As I sit here in Luang Prabang, Laos, at a location overlooking the Nam Khan river which flows directly into the Mighty Mekong, I'm still waiting for someone to pinch me to wake me up from this delightful dream that I'm in. This dream consists of wide flowing rivers, coconut trees, cheap Beer Lao, and the best croissants I've ever had. Just a couple minutes away by foot are French-Laos villas with shutters and balconies that have been transformed into guesthouses, cafes, restaurants, boutique shops, and art galleries. This is Luang Prabang, a city that has been transformed from a former Kingdom to a modern day tourists utopia.
Heading north from Chiang Mai, Thailand, I was on a minibus bound for Chiang Khong which borders the Laos town of Huay Xai. On the bus I met some cool people from Canada and the Netherlands. The ride to the hinterlands of Thailand took about 6 hours, the final of which was through thick jungle, karst mountains, and a bumpy dirt road. Upon arrival, there I saw it, the mighty Mekong river, life support for millions of people in this part of the world.
With my passport in hand, I went through Thai immigration and boarded a long tail boat that would take me across the river, about a two minute ride. The short, but magical ride across one of the world's great rivers was amazing. Big white fluffy clouds were in the sky as the sun was a vibrant red color as it set in the west. With the wind in my face and sound of the motor in behind me, I felt as though my trip had truly began - a new adventure, land to be conquered, people to meet and understand. Laos it seemed, was going to be a whole other cookie from Thailand.
After going through Laos Immigration, I boarded a bus that would take 12-14 hours to arrive in Luang Prabang, the paradisaical town that I described above. The ride was an intense roller coaster through mountains, jungle, and cliffs in the heat of the night with two funny Laos drivers periodically changing turns at the wheel. All the while, I'm not getting sleep while the guy from Amsterdam is snoring away stretched out across his seat. To put it plainly, it was chaos, and I loved every minute of it.
Arriving into Luang Prabang, the Canadian, named Mitch, went in search of a place to stay and booked into a guesthouse down an alleyway just around the bar area of town. My room, which has a private bathroom, costs me 8000 Kip per night, that's roughly $10 US. For the first day, I just walked around town and got my bearings as to where everything was. I noticed the beautiful French style villas that were crumbling and others that have been restored and look brand new. There were also many Buddhist monks walking around willing to talk to anyone who had a smile and something to say. While not Buddhist, the kindness and hospitality of this town is incredible.
Later at night, I found myself having a beer at a bar called Hive. I met Mitch there and made friends with a couple other people from Australia and the U.K. Together we all went to a bar called Utopia, which is where I am now, sitting on a comfy couch overlooking Nam Khan river and sipping on a tamarind juice. Since Laos is a communist government, things here are quite strict. Bars must close at 11:30 PM and the only place open after that time is the local bowling alley, which is where we and four Dutch girls that we met all went to hangout at. After talking down my bowling skills, I somehow managed to score two strikes on my first two sets! After that, my bad bowling luck returned to me and I didn't win. With a Beer Lao in my hand and with good company, the night passed away swimmingly and the first full day in Laos was a great success. I had new friends, cheap beer, and was in a mythical paradise in the center of a communist state. What more could a guy want?
Day two was even better than day one. Having a sense of adventure, Mitch and I decided to rent 125cc motorbikes and go see some local caves and waterfalls. Each site was about 35 kilometers from town. First, we went to Pak Ou caves, which houses unwanted Buddha statues that people no longer want. The road to get to the caves is potholed, full of people with bikes, and herds of cattle. The ride was brilliant, if not crazy to take. The scenery that I saw is impossible to describe. I crossed bridges which flowed along the Mekong and from a point to see it running into the mountains that make up this part of the country. One of the bridges was a little sketchy as we were forced to ride 2x4's that made up the 'road' over the Nam Khan river just out of town.
The caves themselves were nothings special. They had a lot of old statues in them and was overcrowded with French tourists with guides. The ride to the waterfalls was really cool. This winding road that goes through lush tropical forests is in the middle of the mountains and consists of many cascading pools that are of a minty-lime color where people can go swimming. Swimming in these pools of amazing water was refreshing. The main waterfall had a steep, rocky trail for one to climb and Mitch and me did that. I got some good pictures from the top of the fall the view was spectacular. Never have I seen such a stunning view in all of my travels. On the way down, there are a set of stairs that run right through one of the main falls coming down from the limestone cliff. Feeling hot and sticky, I went off the staircase and under the fall. The water was very cool this made the climb worth the effort I put in to get my fat butt up that hill.
That night, I found myself back at Utopia having another Beer Lao with my friends. Feeling tired, I called it an early night (11:30) and called it a day. Waking up this morning, I returned my motorbike and did a self tour of Luang Prabang. I climbed Phousi Hill, and visited the old royal palace of this onetime mystical kingdom. Afterwards, I walked along the shores of the Mekong River and had lunch at a Korean restaurant. It's safe to say that that lunch was the best Korean food I had since living Korea, and by far the cheapest. For the rest of today I'm chilling here back at Utopia and am enjoying the slow life while watching the Nam Khan river flow by while lounging back on a couch. The sun is shining, birds are chirping, the music is good, and there's barely anyone here.
