Wats, monks and cute 5 tonne elephants...

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In keeping with the cheap theme we booked the 20 hour over night bus 'ride' from Hanoi to Vientiane, Laos, and a ride is just what we got. The fun started at about 3am in the morning when our bus broke down (brakes were screwed) in the middle of the single lane national highway. We were then hearded like animals onto another bus which was literally a human zoo. Every single square inch of the bus was in use, including guys sleeping in hammocks attached to the roof, babies laying in the aisle, Kako wedged between the gear stick and radio, and me hanging out the front door with two other Vietnamese dudes who were laughing like it was just another day. This lasted until the border, and even though we were careening around mountain corners with double the recommended weight, it was amazing to see just how many people really can fit in a 1970's Vietnamese bus.

4 hours of that was enough, and luckily we got sorted with a different bus (with seats!) on the Laos side. We quickly noticed the change from Vietnam - gone were the cultivated green rice fields, the conical hats, the motorbikes and the mayhem. Instead we were greeted with miles and miles of untamed vegetation, little villages with small farmed plots, a freshly sealed highway devoid of vehicles, and Lao pop blaring out of every speaker! Rugged, wild and sparsely populated had been my image of Lao, and the first few hours were proving bang on.

We rolled into the capital, Vientiane, on a searing hot afternoon, and sorted ourselves with a cheap hostel next to the Mekong River. Vientiane is definitely not the prettiest of Laos cities, but served as a good base for the first few days. Here we got our visas sorted for Myanmar (cheap as - only $20 US), checked out some of the temples (the gold Pha That Luang pictured was pretty damn impressive in the midday sun), and also enjoyed many a sunset beer Lao next to the river. Ahhh beer Lao. Cheap, strong, and sold everywhere!

From there we headed north, cutting through extremely rugged terrain (didn't throw up unlike half the bus) and reached Luang Prabang some 8 hours later. Luang Prabang was as beautiful as we had imagined it would be! Built on the banks of the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers, the town has countless wats, monks, and old French colonial buildings leftover from yesteryear. One of the highlights was waking up at the crack of dawn (5.30am) and giving alms (usually sticky rice) to the young monks who walk the quiet streets between the temples. There were hardly any tourists around (made a nice change), but u gotta be quick as it's all over in less than an hour - they gotta have their brekky!

But without a doubt the best part of our week in L.P. was staying overnight at an elephant camp. We decided to pay a bit more than the standard 'elephant ride' deal, and got taught how to drive 'em (engine sluggish through all the gears, especially when mangoes and berries are around) but also got to take 'em for a morning bath in the river then feed 'em breakfast (bananas all the way!).
Interesting elephant facts: They eat 200kg of food a day, they cost $500/month to rent, and the male hard on is on average 2 feet long... (black elephants excluded)

Also if you find yourself stuck in the Lao jungle with only elephants as your source of transport you may find the following commands useful: "Bai" (Go), "Hao" (Stop), "Meap" (Sit down), "Yaaaa!" (Stop it or the sh*t'll hit the fan!)

Stoked to have both a cultural and nature hit in one area, we went back south to Vang Vieng for a bit of R'n'R. The area is famous amongst backpackers for the laid back vibe and like pretty much everyone we spent our time floating down the river on tubes drinking, jumping off 10m swings, and checking out the surrounding limestone mountains. Cool location!

So that was our 15 days in Laos. Cheap, interesting and chilled. Wanna explore the deep south or far north on the next visit, but for now looking forward to tomorrow's flight and the mysteries of Myanmar...

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Photos

Show me the money!
If only the Kip was worth something...

Comments

[Beanz]

Sweet!
Those are some amazing pix dude! It takes me back to the LP circuit. Keep em coming!

[Loose footed]

Roger that!
Cheers bro lots more good stuff on the way...