Dewi Sri is believed to have dominion over the underworld and the Moon. Thus, Dewi Sri encompasses the whole spectrum of the Mother Goddess- having dominion over birth and Life: she controls rice: the staple food of Indonesians; hence life and wealth or prosperity; most especially rice surpluses for the wealth of kingdoms in Java such as Mataram, Majapahit and Pajajaran; and their inverse: poverty, famine, hunger, disease (to a certain extent) and Death. She is often associated with the rice paddy snake (ular sawah).

Coins statue

Chinese kepeng coins were circulating in Bali in the 7th and 8th centuries. They are sold in stringed bundles of 200, about 12 cm across. Both sides are inscribed. One side has Chinese characters.

The coins are used as offerings on special occasions such as Balinese birthdays, which take place every 210 days, weddings, burials and cremations. They are also used as decorations for temples and shrines.

The oldest kepengs that have been found were cast during the Tang dynasty: 618-907 AD.

Chinese coins in Balinese life

Called Pis Bolong in Balinese and uang kepeng in Bahasa Indonesia, these living relics render a ceremony celebration incomplete without their presence. Ancient Chinese coins with square holes in the center and Chinese characters on the sides are all over in Bali. Called pis bolong in Balinese and uang kepeng in Bahasa Indonesia, these living relics render a ceremony celebration incomplete without their presence.

Since the beginning of the world’s ‘Anno Domini’, the connection between Bali and China had begun. Among the many backdrops throughout the historical events, trading was the main reason. The Chinese presence had a great influence on Balinese culture and art. The relationship even led to the historical marriage between Sri Maharaja Aji Jayapangus, the King of Bali and Kang Cin Wei, a Chinese princess, in the year 12 A.D. This marriage justified the Chinese influence in Bali.

The story goes that Kang Cin Wei asked the king to have Chinese coins be a part of all rituals in Bali. As rituals are one of the most important things in Balinese life, Chinese coins followed suit and by then had already become part of the people’s monetary system – a phase shift from using the barter system.

The Europeans who came in the 17th Century did not change the Balinese practice of using Chinese coins, but they also used their own currency in trading. After the Indonesian independence and the Rupiah became the formal national currency, Chinese coins still remained in use in daily transactions. This is why the coins have a special function among the Balinese.

Gradually until 1970, when peoples’ awareness increased, they began to forego the Chinese coins in their economic life. But their purpose in rituals has lived on and on.

The presence of coins in rituals has become somewhat compulsory. Meanwhile, the stock of coins has seen a decrease. It is no wonder, for as the population grows more people conduct rituals and the demand for coins rockets sky-high. During certain rituals such as ngaben cremations or rituals for the butha kala or lower deities, the coins cannot be reused.

This increase has led to people making duplicates. The duplicates are far different from the original ancient Chinese coins. The sizes are smaller, they are thinner, and the Chinese characters have almost disappeared. These rough imitations can be found easily in traditional markets. The price is much cheaper than the original. People pay Rp. 1,500 per coin for the original, while they only pay Rp. 200 per coin for the imitation version.

The imitations are selling well in the market as many buy them because they have no choice. For some people, ‘cheap’ can be the main reason because in a small ritual in a small temple the number of coins needed may amount to thousands of rupiah. The amount for Chinese coin purchases can be among the ‘big buys’ in a ritual.

Using imitation coins in rituals however is not recommended. This problem has received special attention from the government. The Bali Cultural Office, as the representative of the government, formed the Bali Heritage Trust. The vision is to keep the cultural heritage pure. Their first pilot project was to make Chinese coins in Balinese versions. This project was launched in 2004 and has been facilitated by the United Nations of Social and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

This took place in the village of Tojan in the Klungkung regency, where the factory and showroom is positioned together as UD Kamasan Bali. The factory mass-produces coins for rituals and accessories. The building has metal merging and forging in the basement, accessory creation on the top floor, and the showroom is in the front.

This factory makes different versions from the original Chinese coins, and the coins are produced by five different metals known as Panca Datu or ‘five strengths of life’. They include iron, silver, copper, gold, and bronze. Respectively, the materials have special meanings and potencies.

