Advertisement
Published: October 5th 2007
Into Laos...
((c) image purchased from iStockphoto)OK, so this computer is so slow I've not uploaded all my photos, and the blogs I wrote up on the boat today - I've left the SD-card converter in the hotel, so tomorrow (probably!) in Luang Prabang... Meantime, go and see if I can put my Mosquito net up and try not to get more Deet all over my mouth...
Friday 5th A very early start today! Alarm goes off 610am - Cassandra first to use the 'interesting' shower. I get up 630am - ready for breakfast 710am - mm - lovely white toast (where's my granary bread?!)! By 730 all packed and ready to go - I'm carrying about 5 bottles of water in case there's none on the boat! Our mode of transport is interesting - well - the GAP dossier did say likely to use anything and everything! Bags piled up in the back of a pick-up truck along with 6 of
us - the other 4 squashed in the cab. Didn't feel too unsafe and as we said - the Thais do this all the time - but probably don't take lots of photos of themselves doing it like we did!
2km later, are at the Thai border where 5 Baht (about 7-8p) processing fee gives us our exit stamps. We make our way down to the river edge, into a couple of rickety old petrol-driven long-boats to cross the Mekong River where it's smooth through passport control, and an exchange of money: 2000 Baht becomes 560000 Kip? We think 10000 Kip is about US$1. Big bundle of notes for a relatively small amount of money. Up the hill, our bags covered in mud (drizzly rain), into another converted truck as we taxi back to another waterfront where we cross a narrow plank onto our transport - a houseboat used as a form of transport (and the on-board family home) - private hire largely for tourists as locals use as water-taxis. Another option would have been to get a speed-boat to Luang Prabang in 6 hours (rather than 2-days) - but Kym knows people who've been on them and says
it's noisy, wet and painful!
So, we sit - plenty of space! Sylam is introduced to us as our guide until tomorrow... And we are invited to make a tally of our drinks purchased - the 230am-ers seem to blanch at the sight of more Singha Beer! Then it's cameras out again for a few minutes, a bit of chatting, headphones on, looking up for odd photos... And I decide to catch up with typing up this blog!
Today and tomorrow are definitely going to be 'Enjoy the journey, don't just focus on the destination' - as Brian Draper said last year!
About 1130 am, we stop at the edge of a 'county'... Anything named 'Pak' means 'at the mouth of the river'... And we are heading for Pak Beng. At the county edge there is a boat check - no official comes on board but a couple of children with a basket full of Pringles - I resist (why is the food so high carb here?)! At the stop we see that there is a couple of the speed boats pulled in - looks like it would be fun for about 10 mins but NOT 6
hours! Back on the river the rain starts to fall - soon heavily so the side-blinds are lowered... Opportunity for some different photos though...
About 1ish went to eat lunch hotel had provided for 50 Baht. Water, processed cake were OK, but the chicken and rice was cold and was chewy/over-cooked so couldn't tell is WAS chicken. Left that and finally ate some of the snacks been carrying around... Soon after we are invited to try the family's meal - sticky rice, pork, fish and vegetables. Vegetables too heavy on the coriander (one thing I really don't like - too overpowering, but unfortunately a staple here), but the rice & pork were nice. Sylam says that if we'd like some Laotian dinner tomorrow we can order tonight... Kym says this'll be about 60,000 Kip, so about 6 dollars... We're all going to have a go!
2ish. Decide am going to read my book - more Irish chick-lit (Cecilia Ahern, Where Rainbows End) - enjoyable. Narrative constructed from email/postcard conversations. About 4ish we arrive at Pak Beng (meaning mouth of the river Beng) for our overnight stay. Finally get to try out my hybrid bag/backpack - one of those
things I meant to do at home but never did! Across a narrow plank, up a damp sandy bank (it's been raining a lot this afternoon - so the blinds have been down most of the journey). The two with straight travel bags have theirs taken by a porter - quick warning from Kim to carry own valuables + that a price should be agreed before they carry anything - but 10,000 Kip each (about US$1) was seen as a small price to pay!
