Belfast and the Giants that live nearby - Ireland Roadtrip Part 6

Wow. Wow is the word I choose to describe Belfast and surrounds. The centre of an evolving history, haunted by spectres of the past with an optimistic eye on the future.

We have to start with the beginning of our experience, which was navigating the Union Jack clad streets. Flapping from windows and hanging across streets like a city-wide car sale they were intimidating and even oppressive. I suddenly felt as if I had been transported to suburban USA, with someone removing all the white picket fences and laying down cobblestones. Not only were there Union Jacks everywhere, but this rather confronting English looking flag with a hand in the centre of it. And English flag, what? Weren't we in Northern Ireland? Not having expected this nor done anywhere near enough homework before our arrival, we put it at the top of our list to understand what all the flags were about.

Flags galore

Poor King Robb...

We stayed at an incredible AirBNB, owned by a couple who have a sign over their mantlepiece about where they met; at the much famed Red Wedding of Westeros. You are probably sick of hearing about it now, but parts of the Game of Thrones HBO series is filmed in Northern Ireland, which provides beautiful locations for shoots and the show, in turn, provides many jobs when it is in town.

But back to the Union flags - that's what Eugene tells us the locals call it. Apparently it's only us foreigners that call it the Union Jack. We met Eugene, a black cab driver come-tour guide randomly on the street. The day before our arrival in Belfast, we had captured a loose nail...in our rear tyre. We were looking our for a spot to get it fixed at a reasonable price, rather than pay a nasty 1300 Euro excess. At a red light, we asked the driver of the cab next to us for some directions. Eugene was so friendly, he led us all the way there. We lost him at one point due to a one-way street but he started twisting and turning through the streets to find us minutes later! My friend Dan had said that one thing we absolutely must do while in Belfast was to have a black cab tour, so I asked Eugene for his card and we ended up booking him for the next day.

We had arrived in town only a day or two after the annual celebrations of the Battle of the Boyne of 1690, and if Eugene is to be believed, the "Troubles" of Northern Ireland's can be traced all the way back there. This is an incredibly complex part of world history, and I certainly cannot do it justice on my own. In a brutally short summary that does not really do it all justice; William III of Orange from Holland claimed the British crown, his faith as a protestant gained him the support of many who wanted to oust the catholic King James II of England. Further complicating matters (to my mind at least), William III of Orange became William III of England, William II of Scotland and plain old King Billy in Ireland. William's final victory over James was at the Battle of the Boyne in eastern Ireland. With so much of this war apparently caught up in Catholicism vs Protestantism, it might be over-simplifying it to draw a line from there to the "Troubles" of the 1960's, but well...a line was drawn. The memory of that battle is still celebrated, hence the flags everywhere, I'll let this article's summary of events this year, and its obvious lack of...objectivity.. on the matter, to speak for itself.

Kat spotted this when we were looking for a particular pub (we did not realise until we doubled back that the pub was just under the photographed quote!)

Eugene was a Catholic and did a fairly good job of teaching us just a small part of the country's complex history. All the same, I would love to do a similar tour with a Protestant guide, to get a more rounded understanding. In VERY general terms, it seems that Catholics support a reunification with the Republic of Ireland, and Protestants broadly support remaining a part of the United Kingdom. The English flag with an (amputated) red hand on it, is the Ulster flag, and representative of another complicated story that I can't possibly hope to get right, and I think is used widely to represent British loyalism.

For me, it's not a happy thought that kids grow up with this vestige of the past in their neighbourhood

A street with murals protesting ongoing injustice across not just in Northern Ireland but the world

After the tour with Eugene we visited the Ulster Museum to gain more of an insight to the Troubles and other parts of history. We were blown away by an exhibition (Silent Testimony) of Colin Davidson's portrait paintings that told the stories of eighteen people and their experiences of loss through the Troubles. It was very powerful representation of the multiple ways the conflict has (and continues to) impact upon individuals and their families.

But exploring the fascinating and sad history of Belfast and Northern Ireland through this tour and galleries, gardens and murals was not all we did.  

