Vang Vieng (Saelao), Laos

From Siem Reap, we took a bus to the Thai border and a train to Bangkok. The next evening we yet again rejoiced in train travel and took the overnight service to Nong Khai, crossed into Laos and stayed one night in the capital - Vientiane. Finally, after a minibus to Vang Vieng and a motorbike ride into the countryside, we arrived at the Saelao project.

The peaceful location and idyllic surroundings were to be our home for the next two weeks.

The project has multitudinous objectives, and while volunteering there we were involved in a great variety of them. A major goal for the project is to become self-sufficient in organic food for the on-site restaurant, volunteers, and staff. This will require a great deal of work and the supervision of someone throughout the seasons. Dani lent a hand by resurrecting this garden that had been taken over by weeds.

All the buildings on site are made from locally sourced, renewable materials. We were enlisted to help make mud bricks for a bungalow to be built for housing future volunteers. Clay earth was dug and mixed with water, then vigorously stomped underfoot to acheive an even consistency. The outer husk from rice was added to thicken the mix and make it more robust.

After the mix was just right, we packed it into a vinyl-lined mould and released the bricks to air-dry for the next week. It was very labour intensive but used no energy apart from our own, and made incredibly tough bricks.

While at Saelao, I apprenticed myself to the immensely practical Ham (rhymes with palm). It seemed to me he was born wielding a hammer and machete, and I learned a great deal about the simplest and most economical way to do many things. Amongst other things, we built furniture for the restaurant together from timbers we cut using a table saw attached to a tractor engine, and re-used bamboo and nails from tables no longer fit for purpose.

Of all our jobs however, perhaps the most beneficial was the teaching of English on school nights to local children. The restaurant became the classroom and a flock of eager teenagers cycled from the nearby village to voluntarily attend, even after a day spent at school.

When asked what they wanted to learn, they surprisingly said 'grammar', so Dani created tables, games and competitions to teach irregular verbs (which we ourselves had to learn about), past participles, and when to use 'in, on, and at'.

By far the biggest undertaking during our fortnight at Saelao was the peanut field. The day after we arrived work began to convert a rice field over to peanut production, and first job on the list was digging post holes by hand in the heavy clay. Many blisters were created before the wise decided to don gloves.

As the next day was a saturday, we asked if the kids that attend English classes could come help for a couple of hours in the morning. All the holes had been dug and poles inserted, so it was time to 'clean' the field, by removing weeds and the remnants of the rice plants. It was not easy work, but the kids were used to working in the fields and chatted and joked as if they were doing something much more fun.

Later in the day a few of us went to cut bamboo in the forest, selecting a few poles per grove to cut down, removing the side branches with machetes, and launching the poles into a lagoon for later collection.

This bamboo was to become the binding element in the fence, erected primarily to keep cows away from the succulent peanut bushes. It proved to be an amazing material - flexible but incredibly strong. Once two rows of bamboo had joined the fence poles together we strung barbed wire in a further two rows, then interwove short bamboo stakes between the barbed wire and horizontal poles, creating a rigid lattice of materials that I felt confident would deter even a very persistent cow.

The next step was to use a hand-operated tractor to plough the area that the kids were unable to clean (95% of the field). It was incredibly hard work, wrestling with a machine that was continually fighting to wander. Four of us took turns in operating the beast, but all were physically wrecked by the time the field was satisfactorily ploughed and tilled.

The next job was by far the most tedious - that of hand-shelling thousands of peanuts for planting. I am sure I must have shelled a few hundred, but admit I would often find other jobs that needed doing, desperate to escape the monotony of a task that could be achieved in minutes by a machine.

Finally the time came for planting, the field pre-flooded to make the soil soft and ensure an initial water supply in the dry conditions of this season. At first a logical and somewhat rigid system was developed by us volunteers to ensure the peanuts were evenly spaced in straight lines.

This system was quite slow though, and we struggled to maintain order once the local kids arrived and set about punching holes and filling them with peanuts in a way we couldn't control. In the end, one side of the field was done the Western way, while the other was completed in less time by fewer people in the Laos style.

For us, volunteering was only one aspect of what we enjoyed during our stay. It was a pleasure to eat comunally, though the lack of chairs did take some getting used to. The food was always delicious and rarely repeated, with a talented local chef providing the meals for us and the restaurant during the day, and a guy with a particular skill for making one of our favourite dishes - wood-fired pizza, in the evenings.

A couple of children lived at the project, the founder providing a home for them and sending them to school. With so many English speaking volunteers around they spoke very good English, and always lent a hand with preparing food, fishing, planting and anything else they could help with. They especially loved to watch movies that a fellow volunteer had on his laptop.

