Lao, so far (or Part 1)
Here's a bit about our two-day boat journey down the Mekong and the beautiful town
of Luang Prabang, Laos. I hope you enjoy it.
The two-day journey down the Mekong River
This journey is many things: some good, some bad, but it’s not for everyone. There aren’t any direct roads between the border and Luang Prabang so you have to either fly from Chiang Mai or take this boat trip. I’d read that they often overcrowd the boats, putting up to 120 people on a 90 seat boat. So, when we arrived and I looked in to see no seats and plenty of people sitting on the floor already, I protested. It’s a two-day journey, six hours each day; you’ve got to be comfortable or at least not completely uncomfortable. I demanded that they show us where there were 8 seats, enough for all in our party, on this boat. They kept saying, “yes, yes, we have seat” trying to take my luggage. “No,” I insisted, “show me!” One showed me a barstool. “Here, special seat for you.” “What about her and him and them?” I asked. They looked frustrated and continued trying to convince me, “we have seat, we have seat”. Eventually, they made all the people who were holding on to two seats give them up and every one of us had a seat.
The first day the boat was absolutely overcrowded. There was no legroom whatsoever. People were everywhere, everything was muddy and/or wet, and it just wouldn’t stop raining, but the boat was covered so we didn’t get any wetter at least. None of this affected the lovely scenery though, thankfully, which was entirely rainforest jungle with the occasional village dotting the riverbank for the length of the journey. It was stunning really. However, after about three hours of sitting very uncomfortably on the wooden benches with your knees up to your chest it started to wear a bit especially when realizing you had three more to go. It was impossible to sleep because of the shape of the seats so people did the next best thing: drink. Beerlao is your friend on this journey and there are plentiful amounts available and this got us through.
At the end of the first day, we arrived in the still pouring rain at a village called Pak Beng which is meant to be the half-way mark of the journey. There are no paved roads in Pak Beng though, so you have to get really good at walking in the mud uphill without falling. Oh, and without dropping your luggage which you’re trying really hard to balance with at this point. We went to guesthouse after guesthouse trudging through the rain and mud to be told they were full. Eventually, we came to one that wasn’t. Some people were starting to panic, but there had to be enough beds in this town for all of us as they bring these boats through daily all year long. By the time we got to our room, I couldn’t have been more exhausted. Everything hurt either from the day of sitting or from carrying dozens of kilos of weight up a hill in the mud. I was knackered! Yet, we still had to find dinner. We wanted to shower and clean up a bit before dinner, but when we arrived there was no electricity. We were told “five minutes electricity, five minutes”. Evidently there was only electricity in this village from 6pm until 11pm. So, we waited five minutes in the dark until it came which meant the water heater, if there was one, would work. Sadly, there was no hot water heater so all we could bear was to wash the mud off of our feet before dinner. Then, we headed out again into the rain and mud.
Day two was an improvement. We got up bright and early, ordered our packed lunches from the guesthouse and headed to the boat 30 minutes before the departure time they told us. 9:00, ha! We knew better this time, but still wanted to make sure we had the best seats possible. When we arrived we found that there would be two boats that day. Oh, halleluia! The boats were smaller, but not by much and we each took an entire two-seat bench two ourselves. Luxury! It really was bliss after the previous day. I spent the day enjoying the scenery, snacking, napping and snapping photos. I never tired of the boat that day and was even a bit sad to think that we’d soon have to give up our beautiful jungle landscape.
Luang Prabang
We arrived in Luang Prabang after spending two days on a small cargo boat coming from the Thai-Lao border - Chiang Khong/Huay Xai - with roughly 100 other people the first day and around half that the second day on a much smaller boat. While it was an incredibly beautiful setting - all rainforest (and constant rain) for two days straight, it was a long and often uncomfortable journey, so we were relieved to finally see LP appear out of the jungle at the end of day two.
