Vietnam to Laos
There are two reasons, why I haven’t updated this blog for almost two weeks:
1. My inspiration and my pride suffered a great blow upon departure from Hanoi, when we, no, let’s correct this, when I got busted because our Visa had expired two days earlier. Wrongly relying on information received from the Vietnamese embassy in Wellington, I was taught the hard, North Vietnamese way, that wrongs are always the problem of those in the fire line, in this case the passport holder. We can be grateful this did not happen thirty years ago and a heavy fine was the only penalty and sacrifice.
2. The internet in Laos is not the fastest and relatively expensive. Mind you that fine might have bought us a lifelong right to use every internet service in Laos.
Well, the memorable event took place on our 23rd wedding anniversary, 28 June just before boarding the plane from Hanoi to Luang Prabang. Laos of all countries on this planet is probably the best suited to forget confrontations of the experienced type, because people here (and they include customs officials) smile permanently. Relaxation is everyone’s business and I can hardly imagine a place where Buddhism is practiced better. It shows everywhere. People are cordial and even the road traffic looks relaxed. Roads, as simple as they might be are used by people who do not honk, do not chase each other around and respect one another. They are clean, the restaurant are manned by friendly waitresses and selling stalls and stands on the sidewalks are run by equally polite vendors. Cut a long stroy short, where ever you arrive in Laos, you do want to stay …
Which we did in Luang Prabang, a town nestled into the jungle in Northern Laos next to the Mekong river and worth every single day of the five we spent there. The emperor used to live here until 3 decades ago when he was sent into exile, where he and his family died of Malaria. His palace was kept open and is worth a visit. So is the hike up the hill to donate a few kip to yet another temple. Of course we did not miss boat trips up and down the Mekong to have a look at further caves and Buddha statues. Another excursion took us to some interesting, terraced waterfalls, which we investigated in detail from the back of elefants. Yes, for the first time in our lives we rode through a waterfall on elefants’ back and even took a dip in the cool water at the end of the trip!
From Luang Prabang our journey took us to the Plain of Jars to visit a number of archeological sites showing gigantic jars each weighing up to one tonne or more. We were shown hundreds of those pots but we only received little information about the historic background. That we found out later in the museum in Vientiane; the sites marked ancient burial places of cultures who lived here about 2000 BC.
Next e continued our trip to Viang Vieng, a place with beautifull scenery however rather rough scene: hundreds of backpackers have taken over and turned the town in one big nightclub. We might still be in Laos but the place reminded us more of Woodstock, with young western kids running up and down streets semi naked and equally inhebriated. Surely tubing, hiking and canoeing were attractions to get all those people here but we never really felt at ease. Perhaps we are getting older indeed….
So we did, what we liked best, received a couple of great massages and set sails to our next and last destination in Laos, the capital Vientiane.
Tags: Travel
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