Laos and Lao - what's the difference? Laos or Vietnam or Cambodia?

Laos. Airport.

Problem
Lao - Laos? Which is correct? How do you say it?

Apparently the people are called Lao, the language is called Lao, but the French added the s to the end of the word for the country name. The French, as is their way, did not pronounce the last letter. However, most foreigners do So the polite locals will echo you, and call their country Laos for ease of communication with foreigners and politeness.

Sounds sweet - if confusing. Actually, now I know, it's pretty clear.

Vientiane - quick trip?
We looked at Vientiane, capital of Laos, as a destination in Asia for a short trip at Christmas or Easter. Our research showed a lot of charming temples, plenty of novelty for a weekend trip, but not enough for more than a week, for us.

Longstay Holiday - Vietnam?
If, however, you are going for a longer break of say a week in one place, for example over Christmas and New Year, our preferred option would be a big city with lots of museums and French restaurants such as Hanoi in Vietnam. However, to get away from it all, Laos might be your choice.

Cambodia _ First Choice
I haven't yet been to either, but I have been to Cambodia, which has umpteen temples, each one amazing and different, with huge stone faces staring at you. Stunning. Best place I have ever been to. Tripadvisor also rated Cambodia as tops.

The temple ticket for three days is expensive. However, guesthouse hotels, and trishaw taxis - if you get one for a day instead of taking several in a day, are cheap.

So here's my choice:
First trip to Asia: must include Cambodia's Siem Reap, the temple city. You need a trishaw to take you out of the city centre to the stone temples in lakes and overgrown by trees.
Everybody's popular second or first choice - Thailand, graceful gold-topped temples.
Second choice for a long trip: Vietnam.
Laos - get away from it all.

That's for side trips from Asia. I met Americans doing a four country trip. If you are starting out in life, or don't know how many active years you have left, maybe a multi-centre trip or multi-country.

Exploring the net:
Youtube
Youtube for videos of major landmarks and arial views of mountaintops, places closed this time of year and more places otherwise inaccessible.

Streetview
Streetview for real life views. Streetview will give you time line progressions so you can compare a country you visited five or ten years ago with how it is today and see if it has changed. Has it improved, modernised? Or lost its charm? Is it worthwhile going back to recapture, or see a changed place?

Bargains and For Frankness
Lonely Planet
Rough Guides

Tripadvisor
Umpteen views from the public. Takes a while to read through.

Cambodia
Laos
Thailand
Vietnam

Angela Lansbury

TripAdvisor offers to Plovdiv and Denpasar? Where are they? Why go there?

Problem
Tripadvisor keeps sending me offers of cheap flights from London to places I don't know. However often I do those quizzes on Duolingo on the capitals of Europe, up comes another offer. By the time I get around to checking the country, two days later, the offer will be gone. Anyway, let's check out today's offers. If they sent me a feedback form, I would tell them to add the country.

Answers
Plovdiv - second city of Bulgaria.
BULGARIA  - WELCOMING!




Here's the flag, horizontal stripes of white, green and red.

On the map of Europe, it is East of Italy, beyond Greece, bordering the Black Sea, south of Russia.

Plovdiv - BULGARIA
Plovdiv is the second largest city. Bulgaria is on my list. I like to add a new country. I am working on learning the Cyrillic alphabet through Duolingo.

You can see from the map of Europe that Bulgaria is on the inland sea so it has beaches.

The Ethnographic Museum, Plovdiv, Bulgaria. 

The Synagogue, Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

PLOVDIV
1 Greek Names
Originally Philip's town, in Greek Philippolis (Philip - polis meaning city, as in the modern English words politics and political - matters affecting the governing of the entire city). Incidentally, the name Philip comes from Philos, as in Philadelphia, meaning love, and lipos meaning horse. A lover of horses would have been a wealthy nobleman. When you look at the map and see Greece is close by, and so is Macedonia, the invasion by Philip of Macedonia is not so surprising. Plovdiv is in the south west of the country, not terribly near those beaches on the East coast, more of a cultural trip unless you have time for a two-centre trip or some travelling.

Meanwhile, what's to see nowadays in Plovdiv?

2 Roman Ruins
After the Greeks came to Bulgaria alon came the Romans and the city has major Roman remains to see.
 Wiki says: preserved ruins such as the ancient 
Plovdiv Roman theatre, 
a Roman odeon, 
a Roman aqueduct, 
the Plovdiv Roman Stadium.

3 Russian Alphabet
The Russians up north brought the Cyrillic alphabet, which two priestly brothers, one called Cyril, created using letters from the Hebrew and Greek alphabets. From the Bulgarian point of view, creating a script using the alphabet from nearby neighbour Greece seemed a handy, obvious idea, good for travelling or if you already spoke the neighbouring language.

