I am in the beautiful, romantic country of Laos. And I sorta wish I could stay here. Coming from Thailand I must say the pace here is slower, the beer cheaper, the locals and backpackers friendly, and the scenery more pristine(e.g., the Mekong, the jungle of Nam Ha NPA).
Much has happened since the last update. Ben and I took a 7+ hour trip "air-con" bus to Chiang Kong, a border town on the Mekong. And while the distance is not great, the roads are terrible and the buses seem to be held together with duck-tape. I kid you not, going uphill, the bus chugs along no faster than 10 mph. A couple times, it sounded like the engine fell out of the bus. That being said, public buses in Thailand do run on time, if not early, but pack in as many people as possible. I shared a bench seat on the very back of the bus with Ben and a Thai kid clutching a CPU. Joy.
We did meet some friendly other travelers from England and Germany and the lovely conversations helped the time pass. In Chiang Kong, we stayed a place for $3.21/person a night, that had a pretty little dining area overlooking the Mekong and Laos. Though the rooms resembled jail cells and were infested with termites and GIANT man-eating spiders. But who spends time in the room anyways?
The next day, we rented a motorbike and took a lovely drive to Chiang Saen, the oldest town in Thailand. We rode along the Mekong, which during the dry season, tall basalt pillars surrounded by white sand leap out of the river. We scooted through hill tribe villages, rice patties, and took a break at an organic tea farm. Chiang Saen was nice, we saw no other Westerners there and chowed down on some good local food (pork soup with noodles). Checked out the markets and then went to the Golden Triangle (where Thailand, Laos, and Burma meet) and toured a museum about opium. On the way back to the hostel, we stopped at a local outdoor massage place that overlooked the Mekong and got full Thai body massages. Mmmmmm :)
The next morning, (not sure what day it was or what day it is), the hostel owner loaded about 25 backpackers into a tiny pick-up truck and drove us to the border crossing of Laos (boat!). I'm not sure how Ben feels about it, but I prefer taking local transportation over the tourist mini-buses. It's not always the most comfortable, but it's way cheaper and you get to see things like the bus stopping suddenly so Laos people can buy snacks (aka stinky fish) from kids standing on the side of the road. However, it was another long bus to Luang Nam Tha, a small town in northern Laos.
With two other Americans we had been traveling with for a few days and a guy from Israel (who use to be his country's salsa dancing champion), we embarked on a two day trek into the jungle. Despite the heat and the bugs, it was lovely. Got to hike through old growth rainforest (banana trees!), rubber tree farms, and got to see some of the devastation from the clear cuts and slash-and-burns. Our overnight accommodations was a cute little hut next to a gorgeous, pristine waterfall. Also, we got to see the tour guide's village and see the school. Very interesting. More details later.
We drank BeerLao with our local guides after the trip and had some hilarious conservations trying to teach one another funny phrases in Laos and English. And then the night bus. Me, Ben, and this guy from Oregon, Paul, took the worse bus, even though it was labeled "VIP" to Luang Prabang (where I am now). We bounced for seven hours overnight but alas, this town is beyond pretty. Toured some wats, neighborhoods, and the National Museums. It sits right on the Mekong and I'm looking forward to having some Lao/French food tonight.
