jgazzignato
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DAY 35
I was about to board a 2 day slow boat along the Mekong River from Huay Xai to Luang Prabang, suddenly realising that there is absolutely nothing to do on that boat, and I was all alone. I quickly cozied up to 7 other like-minded travelers, and I’m glad I did because we ended up travelling together for an entire week. At the pier we stocked up on bottles of $5 whiskey, squeezed onto an over-crowded boat and marveled in awe at the endless scenery that surrounded us. After spending two full days swigging bottles of whiskey and getting to know each other, we ended up forming into a little family.
When we finally arrived in Luang Prabang the weather was so miserable, raining non-stop until every single item of clothing was drenched. One day we spent hours in the back of a tuk tuk driving out to the surrounding caves and waterfalls. Those bumpy dirt roads seemed like they would never end as we huddled up trying to keep dry. The worst part was that we drove an hour out of town, trudged through mud and took a boat across the river to get to the most underwhelming cave I have ever had the unfortunate displeasure of experiencing. After spending 4 days in the rugged untouched caves of Sappong, I wasn’t very discrete in expressing just how unimpressed I was with this “must see” collection of rocks.
When we finally arrived at the waterfalls, the sun was about to go down, vendors were packing up and the rain had kicked into overdrive. My Danish friend from a few weeks ago had told me that these were the best waterfalls he had ever seen, so it would be a crime to come all this way and not go in. We all stood under shelter and psyched ourselves up before running into the wall of rain, pools of mud splashing at our heels. Fortunately it was only a 10 minute hike through the jungle until we arrived at the waterfalls. Lars was not exaggerating, these tranquil waterfalls seemed to glow as the night sky inched closer and closer. We were the only ones stupid enough to be out there in the rain, but that made it all the more better when we stripped off and paddled around in the freezing waters.
Wet and cold, our tuk tuk driver raced us home so that we could warm up with hot showers and multiple bottles of cheap whiskey. We sat on our beds playing drinking games, and listened as the rain crashed down all around us, thankful that we were now dry.
The family had become so close that we decided to continue down to Vang Vieng together. I would have liked to stay in Luang Prabang a bit longer, but I was having such a blast with my new found friends that it would be a shame to say goodbye sooner than I needed to.
We became the kings of Vang Vieng: walking around during the day laughing at people we’d seen doing embarrassing things the night before; becoming regulars at the bars which dished out free alcohol; and knowing which street vendor sold the best chicken and bacon baguettes. Everyone wanted to join our little group, even the vegan hippy that had a spare sitar for impromptu jam-sessions. Keep walkin’ mate, this family has enough members.
One day we hired motorbikes and carefully navigated our way around the muddy, pothole ridden streets. When we got further out of town, we ended up taking a wrong turn and drove straight into the middle of a fucking cock fight! There were about 20-30 Laotians crowded around the battling roosters, screaming as the bookie attempted to scribble down each of their bets, and I swear, as soon as the 8 of us pulled up on our motorbikes, every single one of them (including the cocks) stopped what they were doing and looked up at us as though they’d never seen westerners before.
Tubing down the infamous Vang Vieng river was a surprisingly good experience. There’s only 4 bars open on each day now that the government has cracked down after all the drunken fatalities, but it’s still a must do activity if you ever make it to Laos. Floating downstream in a tube for two and a half hours, stopping regularly at riverside bars for beers and free shots, playing volleyball and beer-pong, it’s hard not to have a good time. I knew what I was in for in terms of the activity, what I wasn’t ready for was the heart-stopping scenery. Massive limestone karsts towering over a bed of lush green jungle - forget the tubing, I could camp out at one of the bars all day and just marvel at that view.
After tubing we were all feeling worse for wear, so we spent most of the day hanging out at the Blue Lagoon. Jumping off the neighbouring tree, doing backflips off the rope swing and sunbathing in the warm sun. It was a relaxing day until the back tire on Zander’s bicycle decided to lock up while he was flying down a gravel hill. The bike was wrecked and we were stranded out in the middle of nowhere. We took turns carrying the bike for about a kilometre as people rode past and left us in their dust. The town was painfully far away and the sun was blaring down, the only option was to hitchhike. Thankfully, a couple of friendly locals let us jump in the back of their truck. Man I love Laos people, they are the nicest. I must admit, it was a pretty great feeling driving past the bike riders and seeing their exhausted faces melt with envy at the sight of us.
The past week has been full of crazy new experiences, but like always, I had to say goodbye to my new friends just as quickly as I met them. Vang Vieng was way more fun than I anticipated, but I’m due for a bit of a detox. Zander, Rhyannon and I are now chilling out in Vientiene planning our next move.
JGazz – riding the high’s
Read more...
