We finished our time in Thailand in Chang Mai where we met up with Mark Sollis, the Sollisitor, a friend from home who went to India with us and is traveling in the opposite direction on the very common South East Asia route of Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand. Chang Mai was quiet compared to Bangkok and The islands, without the two week tourists and package holiday types. It’s famed for its trekking and temples. Mark, Rob and I went out for food, drinks and pool in some of the fairly quiet bars around the city. Miscoordination meant the next day, Rob and I walked around, Markless, to some of the temples(also called a Wat) in the old town, which were the most spectacular we saw in Thailand.
We had intended to spend a few days in Chang Mai, but whilst booking flights to China found out that the cost of staying over your visa time was 500baht per day. We were a day over already, so we changed plans and immediately booked a coach to Laos.After a second night with Mark, during which we went to the night market and had some beers, we headed off over the border.
Our destination in Laos was Luang prabang, the country’s second city and former capital of this ex French colony. The coach journey there was overnight twisting, turning and bumping along the dirt roads to the city. During the 12 hours we only actually covered around 160 km. The first day was spent just relaxing before we headed around the city. We defiantly were suffering from travel fatigue as we are rushing so much. Laos was far more laid back than Thailand, there wasn’t the constant hassling as you went about your business, which defiantly made you more relaxed. It also made you more open and willing to look at stalls or at a restaurant menu, safe in the knowledge that you wouldn’t be hawked down. Laid between the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers the city had a quiet colonial charm- Bakeries and patisseries provided cakes and for the region, famous coffee, smart little cafes chimed out soft French music, French windows adorning most buildings in the centre. We even witnessed locals playing boules by the river. I think the biggest French influence though, is bread. Every café and restaurant we visited in Laos, provided a fresh warm French baguette with most meals.
We spent our day there just slowly walking around, saw the airy royal palace where we saw our best Buddihst Temple yet and climbed the hill in the middle of the town to the Wat at the top.
The nightlife was similar to the daytime, small cafes and hostels dominating the scene, with a night market selling mainly clothes and fabrics.
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| The best Wat we saw |
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| French Style Buildings by the Mekong River |
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| Boules |
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| The Wat on the Hill |
Our next stop, Vang Vieng was a five hour mini bus drive away over mountain roads which presented some unreal scenery, both human and natural as we passed hamlets of anglo saxon style long huts which hugged the mountain side and small smoke columns dotting the hillsides showing the effects of deforestation, all against a background of mountain tips piercing dark clouds - easily the best since New Zealand.
Vang Vieng is a small town known and visited for one major thing- tubing. Tubing is one of those rumours id heard about before traveling, only semi believing in its existence. Essentially the tiny town, situated next to the Nam Song river is home to hundreds of revelers. Everyday, after 1 o’clock pick up trucks with benches lining each side fill up with backpackers, who each pay 10000 kip (80p) and get driven 4km upstream. At the top of the river there are bars selling buckets of alcohol at ridiculously cheap prices(a large bucket will cost you about £2.50). For the first day we didn’t get a tube and just stayed round the top bars playing beer pong and drinking the day away with the many other revelers. People jumped in off the many platforms that line the river(the river was at low flow so only 2 meters deep at most, hence the higher jumps were closed). At around 8, the bars close and tuk tuks take people back into town where the majority head to the lively Qbar. On the second day we actually went tubing, hiring a rubber ring or tube from a place in town, having one or two drinks at the bars then jumping in and floating down the river to the town. On the way down there are some smaller bars which only have a handful of people in where we stopped and chatted with others. We also saw some spectacular scenery, the misty mountains lying nexy to the river. Tubing is dangerous, you hear all sorts of rumours that 60 people died in the last 3 months and so many died last week etc. Rob on the first day had to drag some clown ashore who had drank way to much and was struggling to stay afloat(once ashore he could barely walk showing the level of intoxication). Our third day we took the morning, and hired a tuk tuk driver for an hour who showed us some caves 1km from the town which were pretty cool, before doing as we did on the first day and visiting the first bars of the tubing circuit(most people do this anyway- the number actually tubing isn’t that big). I didnt get any any images as cameras alcohol and water dont mix too well. Hence here is one from google.
After this we book an overnight bus to Siem Riep in Cambodia- our next destination. This trip was the longest yet, a total of 40hours on buses including a harry potter style night bus.