The Balinese characters also show special significance and strengths. They replace the Chinese characters that mostly note the issuing dynasty’s name. Nowadays, the words ‘Sa’, ‘Ba’, ‘Ta’, ‘A’ can be seen beside every side of the square center hole. Again, the four of them represent the strength in four corner points of the compass. Over the letters, a padma, the symbol of the holiness is depicted.

Its processing also incorporates a quite unique method of gathering household leftovers. I Made Sukma Swacita, the manager of UD Kamasan Bali, said that they have indeed gathered materials like broken taps, second-hand irons, etc. Apart from helping to clean the environment, they also did not want to depend on materials that were offered to the factory.

But how can second-hand things be used for sanctified ceremonies?

“We forge together all materials and then they become a new thing. Moreover, we also carry out penganugerahan ceremonies in Besakih and at the Ulun Danu Batur temple. Penganugerahan is a ceremony to ask for holiness and blessings for an object. In the beginning we used original Chinese coins. So now we ask divine permission to change it with these new Balinese coins,” said Sukma Swacita.

Swacita believes that the unique properties of the new coins can motivate people to use it in their rituals. Besides, the price is cheaper, only Rp. 750 per coin. And now the coins have been recommended for use by banten or ritual necessity makers and priests. The socialization has been carried already since several years ago.

For certain people, Chinese coins have special meanings and purposes. They believe that coins possess divine powers, namely the coins with special symbols or inscriptions. The symbols were believed to have powers related to a leading wayang (legendary epic) figure. For example, coins with the Rejuna (Arjuna) markings will bestow its holder with Arjuna-like agility and charm.

When asked for confirmation about the rumor, Sukma Swacita just laughed. Coins are only normal objects. It will contain powers only if filled with powers through certain rituals. UD Kamasan Bali also produces these kinds of “magical coins.” “But the bequeathing of power is not our responsibility.”

He showed some of his other accessories such as statues made from coins. A statue of Bhatara Rambut Sedana is worshipped as the God of Wealth. If given a special ritual, then the statue can be used for worship. But if it is not, it will still only be a statue, used for decorative purposes.

Today, many people are already using the Balinese versions of the Chinese coins. Despite this, its presence is not suddenly a shift from the real Chinese coins. It is already four years passed but in many rituals Chinese coins can still be found.

Source: Bali Around

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Pakse/ Laos/ Sunday, May 30^th

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Event of the week

I purified my soul bathing in the Mekong with Buddhist monks in the borders of Laos. So Great!

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Monday May 24, 2010

My departure from Siem Reap and Angkor in this Monday morning is the beginning of the end of my trip in Cambodia, I can feel it. In fact, I’m moving toward Phnom Penh in order to get my visa to come to Laos in the north. I have great expectations about this new trip. I plan to cross the border on Sunday or Monday morning. The border crossing is another adventure. I think it will be harder than crossing the border between Vietnam and Cambodia. But as Clint Eastwood said: “for a few dollars more”…

I absolutely must stop at Kompong Cham whose heveas plantations are apparently beautiful. Then I will stop in Kratié to swim in the Mekong with dolphins. Thursday or Friday I will move deeper into the jungle in the wilderness area of Rotanokiri. There is a lot of ethnic groups and waterfalls there. Finally I will go to Stung Treng and the border. But first I have to go back to Phnom Penh.

It’s Monday morning, my motorbike is loaded with my bag and I say good bye to the kind team of the Guest House Golden Village, a nice place for your next stay. And guess what, the weather is hot and fine, scattered with beautiful cumulus cloud. It’s barely 9 am.

I’m riding at high speed on the national road 6. I pass the access road to the site of Angkor and I ride on the front wheels with great emotion, I joke! I resist the temptation and ride straight on. I have to travel 300 km, about 4 hours, not counting the stopover.

The landscape is relatively uninteresting: an arid plain with coconut trees. The heat is suffocating, the hair is hot, the brightness is turgescent, sorry incandescent. The road is wide and long, very long and straight, perfectly straight. The speedometer indicates 75km/h. To sum up, everything is running okay.

