Many people miss out on this fantastic experience because the climb to the top is not easy and Lao visitors in particular are likely to dismiss the idea, as hiking is not among their preferred leisure activities.

But the view makes the effort worthwhile and word has spread of its magnificence. And if you find yourself in Vangvieng, in the midst of majestic scenery, there’s not much excuse for not including this trek in your itinerary, especially when the rewards are so satisfying.

There are many viewpoints in this area and some have a shelter, and maybe a flag at the top to indicate someone’s visit.

Last month I myself made the trek up to Phadeng, which is perhaps the most well-known of the viewpoints and is located in Ban Phonngeun, about 10 kilometres from the main town of Vangvieng.

We made the trip in the afternoon as we wanted to arrive at the top in time to wait around for the sunset.

A sign and the information provided in the village indicate that the hill is 400 metres high, but it took our group of fit young people about an hour to reach the top.

I couldn’t believe how much energy I expended during the trek. It was the most exhausted I’ve ever felt in my life.

I almost gave up because I felt that it would soon be dark even though it was only about 3pm.  We were walking in the shadow of the hill and through big trees. I wondered if I would have enough energy to walk back but my friends wanted to continue even though they were older than me. But they were really fit.

We made the climb slowly and stopped along the way to sit on a rock and admire the view. Fortunately we had brought insect spray, and enough water to quench our thirst.

We encountered other hikers and asked how much longer it would take us. They smiled and assured us it was not much further.

Then I could hear the voices of people talking but I wasn’t sure how far away they were. But I looked up and saw a hut not that far from us, which meant we were almost there.

When we were close to the peak we found some flowers growing in the rock. They were mauve and very pretty. One of my friends was tempted to touch and pick them but she said flowers were beautiful only when they were left in their natural surroundings.

We took another short break because there were more flowers along the path that engaged our attention but in less than 10 minutes we finally reached the top.

There was a hut with a vendor selling drinks and snacks. I asked for a cold Coca-Cola and talked to the young vendor even though I was still rather breathless, as I was curious to know how she got there.

I struggled to take in what I saw when I looked down over Vangvieng. The scene below me was like a painting, with farms, villages and forests outlined in delicate detail.

I went ahead to another hut and sat down. The breeze caressed my body and face. I breathed in deeply and after a minute I forgot the enormous effort it taken to reach this fabulous spot.

I looked around and saw other people brandishing their smartphones and cameras, taking selfies, photos and videos of the view.

We stayed there for a while until the vendors advised us to head back down as it would soon be getting dark.

We weren’t able to catch the sunset as it was obscured by a hill but we watched the sky turn red as the sun turned the clouds to flames and burnished the landscape with copper.

The descent was easy and we didn’t have to struggle. In less than 30 minutes we were back at our car.

Now I’m thinking of going back but this time I think I’ll go much earlier so I can watch the sunrise, as the locals say that’s the most beautiful time there.

All of the fatalities were reported in a massive late-season inferno in the town of Paradise, in Butte County north of the state capital Sacramento, where the entire population of 26,000 was ordered to leave, officials said.

The fast moving blaze, known as the “Camp Fire,” began Thursday morning. Fanned by strong winds, it has scorched 70,000 acres (28,300 hectares) and has not been contained, the California Fire Department (Cal Fire) said.

Two other fires broke out in southern California, one in Ventura County near Thousand Oaks, where a Marine Corps veteran shot dead 12 people in a country music bar on Wednesday night.

“The magnitude of destruction we have seen is really unbelievable and heartbreaking and our hearts go to everybody who has been affected by this,” said Mark Ghilarducci, the director of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.

Late Friday Butte County Sheriff Korey Honea updated the Camp Fire death toll.

“It’s my sad duty to confirm that we now have a total of nine fatalities,” he said, four more fatalities beyond the five reported earlier.

Details were limited, and Honea did not release names of the victims.

“I don’t have all of the details because we have investigators out on the field attempting to get to those locations” where the casualties were reported, Honea said at a press conference.

