Vietnam,Laos,Thailand!

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Ok, somehow I've made it to Thailand already! I have finally made up my mind to go to the Full Moon Party on Ko Phangan Island to meet up with friends and then travel back up North to see the rest of Lao before i go to the UK in mid to late September.
I last wrote from central Vietnam before heading to Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. I arrived and immediately bumped into 3 guys I had met in Hoi An, Hugh from Scotland, Truong a Vietnamese Canadian (very handy as a translator!) and Steve from London. That night we went out to see the Water Puppetry which was a whole lot of puppets splashing around in water that originated from farmers in the rice paddies. Then we dined out on a huge Vietnamese meal - these guys definately knew how to eat in Vietnam! I wore my Ao Dai (traditional Vietnamese dress) which the Vietnamese loved!
The next day we left for Halong Bay for 3 days on an old, large, wooden boat. The thousands of limestone carsts rising up out of the water were beautiful, much like Fiordland in NZ but smaller and more nobbly. We stayed a night on the deck of the boat under the stars and swam in phosphorescense. We could order fresh crabs and shrimps straight from the floating villages and had them cooked up by the chefs on board. After a day of trekking up a very steep mountain to see the views (I almost died after 3 weeks of drinking as preparation), we spent the second night on Cat Ba Island. The wee town was overrun with dozens of new hotels however there was not enough power supply for them all so our lights were continuously flickering or cutting out. And we found a bar called 'The Flightless Bird' run by Graham, a kiwi bloke with a big mustache! Had a fun night out there ending at a tacky, huge, empty night club.
Once we arrived back in Hanoi we had only 4 hours before jumping on an overnight train to the tiny old French hill station of Sapa in the mountainous North West. Before we left we enjoyed a beautiful meal of Cha Ca; fried fish morsels which we mixed ourselves with greens, peanuts and spices over an iron cooker in the middle of the table. I had a sleepless night in our soft sleeper cabin as the train screeched and stopped in the middle of nowhere all through the night. In Sapa we had a quick shower and a look around the market. I felt like the Pied Piper with 15 women following me, all trying to sell their tribal wares. I also saw a dead, hairless dog for sale in the market which was a bit distressing! Yes they do eat them! And the guys had already tried dog meat before I arrived in Hanoi.
And then we were off trekking through the mountains with rice terraces and clouds all around us. Our 18 year old female guide, Xing, was very sweet and lead us to her beautiful village a few hours down the valley. On the way we were accosted regularly by girls in their indigo tribal clothes, selling embroidered hemp textiles and silver jewlery. Unfortunately the dye they use is not set and turns your skin blue! The going was tough and we got very wet and muddy because the track followed the slippery banks of the rice terraces.
And the rice terraces were incredible! One of the most beautiful man made things I have ever seen. The curves were like fingerprints following the lines of the mountains, with small waterfalls and bamboo pipes draining between the vivid green terraces.
When we reached the village we had time to swim at dusk in the clear, cool river surrounded by mountains with clouds hanging half way from their peaks. For dinner the guys hand picked a white duck from the farm. After a banquet in the courtyard we played cards and dice and drank shots of rice wine (which was cheaper than water!). We slept on the floor under the eaves of the old wooden house. I didn't want to leave the next day but we set out and it started to rain which made great entertainment for the tiny tribal kids as we all skidded down a muddy hillside to the waterfall. Two little girls grabbed our hands and chatted with us all the way from one village to another until we had no choice but to buy their chinese-made bracelets from them.
Back in Sapa we did some more souvenir shopping. I bought two wide embroidered belts which were promptly stolen out of my unlocked backpack when we arrived by train back in Hanoi, exhausted, at 6am! While waiting for the train I caught a ride five minutes up the road to see China! The city on the other side of the river looked a lot flasher than Vietnam but all the advertising was in Chinese lettering. So thats the closest I'll get to China on this trip!
The guys were flying home from Hanoi that day and I had another two days to rest and look around the old town of Hanoi which is much like Hoi An with small streets and narrow buildings but much more hectic! Unfortunately a typhoon hit the Tonkin Sea and it bucketed down for both days and also delayed my English friends who were stuck out on Cat Ba Island in the middle of the typhoon! In my exhaustion I got thoroughly sick of the incessant rain and the constant harrassment from people trying to sell me everything so I booked my bus ticket to Laos and I was off again for another 3 days of travel!
I travelled over the border into Southern Laos with two lovely English guys who were interactive/web designers aswell! Our first night in Laos was a shock as everyone practically ignored us. The Lao people are very reserved compared to the money-hungry Vietnamese!
I said goodbye to the guys at the bus station in the morning as they were going North and I was heading South for Si Phan Don (Four Thousand Islands) on the Mekong River near the Cambodian border. I soon learnt about the Lao relaxed nature. Apparently my bus wasn't leaving until 11am, then 1.30pm, then 3pm! I decided to do as the locals were doing and boarded at 11am and then waited to leave for another 4 hours in the hot sun! I had a night in a horrible hotel in Pakse and made the mistake of getting a head massage which left my forehead flaking off and my hair falling out! So finally after another morning of bus travel (the only foreigner on board again!) I arrived by long boat on tiny Don Det Island in the middle of the Mekong River. There were tiny bamboo bungalows lining the rivers edge and cute restaurants along the dirt track around the island. It was so relaxed and beautiful with hundreds of coconut palms and the big brown river rushing by. I met four funny Belgian girls and we spent the next 3 days lying around drawing, writing and drinking and cycling around the islands on funny Lao Crocodile bikes just like the Famous Five, seeing the giant rapids and old temples. We also swam in the muddy rushing waters of the Mekong!
Then they decided my fate by flipping a coin and said you're coming with us to Northern Thailand! So after less than a week in Laos I was off again for another 3 days of travel! We arrived yesterday in Pai, a tiny little chilled out village in jungle clad mountains. It has obviously been a tourist destination for 10-20 years with every thing imaginable on offer, from yoga to thai cooking classes to rafting and of course the human zoo-style hill tribe trekking. Apart from Bangkok it is the only other part of Thailand I have seen so I don't have much to compare it to but you can definately see the extent of tourism in Thailand, the Asian Disneyland of South East Asia! Apparently Pai is different to other Thai tourist destinations that tend to be a bit frenzied so there are alot of seasoned travellers who have been in Pai for weeks on end either doing nothing, trying to write books, or getting tattoos designed and drawn.
Tonight a group of us are going out for a meal cooked by a former chef to the king! Apparently it is one of the best Thai restaurants in the country. And tomorrow we head off on a 3 day trekking and rafting trip to see hill tribes and hotsprings.
OK! I've got to get away from this computer now! Please keep writing to me because I love hearing about what is going on at home - and don't worry it is not boring at all!
Lots of love, from Ailie  ;D

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