Advertisement
Full Moon Party
bucket drinks...they made me sick :( Well after Ko Tao we headed back to Bangkok and spent one day there seeing some sights and taking in a VIP movie where we sat in leather lazyboy recliners, and had someone serving us whatever we ordered...it was great! we saw the new Indiana Jones and it was a great way to get out of the heat and relax after the ordeal on Ko Tao.
For those who haven't heard Becky and another Canadian we were with were hit by a motorcycle after we went mini golfing for Patricks b-day. The other lady was hurt worse and we took her to the hospital. Becky was very bruised and sore, especially on her right hip. We took pictures of the bruises as they evolved so if you are interested ask her to see them later! But she is just about fully healed now and no lasting effects so we are grateful for that. And we heard that our other Canadian friend is also doing well, although was a bit slower to heal as her injuries were worse...but nothing broken.
So after Bangkok we caught the overnight train to Chaing Mai in northern Thailand. It was a much smaller city
Ko Tao
view from our resort! (I believe it was the capital at some point) but I really really enjoyed it there. the food and accom was cheaper and there was a lot to do. We took a Thai cooking class which was great including a market tour where we learned a lot about the spices, herbs, and various fruit and veggies available in thailand. We can likely get most of it at an Asian supermarket at home so Becky and I are excited to test out our skills once we are back. We got a cookbook so we dont forget...hopefully! We also took a fruit and veggie carving course which was also excellent. We will also dazzle you with our skills in that area! Becky took a Thai massage class while I took a day to just relax and catch up on email etc but I still haven't reaped the benefits...I told her she could practice on me ANYTIME!! I actually never got a chance to get a Thai massage (they are SO cheap, less that $5.00 for an hour!) but I will do that when I am back in thailand in August. We didn't get to do a hill tribe trek in Chaing Mai
Laos cw 009
absolute paradise! either because of beckys leg, so I will so that on my second round of Thailand as well. We also did a lot of shopping becuase goods were also lots cheaper than Bangkok so I have increased my wardrobe which is nice as I was tired of wearing the same 2 pairs of shorts and 3 shirts!
We left for our 3 days of travel to Laos on May 30. the first day we spent 6 hours on a minibus (a van bascially) but we were crammed in like sardines a bit. The second day we got on the first of a 2 day boat trip down the Mekong River. The boat was very uncomfortable as the seats were just wooden benches and they were so close together you had to sit sideways and kind of straddle the seat in front of you...we were NOT looking forward to 2 days of this. Then an hour and a half into the 7 hours our boat broke down and we had to wait on the sdie of the river for another 2.5 hours for another boat to come rescue us! Then we were so behind it got dark and we couldn't
make it to our overnight destination because of course the boats had no electricity and thus no lights so our boat driver (this was a large boat, likely about 80 people on board, mostly tourists) who spoke no english and thus during all the events of the day did not communicate anything to us. So all of us were very confused. He just pulled the boat over and basically indicated that we were to sleep on the boat until daylight at around 5:30am! We were a little ticked becuase we had prepaid for our accomodaiton at the place we were supposed to stop and we never got our money back. So we slept on the wooden floor of the boat all night long. It was not comfortable, and since the 80 people barely fit on the boat in the frist place sitting, imagine now everyone trying to lay down! Some people went up onto the rocks of the bank of the river to sleep, some tried to go into the village way up the hill and stay with a family but most just stayed on the boat. It was cramped and no one got any sleep. THEN we had to
HUGE Buddha
In Bangkok stay on the boat for another 8 hour day. Oh ya, we hadn;t eaten anything either. The boat people did find some noodles (basically itchiban) and charged a lot for a bowl...so needless to say it wasn't the most pleasant 3 days but when we pulled into Luang Prabang we were VERY glad! We are staying at a nice cheap place with free water and bananas and tonight our guesthouse is providing free dinner!
Luang Prabang is a UNESCO world heritage site...it is undoubtedly the most beautiful place we have seen so far. So lush and green and SO relaxed. The city only has about 26000 people so WAY smaller than the other cities we have been to. The food is quite different from Thailand so Becky and I took a Lao cooking course today and made some very interesting dishes. Honestly they weren't as tasty as the Thai ones, but they were very interesting and agian we went to the market and saw some very different types of things. We would love to have more time here but only have a week in the whole country. So we are off on a bus to Vang Viene tomorrow and
my new tatty!
just kidding its henna! then onwards to Vientienne (the capital) where we catch a flight next sunday to Seam Reap, Cambodia. We are still finding so many beautiful things that we would love to buy and bring home, but backpack space is limited so we are trying to be selective but it is difficult. Luckily jewelry is easy to pack!!!
Well we are off to our free dinner then the night market for our last shop before our next stop.
Lovin' every minute (even the 2 days on the boat...)
Love,
Carla
Advertisement
Tot: 0.102s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 7; qc: 44; dbt: 0.0383s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Cindy
non-member comment
June 2nd Entry
Still in love with all the pictures, Carla! You amaze me! The sleep on the boat looked FAB-U-LOUS...once again, your positive outlook on the whole situation made me smile! Cheers to you! Laos does look like paradise! Beautiful! TTYL, Cindy P.S. You are soooooooo carving some watermelon for me when you come home! Ha ha!