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Published: February 9th 2007
From Luang Prabang to Vientiane: From Bikes, to Sickness to Mopeds
A very dusty bike ride For our last day in Luang Prabang, Mike and I wanted to explore a little bit outside the city but didn’t really want to jump in another tour bus/minivan/tuk-tuk and go on a prescribed route of “sights”. The answer? Bicycles! Luang Prabang, unlike many other SE Asian cities, does not allow tourists to rent motorbikes but they do rent bikes out to anyone who’s interested at the whopping price of about $1/day. Really, how can you pass that up?
We got two bikes from our guesthouse - one speed, and riding pretty in pink - and headed out of town. While LP isn’t much more than a small town, the tourist area is still artificially created to appeal to a Western audience and the environment changes significantly once you can get away from the restaurants and tour companies. We biked down rutted dirt roads with the (much appreciated) paved sections and saw a bit more clearly what life in Laos looks like. Ramshackle houses on dirt roads were the norm and even small one-room shacks showed up regularly
along the road, usually next to a small garden or farming areas. The neat thing about this kind of setup is that regardless of income, everyone seems to have somewhere to live - even if that somewhere is a bamboo room with rushes as roofing. Electricity made it most of the way to houses but not consistently to all homes - we surmised that even if was available to all, the cost may be prohibitive to the poorer of Laos families.
As we rode down the roads, we got plenty of smiles, and the occasional giggle or stare. Not only were we crazy “farang” (foreigners), but we were biking down a dusty road in the hottest hours of the day. A lot of little kids stop and look at me long and hard - I like to think it’s because I’m such a ravishing redhead and that’s new and unusual in their culture. (hee hee) Mike also lovingly pointed out that they may have never seen someone turn quite the shade of red that I do after biking for an hour in the hot afternoon Laos sun. I guess we’ll never truly know . . .
After about
an hour and a half, we were done and tired and hungry. It was around 4pm and we hadn’t eaten anything since an early breakfast so the time to head back to town had come. On the way back an Australian couple passed us in a tuk-tuk and smiled at us with a “poor souls thought biking was a good idea” looks. We ran into them again once we reached town and they stopped to have a laugh with us on how dusty the roads were and once again, my particular post-bike ride shade of red. In SE Asia it seems to be my signature color.
We brought our bikes back and had to hunt around for a place that would serve us in the not-lunch/not-dinner time. We grabbed some food and headed back to the hotel to rest. Mike wasn’t feeling too great at this point, sick to his stomach a bit, but we attributed it to a lot of bike riding on little food. Time would prove us wrong on that one.
Later that evening we once again ventured out to find dinner and stopped in a little café on the main drag that served great
Lao food. I had the chicken in coconut cream soup (like what we learned to make in Chiang Mai, yum) and Mike ordered some sweet and sour pork. We made it an early night because we were both tired and ready to get some sleep. Our flight to Vientiane the next morning would need us up and ready to go.
A Tough Night and a Rough Flight I woke up around 1am to the sight of Mike rushing to the bathroom in serious distress. Once he returned, I got the story of what was going on. Whatever the Laos version of Montezuma’s Revenge is, it got him. Before the night was out, that bathroom would see him over 20 times and I would see him in pain, completely drained. It was truly a miserable night - he was so sick and I just wanted to make it better more than anything in the world. I prayed for most of the night like I haven’t before - there is no doctor or hospital to speak of for hundreds of miles around so we had to get him well again with no safety net in sight. We both
slept in fits and starts, waking as he rushed out of bed and I plied him with small sips of water.
Our flight was at noon the next day and we both knew it was best to get on it. That morning I got up early and, leaving Mike in bed, took a tuk-tuk into town to try to get some food/drink that could get Mike well enough to survive the flight and trips to/from the airports. I went to an internet café and did some quick research on how to treat travelers diarrhea - if anyone ever needs diagnosis or simple medical advice, I highly recommend www.webmd.com. It’s never steered me wrong yet.
I bought the usual crackers and Sprite along with a great powder packet that is used for rehydration in developing countries - kind of like Tang with salt, when mixed with water it gets a drained body back to balance chemically. I brought it all back to the hotel, helped Mike pack and eat something and off we went to the airport in the hotel minivan.
As we said before, the LP airport is very small so we were through security and check-in
Ugghh!
Today's Breakfast...rice and sprite...lovely and tasty!quickly and waiting in the lounge for our flight. We apparently were flying with a very large tour group of retired Canadians - a much livelier crowd than us at that point. We boarded the flight and headed off to Vientiane, mercifully only an hour away by air. In contrast, our other option to travel there was bus - 9hours on the VIP bus and 12 hours on the regular one. Boy, were we glad we ponied up the money for a flight that day! Across the aisle, a little girl cried the whole time we were in the air; as I heard her and looked at Mike’s face, I could see she was saying what he was thinking. To his credit, he made it okay all the way to Vientiane though I could tell it took concentration to not be sick as our little propeller plane roller coastered its way through the air. Urgh all around.
A slow entry into Vientiane life After touching ground in Vientiane around 2pm, we negotiated with a taxi to take us to our hotel for the 1st night, the Novotel. When we had looked for housing in Vientiane earlier
in the week, we were only able to find a guesthouse in town for the 2nd and 3rd nights we planned to be there. When I hit the internet café that morning to look up how to treat Mike, I also booked the Novotel for that night knowing we wouldn’t be able to walk around with our packs and search for a place to stay. The Novotel was Vientiane’s first real Western hotel with all the conveniences (A/C, TV, pool, etc) but is located outside of town and is higher priced than the guesthouses in the town. Under the circumstances, some amenities were in order and it was a great choice for the day.
