Ok so Laos...how on earth can I describe it and do justice? Cambodia and Vietnam are fascinating but Laos just got me hooked. In fact if I don't go back I will be very surprised! It's stunningly beautiful, rolling hills and steep mountains with limestone cliffs and rivers and when you are out of the town people just call out 'Sabaidee!' enthusiastically to greet you (and not because they want your custom either).
The flight from Cambodia to Luang Prabang was scary to say the least. It was a fairly small plane with external propellers that seemed to have to fight for every inch that they moved us but we made it in the end and quequed to get our visa plus 'processing fee' of course.
We were incredibly lucky with hotel owners and they really looked after us. So much so that even though I was bitten alive by bed bugs in Luang Prabang we went back (we did ask for a different room though!).
We spent a lot of our time in Luang Prabang. It's a pretty touristy place in the centre but in a sort of gentrified way! And like with most places you can get away from it to normal markets and streets anytime. I think because it is a world heritage site they have rules about how signs have to look so they are all wood etc. It's surrounded by rivers and mountains. Needless to say we ate massive amounts of beautiful food, though Alex discovered that stew made with a peppery wood bark is not her thing, nor is cold spicy chicken salad made from minced chicken that clearly did not contain any chicken breast. I have discovered a deep love for sticky rice and shall be looking for a decent supplier when I return!
We did a 5 hour trek through some ethnic minority villages (Hmong and Khmu for those of you who are interested) to a beautiful waterfall with loads of levels and bright turquoise water. It was good to see some villages where the people ignored us or peered curiously and the children didn't have any experience of begging for sweets. We saw cotton and another similar plants that they use to stuff mattresses and pillows, the grasses that they use to make brooms and sticky rice still in the husks.
One morning we went on a cooking course including a guided tour around the market. Saw loads of strange and wonderful ingredients including river weed which is dried and served in sheets with sesame seeds and chilli, buffalo hide in strips to chew and fresh fish in buckets. The most interesting for me was the meat section. Basically they just slaughter a whole animal but use absolutely everything. I still don't know how they make large cubes of blood solid, well jelly like anyway. I have photos of the goriest stuff.
We decided to get out of town for a few days and arranged a minibus to a little place called Nong Khiaw. Journey should take about 3 hrs but we were the first to be picked up (and early I might add, no sign of Asia time here). After going around the town for an hour to gether tourists we then proceeded to the bus station where the driver changed shirts and exchanged the tickets for money from an office. He then stopped twice more to pick up his lunch and to drop a package off at a friend's shop. When we arrived in Nog Khiaw a couple asked for Phonsavan. The driver cracked up laughing as Phonsavan was 4 hours in the opposite direction from Luanga Prabang. I think they got the same minibus back to Luang Prabang and tried again the next day. Fortunately they realised the bus driver had told everyone where he was going and that they were mainly to blame.
We stayed in a bamboo hut with a hammock. Fortunately Alex doesn't like hammocks so I mooched in there reading for many hours. We also did a kayaking tour from a place upriver called Muang Noi. We were given a sit-in kayak but without a cover so unfortunately we capsized in some rapids. I think the quote of the day as Alex and I were hanging on to the boat and trying to swim to shore was 'If we have to choose between us or the boat the boat's going'
We thought we would get the boat back to Luang Prabang for a change and to see some beautiful landscapes etc. They packed 20 of us plus backpacks into the boat so some people got soaked occasionally. Twice we had to get out as the river was too low for us to plow through with our weight! Once we got a tuktuk and another time had to walk down the riverbank. It took a while for our bums to recover from the 7 hours of sitting on a wooden bench but it was certainly memorable and worth it.
We arrived in Hanoi no problems and managed to get our taxi to Hanoi. We pretty much collapsed and then explored the town a bit to find some grub. It's a fascinating crazy place. Everyone is busy and hooting their horns and trying to fight through the little roads around here. The pubs are meant to shut at 11 but they just close their shutters and everyone carries on unless the police close it. We had a great night out on our second night and got home at 330am. Lots of fun had by all.
The streets are all named (in Vietnamese) after the products they sell e.g. 'legging street' and 'iron street' etc etc which is fine if you understand but not great if you know there is a towel st but you can't remember where it is.
Unfortunately Alex got some bad news from home whilst we were in Laos so she has had to fly home for a few days this week. So I am going to stay here and meet up with some friends, one lives here and another arrives on Wednesday. I have lost weight whilst I have been in Asia but I think this week it will all go back on as there is some very very good food here too!!!
I have booked a dive course and some diving in Borneo but unfortunately the bad luck that is hitting everywhere that we haven't been yet (boat sinking in Halong Bay, earth quake in NZ, cyclone in Australia, forest fires in australia) has hit once again and a fire burnt down the nice accomodation I was going to stay in so now I will have to stay in a more basic arrangement with a local family as can't afford the swanky places. Right now I shall try and put some photos on here for you!
PS I am very well and feeling very lucky to do this :-)
