Chilling in Laos

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Laos was never part of the original plan but the grape vine whispers filled me with curiosity, ... promises of kicking back and chilling in the midst of spectacular scenery was too good to pass by. So, I cut my time in Thailand short, actually skipped the few days of cooking classes I'd had in mind. I still cannot cook. I headed off to the Golden Triangle for a bit of a sticky beak, (nothing of interest, no poppies growing on the side of the road), then off to Laos overland via the small village of Chiang Kong in the North East corner of Thailand.
I met a girl at the guesthouse I was staying at and we decided to make the border crossing together. Step 1, wet took the ferry across the river to the Laos side with no dramas. Step 2, we had two options: wear crash helmets and ear plugs during the 6 hour journey on a turbo powered speed boat; or play it safe and take the 2-day slow boat option. It was the month before the rainy season, when the water level is at its lowest and tree branches obstruct the way, which promised to be a knuckle clenching ride from hell.. We decided to take our chances and hopped on a tuk-tuk to the speed boat pier. We waited there for half an hour for other passengers, but no one came.. Pressed for time, we were becoming very nervous as the slow boat was due to depart in 20 minutes from another pier. The ticket office people told us that the boat would leave when there were 6 passengers in total, but because there were only two of us we had to pay for the other 4 places... You can imagine what was going on through our minds at this point, I asked for our money back and explained we had to leave quickly for the other pier, but was faced by 5 laughing Lao men who found this rather amusing... After arguing with them for 5 minutes I was at the verge of screeming (my friend hadn't said a word the whole time). Finally they gave us our money back and off we went flying in another tuk-tuk. We made it just in time... The funny thing was, the other boat was packed to the brim with 80 backpackers and many were even sitting on the ground. Up to this point, we hadn't seen so many tourists in one place at one time.
We had mixed feelings about the up and coming journey, 2-days of fun or 2-days of hell sitting on the floor boards...
...... to be continued. I have to board my plane.

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Photos

Thai-Lao Border crossing
I took the photo from the wrong side, 'Gate to Siam' is on the Laos side for Thailand.. on the Thai side it says 'Gate to Indochina'.

The Slow Boat experience
A two-day journey down the Nam Tha River, starting at the border town of Huay Xai, passing through Pakbeng and arriving into Luang Prabang.

...along the way
..we met the locals. They awaited the 'tourist' boats with delicacies, which were presented to us through the window panes. Of course us tourists saw these opportunities as picture perfect Kodak moments, but some locals on the boat were tempted into buying the smoked fish and live lizards. For the rest of the journey 'fine aromas' were emitted from a nearby lady's fingers, who'd been busy pulling off bits of fish and sticky rice from a folded up banana leaf and stuffing them into her mouth with her fingers, unabashed, while half a dozen of us watched in amazement.

...along the way 2
Some of the most profitable traders in SouthEast Asia are the children.

...along the way 3
Yes, it IS a live lizard, similar to the Australian goanna, a favorite local delicacy. Two of these fellows were brought on board, their feet tied up to their heads, kept fresh before their time came to be cooked up for dinner. To our horror, the lady next to us (the one with the stinky fish fingers) started putting on a show for us and stepping on the creatures with her feet while laughing... This was really too much to watch, a few of us started shouting out at her to stop it, amuzed her laughter went up a notch. A German guy in front of her was in a rage, red faced and cursing, he explained to us he is a 'greeny' and found her behaviour disgusting. The locals could see the situation was heating up, some guy took the lizards out the back and out of sight. Some minutes later the German guy got up and showed us his pocket knife, he told us (in English) he was going to look for the lizards and set them free. I was afraid there would be a mutiny on board, the Locals vs the Tourists. Soon The German returned with a pair of shoes in his hands. He said the lizards were nowhere to be found, but he'd found his shoes forgotten out the back.

...along the way 5
...notice the 'Lux' soap poster on the boat, hilarious.

The Slow boat 2
Arrival into Pakbeng for the night, we were greeted by a bunch of locals, mostly kids trying to earn a penny by offloading our backpacks from the boat.

Luang Prabang, at the market...
...things were too weird and wonderful for my taste buds.

Luang Prabang, at the market 2
...Mine's the one in the middle.

Luang Prabang, at the market 3...
...a lucky find, something we could eat! Wrapped in banana leaves and served with sticky rice, our lunch was absolutely delicious. It's always a risky affair but such a delite to order something from the market. (then cross your fingers and hope for the best)

Luang Prabang, temple
..with the Tree of Life mozaic set into the facade.

Offensive tourist!
On the bus this would never have happened...Little did I know it at the time, but sitting next to a monk is an offense if female. Woops! I did wonder why a few of them left the picture, I thought they were shy.

The Tiger & the Rumble of Her Tears
I got to feed her. She had taken refuge in her enclosure, away from the scorching sun. Her eyes reflected the enclosure bars, she was 'free' to come and go. Her home is a fenced off patch of jungle outside, safe from the poachers. The location of her enclosure, in proximity of a beautiful waterfall near Luang Prabang, facilitates the purchase of her food. Tigers eat a lot, it's expensive. If the tourists wish to take a photo of her, they may purchase some meat to feed her in return (provided she is in her feeding cage). It's sad to see such a proud animal in captivity. One has to wonder whether death is her beautiful escape,... and in the distance the Waterfall rumbles, its waters fall, its tears flow. Such ethereal harmony, bitter, beautiful and sad.

The Predator! (discovery style)
The Photographer is a predator in disguise,...impatiently awaiting the next victim, the Photographer is always hungry... Like a Tiger! With skillful, calculated precision she moves in for the kill... Click, click.. she shoots her prey.
I watched this predator in action once, an old man with a white beard,.. he even used 'bait' (a bonbon) to setup his next shot. The little girl surrendered with a smile.
P.S. Now something of technical nature, I need to mention that the camera tends to distort close-range objects...There is even a name for this, it's called the 'foreshortening' effect...ie. things look larger than they really are.

Comments

[nicki]

spontaneity pays off
Hi Zoe, well your unplanned Laos adventure proves that spontaneity pays off - keep exploring and posting jealousy-inducing pics. (Although I suppose you'll be settled down to some home-cooked dinners and painting for a while.) Alls well back here... Another semester down for those of us still within the university community. Melbourne winter coffees, books, all that homely stuff. Happy holidaying, xxxx Nicki and Martin.