Vientiane was always going to be a stop off destination. It's a large city - and although is no-where near the chaos of bangkok (in fact it's quite chilled out here), there are not really that many great attractions of interest. The town again is dominated by a mixture of Laos and French roots and there are some extremely spectacular buildings scattered around town, such as patuxai - the laos version of the Arc de Triomphe, the Laos National Cultural Hall and the temple - Pha That Luang. However, two days here are more than enough for myself and so, today, I leave Laos - and head to Hanoi - and the wonders of Vietnam.
Monday 10 March 2008
Vang Vieng
After a six hour bus ride through the mountains, I arrive in Vang Vieng. The town is small, and like most towns in Laos is based upon the river. For a young traveller - this is the place to be. The town itself is simply full of restaurants - each with very low tables, cusions to lie back in, and large TV screens showing only re-runs of Friends, The Simpsons or Family Guy. However the main attraction of Vang Vieng - is the river. While many go kayaking down stream, it is tubing which has become popular here and has essentially put this place on the map.
You hire a big rubber tube - grab a tuk tuk upstream and then sail back down to town (which should take between one and a half and two hours depending on the season - although I never actually made it to the end). Along your travels downstream are rows of bars either side of the river. If you want to stop off for a drink you simply shout - a local (like fishing) then swings out a large rope, or a stick or a rope with a bottle attached to it - and hauls you in. When your done drinking - you continue floating down the river to the next bar. Each bar is different - many have hammocks for chilling out on the river, while others entertain the crowds with extremely high rope swings or zip wires - where most travellers compete in performing the most outrageous flips (it's a lot of fun). Drinks served in each bar have two menu's - the second (secret) menu is known as the Happy Menu. Each drink here has added incredients - a Happy shake for example will contain the normal components of an expected shake but will also have either opium, weed or mushrooms (that you wouldn't find in a full English breakfast), added in. You can also order Happy Pizzas and basically anything else you want on the normal menu but with a Happy twist - you get the idea.
Every night is party night - most head to Smile Bar (on the river of course) - which plays a mixture of music - mostly pop though, but never without a bit of Bob Marley. Drinks here mainly come in buckets and if I could work out how the money in Laos works (1 pound = 17,000 kip) then I believe they are pretty cheap.
I have stayed in Vang Vieng longer than any place on my trip so far and thus have accumulated a lot of friends here. I met back up with Cody, the girls from that night in Pak Beng and four blokes from Watford who are always up for a laugh. Its hard to say goodbye to this place but I have to go....I'm heading for the capital of Laos....Vientiane.
Before leaving vang Vieng - I recieved an email from Harjeet. His illness had not cleared up and he was in Bangkok heading home (two months early). He then proceded to explain that because we had shared a room in Pai - the doctor said that I should get tested too for Typhoid - theres a three week incubation so I may not show symptoms yet and the vaccination is not 100 per cent effective. To my delight - I head to the Vang Vieng hospital. No-one speaks English - they hand my a Laos-English translatiopn book and I attempt to look up the words "Typhoid" and "Test Please". After what seemed like a negotiation in buying a house - I think they finally got the message. I was handed a piece of paper with nothing but the words negative on so I assumed I was in the clear. I hope the nurses knew what they were doing or that they even knew what the hell I was asking them to test. I suppose the only true way to know, will be to wait for three weeks and see if I come down with a fever. I headed to Vientiane........
Luang Prabang (Laos)
Luang Prabang sits, surrounded by mountains, on a small riverine peninsular between the Mekong and the Nam Khan River. It has a unique atmosphere, like most of Laos - very relaxed. The pace of life in Laos is much slower than in Thailand - noticably so. People are extremely friendly, always smiling and far less aggressive than their Thai neighbours. However, Laos is poor - it is still a communist country and because of it - there are implications. You have to be in your room at midnight (or there abouts) and most shops, bars and clubs start to close by 11.30pm. Laos also has security issues, with frequent bomb attempts - many successful.