Greetings from paradise. I'm going to have another juice now...
Cheers to you all!
- Jesse
Heading north from Chiang Mai, Thailand, I was on a minibus bound for Chiang Khong which borders the Laos town of Huay Xai. On the bus I met some cool people from Canada and the Netherlands. The ride to the hinterlands of Thailand took about 6 hours, the final of which was through thick jungle, karst mountains, and a bumpy dirt road. Upon arrival, there I saw it, the mighty Mekong river, life support for millions of people in this part of the world.
With my passport in hand, I went through Thai immigration and boarded a long tail boat that would take me across the river, about a two minute ride. The short, but magical ride across one of the world's great rivers was amazing. Big white fluffy clouds were in the sky as the sun was a vibrant red color as it set in the west. With the wind in my face and sound of the motor in behind me, I felt as though my trip had truly began - a new adventure, land to be conquered, people to meet and understand. Laos it seemed, was going to be a whole other cookie from Thailand.
After going through Laos Immigration, I boarded a bus that would take 12-14 hours to arrive in Luang Prabang, the paradisaical town that I described above. The ride was an intense roller coaster through mountains, jungle, and cliffs in the heat of the night with two funny Laos drivers periodically changing turns at the wheel. All the while, I'm not getting sleep while the guy from Amsterdam is snoring away stretched out across his seat. To put it plainly, it was chaos, and I loved every minute of it.
Arriving into Luang Prabang, the Canadian, named Mitch, went in search of a place to stay and booked into a guesthouse down an alleyway just around the bar area of town. My room, which has a private bathroom, costs me 8000 Kip per night, that's roughly $10 US. For the first day, I just walked around town and got my bearings as to where everything was. I noticed the beautiful French style villas that were crumbling and others that have been restored and look brand new. There were also many Buddhist monks walking around willing to talk to anyone who had a smile and something to say. While not Buddhist, the kindness and hospitality of this town is incredible.
Later at night, I found myself having a beer at a bar called Hive. I met Mitch there and made friends with a couple other people from Australia and the U.K. Together we all went to a bar called Utopia, which is where I am now, sitting on a comfy couch overlooking Nam Khan river and sipping on a tamarind juice. Since Laos is a communist government, things here are quite strict. Bars must close at 11:30 PM and the only place open after that time is the local bowling alley, which is where we and four Dutch girls that we met all went to hangout at. After talking down my bowling skills, I somehow managed to score two strikes on my first two sets! After that, my bad bowling luck returned to me and I didn't win. With a Beer Lao in my hand and with good company, the night passed away swimmingly and the first full day in Laos was a great success. I had new friends, cheap beer, and was in a mythical paradise in the center of a communist state. What more could a guy want?
Day two was even better than day one. Having a sense of adventure, Mitch and I decided to rent 125cc motorbikes and go see some local caves and waterfalls. Each site was about 35 kilometers from town. First, we went to Pak Ou caves, which houses unwanted Buddha statues that people no longer want. The road to get to the caves is potholed, full of people with bikes, and herds of cattle. The ride was brilliant, if not crazy to take. The scenery that I saw is impossible to describe. I crossed bridges which flowed along the Mekong and from a point to see it running into the mountains that make up this part of the country. One of the bridges was a little sketchy as we were forced to ride 2x4's that made up the 'road' over the Nam Khan river just out of town.
The caves themselves were nothings special. They had a lot of old statues in them and was overcrowded with French tourists with guides. The ride to the waterfalls was really cool. This winding road that goes through lush tropical forests is in the middle of the mountains and consists of many cascading pools that are of a minty-lime color where people can go swimming. Swimming in these pools of amazing water was refreshing. The main waterfall had a steep, rocky trail for one to climb and Mitch and me did that. I got some good pictures from the top of the fall the view was spectacular. Never have I seen such a stunning view in all of my travels. On the way down, there are a set of stairs that run right through one of the main falls coming down from the limestone cliff. Feeling hot and sticky, I went off the staircase and under the fall. The water was very cool this made the climb worth the effort I put in to get my fat butt up that hill.
That night, I found myself back at Utopia having another Beer Lao with my friends. Feeling tired, I called it an early night (11:30) and called it a day. Waking up this morning, I returned my motorbike and did a self tour of Luang Prabang. I climbed Phousi Hill, and visited the old royal palace of this onetime mystical kingdom. Afterwards, I walked along the shores of the Mekong River and had lunch at a Korean restaurant. It's safe to say that that lunch was the best Korean food I had since living Korea, and by far the cheapest. For the rest of today I'm chilling here back at Utopia and am enjoying the slow life while watching the Nam Khan river flow by while lounging back on a couch. The sun is shining, birds are chirping, the music is good, and there's barely anyone here.
Greetings from paradise. I'm going to have another juice now...
Cheers to you all!
- Jesse
