Trip to Thailand and Laos (page 17 of 19)

Peru is gorgeous, but I think I read that Kate isn’t really into elevation changes.

I’m a city girl But I can easily do 14 km a day for several days if the paths/streets are flat.

In Peru on the Altiplano (altitude 3,850 m), it's as flat as the Brie plain. During our trip, because of strikes that paralyzed transportation, we left Puno for Juliaca on foot, thinking we could hitchhike or find a bus after the roadblocks at the city's exit. But nothing was moving... so we kept walking, thinking we only had about ten kilometers to cover, but in reality, we ended up doing over 40... without a single uphill climb! !

Puno/Juliaca is flat because it's by the lake. But hats off for those 40 km!

I don’t know the plains of Brie—I’m more of a reblochon team—but I wouldn’t classify Peru as a "flat" destination. Apart from Lima, as soon as you move around a bit, elevation changes pop up quickly (though they’re not totally deal-breakers).

We didn’t even do 10 meters of elevation gain... Our rudimentary map had us believing the distance was at most 15 km. We could see far ahead, but as we kept going, the horizon seemed to always retreat. In total, we covered about 45 km—we were young! The only issue was the lack of hospitality from the locals we met. It was impossible to get even a glass of water. Back then (and maybe still today), *Gringos* weren’t welcome, and I saw multiple times on train trips (Arequipa to Puno) travelers getting pelted with rocks by locals who refused to be photographed... I’ve never experienced that anywhere else.

As for the "flat country" part, that was obviously a joke—it’s actually the only flat area aside from the Pacific coast.

Yes, between Puno and Juliaca it’s flat, but the scenery isn’t very pretty. Kate might be able to use it to train for her next trip.😄

It was kind of a 😏 idea to decide to go see Machu Picchu 😄 True, it’s not the most beautiful thing in Peru! (Puno/Juliaca) Just so you know, after that we took a train and it got stoned for not respecting the strike movement!

I’m not really sure Latin America is the right destination for you.

You’d prefer landscapes, people who avoid photographers, varied terrain, not to mention altitude sickness.

Brazil, but that’s probably not your cup of tea.

Maybe Argentina, outside the northwest?

Or Colombia?

If I understand correctly, it’s high time to send Kate to the gym. We’re pretty demanding here, and we don’t want to miss any photo opportunities. I can free up a day and come to Narbonne. We’ll find a hill and have Kate walk in front of my car. By revving the engine every now and then, I’m sure she’ll not only walk but also pick up the pace 😎

Of course, La Clape!

Hi Agnes,

More about landscapes, people who hide from photographers, terrain, not to mention altitude sickness.

Landscapes, yes, but there are also plenty of interesting Inca sites to visit. Cities like Cusco and Arequipa are also pleasant to explore. Cusco is hilly, but nothing overwhelming. We saw quite a few tourists really out of breath—a lady even needed oxygen when she arrived at the hotel... But I think it was mostly due to the altitude.

You're right about the photos. Peruvians act a bit like Europeans when it comes to being photographed. If they know you, it’s not a problem, but others don’t like being photographed and will make it very clear.

For altitude sickness, maybe try going up to 3,000 m in Europe first to see how you handle it. Either way, proper acclimatization is essential.

If I understand correctly, it’s high time to send Kate to the gym.

And if I understand correctly, everyone’s agreed to make fun of me Pagal, I walked La Clape from one end to the other on foot 😛 It was during a wine tasting. 7 estates in one long morning. I finished the "walk" a little tipsy and in a great mood

What goes around comes around!

And just like that, you just need to get friends talking a bit to learn so much about them! I say it’s all very friendly and fun 😛

For soroche, maybe try climbing to 3,000 m in Europe to see if you can handle the altitude.

