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Published: November 16th 2011
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Sabai-deeeeeeee from Laos!
Sabai-dee (hello) was the first Lao word that we learned upon arriving in this so-laid-back-that-horizontal-doesn't-do-it-justice country. And it's also the word that we've used (and heard) thousands of times since, over the past two weeks that we've spent here. There's something about the word, other than the natural smile that you produce when both saying and hearing it, that seems to sum up the atmosphere in little landlocked Laos.
The smile begins with the first 's' sound but then after a little nod of the head with the 'bai' the teeth come shining through the 'dee' ending; and it´s here where the word comes alive. If you eeeeee-longate that 'deeeeeee' with as many e's as you like you're well on your way to smiling like a super laid back local, or like a sweaty, yet chilled-out backpacker, or like me, a mixture of the two.
Our visit to Laos has been kind of framed by three uncomfortable, but in hindsight rather amusing, bus journeys. The first was technically in Thailand, but we were heading to the border so I reckon it counts. The minibus journey from Pai to Chiang Khong at the Thai-Lao border was
undoubtedly one of the worst of my life, and what made it worse was that I knew it was coming as soon as I sat down inside. The reason I knew was that I'd had 'a moment' with the driver as I handed him our backpacks at the rear of the van. I eyeballed him. Well, actually it was more like eyeballing myself as all I could see was my unshaven reflection in his (probably) fake and tinted Police sunglasses. I may not have seen his eyes, but I eyeballed him nonetheless. I eyeballed him with a kind of steely quizzical look with which I intended to ask several questions:
-Are you going to drive carefully?
-Are you going to kill my girlfriend and I?
-Do you even have a driving licence?
Perhaps unsurprisingly, I didn’t receive any answers to my telepathically-communicated questions, but instead Mr Driver gave me a kind of quick, ‘upward nod’ (not uncommon in my native Teesside for ‘alright mate’) which in this case I interpreted to mean ‘You will never survive this ride you pathetic, pale little man. Now get in and put your seatbelt on.’ Which I did. Not that it was of any
use.
We sped, rattled, shook, slid, jumped, bumped, burned, bounced and skidded our way along the stomach-churning mountain roads all the way to the border. I calculated that for 80% of the journey my newly-bruised butt was actually OFF the seat rather than on it, as my lapbelt strained to keep me seated. On arrival I was as pleased that Marta and I were alive, as I was with the value for money, as on reflection, we had in fact received a completely free 8 hour Formula 1-speed rollercoaster ride. In the dark. Bargain! And then came my second and final eyeball moment with the Thai Lewis Hamilton (who, by the way, had actually LEANED into every corner and never once changed out of fourth gear for the entire journey), and it was with the utmost pleasure that I threw his very own ‘upward nod’ right back in his G-force face with a satisfied grin of survival. We were almost in Laos.
Here, the border between the countries is actually the Mekong River, which is quite fun as well as unique, as you can see the other country just a few hundred yards away, and at about halfway
across the river on our little wooden boat we sailed from the Thai half of the river into the Lao half. A visa and passport check later and we were on another much more pleasant journey –a two day boat trip down the magnificent Mekong River, which was wholly incomparable to our last leg. Two 7 hour days on a boat might sound horrendous, but actually it was quite relaxing, and made all the more fun by a couple of Kiwi lasses drawing us a tourist map of New Zealand, which would come in handy early next year. Ta muchly to Sarah and Sarah.
After an overnight stop at the sleepy town of Pak Beng and at the end of day two on the water we arrived at the stunning riverbank of Luang Prabang just before sunset. What a place. I’ll say it again: What a place.
I’m going to sound like I’m writing a guide book writer job application form, but bear with me. With its plentiful French colonial influences, Luang Prabang oozes not only charm, but an endearing amount of humility, almost unknowing of its sitting-pretty position on a peninsula between the Nam Khan and the
Mekong Rivers. Eat that Lonely Planet. Its sublimely colourful night market brings each evening to life, with beautiful art and craft stalls silently competing for your custom. High pressure selling and haggling Laos does not do. What they do do though, is a good barbie, and in a magical secret garden we dined on barbecued buffalo, chicken and pork which fried above a wooden bucket of hot coals which was placed neatly in the missing middle tile of our table. Fried meat on top, boiled noodle and veg soup around the edge. Mmm mmm.
Now as couples go, Marta and I reckon we’re pretty weird. Let’s be honest, most of you reading this that know us (or know of us) would agree. So when you meet another couple who are just as odd as you, the chances are you´ll hit it off. And that’s exactly what we did with our new friends Steve and Gemma with whom we shared much of our time in Luang Prabang. We were up at the crack of dawn to observe the almsgiving service (people give food to hundreds of single-file monks in the city every morning at sunrise), we watched stunning Mekong-sunsets resembling
deleted scenes from The Lion King and we swam in sky blue lagoons at the foot of an astounding waterfall. Incidentally we then climbed the bank to the top and then Indiana-Jonesed across the top of the falls. We felt like Goonies. Before we left Luang Prabang I even managed to find a Boro fan…Well, a Lao guy in a brilliantly fake BT Cellnet shirt (see photos) which was great craic. We also We even managed to teach a bit of English by volunteering for conversation with local teenagers at an excellent charity Big Brother Mouse, which publishes and distributes its own Lao-English books to local village children. Their faces when I showed them some photos of Marta and I sledging in the snow last year were priceless.
So with a fond farewell to Luang Prabang and an ‘Hasta Londres’ to our lovely Lao companions Steve and Gemma, we were now on an overnight local bus south to Vientiane. Here was Lao organisation at its finest. With too many tickets sold for too few seats, and with people sat in the aisle of the bus on plastic garden chairs swiped from the bus platform we attempted to get some
sleep as the engine directly below us at the back of the bus coughed and whirred and the walls and floor moved as if they were made of wet cardboard. They possibly were.
From Vientiane we took no chances and paid a couple of quid more for a VIP sleeper bus further south towards Cambodia. What we got was a neon disco bus complete with scrolling led banner on the front proclaiming ‘KING OF BUS’ which didn’t disappoint, and we woke up to sunrise in Pakse.
After another squeeze-as-many-people-into-the-bus-as-you-can journey to the pier at Nakasang, we arrived at Si Phan Don (Translated that´s 4000 islands in Lao). Yes that´s right, four THOUSAND islands. Granted, some might be smaller than a dog, but they are islands nonetheless. And they are also absolutely astonishingly beautiful. We sailed to Don Det (and if you’re thinking of producing ‘Been There, Don Det’ T shirts, you’re too late) and this tiny little island (which has only just got 24 hour electricity) has given us some memories of Laos to cherish.
We´ve hired bikes and pedalled our way across rice fields and bridges to the connected island Don Khon, spotted the almost-touchable Cambodian
mountains ahead of us and Sabaidee-ed our little hearts out as locals walked along the old railway track alongside us, with their buffalos and cows on leads and pet pigs and chicks roaming the main street. And finally dear readers, as I write I am slowly swinging in one of our private hammocks outside our bungalow watching the sun setting behind hundreds of little islands. Tomorrow, Cambodia.
Thanks for reading,
Lots of Lao Love,
Mike x
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Fraser
non-member comment
"I’m going to sound like I’m writing a guide book writer job application form..."
...you said it mate! Keep them coming and have a great time. F