Around 1pm, there are only 100 km to ride but I stop in and have lunch in one of those one thousand street-towns. The restaurants are dirty and impromptu, with false red and blue plastic chairs and tables. Everything is false but the welcome is always warm and the cuisine is so refined that it would be a sin to resist temptation. Every time I have lunch in one of those canteen I become the main attraction of the day. And the restaurant is the lucky winner which houses a big motorcycle. That’s not all of it! Not everyone can be Popeye the sailor! Every time I assume my role as second-class star and play my part. I take some pictures, I stumble a few words in Cambodian language, I try to catch a girl to kiss her (they hate that but burst out laughing). Few jokes and my public is won over! How could I bore myself? It’s absolutely impossible!

Around 4pm, I arrive in Phnom Penh. I immediately distrust the cops, hidden in the shade of trees, buildings… I can see them sweating in their navy blue police uniform which is too large and too wet… I go to my favorite Guest House: Nice Guest House, if you remember something. I quickly put my luggage in the room, I take a cold shower (I always take a cold shower) and I go to get my visa. I also have to find a way to send my purchase bought in Siem Reap to my friend Trang in Saigon whose flat is my warehouse! My bag is heavy, loaded with a black wood statue from Bayon temple (four-faced tower), a bronze statue of queen Apsara, some materials and 2 deployable carved statuettes.

I decide to resort to an old trick: going back to see Sovannin, my favorite border-guard who works between Phnom Penh and Saigon. Last week, he sent for me a beautiful malefic wooden Buddha and an old carved painted wood representing Buddhist deity, Ramon Domenek I think… Let me explain: Everything is complicated but possible in Asia, it’s a basic principle. There are number of different way to send a parcel out of the country. It’s only a matter of time and money. Instead, the customs in Vietnam and Cambodia (as I have understood) are extremely vigilant with objects leaving the country.

Border controls are frequent. The authorities are rigorous. Sending a 5kg package is very expansive (60$) with a specialized company in Vietnam for instance. And so, there are a lot of tricks for those who know them. As for myself, I know this Border Guard officer, Sovannin who passes my objects as accompanied baggage. When the baggage arrive in Saigon, he calls Trang to says her that she can come to get them with her small scooter under the brutal sun. Poor Trang!?

Once these problems have been solved and after a good night’s sun, or sleep, I’m going to Kompong Cham at the north. I will probably stop there.

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Tuesday May 25, 2010

It’s 11 am and the heat is suffocating and humid on this Tuesday morning. I’m leaving Phnomh Penh. As I pass in front of the dilapidated buildings of this cursed Communist period, I think of the victims of the Khmers Rouges. I drive for about 50km on the same road where I rode last time to go from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh (the national road 6). I go until Soutip then I turn right. The national road 7 to the north is absolutely monotonous. The rainy season should have begun over one month ago. But it’s still not raining to the great displeasure of the farmers and the population. And so, the land is very arid. The beautiful dominating green that you can usually see in Asia is only a fantasy there. The water Buffalos are lapping up tiny little puddles where children (and even adults) are bathing. The water is thick and greenish yellow or brown. But I like this effect of contrast.

Suddenly the landscape changes radically. It’s a green setting in Trapeang Preah! On this nice wide well-surfaced road, the landscape turns into a botanical garden: eye-catching palm-trees, coconut trees, conifers, hibiscus and many others trees whose I do not know by name. There are beautiful houses on stilts between the trees. The houses are in a pure or eccentric style. The farmers are very “rock’n roll” round here!

I drive for about 40 km in this setting and suddenly I see Kompong Cham.  It’s the third largest city of the country and it’s the capital city of the most populous province of Cambodia. Kompong Cham is settled on the right bank of Mekong river, located 150 km (93 miles) from the capital. A new bridge down the river connects for the first time Phnom Penh to Saigon. During the war, the city has been badly damaged but there still is a beautiful colonial zone. The city is also the hevea cultivation center in Cambodia. I read that until the 60’s the rubber was the main export resource of the country. The heveas plantations from that period are beautiful.

It’s 3:30 pm and I only have 220 km to ride before arriving in Kratie, around 3 hours drive. I decide to keep on driving because I can arrive before night came. I admire the magnifiscent floral display of the roadside. Then I see a sign indicating a plantation of heveas and I decide to go there. I have done well.