We spent the day in the hotel, Mike resting (and feeling sick) and me reading. Thankfully I had gotten a couple of used books in LP before we left - many hours of reading were clearly in front of me. There was one movie channel in English so we entertained ourselves with one bad movie after another. Side note: I saw part of War of the Worlds with Tom Cruise for the first time - wow, was that a bad movie! Rough.
That night
we ventured downtown for dinner, mostly to assuage my stir craziness and to get Mike among the living again. In the middle of Vientiane there is a really nice Italian restaurant called L’Opera owned and operated by Italians. It seemed very incongruous with its surroundings but had good food for me and some bland spaghetti without sauce for Mike so all needs were met. Vientiane, due to its history of French colonialization, is known for its French food but Italian was a departure.
The highlight of my day came after dinner when I got to call my parents and have a good long catch-up. We didn’t have any cell phone service in LP so I had been eagerly awaiting the call. We are both sooo thankful for all the support and love our parents continue to give us - we love you guys like crazy!
In Sickness and in Health The next morning we slept in and woke up with Mike feeling much better and closer to equilibrium. We checked out of the Novotel and got a tuk-tuk to the guesthouse we reserved for the next 2 nights. It is very simple but open,
set back from the road and right next to a wat. It also has the distinction of being the first room with a mosquito net we’ve had . In the move, we lost the in-room TV but gained some cool character in surroundings.
Excited to really see Vientiane, we headed out for lunch and to explore. Being sensitive to the recent health history, we decided Western food was a better bet and got a burger (Mike) and tuna sandwich (me) for lunch before we walked around. Bad idea. Sadly, the healthy Mikey was a brief mirage and, after a walk in the sunshine, we were back in the hotel (and in the bathroom) before the afternoon was out. Once again, we spent the day reading and resting. I went out later to restock our sick-Mikey supplies with crackers, Sprite and some steamed rice from a local Indian restaurant. We were not about to make the burger-too-soon mistake again.
Mike stayed in the hotel for the evening and I took myself out to dinner alone. According to him, I was taking on the manner of a caged tigress moving around the room, so it seemed like a good idea
Not the proper way to use a Wat
Check out the construction workers asleep under the temple structure for all concerned. I also brought the laptop for some internet research in a local café on our upcoming destinations. I had read about a local restaurant owned by two Aussie women, called Sticky Fingers, so I tried it out and it was great. They had some old tabloid/magazines sitting around so I ate happily and caught up on my celebrity news. After a good dinner of salad and mashed potatoes (yes, I crave western food!) I trucked over to the internet café and fired up the laptop. We fly to Vietnam tomorrow but still have some gaps in our plans so I thought I’d check out some ideas for a beach stop on our trip. Mike and I set a “don’t worry until 10pm” curfew for me so after a beer and some web surfing, I scurried home to him and bed. I say scurried because cities at night, in the dark as a woman alone are scary. I kept my head up, eyes and ears alert and feet moving.
Every kid’s a cool kid when you’re cruising on a moped After a good night’s sleep for both of us last night (finally), we decided
to explore Vientiane today after our failed attempt of yesterday. We grabbed brunch at Sticky
Fingers (white rice for MT and a great chicken with feta and spinach dish for me) and set off to rent mopeds for the day. Mopeds really are the preferred method of transportation in Vientiane and it makes a lot of sense. For short distances, they are agile, use little gas and can be parked in really small spaces. In a place like Vientiane, they are a great choice.
For the whopping cost of $7/day each, we both got our own snazzy red mopeds and helmets. (Calling out the helmets part for our parents, much love!) While waiting to rent the mopeds we started talking to a French guy who gave us great advice on where to drive, where to get gas and some general traffic rules of Vientiane. Very helpful! On his advice, after getting gas (they rent the mopeds on empty, boo), we headed along the Mekong River to explore. We followed the paved road to a succession of dirt roads winding through small neighborhoods and along the riverside. Dogs barked at us, small children turned and looked and so many people
shouted out “Sabaidee!” (hello in Laos) as we went - total fun. We stopped a couple of times to take pictures or walk a bit but for the most part we just drove, enjoying the breeze on a hot day and the ability to vroom-vroom a bit down the dirt roads. (I really wanted to just open it up but held back - Mike told me that as long as he’s sick, I can’t be broken. Kel wiping out on the moped would not be the best addition to a constantly queasy Mikey =)
After our dirt road joyride we headed back into town to get some food. Mike continued his ever-so-exciting diet of white rice and Sprite while I tried out chicken satay. Not bad all around. With Mike still queasy, the act of eating really tires him out so we called it a day on the mopeds after lunch and zoomed back to the hotel.
This afternoon we’ve been relaxing at the hotel - Mike sleeping and me reading. We fly tomorrow to Hanoi, Vietnam and our Vietnam leg of the trip. Hopefully, many happy and healthy adventures to come. Hope you’re having a great day!
Quick Note from Mike: Yes I am still alive but definitely feeling worse for wear. Hopefully I will be back to normal in a day or two because this traveling while sick thing really stinks! Kel and I wanted to point out that yesterday marked the official 3 month mark of our travels. It's an exciting milestone and one that we hope you will all share with us. We miss you all and think about you all the time!
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laura
non-member comment
Poor Mike!!
Hi you 2, just read ur blog at work in cold rainy england! glad ur still having fun Kel even tho mike is ill, i duno these men there soo weak!! Hope your feeling better soon mike. cant wait for the next installment of team turner.