I've lost my heart to Laos - such a gentle, beautiful people, stunning landscapes and very, very budget friendly.
View from my room in Nong Khaiw
To make travel much easier, I opted to book a shuttle from Chiang Mai to the Thai-Laos border, stopping at the magical white temple in Chiang Rai for lunch. I have since learnt that there is also a blue and black temple in Chiang Rai as well. Maybe that will be another ride I can make once I am more confident on the bike.
The White Temple is breathtakingly stunning! The pictures do not do it justice. Photos are forbidden inside but there is a monk in there who just sits all day.
Laos map
First stop - Luang Prabang, the backpacker's paradise. And of course the only way to travel there from northern Thailand - via the 2-day slow boat. Immigration was a bit of a non-event. Just got stamped out of Thailand and crossed a bridge to then be stamped into Laos. A van took us to our accommodations for the night. A private room and a relaxing night's sleep before the boat journey.
Simple but comfortable lodgings
Not uncomfortable, but certainly not luxury by any means, the slow boat is a very pleasant meander down the Mekong River. Lunch is provided and snacks and drinks are available for purchase on the boat. It was quite muggy but so immersive. At one stage we made a stop along the river. Unbeknownst to the driver, a rotting, boated cow was caught along the flank of the long boat. I cannot describe this smell...Let us say, lunch was not consumed after.
The seats in the long boat are old car seats
There was another overnight stop in Pakbeng, along the river. Again, I had my own private room. Anyhow...I managed to sleep in, didn't I? Apparently my boat was leaving at 9am and I had slept until 8:50. As I had prepaid breakfast and a lunch to go, I was delayed 10 mins at the hostel. I told them I was on the boat, but they were just 'ok, you'll make it'.
My room in Pakbeng - scene of the crime of sleeping in
They then indicated that I need to make my own way to the boat, about 400 mts downhill, in the rain. Ok, so I take a brisk walk for the morning, turn the corner to the boat ramp and can see my boat drifting away from the makeshift pontoon *horror face*.
Lazy days floating down the Mekong
Providently for me, there was a tour guide on the back of a bike coming up the ramp. She jumped off and started jumping around indicating the boat needed to come back. I felt bad for all the people who actually made it on time who had to endure the delay of returning to pluck me from the banks. Oh well, no one seemed too upset. I found today's drift so incredibly relaxing. I put in my earplugs and made my way to the back of the boat which could be quite loud. I didn't mind and had the sweetest little area to myself for most of the day.
Arriving in Luang Prabang, I decided to take a private room for my first 2 nights. The staff were absolutely lovely and took very good care of me.
However, I was in search of some fun. I went and hired a scooter. Never mind that they drive on the opposite side of the road from Australia. With my easy transportation, I decided to spend a few nights in party central, Mad Monkey Hostel.
Free shots on the hour/every hour!
I had a bit too much fun on the first night for the weekly pub quiz. I'm really not as knowledgable as I thought I was. But it was a blast. I got to know a Russian girl who is working in China, Hanna. She hired a bike also and we made our way around town.
My Laos Partner in Crime, Hanna
We decided to take a ride to a nearby waterfall. It was a pretty ride but did get quite rustic in parts (non-paved, some decent pot holes). We took a boat down to the waterfall only to discover that this waterfall had not a skerrit of water in the place. Kind of defeated the purpose of the ride.
Anyhow, Hanna wanted to go look at some animal cages as we were exploring the area and I managed to slip on some moss and landed directly on the tip of my thumb nail. The picture does not do justice to the pain and indignity that I suffered from this injury. It hurt. I lost a good portion of the tip of my nail right down into the quick. I don't know what is going on with my fingernails but I'm painfully losing them one by one. Am I travelling too hard?
The next day, we hit the road again and headed out to the proper waterfall, Kuang Si Waterfall, and we weren't disappointed. There is a bear charity on site with some bears hanging out in the rainforest and the waterfalls were delightful and refreshingly cool.
Everything is so ornate
Tranquiliity
Refreshingly cool
My next stop in Laos was Nong Khaiw, in the north. The van ride was a little tedious with the roads reminiscent of Far North Queensland after the wet season with regards to potholes. But the township of Nong Khiaw is ringed by the most magnificent mountain cliffs. So dramatic and stunning. I loved my view from out of my doorway of my guesthouse, overlooking the river. I ate at a local place just down the laneway and it was so good I kept going back there.
Here we go...
Not for the faint-hearted
Gorgeous little cafe where we took shelter from the rain
There was one other tourist who stayed at the same guesthouse, who joined me on the boat tour to the caves where the locals lived during the Vietnam bombing campaign by the US, and also a local waterfall. Unfortunately, there was an unusual downpour that morning, making it dangerous to explore the caves and trek up the waterfall. As an alternative, we had a delightful lunch in Muang Ngoi, a tiny village along the river between the mountains. We then were invited by our boat driver to his family land, where we met his mother and father and saw where they grow rice and are building a homestay by hand.
Our driver's Mum in their little shack on the bank of the river
Very special spot
Building the homestay building by hand
I was looking for something in my bag and pulled out my little hand fan that has been my godsend throughout these tropical adventures and put it next to me. The driver's Mother screeched in delight, picked it up and worked out how to use it. I don't think she had seen one before. Of course, I gifted it to her. I like to think she is sitting in her shack by the river with my fan enjoying her best life.
Delighted with her fan
I hadn't really made any plans for my return to Chiang Mai. I thought it would be fun to wing it. I started with booking a bus to the Thai border with my guesthouse. So I was picked up at around 3.30pm from my guesthouse and transported for about 30 minutes to a bus stop at Nambak, pretty much down the road. Here I was deposited and instructed that I was to catch the overnight bus to the border, which would be arriving at 8pm.
Bus station for a long wait
So I whiled away the 4.5 hours. I didn't have any more Laos kip on me so I couldn't even buy a cold drink. These lovely girls saw me sitting there for hours and came and shared their rambutans with me. Eventually my overnight bus arrived. And I kid you not, it was like the Knight Bus from Harry Potter. There were bunks along each side of the bus, with blankets, pillows and water provided. There we laid down and had a somewhat rocky but restful nonetheless journey.
When I arrived at the border, I was told that I could catch the bus leaving in about 20 mins but needed to pay in Laos cash. Alas, the ATMs weren't playing ball either. So basically, I needed about $20 in cash that I didn't have and couldn't access. These amazing guys all pooled their cash to help me out. When we got through the border, 1 of the guys was leaving on a different bus and I couldn't pay him back. We swapped details and I tried to get the $5 to him. It ended up being a gift and I know that I will pay it forward somewhere along the way of my travels.
It was nice to get back to Chiang Mai, but I really did fall a bit in love with Laos. It is so sparcely populated and it has pretty basic infrastructure outside of the cities. The people are so kind and friendly. I just know I will be back.
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