Arrived at the hotel - all wood-panelled. This village only gets electricity 6-10.30pm and 6-7.30am (so showers, hot water, lights, fans...), so we headed out for a tour of the village - and Cassandra produced her mosquito outfit to much laughter. Long straggly road, plenty of market stalls with endless western drinks and snacks... I saw a tube of blue Pringles and was debating purchasing, but they turned out to be baked potato rather than salt & vinegar flavour! Made it to the market... Looking at river weed (rather than sea-weed) and banana flowers (don't waste anything here!), multi-coloured chillis, and all sorts. Our tour came to an abrupt end as the heavens opened and
we dashed for dinner... Indian this time (shared a vege samosa, garlic naan, saffron rice, garlic chicken, banana lassi + lots od water.. As always). About $6.
Great view of the river from our table, but as it got darker the electricity generators kicked in. After dinner 5 of us headed for the village's sole internet café - only 3 terminals - and once I did get on was very slow for broadband and more expensive than elsewhere... So I gave up after about 8 photos (although it's amazing that such a remote village has internet at all). Cassandra & I headed back, passing a group in the pub who we're sure had sworn off the drink after last night!
Noleen joined us to walk back - we thought there was only one way back BUT in the dark took a wrong turn and ended up on a muddy slipway to the harbour heaving with lorries and men - fortunately I have a pretty good sense of direction and knew it wasn't right before we walked into the river! Headed back looking out for the big board with the condom poster... And we were soon back in the
hotel.
Decided WOULD put mosquito net up otherwise no point carrying it - and there were holes in the window netting. Attached 2 corners to the window handles and was going to sleep in the triangle created. Once Cassandra stopped laughing she took a photo then spotted an option to tie the other ends to a hanger. 10.32 the lights dimmed, the fan slowed - and then it all stopped! Some reading by torchlight then to sleep!!
Saturday 6th Woken from deep sleep by Cassandra's alarm and the fan kicking back in as the electricity restarted at 6am. Cassandra obviously decides against her early view of the village as when my alarm goes off 50 minutes later she is only just up.
Another shower over the toilet, then ensure are packed (waterproof cover gets its first use as it's chucking it down), and out for breakfast - scrambled egg and white bread/butter/jam. When I signalled had finished egg, ended up with another plateful - oops!
Then, on with the packs again and down to the boat. Haven't found SD-adaptor overnight - boo! Take a seat and off we go - get my book straight back out
and by 11am - have finkished it! So, bit more blog, then we stop at a village (lowland village so OK to take photos - is the highlander villages where they believe you are trying to take a bit of their soul with photos). Trying not to slip on the paths we make our way through the village, children clamouring for photos to be taken as Sylam explaings the rich/poor houses, etc. We've been told it's not helpful to give moneu as will give wrong idea of how to make a living. Make way to Buddhist Wat - not quite as spectacular as the ones in Bangkok. Sylam chats to a tatooed 16- year old monk (last night Kym mentioned that monks are not monks for life - is all about getting an education, or a couple of years of training, or social welfare in old age).
Head back down to boat where table is laid for Laotian lunch - didn't like the soup (basically coriander, veg & noodlesl). Remainder of meal was good - duck egg, duck egg omelette, pork & veg, gingered water buffalo and sticky rice. Good meal. Good chat abd 2-3 hours later we stop
at the village from which the boat captain comes.up another slippery path, past many ducks, to some strange liquid bubbling away. Sylam has already said he's bringing us to the 'whisky village' - and turns out they are making rice wine - 7-8 bottles from one boil, with bottles 3 onwards up to 70% proof. We try - with the warning that if we want to be able to stand upright one sip is enough.. V strong... Known as Lao Lao!
Head back to the boat and an hour later stop at the (Thim Thum) caves - a holy site to Buddha within natural caves - including the 150-ish steps to the upper caves in the humid heat. Back on the boat and 5 minutes later and everything has disappeared in a sheet of rain. Not much further to Luang Prabang where we get into a bus to our lodging for the next 3 days! Time for shower then head our the (3 Elephant) Restaurant (BBQ idea off in the rain) which looks posh! Settle for Buffalo sausages with promise of chocolate cheesecake to come (that was brilliant!), then decide against internet for tonight and go 'home' where I
fall asleep mid reading Thai Guidebook!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.551s; Tpl: 0.014s; cc: 21; qc: 93; dbt: 0.1941s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.3mb