There I can see acre of  green leafy trees with a slim trunk. They are planted in a magnificent blood red earth and they are bleeding by a spiral connected to a bowl, located at 50 cm from the ground, containing the nectar coveted by the French during the colonial period. It’s a pity the light isn’t beautiful because of the stormy weather. I take out my camera and begin to take pictures in saturated mode (not enough contrast ). It’s truly beautiful. I can remember having seen heveas before, but I don’t remember where. I realize how this sentence is useless. After spending 30 min in this “film set” a storm is approaching to the north. It’s almost 4pm, I can’t take the road now. I choose to stop in Kompong Cham.

It was not a good idea at all! It’s hard to find a nice place to sleep during my search for a clean, comfortable Guest house. Kompong Cham is neither a clean city nor a mess. I visit a series of rooms which are almost slums. I will not go into the details but the rooms were dilapidated with a musty smell of urine and sweat. There were also cockroach as large as Christmas figures resting on their backs forever. It was too dirty even for a strong spirit like me!

I was particularly annoyed when I stop in front of an immense hotel along the Mekong river bank, thinking  I will pay 50$ for a luxury night that I don’t care about. And then, a good surprise: a large room with 2 beds, a nice bathroom for only 7$ per night! I use to negotiate the price but not tonight. I feel generous and remain composed. I reply to the hotel receptionist “Sir, I would be delighted to stay overnight in your wonderful hotel” it looks good, isn’t it? The remains of a Marxist education! However I must early dine in these small town. It’s hard to find a restaurant for dinner from 9pm.

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Wednesday May 26, 2010

After a good night’s sleep, dreaming of bread, wine and cheese… I get on the motorbike. It’s 8am. The sun is already strong, the air is hot and I’m going to Kratie. About 100km and done! The country is truly beautiful: magnificent old and new heveas and peppers plantations. The earth is blood red, the tones of ochre, lit by sunlight in the valley. I leave the road to ride on a perpendicular way, lost in the distance and far enough to take good pictures.

It’s 1 :30 pm and I arrive in Kratie after riding in a commercial street which goes down, up to reach the city. I know that I am close to the Mekong river and I wish I will find a nice room along the riverbank. I ride on a “promenade des anglais, made in Nice” but without the tourists, the money and renown. However the place is shaded and offers a magnificent view of THE river. The river is very low for the season but I guess that the wideness and the flow must be impressive during the monsoon.  Some sampans are tied up down the avenue of hotels and guest houses where I am now. The first visit is the good one: a comfortable, large and clean bedroom on the second floor with a large terrace facing the Mekong river for 6$ per night.

Kratie was one of the first cities liberated by the Khmer Rouge army and it escaped from civil war’s bombardments. Some decayed colonial houses and an old market confers at the city centre an attractive aspect, however from a touristic point of view the place isn’t very interesting. However, a strange local animal deserves to be mentioned. The Irrawady dolphin, an endangered specie live in the Mekong nearby Kratie. It can reach a length of three meters. There are approximately 150 individuals around the Mekong water area, half of them in Laos and in Kratie’s waters for the others, where are living a dozen of dolphins there and in Stung Trend, at 100 km to the north of Kratie. I settle down. Then I decide to go to discover this dolphins. I ride along the Mekong over 16 km, along a shaded road, with houses on stilts…quite “rustic”. I reach a parking. There, one guy comes to me –without saying hello- and asks me, without a smile, 9$ to be able to park and stay on the site. Puzzled by this friendly reception, I laugh at him. It must be noted I was instantly pissed off because of his spaced teeth which looks like an hevea’s plantation. To get him anger and show him that it’s possible to be both a tourist and not a jerk, I park my motorbike just in the car park entrance, along the road. Apparently, he doesn’t appreciate my subterfuge….but what can he do? As a result, I don’t want to see the dolphins anymore, even if the boat trip includes the parking price. I will go to Laos.

The storm threats away. I look at my watch, it’s only 4:30 pm, the heat became acceptable, I should go back and run along the Mekong. A jog along the Mekong should be different from the Marne river between Joinville-le-Pont and Bry-sur-Marne, shouldn’t it Fred?

