Blogs from North, Laos, Asia - page 36

It is I, Ashlee. Patrick is not feeling well after our bumpy bus ride to Luang Nam Tha, so is sleeping, but he will write again soon I promise :) We departed Muang Ngoi Neau by boat, and landed in Nhong Khiew, back on the main trails of Laos. From there, we ran into some travel difficulties, which although frustrating at first, actually led to be one of our most memorable days here so far. We originally wanted to catch a bus to Luang Nam Tha, about 6 hrs bus-ride away, but quickly learned that as we were the only two people going, the bus wouldn't take us. This isn't the first time the low tourist season hasn't worked in our favour. We then decided to catch a bus headed to Luang Prabang but we would ... read more

I seem to adjust to people I talk to. "Xishuangbanna is a great place" "What do you mean by great place?" I want to say whatever you think a great place is, that's what it is, but I just describe the kind of place he wants to hear to him. I picked that place simply because I know he will like it. I love watching people smile, love listening to people laugh and love when others are happy. I just talked with a bunch of Europeans (German, English and Belgium) about why they're here, what they're doing here, how did they come here, it's the same conversation every time but it's new and interesting every single time. It's truly amazing to discover these things about people and what they think of the world, it's life changing ... read more

Today I am extremely tired. I woke up at 6:30am and then got on a bus to Mohan (again, it was that same kind of horrible road with even worse driver where all you can do is hold on and hope you don't throw up - which I was fortunate enough not to). Then I met an English guy who seemed to who only half wanted me around when I crossed into Boten where we waited for a bit until a sawngthaew took us to Nam Tha. A sawngthaew is like a pick-up truck with seats built into the back with a roof overhead where luggage can be placed (or apparently so can people), ours was crammed but not that crowded. I talked with the English man, a Chinese guy (who said there were a lot ... read more

Day 147 Waking early Mark left Chrissie asleep to explore the town. We had been told that the market was worth a visit but you had to go between 6 and 7 to see it at its best, so this was the first stop. Arriving just after 7 the market was still bustling with life selling all kinds of food. Picking up a bit of fruit he went back into town to check out what treks were on offer. Muang Sing is known for Eco Trekking. This means that all of the trekking is regulated through one governed organization, anyone else offering treks in the area are illegal. This allows them to monitor and limit the number of tourists visiting or staying at minority villages; it limits the number of people per group: it also means ... read more

We were both looking forward to Lao after so many great reports from friends and fellow travellers. We were not disappointed by any means..... On the surface, it looks like a quieter, equally as friendly and polite, cheaper version of Thailand. (35$/day for two without skimping - amazing to think that 2 can live well on the same amount as you would pay on a short commute into London each day!) . The food is similar but interestingly different. People take the time to chat. Wats (Temples), beautiful cultural heritage and nature abound. It is simply THE best place to relax on the planet we reckon. We woke in Chiang Khong at 7.30am to get packed and ready to be dropped by the Guesthouse owner at the muddy Mekong ferry slipway to do our checking out ... read more