My Laos Trip Part 1

Ooops I did it again. I went on another solo trip.

It was again a trip which I couldn't decide at first whether I should proceed or skip. I have blogged earlier that my personal economy isn't doing very well, and thus I wasn't too sure if it was feasible.

But on the last minute, I decided to screw it. I went to Laos.

And didn't regret it a bit (but come to think of it, there has never been any trip that I regretted... except maybe that overnight in Singapore on the way to London). Lao People's Democratic Republic is really a landlocked country full of surprises. One cannot help admiring how laidback the pace of the country is, that some redefined Lao PDR as Lao - Please Don't Rush.

Day 1 and 2: Vientiane

Vientiane, probably the most languid capital in South East Asia (not that I've been to all, but quite a few). At first I had a pang of regret for not deciding to get out of this city as soon as possible (I had two other cities waiting), but as I took my time here, I found more and more things to admire.

First stop on Day 1 was the Buddha Park, about 26km outside of town. Just as its name suggest, it is a park that has a lot of bizarre looking Buddha statues.

Like hundreds of them.

Spot The Difference.

Oh yeah, I made new friends here in Vientiane. These two chaps came from Indonesia.

Aren't they the sweetest couple? Not.

Returning back to the city, I walked aimlessly and saw this weird looking monument:

That Dam

Called That Dam (pronounced as Tart Dumb, not that dam) which means Black Stupa. But legend has it black was not its original color. It was in fact used to be covered with gold, before Siamese invaders carted them off. Hey, who wouldn't take gold, right? Another weird legend is that there is also a dragon lurking underneath that stupa, that is the guardian of the city. I said weird because that dragon didn't do anything when the Siamese were happily peeling gold off the stupa.

Night time in Vientiane

Vientiane may be very laidback during the day, but come night time the place becomes alive. Granted, many shops are closed by 8pm, but restaurants, cafes, bars and markets went full-blown.

 Coffee, Scones and Postcard-Writing

I tried this outlet called Joma, famous probably throughout Laos since they have a few outlets around the country. You can call it Starbucks of Laos. And by the way, no franchise has made its way to Laos, not even McDonalds. Both coffee and scones are decent, but given there are so many better bakeries and cafes (like A LOT) in Vientiane, you can always skip this place and not miss anything. Still, Joma is really famous in Laos that it makes a good rendezvous point (like seriously, some Tuk-Tuk drivers say, "You stop where? Joma?").

Day 2 kicked off a few doors and sniff away from my hostel:

Le Benneton. Because all bakeries need to sound French.

Like mentioned before, there are so many good place to eat in Vientiane, and this is one of them. After filling my tummy with some croissant that was hands-down the best I've tasted in South East Asia, I continued my journey.

Patuxai

Ooo looky here, a weird looking monument. Patuxai is Vientiane's Arc De Triomphe. This victory gate is dedicated to those who fought in the struggle for independence from the French... By mimicking a monument built by their former invader. How's that for irony?

Day 3: Vang Vieng

Vang Vieng is a backpacker oriented district that is both a village and a town. Its main street is lined with guest houses, bars, restaurants, internet cafes and tour agencies.

Vang Vieng Town

A hanging bridge, one of the common sights that brings a sentimental appeal to Vang Vieng.

Green Discovery, one of the reputable tour agencies

And when I say tour agencies, I don't mean the usual one that charges you ten times marked up price for a flight ticket. I mean like the one in the picture above that takes you kayaking, rock climbing, cave exploring and tubing. Some can even bring you on a hot air balloon trip.

But I decided not to do any of those (well actually I did wanna try the hot air balloon, but I didn't have the budget). Instead, I rented a motorbike and rempit-ed myself along the less beaten path.

Let's Go!

No helmet, no license. Trip level: Indochina.

My trip took me to a 25 km looping trail that is hugged by beautiful karst mountain, crystal clear river (I even gave in to a dip in one of them despite not bringing any towel/ change of clothes - my resistance was really futile) and ethnic minorities villages.

A Lao woman fishing the traditional way in Nam Song river.

The minorities may not have much, but they have a killer view right behind their houses.

 A nice place to dip here called Blue Lagoon. I jumped from both lower and upper branches. Fun!

 Ethnic kids going to school

Wefie with the future leaders of Laos. Taken when I stopped by a school and tried to ask for direction. 

 Another village of the ethnic minority.

People of Vang Vieng build their own craft, and transport it this way.

I will share my experience on Day 4, 5, 6 and 7 in Part 2 of this entry. Here's a video of me jumping from the upper branch at Blue Lagoon.