Blogs from North, Laos, Asia - page 33

ENTERING DIFFERENT WORLD As soon as we have checked into our Guest House we could see the difference. The owner were so smiley and lovely, our room was amazing so big and clean, own shower, and the bedding smelled nice, so did the towels, lovely. We knew it is laundry time, so we had done in hot wash for the first time since we gone travelling, it is amazing how little things make you happy, the smell of clean laundry was our highlight of a next day. Town it self was beautiful, also the pace suddenly went from 6 gear to 1st, and soon we knew what meant "Lao Lao Time" Only one thing we have notices straight away, so many westerners, unfortunately not all of them were so nice, some deserve a slap for their ... read more

Well, those were the most relaxing 3 weeks of my journey. Nepal was still the top, figuratively and literally, but Laos gets shiny silver. I cannot think of any other country that would be as laid back as Laos, so the Australians were right. Sadly for you guys, it is hard to put the experience into words. There are no spectacular stories to tell, no frustrations to express. Vangvieng was the most pleasant place because the environment was just gorgeous once we got away from the tourist street. We have regretted not having stayed there for a few days longer. Luang Prabang is a bigger village again, with a French colonial feel. And not just the buildings; it's full of francophone people there. An actual expat community even. Francis could have almost felt like he was ... read more

LAO Hello everyone, we are still alive, not that any of you seem to be concerned :oP ( as the comments are unstopable) Left China yeaterday and now in Lao, we have booked a tracking for 3 days, so just in case some of you uctually wonderes of our well being. Love Romi and Renca LAO Ahojky lidicky, porad jeste dychame, ne ze by to nekoho zajimalo, jak pozorujeme vase komenty. Vcera jsme odjely z Ciny, a ted jsem v Lao, zamluvily jsem si tri denni turu, jen kdyby vas nahodou zajimalo co s nami je. S laskou Romca a Renca ... read more

7/2/2008 Went out to the bus station this morning and decided where my destination would be for today. Hunnnn...seem like every buese left at 9am, NongKeiw...no I wouldn't like to ride on a songtherw for more then 4 hours. Then I saw the bus to Namtha, and the price is only 70000kip, 15000 cheaper than going to Uodomxay and switch bus to Namtha. Ok...I brown the ticket even it was another 9 hours journey. Now I was on the same road again up where I came down from. Wondered why I always attracted woman with kid sitting next to me all the time, as with today. And godddd! They always puke as usually, if I had to nominated the top ten torturing method in riding public transportation, sitting next to a puking family would be ... read more

Muang Ngoi and surrounding villages, 25-28 January 2008 The villages we visited on a three-day trek from Muang Ngoi were absolutely amazing. Their skills, their commitment to their village and love of their neighbours, their resourcefulness and their motivation to not only survive but thrive in this isolated place prompted me to ask myself the question: Why are their equivalents in a so-called '1st World' nation like Australia so much worse off than those of this under-developed, poor nation? With no government 'assistance' or even true recognition, these people develop their own society and flourish! Arriving in Muang Ngoi, the serene farming-come-tourist village on the Nam Oh River, we took a dozen steps out our front door and found a dirt cheap lunch and an enthusiastic guide willing to take us on a 3-day trek around ... read more