A Laos(y) Way To Treat VIPs

After checking in to our guesthouse in Luang Prabang we had a break before going to the nearby night market to find some dinner. Then we had a wander around the market. This was not a locals market, it was aimed squarely at us foreign types, with souvenirs of all sorts for sale. But it was nice to walk around before returning to our room for the night. Being a small town we ran into several people who had been on the boat with us.

In the morning Kiwi woke early and went for a walk. The town was very quiet and there were few people around at 0630 on a Saturday. However by 0715 when he was heading back there were many people around and businesses were opening. Along the way, he saw the dry-season-only bamboo bridge across the Nam Khan river (a tributary of the Mekong) and a market which was more local oriented and included fresh fish from the river.

After breakfast, we were picked up from our guesthouse to be taken to Kuang Si waterfall. The drive took about 45 minutes along what was, at times, a quite windy road. The waterfall is a true cascade as it flows down several levels. Swimming is allowed in some places so we took full advantage. We got a bit of a surprise when we first entered the water as our feet were attacked by fish. We guessed the fish were after dead skin but didn’t confine their dining to feet, they nibbled at our legs (the back of Kiwi’s knees was a popular spot) and elbows also. It was quite a weird sensation, but at times painful as some of the fish had sharp teeth. The water was cool enough to be refreshing, yet not so cold to cause shrinkage. We didn’t take the camera so we didn’t have to worry about it while we were swimming. We did take the GoPro and phones and got a photo or two with those.

Apart from swimming we also followed the path to the farthest point we felt was safe. The path became a steep set of stairs which had water flowing over them and the resultant algae made the stairs very slippery. So we chose to not go up. But the park was nice, the swim very refreshing, and the fish a novelty. On the way in and out of the park, we walked through the Bear Rescue Centre. Here they look after bears that have been rescued from a living hell in small cages where their bile is extracted for traditional medicine.

Once back in town we wandered the streets and made our way up Phousi Hill to see the sunset. We were there early but that was fine, the view was good. While Kiwi busied himself trying to get photos of the not-very-good sunset, Kraut was chatting to some young locals who were keen to practice their English.

Once the sun had well and truly set we descended the hill to the night market where we had dinner. It was an early night as we had another early start to look forward to. We liked Luang Prabang. Our guesthouse was in a quiet street, the centre of town is compact and very walkable, and it just had a nice feel to it. So far we were very happy we had come to Laos.

Breakfast was taken early on Sunday and we were picked up at about 0730 to go to the bus station. We were booked on the VIP Bus to Vientiane. Once at the bus station we pulled up by a small Hyundai bus, with luggage and a scooter on its roof. We were not impressed. Our bags got passed up to the roof where they were secured under a tarpaulin, which failed to keep them dry in the rain we got later. Fabulous.

Apparently there just weren’t enough people travelling to justify using a large coach, so they squeezed 27 people into the small bus. They did this through the use of fold-down seats which blocked the aisle – safety first! We had very little leg room, especially Kraut who had the window seat but also had the wheel arch under her feet. We did have air con though.

Just after 0830, we drove out of the bus station, along the road for about 100 metres, then pulled off the road to fill the diesel tank. Finally, we were ready to go. Our next stop was about 90 minutes up the road for toilets, then again for lunch (after refilling the fuel tank), and after that in Vang Vieng. We dropped some people off there, which meant more room for those of us going the full distance. Vang Vieng didn’t look inviting at all, but we were on the main road so didn’t get to see the town itself.

From there we drove to Vientiane, arriving at about 1745, so at least the 10 hours we were told the journey would take was fairly accurate. The road was sealed all the way, but bumpy in places. It wound its way up and over the mountains and down again. At the top we drove through rain and clouds. Along the way we saw the usual crops, including rice, of course, some small villages, and lots of trees. It was a scenic ride. We gained some altitude along the way, as shown by how much the bag of potato chips inflated and as felt in our ears. Another indicator of the altitude gain was the sound and feel of an overloaded bus struggling up the hills. At each stop they topped up the radiator water.

Once at the Vientiane bus station we boarded a songthaew into town, stopping to swap into another songthaew as our one had mechanical issues (it had to be push started at the bus station). Once at our hostel, we checked in, rested, then went out for dinner.

The next day started ok; Kiwi woke early again and went for a walk. During his wanderings, he found what we later discovered was the Presidential Palace. Once he was back we had breakfast at the hostel followed by relaxing. There isn’t a lot to see in Vientiane so we just enjoyed some downtime. But then the stomach bug hit. We both had issues, which wasn’t very relaxing at all. It appeared to have subsided by the time we went for a very carefully selected lunch.

After lunch, our respective guts feeling better, we went for a walk to the river. We wandered through the night market site where some vendors were preparing for the evening trade and onward along the footpath. We sat and watched a local on a motorcycle trying to lead a very reluctant horse, which amused us greatly. About 200 metres away in front of us was the Mekong. Kiwi went for a walk along a rough dirt road to the river and along the way encountered a dragon and a very large gorilla.

When he returned to Kraut she was engaged in conversation with a woman on a bicycle, who was offering a mobile manicure service, which was politely refused. Then another one showed up and cast a critical eye over Kiwi’s recently pedicured toes. Again, no thanks. There were several of these women in the area. We decided to head back to the hostel. We hadn’t gone far when the bug made its presence felt. It was very sudden and gave extremely short notice of evacuation. From there the day went downhill. We won’t go into details here, but it wasn’t pretty.

Dinner was instant noodles, we were playing it safe. When we awoke in the morning we both felt better but we avoided the hostel breakfast, figuring it was either that or dinner the first night in town that dealt a nasty blow to our digestive systems. So we had bread and peanut butter (Kiwi) and a croissant (Kraut), both safe options we thought. We had no more problems that day, so that was a bonus.

We visited Pha That Luang, the most important religious monument in Laos. It dates from 1566 but has been ransacked a few times by invading armies. It was nice though, there were few other people there so was relatively peaceful. There were some very-old-looking buddhas by the boundary walls.

On the way back to the hostel we passed Patuxai, the victory monument, which commemorates those who died fighting for independence from France. It is a big not-very-attractive thing built with concrete donated by the USA, intended to be used for an airport. It is now nick-named the vertical runway. We don’t know how the US responded to this abuse of their generosity.

Once back at the hostel we had a break, then had lunch (played it safe with our choices), and relaxed some more before being picked up for the bus over the border to Thailand.

That was our time in Laos. We liked it, and are glad we went. It was always an option but it was only in Chiang Mai that the final decision to go was made. Luang Prabang and the slow boat were particularly enjoyable. Vientiane was ok, but not our favourite city. We would like to see more of Laos, maybe one day…

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If anyone has any questions about travelling in Taiwan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, or Laos feel free to contact us at thekiwiandthekraut@gmail.com