Laos has an epic history. Since the time of the Nanzhao kingdom in the seventh century, to 1975 when the communist party took over power, Laos has been a state of wars and of warriors.
Laos built with blood from the battlefields, oiled by the sweat of enemies and sustained by political and administrative intrigues sprinkled with spiritual Buddhism.
The Lao people have shared roots with the Thais. Occupying the southeast, Laos was part of the Nanzhao kingdom of the present day Yunnan, China.
The kingdom was famous for its control of important trade routes, especially the southern silk route. Many things originated in the Nanzhao kingdom that have influenced the modern day Indochina. The term ’Kien’ meant the ten prefectures of Nanzhao. Name places like Keng (Kengtung) and Xieng (Xieng Khouang) were later derived from it.
The organization of army personnel into units of 100, 1000 and 10,000, that was later found in Indochina, was started by the Nan—Chao army. Another likely title of Nanzhao origin is ’Chao’, which means prince.
The Lao legend of the creation of the world was associated with Khum Borom who gave Luang Phrabang (then Muang Sua) to his son Khum Lo.
Khun Lo conquered Muang Sua when the king of Nanzhao was busy fighting elsewhere. It was to the credit of Khum Lo that a dynasty of 15 rulers, who reigned for almost a century, was established.
Khun Lo conquered Muang Sua when the king of Nanzhao was busy fighting elsewhere. It was to the credit of Khum Lo that a dynasty of 15 rulers, who reigned for almost a century, was established.
The northward expansion of the Khmer Empire under Indravarman I (who reigned for twelve years 877—889) was stretched to the upper Mekong to the territories of Sipsong Panna.
This is likely to have happened after the occupation of Muang Sua by the Nanzhao. The Khmers established an outpost at Sayfong close to Ventientiane. This afforded the ruler of Sayfong, Chanthaphanit to move northwards to Muang Sua where he was acknowledged peacefully as their ruler following the departure of the Nanzhao princes.
Muang Sua became known by the Thai name Xieng Dong Xieng Thong during the long rule of Chanthaphanit and his son. As was typical of dynasties, Chanthaphanit became involved in the problems of some of the principalities and as a result of this Khum Chuang expanded his land and ruled from 1128 to 1169.
At the time that Theravada Budhism was replaced by Mahayana Budhism, Muang Sua was ruled by Sri Sattanak, a kingdom asssociated with the naga: mystical water dragon believed to have dug the Mekong river bed.
Muang Sua was next ruled by Jayawarman VII (from 1185 to 1191) of Khmer. Recent research shows that the Mongol named the province Yunnan when they made it their own after destroying Nanzhao in 1253.
During this period, Muang Sua became sovereign and was ruled by princes bearing the paya (lord) title.
The kingdom of a million elephants (Lan Xang) was established in 1353. The kingdom became wealthy and powerful and extended to north eastern region of today’s Thailand and Stung Treng of Cambodia.
In the 17th century, Lan Xang became involved in conflicts with its neighbours. This helped Siam be able to take over what was Laos in the 18th century. France came in from its colony in Vietnam and integrated all of Laos into the French Empire. Later, The Franco—Siamese Treaty in 1907 agreed on the present day Lao boundary with Thailand.
Fast becoming one of the hottest tourist destinations in Southeast Asia is Cambodia. After years of being torn by civil war and an isolationist government policy, Cambodia has now emerged into a must—see destination for travelers who want to experience the real Asia.
Cambodia has a lot more to offer than the majestic ruins of Angkhor Wat. For those who fancy a few days of relaxation, away from the well—worn tourist trail, the place to go is the country’s beautiful southern coast, which straddles the Gulf of Thailand. Filled with sandy beaches and interesting landmarks, the coast is still at its infancy with regard to commercial tourism, which has resulted in a very laid—back beach scene.
The small town of Kampot, a mere five kilometers from the sea, is home to a number of charming guesthouses, resorts, restaurants and casinos.
Once the premier holiday spot for the French colonialists, ’La Perle de la Cote d’ Agathe’ is dotted by beautiful islands and islets. One of these picturesque islands once belonged to King Sihanouk, where many days of Royal revelry no doubt must have occurred. The Kampot region is also famous for its durian farms — the infamous smelly fruit with a custard—like pulp. Gourmands will also love this region as it purportedly has the best seafood in the whole country, with amazingly cheap but delicious crab buffets found all over town.
Returning to King Sihanouk, the southern coast is also the location of ’Sihanoukville’, or Kompong Som. This maritime port, the first deep—water port in the country, is easily accessible from the capital of Phnom Penh. Beach bums will be in heaven as the area has a large concentration of pretty palm—fringed beaches — some of them completely deserted giving one the feeling as if they were marooned in some exotic island.
The most popular beaches are the Occheuteal, Independence, Sokha, and Victory beaches. These spots are good jumping—off points for those wanting to island—hop, scuba dive, snorkel, or fish. A trip to Sihanoukville of course, is not complete without digging into a seafood feast at one of the many beachside restaurants, or simply watching the dramatic sunset with an ice—cold beer in hand.
Another place not to be missed in Cambodia’s southern coast is the Bokor Hill Station. Located in the Elephant Mountains, it was established by the French elite in the 1920’s as a summer retreat to escape the heat of the lowlands. The area is situated just 1,000 meters from the foot of the mountain and is famous for its pleasant, cool climate and peaceful surroundings. The Bokor Hill Station is sprinkled with old colonial buildings that were previously hotels, casinos, even Catholic churches, as well as attractive residences of French nationals — now abandoned.
Visitors can wander around these old, moss—covered structures and soak in the history of Cambodia’s colonial past. Nature lovers, on the other hand, can bask in the breathtaking vistas of the coastline and the jungle — which is home to monkeys, wild elephants and other exotic animals. The area has recently been declared a National Park to protect these historical monuments as well as the jungle habitat of these creatures.