No sooner thought than done : I am wearing my beautiful blue skintight racing suits stained with droppings! I wonder what people think about me as I am running, welcomed by the jubilant crowd saying “hello, hello, hello, hello”.

As the sun begins lying down I arrive at the end of the shaded road, facing the River, the sun, the horizon (this is normal) and what a show: a dozen of floating houses in backlight, tied up along the shore in front of me.

It’s a pity that I don’t have my camera but I think I will come back tomorrow. The landscape is too beautiful. I enjoy this moment before running back. I feel good, very good. I remember those lines of poetry from the French movie les Valseuses: “we feel good, aren’t we? The glans relaxed, we will have a hard on whenever we want!” What a knowledge, isn’t it? Is this the legacy of my Marxist education?

I am sweaty but peaceful. I go back to the hotel. I ran for about 50 min. I’m tired but, geez, I had forgotten how good is this.  It’s hard to play sport when you are in the tropical countries. The last time I ran, I was in Otres Beach, Sihanouk Ville.

Après une bonne douche, un bon repas, une bonne bière et un peu de lecture, j’allonge et fixe le ventilateur du plafond qui m’entraine dans la spirale de mes pensées.

I take a good shower, have a nice dinner and drink a good beer. I read a little bit, then I go to bed and stare at the ceiling fan while getting lost in the spiral of my thoughts.

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Thursday May 27, 2010

I decide to rest in the room today in order to write. That’s I’m doing now on the terrace overlooking the Mekong. What a view! I also have to book my motorbike in for a service, to post the pictures on my blog because there is a web bar nearby with good Wi-Fi. Tomorrow, I will go to Stung Treng, the last city of Cambodia 60 km before the border with Laos. There I will have two choices: 1/ I enjoy a trip in Ratanak Kiri until Sunday (a wild country located in the extreme east corner close to the border with Vietnam) or 2/  I cross the border to begin a new chapter of my journey: Laos. To be continued.

The weather is still hot, the Mekong is still low. The storm is approaching but it’s still not raining or it rains a little. The rain falls on Kompong Cham as the landscape is turning apocalyptic.  Beneath a magnificent sky with graduated dark colours, going from blue to dark grey. Curls of clouds tear and reform. I can even see  some cumulus mamma. The wind is gusty and whitecaps are visible on the Mekong. A wall of sand is standing up on the other side of the river bank situated about 1km.  The show is beautiful. A lot of noise and fury, some rainfalls and a lot of sweating.

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Friday May 28, 2010

I wake up early, it is time to leave, there is no more doubt about the weather this morning, the day promises to be warm. Last Night, the discussion with Gilles,  who is a French people travelling in South East Asia,  discouraged me definitely from going further in the Ratana Kiri country, at the extreme limit of the North East of Cambodia . The reason of my reluctance is not at all the lack of interest; indeed, the countryside is green, surrounded by hills, forests, and some ethnics.  The reason is that I already had a similar experience in Northern Vietnam, and that the road maintenance was not perfect. Travelling on deteriorated roads is really exhausting and at the same moment, I was not motivated to overcome this obstacle, that’s why I decided to go to the Laos, that day.

Around 200 kms separate me from the border.  There is around 100 kms to reach Strung Treng, then around 70 kms to the border. I border the Mekong River and I drive 40 kms in bad road conditions, but fortunately, this road is shaded with few houses on stilts and wonderful big and thick trees. From time to time, smells of flowers tickle my nose, and I love it. The Mekong River seems to be quiet and dreaming, all is perfect. I reach the road N7, which is a monotone but  it is fairly good road until to Strung Treng. The landscape is changing, is becoming wild: I can see forests and long grass, few dead snakes on the road, fewer homes increasingly far from each other, very quickly, I don’t cross anybody on the road,  I am alone here.

