Well hello journal....it's been a while.
17th Sept
Today I landed in Laos...Luang Prabang. The airport was tiny! But the sun was shining and the sky was blue, it all felt very promising. Flying over the mountains and mekong and landing in a seemingly paradise city densely populated with towering palm trees and very few traffic, I already felt miles away from Vietnam. I headed to the Visa on arrival counter...very 70's deco...and paid my $30US...easy. Had to head to the toilet and instantly noticed the difference from Vietnam. There was no smell! Actually there was a pleasant hint of air freshener floating around and I was excited- this has to be cleaner and more relaxed than Vietnam already!! I stocked up on max Kip; 700,000 and got a taxi for 50000kip. 10 minutes later I was dropped off at a pretty paved laneway and told to head down it for the Cold River guesthouse. There were children running around and mothers hanging out washing. I cracked a smile. As the room wasn't ready and after we'd settled on $10 per night for a room with a shower, I left my bag at reception and lonely planet in-hand I set off towards the town. Thought I could follow maps pretty well but it seems the Geography award I got in highschool was a bit of a fluke. I came to a fork in the road where it should have continued. So I hang a right and ended up walking alongside the river. Amazing view! The contrast of the mirky brown Mekong against the striking green mountains which in turn were contrasted with the piercing blue sky was so beautiful...so I got snap happy. Saw the first of many young and old monks stalking the streets, their orange attire almost fluorescent. I wasn't sure what the etiquette was with women. I'd read they can't talk alone with a woman and you can't physically touch them but I didn't know if I could even make eye contact. I noticed them eyeballing me so thought that the rules couldn't be too extreme. Walking the streets was really cool, the place had a very colonial vibe to it with classic cars scattered in the streets. I eventually got my bearings and came across a cafe highly rated in the lonely planet; Morning Glory. Get your head out of the gutter- it's actually a plant they use alot here and in vietnam (and cambodia as it turns out). Quite often they'll stirfry it and have it as a side dish or throw it in curries as you would spinach. Anyway it was situated across the rode from a large wat so I sat myself down and devoured the best Panang curry I've ever had. Along with a fresh fruit juice it all came to 50000kip. I found a place for iternet and after some routine checking facebook and e-mails I headed back to the guesthouse. I had already been greated by the musical "sabaideee" to be infected with it's welcoming sound. I already began noticing that people in restaurants etc just say it as hello without an underlying come in and eat something or buy something...as is the case in Vietnam (and Cambodia).
The room was basic and only had a fan but hey for $10 what do you want?? Funny thing though...I guess due to the proximity to the river, their sewerage may have been injected straight into the Mekong...because in this guesthouse you had to throw the toilet paper in a bin and not the toilet!! I headed back into town and opted for a massage for 40000kip. One hour of "traditional Laos massage" was pretty interesting. I had a guy...hmm...and he started from the feet and made his way up. But when he got to my back he started pressing down on my spine so hard and crushing my ribs into the matress that I had to time the intake of my breath to his releases!! Then my neck was something else, it was so hard that I had to tell him to be more gentle. He politely laughed and apologised, but proceeded to knead into my neck the same as before! I wasn't quite relaxed after it but glad I did it!
I decided to check out another cafe I'd read about and on the way I passed through the main street where they were setting up the Hmong Night Markets. It was incredible. It went on forever, and they had their own shelter then laid out a piece of plastic or a sheet and put out their goods. They were laying out hundreds of scarves individually, taking much care. Then the jewellery came out and each piece was meticulously placed one by one. They take pride in presentation here. At JoMa cafe I had a slice of pizza and a juice, so good! Then I set out on a mission to climb to the summit of Mt Phousi (pronounced Pussy). Now it's not high, just difficult to find! Again there I go with my geographical prowess...I know it's a mountain and the summit would be obvious but this is southeast asia!! I walked into a shop at the base of the small mountain and asked how do I reach the top? The boy said I just need to follow the blue signs, the first of which he pointed out to me. He asked if I was intending to see the sunset and as I replied that I hoped so he said it will be a nice night for it. Ah, the people are just lovely in Luang Prabang. So I set out in search of the blue signs and ended up walking between houses where chickens were flapping around and children were running up and down the walkway. It didn't seem quite right. But I eventually got to a higher point and could look out over the town. I had no idea if this was "it" so I went to head back down. As I walked through more houses children smiled as they rode past on plastic car toys and sang out Sabaidee, or even hello! Very sweet. I thought there was meant to be more to it so I turned back around, climbed up again and walked the path that seemed to go into the mountain and looked a bit dodgy...hence my initial hesitation! But finally I saw a ticket booth and at this stage the sun was headed down, down, down! So I semi-ran up the stairs and made it to the top. Dripping with sweat and in the company of many other tourists! They were all madly clicking away with their cameras so I joined the throng, but refrained from taking awful posing pictures of myself like the Japanese like to do. It was so beautiful and the view of the majestic mountains was mesmerising. As I went down the mountain the exit came out onto the night markets so I had a quick look. I decided I would do the majority of my shopping for the trip there! I rented a bike and as I jumped on it, possibly too confident after conquering riding in Vietnam, the handles moved as they were a bit loose, and I almost fell into a vintage car parked in front of the shop. Luckily I saved myself, had a laugh, then got on and wonkily set off. My confidence was a bit shaken and the brakes weren't reliable but I got back to the guesthouse to chill for a bit as it was still early evening. I thought of going back to the markets but heard doors being locked so thought I'd call it an early night. I looked over some of the activities I wanted to pursue whilst in LP and as my eyes were glazing over I fell asleep.
My first experience of Laos was undeniably unreal! I am in love with Luang Prabang and can't wait to explore it some more. Every corner you turn there are gorgeous little cafes and people warmly welcoming you with the infectious "sabaidee" greeting. LOVE THIS PLACE!!