But he did say that four people were found inside a vehicle in the Paradise area, while another was found nearby outside the vehicle. Three more were found outside a residence, and one inside a house.

Dozens of other people were reported missing.

Harrowing escapes

Residents who managed to escape Paradise posted harrowing videos to social media as they drove through tunnels of swirling smoke and orange flames to outrun the wildfire.

The flames destroyed hundreds of homes, a hospital, a gas station, several restaurants and numerous vehicles in Paradise, officials said.

An AFP photographer on the scene saw houses enveloped in flames, while others had already been reduced to ashes and cars burned to husks.

Authorities issued mandatory evacuation orders for more than 52,000 people in the scenic area in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, including some residents of Chico, population 93,000, near Paradise.

California Governor-elect Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency to provide assistance to the fire-hit areas.

More than 2,200 firefighters were battling the blaze, backed up by helicopters and water tankers.

“The whole lower side of Paradise is totally engulfed in flames right now,” Kevin Winstead, a resident of nearby Magalia, told KIEM TV. “All of it is engulfed in flames right now.

“Not one home will be left standing,” he said. “I’m devastated.”

“We’re just hoping that our brand new home that we were hoping to move into tomorrow is not burned to the ground,” Winstead said. “We’re kind of all shaking right now.”

‘I pray everyone is safe’

In southern California, authorities said around 105,000 people had been evacuated.

The Ventura County Fire Department said the “Woolsey Fire” had burned around 35,000 acres, and evacuation orders were issued for some 88,000 homes in the county and neighboring Los Angeles County.

“It is critical that residents pay close attention to evacuation orders,” the Los Angeles County Fire Department said on Twitter. “This is a very dangerous wind-driven fire.”

The “Woolsey Fire” has jumped Highway 101 near the town of Agoura Hills and portions of the main coastal north-south artery have been shut down, triggering mandatory evacuations, including the entire city of Malibu.

“We heard this was coming so we set up on the sprinklers and we hosed the whole house down,” said Patrick Henry, a Malibu resident. “We pretty much had enough time to get the dogs in the trunk.”

The resort is one of the most in-demand locations in California for Hollywood stars seeking privacy and luxury, and has been home to Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, Jennifer Aniston, Halle Berry, Charlize Theron, Brad Pitt and a host of other celebrities.

Reality TV star Kim Kardashian West, who lives just north of coastal Malibu in Calabasas, revealed on Instagram that she was forced to flee her home.

“Just landed back home and had 1 hour to pack up & evacuate our home. I pray everyone is safe,” she said.

Actress Alyssa Milano, one of Kardashian’s neighbors in Calabasas, wrote on Twitter that she was also evacuated.

“Horses are finally safe. My children are safe. My home is in jeopardy but… everything with a heartbeat is safe,” she said.

Director Guillermo del Toro tweeted that Bleak House, his museum of horror movie memorabilia, was also in the path of the flames.

It also stressed that Myanmar should start taking back its nationals without any further delay as per the agreement reached in the Bangladesh-Myanmar Joint Working Group (JWG) meeting in Dhaka on October 30.

Myanmar had pledged to start the repatriation of Rohingyas in the middle of this month.

Bangladesh made the request to China yesterday, the concluding day of the two-day 11th Bangladesh-China Foreign Office Consultation (FOC) in Beijing. Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque and Chinese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Kong Xuanyou led their respective sides at the meeting.

The vice minister reiterated his country’s commitment to play a positive and constructive role in resolving the Rohingya crisis and appreciated Bangladesh’s staunch political will to address the crisis.

Shahidul noted that the crisis originated in a conflict between the Myanmar government and its own people.

A high-powered Myanmar delegation visited Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar on October 31 in an effort to start the repatriation of over 700,000 Rohingyas who crossed into Bangladesh since August 25 last year escaping an army crackdown.

However, the United Nations and its refugee agency UNHCR have repeatedly said that conditions in Rakhine were “not yet conducive for returns”.

Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi yesterday told the Bangladesh foreign secretary that his country would continue supporting Bangladesh’s various economic development and infrastructure projects. He gave the assurance during a meeting with Shahidul in Beijing.

The Bangladesh foreign ministry in a press release yesterday said the Foreign Office Consultation reviewed various bilateral, global, regional and sub-regional issues of mutual interests, and some new and emerging issues also came up for discussion.

The meeting focused on the progress of implementing the agreements reached during the Bangladesh visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping in October 2016 and China visit by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in June 2014.

The Chinese vice minister stated that Bangladesh was an important country for his country’s Belt and Road Initiative.

The foreign secretary sought continued Chinese support for implementing the Vision 2021 and the Vision 2041 of .

“Consensus was reached at the Foreign Office Consultation to expedite the approval procedure for Chinese loans for speedy implementation of infrastructure projects in Bangladesh,” he added.

Eleven Media’s executive editors Kyaw Zaw Lin and Nayi Min and chief reporter Phyo Wai Win were arrested in October but allowed out on bail after a few weeks in detention.

They were accused of incitement after an article raised questions about budgeting within the city government, which is run by Phyo Min Thein, a close confidante of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Article 505 (b) criminalises published or circulated information that causes “fear or alarm to the public”.

The case prompted an outcry amid fears of declining press freedom in Suu Kyi’s Myanmar and was lodged weeks after Reuters reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were sentenced to seven years on state secrets charges while reporting on a massacre of Rohingya Muslims.

But the lawyer for Eleven Media’s staff said the Yangon government had sent a letter to the court asking to drop the charges and take up their grievance through arbitration at Myanmar’s Press Council.

“The judge allowed them to withdraw and gave a verdict (Friday) right away. So the case is finished,” lawyer Kyee Myint told AFP.

In an interview on Thursday, however, Phyo Min Thein told state media the city government would seek a correction through the council, and could resume the legal tack if it was not satisfied with the outcome.

“If they do not follow and if negotiation by the press council is not a success, we will continue this case legally,” he said.

Cases against journalists in Myanmar have further tarnished the reputation of one-time rights icon Suu Kyi, whose legacy fell apart during the Rohingya crisis.

Suu Kyi has said little in defence of the Reuters journalists, who will have spent a year in prison next month. They are appealing.

The refusal by immigration officials to let in the FT’s Asia news editor Victor Mallet Thursday came hours after an arts centre hosting the city’s high-profile literary festival cancelled appearances by exiled Chinese writer Ma Jian.

On Friday a second venue which had agreed to host the author’s two speaking events also pulled out.

The literary festival had announced late Thursday that Ma’s talks would be hosted at the central Annex exhibition space, but the venue said in a statement to AFP Friday it had “no affiliation with the event or the author” and would not host him.

Ma, a Hong Kong permanent resident and British passport holder, is due to land in the city on Friday afternoon and has expressed concern he will also be refused entry.

Amnesty International said the refusal to allow Mallet in was a “distressing signal” about the state of press freedom in Hong Kong and smacked of “retaliation” against Mallet.

The veteran journalist had already had his work visa renewal denied last month and had left Hong Kong, but was barred when he tried to come back in for a short stay as a visitor.

British citizens are usually allowed into Hong Kong without a visa and are permitted to stay for 180 days under immigration rules.

The government has given no explanation for the original refusal to extend his visa but it is widely believed the decision was linked to Mallet’s chairing of a talk by a Hong Kong independence activist at the city’s Foreign Correspondents’ Club (FCC), where he is first vice president.

China’s foreign ministry had asked for the event to be cancelled.

The FT has said it would appeal against the original visa denial.

Security minister John Lee insisted Friday the decision to prevent Mallet from entering as a tourist was “nothing to do with freedom of expression and freedom of the press” adding he would not reveal the reasons due to “data privacy” and the risk of “prejudice” to immigration policy.

