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Published: February 7th 2007
Beautiful Buddha
Erin and I were so impressed with Lao art that we bought four prints.". . . Are Those That Are Unexpected."
Laos took us completely by surprise. Our original plan was to jump the border before our Thai Visas expired, spend one night in Laos then come right back to Thailand and start heading south.
It's now been about a week and we just crossed back to Thailand two days ago.
What kept us there was a feeling that we were in a place that was truly special, and through our travels we have learned that this feeling is not to be ignored. Talking to different people on our trip we have heard the same sentiment over and over; enjoy it now because it won't be like this next time you're here. Granted this is true everywhere, change is inevitable. But it seems that countries like Thailand and Laos change at a completely different rate and we wanted to be part of it in its current state as long as possible.
Here's why...
We crossed the "Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge" to the capital city of Vientiane. Both Erin and I had read about the French influence in our books but we had no idea how strong it would
be. There are numerous French restaurants; french architecture and the street vendors sell baguettes and cheese alongside the traditional Lao fare. We spent three days in Vientiane spoiling ourselves with insanely good food, watching sunsets over the Mekong River, and exploring numerous attractions.
One of the attractions in Vientiane was Buddha Park. It's a park set on the edge of the Mekong which holds hundreds of Buddhist and Hindu sculptures. It was created by a man who claimed to be a disciple of a cave-dwelling Hindu hermit in Vietnam. The park is supposed to reflect his philosophy on life. It was very interesting and a little bizarre.
We heard of our next destination in Laos from an English couple that sold their home and used the money to bankroll a yearlong trip around the world. Vang Vieng was the town they told us was a must visit. We took their advice; which turned out to be a great decision.
Vang Vieng is a backpacker hub about four hours outside of Vientiane. The town is set along the Nam Song River and in the background are sets of amazing rock formations. They are incredible limestone karsts that tower
The Cat
Wherever Erin goes a photo shoot of some random animal soon follows. behind the river and rice fields, creating an unbelievable backdrop.
All activities are centered on the river and the mountains. To explore we went on a one-day trek. We left in the morning with our private guide, Boun. We saw four caves, two villages, and finished off the day with an hour and a half tube ride down the Nam Song River. It was so much fun! We explored a cave that no one has ever found the end of. Tubed into a water cave then swam in the complete darkness. Walked though villages and farms. And visited a riverside bar that is like nothing I have seen before. It was called the "fun park" and it definitely lives up to its name. There was a thirty-foot rope swing into the water, volleyball and bocce ball courts, and plenty of places to sit and relax along the river. I, of course, had to try out the rope swing, which was great, so I did it again. We finished the day with a relaxing tube ride down the river. Thanks to our guide Boun we made much better time than others. He actually pulled us behind his kayak since the
A Bamboo Raft
These kids were cruisin' down the river. current wasn't strong due to the dry season. A feat that ultimately increased the tip we gave him (which he greatly appreciated).
We left Vang Vieng Monday the 5th. Both Erin and I have been struck with island fever so yesterday we hopped on an overnight train (12hrs) to Bangkok. We arrived here a few hours ago and are waiting for another overnight train (17hrs) to take us all the way to Hat Yai, near the Malaysia-Thai border. From there we are heading straight to the island of Ko Lipe (It better be sweet, Ryan!). We're excited to bounce around from island to island. We will be cruising our way back up the coast, hopefully leaving enough time to visit Cambodia's Angkor region before our adventure must end.
That's it for now. Hope everyone is doing great!!!
Love,
Mike & Erin
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Sarah Tyra
non-member comment
Open up and say AWESOME!
I'm sitting at my desk at work turning green with envy. You're trip looks amazing! I wanna go!