Chiang Mai (Northern Thailand) and Laos

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I have to apologize again for taking such a long time to do an entry. But the good news is that I've been busy and have really been enjoying myself.

Let's see... After Bangkok I left for Chiang Mai, a town in Northern Thailand that's particularly popular with backpackers. I stayed in a bungalow owned by a really nice family, and was fortunate enough to meet some locals who showed me around a little bit, took me out to eat the local dishes etc.

Went to a bunch of temples; talked with a monk who was 20 years old and could speak Thai, English, and perfect Mandarin (or so my friend says) that he apparently learned from a book. Really impressive.

I went to a lake near the city, apparently a local hang out, and ate live "dancing shrimps". Yep - still moving when you pop em in your mouth.

All in all I had a great time in Chiang Mai. I was having such a good time in fact that I decided to postpone my flight to Bali for one more week so that I could continue on into Laos. It turned out to be a really good decision; everyone had been telling me how incredible Laos was and I think it pretty much lived up to all the hype. I took an overnight bus to the Lao border, which for most of its length is defined by the Mekong River, and then hopped on the 2-day "slow boat" ride down the river to Luang Prabang.

Spent 2 days in Luang Prabang, went to the night market, almost suffered a coronary climbing to a temple on top of a mountain, ate a lot of food and relaxed a lot. Then I went to Vang Vieng, which is more or less visited for its tubing. Basically you rent an inner tube, and float down a stretch of the river that's lined with riverside bars. It's easy to be pretty wasted by the time you reach the end. Pretty fun.

Then I went to the capital Vientiane, just for a day more or less as a stopover on my way to Bangkok. Didn't really get to see much of it; markets, cafes, that kind of thing.

I would say that today Laos is about as developed as China was in 1980, or Vietnam in 1990. Definitely the least-developed and poorest country that I've visited so far. I found the people to be very friendly, even the touts don't seem to mind when you tell them "no". Also the French colonial legacy is pretty interesting, and adds a little bit of flavor that I found lacking in Thailand. Most Lao people today learn English instead of French, but you can still buy excellent baguettes, croissants, and coffee. Believe it or not I actually ate frogs legs in Vientiane.

So now I'm getting ready for my 6 am flight to Bali tomorrow. Will probably have to wake up at around 2. Eghhh. I've been having some trouble with my laptop's AC adapter (the power cable) and I suspect that it's on its last legs, but if I'm able to, I'll do at least one more blog entry from Indonesia.

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Photos

The Mekong River.
My first morning in Laos - very early.

More Mekong
Taken from the slow boat.

The Mekong (last one)
Again from the slow boat.