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The slow boats
We all had to squeeze onto one boat, even though there were many!Our introduction to Laos was quite an adventure. We crossed the border from northern Thailand into Laos and signed up for the 2-day "slow" boat ride down the Mekong River to Luang Prabang. We decided against the one day speed boat trip because apparently there have been numerous fatalities. After seeing them fly by us, we understood why.
The slow boat ride was a " trip to remember" according to the Lonely Planet guide. I think we, along with the 100+ other tourists that were stuffed into the old, wooden longtail boat will certainly remember the trip. Inspite of the awkard wooden bench seats with hardly any legroom, little room to move around the boat because people and backpacks were piled into every available inch on the floor, and longer days than expected because of various stops along the way to pick up and drop off locals and miscellaneous goods, it was a beautiful trip. We wound our way through Laos on this 2-day jouney, passing through lush, tropical forests, muddy banks with bathing water buffalo, bamboo fishing poles and rigs, and many small villages looking down on the river from the steep banks above. Other than the occasional speedboat
whizzing by (the speed boats are tiny wooden craft with a V8 engine hanging off the back - you can hear them coming a mile away), the trip was quite peaceful. It helped that there was a proper toilet on board.
After two long, cramped days (maybe we have been travelling too long - many people we met for some reason had no complaints about this same trip!), we were pleasantly greeted by the quaint, French Colonial town of Luang Prabang (a UNESCO World Heritage site), which immediately won us over with its many charms. We found friendly, happy people and couldn't get enough of the traditional Laos wrap skirt worn by just about every woman in town. Bicycles and motorbikes were the transportation of choice and people had no trouble riding around with as many friends, family, and goods as they could fit on the back. They always managed to look very proper doing it, carrying umbrellas for shade from the heat and sitting side-saddle on the backs because of their long skirts. We also found wonderful food (french cuisine, baguette stands, strong coffee, and sticky rice that you squeeze into a ball with your hand before dipping
it into your main dish); lovely, ornate buddhist temples surrounded by rustic colonial buildings; and beautiful green, mountainous landscapes.
The rest of the Laos was not nearly as charming as Luang Prabang, but the beautiful landscape made up for that. We traveled around by bus through steep, windy roads that were hugged by clusterings of raised, bambood hut villages (that were always neat and orderly with people out sweeping every morning) and endless fields of rice paddies and water buffalo.
We stopped in the Plain of Jars, an area where stone funerary jars thousands of years old dot the landscape. The other interesting local attraction are remnants of the American war in Vietnam - which secretly took place in Laos as well. Thousands of unexploded bombs litter the country side, to this day maiming and killing children and farmers every year. The bomb craters are easily seen on the hillsides.
We are sad to leave beautiful Laos, but looking forward to more of Thailand and the beach.
"La kawn" Loas and "sok dii" (goodbye and good luck).
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Kat, Trav, and Zoë
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Looks awesome!
Luang Prabang sounds really cool. What an awesome experience you guys are having. We're doing well - I'm about to go on avacation, Trav's researching some freelance writing stuff, and Zoë's working on crawling. She is a such a happy, fun baby. Stay safe and enjoy the beach!