Luang Prabang is a small town of around 25,000 people which achieved UNESCO Heritage status in 1995 to preserve the lovely French architecture, 32 temples and former royal palace. It feels something like a tropical New Orleans. LP was once the capital of Laos when it was a monarchy, before it was taken over by a communist regime. The town has been visited by tourists for quite some time, for about 15 years, so there’s definitely tourist infrastructure here…but Lao style. Where Chiang Mai seems to exist entirely for backpackers and other tourists these days, in LP you see a lot of other backpackers but you feel as though you’re living among the Lao people as well. Lao life surrounds you. Whether it’s cooking on the streets, riding their motorbikes while holding umbrellas to shield them from rain or sun or women walking to work wearing their traditional silk skirts, Lao people actually live and work in LP. Of course it’s clear as you walk down the beautiful streets admiring the slightly disheveled, yet adorable French influenced buildings that the way they keep this town in such great shape is through UNESCO money. But it seems that people are very proud of their city (“It’s the most interesting place in Laos!” one local woman told me) and of their country and are really just trying to share it (their food, their clothing, their handicrafts, their temples, even their language) with you, which is really what tourism should be, isn’t it?
It’s difficult not to compare Laos with Thailand (even though that’s the last thing the Lao people want). I even sometimes forget I’ve crossed a border at all, but then I realize I haven’t seen a poster of the king in days and it’s been awfully rainy lately. Oh wait, I'm in Laos! We noticed a distinct and sudden change after we crossed the border on the mighty Mekong River - the rain. It honestly almost never stopped raining for two straight days. I guess they call it rainforest for a reason, but that’s ridiculous. In Thailand [in July] we had at least one cloudburst-type storm everyday. It lasted for maybe up to an hour and then it was gone. In Thailand it was about as hot and humid as you’d like to believe any place gets. In Lao it’s often cool, well, comparatively. You don’t need a jacket or even a long-sleeve shirt, but at least you’re not completely drenched in perspiration by the time you reach the end of the block.
The people in both countries are friendly and warm, even cuddly, and they speak enough English for you to be able to do what you need to do: order drinks and food, buy things, get transportation, etc. Signs and menus are in the local language and English in all towns and cities where foreigners usually go. Traveling in Thailand is easy. Period. Traveling in Laos isn’t so difficult, but it’s a little rough around the edges, just a little. Depending on where you’ve been though it may seem like luxury to be staying in a lovely French colonial guesthouse room, ordering your meals in English and finding familiar brands of toiletries in the local shops. But the roads aren’t so good here, where they exist at all, and in the rainy season many of them get washed out. For example, in Pak Beng, we didn’t put our shoes on at all because the road was just mud and it never stopped raining while we were there. Also, taking the 11-hour bus journey between LP and the capital, Vientiane, would be very difficult right now with all the rain they’ve been getting so flights are booked out for four days in advance as people are trying to fly between the two instead.
It’s a lovely and slightly quirky place though. For instance, the town is in the direct flight path of all departing and arriving flights and the airport is a short 20 minute drive away. So, in the afternoon, you constantly have planes flying dangerously low overhead sounding as though you’re in a war zone. It’s bizarre. The food here is wonderful. It’s very much like Thai food, but there are some national dishes that differ enough to give you something new to try. Additionally and possibly the highlight of this town, is the nightly handicrafts market. They close off part of the main street in town and you can browse ‘til your heart’s content. Lao patterns are some of the most beautiful and intricate I’ve seen so I browse a bit everyday. You can find scarves, silk and otherwise, table coverings, bed coverings, bags of all sizes and shapes, lots of silver jewelry, wood carved items and more. And everything is very cheap. The most amazing silk scarves are roughly $5 after bargaining. There's an awareness of 'fair trade' and 'eco-tourism' and there are local publications which clue tourists in on which shops and agencies are participating in these efforts as well. All in all it’s a lovely place to spend 3-4 days just relaxing and enjoying the culture, the scenery, the markets and the food.
of Luang Prabang, Laos. I hope you enjoy it.