After Strung Treng where I took my last meal in Cambodia, I arrive to the border office. The decoration is really minimalist and intimate: there is a forest, a road, two distanced fences from 300 meters, two sheds and two old constructions, a kind of Algeco. I feel like that I come back in the past, at the golden age of the socialism with its austerity.  Obviously, I want neither to have a break, nor to spend my period of paid leave, in this place. I get off my motorcycle, I walk to the shack near the road, I fill in the form in order to leave Cambodia, and I go to the customs office to declare my motorcycle.

A very sympathetic and strong guy, dressed with a white Marcel and a military pant, accepts to receive me in his office, which probably used to be a room of torture.  This room was gloomy. Our conversation in English keeps on being polite, that gives me some comfort. I try to explain him that the motorcycle owns to my Vietnamese fiancée who is used to living and working in Saigon. We have travelled together in South East Asia. But, for professional reasons she had to come back to Saigon. We have planned to meet each other in Paksé, next Monday. I show him the documents of the motorcycle, my driving licences, and the letter from Trang that confirms my talks and I wait.

In such a country, the more painful is waiting whereas any sign is visible on the faces of Asiatic people: with the same insensitiveness, they can announce you that you are winner of the last lottery, or that you are about to die in extreme conditions. Looking at his face, it seemed that my correspondent is convinced by my account of the events. Once I pass through the first roadblock, it seems to me possible to leave Cambodia without making me removed the motorcycle. The following obstacle is now entering into Laos by one of the most repressive customs office of the Old Indochina. I know immediately that I should pay 1 dollar as the usual bakchich, amount that is paid by anyone who wants go further the customs office, but what about the motorcycle? Quickly, the doubt is raised.

At 30 Km per hour, I cover the 300 meters that separate me from the Lao office, I shut the engine off,  I get off the motorbike, and I go and meet the guy in the  wood shack. I fill in the forms relative to my entry in Laos, then, directly I go to the authorities ‘border office.  A nice guy stamps upon my passport, before withholds money from me. There is no good reason to negotiate. The latter guy doesn’t ask me any questions.

I get back on the road, in the best conditions, given that I am alleviated and allowed to drive through Laos.  I feel like happy as a fish in the water of the Mekong River. But, 1 km further, I am front of the customs office that I have to pass through, the customs office dedicated to the motorbike, precisely. Suddenly, I feel anxious. Two strong guys, two specialists of the administrative procedure able to speak grossly, indicate me to follow them. Between these two strong guys, similar to Laurence Boccolini and Carlos, I feel very weak. Of course, I keep on complying, it would be silly to find fault with them.

Quickly, they take me to a little shed full of weird insects, like big mosquitos, and the warm is so suffocating that I sweat profusely. One of the two guys explain me in a broken but understandable English that the entry of my motorbike in Laos has to be declared as an operation of import, even If this import is provisional (the issues related to the motorbike are delicate issues in Asia). That’s why I had to pay an extra 10 dollar tax. Consequently, the two strong guys seem to be quieter and understanding.  When I obtain my official authorization and my tax bill, they offer me a beer and an iced tea, under the shade of the trees. My first gifted BeerLao has been drunk with customs agents, what a strange experience, isn’t it?

It’s incredible that in those countries people and events are unpredictable. Perhaps if I had crossed the border another day, it would have been different. I’m looking at the problems from a different perspective. All is possible here whereas things are officially forbidden. You can try. Just be creative, it’s important to improvise and start up again during the conversation. Do not hesitate to be nice and believe your fibs.  You also have to get small notes in cash in order to unblock the situation. This is a part of Asia, I think.

There is no longer any obstacle to travel freely within Laos. I going to sleep in Duong Khong, one of the two main but small islands among the 4000 Islands which is a lost paradise on the Mekong river, about 20km from the border. It’s 5pm and it rained a bit. The sky is dark. I can see the Mekong and I speed up in that direction. When I’m on the riverbank I load a little motor boat with my motorbike and I can cross the river for 20 000 kips (approximately 2$).

Ten minutes later I can disembark. There is a dozen of Guest Houses with terrace overlooking the River along the street around the island. I choose the third. The bedroom is nice, clean and quiet for 4$ per night. I take a shower before dinner. It’s 6:30 pm. It’s very dark and it rains, for real!

