Luang Nam Tha to Mekong Border, Laos
Anna's entry:LUANG NAM THA
"Do you want a room?', a local Lao lady with broken English approached us as soon as we jumped out of a local bus van. Normally, we would completely ignore a tout, but having enough of Lonely Planet's accommodations filled with annoying foreigners, we replied "Maybe, what do you have?" In addition, it was getting late, and we had been just deliberately dropped off in a middle-of-nowhere bus station by a corrupted bus company about 7 miles out of town. The four of us decided to look at a room offered by the local woman. The rooms were offered in her large residence converted into guest accommodations for extra income, and they were very reasonably priced at about $5 a night. We asked if there were other foreigners saying in her place, the lady said "No," to which we replied "Great, then we'll take it". The woman gave us heads-up that the wedding would take place the next day close to her residence, but it would quiet down before too late. We doubted it, but still took the room. As expected, the wedding the next day did not quiet down until about 2 a.m., and it was not "close to" the residence, it was "right in front of" the residence. However, the wedding turned out to be the best part about staying in Luang Nam Tha. We were invited to join the party, and were treated to local delicatessen and lots of local bear, which continued to be replenished for us over and over again. The food was interesting - unknown meat (I think) in spicy ginger sauce, soup with fatty meat (I think) parts, some vegetables, etc. The beer was identifiable though and delicious - it was served with lots of ice, and in large amounts. The father of the bride found out about us, foreigners at a table, and insisted that enough bottles would be provided on our table - he insisted that at least 8 half-liter bottles would be available at any time (for the four of us); so at some point we had to start insisting that no more beer could be consumed, and that that was all we could take. Eventually, he accepted that we really were OK, and not just shy, and joined another party group. There was also dancing, and a lot of hand-shakes, so it was a fun activity to attend. The next day we took a walk around town, and passed by a guest house recommended in the Lonely Planet guidebook. A big boring crowd of foreigners (not a single local among them) were consuming beer at a guesthouse cafe, we could catch parts of their conversations about "how to get a local experience". We laughed, and kept on walking away, towards our local accommodation where not a single foreigner (besides us) was in sight - just the locals finishing up the wedding party, with Lao dancing and more hand-shakes. "How could one get a local experience"? My advice is - loose the guide book at least once in a while...
VIENG PHOUKA
We've heard from one traveling couple that Vieng Phouka would be definitely off the tourist trail, so we decided to head that way, North East of the country that is. The couple turned out to be correct. We were dropped of at a tiny bus station, that was more like a bus shelter in the middle of a local market covered in mud and puddles of rain. To start with, when our small bus pulled over, Rob was greeted by a hand-shake from a strange man dressed in orange clothes, his ankles were tied in chains and locks. The man could hardly move, but he warmly shook Rob's hand, and kept moving away . "WHO was THAT??" We looked around, but there was no one to ask - later on we found out that that was a local criminal with a mental disorder, who was allowed to freely move around, but only in... chains... so people would feel .... umm... safer. OK... Business as usual... Well, I guess it could make sense if you think about it, couldn't it? Anyway, after a warm welcome by a local criminal, we landed our backpacks under the only available cover, I stayed with our things, and Rob went to check what place was available to stay at. Under the cover, a group of young boys were playing with rubber bands right on the ground. Their clothes were dirty from the mud, and had a few holes, but that didn't seem to bother them. They got excited when they saw us (and our large backpacks), and were laughing - I had no idea what they were talking or laughing about in their local language, but their laughter was contagious, so I laughed back too. Eventually they got used to our unusual presence and appearance, and proceeded with their game. Rob returned back with a few accommodation options, and sent me to look at them (I am more picky usually). While walking along the muddy road, I ran into a family of three small stray (or so called "free-range") piglets, which I apparently startled, and who began screaming their lungs out until their mom (a big size "free-range") showed up to size me up... After checking me out, she thought I was all right, and she let me pass. Eventually we found a room - pretty rustic, but comfortable. While walking around the village, a stray dog took a particular interest in us, and he followed us, with his tale wagging, until the moment we left. At one of our walks the dog got into a fight with a family of other stray animals - cows - so at some point we lost sight of the dog. But, the morning of our departure, the dog showed up again to bid us good-buy. The dog thought he'd better keep an eye on our backpacks while we were standing on the highway in attempt to hitch a ride. The only local bus of the day ignored us completely and did not stop for us (even though it looked like it had some available seats, but passengers -foreigners - didn't bother to ask the driver to stop, I guess it was too much of work for them after all these hang-overs in Van Vieng). However, a private car did - we negotiated a reasonable price, and later on caught up with the bus which broke on a highway in a middle of nowhere, among the mountains. And, our friend stray dog was the last picture I saw in the mirror of the car - he was standing on the highway of the village, his tale was still wagging, and he knew that he made us feel very welcome in his own special way...
