A 7:00am wake up call on the the Chaing Khong (Thai) boarder was the begining of a 2 days on a long boat (hard wooden seats or the wood floor) for 8+ hours a day meandering down the Mekong River into Luang Probang, Lao. This was a trip that i had been eyeing for quite some time and i don't know what drew me towards this. The allure of my ass going numb on the floor of a boat was definitely NOT it, but the sights, the rural beauty of a country i knew basically nothing about was probably what did it.
What i didn't expect was the board the boat with 100 travelers, many many bottles of booze, tons of Thai and Lao beer and having the first 8 hour day turn into a glorified booze cruise. I did how ever manage to throw in the Ipod, play some relaxing tunes and gaze at the absolutely brilliant scenery as it passed me by. Day two was a bit more relaxing when most of the boat had realized that gassin' alcohol was NOT a sustainable way to travel, so again Ipod in and drinking in the scenery was exactly what i thought this journey would be. Passing Totally isolated villages only accessible by boat, living pretty much solely off the land and river. It got a bit "national geographic" on me as we slowly drifted passed little naked Lao children playing in the river, guys with AK-47's floating past on rickety canoes, it was a trip. Hill side villages tucked far up in the lush green hills, smoke stacks faintly climbing above the tree line, and fisherman down on the river using the current to push their catch into their strategically placed nets which are strung to two long bamboo poles. it was a brilliant ride, minus the first day bender, exactly what i was hoping for.
Luang Probang: caught me off guard a bit, Lao being colonized by the French, on arrival i was introduced to the most beautiful thing i have seen in a long long time, FRESHLY BAKED BAGUETTES, Beautifully crispy BREAD, which i have been deprived of for far too long. I think i tanked down about 4 baguette sandwiches on arrival and the madness didn't stop there and hasn't to the day. If the French have done anything right, it's food, and i thank them for bringing it to Lao. Other than my discovery of the baguette, Luang Probang was a pretty touristy city, a bit over priced, filled with good restaurants though which range from french, to thai, lao, to italian where pizza is the menu item of choice and is probably the one thing i see the most all over asia as a standard comfort food, still haven't gotten it yet.
Vang Vieng: a twisty, rolling, climbing, AMAZING 6 hour mini van ride down to the tubing capital of Lao, the ride from Luang Probang to Vang Vieng was fantastic, through small villages clinging to the cliff side, in and out of fields, banana plantations, over rivers and cruising through lime stone crass was a drive out of video game. As i approached the city all i could think about was renting a scooter and doing it my self (which happened on my last day).
A City which revolves around cheap liquor, shitty music, lots of drugs, all natural ones of course, which in some bars you can find laminated on a menu, still illegal though, it was a bit overwhelming for many. For me, i got my fill of beer and cheap "tiger wiskey" on the river but was tempted by a different beast, not druggs, but "the thrill of being a moron," with beer flowing like the rolling river water, free shots of tiger wiskey ($1.25 us A BOTTLE) being poored like.... well... like it is as cheap as it was (quickly and freely), and the presence of 30+ foot rope swings, my childish nature shows bright and hucking enormouse layed out back flips was something i felt like i needed to prove to the world that day. I would have to say they were pretty (wish i got one on video), but as the sun was setting and so was the amount of alcohol the final swing payed it's toll as i slipped off the handle and slammed into the river, winding my self, bruisin' some ribs, and pinching a nerve in my neck making my pinkey and ring finger numb for over a week. Yes i'm a dumbass.
Partyin' aside, renting a scooter and cruising through the dirt streets was exactly what i was looking for, remote towns, schools which consisted of three wall structures, some more naked lao kids playing in the street, old hunched over women sweeping the front door with a straw broom, remote villages that still do things the "old way" it was beautiful, really remarkable to see. the one comfort that they had was NOT hot water, was not Washer and Dryer, but a HUGE satellite dish, a single burning light bulb and a TV for passing time, it was a funny thing to see.
The only place i saw more rural than this was North of Luang Probang in a town called Muang Ngoi. Only accessible by boat, an hour north up stream from Nong Khiaw was a small village, No cars, dirt road, "one horse town," doing a hour hike back in the "jungle"/rice fields reveals some beautiful Limestone caves which are in abundance in Lao, small more remote villages, and extremely happy people, probably the nicest and happiest i have experienced on this trip, well, in my life, always smiling!
