I thought Laos was the most visually stunning country out of all the places we had visited. I loved the natural beauty and the French influence. The vibe of the country was also very laid back and pleasant. It was a place that encouraged you to sit down at an outdoor cafe and enjoy yourself.
The journey getting to Laos was not so pleasant. It encompassed a night bus, and a 2 day boat journey. The night bus was an experience. Kelly and I shared a twin size bed for the night, we were lucky because we actually knew each other. Other people had to share with complete strangers. That day I was actually glad I am short, because I could fit comfortably inside the bed. Unfortunately, my Ipod decided to die on the bus, but miraculously it stated working again when I got back to China. It is stubborn.
The journey getting to Laos was not so pleasant. It encompassed a night bus, and a 2 day boat journey. The night bus was an experience. Kelly and I shared a twin size bed for the night, we were lucky because we actually knew each other. Other people had to share with complete strangers. That day I was actually glad I am short, because I could fit comfortably inside the bed. Unfortunately, my Ipod decided to die on the bus, but miraculously it stated working again when I got back to China. It is stubborn.
This picture makes the boat look better than it was. The boat ride itself was beautiful. We were on the Mekong River for 2 days. The only problem was they smashed as many people as possible onto the boat. Kelly couldn't even put her legs comfortably on the floor because there wasn't enough space between us and the bench in front of us. Luckily, on the second day she got to sit on a plastic chair in the aisle.
Sometimes it felt like we were a floating mall. Well, actually the opposite of a floating mall, we were the customers that were in transit to the mall. When we made pit stops they were solely to have locals sell us things. Sometimes they would come on the boat with laundry baskets filled with snacks, and sometimes we would just pull up to their village and they would try to conduct business while we were in the boat and they were still on land.
A glimpse of boat life. Notice Kelly's "what are you doing" face.
We finally made it to our first destination, Luang Prabang!
Luang Prabang was beautiful. You can see the effects of the period of French colonization through the architecture and the cuisine. It was the first time in a long time that I have had French bread.
We rented bikes and rode around the town.
Sunset over the Mekong.
The lush greenery of Laos. You can also see some monks...and a tourist.
This cave had 1,ooo Buddahs. It was cool, but pitch black inside so you couldn't really see any of them.
Sometimes it felt like we were a floating mall. Well, actually the opposite of a floating mall, we were the customers that were in transit to the mall. When we made pit stops they were solely to have locals sell us things. Sometimes they would come on the boat with laundry baskets filled with snacks, and sometimes we would just pull up to their village and they would try to conduct business while we were in the boat and they were still on land.
A glimpse of boat life. Notice Kelly's "what are you doing" face.
We finally made it to our first destination, Luang Prabang!
Luang Prabang was beautiful. You can see the effects of the period of French colonization through the architecture and the cuisine. It was the first time in a long time that I have had French bread.
We rented bikes and rode around the town.
Sunset over the Mekong.
The lush greenery of Laos. You can also see some monks...and a tourist.
This cave had 1,ooo Buddahs. It was cool, but pitch black inside so you couldn't really see any of them.
Are we in Paris? More biking, this time in Vientienne, the capital of Laos. Compared to Luang Prabang, Vientienne was a let down. We were spoiled.
Vientienne.
After being let down by Vientienne we decided to head to Vang Vieng. This was the bus we took to Vang Vieng. I accidentally cut off the huge hole in the roof, and yes, that aisle is lined with chicken eggs. Amazingly, the ride itself wasn't so bad.
The huge appeal of Vang Vieng was tubing on the Mekong. For some reason I thought this meant you would be pulled by a boat. But when they meant tubing, they really did mean tubing. Basically, we got a tube and sat in the Mekong letting the tide push us. The landscape was quite beautiful. Locals decided to cash in on tourists and build bars along the river. After 30 seconds of relaxing and enjoying the scenery, you are greeted with loud music and party gooers, much like what I think Spring Break in Cancun would be like.
The bars were actually kinda fun. One bar had a really high bar, like an acrobat where you can swing on and then jump into the water. I decided to do it, but I got really scared of letting go so I swung longer than most people. I could see the person in charge of it looking really confused, after my 2nd swing I finally let go. There was also a slide and a zip line. I really wanted to do the zip line, but before I could do it, it broke. So I guess I am I didn't go on it. We couldn't bring our cameras though, because of theft and/or water damage.
This is the pick up truck we took for the 4 hour trip back to Vientienne to catch our bus to Cambodia. At one point Kelly said there were 17 1/2 people in the car. Luckily, I slept through most of the ride.
Vientienne.
After being let down by Vientienne we decided to head to Vang Vieng. This was the bus we took to Vang Vieng. I accidentally cut off the huge hole in the roof, and yes, that aisle is lined with chicken eggs. Amazingly, the ride itself wasn't so bad.The huge appeal of Vang Vieng was tubing on the Mekong. For some reason I thought this meant you would be pulled by a boat. But when they meant tubing, they really did mean tubing. Basically, we got a tube and sat in the Mekong letting the tide push us. The landscape was quite beautiful. Locals decided to cash in on tourists and build bars along the river. After 30 seconds of relaxing and enjoying the scenery, you are greeted with loud music and party gooers, much like what I think Spring Break in Cancun would be like.
The bars were actually kinda fun. One bar had a really high bar, like an acrobat where you can swing on and then jump into the water. I decided to do it, but I got really scared of letting go so I swung longer than most people. I could see the person in charge of it looking really confused, after my 2nd swing I finally let go. There was also a slide and a zip line. I really wanted to do the zip line, but before I could do it, it broke. So I guess I am I didn't go on it. We couldn't bring our cameras though, because of theft and/or water damage.
This is the pick up truck we took for the 4 hour trip back to Vientienne to catch our bus to Cambodia. At one point Kelly said there were 17 1/2 people in the car. Luckily, I slept through most of the ride.
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