Goodbye Laos - a few reflections

In the end we spent a total of five weeks in Laos, and really enjoyed our time here. To follow; a few reflections on Laos.

Laos was more expensive than we expected – more so than Thailand for instance – particularly in terms of food (although of course still cheap by western standards).

Laos is really on a timeframe all of its own, and is commonly referred to as ‘Laos PDR – please don’t rush.’ This is something that takes a bit of getting used to, but after a while, you do adjust to Lao time.

Laos is one of the poorest countries in the world, and a lot of people live in real poverty, yet despite this we only encountered one or two beggars during our entire time there.  Also, even the most basic of bamboo huts have massive satellite dishes attached.

We spent a lot of time in hammocks, which was fantastic.

Laos has some truly stunning scenery.

The food wasn’t particularly exciting, however beerlao was great.

Pi mai Lao, or Lao New Year, is a fantastic celebration, and a brilliant excuse for the whole country to let their hair down for a few days.

Bumpy, windy roads; and many a long bus journey. Oddly, for some reason, all the bus stations in Laos seem to be very far of town, often 5 or more kms out. Often the smallest towns have more than one bus station as well. Perhaps this is so that tuk tuk drivers can then ferry people to and fro and gain an income this way.

Lao pop music was ubiquitous; many a long bus ride was spent with this blaring loudly from the speakers. The music seems to have only the one tune. This could have something to do with the fact that it hasn’t been around long; apparently prior to 2003, it was illegal to make pop music in Laos.

Laos is changing at an amazing rate. Development is often being prompted by investments from countries such as China, which in turn has an influence on the country, with some of Laos’ natural resources being provided to China.

Much of this development is bemoaned by tourists and others for the detrimental effects on Laos’ environment. However it’s important to remember that much of this development is welcomed by the Lao people, as it often increases access to medical services, education, and more. How to continue development while still preserving the environment is perhaps Laos’ million dollar question.  

Si Phan Don, 28 April - 4 May

Our next and final stop in Laos was Si Phan Don, or 4000 islands. This is right at the southern tip of Laos, where the Mekong is quite wide (up to 12km in the wet season), and scattered with many islands, both small rocks and quite substantial islands.

Our first night we spent in a bungalow on Don Det, one of the three main islands people stay on. The following day we went for a bicycle ride around Don Det and across the bridge to neighbouring Don Khon island.

On Don Khon we found a bit more of an idyllic atmosphere and some great accommodation, so we moved and spent the rest of our time here. Aside from quite a bit of time spent chilling out in our hammocks, we also went for a bike ride around the island, visiting a village on the opposite side for lunch and seeing other sights such as the old locomotive. Particularly impressive was the Khone waterfall; here the Mekong rushes through giant rapids, in turn forming many miniature waterfalls.

 The bike ride was a bit more adventurous than intended as we ended up sheltering from heavy rain under a tree for quite a while. We also rented some inner tubes and went floating down the Mekong, launching ourselves from one point off Don Khon, and getting back off near our accommodation. This was much in amusement to the locals, as we were the only people doing this on that stretch of the river.

French era bridge connecting Don Dhet and Don Khon

The old school in Don Khon

Unfortunately, I was once again attacked by some sort of stomach bug and spent a good few days doing not much in our room. As I couldn’t face the boat and bus ride through to Cambodia in that state, we stayed a few days longer than intended, and were quite ready to leave at the end of it.

Pakse 25th-27th April

Pakse is the capital of the Champasak region and starting point for visits to the Bolavan Plateau.
Another Mekong river side town which, as with a lot of southern Laos, is very close to Thailand and Vietnam, and because of this Vietnamese style noodle soups and Thai food are abundant. In fact our guesthouse had the most popular noodle shop in town on its ground floor and after a beef noodle soup for breakfast amongst dozens of locals it was obvious to see why people gathered here.
Giant pots on charcoal burners with boiling soups, piles of noodles, containers on each table full of green beans and the line of people getting noodle soups to take away.

