Deepening the Groove Between Bangkok and Hanoi
In and around Southeast Asia
"How Elephants Came to Inhabit Thailand"
Lane Xang. Where one million elephants once roamed freely...
At least until the late 1800's, when the French encorporated the land into Indochina and renamed the kingdom of Lane Xang "Laos" in a seelingly pointless attempt to place it on the map, to earn it a bit of respect from neighbouring countries Thailand (or Siam back then) and Vietnam, both bent on controlling the kingdom - proven through the never-ending raids. But if nothing else, to tame those elephants.
Then everything went pear-shaped for the French and they took off, leaving poor defenceless, undeveloped Laos in the thick of it - the Vietnam war, civil war, the threat of communism, and organised elephant demonstrations.
Until a few years later, when a communist government came to power and offered a compromise inwhich all involved, inside, outside and around, agreed to and the land was officially named the "Lao People's Democratic Republic," where all Laotians roam freely at will.
The elephants, under their section of the agreement, were escorted across the Mekong River into neighbouring Thailand where all promises in the agreement could be fulfilled. Here they thrived, gradually but steadily going walkabouts throughout the country until their numbers overflowed and spilled into Burma and, much to the Laotians delight, back into Laos, where all mankind and elephant species live happily to this very day.
Route taken and entries written by 1world1individual
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1
Discovering Ancient Ruins
...Most sites around Ayutthaya are wats, or temples, and feature numerous prangs, the Thai word for a conical shaped towers, reflecting Khmer in... Continue reading »
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2
Bangkok in Bad Weather
Having visited Bangkok twice last year, I was in no rush to return tho I would never say no. I'm an Enigizer battery, how could I? Besides, if you get... Continue reading »
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3
48 Hours Short
Chiang Mai. My tour leaders home town. I can tell you everything the city offers, and it is a city too, the second largest in Thailand. During the one... Continue reading »
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4
To the Other Side
Chiang Khong is in the far far north of Thailand. Its a busy little town, but for one reason only. People do not travel to Chiang Khong, they travel t... Continue reading »
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5
Neither Here Nor There
Pak Beng exists for no other reason than to provide those travelling on the Mekong with a reasonably pleasant night, as they transit from Chiang Khong... Continue reading »
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6
A French-Indochinese Town
The night markets of Luang Prabang and Kao San Road Bangkok. Differences between markets don't get further appart than those two exampled. Uniform, qu... Continue reading »
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7
Playing
Vang Vieng: the outdoor capital of Laos. I fullfilled its claim to the name by visiting a few nearby caves and taking half a day to float down the riv... Continue reading »
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8
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9
Hanoi
I was intruduced to Hanoi in a very disapointingly dull manner. For one of the world's greatest cities, it took a while for me to justify the title. F... Continue reading »
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10
To The Far Stretches Of Sapa
There are few options for travel to Sapa, a far northern Vietnamese town famous for its people and trekking routes through mountains of terraced ric... Continue reading »
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11
Aiming for Hanoi
An early departure from Lao Cai station to Hanoi tought me a few rules for overnight train travel in Vietnam:1. Once conqueroring the tricky... Continue reading »
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12
The LONG way home
I said goodbye to Hanoi, slowly shrinking behind me, with a longing gaze towards the direction from which I was travelling. I know that seems quite in... Continue reading »
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