Chris found a lovely perch to engage in people-watching

First off we drove along the northern coast on a beautiful day.  We had great views from the mainland of the sea and across the cliffs, so Chris opted not to join us in crossing to the tiny Carrickarede island near Ballycastle.  The views from the island were great, but I don't blame her for not wanting to cross the rickety 20m bridge hovering 30m above the sea!  For a few hundred years is was home to salmon fisherman who used the natural environment to easily trap dopey salmon. Unfortunately, I believe they're now almost all fished out.  Hopefully the tourists (and there were MANY of us) are keeping the money coming in.  There were so many visitors in fact that they needed a bloke to police traffic on the tiny little bridge that could only hold 10 people at a time.

The northern coastline from the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge

Chris definitely made the right choice!

Looking back at the mainland coastline 

Kat enjoying the scenery

Beautiful coloured waters

Enjoying the view without getting too close to the edge!

No wonder Balon Greyjoy fell off!

We explored wider (to the west) to visit the amazing Giant's Causeway. It is said that two giants, one Scottish and one Irish, used the causeway to cross the channel to have it off with one another. Or it could just be an impressive 60 million year old tribute to volcanic power. The coastline itself was beautiful and it was quite peaceful to walk along the tracks taking in the views. We even nestled down for a snack at the base of the Giant's pipe organ, probably ruining hundreds of other people's photos, but at least it meant we could get this one of the normally VERY tall Chris, just to demonstrate how big this thing is!.

Chris having a go at the giant's old pipe organ

Chris got in a fight with a bus...

...but then crushed it under her giant foot!

Perhaps once used by a giant as a path to Scotland, I found it a nice spot to catch a break..

We don't know this photo-bomber

They look like they're man-made, but the scientists swear it was lava..

An interesting fact of the nearby Tourist Information Visitor Centre is that they include various stories about how the casueway was formed, with the controversial inclusion of the Creationist belief  of the Giant's Causeway some 6000 years ago (as part of the Creation of the earth by God).  Some argue, that it should not be there at all, with scientific evidence suggesting it was formed 60 million years ago by volcanic activity.  And some more say that the story is rightfully presented at the visitor centre, along with other mythical explanations, like Finn McCool the giant.


HOT TIP:
If you want to avoid the excruciatingly high per person price of parking at the Causeway Visitor Centre, then pop down the road to the miniature railway where you can park for 2 or 3 euros.  Of course, if you actually want to go into the visitor centre, then you'll pay the 9euro/pp anyway, so you may as well park there.

Visiting a "Water Town"

Francois Deacon (a colleague of mine from work) suggested that we visit Tongli, a so-called "water-town" just outside of Shanghai while we were in the area.  Unfortunately, tickets on buses were scarce and the famous sex museum was closed and moved to another province.

Zhoujiajiao - A "Water Town" near/in Shanghai

Fortunately, this is not the only "water-town" in ...town.  An interesting Timeout magazine review of the water-towns around Shanghai suggested that Zhoujiajiao gives Tongli a pretty good run for its money and doesn't charge an entry fee (anyone who knows me realises that's enough to prick up my ears).

Kat by the enormous cedar Buddha

When our bus took more than 2 hours in traffic to do what we thought was to be a 45 minute trip, we were wondering what was going on.  Before we recalled the date.  If you Google "when not to travel to China" you will find quite quickly that May 1 is the centre-point of any advice not to travel in China.  Attractions = crowded.  Transportation = crowded.  Don't mess with a Labour Day holiday in China!

Of course, getting there was just part of the story, and once there we were in for a treat.  With lovely (if cramped) canals and tiny streets teeming with people, it was a lesson in patience.  The town was well setup for day-tourists to come and experience the place, riding in boats on the canal, snacking on local delicacies, or playing follow the leader through the side-streets and over the bridges.

We occasionally sought refuge from the crowds in an art shops or a striking exhibit that attempted to tell the world's history through maps, a chocolate and candy factory and an interesting museum that houses a remarkably large cedar Buddha, carved from a single tree and beautiful carvings of our old friends, Tripitaka, Monkey, Pigsy and Sandy.