After breakfast we joined a 1 day tour of the Plateau, maybe an hour’s drive from Pakse. The small villages were teeming with small children, tea and coffee plantations and of course waterfalls. We stopped off for an espresso at a fair trade coffee farm which was actually very good. We took in the sights of three different waterfalls, including a giant one 120 metres high from memory.
We stopped and had lunch and took a dip with the local teenagers who offered us some of their beer lao drunk from cups made of cut in half soda bottles.

We took a small walk around a village that had been created to show of the different types of housing that different tribes used, and before we knew it we were back in the van. I think more time and maybe an independent approach would suit the plateau area but the tour showed us the main points with the knowledge of a guide.

We found a flancy (flash and fancy) hotel that had a roof top bar and enjoyed a beer lao or 3 while watching the sunset.

Tha khaek & Savannahket 22nd-24th

After extending our visas in Vientiane we decided to take a few stops on the way to Si Phan Don and take a look at what southern Laos had to offer.
We had a quick overnight stop in Tha Kheak which is a very popular launching spot for a 3 day motorbike called “the loop”.

We skipped this and caught the bus to Savannahket, a busy town located on the Mekong.
Like all towns in Laos the bus station is inconveniently located around 5km out of town. Maybe the Lao city planners get bribes from the tuk tuk drivers.
Savannaket is split into two areas; the old town, which is located on the Mekong and oozes French colonial charm. A few blocks back the new town is bustling although boring from an architectural point.

We spent a day biking around the old part of the town checking out the old French buildings which are in serious disrepair, this part of town is like a ghost town compared to the new town a few blocks away.
The next day we found some information about a 1 day motorbike trip out to the monkey forest, turtle lake and some local wats. The map seemed good enough except we left town from the wrong side and got completely lost.  We ended up finding a different turtle lake which was empty, later we read the lonely planet which states “although there are no longer turtles here”.

We did come across the impressive “That Ing Hang” Buddha is believed to have stopped here when he was sick during his wandering. He rested by leaning (ing) on a hang tree (thus Ing Hang). A relic of the Buddha’s spine is reputed to be kept inside the thâat.
 After our 140km ride we arrived back in Savannaket a bit disappointed, a little sunburnt and stiff from a long scooter ride with the one scooter between the two of us.

We found a place with a live band surrounded by locals sharing hot pot, so took a table and had a few beer Lao and all was right again.

Vientiane April 19th - 21st

Most people we talked to were a little disparaging about Vientiane, but we enjoyed our time here. This could be in part due to the fantastic croissants, pastries and breads at French bakeries, and in part due to the convenience of being in a capital city. While perhaps not as charismatic as Luang Prabang, we did find that Vientiane has its charms and was a nice city to hang out in, with a range of different options for places to eat. One night was chanced upon a family-style French restaurant serving food from l’Alsace and offering just the one dish – that day it was sauerkraut (choucroute) – and it was fantastic. Partly it was good to have something so different, although it was much heavier than we needed in the heat of Vientiane.  

For a few days, we rented bicycles to visit some of the city’s sights; Pha That Luang – national monument, impressive symbol of Lao sovereignty and Buddhism; and Patuxai – Vientiane’s version of the Arc de Triomphe, although with a distinctly Lao flavour. Funnily enough, Patuxai was built with cement given by the Americans intended for the construction of an airstrip, so it is affectionately known as the ‘vertical runway.’ Cycling along the Mekong riverfront and looking over at Thailand was also a lovely way to spend an evening.

We spent a bit of time at the COPE Visitor Centre (Cooperative Orthotic & Prosthetic Enterprise). COPE provides support and assistance to people with disabilities, but also in particular to victims of UXO; unexploded ordinance (primarily cluster bombs) left over from America’s ‘Secret War’ on Laos – during which time Laos became the most heavily bombed country per capita in the world. The Visitor Centre also has a great deal of information about the war, and the everlasting effects on the country – with people still dying or being injured by cluster bombs each year. The National Museum was also quite informative, although at some points a little propaganda-like.

