Month November 2016
It felt good to leave Vang Vieng, I liked the activities you can do there, including the partying, but I didn’t like the town itself. It’s so full of tour operators and backpacker oriented bars and restaurants that serve sub par western food. It almost feels like the place has been tainted by tourism.
I visited Vientiane back in 2009 so I didn’t really have to go there again but I’m hoping I can get the luggage racks properly fixed. Also, I don’t mind seeing some of the sights again since it’s been seven years since then.
The road from … Read the rest
Well this is new, the road is actually straight, and not just for a few hundred meters; no, it has been straight for at least a couple of kilometers and it looks to be straight for several kilometers more. Sure there is only one lane in each direction, sure the surface is kind of rough but it’s neither bumpy not twisting. This is the closest thing to a highway I’ve seen in all of Laos so far. Amazing!… Read the rest
When the riverside bars closed down in 2012 the action sports companies moved in. Nowadays Vang Vieng is crawling with tour operators selling day tours of kayaking, ziplineing, terrain buggy driving and parasailing. One of my favorite sports is rock climbing so for me that was the natural choice. I booked a one day tour and as it turned out it was just me and the guide which was good for me. Since I’ve climbed before he gave me a few minutes reminder of how to belay then off we went. I belayed while he climbed lead and set the … Read the rest
I’m floating down the river in an old tractor inner tube, it has been yellow but the paint has faded and peeled off from use and the black rubber is showing through. The water is a muddled brownish green color and the sun, already sinking lower, is sparkling on the surface like liquid silver. I lean back, raise my feet out of the water and relax. In front of me the spectacular Laotian nature, karst cliffs rising up out the jungle, and behind me the other tubers, all swimming suit clad bodies and yellow tubes, floating lazily along with me.… Read the rest
Many of the people I’ve met on this trip seem to be masters of the ancient mystical art of hanging out as they get stuck in places for days. I am but an amateur of the art, and after staying a few days in one city I start to feel restless. So, eye healed and the major sights of Luang Prabang ticked off from the list, I set out towards Vang Vieng. I was there back in 2009 so didn’t have to come back but I wanted to see how much has changed since then. You see, back then Vang … Read the rest
It’s like I’m not in Laos anymore, the mountains are still green but they are covered in grass rather than jungle. Here and there dark grey, almost black cliffs shoot up, bare rock against the blue sky. The lower slopes are covered in a kind of tall grass with white plumes at the top that makes it look like some giant has shaken out an old feather pillow over the hills.… Read the rest
When I awoke this morning my eye was much better, well enough, I decided, to go sightseeing. A short distance from Luang Prabang lies the Kuang Si waterfall. Right next to it is a center for rescued bears. I’m not an animal lover so I didn’t find it that interesting, but if you are, you will like it.
When you approach the waterfall from below you will see a number of smaller subfalls and pools, each more beautiful than the previous ones. You can go swimming in some of them and normally I would … Read the rest
The cave is long and dark, a single candle at the far end and the light spilling in at the entrance are the only sources of light. I shine my flashlight over the walls, there in the corner is a raised platform in a kind of alcove. On it a number of Buddha figurines in faded gold against the bare rock walls. The only sound is the wirr click of my camera and the soft humming of the ticket lady at the entrance. I put down the camera, turn off the flashlight and just listen for some moments in the … Read the rest