Category Archives: Hiking

Kep, Cambodia – the Gulf

Cambodia, Flashpacking, Hiking, Travel

6/7 – We’ve been doing lots of relaxing in the heat.  June is supposed to be the beginning of Cambodia’s wet season, but there has been only one brief rain shower, and the sun came right back out.

We eat breakfast at the guesthouse every morning (omelettes and baguettes, very French) and alternate the rest of our meals between the small restaurant across the street, purchases from tiny stands nearby, and the occasional splurge at the French restaurant at the guesthouse (excellent cuisine, but three times what we are used to paying for a meal).  The people outside the guesthouse gates are living at a pretty basic level, and we like to spread our purchases out so that the most people benefit.  We noticed that some of the women who run the stands lack basic arithmetic skills – they can tell you the price of each item, but cannot add them up for a total.  Maybe folks here only buy one thing at a time?

Here’s our favorite small restaurant.  Beef and assorted fried vegetables ( I love the morning glory especially) with rice and a pot of tea, $2.00.


Jim negotiating for some fruit. 

As we returned from a shopping excursion with a small plastic bag, our host stopped us to inquire what was in the bag.  We showed him our little watermelon, and he apologized for asking.  It seems that the Asian folks in one of the other bungalows had brought home a durian, and left the rinds in the room overnight.  He said the bungalow now stinks so bad he won’t be able to rent it out for a week at least!  Sooner or later, I will try this fruit, I promise. Our delicious and not smelly watermelon, about the size of a softball:

6/9 – Today we walked down the dusty road toward the Gulf of Thailand.  We are not close to Kep’s swimming beach, but wanted to take a look at the water.  Aren’t the clouds beautiful?

There is no beach here, and vegetation grows right up to the water’s edge.

A fishing / crabbing boat:

A family’s waterfront home.

A flame tree and a zebu (bony white cow).

Another fine day.

Kep, Cambodia – the Park

Cambodia, Flashpacking, Hiking, Travel, , ,

6/4 – 🎵Da da da da da daaa da Today is my birthday! June is full of occasions: our anniversary, one son’s birthday, other son’s anniversary. A month of celebration!

Today we will hike into the Kep National Park to see what there is to see. Even though we leave right after breakfast, it is HOT.  The temperature is in the 90s every day, with a “real feel” of 105F due to the humidity.  I used to be such a dainty thing, but now the sweat just pours off me whenever I’m outside. I’m grateful for any little spot of shade I can find, and will cross the street to whatever side offers the most respite.

We walk past a school with animal statues adorning the path. The children wave and say, “hello!” Girls and women keep their shoulders and knees covered here in Cambodia. Boys either wear long shorts or a sarong.image

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These little cuties struck a pose without any prompting. Note the photobomber – a worldwide phenomenon!

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We pass a gas station. Not what you expected?

The trail is a dirt path also used by motorbikes. We see some skinny cows, called zebu.image

At a fork in the path we find a shrine.image

The path up the mountain takes us to an old dam.  It is perfectly quiet and peaceful. 

 When Jim’s on the trail, he’s a happy man. 

  

In case we get lost, a rock shows us the way.

 There’s a trail here, really! 

Some trail side beauty. 

         Have I mentioned how much I love flame trees? 

From the top of the hill, we can see the water below – the Gulf of Thailand. 

 Back to our bungalow, drenched with sweat.  Guess who’s spending the afternoon in the pool?

For supper we splurged on the local specialty, Kep crab with Kampot pepper sauce.  Once again, I should have taken a picture, but was too busy eating.  Here’s an online photo.  The strings of green peppercorns give a taste that is out of this world.  If you ever get the opportunity, you must try it! 

Kampot to Kep, Cambodia

Backpacking, Cambodia, Flashpacking, Hiking, Travel, ,

6/3 – We stayed in Kampot for three days, then decided to move to a place with a swimming pool, a half an hour’s drive away in nearby Kep.  Here’s what we saw on the tuk-tuk ride.image

The roundabouts have statues on them, which helps with directions.  Take a left at the white horse!
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If Kampot was laid back, this place is barely on life support.  There is no town that we can see,  just a series of guest houses along the main, dusty road. Only one lane of the road is paved – the motorbikes and tuk-tuks ride in the dirt. image

We are staying at the Botanica guesthouse, run by an old Frenchman and his young Cambodian wife.  It is comprised of eight thatched roof cottages that are hidden from one another by lush tropical foliage and flowers.  It is gorgeous.