I’m having dinner with a very nice young couple: Vincent (from Netherlands) and Dice (from Slovakia). Vincent briefs me about Laos and I give him tips about Cambodia and motorbikes because he wants to buy one. I am exhausted after a long driving day and the border crossing (which is a trial itself). I go early to bed around ten because I have to get up early in the morning to write my chronicle during sunrise, facing the Mekong…

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Saturday May 29, 2010

It’s a good thing I got up early. The show is amazing and peaceful. I am alone on the terrace overlooking the Mekong, lost in the distance. The sun rises and the temperature is pleasant. It rained all night and everything is drenched. A few small islands appear suddenly here and there, it’s nothing.

After writing my chronicle I’m discovering the island. The countryside is made up of coconut trees, palm trees… There are more houses on stilts, free buffalos (temporarily), goats (without legionnaire), cocks looking for hens, some snakes smashed on the pavement, one of them was huge, a scorpion crossing the street (I noticed), villagers staring at me… the routine.

I ride through small villages and I make a stopover when the view to the Mekong is interesting. The Mekong is an incredible expanse of water and vegetation. When the torrential rain will really come down the “mother of every river in Asia” will impressively rise, the water flow will increase up to thousands of cubic metres per second. I can’t imagine the effects of the flood waters. There are a lot of islets surrounding the main island. Some of them are flat and others are composed of rocky peaks such as Ha Long bay in Vietnam. The area in the extreme south of Laos where I am now is Si Phan Done. There are amazing landscapes there. The Mekong is the wider here. I read that during the monsoon the River can reach 14km in width! The flow is divided into many arms with rapids and waterfalls over 50km. When the flood waters are receding, thousands of small islands are visible (hence the nickname, 4000 islands)

Done Khong is the largest and the only island which is inhabited all year long. The island where I’m now is 18km long and 8km wide. The inhabitants (about 15000) mainly live in Muong Khong, to the north of the island or in Muong Sène to the west. They are mostly depending on sugar canes and coconut trees cultivation but also on fishing, weaving and tourism. About 15km to the south, two Islands (Done Det and Done Khône) are apparently one of the most amazing natural site in Laos thanks to their rapids and waterfalls. Around midday, I come back to Muong Khong and nothing had caught my eye. I have lunch in a small but very clean restaurant. The heat is extreme. The menu is very tempting and I order some spring rolls and a pork and noodle soup with chopped herbs. It’s delicious! It smells of basilica, chili and local herbs I don’t know. My mouth is hot and the shack too. In fact, everything is hot.

I spend the afternoon riding and crossing the river a number of times. One thing I dislike: the European face crime. You have to pay higher price than the inhabitants. I had been suckered in once but not twice.  I arrive in front of the ferry-boat and the boatman tells me “10 000kips” (around 1,25 dollars). I pay and get on a mouldy ship. We are 4 or 5 persons and I am the only Westerner. When we arrive in the other bank a girl gives him a 5 000 kips note. Indeed I’ve been tricked for 5000 kips. I will get my revenge tonight when I get on the boat again. Time goes by as I’m riding in the sun. Around 4:30 pm I arrive on the gangway. Stroke of luck: the same boatman is working. I ask him the question: “10000 kips?” “Yes my friend, ten tousande!”. We are 4 ou 5 persons like last time with our motorbike. But then I don’t want to pay him now but after arriving like the others. When we arrived the first guy gives him a 5000 kips notes, then the second guy, … He asks me with a smile on his face 10 000 kips. I explain to him that I’m really pissed off about being suckered twice in the same day by the same guy in public. As I am really upset he  tells me “ok my friend, fife tousande!”. So we have stopped there. No comment. This is the way things are in Vietnam, Cambodia and now in Laos. It’s tiring when you have to check and recount everything.

I come back home and look at my watch, it’s 5pm. A thunderstorm broke out and now the sky is clear. The landscape with the Mekong is amazing. I decide to run along the bank for an hour in spite of extreme heat.