Vang Vieng April 17th-18th

From Luang Prabang, we took a hair-raising minivan ride to Vang Vieng. I think our driver thought he was playing Gran Turismo or something, managing to shave an hour or so off the very windy and hilly journey but leaving us all a little queasy and glad to reach our destination. Along the way, we did stop to admire the scenery from a beautiful viewpoint amongst the mountains – stunning scenery, although not very clear due to the haze from rice paddy burning.

Vang Vieng is a huge tourism spot in Laos, with many coming here and venturing little elsewhere in Laos. Most go floating down the Nam Song river in giant tractor inner tubes, and while this sounds idyllic enough, there is also quite the party, booze and drug scene to go along with it. Restaurants play endless episodes of Friends or The Family Guy as people recover from their hangovers and almost all seem to offer some form of ‘happy’ pizza, shake, or whatever you want. In this sense, it seems a completely different world from the rest of conservative Laos.

Since these inebriated antics aren’t really our scene, we had just a short stay here, hoping to explore the beautiful scenery around the town. We rented a scooter and headed off to the Blue Lagoon, a short distance out of town. It’s a popular destination and many restaurants have displayed signs with the name to direct tourists their way – making it quite confusing to find the actual blue lagoon. We did make it there though, first climbing up a steep cliff face to see the extensive cave and its reclining Buddha image, before cooling off in the beautiful aquamarine waters of the lagoon at the base of the cliff. This was a great trip from the town, highly recommended.  

Luang Prabang - April 11th-16th

After an authentic Lao bus ride we arrived in Luang Prabang just before new years. Our small truck the kind you might see delivering wood had around 25 people in it with 5 in the cabin, luckily it was only a 3 hour drive.

We met up with Ben and Annalise who we had been hanging out with since Mung Ngoi Nuea and went to the Kuang Si Falls but Hannah had to stay behind due to her body not agreeing with the frog she ate the night before. The falls were the first attraction where there were more locals than tourists. The month of April is the hottest time of the year in Laos with temperatures falling between 35-40 degrees. Countless numbers of Lao families gathered for not picnics but feasts in the shade, we are talking about a normal picnic with a few salads and sandwiches, but whole grilled fish and dish after dish laid out all accompanied but what else but sticky rice and crates of beer Lao.

After some tree swings and hurling ourselves into the water our tuk tuk driver took us to the local market and became our translator as we bargained for water pistols knowing that the next few days Luang Prabang would become a giant water fight. We had already been drenched in our tuk tuk ride that day.

The next day Hannah felt mostly better and we went to the New Year’s parade where monks were washed by the public and dozens of young “Miss Laos” girls took to the streets. After the parade armed with our water pistols we headed into town, before we got to the end of our street we were drenched kids with giant buckets had seen the armed “falangs” from a distance and armed themselves screaming “saibadee pii mai” (Happy Laos new year) we took up a spot with some locals that had a water supply and joined in on the madness.

One of the main streets became a make shift waterfight parade with trucks, utes, and all sorts of cars that looked like they shouldn’t work drove down the streets with large groups of people drinking beer and dancing to the Lao pop music. Every truck had its own barrels so they could dump water on people as the slowly drove by, as the people on the street launched counter attacks or ran up to the driver and poured beer lao into their mouths before dancing away. This madness continued for a few days and it was a daily ritual to ensure that all valuables were sealed in waterproof bags.

Luang Prabang also offered a great range of food which was nice after being in small towns where the menus were identical. We found a bakery that did great croissants in fact maybe the best ones we’ve had. Along with Belgium beer bars with double fired frites, and an Auzzy bar that did an average job at a meat pie.

The charm of Luang prabang with its nightly craft market and food stalls are definitely worth a few days there isn’t a huge amount to do but with endless temples and great food it’s easy to sit back and relax.

Nong Khiaw, 8 - 11 April

Another boat ride down the beautiful Nam Ou river took us to our next stop, Nong Khiaw. After a few days with limited electricity, no internet, and no ATM, it was a nice change to find these facilities in Nong Khiaw. The town itself is in such a gorgeous setting – huge karst mountains rise up on either side of the Nam Ou. Again we had a bungalow overlooking the river and spent quite a bit of time chilling out in hammocks, reading, and watching life take place, in, on and around the river.