The food in laos is similar to that in thailand - but with a slight twist. They have specific Laos dishes (e.g. Laap - a sort of meat salad - nice though) and many of their restuarants also have a French influence - in fact, Laos in general has strong historical ties to France and you can see that around Luang Prabang in building designs and the number of French travellers and tourists who settle here.
In the town of Luang Prabang itself - it's worth climbing the Phu Si - a large hill at the town's centre with spectacular views and some important temples. The night market is popular too - you can't miss it, it engulfs every street. However, if shopping isn't your thing then eating out at a restuarant for about 2 pounds on the Mekong River is never a bad way to spend an evening.
A short tuk tuk ride away and you can reach the Kuang Si Falls. They are more visually impressive than those seen at Kanchanburi (Thailand) and they have a rope swing for hurling yourself into the icy waters. There are no fish though, but nearby is an oddly placed bear sanctuary - which I had a quick gaze at. I also took a trip to the Pak Ou caves. You can only reach it by boat. They have two small caves with thousands of buddah figures in each. While the caves are extremely important for the local people (the king makes an annual trip to the caves) - the religious value of the whole scene is somewhat lost on the average tourist - including myself.
After a few days, I head south to a place of madness, river bars, the Simpsons and most importantly - of tubing. Surrounded by mountains, this small Laos town has quickly become backpacker famous. I would soon find out why, for the place.....was Vang Vieng.
From Thailand To Laos
So, after just under a month - I leave Central and Northern Thailand and head for Laos. The two day trip was booked for both myself and my travelling friend Harjeet (from Slough) who I had met a few weeks earlier. Unfortunately Harj had been feeling ill for quite some time and so decided to get it checked out. The day before we leave for Laos he visits the local Pai hospital - where they confirm that he has contracted Typhoid!!! I head off to Laos alone. I'm not sure whether I will now ever see Harj again. Things can change so quickly out here, you can't plan from one day to the next - I suppose thats the life of a traveller.
The bus from Pai leaves at 10pm and your seated (in a space the size of a penalty spot) for pretty much the whole night. The trip sends you through a region known as the "Golden Triangle" because simply, it is the border between Thailand, Myanmar (Burma) and Laos. Myself, three young English-ers from Muswell Hill and a guy called Cody from Canada arrive at the Thai border (a small town called Chiang Khong) at 4am and then wait - for the border to open. Getting out of Thailand is quick and easy - getting into Laos is less so. You take a short boat ride across the Mekong River into (Huay Xai) Laos - where you procede to wait for an hour and a half - filling in papers, getting your passport stamped and most importantly - paying large quantities of US dollars for the privilege. Eventually we get going.
About 50 people can board each slowboat. Beforehand they advise you to buy a small pink pillow with bears printed on it - it's currently the best 50p i'v spent. The first day takes six hours down the Mekong and the wooden planks of wood that represent seats are not the most comfortable. There is not a great deal to do on the boat except look at the incredible scenery and make many friends. After the days sailing we arrive at a small town on the Mekong called Pak Beng. As we dock - kids (in huge quantities) jump aboard, grab as many bags as their arms will hold and then sprint off up the hill with everyones belongings. The boat seems to take just a bit longer to dock than you would expect - likely to allow the kids to complete their mission. Once off the boat - I see an old man with my ridiculously heavy backpack sprinting up the hill - I chase after him. Catching up - he then wants money for carrying my bag up the hill - I pay him 50 baht!!!
Pak Beng is an extroadinary town - one road, with no electricity after 10.30. Cody and I spent that night with three young ladies from England and two from Sweden - playing cards and drinking unquestionably the best beer in SE Asia (Beer Lao) - all under torch light.
The next day we begin an 8 hour trip down the Mekong. The trip followed a similar pattern to the first day - mainly drinking and talking, except now a strong smell of illegal substances drifted across the boat - most of which had been picked up by backpackers in Pak Beng the night before.
Finally, we arrive at our destination..... Luang Prabang.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
