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Published: December 3rd 2008
Hello again everyone,
Our spontaneous detour to Laos was quite possibly the best decision we could have ever made, as the country is beautfiul and quiet, yet rich with stunning landscapes and experiential opportunities centred around the Mekong Delta running through the middle of it.
Our adventure started after hearing the Bangkok airport news and we quickly caught an overnight train to the Laos border. The train would have been a wonderful experience, if it wasn't for the man sleeping in the bunk underneath me (who wasn't Albert!) who generated such noises (you couldn't even call it snoring) that on frequent occasions throughout the night, we though he may have choked/had a heart attack/pegged it...After a tuk-tuk minivan ride to the capital Vientiane, we experienced our first slice of Laotian calm, as even the capital city was quiet, with little traffic and no signs of any hustle and bustle. Vientiane's architecture was beautiful too, with golden temples sparkling in the Laos sun.
After a couple of days, we headed up to Vang Vieng - a cute and crazy little town 3 hours north of Vientiane, where the 'done thing' is to rent tubes (rubber rings to us Brits)
and float down the Mekong River, stopping at numerous bars complete with zip-lines and giant swings along the way, being pulled to shore by having a rope thrown at us by a 'bartender'!! It's no wonder it's famous - a great day.. Another oddity of Vang Vieng is its obsession with TV show 'Friends' - every restaurant and cafe plays back-to-back episodes on huge TV screens while you eat your dinner on a sofa-like bench. We left this fun, yet slightly soul-less town and headed further north on a 6 hour (and very bumpy and windy) bus journey to Luang Prabang.
Luang Prabang rivals Antigua in Guatemala as our favourite town of the whole trip - truly beautiful, along the banks of the Mekong, with cute cafes, French-influenced architecture, shops and restaurants and a sprawling night market of hand-made goods. We also went on a trek to the villages nearby and were fortunate enough to experience three separate villages and visit a school in the mountains. We saw so many gorgeous, happy and smiling kids, that we seriously considered doing a Brad and Angelina and bringing one home with us...
We also connected to our spiritual side, by
waking up at 5.45am one morning to join the Laos locals of Luang Prabang who feed the monks every morning with rice and fruit who line the streets on their way from the Temple. (see video)
We were loathed to leave Luang Prabang, (Albert even more so after seeing the state of the propellor-ed plane to Hanoi!) but knew we had to move on, or risk not making it to Cambodia! The Lao Airlines flight was suprising smooth, unlike our first taste of Vietnam... Hanoi is...interesting. We dont know if its because we've become country folk in the last few places we have visited, but we cannot seem to get a handle on its pace. Motorbikes are everywhere. But we dont mean everywhere in a normal busy road way, we mean everywhere in a cross-to-the-wrong-side-of-the-road/ignore-red-lights/go-the-wrong-way-down-a-one-way-street way!! We braved a cyclo ride through the city today and were petrified(!), but it was definintely the best way to experience the city in all its glory. It is growing on us...very slowly...However, we are off on an overnight boat trip on Halong Bay tomorrow so looking forward to some tranquility and calm sightseeing again!!
Only a couple more updates to go!!
- we will keep them coming from Vietnam and our 14th and final country, Cambodia.
Big love
A and A xxxxxx
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Ming Lee
non-member comment
Hi
Hi Albert. Me love you long time!