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Here is our bungalow.imageimage

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Lovely artwork on the wall by the pool – we spent a long time analyzing it!image

Tomorrow we will hike!

Kampot, Cambodia

Cambodia, Flashpacking, Hiking, Travel, ,

6/1 – Kampot is a sleepy little town, with street-side shops and dusty roads, along the Kampot River. Our guest house has bicycles available for our use, so we borrowed them to see a bit of the town. It is HOT, but riding a bicycle gives you a nice little breeze as you move along.  Here is the Kampot River.

  

There are two bridges to town, creatively named the Old Bridge and the New Bridge.image

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We crossed the New Bridge, a scary proposition with all manner of vehicles competing for the narrow lanes. Trucks get the middle of the road, then cars, tuk-tuks, motorbikes, bicycles and then pedestrians along the edges. We found a shop to buy toothpaste and snacks for the next few days. image

The shop had a talking bird in a cage by the door. He had a very respectable English “hello!”image

The town has one big bank, and lots of mish-mash architecture.image

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The roundabout in the middle of town boasts a statue of a durian – the world’s smelliest fruit – which is grown and sold here.

Durian has been described as tasting like sweet almond cream, but smelling like gym clothes left in a locker all summer, or perhaps raw sewage. I’m told that if you hold your nose you may be able to get a bite into your mouth without gagging. So far, I have not been brave enough to try this. Jim asked our host if he would prepare some durian for me, but he refuses to let it in the guesthouse. Must be really awful! imageimage

We elected to return home via the Old Bridge, which our host told us was perfectly safe. First we had to lift the bikes over the barricade.image

We could see through the rusted holes down into the water below.image

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A lovely ride.image

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In the evening, we had another glorious sunset, followed by amplified singing and fireworks. We asked if it was a holiday, but our host informed us that it was a funeral – they send the departed off with a bang. A good way to go, don’t you think?image

Siem Reap, Cambodia – The Temples of Angkor

Cambodia, Flashpacking, Hiking, Travel, , , , , , , ,

5/25 – Half an hour north of Siem Reap is a collection of ancient temples known as Angkor. They are actually different cities, built in different centuries (between the sixth and the twelfth) by different kings. When rediscovered by the French in the late 1800s, it was thought that the temples were so intricate and advanced that they must have been built by the Romans. They were built as Hindu temples, and some of the later ones were converted to Buddhist. They are in the process of being restored.

We hired a tuk-tuk at our hotel to drive us out to see them. The road to the temples is well paved – Siem Reap hosts over two million tourists a year who come to visit the temples. Here is our view from the tuk-tuk. Our driver asked right away how old we were. When we told him, he expressed surprise. “Old people in my country could not walk at the temples.” He pantomimed a bent old person hobbling with a cane. “You say you are old, but you do not act old.” He drove very carefully over the bumps in the road, and drove us right up to the entrance.  What a nice young man.
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The main attraction, Angkor Wat, lies across a protective moat. The weather was swelteringly hot, and the paths were brimming with tourists.image

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This temple complex is huge, with many corridors. The rooms are empty and unlit except for where the roof has fallen and the sun shines in. The corridors reminded me of some of the monasteries we visited in Europe.image

The walls are decorated with intricate bas relief.image

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After an hour, we got back in our tuk-tuk and drove to the next temple, at Angkor Thom. The entrance road has a row of figures on either side, holding onto a naga like a tug-o-war. Some of the faces have been restored, others washed away by time.imageimage

This temple is known for its towers, which have faces carved on all four sides. There are differences of opinion on what the faces are meant to represent. You have to look hard to see some of the faces.image image image

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Amazing.  My favorite so far.

Our last temple of the day was Ta Phrohm. In great disrepair, it is best known for the huge spung trees that have reclaimed the buildings for the jungle. The trees were huge and looked like they could walk.image

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An exhausting and amazing day.