Catch up on the Cyrillic alphabet using Duolingo, and you can use it again later if you ever go to Russia, as well as reading captions on monuments and railway stations in photos of Bulgaria and Russia.

4 Bulgarian Balkan Backdrop
The city is surrounded by seven hills. Plovdiv in Bulgaria is called The City of Seven Hills. You can see that in photos.

5 Modern

For Denpasar in Bali see next post.

These offers have probably gone already. But next time around, I'll be in the know and ready to click on the link.

I am adding a top one, three, five, seven or ten sights or types of sights to see in each country:

Useful Websites:
GENERAL TOURISM
http://tripadvisor.com.sg

BULGARIA
http://bulgariantouristboard.com

BALI, INDONESIA (See next post.)
http://balitourismboard.or.id

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

Ankor Wat, Cambodia - highlight of the year

The outline of Cambodia's famous tourist attraction, Ankor Wat, is depicted on the flat.

Problem
How do you get to see Ankor Wat?

Answer
Your hotel will organise a tuk-tuk, and/or a guided tour.

The first thing you need to know is that the second city of Cambodia, Siem Reap, is a tourists' city surrounded by temples. The picture I have always associated with Ankor Wat, the one with the benign stone face, is like Buddha but not at Ankor Wat, at another Wat or temple nearby.

This statue appears more than once, the main one being another temple in the circuit, to be more precise, another temple plus several gateways to temple complexes.

I wanted to do the 'circuit' tour first to get an idea of the layout of the whole area, and I still think this is the best thing to do first. My companion said, "That's for old ladies who don't want to walk. I want to visit Ankor Wat and go inside and walk all the way round and achieve one temple done properly on my first day.

So off we went to Ankor Wat.

The biggest surprise was how busy it was. I had expected a remote path through the woods, solo, perhaps with a guide, through an overgrown path in the jungle, like a wilderness hike, wondering whether a wild animal or wild native would leap from the trees and make off with me or my camera or both, never to be seen again (the wild animal or native plus the camera without listening to polite arguments and NLP training all to no avail.

Nothing like that. More like sales day on a bank holiday at a safari park, kiosks selling water, postcards, fisherman's pants, tee shirt, guidebooks, and hordes of people with umbrellas following guides in ten different languages, tuk tuks and minibuses and cars in fields, plus bunting and litter bins and signs.


Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

Woodlands, Palm Trees and Temples in Singapore

Problem
Woodlands is in the far north of Singapore, almost over into Malaysia, miles from the airport and the shopping centre of Orchard Road. Why would I go there? How would I get there? Is it a downmarket place?

Answer
An Indian couple people who ended up in Woodlands because his job took him there told me they prefer Woodlands to the District One city centre. Instead of sky scrapers, they family enjoy space and greenery, a secluded garden city, within the bigger garden city of the city state.

Story
Years ago the American School moved from the centre of the city towards Woodlands, because the centre of the city was more of a security risk. At that time I thought that the more expensive and exclusive areas nearer the centre were better, and that people who claimed to like living out of town were either sports freaks or compensating for their lack of income and success and make the best of being on the outskirts of Singapore. Then I was more interested in shopping than cycling, bored by beaches and big open spaces.

Trees
However, the first time I took the train to Woodlands MRT station, I was uplifted by the avenues of palm trees leading to and from the station. It was a delight to walk between them, enjoying the sight of the sun sinking behind the trees.

I visited a complex of offices and found tucked away around the corner two adjacent temples.

Photos by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.
Temples
Two great temples, colourful, beautiful.

Author
Angela Lansbury

Listed Buildings To Visit And Photograph

If you want to take a daily walk or a free tour of your area of the city where you are living or visiting, look at a map and find the historic buildings nearby. You might pick historic buildings in your nearest high street, or old buildings in the countryside or down leafy side streets.

Map Search
My family did a search in north west London and we were amazed at the number of listed buildings. A great opportunity for a walk and some photography.

St Anselm's Church, Hatch End.
Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Timing Your Trip
If your primary aim is fresh air and free of noise, you might choose to walk early in the morning. A late uncle of mine used to travel the world and take photos (actually colour slides - I still have them) of temples and buildings around the world at dawn.

You might also try gardens and parks with the morning dew. Carry a plastic bag like a dog poop scoop to remove litter from the ground, especially cigarette butts dropped around doorways, for your romantic photos.

