Sarge's Home Page
Go to page:
previous
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
next
email sarge
Continuing down the Mekong River , we came to Pak Ou caves which are famous for the Buddhas inside of them instead of the cave itself. There were two levels, the top being dark and the lower being the one with many many budhha's. Another one hour, and we were in Laos' second largest city and backpacker haven, Luang Prabang.
Luang Prabang has an interesting feel to it. Very laid back, even more laid back than the rest of Laos, and having spent two days cramped on a boat, it was nice to get out and relax. After a quick look back at the Mekong river and home, a 5 minute walk to our guesthouse.
A small drive on a Jumbo (small truck) took us to a Weaving Village, and also to a paper factory and silk factory. There are many restaurants in Luang Prabang, and even email! The previous occupiers of Laos, the french left behind a love of bread, and bakeries were the highlight. The scandanavian bakery, had its own loyal following of regulars and being air conditioned as well as outside seating was quite a relaxing way to watch the world go by. Most restaurants have on street seating as well, and just hanging out over bagels and coffee seemed to be popular amongst the backpackers.
Luang Prabang also has a disco, which , as I discovered, floods just as badly the outside streets when heavy rain falls for 2 hours in the middle of the night, and just like most places, when it rains, Taxi's are impossible to find! After 30 minutes of walk in the rain past many people stuck inside cafe's (dry and unwilling to get wet, but willing to make comments...) I was back in the hotel
The next day, we went to Kuang Si waterfall, about 1 hour outside of Luang Prabang. It was very tall, big and very pretty, and it was possible to climb to the top, but the path was very slippery, so most people only went half way
Vientiane is probably the most laid back peaceful capital city you will ever run across... not much traffic, and many cycles, and some of the roads not exactly paved 100%. A day spent exploring on foot and bicycle took us past the black stupe, Pratuaxy, Laos' equivalent of the Arc di Triumphe and The national Monument, a large golden structure (becareful of the bees). A visit to the army history museum was also fascinating. Laos' history is steeped in war, with Wars against Japan, France and America meaning Laos was at war for more than 30 years. It was interesting to see the non American side of history, although as propaganda goes, it was perhaps over the top. The heinous crimes committed by American Imperialists and their puppets(sic) , with photographic evidence were a sorry sight, highlighting the fact that all war is bad, and that in the end it just causes suffering to many people. It seems in this part of the world, America are the bad guys, as are the french and japanese.
We then went via bus and boat to Lao, a small wilderness restort set in the forest by the river, Laos' first excursion into environmentally friendly tourism. There is not much electricity here and the bamboo huts and scenic surrounds made a very peaceful few days. There was not much to do except for walk in the forest, and relax. A lost game badminton with one of the staff, followed by a dubbing in chinese chess and quite a few drinks of Beer Lao ended the stay. Some of the wildlife even approached the dinner table.
The next day , we went to the border with vietnam, and we stopped at a small town where we saw canoes made out of missiles. Being poor, the Lao people have recycled everything, hollowing out bombs from the war and turning them into a useful item.
After lunch at a local cafe which had a wide variety of food/vegetables and very low tables , some people went to the beach, but I explored the town instead.
That night, we took the overnight train to Hanoi.
Sarge's Home Page
Go to page:
previous
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
next
email sarge
