Huayxai was my first glimpse of Laos. A huge difference from Thailand just over the river. My hotel was amazing with TV and en suite bathroom, all for about $6. The town was less appealing, except for the temple on the hill with a grand stair case, it seemed very poor with not even a bar on the main street.
The next day I was on the slow boat down the Mekong river, a two day trip to city of Louang Prabang. Packed with about 80 other backpackers it was not as romantic as it sounds. The mighty Mekong River starts its life in China and flows out to the sea in the south of Vietnam. Through Laos its way through though jungle, with dangerous rocks and rapids along the way. Being the dry season the river was low and the banks were planted with vegetables by the locals who were also fishing with nets from tiny boats.
The boat stopped at Pakbeng for the night. Very basic, the electricity generator was switched off by 10.30pm and candles handed out. Misty Mekong morning, cloud hanging in the trees the boat chugs off with it's passengers dreaming of ancient temples and mystic lands. Yeah and maybe a BeerLao or two. Possibly the best beer in the world, somebody needs to get an export licence for that.
I was amazed when the boat arrived at Louang Prabang. It really is a city in the jungle. Gold guilt temples and palm trees all around. Yeah and half the western tourist world. The secret has got out that this is THE place to visit in SE Asia. Never mind it's a fantastic city, I say no more.
So Indochina, what's that I thought? The Union of Indochina comprised of Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam and was created by the French (colonialists) in something like the 1870's. Laos is the most heavily bombed country in the world per capita. A secret war waged by the USA during the Vietnam war. Now independent - The Laos Democratic Republic, ruled by a dictatorship is peaceful now. It is amazing how happy, gentle and laid back the people of Laos are, always smiling, no matter how poor some of their lives looked. That's my perception from the western world. I even got invited to eat with the the family that owned the guest house I stayed in, very nice people.
I decided to head North by boat to Nong Khiaw, a small town up the Nam Ou river. The Mekong trip had been a lazy river journey, this was full blown adventure. Shooting up rapids with rocks only inches from the side of the boat, than slowing right down the boatman avoiding the shallows.
The temperature dropped, I found my woolly hat and gloves in my bag, and put all my clothes on. It may only have been 12 Deg C but after tropical weather it felt 'baltic'.
Arriving in Nong Khiaw, the air was damp and cold, groups of people huddled round small fires in the street to keep warm. China was having it's coldest winter in 50 years. I was right next door. My plan had been to go in a loop over the mountains and down to Vang Viang. In the back of an open truck, I thought I'd save that for another time. The next day before noon walking along the street I get invited into a house where a party was going on. Traditional Laos food and Lao Lao rice wine was a plenty, I supplied the Beerlao. My new friends and I drink for the rest of the day to the sound of ghastly Thai pop music. Their friend had died 1 month ago in a motorcycle accident. They mourn for one month then party for a few days. The friends bother who survived the accident was there with the scars to show. Laos is not a country to get ill in, with only very basic health care. If you get ill, you die.
Vang Viang, set amongst Karst limestone mountains and lush green paddy fields. No it's horrible don't come to Laos, leave it all for me!!!! Seriously though this is a nice place to chill out go trekking and explore the many caves. Make sure you have a good torch or two sweet Dutch girls to rescue you when your torch fails 400m into the cave. This is Laos there's no lights in the caves. And no running water except in the guest houses. Many local people going to wash in the river.
Watching the sun set over the Mekong river looking across to the bright lights of Thailand, drinking Beerlao all in an late afternoons work in Vientiane, the capitol of Laos. The low rise city had a relaxed feel to it, I liked it a lot. Their crazy town planing, they built a copy of the Arc de Triomphe and a road like the Champs-Elysee's. The arc was built from concrete the US had given them to built an airport. The Arc was never finished and a sign inside describes it as a concrete monster. It really is!
Vientiane to Hanoi.
I had a few options for this journey, take local transport, take the direct tourist bus or fly. In the true spirit of traveling the first option was really the only one. The route I was to take crossed from Laos to Vietnam at Nam Phou border high up in the mountains at the Kaew Nua Pass. Described in my guidebook as a difficult border to cross I new this would be a bit of an adventure. I mentioned my plans to fellow travelers I met in Laos but nobody was keen to join me on this trip. I had no problem going by myself I now had a good idea of how things work in SE Asia. I had to test my theory that wherever you are in SE Asia somebody will want to provide you with transport, accommodation or food.
