Laos! Our first landlocked country! We read online that the 24
hour bus ride from Sapa, Vietnam to Luang Prabang, Loas is commonly
known as the “bus ride to hell.” At the time we decided to bus
($40) rather than fly ($180), we thought these reviews were a little
dramatic. Now we are able to officially verify that the ride from
Sapa to Luang Prabang is most certainly the “bus ride to hell.”
Fortunately, winding through the mountains of Laos is absolutely
beautiful.
What was supposed to be a 24 hour ride turned into a 33 hour ride. Our driver, “Pinkie” was wheeling, dealing, cheating and scamming in every little town we drove through. He managed to pack our 15 seat bus to the brim with 25 people, car parts, clothing, and food to take across the border. We are assuming there is some monetary incentive to move goods this way. At the middle of nowhere border crossing, Pinkie insisted that the white people (three female travelers and us) had not purchased tickets. More than likely he had found more crap to put in the bus, which was just totally packed. Somehow Brian managed to talk him out of this great idea. The roads in Vietnam and Loas are more like dirt paths. The rickety bus pounded and pounded similar to a sailboat in a storm. After 33 hours of riding around with boxes packed to the roof (and tied to the roof!), Pinkie lovingly dumped us off in a parking lot outside the city at 3am. Luang Prabang has a midnight curfew and after searching for someone awake, we got lucky and found a room ($12/night) that included tea, coffee, and all you can eat bananas.
We spent a morning at L'etranger Books and Tea, a used bookstore cafe. The breakfast was delicious and so was the chai tea. Wifi was strong and we were able to catch up with some things back home. Another cool spot we ate was a candlelit restaurant on a wooden platform looking out over the river called, Utopia. Romantic mood lighting, pillows on the floor, and great bruchetta made this a fun atmosphere. The night market features an extensive array of local handicrafts and $1 stirfry. We found a lady selling hand stitched children's books that were adorable. Stands around the night market served baguette sandwhiches and fresh squeezed juice for quick snacks.
We were super excited to reunite for dinner with a couple who we
met in Cambodia, Amber and Ben. While we traveled the coast in
Vietnam, Amber and Ben went North through Cambodia and Laos. It was
really fun to get together and exchange our experiences in Asia. From
toilets to tuk-tuk drivers, and puppy kabobs to bartering fails, we
had a fun evening and a lot of laughs. We look forward to keeping in
touch and following their India travels. While there are several day
trips to touristy spots you can take from Luang Prabang, we spent our
days relaxing, getting massaged, and contemplating where to watch the
sunset (and listening to the new Taylor Swift Album.)
The day before leaving Laos, Lauren started to feel very sick with a fever, upset stomach, and dizzyness. In about an hour she went from having a beer on the river to being super sick. If a doctor had been readily available, we would have been there. We stopped in a pharmacy and the pharmacist skype called another pharmacist with her symptoms . After a really rough night, the cocktail of antibiotics, pedialyte, and probiotics seemed to help and we were able to go to the airport and make our flight from Luang Prabang to Chaing Mai, Thailand.
Laos Air is actually really nice and the clean comfortable plane was only half full. During our accent, the plane weaved in and out of mountains and riverbeds. Unfortunately, 20 minutes after take off, the plane experienced technical issues and had to return to Luang Prabang. They put us on another plan quickly and we were back in the air, this time with free lunch, drinks, and even beer.
Thailand is our 15th and final destination. We are looking forward to Chaing Mai and celebrating the annual Festival of Lights!
What was supposed to be a 24 hour ride turned into a 33 hour ride. Our driver, “Pinkie” was wheeling, dealing, cheating and scamming in every little town we drove through. He managed to pack our 15 seat bus to the brim with 25 people, car parts, clothing, and food to take across the border. We are assuming there is some monetary incentive to move goods this way. At the middle of nowhere border crossing, Pinkie insisted that the white people (three female travelers and us) had not purchased tickets. More than likely he had found more crap to put in the bus, which was just totally packed. Somehow Brian managed to talk him out of this great idea. The roads in Vietnam and Loas are more like dirt paths. The rickety bus pounded and pounded similar to a sailboat in a storm. After 33 hours of riding around with boxes packed to the roof (and tied to the roof!), Pinkie lovingly dumped us off in a parking lot outside the city at 3am. Luang Prabang has a midnight curfew and after searching for someone awake, we got lucky and found a room ($12/night) that included tea, coffee, and all you can eat bananas.
We spent a morning at L'etranger Books and Tea, a used bookstore cafe. The breakfast was delicious and so was the chai tea. Wifi was strong and we were able to catch up with some things back home. Another cool spot we ate was a candlelit restaurant on a wooden platform looking out over the river called, Utopia. Romantic mood lighting, pillows on the floor, and great bruchetta made this a fun atmosphere. The night market features an extensive array of local handicrafts and $1 stirfry. We found a lady selling hand stitched children's books that were adorable. Stands around the night market served baguette sandwhiches and fresh squeezed juice for quick snacks.
We found a guy willing to take us out
on his boat at sunset. The Mekong River has the most unique sunsets
that we've seen. Golden waters and silhouetted mountains makes for a
perfect Asian sunset cruise. A little early for the sunset, Brian
even took a dip in the Mekong River.
For the most part, Loas is a very poor
country with a third of the population living under the poverty line.
Luang Prabang is one of the larger cities, but still feels like a
small walkable town. Laos sells hydropower to neighboring countries
and the Chinese are starting to come in and build roads in exchange
for Laos's minerals and timber. Deforestation is starting to become
an issue, but from what we saw, the environment is lush. Healthcare
is coming to Laos, but the average lifespan for men is still only 60
years old.
The day before leaving Laos, Lauren started to feel very sick with a fever, upset stomach, and dizzyness. In about an hour she went from having a beer on the river to being super sick. If a doctor had been readily available, we would have been there. We stopped in a pharmacy and the pharmacist skype called another pharmacist with her symptoms . After a really rough night, the cocktail of antibiotics, pedialyte, and probiotics seemed to help and we were able to go to the airport and make our flight from Luang Prabang to Chaing Mai, Thailand.
Laos Air is actually really nice and the clean comfortable plane was only half full. During our accent, the plane weaved in and out of mountains and riverbeds. Unfortunately, 20 minutes after take off, the plane experienced technical issues and had to return to Luang Prabang. They put us on another plan quickly and we were back in the air, this time with free lunch, drinks, and even beer.
Thailand is our 15th and final destination. We are looking forward to Chaing Mai and celebrating the annual Festival of Lights!
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