DAY 35
I was about to board a 2 day slow boat along the Mekong River from Huay Xai to Luang Prabang, suddenly realising that there is absolutely nothing to do on that boat, and I was all alone. I quickly cozied up to 7 other like-minded travelers, and I’m glad I did because we ended up travelling together for an entire week. At the pier we stocked up on bottles of $5 whiskey, squeezed onto an over-crowded boat and marveled in awe at the endless scenery that surrounded us. After spending two full days swigging bottles of whiskey and getting to know each other, we ended up forming into a little family.
When we finally arrived in Luang Prabang the weather was so miserable, raining non-stop until every single item of clothing was drenched. One day we spent hours in the back of a tuk tuk driving out to the surrounding caves and waterfalls. Those bumpy dirt roads seemed like they would never end as we huddled up trying to keep dry. The worst part was that we drove an hour out of town, trudged through mud and took a boat across the river to get to the most underwhelming cave I have ever had the unfortunate displeasure of experiencing. After spending 4 days in the rugged untouched caves of Sappong, I wasn’t very discrete in expressing just how unimpressed I was with this “must see” collection of rocks.
When we finally arrived at the waterfalls, the sun was about to go down, vendors were packing up and the rain had kicked into overdrive. My Danish friend from a few weeks ago had told me that these were the best waterfalls he had ever seen, so it would be a crime to come all this way and not go in. We all stood under shelter and psyched ourselves up before running into the wall of rain, pools of mud splashing at our heels. Fortunately it was only a 10 minute hike through the jungle until we arrived at the waterfalls. Lars was not exaggerating, these tranquil waterfalls seemed to glow as the night sky inched closer and closer. We were the only ones stupid enough to be out there in the rain, but that made it all the more better when we stripped off and paddled around in the freezing waters.
Wet and cold, our tuk tuk driver raced us home so that we could warm up with hot showers and multiple bottles of cheap whiskey. We sat on our beds playing drinking games, and listened as the rain crashed down all around us, thankful that we were now dry.
The family had become so close that we decided to continue down to Vang Vieng together. I would have liked to stay in Luang Prabang a bit longer, but I was having such a blast with my new found friends that it would be a shame to say goodbye sooner than I needed to.
We became the kings of Vang Vieng: walking around during the day laughing at people we’d seen doing embarrassing things the night before; becoming regulars at the bars which dished out free alcohol; and knowing which street vendor sold the best chicken and bacon baguettes. Everyone wanted to join our little group, even the vegan hippy that had a spare sitar for impromptu jam-sessions. Keep walkin’ mate, this family has enough members.
One day we hired motorbikes and carefully navigated our way around the muddy, pothole ridden streets. When we got further out of town, we ended up taking a wrong turn and drove straight into the middle of a fucking cock fight! There were about 20-30 Laotians crowded around the battling roosters, screaming as the bookie attempted to scribble down each of their bets, and I swear, as soon as the 8 of us pulled up on our motorbikes, every single one of them (including the cocks) stopped what they were doing and looked up at us as though they’d never seen westerners before.
Tubing down the infamous Vang Vieng river was a surprisingly good experience. There’s only 4 bars open on each day now that the government has cracked down after all the drunken fatalities, but it’s still a must do activity if you ever make it to Laos. Floating downstream in a tube for two and a half hours, stopping regularly at riverside bars for beers and free shots, playing volleyball and beer-pong, it’s hard not to have a good time. I knew what I was in for in terms of the activity, what I wasn’t ready for was the heart-stopping scenery. Massive limestone karsts towering over a bed of lush green jungle - forget the tubing, I could camp out at one of the bars all day and just marvel at that view.
After tubing we were all feeling worse for wear, so we spent most of the day hanging out at the Blue Lagoon. Jumping off the neighbouring tree, doing backflips off the rope swing and sunbathing in the warm sun. It was a relaxing day until the back tire on Zander’s bicycle decided to lock up while he was flying down a gravel hill. The bike was wrecked and we were stranded out in the middle of nowhere. We took turns carrying the bike for about a kilometre as people rode past and left us in their dust. The town was painfully far away and the sun was blaring down, the only option was to hitchhike. Thankfully, a couple of friendly locals let us jump in the back of their truck. Man I love Laos people, they are the nicest. I must admit, it was a pretty great feeling driving past the bike riders and seeing their exhausted faces melt with envy at the sight of us.
The past week has been full of crazy new experiences, but like always, I had to say goodbye to my new friends just as quickly as I met them. Vang Vieng was way more fun than I anticipated, but I’m due for a bit of a detox. Zander, Rhyannon and I are now chilling out in Vientiene planning our next move.
JGazz – riding the high’s