I meant to post this last year, beginning of last year, like Jan 2011. Oh well, only a year late. I will finish out our adventures as promised. Let's see.. we left off in Thailand heading towards Vietnam via Laos......
Our trekking adventure included transport over the border into Laos and a trip down the Mekong river. Leaving from the border town of Chiang Khong in the early morning, we were transported to the border a mere 1 km away! We could have walked! Anyhow, we all rushed out to que up in the Exit line, Brian & I trying to get there first since we had "overstayed" our 30 day Thai visit - to the tune of a $30 fine! It was so worth it.
After a short trip across the river into Laos, we checked into the country. Another $35 for their visa. Again, we hurried up to wait for our long boat down the river.
Laos; What a SURPRISE! Immediately, I was already liking it. I'm not sure if it was just the nice weather, or less people around? It was just a feeling, like you have in Hawaii with island time. It is very relaxed there.
The river boat trip was a blast. We had an over night stop in a small town. As we found it sometimes was not beneficial to reserve/ book a room in advance, so we immediately hopped off the boat when it hit shore with the aim of getting into town before the masses. We were immediately cut off on the sandy shore by several hotel vendors (usually the owners themselves) trying to book out their place. Being a little leery, they all had pictures of the rooms & hotels to show us. It turned out to be really easy, very fun, and a great place for $10/night! It was like this everywhere we went in Laos. Nothing shifty about it, just very honest people trying to get your business. It was so lovely, I know I am not doing it justice explaining.
This little town was so cute. A cross between something you imagine out of an old western and a mountain town. I was one street - dirt and hilly. However, hotels and restaurants lined it, everyone was out and about dining & drinking, and it was abuzz with energy. They even had a bakery with scones, muffins and espressos! Yeah, kitty Kat heaven.
Our final destination in Laos was Luang Prabang. Famous for it's temples, food and night markets. This was just one of the coolest little places on earth! (Well, so far that I've been too & definitely making my top 5 list - TBA soon!).
Our trekking adventure included transport over the border into Laos and a trip down the Mekong river. Leaving from the border town of Chiang Khong in the early morning, we were transported to the border a mere 1 km away! We could have walked! Anyhow, we all rushed out to que up in the Exit line, Brian & I trying to get there first since we had "overstayed" our 30 day Thai visit - to the tune of a $30 fine! It was so worth it.
After a short trip across the river into Laos, we checked into the country. Another $35 for their visa. Again, we hurried up to wait for our long boat down the river.
Laos; What a SURPRISE! Immediately, I was already liking it. I'm not sure if it was just the nice weather, or less people around? It was just a feeling, like you have in Hawaii with island time. It is very relaxed there.
The river boat trip was a blast. We had an over night stop in a small town. As we found it sometimes was not beneficial to reserve/ book a room in advance, so we immediately hopped off the boat when it hit shore with the aim of getting into town before the masses. We were immediately cut off on the sandy shore by several hotel vendors (usually the owners themselves) trying to book out their place. Being a little leery, they all had pictures of the rooms & hotels to show us. It turned out to be really easy, very fun, and a great place for $10/night! It was like this everywhere we went in Laos. Nothing shifty about it, just very honest people trying to get your business. It was so lovely, I know I am not doing it justice explaining.
This little town was so cute. A cross between something you imagine out of an old western and a mountain town. I was one street - dirt and hilly. However, hotels and restaurants lined it, everyone was out and about dining & drinking, and it was abuzz with energy. They even had a bakery with scones, muffins and espressos! Yeah, kitty Kat heaven.
Our final destination in Laos was Luang Prabang. Famous for it's temples, food and night markets. This was just one of the coolest little places on earth! (Well, so far that I've been too & definitely making my top 5 list - TBA soon!).
FOOD: Check! The food here was great, very affordable, and loads of vegetarian options everywhere. From the Cafes and bakeries to the street, and everything in between. Actually, all of Laos was affordable! Too bad our Vietnam 30 day Visa's had a fixed start and end date because I could have used a few more days exploring this country for sure!
NIGHT MARKETS: This was so much fun and way better than anything in Bangkok, or Chaing Mai for sure! One, it was way mellower, and the prices were incredibly inexpensive. The quality was amazing and the crafts were so unique that I had to pick up some gifts. Jeez, my backpack was starting to get way to heavy again!
TEMPLES: There is so much to say here but I'll let the pictures do most of the talking. One amazing thing I will elaborate on was the incredible experience that everyone is welcome to participate in, the morning food offering for the monks. Regardless of how one thinks or what you believe, this was just so cool on so many levels. The morning we decided to participate, we rose at 5am, yes I know. We hit the streets of the small town around 5:30 am in our long pants & shirts (well, past our knees & covering our shoulders). We strolled into the center of town, a mere 5 minutes away. We were hoping to catch the last of the night market and then be in a good position to view the offering. We didn't have much info to go on.
Walking into town, we didn't see much activity. When we hit the center, a lady came up to us and sold us food & treats, and sat us down on a mat on the street corner. Okay, well we thought, guess we are in the correct spot but where's all the people? Asking the vendor, she kept saying soon, soon, you sit here. Okay, 45 minutes later, things started to come alive. Right after sun rise and finally around 7am, the streets started to show signs of life. In single file lines, with their silver containers/bowls at their hips, lines and lines of monks came out from all directions. The brilliant orange color of their wardrobe set against the morning light of the town was quite striking. Then came the offering. As a women, I was not to look them in the eye. I just grabbed some sticky rice & a treat, and shoved it in their container. That was their food for the day. Whatever they got. From the very small to the very old, it was truly an experience for us. It is a very old tradition that has not been lost in this small town. However, it is now carried on mainly for tourism, and is not without it's "commercial" component. When we ran out of food, the vendor lady tried to sell us more right away. Some people complain that it is just a scam for people to make money, and sure, it doesn't hurt for the Laotians that are capitalizing. However, the monks are still being feed and we are gaining a truly incredible experience, steeped in tradition. I just felt it was still a win-win.
It was time to leave this little town, and we were looking forward to Vietnam. We had already stayed 3 days/2 nights longer than planned, and were losing time on our Vietnam Visas quickly. After hearing the horror stories about huge amounts of rain, the buses, border crossings, and scams (especially the ones of buses sliding backwards down steep, muddy hills, and into guard rails, delays for days at the border, scams with transportation, etc.), Brian looked me in the eye and then bought plane tickets. I was relieved!
Bye, bye Laos...til we met again - I'll be back!
Great pictures, click here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/katnbrian/sets/72157625998854883/
