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March 02, 2005
Laos | Luang Prabang and surrounds | 11-12 Feb 2005
We got another VIP bus from Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang, and this time I didn’t have to sit on the blue plastic chair, although five other poor sods did. The bus didn’t break down this time, the trip was: slow, uneventful, sometimes frustrating, sleepy, visually appealing. We got there in around the expected 5 hour mark, getting beds at a reasonably good quality guesthouse a little out of the main town area (S & S getting a double for $6, I a single for $3). The rest of the day/evening was spent enduring one of the lower quality food and service meals we’d had, then wandering the nightstalls, shopping.
The following day we all slept in, then went to the nearby waterfall in the afternoon. The waterfall is really quite impressive, as well as a wonderful place to hang out for an afternoon. There are multiple swimming areas, various cascades and falls, including a ‘secluded private pool’ tucked away nearer to the top of the fall. In addition to the liquid display, we tourists were also able to see various protected animal groups: a tiger in captivity (who was making very sad noises – all alone and locked up), some bears (effectively in the same situation as the tiger) and also a bunch of French art students.
There was also a small rope swing, and having gained such delight and respect from the Vang Vieng tubing swing, I had to make use of this one, first by ‘proving my manliness’ by climbing up the rope from the water, then jumping off and swinging off it.
On the way back from the waterfall, we went to a Khamu Village (hilltribes), which is about as touristy as a Khamu Village can possibly get. Every single hut had its own stand selling their locally made products, children milling round begging, trying to sell their wares or get candy. The kids were playing with cars and capguns, the older men smoking strange bong-like devices using commercial cigarettes. It is a well-oiled machine of commercial tourism… oh well. At least we got to see some kids skinning and cooking a snake!
I had booked out of my room in the morning, endeavouring to find a bed that was made not of concrete. However, I didn’t have the opportunity to do so before we left for the waterfall, so I spent 90 minutes walking around Luang Prabang looking for somewhere decent for a decent price…. 90% of the guesthouses were booked out, and those that weren’t were crappy or expensive!!! (most places asking $10-$15!) It was a Saturday night, there was some kind of wedding nearby, as well as some Buddhist ceremony, all of which may have contributed to me not finding anywhere I could stay. I ended up walking back to the guesthouse the girls were at (and where I was originally), and everything within the vicinity was full!! In the end, I planned to either find something around the time we were having dinner, or sleep on the girls’ floor. Fortunately Sandra slept elsewhere that night, offering me her place :)
That night we had the BEST dinner EVER! It was an Asian-style BBQ at a little place on the river called DragonGirl, constantly busy with mostly locals. There’s a little hearth in the middle of the table, into which go hot coals, upon which a domed plate goes. They give you a plate-full of strips of whichever meat you choose, as well as a basket full of veggies, all of which you BBQ or turn into soup on the plate. Delicious!!
Posted by Dan at March 2, 2005 09:03 AM