Sabaidi from Laos

Leaving Bangkok and Suk 11 behind us, we headed off to Laos (yes it is a country) a mere 381 miles from Bangkok. Attempting to stick to our backpacker budget we opted to travel via the train, taking a 2nd class sleeper. This meant that even though we wouldn't be getting our own compartment or air-conditioning, we would be able to lay down to sleep and wouldn't have to spend the ride sitting on bags of rice with chickens on our laps, a fair compromise.

Our train was scheduled to leave Bangkok at 8:45 pm and cruise all night for twelve hours. Its destination was a town on the Thai border called Nong Khai. We got to the train station an hour early to find the trains in a dark, smoky terminal that looked like an airplane hangar. Our train was jet black with thick soot caked on its entire surface. We quickly boarded our train car and found our seats conveniently nestled beside the bathroom (aka a hole in ground) whose door slammed open and shut all night long with swaying of the train. Shortly after sitting down we noticed something scurrying out of the corner of our eyes. A quick glance would reveal the culprits: cockroaches, dozens of them. They were crawling all over the floor, up the walls, across our seats, and along our window ledge.

From the train station in Nong Khai we had to get to the Laotian border which Lonely Planet stated was a mere 20 minute walk away. Laughing at all the suckers paying tuk-tuk drivers to bring them half a mile to the border we marched off with spirits high. 25 minutes later we groaned with the realization that we were walking in the wrong direction and turned around to head back past where we had started.

We arrived at the Thai border completely drenched in sweat but relieved to have found our way. We breezed through customs and hopped on a shuttle bus over the friendship bridge to start the process on the Laotian side of border. On that side we filled out more paperwork, stood in some more lines, and bought our visas. Finally, visas in hand, we continued through customs only to pay an "entrance fee" on the other side. After ten minutes of bargaining with tuk-tuk drivers we bought a ride into Vientiane, a 30 minute ride away. At long last we were on our way into the capital city of Laos.

One fun tradition in Vientiane was the nightly aerobics. Each evening, as the air began to cool, the square opposite the beach would fill up with pumping music, and lycra-clad women jumping around in time to the beat. The public aerobics class entertainment always gathered quite the crowd of onlookers, from confused tourists to curious boys. We spent a few days here, including Katy’s birthday when we rented pink “Hello Kitty” bikes and visited the home of the previous King of Laos, the memorial arch (nicknamed the “vertical runway” since it was built with money donated by the US to build a new airport runway), and the most famous Wat in Laos, That Luang, which is featured on all of their money.

After a few days in Vientiane it was time to head up to Luang Prabang, a mere 390 kilometers to the North. Our only viable option for the long journey was to take the bus. We did however, decide to make it a bit easier on ourselves by forking out extra cash for the "Super VIP" bus, which promised AC, snacks, lunch, and movies along the way. Boy were we in for a treat!

Shortly after boarding the bus and taking our assigned seats in the front row, we realized it was going to be a long day. The bus company had conveniently installed a water cooler between the front door and the first row of seats. This, combined with the wheel bump under our chair, left us with less than a shoe length of room between the seat and the cooler. The bus was overbooked, two people were sitting in the aisle on fold out chairs, one passenger sat on a chair in the front stairs, and the driver’s assistant stood by the door ready to jump out at any moment and cool the overheating “brakes”. Katy was lucky enough to snag the aisle seat and could stretch her feet into the stairwell. This kept us optimistic with a plan to simply switch seats occasionally.

Ten minutes into the ride the bus suddenly pulled over to the side of the road. On walked 3 local girls chattering away to each other and carrying bags stuffed with snacks and promising looking DVD’s. As the bus sputtered back onto the road we were confused about why the new arrivals remained on board, but suddenly the meaning of the transaction was clear. Unlike tourists who must pay full fare, these 3 girls were still on the bus because they had just bartered themselves a ride with some crackers and the job of manning the DVD player. After gossiping for a few minutes it was time for them to sit down and start the entertainment. For the next three hours we watched back-to-back DVDs containing nothing but a hormonal gang of teenage Asian girls bumping and grinding to Laotian karaoke music. And just where did these girls decide to plant themselves? Well of course, right in the stairwell where Katy was resting her feet. The girl closest to Katy had no shame and no problem with personal space. She wiggled herself into place forcing Katy to straddle her for the next 3 hours.

