http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6438373.stm

And I thought North Korea, Iran, the Iraq fiasco and Hugo Chavez were the only ones giving the Americans big headaches. It appears that there is an addition to the list - the humble honey bee. Bees are disappearing from their hives all over the US, threatening billions of dollars worth of US agriculture.
Are they all defecting en-masse and flying over to Venezuela, attracted by the loud buzzing of firebrand leftist rhetoric? Bees have always been 'social'ist insects anyway.

On the 25th and 26th of February, 2007 I had an opportunity of crossing the borders of Laos and Cambodia. We were on a 'relaxation trip' after 10 days of grueling fieldwork at Ubon Ratchathani, the easternmost province of Thailand. We visited several places inside Thailand and two cross border trip to her neighbors.
We kicked off the first day's trip from Pha Taem National Park. The park is famous for its sandstone cliffs, rock pillars and prehistoric cave paintings. The 4000 year old paintings were not as exciting as I thought they would be. They are just outlines of some animals done in red paint on the cliff walls and you are tempted to say something like 'hey I can paint better than that'. But considering that these were painted well before the advent of color tubes and packaged paintbrushes and the fact that the paint itself has endured the exposure and weathering of thousands of years ..... well you should give the painters some credit. I guess the human race was destined to be artistic. And while writing this I just got a click in my brain which says maybe it's a prehistoric blog telling how the painter lived his life. I wonder if my blog will last 4000 years. The cliffs themselves were impressive. The view of cliffs on the Laotian side with the Mekong slowly meandering along was a splendid and serene sight, making you temporarily forget the unforgiving heat.
Next, we visited the place known as Two Color River, where the Mekong River meets the Moon River and two distinct colors can be seen merging together, well supposedly. It was only after getting there that we discovered this phenomenon can only be seen after the monsoon ends here in October. What was heartening at the place was the wonderful lunch of freshly fried river fish and a delicious dish of Giant Mekong Catfish. It was difficult to imagine the description of a fresh water catfish heavier and larger than a human, but I started to believe it when I saw the 'thicker-than-wildboar' skin on the plate and was certainly convinced seeing the numerous pictures of the species on my way out.
From there we made our way to the Laos border. It seems that Thai people do not need a visa to cross the border, but some of us being non-Thais were skeptical that we would be allowed to pass holding only our AIT ID cards. However,with some persuasion from our Thai friends the border guards gave us a day's permit to visit the Laotian side. There was a big market near the border selling various local food, handicrafts, several toys and souvenirs of a definite Chinese origin. The best part unexpectedly was a line of duty free shops right at the border. A distinct difference can be felt as soon as you enter the Laotian side. First of all you are greeted by red flags with the golden insignia of a hammer and sickle. The roads seem uncared for and infrastructure lacking, the people seem glum and sad. I sure hope my country does not go down that path. Anyways I bought some Sapporo beer and a box of Lucky Strikes from the one of the duty free shop. At least the salesgirls in the shop looked beautiful and cheerful.
On the second way we traveled to a place called Prasart Khao Phra Wihan at the Cambodian border. The Cambodians call the place Prasat Preah Vihear and is a Khmer temple complex originally dedicated to Shiva. With the dominance of a newer religion, the temple is now dedicated to Buddha, though I was certain could see a Shivalinga covered with cloth inside the main temple sanctum. What's intriguing about the place is that the entrance to the temple complex lies in Thailand while the major parts are in Cambodia, thanks to the French in Indochina who drew the border. And add to that my intrigue of our Thai sponsor having to pay the entrance fee in two countries. The temple now lays in ruins but still remains attractive. On both sides of the access road to the temple and in several places inside the complex itself, there were large display boards reminding us about the bloody legacy of the Khmer Rouge. Some signs simply said 'Danger! Mines!' and the others were more explanatory with warnings not to venture into areas with thick vegetation.
All in all, it was an exciting trip - 3 countries in 2 days. It appeared at the moment that I was really going places but right now I find myself back in my room in AIT thinking about my Master's thesis. Back to Square One.