Tripitaka, Pigsy, Sandy and Monkey

It is interesting to note how much more I see of the story of my childhood Monkey the further we travel from India and Nepal (shouldn't be too surprised I guess as it was a show produced by Japanese).  It is also interesting how the images of, and which Buddha features, obviously changes from one culture to the next as we make our way through the world.

It was a full and busy day, but we really enjoyed it.

Siem Reap, Cambodia

I really didn't know what to expect when heading to Siem Reap.  I knew it was coming and Kat had been before so I was kind of hoping to ride on her coat tails a bit.  What I really did not understand is just how big the temples are, how far away they are and how free you can be to explore them at your own pace.

We broke up our temple exploring over 3 days more or less geographically.  

Day one we spent visiting the temples and sights to the far north - so far away that we would not come back in the heat of the day.  We started the day with a very long tuk-tuk drive (with a hotel-based tuk-tuk driver, Mr Rhet) at Bantey Srei.  Bantey Srei was hard to really get a handle on as we only purchased a guide book after passing through, but there were enough other tourists to crowd the space and make me want to move on rather quickly.  I did spend enough time to be truly impressed how much detail Hindu people can fit into their temples and stone carvings, much like in Nepal, except that most of the wood carvings have been looted or rotted away.

A linga is a phallic-like rock, and at Nbal Spean ("The River of a Thousand Lingas"), thousands of them have been carved into the rock that forms the base of the river.  In the rainy season, the lingas along with other carvings of Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma are totally covered by running water. While I missed seeing this (oh how good it would have been for some rain) I really enjoyed the experience - both for the nice long walk to get there, but also because it was unlike anything I have seen before. Kat also really liked the pleasant hike and she had not visited Nbal Spean on her previous trip here.

The afternoon was eye-opening in a new way.  Cambodians, like the Vietnamese, have been through horrific experiences in recent decades through US/allied bombing, the disturbing rule of the Khmer Rouge, ongoing civil war and Vietnamese invasion.  Near to Bantey Srei is a Landmine Museum, opened by a man now known as Aki Ra, with a horrifying exposure to it all.  After experiences as a child soldier for the Khmer Rouge, and adult soldier for the Vietnamese army, and a man who never knew the name his parents gave him, he came to know land mines very well.  While both countries were trying to rebuild, he found his best way to participate was by disarming land mines, and the museum is a testament to his effort.  Everything in there (disarmed explosives in the tens of thousands) have been personally disarmed by him.  He has also started an orphanage and school there, specifically helping the victims of landmines and their families.  To support their efforts, please visit http://www.cambodianselfhelpdemining.org/ and give generously (they are a legitimate Cambodian-run NGO).  There are still millions of live explosives spread through the countryside of Cambodia on people's farms and in village's backyards.

Another remarkable thing we learned there was the world wide treaty on Land Mine use, to which China, Russia and the US are not signatories (they also happen to be the biggest producers).  Interestingly, according to the museum, the US' reasons for not signing is that there is no "North Korea exclusion-clause".  Apparently, the use of land mines in the "demilitarised zone" between North and South Korea is a key element in the US & South Korea's defence strategy, as the most effective means for preventing a North Korean invasion.  I've actually discovered that the US has agreed to the terms of the treaty with the exception of the Korean peninsula (South Korea is not a signatory for the reasons stated above, see wikipedia).

Taking it all in

Our second half of the day adventures were greatly improved by studying our new guide to the temples.  It certainly prevented us from "templing out" as you might be wont to do if you are just seeing without learning.

We finished off day one at Bantey Samrei, which was practically deserted.  I found the detail of the carvings remarkable, but the most memorable the image of the god Rama riding (Hanuman) while surrounded by the monkey army.  I think it was so memorable because of throwbacks to my childhood and the stories of the Journey to the West or better known as "Monkey Magic" - a great Japanese TV drama of the late 70's! (Sadly, I cannot find a youtube link).

