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Published: August 22nd 2006
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The bus journey was a simple five hour affair, which would have been fine had the local bus not been overcrowded (as per usual) and the appeal of sitting with a Westerner was too much for a young Lao boy to resist and he insisted on "sharing" my seat for most of the journey!
Our arrival in the capital Vientiane was like transitioning from another world. Virtually penniless since leaving Phnom Penh two weeks prior we hadn't seen any banks or internet connections and were distinctly out of contact with the outside world.
Vientiane, probably the most relaxed capital city in the world is an excellent place to kickback, enjoy some fantastic restaurants (our first Indian meal since we left London) and sit watching Mekong sunsets with a large bottle of Beer Laos on ice. The city also has it's fair share of sights. The most famous landmark of Laos is That Luang (Royal Stupa) which was constructed in 1566 by King Setthatirat. Patuxai, the Victory Monument is situated at the north end of Lane Xang Avenue and resembles Paris's Arc de Triomphe - as it is sometimes known (I suspect to the distain of the French). During the
day, the monument can be climbed and makes an excellent vantage point of the city. It was built using American concrete supposedly given to build an airport runway hence the nickname of "Vertical Runway"!
We travelled to Vang Viang on a "VIP bus", a bus designed solely for the use of Westerners, a horrible experience that left us feeling more like herded cattle than tourists seeking different cultural experiences. Unfortunatley the bus broke down meaning we arrived after dark, we headed straight out of town (to put it bluntly the town centre is a shithole) to cross the bridge to some traditional Lao bungalows. In the dark and rain we had a nightmare finding the place and we retired to bed after some food, feeling damp and tired. I awoke the next morning opened the door to the balcony, it was a beautiful morning, an amazing lush garden filled with butterflies and limestone mountains in the background. It was, and in my mind at least will forever be the perfect awakening.
Vang Viang is famous for it's tubing experience, floating down the river in an inflated tire stopping frequently to be replenished with more beer and shots of
the rice wine. Each riverside bar having it's own varying rope swings to provide entertainment to the drunken tubers. Towards the end of the float too much rice wine and beer had the better of me. We were floating down the river in the dark, fortunately Elaine was functioning better than me and shepherded me home. We spent the rest of our time in Vang Viang mountain biking to the local caves and rock pools, all great fun.
Luang Prabang, UNESCO World Heritage town was our next stop. The town is a relatively unspoiled paradise high in the mountains, numerous wats, monks and some stunning colonial archuitecture (mostly modernised into tasteful restaurants). We spent a day walking the sights; Mount Phousi and Wat That Chom Sii - situated 150m and 300 steps up above the peninsula with spectacular views of the city and surrounding countryside.
Luang Prabang also has some excellent trekking in the surrounding area, we settled on a mountain bike, elephant trek & waterfall combination. The biking was great fun (all 32km of it), feeding the elephants far outstripped the joys of riding them and the waterfall with it's rock pools were amazing, almost so beautiful
it didn't seem possible to be natural.
Instead of heading north to Luang Namtha for further remote trekking, we decide that rainy season will make the journey too complicated (the area is also very close to China where we were 3 months ago and it feels as though we would be going back on ourselves!). Instead we leave for northern Thailand to enjoy more trekking. Our chosen route is by speed boat - eight hours squeezed into a tin can (slightly dangerous but exhilarrating), leaving us with sore backs and ears as we cross the border and arrive in Thailand.
Laos, is a stunningly scenic country. Overall the personalities of the Lao people themselves are a challenge to penetrate. We're still not sure if it's the language barrier, their shyness or their relaxed demeanor. We leave the country undecided. The hype you hear about the country and it's people before you arrive is feverish.....did it ever reach that level for us? I'm still not sure.
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Steve
non-member comment
Stunning
This is obviously the scenic route around the world. Stunning views, pictures and Beer Laos on ice with that sunset seems like paradise. All the best and keep living that dream.