Hiking the Kumano Kodo – Katsuura to Ishiyama

Backpacking, Flashpacking, Hiking, Japan, Travel, , , , , ,

5/19 – Our last hiking day dawned grey and rainy, but a little weather would not keep us from our appointed hike! We took a bus from Katsuura to Daimon Zaka, a stone stairway that led up to the Nachi Taisha, our third Shinto shrine.

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We entered the torii gate, and kept climbing upwards.
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The Grand Shrine:
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Do fish care if it’s raining? Sorry for the blurry pix – blame the weather!image

The site contained a huge, old spirit tree, covered with moss:
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We spent the morning with Max, from Quebec:image

Right next to the Shinto shrine was a Buddhist temple. One stop shopping for the religion of your choice – the Japanese often incorporate beliefs from both.image

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We continued walking, downhill now, past a three-storied pagoda, on our way to the Nachi Waterfall, which is also a sacred site. It was beautiful in the mist.image

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Then it was time to walk back up the hill to catch a bus back to Kii-Katsuura, and a train to The Kyoto suburb of Ishiyama, where we are spending the night. Sorry again for blurry pix.image

This is the end of our Kumano Kodo adventure. If you ever get the opportunity, it is a beautiful journey, customizable based on how many days and how far you wish to walk. A damp, but lovely day!

5/20 – Today we were agenda-free, relaxing and catching up on our reading and blogging. We took a walk to see the shore of Lake Biwa.image

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Even here in the city, we find shrines:


This is Kwan Yin, goddess of Mercy:
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I’ve loved being in Japan, with its friendly, helpful people, polite manners, orderly queuing, and advanced technology toilet seats. It’s been great to visit
a “first-world” country again. Soon we will travel back to Osaka Kansai Airport for our flight back to Bangkok, then on Cambodia. Our next post will be from Siem Riep!

Hiking the Kumano Kodo – Yunomine Onsen to Shingu to Katsuura

Backpacking, Flashpacking, Hiking, Japan, Travel, , , , , , ,

5/18 – Took a bus this morning from Yunomine Onsen to Shingu, to take a ride in a traditional flat-bottomed boat used historically by pilgrims on the Kumano River to visit the Hayatama Taisha, the second of the three grand shrines. We donned life jackets and straw hats to get into the spirit.image
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We were the only gaijin (foreigners) on the boat, but our guide Kyoko-San translated most of the highlights for us.

We got out of the boat at a small island to touch “the monster’s spine”, assuring us of strength and long life.image
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It was a gorgeous morning for a boat ride.image

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Kyoko-San played a traditional flute as we drifted past the cliff faces in the clear turquoise water.image

We disembarked in Shingu, and walked toward the Hayatama Taisha. We were surprised that the Japanese tourists opted to get on a bus back to the station instead. We entered at the torii gate. image
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Near the Hayatama Taisha is a long flight of rock steps up Mount Gongen, where runners holding torches race during the annual fire festival. Can’t imagine racing up these steps in the dark…imageimage

The steps lead up to a small shrine at a sacred rock where the three deities are believed to have come down to earth.

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We watched many come to pray and meditate here.image

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The overlook gave us a great view of the city below, and the Pacific Ocean beyond.image

We took a short train ride to Kii-Katsuura, where we spent the night in a western hotel. Yay for mattresses! Tomorrow we will visit our third shrine.

Hiking the Kumano Kodo – Yunomine Onsen

Flashpacking, Hiking, Japan, Travel, , ,

5/16 – Well, there’s nothing to describe the experience of soaking in a hot, spring-fed sulphur-rich bath. I felt like a boiled egg, and smelled like one too! The water was so hot that I had to mix some cold tap water into the bath before I could get in (no other ladies present at the time). Unfortunately, the tap water comes from the spring too, so there was no way to rinse off the sulphur smell. We were assured that the water was drinkable, and even brushed our teeth with it – one can get used to anything!

This guesthouse is very much like our last, with thin futons, bean pillows and fish for supper and breakfast. I’m told that the good posture of the Japanese is thanks to thin futons. With a nod to the Western guests, our breakfast included instant coffee, and also ham and eggs, eaten with chopsticks, of course!image

We are staying at Yunomine Onsen for three nights, as the Kumono Kodo trail offers several challenging (that means steep) hikes in this area. image

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Our hostess packed us a lunch to eat along the trail. What could it be?image

Yummy! Three rice balls – one wrapped in nori (seaweed), one wrapped in mustard leaves, and pickled squash.image

This area is the home of the Shinto Hongu Taisha shrine. It is the first of the three major shrines we will visit this week. It boasts the largest torii (shrine entrance gate) in Japan. Here’s our first glimpse of the torii from atop the mountain. Can you spot it?:image

Here’s the gate up close: image

The stairway to the shrine (up and up again!):image

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And the shrine itself. The faithful queue up to ring a bell, clap their hands together in a rhythmic pattern, and offer a silent or spoken prayer.image

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The symbol of this shrine is the three-legged crow, with one leg to represent each of the three major deities.image

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Prayers are written on paper or wood, and hung at the shrine.image

We hiked back past flooded rice fields with newly planted seedlings.image

Back at our guesthouse, we enjoyed another bath and changed into our matching kimonos. It’s fun to dress alike!
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We shared supper conversation with Hank and Jose from the Netherlands. Good supper and new friends!
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5/17 – Hiking in the other direction today. A bit rainy in the morning, which makes climbing slippery rocks even more exciting.image

We neglected to ask for a packed lunch today, so we thought we’d buy something to eat in town. Turns out the only items for sale were raw eggs sold in mesh bags. image

The shopkeeper conveyed to us with no English that we were to tie a rope to the bag and lower the eggs into the hot spring to cook them. He even provided an origami basket to collect the shells, and a packet of salt. With some canned coffee, the best lunch we’ve had all week!image

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A fine hiking day.

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Hiking the Kumano Kodo – Chikatsuyu to Yunomine Onsen

Backpacking, Flashpacking, Hiking, Japan, Travel, , , ,

5/15 – A beautiful, sunny day for a hike.  We stopped in at the Cultural Center at the beginning of today’s walk, and discovered an old, familiar friend – the Camino shell!  Turns out that Tanabe and Santiago de Compostela are sister cities; each hosting a pilgrimage.

Today we saw some beautiful mountains:image

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Serene wooded paths:

And little shrines along the paths:

Beautiful trees and flowers:image

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We saw the cultivation of tea:

We walked through an area known for folk wood carvings, which were displayed in front of many houses.

We knew we were near Yunomine Onsen when we could smell the sulphur in the air. A natural hot spring runs through the town, and we are staying three nights at small guesthouses right on the spring, with deep hot-water baths. A new experience! image

Hiking the Kumano Kodo – Takahara to Chikatsuyu

Backpacking, Flashpacking, Hiking, Japan, Travel, , , ,

5/14 – The Takahara Lodge is famous for being the place to witness the Mist on the Mountain.  What wonderful grace that the mist greeted us when we arose in the morning, right outside our bedroom window!image image image

Within in a half hour, the sun was up, and the mist was gone.image

After a wonderful breakfast that included eating a whole fish – eyes, tail, little bones and all – we set out for our day’s walk. Two couples from Australia kept us company for part of the way. We passed flooded fields with newly planted rice seedlings.image

The trail was shady and wooded for most of the day.

There were musical streams:

And we stopped to admire the many small shrines and statues called Jizo that lined the trail. Jizo are bodhisattva who protect travelers, women and children.

By mid afternoon we arrived at our new home, the Nakano Guesthouse.image

Here we got a taste of true Japanese living. Of course, we removed our shoes at the door, and were given a pair of house slippers. The slippers had to be removed at the door to our room, as only bare feet walk on the tatami mats. When using the bathroom, special bathroom slippers must be worn. It got confusing pretty quickly. I’m sure I offended within minutes of our arrival. This was our room.image

After sitting on the cushions to have some tea, we moved the table aside and pulled our futons out of the closet to make up our beds. I’m too old to sleep on the floor! The little pillows were hard and filled with beans. We had a traditional supper, also sitting on the floor. We chatted with Jenna from Canada, a young girl traveling solo. After about 20 minutes my legs fell asleep, but the food was wonderful!image

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