The Freedom Diaries - Part 2 - Laos

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The time has come again to update you all on our latest adventures. The update is coming a little later than promised as we are now in an overloaded bus on our way to Hoi An in Vietnam and the warmth and comfort of Laos is all but a distant memory.



My last update saw us saying farewell to Thailand as we crossed the Friendship Bridge in to Laos. A 20 minute journey to cross a 200m bridge should have given us an indication as to what was to come when travelling in Laos but so innocent we were not knowing the highways we were accustomed to in Thailand were to become all but a memory of ‘the way life was’. Our first stop in Laos was the capital Vientiane. After becoming instant millionaires getting €50 out of the ATM in local currency we began our 22km journey on the back of a tuk tuk breathing in the fresh dust and diesel we arrived in the hot city centre. After working out how many thousands of kip our room would cost (kip is the word for chicken in Dutch so it was quite strange when they wanted us to pay 100,000 kip for a room, I couldn’t fit that many chickens in my suitcase!) we settled in to our ‘prison cell’, took a moment to dry the sweat before heading out to explore all the Vientiane had to offer.



After seeing the all that the small capital had to offer in under an hour it was time to refresh over a fresh fruit shake before taking on the evening life. Attempting to adhere to our backpacker budget we found ourselves a ‘restaurant’ comprising of a few plastic chairs and tables upon a pile of rumble with the kitchen being a coal bbq grill and a small gas burner. With the local cats and dogs for company we enjoyed the first of many beerlao and the local fare. Fed on local food we thought we would continue the local theme by doing what they do and heading to the local bowling alley. Somewhere beyond the kerbside and the entrance we must have found a time portal as we were instantly transported to the early 80s as we walked through the doors. After paying our €1.20 for the game we found our way through the haze of cigarette smoke to our lane, put on our retro shoes which must have been worn by thousands of feet before me over the centuries of their life, entered our name on the old green and black computer screen and the bowling was ready to begin. Now as no pro-bowler I was relieved to find that even a gutter ball could yield me a point with one of the pin registering devices broken, it always believed a pin was gone that was always there and often it took three bowls to retrieve the first ball that was sent down the lane. With my white shirt turned to black with the dust and grease from every retrieved ball it was time to call it a night (not before a Pina Colada nightcap of course) and end our first day in Laos.



Still finding it difficult to get back in to the traveller mood after our relaxing stay in Nong Khai and with the Laos heat bearing down on us, we decided to spend the next day doing what we do best, lying by the local swimming pool. Again it was like stepping back in to the 80s, the pool resembling an old local pool in an Australian country town from years ago. Still, it did the job and we spent a complete day doing nothing but reading by the pool and watching the locals swim fully dressed. The evening was comprised of Pina Colada’s, beerlao, a pizza Laos style and an Australian man using the f-word every 12 seconds.



After doing all that Vientiane had to offer, it was time to move on up to Vang Vieng our next stop a mere 156km up the road. However in Laos such a journey takes no less than 4 hours. Roads in far outback Australia are in better condition than this road leading out of the capital. The bitumen gave in to the dirt every 2 metres only to fight back and claim a part of the road once again for a small while. The potholes were greater than the craters on Mars and the minibus driver swerved over both sides of the road trying to ensure the smoothest journey mindless to fact that our heads were swirling with the constant left/right as our eyes tried to find a point of focus. Finally we arrive, the bus stopping and dropping us off with no further instruction or direction to where we were, we were left to our own devices to orientate ourselves and figure out where next. After wandering the streets of the town we found ourselves a guesthouse that looked peaceful with an amazing view over the mountains. Whilst affording me the most amazing sunset I have ever seen (and no camera to capture it on), it also, as we soon discovered, sat above a bar and backed on to the nicknamed ‘party island’. One of the mistakes that is so easy to make when finding your guesthouse during the tranquil afternoon, you never know what comes out to play at night.



For those that don’t know about the little town of Vang Vieng I will give you a brief outline. It was once used as an airbase for flying supplies in for the US troops during the Vietnam War. Since the troops departure it momentarily returned to a sleepy remote village until the backpackers fell upon it and have turned it in to a teenagers/adventurers paradise depending on which way you look at it. The amazing river nearby offers the opportunity to go kayaking or, the main draw card, tubing. After hiring your tube (huge blown up tyre insert) in the centre of town you are shuttled on to the back of a tuk tuk and taken to the launch site. You are then left to your own devices to float back down the river to town. However this experience is not a blissful as it seems. Upon arrival at the launch site you are offered your first of many free shots of local whisky. Before even getting in the water you are almost forcibly dragged in to the first bar for a start-up drink and as you a trying to relax and cruise down the river you have to watch out for the water-filled coke bottles that are thrown at you attached to rope from the numerous bars located along the river ready to drag you in for a drink. With a game plan in place to hover on the good side of enjoying a drink down the river and not succumbing to our inner 20-year old self trying to burst to life, we set off down the river restricting ourselves to only 3 bars. This might not sound like much but have yourself a bucket of mojito made with local vodka and you will soon understand why no further drinks were required. With our arms graffitied with markings offering free drinks for the evening we continued to give life to our inner 20-year old and enjoyed a few buckets of local whiskey with new acquaintances. With the Bucket Bar (aptly named as all drinks are served in buckets) closing down at midnight and all inhabitants suitably drunk after a day of tubing and €1 buckets, it was time for the crowd to proceed further down the party island to the Limbo Bar. Another aptly named bar and a true example of Laos’ encouragement of responsible behaviour as the limbo bar is set alight and drunk idiots caped in the invincibility cloak attempt to become the master of yoga and limbo a bar far lower than they could crawl under. As a fellow traveller said upon seeing this; ‘if teenagers ruled the world, this is what it would be’.