After an hour and half lunch stop, where we watched 3 other bus loads go through, we dropped off our giggling girls, and continued on. The next five hours brought nothing but switch back turns snaking along the ridge of mountains lining the road to Luang Prabang. Needless to say, our bus had trouble. The bus struggled on the uphills, averaging 10 miles per hour, and the downhill portions were broken up by frequent stopping so that our driving duo could cool off the “brakes” (i.e. check that the transmission was OK since in fact the bus had no brakes). Our bus ride was a comical circus-like journey, and we were glad when it all came to an end nearly three hours later than promised in Luang Prabang.

On our first night in Luang Prabang we stumbled on a restaurant that was so good we ended up eating there almost every night. The Lao Lao garden was outdoor and primarily lit by funky jigsaw lanterns, rope and Christmas lights, candles, and a small fire pit. Serving the best curries we had sampled, and at $2.50 a pop, eating there was a no brainer.

Luang Prabang is a popular area for trekking, kayaking, mountain biking and elephant riding. We shopped the main street and settled on a combination tour offering an English speaking guide and small tour groups. The next morning we arrived to meet Sook, our happy go lucky guide, and to discover that our small tour group consisted of just 2 of us! Sook led us through forests, past dry rice paddies, and along dirt pathways. At points he steamed ahead so fast we had to jog to catch up. A knowledgeable "english-speaking" guide, he would stop abruptly to point things out to us along the way. One of the first things he revealed to us was about local plant life:

Sook: Teak trees

Us: Oh, interesting - and what does the wood look like inside, is it swirly?

S: (Pause) Yes

U: hmm - So is it plain inside or is it swirly?

S: Yes!

Along the path a little later we came across a couple of men crouched and peering up at a tree.

S: Bees

U: What are they doing?

S: Bees

U: Are they trying to get to the honey, or are they just watching them?

S: Bees are good

U: Ok

For lunch we stopped at a local village where one of Sook's highschool friends grew up. Sook quickly proceeded to his friend's house and passed out, giving us a golden opportunity to continue our self-guided tour. It was as we had imagined; homes much the same as the traditional Thai style, women at work sorting husks from the rice, children playing, chickens goats and hogs running wild, and of course the tour ending with us running away from wild dogs chasing us and barking. The next stop after lunch was the highlight of our trek - an elephant ride. The park currently has four female ex-logging elephants with plans to adopt more each year. Reading about the poor conditions and mistreatment of these elephants before they were adopted was really heart wrenching. Our elephant was a sweetie who loved to blow her trunk and munch on greenery lining the path.

In a country with roughly 90% Buddhist population, Luang Prabang is home to approximately 200 resident monks. Staying in this small town, we saw monks strolling around with sun umbrellas in hand, and speeding by on the back of motorcycles, but the best experience was being able to witness one of their daily rituals. As per tradition, all monks must wake predawn for the giving and receiving of alms. This is how we found them early one morning, shuffling silently up and down the streets, accepting sticky rice from their neighbors, striding quickly past camera happy tourists, and then returning home to place the offerings around their Wats. The air was cool, the town was quiet, and though it was a little dark for great pictures, it was fascinating to be able to witness this morning tradition which was just so, well, foreign to us!

Reading through many guidebooks we were told that a must do activity in Luang Prabang is watching the sun set from the top of Mt. Phou Si. Eager for the quiet ambience of a sunset we set out to climb the 350+ steps to the top. The sight awaiting us was a bit different than expected! Venders sold food and cold beer, tourists stood shoulder to shoulder along the railing, and a spectator crowd sat perched on the steps of th