Slow boat
After a quick overnight stay in Chiang Rai, we ventured into Laos by slow boat. Coming into this I was quite skeptical because being on a boat for the better part of two days didn't sound ideal, and having had Luang Prabang hyped up by some friends I was equally antsy to just get there.
The boat itself was incredibly long, and had seats that looked like they were transplanted from an old coach bus. The Mekong River was as grand as expected, however the chocolate milk-coloured water took some getting used to. I'd like to say that this was mostly due to silt and sand being stirred up, but pollution definitely played a part. Around an hour into our trip we started to notice how lax locals were about tossing trash right into the water. That was a bit of a shocker, especially because there's many who swim, play, and bathe in these same waters.
I'd say more about our first day on the boat, but I think that photo of James sums it up pretty well...
Just kidding, as tired we were, a lot of us stayed awake for most of the boat ride because the sights were just too good to miss. The scenic mountain terrain, the small local huts decorating hillsides, all the new wildlife, and the glimpse into local life in rural Laos. Our boat, we realized, was used almost like public transit for many, making a number of stops for drop-offs / pick-ups.
We stopped overnight in Pak Beng, a small one-road town with overhyped accommodations. Contrary to when we booked, there was no AC or WiFi in the rooms, and we had the added bonus of broken / detached mosquito nets on the windows, large geckos in the washroom, no water pressure for the shower, and some completely open fan units which let armies of ants inside.
The only saving grace was a place just downstairs - Happy Bar - which did indeed lift our spirits. Our new friend 'Go' was more than welcoming; giving us free shots, playing games with us, and offering an assortment of illegal drugs (don't worry Mom, I said no thank you). Honestly though, Go's positive attitude taught me a lot about being appreciative of what you have, and despite our crappy experience with Pak Beng, I'll never forget him and our time at Happy Bar.
Day 2 on the boat was a lot more enjoyable. This time we all had good leg room (so key) and we snagged some benches with fresh air near the front of the boat. We played some euchre to pass the time, and before we knew it we were arriving in Luang Prabang. Okay, it wasn't that fast - but at least it felt like it passed a lot quicker. Time flies when you're playing euchre for 5 hours...
Luang Prabang
Once in Luang Prabang we were finally feeling 100% again. I mean, not completely because a bunch of us still had colds, but A LOT better. We once again started to acquaint ourselves with a new currency conversion, learned the common phrases, and of course got ourselves some new SIM cards.
Lucky for me, I got to celebrate my birthday in this lovely city.
I got up before dawn to take some photos at a popular sunrise lookout (Utopia), only to find that their large gate-doors were locked shut. As I tried to climb the walls around the corner, a head poked out and gave me a puzzling look, almost as if to say, "What the **** are you doing?". I told him my intentions about taking photos, and he gladly let me in the front gate.
Sunrise didn't turn out to be anything special, but fortunately I was joined by an employee of Utopia and we had a great chat.
His name is Lei, and he's in his second year of university in Luang Prabang. We talked about the similarities and differences between our countries education systems, and I found out, to my dismay, that the competition is so fierce in Laos that many take their own lives if they don't get into university / college. Lei, for instance, is the only one of 17 from his village that was accepted to university. And still, much like the problem in North America, once he's graduated he will have trouble finding a job in his chosen field.
His subject of choice is linguistics, in both English and Cantonese. He hopes this will give him many opportunities through the growing tourist industry in Laos. I wish him all the best.
I would later run into him at Utopia, as it was a popular tourist bar in the evenings, and he was so happy to see me again. I unfortunately never got to say goodbye, but I really treasure the conversation we had that morning.
The rest of my birthday was filled with delicious pastries from Le Banneton and some decent sunset views.
Kayaking the Mekong River
Our first adventure in Luang Prabang...
This was a ton of fun, and I say that despite getting a very aggressive sunburn that day. We picked up kayaks and went down to an inlet along the Ou River, which feeds into the Mekong. Our guides were incredibly helpful and friendly, and we got to share a laugh with them when Kyle and Alex managed to flip their kayak within the first 10 minutes of the excursion. We stopped at a sand bank to have lunch and play some games, and then we joined the Mekong River and followed it down to the Pak Ou caves. Both the upper and lower caves were quite massive, and they each held over 2000 buddha statues brought there by foreigners and locals alike. Afterwards, we paddled a bit further to finish our trip at the infamous Whisky Village. Here we got to taste their whisky and a few varieties of rice wine, and they showed us the distillation where you can try some hot whisky as well. A little buzzed, we hopped in our transport and went back to the hostel.
The next day we continued to explore by visiting the famed Kuang Si waterfalls. Initially we were bummed to have monsoon rains in the morning, but it turned out that nothing could ruin our experience. The falls were so picturesque that I stood, jaw-dropped for a solid minute when we first got there. After an absurd amount of picture taking, we hiked to the top of these falls and were greeted with a refreshing swim spot equipped with a tree swing. Already dripping from a 50/50 mix of sweat and rain, we figured this was as good a place as any to go for a dip. We tried not to linger too long because Sterling was waiting for us at the bottom, but seriously this place was unreal.
Despite his wrapped up foot, and thus being unable to swim himself, Sterling had scoped out some really nice places to swim for the rest of us. We messed around in some waterfalls for a bit and then called it a day. What an awesome experience.
I knew that we only had a day left in Laos, so I once again sacrificed sleep to make it up to a lookout for sunrise. Mount Phousi was a small mountain in the center of the Luang Prabang, with a large temple about halfway up its 300-odd steps. Normally, tourists always pay admission just to get to the top, however I was crazy enough to be up at 5am so no one was even there to charge me. Unfortunately, sunrise did not turn out as there were way too many low clouds blocking out the light. I still made the most of the views, getting some cool long exposures of the early morning traffic, and taking some zoomed-in shots of mountains as the clouds gently danced around their peaks. What do you know, but the timing again worked out so that Jacqueline and I could have an early morning / late evening chat to get caught up. I now had someone to share the amazing view with, and despite the conditions it was really special.
A quick walk back to our hostel and I was fast asleep for another two hours before we all got up. Breakfast, pack up, and then we caught our flight to Hanoi. Although our stay was only 5 days, I fell in love with Laos. The people were so friendly and inviting, and the untouched nature was absolutely breathtaking. This is a must-visit for myself, and I hope that I can return soon.
Stay tuned for the next blog post - Vietnam!
Must experience in Luang Prabang: Utopia Bar, Mount Phousi, Night Market, Mekong Kayaking, Le Banneton bakery, Bowling Alley