The two-day journey down the Mekong River
This journey is many things: some good, some bad, but it’s not for everyone. There aren’t any direct roads between the border and Luang Prabang so you have to either fly from Chiang Mai or take this boat trip. I’d read that they often overcrowd the boats, putting up to 120 people on a 90 seat boat. So, when we arrived and I looked in to see no seats and plenty of people sitting on the floor already, I protested. It’s a two-day journey, six hours each day; you’ve got to be comfortable or at least not completely uncomfortable. I demanded that they show us where there were 8 seats, enough for all in our party, on this boat. They kept saying, “yes, yes, we have seat” trying to take my luggage. “No,” I insisted, “show me!” One showed me a barstool. “Here, special seat for you.” “What about her and him and them?” I asked. They looked frustrated and continued trying to convince me, “we have seat, we have seat”. Eventually, they made all the people who were holding on to two seats give them up and every one of us had a seat.
The first day the boat was absolutely overcrowded. There was no legroom whatsoever. People were everywhere, everything was muddy and/or wet, and it just wouldn’t stop raining, but the boat was covered so we didn’t get any wetter at least. None of this affected the lovely scenery though, thankfully, which was entirely rainforest jungle with the occasional village dotting the riverbank for the length of the journey. It was stunning really. However, after about three hours of sitting very uncomfortably on the wooden benches with your knees up to your chest it started to wear a bit especially when realizing you had three more to go. It was impossible to sleep because of the shape of the seats so people did the next best thing: drink. Beerlao is your friend on this journey and there are plentiful amounts available and this got us through.
At the end of the first day, we arrived in the still pouring rain at a village called Pak Beng which is meant to be the half-way mark of the journey. There are no paved roads in Pak Beng though, so you have to get really good at walking in the mud uphill without falling. Oh, and without dropping your luggage which you’re trying really hard to balance with at this point. We went to guesthouse after guesthouse trudging through the rain and mud to be told they were full. Eventually, we came to one that wasn’t. Some people were starting to panic, but there had to be enough beds in this town for all of us as they bring these boats through daily all year long. By the time we got to our room, I couldn’t have been more exhausted. Everything hurt either from the day of sitting or from carrying dozens of kilos of weight up a hill in the mud. I was knackered! Yet, we still had to find dinner. We wanted to shower and clean up a bit before dinner, but when we arrived there was no electricity. We were told “five minutes electricity, five minutes”. Evidently there was only electricity in this village from 6pm until 11pm. So, we waited five minutes in the dark until it came which meant the water heater, if there was one, would work. Sadly, there was no hot water heater so all we could bear was to wash the mud off of our feet before dinner. Then, we headed out again into the rain and mud.
Day two was an improvement. We got up bright and early, ordered our packed lunches from the guesthouse and headed to the boat 30 minutes before the departure time they told us. 9:00, ha! We knew better this time, but still wanted to make sure we had the best seats possible. When we arrived we found that there would be two boats that day. Oh, halleluia! The boats were smaller, but not by much and we each took an entire two-seat bench two ourselves. Luxury! It really was bliss after the previous day. I spent the day enjoying the scenery, snacking, napping and snapping photos. I never tired of the boat that day and was even a bit sad to think that we’d soon have to give up our beautiful jungle landscape.
Luang Prabang
We arrived in Luang Prabang after spending two days on a small cargo boat coming from the Thai-Lao border - Chiang Khong/Huay Xai - with roughly 100 other people the first day and around half that the second day on a much smaller boat. While it was an incredibly beautiful setting - all rainforest (and constant rain) for two days straight, it was a long and often uncomfortable journey, so we were relieved to finally see LP appear out of the jungle at the end of day two.
