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Published: January 25th 2008
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Wah Pra That
Laos, Vientianne. I might be 'templed out' but this one was special! Well, Laos is over and it was a mixed bag really with the south proving more enjoyable and less touristy.
We left Vientianne some time after New Year, with the only additional highlight being '7-balling' Steve at the local pool hall. It took him an age to carry out his gentlemanly duty and in the end I took pity on him and let him off his obligatory requirements!
It was a short (4 hours) bus journey to the next town/village of Vang Vieng. It's a really beautiful place with huge karsts and dramatic scenery along the banks of the river, but it has completely sold out to tourism. The streets are lined with stoned toursits watching endless re-runs of Friends, Simpson's and other American shows that you know I love more than air! One of the main attractions here is 'Tubing' where you float down the river in a huge tractor inner tube and are hauled into various bars along the route - usually by a bamboo pole thrown towards your vessel! There are rope swings and zip lines along the way just to make it more safe! It is hardly the 'real Laos' but all said and done
Footie with the locals
I'm glad that wasn't my leg! it was great fun! About 6 hours later, the walk back to the guesthouse was protracted, winding and for the most part a blur! After a day or two and the odd paracetamol later we left to go to the UNESCO recognised town of Luang Prabang. It has been preserved as an ancient town and for the most part this is tastefully and authentically done. It was nice but I'm not sure it granted the status of the most beautiful town in SE Asia?! I had a great afternoon playing football with the local fishermen on the beach and I was pleased that the huge 2-footed lunges didn't include tackling the falang!
After a few days reading and chilling, we decided to travel independently and I headed south. I needed to shake off the traveller fatigue that lasted for 2-3 days first, and despite threathening didn't need to resort to a 5star gaff to do so!
The first place I saw was Champasak, previously a royal city that was now little more than a 1-2km road lined with temples and simple houses. The pace of life was much slower than the north and was welcome relief. There was
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On the walk to, well nowhere! a small ancient temple although little to challenge Ankor Wat, but it was on the way back from here that at 11am I stumbled upon a local wedding party. I had visited the temple with Gill, a girl from newcastle and we were both called to join the party. By about 1200am we had been force-fed enough LaoLao (rice whiskey, that tastes and smells like about 80%proof!) to have us dancing, singing and playing snooker at the party with the best of them. It wasn't until 2 hours later or so that we were told that we had to leave. This was something that I experienced a few times in Laos; people could be nice as pie one minute but then change and that was it, there was no going back and the converstion was over. We were not threatened and I did not feel any anger from them, but it was time to leave. We pushed the bikes for a little while first before cycling in a curving line the 8km back to the guesthouse!
The following day I went for a wander, beautiful paddy fields being tended by hand and water-buffalo, children playing in the irrigation gutters, local
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The drunken wedding Party houses and lots of friendly waves. As it was getting dark, I asked some of these waving people the way back to Champasak. I followed the hand movements and an hour later reached one man in traditional dress, looking confused as to why I was near his house surrounded by dense forest, a mountain and a herd of water-buffalo! I have come to realise that people want to please so much that they just tell you anything, even when they have no idea what you have asked! I got back OK in the end but was starting to recall Ray Meers survival tips!
But the real highlight for me was to come. A group of islands and sandbars exposed by the coming and falling of the wet season called the 4000 islands. Here the pace of life is slow, like a snail trying to do a marathon slow! The record wait for breakfast was 2 hours! Nothing happened quickly but then again there was little to do except cycle to water-falls, enjoy walking through the island, reading, pondering things you never pondered and appreciating no cars, no mains electric, no reliable mobile/internet access and no tv's.....bliss. I visited 2
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The fascination of a camera! of the islands Don Khong and Don Khon- not a spelling mistake but actually two different places! The former was the bigger and had more resident locals, it was nice to stop in the small villages as I cycled through and have a conversation of sorts using hand signals and gestures! The journeys to and from the islands could involve tourist air-conditioned vans but it was much nicer to use the local transport. This varied from sitting on rice bags on flagged down pick-up trucks, to locals inviting you to a free lift aboard their pick-up, to the local buses which have open backs and 2 long seats down each side, packing um in high and low! They had 32 people on one and I was standing out the back of it holding on at one point. There was charcoal, live birds, smelly fish, car batteries, tribespeople from the hills, all sorts, but always smiles and laughter. I even witnessed a small 'twister' from the back of the pick-up truck!
Overall Laos was great. I enjoyed the interactions that I had, even if I was sometimes left with a feeling that all was not always right. They seemed less money
hungry than the rest of SE asia with a more relaxed demeanor for it. It has been my favourite place so far. My biggest complaint - Roosters! Everywhere, 1am 2am 3am.. I thought they only cock-a-doodle-do'd in the morning! NO! 2 weeks with disturbed sleep and I swear I could throttle the whole lot of them! They have replaced mosquitos at the top of my hitlist!!
And now I am in smelly, dirty, noisy, polluted, busy, fast in your face Bangkok! Not an ideal change and I would like to be back in Laos! I visited the dentist again yesterday as although not worse my tooth was still painful occasionally. The filling was replaced but the words ' maybe a root canal' were mentioned.... We shall see.
And that is that.....for now.
I have a few stories that I have remembered from the months gone but I'll save these for next time!
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