The FCC said it was “shocked and baffled” and described the move as an “aggravated and disproportionate sanction that seems completely unfounded”.

– ‘Authoritarian attempt’ –

Authorities have turned away British nationals before — activist Benedict Rogers, deputy chairman of the Conservative Party’s human rights commission, was blocked by immigration after landing for what he said was a private trip in 2017.

Rogers called the barring of Mallet a “bizarre decision” for a global financial hub.

Human Rights Watch warned the gathering crackdown on freedoms by Hong Kong and Chinese authorities had led to “spreading censorship and self-censorship”.

Hong Kong enjoys freedoms unseen on the mainland, protected by an agreement made before the city was handed back by Britain to China in 1997, but there is growing evidence those rights are being eroded.

Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong said barring Mallet was “nothing less than an authoritarian attempt to censor all opposing voices”.

But pro-Beijing legislator Regina Ip defended the decision and accused Mallet of coming into Hong Kong to “test the bottom line” of the government.

“If the government’s view is that this person was involved in assisting and providing a platform for people who are advocating dividing the country… I think the immigration department’s decision is reasonable,” Ip told reporters.

Another pro-Beijing lawmaker Michael Tien told AFP: “You cannot take everything for granted,” adding it was the government’s right to decide on visas.

The Tai Kwun arts centre, a major new cultural hub in Hong Kong, pulled talks by dissident author Ma on Thursday, with venue director Timothy Calnin saying it did not want to become “a platform to promote the political interests of any individual”.

Director of the diplomatic academy of Vietnam, Nguyen Vu Tung, spoke at the 10th South China Sea International Conference on co-operation for regional security and development yesterday, stating that over the past 10 years, the conference has attracted the participation of 300 scholars and 2,000 Vietnamese and international participants as well as institutes and universities.

“We have built up a network of scholars and experts studying the South China Sea, promoting trust and more open discussion over the past 10 years. The South China Sea has been included in main policy planning among nations,” Tung said.

“Although efforts have been made by countries in the region to ease tensions and increase security, the South China Sea still presents complicated problems that need effective solutions through discussions,” he said.

He said the conference this year in Vietnam will focus on discussions and sharing among scholars and experts.

Speaking at the opening ceremony yesterday, Kriangsak Kittichairasee, a judge from the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, said the conference initiative, which started 10 years ago, has helped explore ways and means for better conflict management and resolution in the South China Sea.

“We have recently heard some good news about the progress towards the conclusion of a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea that will hopefully contribute to the practical confidence building, preventive diplomacy, and eventually dispute resolution of conflicts in the South China Sea,” Kriangsak Kittichairasee said.

“That such a code is ever needed is a mystery for public international lawyers like myself. International law is the law of peace, as codified in various pertinent provisions of the Charter of the United Nations and peremptory norms of international law for which no derogation is permitted,” he said.

Kriangsak Kittichairasee added that co-operation for regional peace and development in the South China Sea has to be based on four elements: conflict prevention; crisis management; dispute settlement, and monitoring and review mechanisms.

“In our world of realpolitik, political will has often become a prerequisite in the conduct of international relations. This political will should not be indispensable to the fulfillment of international legal obligations, especially the peremptory norms against the use of force in violation of the UN Charter or against acquisition of territories by force,” he said.

Saranya Hasanthi Urugodawatte Dissanayake, ambassador of Sri Lanka to Vietnam, said she highly appreciated the initiative of co-operation for regional security and development of the conference.

“Trade is what makes your political interest more dynamic. Asean, India and regional independence is the most important factor, so in that context economic interests dominate everything. Dialogue is very important to put forward or show off military strategy. I believe dialogue, talking and economic discussions like this conference are valuable. That way we move forward, not using might. Discussion is the way for all of countries,” she said, adding that people will be aware of what countries are doing to solve the issue.

Carl Thayer, from the University of New South Wales, School of Humanities and Social Sciences at the Australian Defence Force Academy, said maintaining national unity is a strong component through which Vietnam has built a strong position in keeping stability and peace in the South China Sea over the past 10 years.

