Advertisement
Published: February 28th 2007
Edit Blog Post
Luang Prabang was interesting. Resembling an old European town, yet having the modern aspects to it as well, gave it a very unique reputation for being a traveller magnet. Nestled in the mountains, and being located along the river offered heaps of various activities and tour options that would keep us busy for the short amount of time we'd spend there. We were lucky even to find accomodation when we arrived. It seemed like all the guesthouses we inquired at were visited by the same group of anxious backpackers we arrived with, having the same hopes to find something, anything really.
We only had one night, therefore one full day to spend there, so because Jason was not feeling his best (it seems the day of tubing really did take alot out of him), we booked our tours for the next day with the first travel agent we came across. The first tour started at 07:30 and consisted of visiting caves, which was one of the two most popular tours in LP, right alongside the waterfall tours. The boat ride took ages, and the caves weren't even all that impressive. The lack of restoration and effort to even keep the
caves in decent shape were dissapointing, but we did get to check out a whole wack of funky souvenairs in riverside bamboo huts like snake liqour, beautifully hand-painted opium pipes, and homemade scrap books.
By the time we returned back to homebase, it was just enough time to make it to the next tour we had already paid for, which was the tour of the waterfalls. The Laoations were trying to heard us into overly-packed tuk-tuks and rush us off without even thought to where we'd find time to grab a bite. The others that were booked on the second tour as well were complaining theythe deal was we'd get a break for lunch, then do the second part, so everyone agreed to meet back in an hour. Jason and I had to pass on the waterfalls, because we had a bus to catch back to Vangvieng at 5 that night. We wouldv'e rather seen the waterfalls, but a lack of knowing about either of the tours didn't help solve that one.
Jason and I took one last gander at the wicked night markets in LP, only picking up a few items as our money situations were getting
tighter and tighter everyday. Recalling how the girls we met up with in Bangkok for drinks let us in on how cheap valium was to buy in Laos, and how much of a difference it made for the long, and uncomfortable bus rides, we didn't take a chance, and purchased a few tablets prior to leaving for V.V. Let me say this - buying the sleeping pills was the best decision we both made. Our bus trip was a total nightmare. It should've arrived in Vangvieng at 1 AM, but because of the hunk of crap we were driving, it broke down literally in the middle of nowhere, and we weren't picked up for another 4 and a half hours. Jason and I were lucky that we slept practically the entire trip, because everybody was complaining just about everything you could think of. To top off the disaster, we made stops every two hours or so at restaurants so the Loations riding the bus could drink beer and chat amongst eachother, while everyone else was sweating in the over-crowded bus. We arrived in V.V. at 7:30 AM; six and a half hours later than planned, but the bus was continuing
on to Vientiane, so Jason and I just decided what-the-hell, might as well save another crappy trip and take it all the way to the end in one go. We just hoped they wouldn't notice us trying to inch our way past by travelling the rest of the way on them. It worked! Back in V.T. was a relief. Our dorm room we had the first time around was, no surprise, full, but we found a liveable space not far away. Our final day in the capital was awesome. We rented push bikes for $1 US each for the day, and just lost ourselves in the city. It was fun! We were happy with the overall trip to Laos, and ready to head back to Bangkok at the same time.
The bus we booked to Bangkok was a blessing. We thought we could squeel our way in and ask for the front seats of the double-decker greyhound, so we could have all the leg room you can imagine, plus some. We succeeded! This was probably the most enjoyable BUS trip I have ever been on. The valium worked its charm yet again and I only remember waking up for
dinner, then again in Bangkok. What a relief to arrive! No more bus rides. It felt good! Now, it was just time to get ourselves organized and relaxed before leaving for Singapore.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.06s; Tpl: 0.014s; cc: 9; qc: 25; dbt: 0.0371s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb