Blind boxing, baguettes and buckets

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****Photos and video will be uploaded when I get to a internet cafe that works properly ********

We couldn't possibly leave Thailand without experiencing the national sport of Muay Thai boxing. Having scrunched my nose every time Daniel brought it up when we were in the south, the persausiveness of the advertising ( a recorded voice booming from various tuk tuks around the joint- "Tomorrow night, 9pm, the best of the best" on repeat embracing the technique of repitition) had worked it's magic on me and we sought to see a fight the night before we left for Laos.

Now, I'm not much for violence, or boxing in general but this had to be the funniest night I have ever had. Wearing a skirt (yes, very lady like of me) we took our VIP seats four rows back from the ring. Tiger in hand, we watched the first two rounds laying our bets against the two teenage girls and two teenage boys who punched, pushed and kicked each other in two minute rounds (Daniel: 1 Meg: 1). All seemed well and good as we chatted with two Canadian guys and their hometown bartender sitting next to us, trading stories of scooter riding and Laos. Slightly distracted we nearly missed the impressive bout between the two ladyboys (Daniel: 1 Meg : 2) and more suprisingly, the unscheduled event of Blindfolded Muay Thai Boxing. The rules are simple: put four fair sized Thais in the ring, blindfold them, add one cheeky referee and ring the bell to start the round. From there on in the only rule seems to be that you must swing and kick constantly and stay in the ring. Everything and everyone is fair game.....including the ref. Maybe it was one of those moments that you had to be there to understand the hilarity of it but I have never laughed so much in my life. Hopefully the video I post does it a scrap of justice, however we did miss out on the flying kick heralded by the referee on the biggest bloke in the ring. It had us laughing for days and definately overshadowed the main fight of the night (Final score - Daniel : 1 Meg: 3).

Having lost a few days travel due to our food poisoning disaster we decided to transfer to Laos via bus rather than the slow boat down the Mekong. Both options, and the third of the speedboat, seemed cruddy. It came down to 2 days sitting on the floor of a slow boat with 2 nights overnight stay vs sitting on the floor of a speedboat wearing a helmet and life jacket for 9 hours without being able to read, talk or breathe for fear of one's safety vs 21 hours on a bus.

Probably 21 hours I would like to forget but worthwhile, if not to make every bus ride afterwards seem like heaven. We started on a mini bus, which is usually jammed packed with people and luggage. We haven't really minded these in the past but it was hard to keep sanity with two Ukrainian idiots talking THE WHOLE WAY....without drawing breath! I couldn't drown them out completely with my music and just looking at them frustrated me (one had a old style army battle helmet that he actually wore as a hat). I couldn't even appreciate when we stopped at a large, all white temple covered in tiny mirrors that shone like a mirage on the side of the road.

Finally off the bus we sought freedom and sanity whilst crossing the border. Neither was going to be delivered. We sat in a long boat for 2 minutes whilst crossing No Man's Land. We had signed out of Thailand and making our way in Laotian territory. We probably would have found the visa on arrival process funny if not for the rude people stealing our oxygen. Daniel, obviously looking a mighty bit more affluent than me was charged US $36 for his whilst I only got slugged for US $30. But who is to at argue with the person who determines whether you are in or whether you are out ? We then sat on a large, overcrowded bus for the next leg (think people sleeping in the aisles, bags of rice everywhere, the bus stopping every two hours for people to pee and poop on the side on the road, loud Thai music streaming through the speakers) and drifted in and out of sleep. The only reprieve was the roadside market that sold the most gloriously delicious baguettes with Laughing Cow cheese, tomato and lettuce. I had not eaten bread in nearly two weeks and at that stage of the early morning thanked the French colonials for their influence. I was also able to determine that there were Evatteers on the bus. Cannot escape them! We arrived at Luang Prabang at around 7am, found our guesthouse and sunk into a deep, refreshing sleep.

Luang Prabang was a charming French colonial town with ridiculously yummy bakeries and baguettes (developing a small addiction) everywhere. We located Joma, the most fabulous cafe in the world and stuffeed our faces before heading out to the waterfalls and bear sanctuary. Actually, we didn't realise there were bears there, and gosh, was I excited?!? The night markets were huge and we were able to try snake whisky ( yes, that had a real dead snake in it) and witness the end of a three year old girls rendition of 'My Heart Will Go On'. Absolutely pricesless! Sunset at the temple on the hill was well worth the climb however, photos never do those things justice.

Vieng Vang is a true Aussie bogans paradise. I don't know how many times we said "this place would be awesome for a hens / bucks / footy trip". The main mission was tubing and I am happy to say mission completed without serious injury. The concept is simple.....grab a tube, a tuk tuk up the road, walk to the river, sit in your tube, float from bar to bar collecting buckets and beer, float down the river to your guesthouse. Unfortunately, we had a late start (bike + broken chain + mission to the mountain equals us starting waaaaaaaaaaay past lunch time) and I did not notice the sign that read '3 hours to town. After 5.30pm f**king freezing' on the bank when we started at around 3pm. Even the buckets could not offset the impending hypothermia. We had noticed many a person limping around the night before and wondered how ridiculously insane this tubing activity was. The pubs on the bank had slippery slides, rope swings and massively discounted buckets. Not a good combination for a bogan Aussie. Needless to say, we had a ball. We needed a hot shower by the end and maybe should have got out about 45 minutes earlier when a tuk tuk driver offered a lift but it was well worth it.

Our Laos leg was finished in the capital Vientiene. I basically saw the bus stop, the inside of a tuk tuk that had no idea where he was going, my hotel bed, a delicious pizza and the airport. My body was still not liking me much after the bout of food poisoning and a quiet night in was called for.

I loved the essence of the Laos culture. The roads gave Ebor Road a run for its money, the people were laid back and unintrusive and the children were being children. Their sense of innocence was uplifting to watch and be a part of. They played in the streets and ignored the booming tourism industry being built around them. If Vieng Vang, in particular, could put a stop on their building to serve the tourists right now, the place would be perfect. Unfortunately, with more and more guesthouses being built it will be spoilt turning it into another Kuta - type location. Dislike button - where are you??

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Photos

Bear Sanctuary
There were real bears there somewhere.

Dinner of Champions
Chocolate pancake and beer - yum