Not easy to do in France. In the Swiss Valais: climb to the Cabane des Dix from Arolla and stay there a good week? 😉 With the ski lifts, you save 400 m of elevation gain, but you still have to climb... 😏 @Kate you can book here, it's open now: https://cabanedesdix.com/

Hello,

I had left off on page 6 or 7 of your story. Picking up the thread of your journey, I rediscovered images, and especially place names, that had faded from my memory. Thank you for showing me VatPhou, which I really loved. Even if it has nothing to do with Angkor (visited a few years later), this site had an unmatched charm, at least to my personal taste. Thanks also for showing the remains of the locomotive. We were lucky enough to see and talk to its last conductor, who was very old. The machine wasn’t protected at all back then, and I never imagined it would have survived until now. And of course, those majestic Khon Phapheng Falls... We had seen fishermen balancing on astonishing bamboo structures there. I’d heard since that this practice had been banned because of the high number of victims. For our part, we had left from Pakse in a... motorized pirogue, all the way past Vat Phou... What a long day on the Mekong that had been. Thank you for bringing all this back to life. (I don’t even remember what year it was for us... last century)

Best regards.

...

Hi Alain, Glad to see you could relive this trip to Laos through our travel journal. It was quite some time ago, apparently. Reading us, did you get the feeling that a lot of things had changed?

Hello Alain, Glad to see you were able to relive our trip to Laos through our travel journal. That was quite some time ago, apparently. Reading our account, did you get the feeling that a lot had changed?

Regarding change, yes and no!! The infrastructure has changed a lot. For us, the train from Bangkok stopped on the Thai side, and we crossed the "Freedom Bridge" on foot—just after the Australians had gifted it to the country... In Vientiane, there were only silent bicycles. No Chinese train, and no Chinese people either! (not in my memory, at least) The roads weren’t safe, or so we were told... We flew to Luang Prabang. The runway at Vientiane’s airport was still made of very disjointed concrete slabs. We wondered how the landing gear held up!?? On the way there in an ATR, all the Laotians were carrying bread (just like back home)—it was the proper gift to bring when invited to someone’s place. I happened to be seated next to a Laotian man who had served in the French army and had been at Dien Bien Phu. He escaped through the jungle without being captured... He spoke French well. The return trip was in an old plane, a "Chinese copy" of an Antonov (20 or 22)... Not reassuring at all... At boarding, the only way to fasten the seatbelt was to tie a knot (missing metal buckle). Just before takeoff, police violently dragged a Laotian man off the plane...! In the air, the plane weaved between the peaks of the Annamite Range. It was beautiful but terrifying. I thought that if anything went wrong, our only hope was to aim for a water landing in the Mekong... and the engines were literally roaring...

Just a few details that don’t really answer your question—my memories are partly faded now. Back then, there were no digital cameras. I took slides, and they’ve deteriorated badly... buried at the bottom of an old suitcase!! I also enjoyed revisiting the stunning waterfall with pastel-blue waters (at Kuang Si). Thanks again.

... We’d learned a Laotian proverb from a local:

"The Vietnamese plant the rice, The Cambodians watch it grow, The Laotians listen to it grow." 🙂

Best regards.

...

"The Vietnamese plant the rice,

The Cambodians watch it grow,

The Laotians listen to it grow"

And the Thais sell it ;)

"The Vietnamese plant the rice, the Cambodians watch it grow, the Laotians listen to it grow."

And the Thais sell it

For altitude sickness, maybe try climbing to 3,000 m in Europe to see if you can handle the altitude. Either way, good acclimatization is essential.

It's really hard to know if you're prone to altitude sickness. In France, there's nowhere to stay several nights at high altitude. Personally, I started feeling really sick in Chivay (3,600 m), and it didn't leave me until the end of our trip. When we got back from Peru, I found out that Grenoble hospital has a hyperbaric chamber where you can do sessions... maybe that's the solution 🤔

No need to go that high up. Spending two weeks in Font-Romeu (or Saint-Véran) is a great option—you can really boost your red blood cell count! Of course, you’ll need the time for it.