We've heard from one traveling couple that Vieng Phouka would be definitely off the tourist trail, so we decided to head that way, North East of the country that is. The couple turned out to be correct. We were dropped of at a tiny bus station, that was more like a bus shelter in the middle of a local market covered in mud and puddles of rain. To start with, when our small bus pulled over, Rob was greeted by a hand-shake from a strange man dressed in orange clothes, his ankles were tied in chains and locks. The man could hardly move, but he warmly shook Rob's hand, and kept moving away . "WHO was THAT??" We looked around, but there was no one to ask - later on we found out that that was a local criminal with a mental disorder, who was allowed to freely move around, but only in... chains... so people would feel .... umm... safer. OK... Business as usual... Well, I guess it could make sense if you think about it, couldn't it? Anyway, after a warm welcome by a local criminal, we landed our backpacks under the only available cover, I stayed with our things, and Rob went to check what place was available to stay at. Under the cover, a group of young boys were playing with rubber bands right on the ground. Their clothes were dirty from the mud, and had a few holes, but that didn't seem to bother them. They got excited when they saw us (and our large backpacks), and were laughing - I had no idea what they were talking or laughing about in their local language, but their laughter was contagious, so I laughed back too. Eventually they got used to our unusual presence and appearance, and proceeded with their game. Rob returned back with a few accommodation options, and sent me to look at them (I am more picky usually). While walking along the muddy road, I ran into a family of three small stray (or so called "free-range") piglets, which I apparently startled, and who began screaming their lungs out until their mom (a big size "free-range") showed up to size me up... After checking me out, she thought I was all right, and she let me pass. Eventually we found a room - pretty rustic, but comfortable. While walking around the village, a stray dog took a particular interest in us, and he followed us, with his tale wagging, until the moment we left. At one of our walks the dog got into a fight with a family of other stray animals - cows - so at some point we lost sight of the dog. But, the morning of our departure, the dog showed up again to bid us good-buy. The dog thought he'd better keep an eye on our backpacks while we were standing on the highway in attempt to hitch a ride. The only local bus of the day ignored us completely and did not stop for us (even though it looked like it had some available seats, but passengers -foreigners - didn't bother to ask the driver to stop, I guess it was too much of work for them after all these hang-overs in Van Vieng). However, a private car did - we negotiated a reasonable price, and later on caught up with the bus which broke on a highway in a middle of nowhere, among the mountains. And, our friend stray dog was the last picture I saw in the mirror of the car - he was standing on the highway of the village, his tale was still wagging, and he knew that he made us feel very welcome in his own special way...
HUAY XAI
Surprisingly welcoming for the border town, Huay Xai is located on the shore of the great Mekong, bordering Laos and Thailand. We arrived during a pouring rain, and quickly found a pretty nice room in a local hotel, which was recommended to us by a passenger on our previous hitched ride. Though the room was a little more than expected ($8 v.s. $5), after inspection of other hotels in town, that was definitely the best deal. Plus, after rustic accommodations for a while, it was great to be in a posh room - with corner large windows over looking tropical garden and the Mekong, queen size bed with the cleanest laundered amenities, hot shower, and fresh towels. Most tourists spend just one night here on their way to/from Thailand, but we stayed for three nights, to the surprise of the owner. We liked the town, it was peaceful, locals were treating us pretty good, we found a nice food vendor and a great fruit market - where surprisingly we were charged a local price! There were a couple of nice Buddhist monasteries around, which we walked to. One of the monasteries was located on top of the hill over-looking the Mekong. We went there a few times; in the evenings a spiritual gathering and singing of monks was very soothing, the sounds were trembling in the air, and the wind carried their singing all over the monastery. We were not the only ones attracted to the singing. Every evening promptly at 6:00, when a monk would ring a bell, two local dogs would appear, and they would start their own performance - singing and howling in high pitch notes, until the last sound of the bell would cease. In addition, the monastery would be visited by local students who love practising English, and Rob was asked to give an English lesson, which he took very seriously and patiently.
Huay Xai was our last stop in Laos. We had our moments in Laos, but it was definitely a much better choice to explore compared to Viet Nam, and we did find peace in that small remote exotic country. Now, that I am writing this entry months later, being back in North America, quite a few images stand in my mind... Lush green hills and mountains, Buddhist singing in the wind, simple huts constructed along the highways, kids playing in the mud, stray cows wondering freely along the highway, rain storms, spiritual monasteries, and the Mekong washing away centuries of history....
Surprisingly welcoming for the border town, Huay Xai is located on the shore of the great Mekong, bordering Laos and Thailand. We arrived during a pouring rain, and quickly found a pretty nice room in a local hotel, which was recommended to us by a passenger on our previous hitched ride. Though the room was a little more than expected ($8 v.s. $5), after inspection of other hotels in town, that was definitely the best deal. Plus, after rustic accommodations for a while, it was great to be in a posh room - with corner large windows over looking tropical garden and the Mekong, queen size bed with the cleanest laundered amenities, hot shower, and fresh towels. Most tourists spend just one night here on their way to/from Thailand, but we stayed for three nights, to the surprise of the owner. We liked the town, it was peaceful, locals were treating us pretty good, we found a nice food vendor and a great fruit market - where surprisingly we were charged a local price! There were a couple of nice Buddhist monasteries around, which we walked to. One of the monasteries was located on top of the hill over-looking the Mekong. We went there a few times; in the evenings a spiritual gathering and singing of monks was very soothing, the sounds were trembling in the air, and the wind carried their singing all over the monastery. We were not the only ones attracted to the singing. Every evening promptly at 6:00, when a monk would ring a bell, two local dogs would appear, and they would start their own performance - singing and howling in high pitch notes, until the last sound of the bell would cease. In addition, the monastery would be visited by local students who love practising English, and Rob was asked to give an English lesson, which he took very seriously and patiently.
Huay Xai was our last stop in Laos. We had our moments in Laos, but it was definitely a much better choice to explore compared to Viet Nam, and we did find peace in that small remote exotic country. Now, that I am writing this entry months later, being back in North America, quite a few images stand in my mind... Lush green hills and mountains, Buddhist singing in the wind, simple huts constructed along the highways, kids playing in the mud, stray cows wondering freely along the highway, rain storms, spiritual monasteries, and the Mekong washing away centuries of history....
posted by Rob and Anna @ 6:37 AM
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