In the past two or three weeks of our travels, we hadn’t had any rain at all. Then quite out of the blue, a huge storm blew into Nong Khiaw. The wind started and blasted dirt and dust everywhere. Then came the rain, in a torrential downpour, luckily only lasting an hour or so. We were having lunch in an opensided café by the river at the time and had to huddle with other customers and staff in the office. Once the rain stopped and we made our way home, we realised the downside of a bamboo thatch bungalow – sand, dirt, and plant debris had covered every surface of the bungalow. Luckily, our backpacks were closed, and none of our things were damaged.

We ended up staying longer here than expected as we wanted to be there for the big boat race, part of the town’s Lao New Year (Pi Mai Lao) celebrations. The dragon boat races involved teams from some 25 surrounding villages racing all day on the river (now a murky brown from the previous days’ storm). The sleepy town suddenly transformed into party central, with a big market, and a few girls began the waterfight celebrations. Chasing us with hoses, we were utterly drenched in a few seconds – just a taste of what was to come in Luang Prabang! It was clearly a big event in the local calendar, with much beer lao and lao lao consumed, resulting in a lot of line dancing and singing.

Muang Ngoi Neua 5th - 8th April

After a night in the charmless transit town of Oudamxai we headed to Muang Khua, the first sleepy village in our Nam Ou river trip. Our guest house overlooked the river, but the barge that ferried cars across the river was powered by a horribly loud diesel boat 12 hours a day. So we decided to leave early for Muang Ngoi Neua and caught the 4 hour long boat down the Nam Ou.

Muang Ngoi Neua sits on the banks of the Nam Ou and of the 3 villages we visited on the Nam Ou, it is the least advanced, with no roads connecting it to the rest of the country and only 3-4 hours of electricity a day. The streets are dirt and all shops are either river bungalows or food stalls – often both, with a few house fronts selling bits and pieces from dried river weed to cans of pringles.

On arrival we step out on to a bamboo raft/jetty and are welcomed by locals offering “bungalows with hammock.” Most of these, including the one we stayed in, are single unit bamboo thatch huts with concrete bathrooms on the rear. Some offered 24 hour power with generator but we decided to go for the view of the river from the hammocks and peace and quiet (except for the roosters).

After the first night we met up with some people we had met on our boat ride and headed out for the outlying caves and villages. We took a while getting out of town as one of the locals dogs had taken a liking to our group and decided to follow us. The owner was a bit worried and explained to us that one of the outlying villages had warned her that if there dogs strayed into their villages alone they would eat them.  We ended up unwittingly adopting another dog that followed us safely for the whole journey however.

One of the attractions en route was a large cave, and we headed in armed with torches. The caves in Laos are numerous and very imported to the locals that live around them; they often hold century old images of Buddha or statues and figurines that were stored in the caves during the sixties and seventies while Laos was bombarded by the US as part of the Secret War. In fact one the bungalows in town had huge bomb casings at the entrance.

After the cave we headed to the closest village and decided to stop and have our lunch, ending up napping in the hammocks and playing petanque with one of the locals. The rest of our group made their way back to Muang Ngoi Neua along the rice paddies, while myself and Hannah decided to stay the night and hired a bungalow for a mere 10,000 kip (1.54NZD); another bamboo hut with a mattress and a mosquito net.  I shared my Beer Lao with my petanque partner and in turn he fed me too many shots of home made Lao Lao (rice whisky), some strong stuff, and after a few more beers I headed to bed, with our newly adopted dog sleeping outside our door.

 The next morning the sun was out in force and being hungover in the sun with 30c+ heat wasn’t the best. Our dog followed us back to Muang Ngoi Neua and for the rest of our visit would turn up from time to time and spend a few hours following us or sleeping under our hammocks. After a few nights taking in the river views from our hammocks we headed downstream to Nong Khiaw.

Views over the rice paddy fields in Ban Na village