The other major activity in Vang Vieng is the action of sitting in a relaxed bar, lying down and watching endless episodes of Friends on loop. Multiple bars offer this environment and it is surprisingly enjoyable to sit back and do absolute nothing but drink a beerlao and watch an old episode of Friends.



On the search for adventures that don’t involve alcohol and drunken Australians we hired a motorbike and headed out of town to find the blue lagoon and caves. After a bumpy ride continuing to avoid the multiple potholes, we finally arrived at the site of the cave. A steep climb up (by steep I mean a ladder offers more steps and a better angle), we found ourselves at the opening of the cave. With nothing more than the occasional painted arrow on the rock wall we found our way over rocks and crevices to the dark centre. Without headlamps you could not even see your hand in front of your face. The blue lagoon was a rewarding sight after making our way somehow back down from the cave.



The last adventure to be had in Vang Vieng was a hot air balloon ride. Whilst passing our backpacker budget it was still an opportunity that could not be passed up as it was still more than 3 times cheaper than what could be found in Europe. Whilst hoping that this did not affect safety, we took off in our balloon with nothing but a small wicker basket keeping us in place. The balloon climbed to 800m and offered us the most amazing view. The landing however was something else. With the wind speed changing we had a few attempted lands, clipping the top of the trees (close enough to pick some leaves) the pilot realising we would overshoot the mark would take us back up again to look for a new landing spot. Finally, with 10 men to catch the basket, we touched down on solid ground.



With my tolerance for drunken Australian and English backpackers firmly at its end, it was time to bid farewell to Vang Vieng and continue our journey north to the serene Luang Prabang.



A mere 206 kms up the road, this journey was to take us 6 hours. Fortunately the bitumen had won the battle against the dirt in this part of the country however the roads led us through high mountains and step cliffs winding tighter than an Africans hair. With the Lao people’s tendency to drive on whichever side of the road suits them best and to blindly overtake at any time, the journey was not without its adventures. About 2 hours in to our journey our driver stopped abruptly in a local village. After evaluating the situation and watching a live chicken in a basket be tied to the back of the minibus, we realised that we were collecting a couple of local people that were unable to continue their journey through the mountains on the back of the tuk tuk truck. The reason for this was soon revealed as they joined us in the minibus. The driver provided them with plastic bags which they proceeded to make use of rather quickly. Not even the loudest Green Day song on my iPod could drown out the sounds of the ‘activities’. Whilst feeling bad for them as no one can help it if they are travel sick, I was still greatly relieved when our driver transferred them to their own bus at the next major town. After many more windy roads we finally made it to Luang Prabang.



Luang Prabang was the ying to Vang Viengs’s yang. The towns were polar opposites with Luang Prabang offering the feel of the mature traveller (and judging by the price of the guesthouses, the mature budget). The town has a requirement for all local people to be at their place of residence by midnight every night which means all bars are firmly closed and tourists are out the door no later than 11.30pm. It was the small piece of tranquillity that we needed to restore our faith in the fellow backpacker as more than drunks. Our days were filled with bike rides through the city discovering local markets and small oasis bars offering fresh fruit smoothies. We also took a tuk tuk out to the amazing waterfalls in the area, even more breathtaking than the previous waterfalls that we had seen. The evenings were spent wandering the extensive night market and filling up on plates of food for only €1. After several responsible days we heard the backpacker rumour of a place that was open late in the night. After a few beers in the garden bar in town, 11.30pm came and closing time was upon us. However we jumped in to the back of a tuk tuk with 8 other tourists discovering that a tuk tuk is just like the Tube in London where just when you thought it was full, it can always hold 1 more. We rode the 5kms out of town to find ourselves once again at a bowling alley. This one was nothing like Vientiane with its fluorescent lights and high tech screens. We rushed for a lane as the hordes of backpackers flooded through the doors from the various bars as the town centre closed down. Chaos followed as we shared our lane with as many people that could fit in one game, no one knowing what position they were bowling and no one really caring. 3am came and it was time for us to call it a night with a belly full of beerlao and an impending flight the next day.



Nursing one of my infamous hangovers it was time to check out of our guest house, force down some breakfast and await our afternoon flight. With the hangover finally subsiding sometime around 2pm after a beautiful banana smoothie and a few hours relaxing in the shade, it was time to take our tuk tuk to the airport. I think there are houses in Australia that are larger than Luang Prabang airport. After handing over our luggage to the ‘check-in’ girl, we proceeded through ‘security’ and awaited our small propeller plane from Lao Airlines. Walking across the tarmac, little did we know that it was not only Laos we were saying goodbye to but also the sun.



One hour later after a smooth flight and an interesting ‘meal’ that we are still yet to identify, we landed in Hanoi, Vietnam. An outside temperature of 10 degrees greeted us. After our short wait for visas we were stamped through ready to let our Vietnam adventures begin.

I think that I have taken up enough of your time now so I will leave the stories experienced so far in Vietnam for another day.



There are photos of our adventures in Laos available on facebook. I will have to send the link for these photos another time as there is no access to facebook in Vietnam. I have added a few to this blog though as a sneak preview.



I hope that all is well with each and every one of you. Will be in touch again soon with the stories from Vietnam

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Photos

Standard position in Vang Vieng
Relaxing watching endless episodes of Friends