With the heat in March being oppressive our plan was to explore temples in the morning and afternoon, while resting and swimming in our hotel's pool during the day.  This was such an important part of the plan that our hotel choice was based on it. However, we were to discover that our hotel didn't work like that and dis-satisfied with their strange method of calculating tuk-tuk fees, on day two we said goodbye to Mr Rhet. Kat also found it rather disappointing after the excellent driver she and her friends had in 2008...well apart from the tuk-tuk accident. On Day 2 we were to say hello to Mr Widget (or that's what we think his name was) whose services we acquired without the help of the hotel.  

Sunrise through the gate at Banteay Kdei
above Srah Srang

Our prior-to-sunrise departure took us to Srah Srang, a beautiful spot that was probably once a lovely balcony to an impressive temple overlooking a dam.  The sun's reflection on the water would have been impressive, could we see it through the haze. Whilst waiting for sunrise, Kat told me about plans to build a cafe amongst the ruins. Totally in support of such an idea, she let me go a little way with it before letting me know it was April 1st. 

Before long we thought it much more appealing to explore the nearby Buddhist temple Bantey Kdei while there were fewer other tourists about.  This was a far less grandiose, almost intentionally understated place that many tourists seem to overlook for the nearby and more famous Angkor Thom and Angkor Wat.  To top things off, as we left to the east at about 7am, we had a remarkable view of the now risen sun, above Srah Srang.

Following this, a visit to a place with probably the most shared photos of the region I have seen - Ta Prohm.  At this temple, silk-cotton trees (the husks of which we was used to float down the river in Chitwan) have taken over the walls and temples, such that it now looks like they are holding it together.  I can't help but wonder if this was a natural development, or whether someone intentionally did this.

One of Kat's favourite temples

Mr Widget seemed enthusiastic about our midday break, because it meant that he could collect his wife and go an get a scan done (she's pregnant) before picking us up again in the afternoon.  

The afternoon we used to explore Angkor Thom, the grand Elephant Terrace, and the well-famous Bayon "face-temple".  Although these ancient Khmer temples were built over a period of about 4 centuries (from 9th to 13th) - while the Christians in the west were off crusading - they were all made within a rather small area.  Each king trying to outdo the efforts of another even if those efforts were actually borne by their poor subjects.  

Hard-working elephants eternally uprooting lotus plants

On the last day, we were headed to where everyone heads at some point.  Sunrise at the famous Angkor Wat.  Except, that Mr Widget didn't show up.  We truly hope that he and his wife are OK, but we had no way to get in touch.  Instead, we had to do a last minute shuffle (at 5.30am) and find a new driver, enter Mr Widget 2 - he actually had the same name, we didn't just call him "number 2"! 

As Kat had told me, sunrise and sunsets at the temples are often hazy - early mornings are more about missing the heat of the day than seeing a sunrise. sometimes, its just best to get a photo of a beautiful woman instead.  

Kat at the famous Angkor Wat

Churning for eternal life

Our particular day at Ankor Wat was far too hazy and there were too many people eager to step into our carefully selected shot, so we focused more on exploration.  The bas-reliefs on the south side of Angkor Wat really were amazing, but further improved by our trusty guidebook.  Without that, or a guide to explain them to you, you could be forgiven for thinking of them as repetitive images of Vishnu.  I think the great highlight was the "Stirring of the Ocean of Milk", a great story that I think ties nicely in with that of the Rainbow Serpent.

A second, perhaps grander (although not as well preserved), version of the
Stirring of the Ocean of Milk

Mr Widget 2 was only too happy to give us a ride out to the airport for a few extra dollars, where a storm was brewing before our flight to Bangkok.  It was certainly a packed three days, but we really enjoyed it, I'm glad Kat was willing to come a second time.

Tips for the temples:

• Don't be a fool, climbing around the temples in the middle of the day is not fun - especially in March.
• We stayed at the Lotus Lodge Villa - I recommend you don't.  There's not one thing that leads me to say this, but the combination of a thousand tiny things (to which they have not seen fit to respond to).  I've received better service for $4/night at a guest house.
• Get a guide book dedicated to the temples - it's worth the investment.
• Don't try to do too much - take your time.

A happy face at Bayon