finnish fishermen & retired Americans fleeing from a hectic work life, the clientele here is a great mix of people whereof, most of course, are travelling on a budget. There are the hard core yoga-people. They start out their day with a hard work out on these two risen pagodas placed in the middle of the cabañas, surrounded by fountains of water.( I’m secretly jealous, wishing that Yoga Maria (former yoga instructor at my work place) was here to guide me through an hour of Astananga yoga! For me it only amounts to 10 sun exercises on the beach in the morning). Then there are the German hippies who found a scorpion in their room and named him Heinz. The silent Finnish couple who are totally hitting the hard liquor but without changing their facial expressions even once! Just to name but a few. And then there is the totally friendly staff who is both Thai and Cambodians, trying to teach us a few phrases so that we can get by. Forgot to mention the fire-juggling hippies. I bet you have seen them around too somewhere. They are usually Caucasians trying to look Rastafarian with dreadlocks, totally hippie-wear, bare feet (and the women most definitely do not shave their armpits and could probably French braid the hairs on their legs) and they juggle these strings with burning balls at the ends. Can´t get much more hippie than that. Also hanging around are some beach volley playing Brits adding to the entertainment factor. Needless to say – it is a great mix of different people! And this is where we are getting ready and relaxed at our bohemian beach for the adventures awaiting us in the country of the Khmers: Cambodia.

Den tyske munk

En af de ting man lægger mærke til når man i en længere periode har befundet sig på den samme strand og næsten synes at man kender hver en sten og muslingeskal, er de mennesker der vandrer, jogger, ”beach-comber”, hopper eller hvad de nu end gør ned af stranden.
Ud af mængden er der nogle der brænder sig ubamhjertigt ind på nethinden og den orangeklædte, tyske herre der ser ud som om han har indtaget en del bratwurst m saurkraut i sit liv, er en af dem jeg især har lagt mærke til. Han ligner et højhus m. tilhørende carport og hans eneste beklædning er et par orangefarvede munkebukser som matcher farven på resten af hans germanske corpus. Hvorfor i hulen er der ikke nogle der har fortalt den tyske race at de skal bruge solfaktor når de bevæger sig væk fra den nordlige halvkugle? Når han solemny har gået sin rute, sætter han sig på sin faste udkigspost under en kokuspalme og mediterer i en time. At sætte sig under en kokuspalme kan være ret” risky business”, men okay måske tror han på reinkarnation! Pas på nødden mein freund!

Phnom Penh Soup

The first time I ever heard of Phnom Penh (besides of it being the capitol of Cambodia of course) was in the cherry blossomed Vancouver spring in 1994. I was visiting Josh for the first time and he was taking me on an international culinary tour of the city – knowingly that the way to my heart goes through the stomach! He took me to China Town where we had lunch at The Phnom Penh Restaurant. And that is where for the first time I tasted the divine soup. I can to this day still completely remember the interior of the restaurant, the round turning tables, the tablemats, the fish tank and of course the other dishes we tried. But one impression stood out – the Phnom Pen Soup and whenever in Vancouver, I would always go there for lunch – until it unfortunately one day closed. No more soup, what a tragedy!
So last week I was completely brought back in time. Now the location actually was Phnom Penh City, and I was at the Psar Toul Tom Poung – also called the Russian Market so named because all its goods came courtesy of Russia one of the countries to provide aid to Cambodia during the Vietnamese occupation. The market remains today the place to buy anything your heart desires for a cheap price.
Anyways, this is where I encountered the Soup Goddess right in the hustle and bustle cooking up Phnom Penh noodle soup for her following of daily lunch guests. And Josh and I + the kids became part of that following for 5 straight days and we were all spellbound by watching her prepare and cook up the soup and blissfully happy to savor it:
Fresh soupstock, slivers of fishcake, chicken, meatballs, carrot, springonion, chili and fried caramilized challots on top.
The first day I was channeled through a time machine and I was back in China Town, Vancouver and the following days I was just happy to be in the present feeling lucky to have found this woman working so swiftly and professionally in her little stall at the market with her older mother helping out. Needless to say, Josh of course was also entranced with her cooking-magic, why you can scroll through a small picture gallery of the Soup Goddess of Psar Toul Tom Poung!
If you find yourself hungry for a bite to eat in Phnom Penh - go look for her!