“At the moment the most important thing Vietnam can do is ensure that the ASEAN-China Single Draft South China Sea Code of Conduct Negotiating Test, agreed on 3 August this year, is rigorous and specific about the adherence of all parties, including China, to comply with international law and refrain from using force or threats of force and to treat fishermen humanely. Vietnam has made major submissions included in the Single Draft Negotiating Text, it needs to lobby other ASEAN members to support Vietnam’s proposals,” he told Vietnam News on the sidelines of the conference.

He said Vietnam was seeking a position as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council in the 2020-21 tenure.

“Vietnam need to better network and coordinate the operations of its Coast Guard with Vietnam’s fishing fleet so the Coast Guard can render timely assistance,” he told Vietnam News regarding the fact that Vietnamese  fishing boats have been rammed by Chinese ships in the South China Sea. “Vietnam should continue to use diplomatic channels to protest to Beijing. This issue figures prominently in the Single Draft Negotiating Text. Even China and the Philippines has jointly prosed that fishermen be treated humanely. Vietnam needs to enlist the support of other ASEAN members and its strategic partners to pressure the Chinese government to be more proactive in stopping this harassment.”

Lawyer Hoang Viet from HCM City’s Law University said participants reviewed the progress and movements among countries in the region over the past decade.

Viet said some scholars blamed China’s illegal construction on rocks and reefs in the South China Sea, or East Sea, for raising tensions in the region.

He said participants also discussed the progress of the completion of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea and the possibility of a joint-exploitation deal between China and the Philippines in the region.

However, 89-year-old Marcos can appeal the ruling and post bail, which would allow her to remain free while the case grinds through the country’s notoriously slow justice system.

The verdict from the anti-graft Sandiganbayan court orders her to serve a minimum of six years behind bars over charges the Marcoses funnelled roughly $200 million through Swiss foundations decades ago.

Ferdinand Marcos, who along with cronies was accused of pilfering $10 billion from the Philippines, fled with his family to the US after a people’s uprising ended his 20-year rule in 1986.

Marcos died in 1989 while still in exile. But his heirs later returned to Manila and have since staged a political comeback. Imelda Marcos is currently a congresswoman.

As a government official in the Marcos administration, Imelda was barred by law from having any financial interest from the Swiss foundations, said the ruling.

“The couple opened all those accounts in Switzerland, and they used pseudonyms to hide their ownership. The president chose William Saunders and Imelda Marcos used Jane Ryan,” special prosecutor Ryan Quilala told reporters.

Her lawyers could not be reached, while a press aide told AFP there was no immediate comment.

Court officials said Marcos would be able to avoid incarceration by posting an as yet undetermined bail and has the right to appeal her conviction to the nation’s highest legal authority, the Supreme Court.

The body has previously undone a case against Imelda, overturning a 24 year jail sentence in 1993 on graft charges. She ran for congress and won while her appeal was underway.

The family’s notoriety stems back to Ferdinand Marcos declaring martial law in 1972. That allowed him to shutter the legislature, muzzle the free press and jail or kill those who dared to oppose his dictatorship.

In the decades since Marcos’s ouster the effort to recover the pilfered money has been halting and uneven.

However, the Philippine Supreme Court in 2003 ordered $680 million in funds stashed by the Marcoses in Swiss banks handed to the government.

The funds had earlier been turned over by the Swiss judiciary after concluding that the funds were stolen from the Manila government.

The younger generation of Marcoses have led high-profile careers, despite the dark past associated with their name.

Imelda and Ferdinand’s daughter Imee Marcos, is the governor of the family’s northern stronghold of Ilocos Norte province and helped bankroll the 2016 election campaign of President Rodrigo Duterte, according to him.

Imelda’s son, also named Ferdinand, almost won the separate election for vice president that year.

He has put the count under protest and hopes to run for president after Duterte’s term ends in mid-2022.