Sabadee
Greetings from the no longer sleepy town of Luang Prabang in northern Laos. I arrived this afternoon via minibus after a short but well-enjoyed two night stopover in the much smaller town of Vang Vien, four hours by public bus from Vientiane.
Since we last spoke I've picked up a group of three Swedish girls from Stockholm, gone kayaking down the Song River and explored some spectacular caves in the local mountains (all near Vang Vien). The eco-adventure requires little explanation, but as for the Swedes, we all happened to be in the same sleeper car from Bangkok to Nong Khai (although we didn't introduce each other then) as well as on the same bus from Vientiane to Vang Vien. Once one of the three decided to take the initiative (though I was just about to do so as well, I swear...) as we collected our luggage from the roof of our bus, we were instant traveling companions. They only learned that I didn't actually speak Swedish or Norwegian until the next day...
The four of us took in VV's booming nightlife (a single disco playing the most popular American R&B from the 1990s) last night, along with a few larger than life bottles of Beerlao, a tasty but strong local brew. Today we made the 5 hr trip north to Luang Prabang via a comfortable minibus instead of the painful but decent public variety. Almost the entire trip was spent chugging up steep mountain roads and back into dark green valleys lined with sharp, limestone cliffs. These mountains give off the same aura as the peaks of the Coast Mountains or the fjords of Norway do for me, so I couldn't have asked for better scenery.
Not sure whether we're all still traveling mates after a strange incident while looking for a guest house in this jam packed down after we arrived in the late afternoon. I lingered in one for a couple minutes longer than they did as they continued off to look elsewhere, but instead of finding them at the nearest cross street when I came out, they were nowhere to be seen. After a quick search (it turns out we each began our searches in opposite directions), I figured I wouldl likely run into them later and went off to find the dive of a place that I eventually did for far too high a price (8 USD$ for a room with a non-functional shower).
I did eventually meet up with one of them right here at this very internet cafe, but she just left with two other Swedes we met on the minibus without saying a word beyond telling me of their search for me. I'm not sure what to think of the situation, as my Laobeer from dinner is doing wonders for my clarity of mind and I'm tired after a day on the road, but we'll see what the morning will bring. I've become used to traveling solo so it was strange to be part of a group for a few days, but I'll likely have no trouble reverting back to single mode in the next few days if that's the way things go. You know what they say, "never trust a Swede." OK, maybe only Norwegians say that. Stay tuned.
It's far colder up here than down south, so we're all in long pants and jackets. Hopefully the sun will shine through the overcast clouds that have been hanging around since we entered Laos, as Luang Prabang is all about exploring water falls, hiking up to a number of significant temples and possibly floating down the Mekong River.
I'm not sure if my plan to travel to Vietnam by land via the north will work out, so more research will have to be done soon. Exploring around town tomorrow, then will check out some of the waterfalls and a few potential day trips from town in the next few days - I'll likely be here for three or four nights, but certainly not in the same room where I'm stuck tonight.
Oh, and my resumption of beer drinking means that I'm now feeling almost 100% again - woohoo!
Since we last spoke I've picked up a group of three Swedish girls from Stockholm, gone kayaking down the Song River and explored some spectacular caves in the local mountains (all near Vang Vien). The eco-adventure requires little explanation, but as for the Swedes, we all happened to be in the same sleeper car from Bangkok to Nong Khai (although we didn't introduce each other then) as well as on the same bus from Vientiane to Vang Vien. Once one of the three decided to take the initiative (though I was just about to do so as well, I swear...) as we collected our luggage from the roof of our bus, we were instant traveling companions. They only learned that I didn't actually speak Swedish or Norwegian until the next day...
The four of us took in VV's booming nightlife (a single disco playing the most popular American R&B from the 1990s) last night, along with a few larger than life bottles of Beerlao, a tasty but strong local brew. Today we made the 5 hr trip north to Luang Prabang via a comfortable minibus instead of the painful but decent public variety. Almost the entire trip was spent chugging up steep mountain roads and back into dark green valleys lined with sharp, limestone cliffs. These mountains give off the same aura as the peaks of the Coast Mountains or the fjords of Norway do for me, so I couldn't have asked for better scenery.
Not sure whether we're all still traveling mates after a strange incident while looking for a guest house in this jam packed down after we arrived in the late afternoon. I lingered in one for a couple minutes longer than they did as they continued off to look elsewhere, but instead of finding them at the nearest cross street when I came out, they were nowhere to be seen. After a quick search (it turns out we each began our searches in opposite directions), I figured I wouldl likely run into them later and went off to find the dive of a place that I eventually did for far too high a price (8 USD$ for a room with a non-functional shower).
I did eventually meet up with one of them right here at this very internet cafe, but she just left with two other Swedes we met on the minibus without saying a word beyond telling me of their search for me. I'm not sure what to think of the situation, as my Laobeer from dinner is doing wonders for my clarity of mind and I'm tired after a day on the road, but we'll see what the morning will bring. I've become used to traveling solo so it was strange to be part of a group for a few days, but I'll likely have no trouble reverting back to single mode in the next few days if that's the way things go. You know what they say, "never trust a Swede." OK, maybe only Norwegians say that. Stay tuned.
It's far colder up here than down south, so we're all in long pants and jackets. Hopefully the sun will shine through the overcast clouds that have been hanging around since we entered Laos, as Luang Prabang is all about exploring water falls, hiking up to a number of significant temples and possibly floating down the Mekong River.
I'm not sure if my plan to travel to Vietnam by land via the north will work out, so more research will have to be done soon. Exploring around town tomorrow, then will check out some of the waterfalls and a few potential day trips from town in the next few days - I'll likely be here for three or four nights, but certainly not in the same room where I'm stuck tonight.
Oh, and my resumption of beer drinking means that I'm now feeling almost 100% again - woohoo!
posted by Per at 7:58 a.m.
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