Luang Prabang is a small town of around 25,000 people which achieved UNESCO Heritage status in 1995 to preserve the lovely French architecture, 32 temples and former royal palace. It feels something like a tropical New Orleans. LP was once the capital of Laos when it was a monarchy, before it was taken over by a communist regime. The town has been visited by tourists for quite some time, for about 15 years, so there’s definitely tourist infrastructure here…but Lao style. Where Chiang Mai seems to exist entirely for backpackers and other tourists these days, in LP you see a lot of other backpackers but you feel as though you’re living among the Lao people as well. Lao life surrounds you. Whether it’s cooking on the streets, riding their motorbikes while holding umbrellas to shield them from rain or sun or women walking to work wearing their traditional silk skirts, Lao people actually live and work in LP. Of course it’s clear as you walk down the beautiful streets admiring the slightly disheveled, yet adorable French influenced buildings that the way they keep this town in such great shape is through UNESCO money. But it seems that people are very proud of their city (“It’s the most interesting place in Laos!” one local woman told me) and of their country and are really just trying to share it (their food, their clothing, their handicrafts, their temples, even their language) with you, which is really what tourism should be, isn’t it?
It’s difficult not to compare Laos with Thailand (even though that’s the last thing the Lao people want). I even sometimes forget I’ve crossed a border at all, but then I realize I haven’t seen a poster of the king in days and it’s been awfully rainy lately. Oh wait, I'm in Laos! We noticed a distinct and sudden change after we crossed the border on the mighty Mekong River - the rain. It honestly almost never stopped raining for two straight days. I guess they call it rainforest for a reason, but that’s ridiculous. In Thailand [in July] we had at least one cloudburst-type storm everyday. It lasted for maybe up to an hour and then it was gone. In Thailand it was about as hot and humid as you’d like to believe any place gets. In Lao it’s often cool, well, comparatively. You don’t need a jacket or even a long-sleeve shirt, but at least you’re not completely drenched in perspiration by the time you reach the end of the block.
The people in both countries are friendly and warm, even cuddly, and they speak enough English for you to be able to do what you need to do: order drinks and food, buy things, get transportation, etc. Signs and menus are in the local language and English in all towns and cities where foreigners usually go. Traveling in Thailand is easy. Period. Traveling in Laos isn’t so difficult, but it’s a little rough around the edges, just a little. Depending on where you’ve been though it may seem like luxury to be staying in a lovely French colonial guesthouse room, ordering your meals in English and finding familiar brands of toiletries in the local shops. But the roads aren’t so good here, where they exist at all, and in the rainy season many of them get washed out. For example, in Pak Beng, we didn’t put our shoes on at all because the road was just mud and it never stopped raining while we were there. Also, taking the 11-hour bus journey between LP and the capital, Vientiane, would be very difficult right now with all the rain they’ve been getting so flights are booked out for four days in advance as people are trying to fly between the two instead.
It’s a lovely and slightly quirky place though. For instance, the town is in the direct flight path of all departing and arriving flights and the airport is a short 20 minute drive away. So, in the afternoon, you constantly have planes flying dangerously low overhead sounding as though you’re in a war zone. It’s bizarre. The food here is wonderful. It’s very much like Thai food, but there are some national dishes that differ enough to give you something new to try. Additionally and possibly the highlight of this town, is the nightly handicrafts market. They close off part of the main street in town and you can browse ‘til your heart’s content. Lao patterns are some of the most beautiful and intricate I’ve seen so I browse a bit everyday. You can find scarves, silk and otherwise, table coverings, bed coverings, bags of all sizes and shapes, lots of silver jewelry, wood carved items and more. And everything is very cheap. The most amazing silk scarves are roughly $5 after bargaining. There's an awareness of 'fair trade' and 'eco-tourism' and there are local publications which clue tourists in on which shops and agencies are participating in these efforts as well. All in all it’s a lovely place to spend 3-4 days just relaxing and enjoying the culture, the scenery, the markets and the food.