Vang Vieng - Phonsavan - Luang Prabang

---

PLEASE NOTE... we are writing this in Sapa VIETNAM as we are a bit behind with the blog right now, not only that - we got pickpocketed in Hanoi and they stole our playing cards and our camera lead (bless em), so until we get a new one, we cant upload pictures sorry...

30th May 2005
So here we are, back in the lovely Vang Vieng! "Why are you back there?" I here you ask, well...

After speaking with some fellow backpackers in Vientiane we decided that we wanted to extend our visa and see more of northern Laos. We had so far done the typical tourist route of Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng and Vientiane and didnt feel satisfied that we had seen the best parts of the country.

We bought our visa extensions with the same company that we did the Kayaking with and agreed to pick them up in Vang Vieng after our trip to the Lake.

Our accomodation this time was as far away from the 'Friends' and 'Movie' bars as we could get! This turned out to be a good idea as our room and balcony overlooked the river and mountains and was close to the island which has some cool chilled out bars and great swimming spots! We had a spare day before we could pick up our passports so made the most of the opportunity to chill on the island drinking Beer Laos, playing cards and swimming in the river alongside the locals (who were actually bathing in the river). We had some great food in the evening at a small restaraunt on a side road, it worked out at just $3 for two main meals and drinks and we got some free entertainment from the owner's four year old who was screaming questions at us in laos! Her Dad rescued us by translating from the kitchen so we could answer with our names, ages and addresses.

On 1st June we headed to Phonsavan on a public bus, just three of us Falang aboard a bus full of locals. What an experience these buses really are, whilst the driver puts his foot down around the mountain cliff edges pounding the horn (in the rain I must add), strange things happen like a man climbed off the roof, walked along the window ledges and into an open window on the bus! If you think thats crazy, inside the bus people are randomly being sick in the prepared clear sick bags and lobbing them out of the windows! Steve tried to escape this madness by playing Nirvana on his CD Player at full however the driver must have noticed and entertained the passengers with 6 hours of loud, distorted, ear piercing Laos pop over the stereo, great.

On our arrival at Phonsavan, we found a guest house for just a couple of dollars that was actually nicer than the more expensive ones around. That evening we headed out, however there really isnt much to do or see around the small town, a lot of the locals have decorated their property with bomb shells from the war and put some to use as flower beds and fences! Other than this there are just a few sub-standard restaraunts and a small pool hall. We had some food and played a bit of pool to entertain the locals who were all keen to forget their games and watch us play for some strange reason. We looked into one of the local 'discos' however this was more like a wedding reception so got an early night.

The following day, we had a trip booked to see the mysterious Plain of Jars sites. These are jar shaped stones embedded in the ground though nobody really knows their origin. The first site is the biggest and is surrounded by hills that were used by the army in the war. There are bomb craters all over the area and you can still see trenches that were dug out. There is currently a major project in the area by a company called MAG to clear unexploded ordanances left over from the war. They have kindly set out a nice 'safe path' for us to follow through the fields to avoid getting our legs blown off!

Later that day we popped by the MAG office to see some of the explosives they have recovered and disarmed and saw some pictures of them at work. We also paid tribute at the Vietnamese and Laos war memorials just out of town.

It was about this time in a restaurant that we learnt from some other backpackers that we will not be able to get our Vietnam visa anywhere other than Luang Prabang/Vang Vieng/Vientiane (Yes i know, we should

Vang Vieng Mountain Views

have got them before now. We dont want to talk about it right now, OK). So...the next day we caught a bus back to Luang Prabang and had to wait for 3 days as it was a weekend and then paid an extortionate price for a one working day express visa to ensure we didnt waste our Laos visa that had just extended!

Finally, with our visa sorted, next stop Nong Khiaw....

---