Dødens Museum – Toul Sleng

Ståltråd omkranser hvad der engang var en fredelig skole. En stor hvid bygning i 3 etager hvor ungdommen sugede visdom til sig. Der er fuldkomment stille.En sødlig duft af Frangipani-træer spreder sig og jeg finder det næsten umuligt at tro, at op mod 20.000 mennesker her er blevet henrettet på den mest brutale og bestialske måde man kan forestille sig.
S-21 blev skolen senere kaldt efter Khmere Rouge omdannede den til tortur og forhørscenter og kørte deres dødsmaskine som på 3 år og 7 måneder bombede Cambodia og befolkningen tilbage til hvad der senere kaldes for ”year zero”. Folkemordet fandt sted fra 1975-1979. Op mod en tredjedel af befolkningen mistede livet i kølvandet på Pol Pot og de røde khmeres fanatiske ide om at skabe ”Democratic Kampuchea”, et utopisk landbrugssamfund fri for kapitalisme og demoraliserende storbysgriller som de anså udannelse og udvikling for at være.
Torturkamrene, som før var klasseværelser, indeholder stadig de instrumenter der blev brugt til at få tilståelser ud af folk hvis eneste forbrydelse var at de måske boede i Phnom Pen eller var lærer, læge, lærd eller havde en uddannelse der kunne true idealismen. Men det var ikke kun voksne også børn i stort antal (inklusiv spædbørn) måtte lade livet i S-21 efter at de var blevet uddannet og brugt som stikkere mod deres forældre og familiemedlemmer. Syv skefulde ris om dagen var hvad fangerne fik at spise, så de måske lige netop kunne holdes i live for at få banket en tilståelse ud af dem for noget de ikkke havde begået. Mange døde dog af sult inden. Det vidner de sort/hvide fotografier om som fylder det meste af undertagen. Kmhere Rouge dokumenterede nemlig meget udførligt deres forbrydelser i form af fotografier og journaler. Tusindevis af portrætter af fangerne hver med deres nummer, viser ansigter hvis øjne udtrykker alt fra frygt, resignation, intethed til oprør. Dette bevider overfor mig hvor stærkt et indtryk billeder kan gøre, for ansigterne forplanter sig i ens hjerne og enkelte af dem vil jeg aldrig glemme.
The Killing Fields
Choeung Ek også kaldet Killing Fields ligger ca. 12 km. Udenfor Phnom Penh og er ligesom S-21 et ”must see – but hard to see”, når man er i Cambodia.
Ofrene fra S-21 blev transporteret herud, skudt og smidt i massegrave. Senere i perioden hvor der var mangel på ammunition blev folk slået ihjælp med køller og banket op imod ”The killing tree” som stadig står der. Oficielle tal anslår at 17.000 er begravet på stedet. Der hersker en forståelig stilhed og trykket atmosfære når man går rundt i noget som mest af alt minder om en park med store fordybninger hvor massegravene har været. Stilheden bliver dog brudt af børns råb og latter som lyder på afstand, da det ringer ud til frikvater i en skole der ligger ved siden af. Kontrasten er slående.

The Temples of Angkor Watt

Life is not measured by how many breaths you take – but how many moments take your breath away!
The great temples of Angkor Watt definitely lived up to those once in a lifetime experiences where you feel reduced to a little speck of dust like in Horton the Elephant hears a who, standing before one of the great wonders of the world.
I got up at five in the morning to start my day touring the temples alone (day off from the family) – only accompanied by our friendly tuk-tuk driver Mr. Lucky. I was dropped off at the main entrance to Angkor Watt and I immediately started heading for the spot where you see the Sun rise behind the main Temple of Angkor. Luckily I was prepared and had a flashlight with me in order to make my way in the pitch black morning climbing steps and stones. I reached the popular view spot and found a group of maybe 15 people who had been up even earlier than me in order to secure a first row spot! The sellers had also risen early and were ready with hot tea & coffee and as people started pouring in little after little they made a booming business. I got a good spot sitting on one of the stone staircases and there was a great sensation of anticipation and excitement amongst the crowd. However, I question myself sometimes – why is that people have to talk (loudly) when experiencing these magical moments? In this case, I wish I had a magic wand that I could just put a spell on people so that they would just shut up for 2 minutes!
Anyways, the sun rose and you could see the reflection of the temple in the lake in front. It was a truly amazing and mind-blowing sight. Experiencing that I couldn´t help but thinking of the character of Lisbeth Salander from Stieg Larssons trilogy. She mentions how she has never sat on the ruins of Angkor Watt and I thought about how her character would have marveled at the sight and then afterwards would have gone to kick some bad guys butt on top of Angkor Thom Temple. I also got reminded of the time when I and two fellow travel mates, Marty from Oregon and Sidney from Vancouver, decided to spend the night on top of the Mayan temple of Tikal in Guatemala. We had bribed the temple-guards to let us stay and we sat all night listening to the jaguars’ howling and telling each other spooky stories to the point where we were almost peeing in our sleeping bags with fright. Defenitely a night to remember!
I spent the rest of the day just walking around admiring the ancient architecture skills and the intricate patterns inside some of the temples. I was sweaty rugged and dirty after climbing around for 8 hours, but could easily have been sold off to a middleaged guy from Tawain who thought I looked absolutely marvelous and kept photographing me. When asked where I was from and I had responded 10 times Denmark and he kept saying “ahh Denver”, I hurried down from the temple with his invitations to visit in Taiwan lingering in the air. Ten minutes later a twenty year old temple-guard asked me if I was single and if I wanted a boyfriend. I wonder if it was the musty smell of sweet combined with my complete camuflage outfit and my absolutely sunburnt nose – but somehow I didn´t find it flattering and thought it was time to find good old tuk-tuk driver Mr. Lucky to drive me home. I rounded of the tour by paying my respects to Buddha, lit some incense (and paid the pushy seller of it a dollar) asking for good health a safe journey and that Josh would not want to sell me to a Taiwanese Denver-fan!
Angkor What?
Angkor was the capital of the mighty Khmer Empire from the 9th – 14th century. From here the dynasty of Khmer kings ruled one of the most sophisticated kingdoms in history of South-East Asia. The construction of the ancient capital lasted for more than 300 years and underwent several changes in architecture and religions. The whole site covers more than 250 kilometers and includes more than a 1000 different archaeological sites.