We volunteered 6 days a week, with one free, or 'buddha day' falling on a Thursday or Friday while we were there - depending on the lunar cycle. We worked as much as we needed to though, either helping with various projects or in the restaurant, but also had a good amount of free time, especially in the middle of the day when heat prevented much outdoor activity.

We were also just a kilometer away from the famous 'Blue Lagoon' and a very impressive cave. As volunteers, we did not have to pay each time we wanted to enter, and tried to go swimming in the cool waters whenever possible. We would even wear our clothes while swimming sometimes, in a very lazy version of laundry.

One contribution I thought I could make was to teach spoon carving to people that wanted to learn. In mid-October I ordered the necessary knives online and had them despatched to Saelao, and they thankfully arrived on my third day there - 40 days after Royal Mail had estimated. The locals were very skilled with blades, having played with knives and machetes since they were small children, so my apprentice Boun was able to produce a quality rice-spoon with very little instruction, and in a quarter of the time it took for me to produce my first decent spoon.

Above all, the volunteers and staff made our stay there, and we found it difficult to leave. We will remember it as a highlight of our trip, and a place we may return to some day.

Siem Reap, Cambodia

Like all visitors to Siem Reap, we were interested in visiting the Angkor complex, and it's flagship temple Angkor Wat. In order to get maximum use from our ticket, we arrived after 5pm the day previous to our chosen day for exploring, and were able to enter the complex for sunset. There were surprisingly few tourists and we were able to see monks strolling around, and nuns sitting in quiet contemplation.

The next morning, we left our guesthouse at 5am in order to be at Angkor Wat for sunrise, and walked with the crowds across the impressive moat and through the gatehouse.

We jostled for position at the left-hand side of the entry path, where a pond reflects the beautiful silhouette of the temple's tiers. Dani pushed through the throngs and crouched down in front securing a spot without impeding anyone else's view.

I was especially happy it was a silhouette, as in brighter conditons the facade was marred by ugly green cloth covering a restoration project. We got our money shot and decided to move on, as most people tend to explore Angkor first, leaving it nearly empty later in the day.

From the 'must-see' sunrise at Angkor Wat, we set our sights on the temple that sounded most interesting to us, the enigmatic Ta Promh. It is home to the most famous imagery of Angkor - the eerie roots of massive silkwood and strangler figs busting stones apart and slowly destroying the temple. As the ancient trees grow and lose their footing in the shallow soil, they tear down walls and wreak majestic havoc.

Aside from the decay and destruction, the temple is still being used for it's primary purpose - as a place of worship, first for Hinduism, and now Buddhism.

Disappointingly in our opinion, much work is being done to arrest the collapse and natural degeneration of the temple. In some cases it has been done well, and structures have merely been supported so the status quo is maintained.

However, a huge resoration project in the central courtyard has removed many trees and attempted to rebuild the structure as it was hundreds of years ago. There are other places in the complex where this could be done, whereas Ta Promh is the best example of what happens when a temple is abandoned.

Thankfully, there are still areas where it is possible to witness the formidable power of trees, their miniscule roots growing over hundreds of years to move tonnes of stone, and in many cases, keep them in place much longer than if left to the elements.

We visited many temples during the day, some sprawling and hugging the ground, others climbing to surprising heights given the technology available to the builders.

As the day wore on and we gradually became desensitised to the marvels around us, we spent longer sitting and looking. The incredible heat made us seek out shade, and we tried making silly pictures.



Having a guidebook with us was in this case quite valuable, as without a guide the buildings, sculptures, bas-relief and motifs can seem random and bewildering. We also had the excuse of sitting in the shade and reading about the convoluted history of Angkor and the complicated Hindu myths and historical representations that are depicted throughout the complex. We thoroughly enjoyed it, though it was a long and energetic day.

Battambang, Cambodia

Battambang has the feel of a quiet provincial town, but its importance and previous wealth are obvious from the layout and architecture. There was many a beautiful French-colonial facade hidden behind tacky signage, but in most cases it appeared that the additions were built in front of the existing building, so hopefully one day they will come to their senses and reveal the charming buildings behind.

After much deliberation between tuk-tuk, hiring a motorbike and cycling, we chose pedal-power and set off at dawn to avoid the brutal heat. It was the right decision, as the gentle pace allowed us to watch as Battambang woke up and breakfasted, and to admire the river and countryside.

While cycling, a butterfly flew directly into me, and looking behind to see if I had accidentally killed it I could find no trace. It turned out it had attached itself to my shorts, and I rode along for 20 minutes or so before inadvertently dislodging my passenger.

