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Published: March 8th 2013
stalagmite
Konglor caveMarch 8
th,
I can’t believe I'm so behind on my next blog. This can only mean one thing, too much adventuring. Is there such a thing? Not in my world. Oh this new world I am in, is unlike anything I've done before. I love being a foreigner, being in a new place every week. It’s almost been a month but it feels like a year, it feels like I've discovered a new piece of me, outside of my comfort zone. I get overwhelmed and think sometimes that I cant do this forever but Jacob continues to tell me that I am a natural traveler and he is right. I feel like a have a purpose. Each week is a new country, a new language to learn, a new currency to figure out and a more open and expressive Paige. The bubble I was living in the US was always expanding but I've now completely popped it! And so has everyone other traveler I've met. I’m not usually one to be seen out at bars back home but here its different because you’re simply in a room of travelers from all over the world completely out of their comfort zone
and eager to talk story, find out where everyone’s from and what their next move is. I have become familiar with many along the travel trail. Sometimes I see the same person I saw in Pai 3 weeks ago walking down the street or on the same bus as me in Cambodia. Being apart of tours is also a new concept for me and is a great way to meet people. After living in Kauai I learned to hate tourist just as every one else did and thought it better to always explore on your own instead of with a huge group but in other countries its almost necessary, and the people you meet tend to be if not your age then at least way down to earth and easily become new contacts through out the world. That’s is essentially my plan for life. Because I am the type of person that doesn’t have a whole lot of direction but I do have a lot of drive, I don’t necessarily know what it is I want to do with my life and I am perfectly ok with that. The amount of moving I’ve done since I have been old enough
to be on my own has provided me with life skills and knowledge to be the kind of person I want to be. The people I have met in Bend, Ashland, Kauai, California and now SE Asia are some of the best people in the whole world. These friendships mean more to me than anything I could learn in school and have given me the tools to grow. I feel more alive than ever and I don’t plan on stopping any time soon. It is clear to me now that I am on the path I was born to be on and I am at the mercy of the universe to take me wherever I land next. I wouldn’t go as far as to say I am “finding myself” because I know exactly who I am, I can only pray that I can become more aware of the gifts that the Lord has provided to me and find a way to channel them towards the greater good. Because if I cant find a way to help then I am not living. What tools do I possess that I can affor thy neighbor? Perhaps I am doing it already, but this
is what I am looking for….
On that note I have been having the time of my life and experiencing a whirlwind of emotions! Starting with Vang Vieng what a magical place. The river flows through the middle dividing the city into town and countryside. My time there was spent lounging in our riverside bungalow ($8 a night) and swimming in multiple spots including but not limited too “The blue lagoon” complete with ropes, swings, shaded cabanas, volleyball, hikes to caves and a full bar in the middle of no where. It took us 1 hour via bicycle to discover this oasis and the scenery of the rice patty fields and intense mountain peaks weren’t bad to look at either. We spent a total of 3 days in Vang Vieng before heading to the capitol of Vientiane but we did it in style. By style I mean boat, by boat I mean kayak. That’s right, we kayaked all day from point A to point B, a total of 154 km. What a great day that was aside from the rest of the tour group that we were with consisting mainly of 6 “Bros” from Holland that showed up late due to some trouble with the local police from the night prior. But they were easily ignored and our trip was hardly jaded by their presence and their ability to capsize their boat on every rapid. We had a great bbq on some rocks along the way where we were able to do some cliff jumping and lots of swimming.
We spent 1 night in Vientiane before hopping a bus south. Everyone told me that like most capitols this was the armpit of Laos, however it has been my experience to not listen to one word anyone else has to say about anything because what I see and do in most places always turns out better that I could have hoped for and Vientiane was no exception. I had some of the best curry I have had on this whole trip and in the morning I visited a French bakery where I had an almond croissant that rocked my freaking world! Did I mention that with every meal you get in Laos you also receive a baguette? One with breakfast lunch and dinner, and if they weren’t so damn tasty my weight gaining ability wouldn’t be such an issue. Yikes! We took a short 2 day detour to Konglor cave, spanning 7 km this cave is filled with mountains of stalagmite and the boat ride through took about 2 hours in the pitch black. Only slightly creepy.
On to the Si Phon Don province of southern Laos also known as the 4,000 islands, a group of islands on the biggest part of the Mekong river, also bordering Cambodia. Another 3 mildly lazy days were spent on the small island of Don Det, the majority of those days were spent in my hammock overlooking the Mekong. I'm not trying to make anyone jealous but DAMN this is the life! Anyone can do this because it is so cheap to be here I feel like a queen and im only 25 so you know my income isn’t amazing. The last day was the most active and was a full day of kayaking and exploring with a large group of 24. we dominated that region of river and that is saying a lot because it is by far the biggest river I have ever seen. We saw 2 waterfalls, the first was small and swimable and the second is actually the largest waterfall in all of SE Asia and is comparable to Niagra. It took quite a bit of hiking to get to both but I am a sucker for each and every waterfall even the smallest trickle of water down a mountain, they are all each as beautiful as the next. During the longest leg of kayaking we were able to catch a site of the rare Irroway river dolphin, with only 20 residing in Lao we saw probably half of them. I feel very lucking to have witnessed so many breeds of dolphins in my lifetime and being able to swim with them on 2 occasions is a rare thing I know, and I cherish the spiritual moments of each encounter with them. I am truly blessed.
After 12 hours of exploring the Mekong by boat we shared an even more incredible dinner. We happened upon a once a week pig roast at a local bar with buy one get-one free bucket cocktails. These are exactly what they are called, who needs a pint glass when you could have a bucket for 40,000 kip ($5)? My thoughts exactly! Back to the pig, we followed our noses on this one and Jacob did a small dance of excitement in the street for about 5 mins before we got to partake. It was just like Hawaii, a good-sized whole pig wonderfully rotating over a fire. For 50,000 kip we received a plate with meat, skin, homemade Indian influenced potato salad and a garden fresh green salad with sesame ginger Laos dressing. I cannot express how happy we were that evening! Seriously more than you are imagining right now.
The next day we parted with our 3
rd traveling companion Beckah, we were now a party of 2 and were setting off for Cambodia. This is currently were we reside but this story is going to require a whole new blog…..
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Kayla
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I live for your travel blog...
... that is all. Keep 'em coming! Tell Jacob I say "hello". Miss you!