Nærmest lykkelig i Ventiane

Jeg er så blød som en pakke smør der har stået i solen en varm sommerdag og benene er næsten ved at knække sammen under mig så afsappet er jeg. Jeg har lige fået en traditionel Lao Herbal massage, og jeg svæver rundt og dufter som en dåse tigerbalsam tilsat lidt krydret the-salon! Jeg har været i Laos’ hovedstad i Ventiane i mindre end 24 timer, men kan allerede konstaterer, at den er på min favoritliste!
Og livet leves langsomt her i Laos. Her er ikke nær så meget trafik på vejene, som efter alt at dømme fra den lavtgående flyvemaskine vi ankom med, er de eneste asfalterede i landet. Mit absolutte jerngreb i Noah er løsnet så meget, at han nu kan hoppe ned af fortovet på egen hånd – ikke mere fuldstændig vanvittig trafik! Noget andet der også slår mig med det samme er, at her er rent for en hovedstad at være – og især sammenlignet med Bangkok og Phnom Penh og København for den sags skyld!
Den franske kolonistil dominerer bybilledet og jeg føler mig næsten som en statist i den franske film Indochine m. Cathrine Denueve, når jeg går ned af Riversidegaden hvor Mekongfloden flyder lige så stille.
Der er ikke så mange turistattraktioner i Ventiane, men der er en hel del Watts (klostre) som virkelig også gør indtryk på mig selvom jeg nu har set en del både i Thailand og Cambodia. Jeg får en hyggesludder med en af munkene i skyggen af et stort træ udenfor selve templet, og får lykønskninger med for en god rejse.
En af de goder som kolonitiden også har ført med sig – hvis man altså overhovedet kan tale om kononialisering som en god ting!- er den franskinspirerede mad. Vi har fundet en perle af en restaurant som endda er nævnt i Michelin-guiden over gode spisesteder rundt omkring i verden (er nævnt med at det er superb mad – men har altså ikke selve den eftertragtede stjerne ). Og maden var fuldkommen fantastisk og tænk at kunne spise som en konge, dronning med dertilhørende prins og prinsesse for under halvdelen af hvad det plejer at koste for vores ugentlige onsdags ”efter-svømning-pita/kebab måltid” på favoritten Pasha Kebab på Istedgade!!! Tankerne flyver straks hen til min kære fætter Søren som har turneret rundt på fornemme steder som Noma, Dragsholm Slot, El Bulli og Four Seasons og kokkeret haut cuisine som f. Eks. brændte skorzonerødder m. mælkeskind og syltede hybenroser m. Gotlandsk trøffel og vilde urter. Jeg er sikker på at selv han vil påskønne et måltid her!
Da jeg omsider befinder mig i min seng på vores guest house som ligger lige ved siden af et tempel og der er helt , helt stille og fuldstændig mørkt fordi de tunge teakstræsskodder er slået for, og jeg kan høre at min familie sover trygt, kan jeg ikke andet end at være glad for at jeg er til!