Welcome to Laos

As soon as we boarded our flight into Luang Prabang we could sense the change. The flight attendants were smiling and friendly and even though we were only in the air for 1hour we were still served one of the best airline meals ever. We arrived on the little airstrip of Laos Airlines and marched into a small office where we picked up our visas and walked onwards through customs. We were so relieved to see a peaceful and organized transfer service desk just outside the airport doors. Hassel and rip-off free, we took a taxi to the guest house we had in mind. Immediately we felt welcomed and were happy to have arrived in, the lovely, Laos. After settling into a clean and comfortable room we headed out on foot to see what this town was all about. Right away we agreed that this was one of the prettiest places we had visited. The town is a peninsula with the Mekong and Khan Rivers running through it. There are several lovely riverside restaurants as well as great shops and cafes in the centre of town. We strolled through the streets feeling at peace and enlightened by our first impressions of Laos. We also noticed an incredibly colourful night market along the main street so we popped through for a look. This market was large and incredibly impressive. The streets were lined with silver jewellery and goods, traditional clothing, lanterns, so many beautiful handicrafts, and the quality of craftsmanship was better than anything else we had seen. Lucky for us, the lavish market is a nightly event. We knew that we would be coming back to pick up some amazing one of a kind take-homes. At the end of the market we found the food section where we picked up 2 savory sandwiches with chicken breast, an assortment of fresh vegetables, and EVEN MAYO and MUSTARD!! What a breath of fresh air. We noticed that many shops seemed to be closing up early and then we learned that Luang Prabang has an 11:30 town-wide curfew. With that, we decided to retire to our quiet room. We spent some time reflecting on the past few hours and all the reasons we have already found to love Laos. Our first morning in Luang Prabang started with a great little breakfast along side the mighty Mekong. We celebrated the pleasant service and spectacular views, such a classic setting it was. We took in some sights including the incredible hilltop Wat Phou Si. From here we could see the entire city with its spectacular rivers and rolling green hills. Luang Prabang has tons to offer and after a great few days we decided that we would be back to this city after we explored a little more of the country.

As we headed to Vang Vieng we learned that road trips in Laos are also shockingly different from our experience elsewhere in S.E.A. We found ourselves touring leisurely through the soaring mountains. This was by far the most carefree and scenic bus trip of the past 3 months, and likely of our entire lives. Now Vang Vieng is considered a rite of passage on any South East Asian-backpacker-tour. It is a small town nestled beside the Nam Song (Song River) and surrounded by dramatic limestone karsts. This place is legendary for its lazy river tubing and for the array of mind bending “Happy” pizzas, brownies, milkshakes, and other concoctions which travelers can experiment with. We didn’t know quite what to expect as we had read so much hype about wild times to be had and so far we’ve found ourselves more into steering clear of the blazing backpacker trail. The town was much nicer than we anticipated, just full of spectacular natural beauty. Granted the small-town nature has been completely abandoned as the streets are lined with bars and restaurants catering to the western tourists. Within the first couple hours of being there we stumbled upon a sign post for a great cave. We followed the footpath to the entrance where we paid a small ticket fee which included a young guide and flashlight for assistance. At the entrance of the cave was a sparkling round stalactite, the most pristine we have seen. Intrigued, we followed the small kids through the narrow passage way. After wedging ourselves between the next openings we found two huge gleaming blue stalactites coming from the roof. The kids pointed out a family of bats hanging in the darkness and that’s when I noticed an ENORMOUS spider (about the size of my hand) right beside me on my way down the makeshift ladder. Considering the close quarters there really was no escaping it and therefore when it jumped onto my leg at lightning fast speed the only thing to be done was SCREAM my face off and try not to freak out completely. We then quickly learned the worst thing to do in a cave, and that is to look around for the creepy unknowns lurking in the darkness. With our flashlight we spotted yet another crazy cave spider above us only this one was nearly twice the size of the first. With available oxygen decreasing and temperatures and anxiety rising, we were sufficiently wigged out to decline from lying on our stomachs to squeeze even deeper. Panicked and dirty we emerged from the darkness for a final creepy crawler check and about 15 minutes of recovery. So we concluded that the cave was awesome but our future as spelunkers was not going to be bright.