Historically, this rugged mountain province of Northwestern Vietnam was an area practically shunned by the Vietnamese for centuries.
Its often dangerous, harsh terrain, made certain that only a handful of minority groups, and later, immigrants from China and Tibet, thrived in this merciless, yet spectacular region. Today, these indigenous people still call this place home, mostly keeping to their ancient way of life, with traditions unscathed by outside influences.
The most popular route taken to this far—flung area is by way of the ’North West Loup’, through Highway 6, definitely the most tourist—friendly road of the region. From Hanoi, the road begins in Mai Chau, travels westward to Dien Bien Phu, then north to Sapa, passing Vietnam’s highest mountain peak at Fansipan.
With its relatively good roads (weather permitting!) and smattering of decent lodgings and eateries along the way, the route is easily accessible and an excellent way of experiencing the magnificent scenery of Northwest Vietnam.
While the mouth—gaping beauty of the hilly landscape is a given, the route is livened up by the culturally diverse ’hill—tribe’ people who go about their daily lives in some of the most interesting clothing imaginable, dressed in fanciful headgear ranging from jolly, bright red—orange tassled scarves to austere black conical turbans.
It should be noted however, that these indigenous tribes, such as the Dzao and the H’Mong and the Black Thai have had fairly little contact with tourism (except perhaps in larger towns like Sapa), and travelers who meet them should take extra care in respecting their customs, beliefs and traditions. The same goes for the natural environment, as this part of Vietnam is now globally recognized as one of the top conservation priorities in the world.
The ’North West Loup’ is best explored by a 4—wheel drive vehicle, but a bus ride, or better yet, a hefty motorcycle are other possible options.
To get the full experience of this region one really needs about a week, although many travelers (those vertigo —inclined especially) choose shorter routes within the ’loup’. Starting off from Hanoi, the road to Mai Chau is a pleasant one, especially when you near the village and the gorgeous mountain landscape suddenly seems to descend upon you.
A walk in the pretty village of Mai Chau can give you an idea of how the indigenous ’Thai’ people live, as their stilted homes stand tall around the place. The drive to Son La is known to be a beautiful one, with more tribal villages set against a background of a dramatic mountain range.
Though best described as a nondescript town, Dien Bien Phu, the region’s new capital does have its historical claim to fame, as the spot of the famous battle where the French colonizers were defeated in 1954, the beginning of the end for the Indochina Empire. Sleepy Lai Chau is nestled amid the steep, green mountains, and short treks around its surrounding areas can be a fantastic way to get a glimpse of some of the most colourful hill tribes in the region.
The long 170—kilometer ride to Sapa from Lai Chau can be a neck—cramping one indeed, but relief should arrive at the majestic sight of the Hoang Lien Mountains, including the mighty Fansipan, Vietnam’s highest mountain.
Spending a few days in the pleasant Sapa, which overlooks these mountains, is becoming increasingly popular with foreigners as well as locals, with the number of hotels, and crowds, rapidly on the rise.
From Sapa, the weary mountain trekker need just hop on the train, and the next morning, find himself back in Hanoi — hopefully having had a good nights sleep with many sweet dreams of the mystical Tonkinese Alps.
Today’s probably one of the biggest days in years for Thailand and especially Bangkok when the brand new airport Suvarnabhumi was officially opened for all commercial flights. It has ended the long saga of alleged constant government corruption that lasted over 40 years and made Suvarnabhumi the longest and most expensive airport to build in the world.
The airport is located in the Province of Samutprakan, 15 kilometres east of Bangkok. It’s got the tallest control tower (about 130 metres tall) as well as the largest single building in the world. Suvarnabhumi also has two massive parallel runways and two large taxiways to handle both departures and arrivals at the same time. Apart from that, the airport also has a cool 120 parking bays, 5 of which are capable of accommodating the new Airbus Super Jumbo Jet A380. The five-storey car park can accommodate about 5,000 cars. In the first few years of operation it is expected to serve up to 45 million passengers on an annual basis.
The total cost of the construction was a whopping 1.7 billion Pounds, making it the world’s most expensive airport. It has now replaced Bangkok International Airport (Don Muang) as Thailand’s primary airport for all commercial domestic and international flights. It’s also expected to be used as a major hub for international flights across Southeast Asia making Thailand a true centre of the region ahead of arch rival Singapore. Well, that’s what Thai Rak Thai politicians liked to say to the media anyway.
I haven’t got a clue how they came up with such a name but as some of you may realise Suvarnabhumi is actually pronounced Su-Wan-Na-Poom in Thai so it’s highly likely that many taxi drivers will get confused when foreigners try to tell them where they want to go. To get round this issue, I’d suggest simply saying Bangkok Airport to the taxi driver rather than trying to pronounce the name whose pronunciation is far from easy.
Despite its ludicrous cost of construction, most Thais now look at the bright side and hope the investment will pay off handsomely to Thailand’s economy. So far it has already generated some employment for the local people and many prominent Thai economists have predicted that over the long run it will be hugely beneficial to the Thai economy. Analysts say the airport will give Thailand a real competitive edge over other Asian countries and attract more visitors to the country.
You can expect most Thais to be really proud of their brand new airport but there is one person that must have been less than happy about the opening of Suvarnabhumi. I’m talking about the recently ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinnawat. He would have wanted to showcase the airport to the world by himself and as a result reduced the ongoing resentment harboured against him by millions of Bangkokians.
Unfortunately though, such a chance was blown out of the window when last week’s coup ensured he would not be in Thailand for many months to come at least. So you can imagine how painful it must have been for the poor bugger to watch the opening ceremony on the BBC in his London house. Haven’t got much to say but serves him right !