We arrived at Wat Ek Phnom temple around 14km from town and shorlty after taking this photo of a giant buddha, were approached by a fat man on a motorbike. He was wearing a helmet that said 'tourist police' and told us we needed to pay him $3 each to see the temple and buddha (which we could see from where we were standing) as well as $1 for each bicycle. This is the cost of a night's accomodation in Cambodia, so there was no way we were going to pay, and I said we didn't have money. He dropped the price to $1 each, but I stuck to my story and he soon left, so we continued unharassed.

Inside the temple there was a man chanting prayers into a microphone, which led to an enormous speaker outside, reconfirming our belief that Cambodia is the loudest country in the world, with it's complete disregard for standard volume conventions.

There was also a temple ruin in the complex, which was a small but interesting taste of things to come at Angkor Wat.

Our primary reason for going to Battambang was to take the boat ride across the Tonle Sap - an amazing lake because it drains south into the Mekong during the dry season, but the flow reverses during the monsoon and enlarges the lake to more than 5 times its previous size. In order to reach it we traveled for many hours along a winding river that flows right through Battambang, and it was a fascinating way to see Cambodians interact with the waterway.

Unfortunately, the size and power of our boat was sometimes too much for the people trying to fish and paddle on the water, and it was easy to see the damage being inflicted on the banks and the nerves of locals as they were slapped around by our wake. We had deliberately chosen a slow boat to attempt to avoid this problem, as there have been cases of capsizing and damage caused by boats traveling too quickly, but it still traveled too fast at some points

The children however seemed to really enjoy the sight of tourists sailing past, their smiles unbroken even as the wake caused their boats to dip and rock violently. They were not the only ones who ran into boat trouble though, as the increasingly narrow river was difficult to navigate on tight bends, and our driver ran into trees and shrubs on a number of occasions, nearly taking out tourists who were not paying attention.

It was very interesting to pass the 'floating villages' some of which were on stilts and others actually afloat.

We also saw a great variety of methods for fishing - the most impressive of which were cantilevered and were operated to rise and fall periodically, trapping any fish that happened to be above them at the time of ascension. It was a fascinating glimpse into life on the lake.

Chi Phat, Cambodia

Chi Phat village is a small, rural Cambodian village near the Cardamom Mountains. The area is incredibly rich in biodiversity and until recently, was a hotspot for illegal logging and poaching. Luckily, an organisation called Wildlife Alliance stepped in, and chose Chi Phat as the site of their community-based ecotourism.

Our first night we chose to stay with a local family in a homestay, and ate a meal with them under the house where the kitchen and dining area was located. It was a similar experience in many ways to couchsurfing, which we have been missing since coming to SE Asia, where couchsurf hosts are much harder to find.

We watched the family all take turns in swinging a hammock where a baby was sleeping, but we were much more interested in the puppies running around. There seemed to be at least one puppy at every house and restaurant, which was instant entertainment.

One day, we decided to go on a mountain biking trip to a couple of local waterfalls. The trip included a local guide, who also worked part-time as the primary school's librarian. In order to cross this swiftly flowing river, we had to carry the bikes across, and though the water only came to just past the ankles, I was shocked at the how forceful it was.

This waterfall was impressive because of its location - tucked away on a local farmer's land and hidden behind thick jungle. We were able to walk quite far behind the cascading water and see the entrance to a bat cave. Our guide also told us the Khmer Rouge killed over 100 people there, which was hard to imagine in the tranquil setting.

Our other nights at Chi Phat were spent in a guesthouse run by the family next door. It differed from the homestay in that it had a fan, a bit more space around the bed and a conventional rather than bucket-shower. We really liked the split bamboo walls and floor, which gave some relief from the intense heat, but also meant that the 5 am rooster crowing, pig squealing, and cumulative sounds of the village arising penetrated the room much more easily.

We hired a kayak one morning, as the cost seemed really reasonable compared to other places in Cambodia - $7 a half-day for a double. During our explorations we came across quite a few of these boats, where oarsmen and often oarsgirls were crossing or journeying up and down river. It was also a great way to see some of the rich bird life in the area, as our paddling was almost completely silent.

During our paddle, we saw many riverfront houses, and worryingly, river toilets. This outhouse was located just upstream from the ferry crossing.

Our penultimate day we decided to visit the reforestation nursery around 6 km north of the village. It was nice to be on foot, and for most of the morning we had good shade cover.

Along the way, we passed many traditional wooden huts, and people were often relaxing on the verandah or hanging out underneath in a hammock. Our guide knew everyone and told these ladies I really liked their house.

At the nursery we saw all the stages of tree germination and cultivation. It was amazing how long it takes a tree to grow just a couple of feet, and we understood the need for a nursery to reforest areas that were previously cleared for farming and logging.

I asked if we could plant one, and chose this tree that was almost too big for it's pot. It felt really good to be contributing to a fantastic eco-tourism project, and one that so obviously benefited many villagers directly, and the whole community through increased and sustainable economic activity.