We really settled into great eating while in Vang Vieng too. In the evenings we dined at the oldest and most authentic restaurant in town which had amazing Lao BBQ and other dishes. We also took full advantage of the Organic Mulberry Farm Café, enjoying scrumptious mulberry milkshakes, teas, pancakes and so much more. Even the late night food in Vang Vieng was awesome as we could get fresh crepes or great baguette sub-sandwiches for only $1. Our final day in Vang Vieng we decided we would embark on our passage on the Nam Song. We rented our tubes and jumped in a tuk-tuk with another 6 tubers travelling up to the launch point. When we pulled up to the riverside launching ground it looked and sounded like college spring break. The riverside was lined with wooden deck bars, tons of half naked-fully loaded people, and thumping tunes. Unlike the masses we were seeking a little more of a tranquil float down the river so, belongings in hand, we carefully propped ourselves into our tubes and onto the river. As we drifted away from this area we had to keep a watchful eye as there were foreigners flying through the air and into the water in every direction. There were zip lines, rip cords, huge water swings, and line ups for all of them. The tubing was pretty lazy as there really wasn’t much current in most areas and therefore it felt more like lounging in the pool but there was one feature better than the typical swim-up bar. As you float down the river there are numerous riverside bars looking for you to stop in for some drinks or maybe a bucket or two. The great part is that they use their bamboo fishing rods (without hooks…) to bring you in. Once it’s been established that you’re thirsty, they throw out the line and basically reel you in for a cold one. Even with the markup for convenience, you can still make off with a giant bottle for about $1.50. Just like Luang Prabang, we could have stayed in Vang Vieng for MUCH MUCH longer but as the days dwindled before out May 14th flight, we had to keep up a steady pace off moving along.
Next stop, Phonsavon. Although Northern Laos is very small and the distance between the major sights is no more than 250km, the bus rides are long. The longest route we travelled was 240km but each bus ride took around 7 hours. The main road of the north is so mountainous that we figure you spend about 450km ascending, descending and winding back and forth while only about 200km are accomplished in the direction you want to go. The driving speed doesn’t top 45km/hour as the road is narrow and winds high on the mountain tops. Again, the greatest sight seeing journey. We imagined how great it would be to have a couple motorbikes to cruise through the countryside at our own leisure…maybe next time. We arrived in Phonsavon in the afternoon and soon realized that the town was certainly not the main attraction here. There was one main street lined with some simple guest houses and restaurants but the place lacked any special character. The reason tourists stop in Phonsavon is due to its proximity to the Plain of Jars. We checked into our simple guesthouse and immediately booked our tour out to the Jars for the following day. Phonsavon is located in the Xiang Khoang province in Laos. Xiang Khoang is the most heavily bombed province in the most heavily bombed country per capita in ALL wars in world history. Since Laos is landlocked by China, Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia, it has suffered the consequences of all sides that targeted nearby enemies. The statistics for Laos are as follows: between the years of 1969 and 1974, A HALF TON OF BOMBS WERE DROPPED FOR EVERY PERSON IN THE COUNTRY. For this reason, there are many efforts by different organizations to clear the areas of unexploded bombs and debris. We visited the local MAG museum who aims to educate locals and tourists of the dangers of these bombs. The group also helps to form community bomb clearing initiatives in the nearby countryside. We learned a lot about their efforts and the reality which locals face due to the impact of war. Many areas are still so heavily littered with unexploded bombs that people are always facing the treat of serious injury or even death. One thing which perpetuates famine and poverty is the fear and risk involved in expanding farm land to grow more crops. Similar to Cambodia with its threat of countless landmines, Laos still suffers greatly due to the amount of Unexploded Ordnance (UXO). The following morning we joined a group of 6 others on our way to visit the illustrious Plain of Jars. The tour consisted of visiting the 3 main sites of jars as well as a whisky (Lao-Lao) making village and an abandoned Russian tank. Arriving at site 1, we had to read safety warnings about the plains we would explore. The signs explained how the areas surrounded by white route markers have been cleared of UXO using metal detection and the areas with red route markers are of greater risk as they have only been visually inspected for bombs. Treading lightly and sticking to the well beaten trails, we explored the area. The jars lay in clusters, scattered across hillsides. The jars vary in shape and size as well as numbers in the groupings. Each site was slightly different and each was very impressive. Although they have been studied for years, there is no way to date the jars and their function is still unknown. It is believed the jars are one solid piece and were carved from enormous boulders. Even how they transported the heavy boulders, to the distant hillsides, from the rock quarries is unknown. The origin of the jars really is mysterious. Some people reckon they were used to store rice or water nearly 2000 years ago. Other thoughts are that they were used as family tombs yet there have never been remains discovered to prove this theory. There is also an ancient story that around 3000 years ago there was a great king who won a battle and to celebrate, he had all of these enormous jars constructed in order to ferment rice wine-if this is the case then hundreds of people would have been drunk for hundreds of years. Regardless of the theory, none has been proven so the jars are still a great mystery of civilization. After our tour we enjoyed some incredible Indian cuisine in town and prepared ourselves for an early rise to head back to Luang Prabang in the morning.
The 7 hour bus journey was cut down to 4hours as we arranged for a minivan to take us back to Luang Prabang. Granted it was nice to shave 3 hours off the ride but at the same time traveling that much faster on the winding roads tossed us allover. It was exhausting just trying to stay in our seat for the wild ride. Bottom line, we made it back for our last few days in Laos. We spent the next couple days just taking it easy, soaking in the town, and picking up our last great finds from the lovely night market. Our final day here, we had a great lunch on the river and walked around town taking it all in. We strolled through the sunny streets in absolute awe of all the exotic specimens found around each corner. From insects, spiders, plants, and beautiful varieties of flowers, we saw more here in Laos in just 10 days than everywhere else combined. Without enough time to explore the country further we booked a flight from Luang Prabang to Chiang Mai in the North of Thailand.