Laos is considered one of the most relaxing countries in SE Asia to travel in. It has an old world laid back charm as Laos is less developed than Thailand. the mountains in the North serve as a beautiful backdrop, and the Mekong river flows through the entire length of the country. Sometimes I feel like the Laotians don’t know what to do with the Farang’s (Foreigners). There are not as many local people that speak English as there are in Thailand so it makes communication trickier.
Especially for me, who has been studying the “Lonely Planet – Thai phrasebook.” This trip has made me realize how much I love learning languages. The Thai people are really friendly with me because they always think I’m Thai and try to speak with me in their language. Words can’t describe the feeling you get when you can connect with people who live on the other side of the world. I love Thai people because they love to smile and eat spicy food probably even more than I do!
It has officially been 2 months since I entered Thailand, I know this because my Thai Visa expired after 2 months. Which meant I had to rush to the Laos border to avoid the $500Baht/Day penalty charge. Here’s Katie and I crossing the Mekong River.
I am so thankful that I have met such a great travel buddy and friend. Katie and I work well together because we have complementary strengths. Katie is studying to be a chartered accountant so she is really good with money and also amazing with directions. I am awful with a map so having her around is great. My strength is in schmoozing. I’m great at research and finding out from travellers where the best places to go are. In addition to being safer, we are also able to save money by sharing accommodations.
Luang Prabang is described as a photographers wet dream because of the lush forestry, mountains and beautiful French colonial buildings. The city is not big, and the best way to get around is to rent bicycles to tour the city.
We were able to cover the entire city within an hour. The cool thing about renting bikes was that we could leave the touristy area and truly get a feel for what local life is like as we zipped by them on our crappy bikes. We were told to never put anything in the baskets, as theft is common so that’s why you see us with our bags always slung across our shoulders.
The old quarter has a beautiful collection of French architecture, intricately decorated Buddhist temples and emerald green mountains. It was a 15 hour bus ride to get here from the border city with quite a few toilet stops just on the side of the road. But it was worth it!
I’m not sure if I mentioned that Katie and I have a tradition. Every city we have been together, we spend at least one evening playing a drinking game called Slapjack. Thanks Dad for the teaching me this when I was young. I don’t know if its meant to be a drinking game but it has kept us occupied for many a great night. Here’s us playing with all the people we met on our crazy bus ride.
Since Laos is a Communist country, there is a 11 PM curfew. This means that all the clubs close at 11, and many guest houses lock up at this time. The only place that still serves alcohol is the Bowling Discotheque. It’s filled with drunken tourists but still great fun!
The bowling teams are as follows: Holland Vs. Canada Vs. U.K. Holland kicked Canada’s butt. And Canada beat U.K. purely based on the fact the 2 English dudes were drunk. Go figure!
The next day, we took a 5 hour bus ride to Vang Vieng. This is a small city that travellers either love or hate. I was sceptical at first because I heard how cheesy and touristy it is. Upon arrival I did notice a whole lot of young tourists and it was not until I went tubing (what the city is known for) that I fully understood.
On a hot summer afternoon, thousands of tourists rent tubes and sail down the Nam Song river. This place is like Ibiza in a river. The river is lined with all these bars that serve free shots of Laos whiskey, buckets of booze, chicken sandwiches and some even have drug menus that include hash brownies, joints, and mushroom shakes! Did I mention the rope swings, the slide and the mud volleyball?
We met a couple of promoters from Finland who work the bars. This is the deal for people who love it so much they decide to live there. As long as you’re friendly, speak English and love to party, you can work at one of these bars in town. You don’t actually get paid anything, but they will provide you a place to sleep, feed you, give you free drinks all day, and all you have to do is hang out and talk to people all day. It’s a perfect way for some of the travellers to sustain their party lifestyle.
As for the rope swing, I decided that I had to try at least one. Of course this is after strategizing with others about how not to get hurt. I heard two different opinions going in. One guy had said to me, you have to try it – there is nothing like it back home. It’s the best thing ever. The other guy had said, You really shouldn’t try it – I see people coming out of the water bleeding from the head. So I was very careful. I can’t even describe how great it is, I felt like a kid again. Afterwards, I found out there is actually a death rate associated with the swings. There are about 5 people that die every year, and get air lifted out of the river. But I think those people must have overdid it on the alcohol. Anyways, glad I made it out alive!
We ended the night at the bucket bar where they actually serve free buckets between 8PM-9PM. Well we did go to the market and get some cheap eats from the market Laos style. I tried a dish made out of ant eggs and sticky rice. It sounds disgusting but was actually quite tasty.
Now we are in the capital city of Vientiane. Tonight we are boarding the night train to head into Phonsavan which is where the mysterious Plain of Jars is and after that Vietnam. Will keep you posted on that as well as Buddha Park. Having a great time.