Vientiane: The capital of Lao is not the busiest city i have ever scene, if anything probably the sleepiest capital i have ever been to, but for me it works. most travelers pass right through this town using it as a stopping point before crossing the Mekong back into thailand, or heading south (which i did, down to Pakse and Don Det). Bursting with cool restaurants, French inspired food, Thai food, Coffee shops, and street vendors, Vientiane is a pretty cool city to get involved in food with. Lao its self has a pretty boring cuisine, it is not so much Thai, and not so much Vietnamies, but sandwiched between confused with who it is, in my experience it was a simple place to eat (luang probang and vientiane as the acception). I did however get a chance to meet up with a brilliant Thai Chef who runs the Lao Garden Pub and Restaurant, Ordering Three dishes and a beer in this relatively high end restaurant ran me a whopping 97,000 kip or $11.95usd, crispy pork, green mango, and cashew salad, Lemon cream glazed crispy chicken, and Beef tenderloin RARE with spicy/sour sauce all came out at once and was utterly devoured.
Pakse: A solid 12hr bus from Vientiane on a sleeper bus, ariving early in the morning, still dazed from my "shared double bed" (thank god i didn't have to share), was the town of Pakse. An unexpected NOTHING of a city, i quickly hoped a Tuk Tuk with some other travelers to the nearest bus station and boarded the SLOWEST moving bus i had ever been on in my life. Cruising at a top speed of 20mph on a 3 hour non a/c, NO ventelation sweat-fest, i headed to the town on Tot Lo. Again a beautiful experience in a rural town, this was a one day one night stop over. On arrival i headed right to the waterfalls went for a swim where some locals kids were jumping a good 20ft ciff into the falls (due to my injuries in vang vieng i opted out of the cliff jump) the first jumper scared the shit out of me, it didn't look do-able. after enjoying the swim and location for a hour or so I headed back to town to chat it up with some fellow travelers and local villagers. the thing to do here is RELAX, and/or rent a scooter and tour the Bolivan Platau, but i wanted to keep on moving so one night in this quite town was good for me.
Getting to Don Det my final stop in Lao was one that took a hellish day of traveling to get to. Back on the 3 hour 20mph sweat bus, accompanied by a 4 hour local transport. A touch larger than the flatbed of a pickup truck, enclosed by steal bars, plastic siding, and a roof rack which held anything from livestock, backpacks, to people, i was packed 21 people deep. sweating in 90 degree heat we barreled down the road stopping here and there to pick more people up, drop minimal people off, all painfully uncomfortable until i snapped. we had stopped to pick up another person, a cross country biker, while stopped this Lao woman who was transporting 9 piglettes in 3 burlap sacks was getting nervouse that they would die of heat so opted to tranfer them into a large wicker basket. Sufficating with in what i thought would be my casket i thought, this could be my chance, pushing my way out, i gave a look of desperation to the driver and pointed to the roof. Hel laughed, smiled, and nodded his head, the rest of the trip was a literal "breeze." Shirt off, sun out, headphones in and my eye on the passing scenerey i laughed at all the suckers squashed below me. The ride was fantastic, my eyes fixed on everything passing me by, farmland, rural homes, even Elephats being used as transport for farm equipment and crops, a freakin' elephant being used as a "real" non-touristic means of transportation....wild. the ride was out standing.
Don Det: located in the area of 4,000 islands (Si Phon Don) was a bit of an oasis. litterally thousands of islands scattered with in the large Mekong River. A river that brought me into Lao was the same River that would take me out. Lush palm tree lined shores, guest houses that offer electricity from 6pm to 10pm, and Hammocks, lots and lots of Hammocks. I spent 6 days here doing absolutly NOTHING, go swimming, reading a book, going to a local pig roast (which of course i could have done better :) ), getting to know some locals, going to look for a rare almost extict river dolphin (didn't see it), and discussing with friends the best method to catch fish in the river, this was the extent of 6 days.
After walking the dirt paths of Don Det bare foot for 6 days, rarely wearing a shirt, sleeping in hammocks, and being woke at sun up by roosters (which i can't stand), it was a bit sad to leave this area. It took me a while but after nearly a month in Lao i finaly allowed the tranquil life style to set in. the rural, relaxing, lazy days in Lao are somthing i wont forget, the happiest people i have ever seen, a beautiful culture, and a wonderful experience.
LAO PHOTOS:
http://picasaweb.google.co.in/vaccaro.marc24/MarcvaccaroLaos?feat=directlink
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