I woke early, 5.30am, pulled on my clothes and made it outside to the dark streets. The Tuk tuk driver looked happy at a run to the bus station, 10km out of town. We agreed a 'reasonable' price. The bus journey to the border town Lak Xao took roughly 7 hours along remarkably good roads. The bus was probably 40 years old but rumbled along at an alarmingly quick pace. I was expecting chickens and goats on the bus but only a few sacks of rice in the aisle. Amazing scenery along the way, jungle and karst limestone mountains, very sparsely populated. There were 3 other westerners on the bus, they all got off along the way.
I had a few options for this journey, take local transport, take the direct tourist bus or fly. In the true spirit of traveling the first option was really the only one. The route I was to take crossed from Laos to Vietnam at Nam Phou border high up in the mountains at the Kaew Nua Pass. Described in my guidebook as a difficult border to cross I new this would be a bit of an adventure. I mentioned my plans to fellow travelers I met in Laos but nobody was keen to join me on this trip. I had no problem going by myself I now had a good idea of how things work in SE Asia. I had to test my theory that wherever you are in SE Asia somebody will want to provide you with transport, accommodation or food.
I woke early, 5.30am, pulled on my clothes and made it outside to the dark streets. The Tuk tuk driver looked happy at a run to the bus station, 10km out of town. We agreed a 'reasonable' price. The bus journey to the border town Lak Xao took roughly 7 hours along remarkably good roads. The bus was probably 40 years old but rumbled along at an alarmingly quick pace. I was expecting chickens and goats on the bus but only a few sacks of rice in the aisle. Amazing scenery along the way, jungle and karst limestone mountains, very sparsely populated. There were 3 other westerners on the bus, they all got off along the way.
Lak Xao had that frontier border town feel. Rough around the edges. I appeared to be the only westerner in town which turned out to my benefit . Eating lunch in the 'Only One' Restaurant, I got speaking to the owner and she asked if I could help out in the English school later that afternoon. The school had two Laos teachers and they are always very keen to have a native English speaker to help the kids with their pronunciation. The kids were aged 5 to 16 and were very happy to have a Scots man teach them. I must say it was quite a stressful experience but rewarding at the same time, I'd never done anything like that before. Later that day a coach tour arrived in town. How lucky was I, they were all girls on it.
Day 2, this would be the day I'd test my theory. This would be the day to test my resolve and worthiness as a traveler.
Early start 8.30am, walk along the road and pick-up style taxi stops, the price agreed and I was on my way to the border 35km from Lak Xao. I shared the taxi with two old wrinkled women who never stopped yapping and supplies for shops and homes along the way. With frequent stops it was over an hour to the border. the landscape became wilder along with the weather. At the border it was raining and the visibility was down to about 30ft. Stamped out of Laos I walked for 10 minutes through no mans land to the Vietnamese side. A dollar please said the immigration man. Pardon me I said. He repeated himself, I paid him and got my passport back.
I walked into Vietnam, onward transport from the border? My guidebook said it would be sparse, it was nonexistent. I walk further down the road expecting to see a car park with taxis and buses, but there was nothing. Slightly further I find a restaurant beside the road. I needed to get to Vinh City but not that badly that I was going to pay $50. He pointed at the weather and shrugged his shoulders I knew I could get a bus from Trung Tram 35km away, he said $20 to there and was not open to bargaining. There was much hilarity amongst his friends as I handed over the $20 bill. Yes as it happens I take pleasure in distributing wealth and joy where ever I go, the bunch of low life.....
So I was on my way again down the winding road shrouded by dense jungle, the weather clearing as we got lower. Lush green trees, paddy fields and very basic villages and then Trung Tram. Hello, where you go? Vinh City I replied and they point me to the battered old red bus along the road. Another rip off, he wasn't interested in the offer of Marlboro Reds to offset the fare either. $10 for a 60km bus journey. Bus fare, there's nothing fair about that. Yeah, $3 would have been about right. From the grim streets of Trung Tram past the gray landscape of paddy fields, piles of rubbish and end of the world towns to Vinh City. Vinh City, sin city, long streets of deep seated urban decay. Vinh City was not the kind of place to spend much (any) time. Still a very depressed area due to the American war and being just North of the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ). I was making good time though, it was only 1pm. The train to Hanoi left at 3pm, my ass was on the seat in the carriage before I knew it and it was time for an afternoon nap. I try not to arrive late at night in cities, no worries my new 'friend' takes me to his hotel from the station on his scooter though the crazy traffic of the streets of Hanoi.
