Monday, May 21, 2007

Laos

After being given a frozen towelette and a deep fried crab on croissant sandwich, combined with enough turbulence that I couldn't look at Jen and Kari because I knew they were freaking out as well, we landed in Luang Prabang, Laos. Our flight arrived ten minutes early and it took approximately ten minutes to get our visas (one passport sized photo and $35 USD) and luggage - it's amazing that some of these developing countries in Asia seem to be more efficient (or maybe just more lenient) at some things than the U.S. We jumped in the back of a tuk-tuk and rode into town.


Laos (pronounced "Lao" it was originally named Lao and the French later added the silent "s") is sandwiched between Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia so it is landlocked in terms of oceans/seas, but it does have rivers flowing throughout, including the Mekong River, which flows down into Cambodia. Luang Prabang is a quiet and quaint town situated between the Mekong and Nam Khan Rivers, with surrounding limestone cliffs. You can still see much of the French influence (the French occupied Laos until they gained their independence in 1953) with signs written in Lao and in French, and many of the buildings lining the main streets constructed in the French colonial style.



After several days of non-stop rain in Thailand, we were more than excited to have the abundance of sunshine in Luang Prabang. Laos was also my first country in a month-and-a-half that drives on the right side of the road like back home! (Of course, after I had finally gotten used to looking opposite ways when crossing the street...).

We went to check-in at The Sayo Guest House and although they were full, they told us they had a new location along the river if we would like to see that one (at guest houses and hostels in Asia and Indonesia, they sow you the rooms first before you agree to stay). I jumped on the back of the guy's motorbike to rid to the other location and after a quick look, we returned without bags in a tuk-tuk and checked in to the Sayo II Guest House - a huge room with large windows throughout, a marble tiled bathroom and a sitting area with a view of the Mekong, all for the price of $10 each a night.



That night, we headed to the infamous Luang Prabang night market - blankets and red tents set along the ground with lamps lighting your way as you bargain over handmade duvet covers, bags, jewelry, t-shirts, etc. Paying in Kip (the currency of Laos) can get a bit confusing as the exchange is roughly 9,600 LAK (Kip) so you receive such a large stack of bills for exchanging even a relatively small amount of US Dollars, you feel like you are in the mafia.





The next morning, Kari and I rented bikes ($1 for the entire day) and rode along the riverside and throughout the town passing wats, outdoor markets and cafes, as the locals rode past on motorbikes holding umbrellas to protect them from the sun and many young monks walked along the streets (the monks we saw in Laos all seemed to be in their late teens / early twenties, as compared to Thailand where most we saw seemed to be in their fifties or sixties).
Later in the afternoon, we took a van ride with several other travellers to the Kwang Si waterfalls and animal rescue. At the base of the falls, a rescue has been set up for bears and tigers to save them from poachers and black market trading for their fur.
After hiking up to see the waterfall, we walked along a wooded path down to several "swimming holes" - turquoise water situated around smaller waterfalls and surrounded by trees, including one in particular that had a rope swing. Jen, Kari, and I decided to start the rope out and we each climbed the tree and swung off, landing in the pool below. Soon after, people were lining up to swing, although they looked much more graceful than us (but we get points for being the first).









Our last day in Luang Prabang, we climbed over 200 steps to reach a temple and overlook with 360 degree views of the town below. While hiking down, we passed golden Buddhas, sculptures, and images within the hillside.












That night, we boarded an overnight bus to Vang Vieng. After strapping a motorcycle to the top of the bus (sitting upright, kickstand and all...) and realizing that when they make you pay extra for the "V.I.P." bus with air con, it really means that you will be riding in a bus that has air conditioning, and not that they will actually turn it on (which they didn't), we were off. Apparently, this stretch of road between Luang Prabang and Vang Vieng is one of the most dangerous in S.E. Asia as there are frequent hijackings, so when we pulled to the side of the road at midnight, with nothing but a few wooden shack style buildings surrounding us, in order to repair a tire on the bus, everyone was a little on edge - only made worse when a local riding the bus got off carrying what looked like a machine gun on his back, to serve as "lookout / guard" while the driver worked on the tire. That roadside stop, in addition to the fact that once we were back on the bus the driver took the winding roads so fast you'd think he was driving a Ferrari and not a 30-year-old Greyhound bus, all made the seven hour bus ride a bit rough. The bus pulled off to the side of the road in what looked to be the middle of nowhere, at 2:00 a.m. (although it had been scheduled to arrive at 11:30 p.m.) and the bus driver told the seven or so of us going to Vang Vieng to get off. After unloading our bags and the bus driving off, the seven of us sat in silence for a few minutes trying to figure out what to do next - everything was closed and dark in the town without a person in sight and none of us knew which way to go to get to a place to stay. After coming to a consensus on which way to walk, we made our way down a road and spotted a light on at one of the guest houses. The security guard (or older local man smoking a cigarette in the front, that I took to be the security guard) awoke the guy who ran the place and after paying the extra $3 for air conditioning (bringing our total for the room to $15 - $5 each) we passed out.

The long and treacherous bus ride was worth it, however, when we were dropped off by tuk-tuk the next day, to tube down the river. Vang Vieng is a small town in Laos famous for it's tubing. Many a traveller raves about the tubing and in our tuk-tuk alone we were packed in with several who had done it the day before, as well.








After sitting in your inner tube, you float along the river until you come to the numerous swings, zip lines, bars, and cafes set up along the riversides. The locals working there run over to the banks with a bamboo pole to either pull you in , or they will reach it over the water for you to grab to pull yourself over. In some cases where it is more shallow and not too rocky (or for those who have had one too many "Beer Lao" and can't manage the energy to hold on to the bamboo stick) they will walk out into the water and pull you in by your leg. Ladders made of wood or bamboo are propped up against tall trees for you to climb. Once at the top, a local pulls back the trapeze-type bar and you stand on the edge of a wooden plank before swinging out and over the water and dropping into the river. The highest one on the river had everyone a little fearful and after Jen and I went, our hands were shaking from the adrenaline rush. We were so glad we did it, although happy just to make it a one time thing as the guy who went after us got a bloody nose with the force in which he hit the water...



The next few hours we floated along the river occasionally hitting some rapids or bumping into others in their tubes, and then stopping for a drink before getting back in our tubes.

Vang Vieng is infamous for it's "Friends bars" - Nearly all of the restaurants and bars along the main street play the T.V. show "Friends" non-stop and all hours they are open. After tuk-tuks picked us up at the river, we ate dinner in a big couch-style table and watched a few hours of "Friends."

The next day, we took a bus to Vientienne, the capital of Laos and also our last stop before Cambodia. We had read about a popular bowling alley near our hotel and after a look of shock from the girls behind the counter when I told them my shoe size (I may have what are considered big feet in the U.S. but in Laos I think they are more in the "unheard of" range) we bowled alongside the locals.
We arrived in style the next day to the Vientienne airport as we had decided to have a splurge night after all those bus rides, and the hotel drove us in their Dick Tracey-esque car.

Laos and the tubing, in particular, were experiences to add to the long list of highlights for me on this trip. Now on to Cambodia!

3 comments:

JWHA said...

I would like to comment that it was 329 steps to the top of Wat Phousi, not the measly 200 you mention!

Love it ... now if only I had let go a bit sooner on the last trapeeze swing!

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