Reality Pictures
Other people prefer to show life how it is. They like to reveal that beauty spots are ruined by litter. The french word verite or truth or reality comes to mind. Ralists want to show that third world countries are slums, dumps, poverty stricken, and not the idyllic places of our dreams. I like to take one of each. First the reality, then how it looked after I cleared it.

People Pictures
I also take a place without people and with people. I had an editor who always wanted people in photos. He said people made it interesting.

Local Characters
But you also need the right people. Do you want to show only local people to match the venue. Or tourists enjoying the trip. Or people meeting the locals?

A Chinese magazine might want only Asians. Or they might want only foreigners, because that's what readers aspire to imitate, or because that fits the text. Or because they already have lots of local people and want something different.

Fashions
I found that people in last year's fashions dated a photo. They look untidy with shirts hanging out. They were inelegant. For a fashion magazine the aim would be to include cute characters.

Passers-By
Passers-by are often keen to pose.
They might move and caused blur.

What if you want a natural shot. Even people standing still or slumped can be an anomaly. An amazing number of people shut their eyes, cover part of their faces, glare, stand looking gormless.

Others are in the wrong place with trees and lamp posts growing out of their heads.

They run forward demanding money. Or try to rob you whilst you are taking a photo.

They move hands and wave and cause blur. They move out of shot at the last moment, leaving bits of bodies. You get a disembodied arm or foot as if you are chasing a fugitive.

The solution is to take lots of shots. Choose the best. (This is called bracketing.)

Twilight
I like twilight pictures. I won a competition from Polaroid and a ferry company when we were given Polaroid cameras. I took a statue silhouetted against the still light evening sky.

Angela Lansbury, travel photographer and writer, author and speaker.

Malta and Gozo - My Trip and Future Plans

Malta is the European capital of Culture in 2018 and many areas are being refurbished with signs saying that the projects are jointly funded by local sponsors and the European Union. How do you get there from the UK?

Flying to Malta
Stansted airport has a short term car park beside the terminal or you can take a shuttle bus to the long-term car park. My family found you did less walking and dragging luggage by taking the shuttle bus, rather than walking to the far end of the short-term car park. Also the short term car park is so expensive that a few hours delay bumps up your parking charge which is by the hour.

Flight on Ryanair.
The flight of just over three hours went quickly. Seats, three across, were very squashed. More room sitting in the toilet! But we slept on the journey out. Great price flights for a last minute bargain break long weekend.

We had our own healthy salad. Cheese and biscuits, two small crackers and only one small morsel of cheese in foil seemed poor value . It would be cheaper to buy one of those circular boxes of processed cream cheese which gives you about six small portions. Also invest in a pack of crackers. Olives were good value, several for each of two of us.

Let's Go magazine has travel articles and food and drink and gift illustrations and prices. The small bottle of Prosecco at 6.50 Euros seemed fun. The gifts included lip balms tasting of Coca Cola, six of them for 13 Euros. The biggest delay was queuing to collect our hire car.

Malta - Introduction
Once we arrived it was delightfully easy. The two main languages are English and Maltese, which is an Arabic base with words from Italy and other countries. The religion is Roman Catholic, with many statues of madonnas and saints on the outsides of buildings and numerous churches and cathedrals and chapels. The only word I learned or needed was Triq which means street. Once you've worked out that San is saint, Triq San Anna is Saint Anne's Street. Foreign words are most the same, just spelled funny. The Maltese ones are all translated by your maps and guide books. A tourist office in the airport has lots of brochures. Hotels also have leaflets.

Population 400,000 approx.
Size - small, 316 square kilometres.
Weather: www.maltaweather.com

Saturday Flight Stansted-Malta on Ryanair
Hertz hire car from airport, an automatic which are apparently less in demand than manual cars. Very good value, about £10 a day, but more if you buy insurance.
Excelsior Grand Hotel Room overlooking front garden, lovely. (Sea view cost extra but you can see that from the hotel's rooms downstairs.)
Snack supper of cheese plate in bar with live music.

Photo by Angela Sharot from Valletta's Great Siege road looking over to the three cities which have two harbours between them, one for the cruise ships.

Sunday
First view of the yellow historic UNESCO heritage city by daylight. Walked around Grand Excelsior hotel, whose outdoor pool was shut, as was the tiny beach, the only one in Valletta and looked at the harbours opposite.
Breakfast in the hotel with great view of the harbours and cruise ships.

Walked along Great Siege Road, where a plaque tells you about the Great Siege of 1565, past impressive bastions, overlooking the three cities.
Saw statue of Vallette who defended the fortress and said the Turks would come back. He built a wall big enough to protect thousands of people. The city was named in his honour.
around Valletta.
We swam in the Excelsior Grand hotel indoor pool.
Dinner in Valletta at the Legligin (meaning glug-glug) restaurant.

Monday
MALTA - main island - Drove through St Julian's.
Over-developed skyscraper seaside.

GOZO - island of Calypso, where Ulysses delayed, according to Greek legend.
Ferry
to Gozo. Very simple. Just drive on. No ticket needed. Like driving into Wales over the Severn bridge, going there is free - you pay on the way back. Passed the midway island of Comino which has a blue bay, and side trips.

Gozo Sights:
1 Capital city Victoria, small, originally called Rabat but renamed for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897. Everything was closed on an off-season lunchtime Monday last February.
2 Lunch at the wonderful elegant hotel Kempinski.
3 Drove to Azure window, a see-through arch out over the sea (a picture you see at the airport , the tourist office, restaurants and many places), and another arched cave in a cliff face above a blue pool, overlooked by the clifftop opposite where a cafe/lunch place offers a great view.
4 Craft village. Watch the crafts people at work.
5 Winery shop.
6 Ferry back - you pay on the way back - confusing slip roads, this one for the ferry, no that's for lorries, take the other one for cars, but, oops, the third one to buy tickets. The ferry heaved and rocked sideways a lot so I sat in the middle. Before we had time for a drink it was time to land. First I looked out of the window to see Comino as we passed, uninhabited except for a hotel and tourists there for the day, so no major building, then I looked around the handy shop. I bought two Guidebooks, one on Malta, one on Gozo.

Valletta, capital of Malta.
Monday night we drove back into narrow Strait Street to see Chris at the glut-glug restaurant.
Evening meal in Excelsior Grand hotel, which has buffet starters and desserts. You order your main course from the a la carte menu.

Tuesday
Winery tour. Wines include Franc named after founder.
Back to our hotel for our luggage where I bought from the hotel shop the magnetic notepad holder we'd had in the bedroom.
Drove to the Three Cities.
Mdina, hilltop 'silent city, used to be the capital until Valletta was built. Outside the walls is a cafe with view over the plain.
Mosta Dome Rotunda interior with magnificent exterior, interior, and replica of the bomb which nearly destroyed it in WWII (see separate post). Cake shop.

Rabat - another tiny town where you drive into the tiny central square, look for a parking place take the road out and in twenty minutes, unless you've stopped at the main attraction, connected here with St Paul, you've driven around the place three times. 

For us the main attraction is the small Parruccan confectionary kiosk, Publius Cutajar Parruccan Confectionary where a jolly man beckons you to the kiosk and offers you a free taste of something, nuts and sugar, okay.  If you don't immediately buy he offers you another . Then another, answers all your questions, his late father started the business. He lets you try the home made traditional confectionary he makes, including macaroons with Gozitan bitter almonds, Maltese honey rings, nougat, dried figs and orange marmalade in fruit tarts. Some of them are quite dry but my family loved them. The owner is smiling and chatty. 

Bought red and white bottles of Maltese wine from duty free shop:
The Winery on the Waterfront
Paola
Malta
www.delicata.com

***********************
My next trip:
WHAT to see in Malta
Valletta
Malta 5D show with shaking seats, water spray and scents.
Mdina Dungeons Museum. Looks gruesome. www.dungeonsmalta.com 10 am-4pm
St Paul's Catacombs, Rabat.
Marine world Malta national Aquarium complex in Qawra, has La Nave Bistrot and cafe del Mar.
Siggiewi - limestone heritage, in a quarry, diorama museum and 30 ft waterfall.

WHAT to see on GOZO
Megalithic monument - two Gjantija Temples, buy ticket.
Windmill.

COMINO
Blue Bay.
Second optional excursion to a cave.

TOUR OPTIONS
Hire a car from the airport.
Get collected by your hotel's car and then travel by chauffeur driven car tours; hotel Transport office direct line(00356) 2319 2229. or within the hotel extension 2229..
Take local buses.
Open top bus hop on hop off (see Tripadvisor).
Captain Morgan Cruises. www.captainmorgan.com.mt
Jeep Safari.
Underwater Safari.
Dragonara Casino. wptdeepstacks.com
dragonaracasino.com

EVENTS
Malta Wine Festivals are held every year
....................................
Aug 6-9 2015, 7 pm to midnight
Upper Barrakka Gardens, Valletta
Buy a souvenir glass and wristband and get tastings.
Maltese grapes are Girgentina and Gezlewza.
details from delicate.com/nadur-gozo-2015
Local specialities likely to be available include fried rabbit.
www.visitmalta.com
Marsovin summer wine festival.

Malta is only 93 km South of Sicily and tours go to Sicily.
Media photos from viewingmalta.com