What a heat! Despite the shaded way where I’m riding I have nothing to drink. I forgot to take drinking water… shit! 30 minutes later I have to return. I a very hot and thirsty. The natives are looking at me as if I am a Martian in my blue combination. The undergrowth is less dense, I finally made it. In front of their temple, I can see young monks, almost naked and swimming in the Mekong river. Some tourists are a little confused about bathing  in troubled waters. What a mixture of colors: the monks are dressed in blue and me in orange. They invite me to join them in the river. What do I do? On the one hand, I was dying to bath with them. I’m so hot! On the other hand I tell to myself “be careful of the water, they use to bath here but not you”. I look at the others tourists, looking for some help. But they absolutely don’t care about it. The Devil will speak for them!

I jump in the water, fully clothed, wearing sneakers. I have a strong spirit and the mouth closed. The water is hot, between 25 and 30 degrees Celsius. No matter what happen after that, I’m sure it would be good for me. After 15 minutes swimming like a crocodile, I get out of the water covered with leeches, blood-shot eyes, red gums  and mycosis in my briefs. The monks are terrified and I can already smell incense burning in my honor. RIP Eric. No! I get out of the water wearing my combination and my Nike shoes as clean as a whistle. I go back to the guesthouse, 300m farther and take a good shower before dinner. What an unforgettable day!

- – -

Sunday May 30, 2010

I will post this letter tonight. I keep my promises, this week. As I’ reading through what I have written, I realize that a lot of things happened. But I don’t really get it. 8:30 am : I waiting for a boat in order to do a visual tour on the Mekong and to see the waterfalls nearby the border with Cambodia. 9:30: the boat is still tied up because the number of tourists is not sufficient. Too bad. I decide to go to Paksé, a small town around 130 km to the north, at the foot of the Bolaven Plateau. The natural site is apparently beautiful: tea and coffee plantations and dizzy waterfalls.

The crossing cost 5000 kip because the boatman knows me. I finally ride on the national road, I watch the landscape passing by my eyes. The weather is fine, only few clouds here and there in the blue sky. The landscape turns into a wild area. Forests and arid nature fallow each other. After riding over 50 km I can see the first relief that indicates the natural border with Vietnam. It’s nice to ride on this high quality road. I am alone. Some water buffalos are bathing in a small pond, the head is only visible. This is a desert place: there are just some old, dilapidated, rustic houses on stilts.

And then I can see some villages. They are built in the same style like in Cambodia and Vietnam. However the houses are much nicer. The materials and the colours seem to have been chosen with a special care.  The earth is red and green because of the surrounding nature. The landscape is beautiful. And of course, I stop to make some photos. Midday: I have to ride 30km before arriving in Paksé. I take a break and eat a Lao-style “pho”. What a treat!

I ride toward Paksé. The landscape is very different from what I’ve seen in Cambodia. I am close to the mountains and the jungle. There are more and more houses on the roadside. I ride on an avenue reaching to the centre. The remains of the colonial period are well preserved. You can imagine the architectural inspiration. The city centre has a market and a commercial centre which are still opened. Many chops are closed because it’s Sunday, an Asian exception?

I find a guesthouse for 70 000 kips per night (around 6$) and meet Clothild and Yann, a couple of French student who are making a 5 months trip in Laos. Then I make photos of  an huge bridge on the Mekong built by the Japanese. What an amazing River, so huge in spite of the dry season.

It’s Sunday May 30, 7 :06pm in Laos. I am now in Paksé. I finish my story on a wooden terrace overlooking the Mekong. I’m drinking a Beerlao  and the local music projected from the speakers, located 2m above my head, is hurting my ears.

To be continued, see you next sunday

- – -

Eric Monteil

English translation by Sara Cazes

→ Rock Around Cambodia 2010 in photos

Rock Around Asia  2010 is a motorcycle solo road trip done in 2010 through Southeast of Asia: Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Bali, Indonesia. Finally, seven months and over 22.000 km out of beaten tracks done. Not even one fall or mechanic trouble or trouble of any kind, just an amazing experience of Asian way of life with minority people, talented artists and never ending smiling children. More than a motorbike trip, a human experience through traditions, art, knowledge, history, genocide, civilizations, spicy food… Today, ROCK AROUND ASIA is a kind of innovative Art Gallery setup in Bangkok, Thailand, that promotes all fine arts and crafts provided by talented but isolated artists i was lucky to meet in my journey.