Sitting on a longboat heading up the Mekong River in Laos, I have my first opportunity to do a blog entry, although I keep getting distracted by the scenery and the dangerous-looking rocks jutting out of the water. We are on our way from Luang Prabang in Laos on a two-day journey to the Thai border at Chiang Khong. But more on that later.
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| From the Boat on the Mekong |
We arrived in Bangkok after midnight on 1/1/14 (saw a few fireworks displays as we were landing) and spent a very short night there before geting a flight in the afternoon to the Lao border and Vientianne. The Lao capital made a decent start to our journey - we found it to be relatively mellow, which was welcomed after our long flights. After a short stay in Vientianne, we headed on by bus to Vang Vieng, where we spent a night to break up the long journey to Luang Prabang, our first major destination. Vang Vieng has some spectacular scenery, and is a paradise for adventure-seekers. Caving, kayaking, trekking, mountain-climbing, etc., etc. can all be done here. We chose to pass our one afternoon here with a walk across the Nam Song river and through some farmlands before grabbing a couple of Beer Lao by the riverside. Nice!
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| Vang Vieng Scenery |
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| Sunset in Vang Vieng |
The next day, our minibus picked us up at 7:30 AM for the 6.5 hour ride to Luang Prabang. The route consisted of windy mountainous roads, fabulous scenery, and a high mountain-top lunch spot for noodle soup. We arrived in Luang Prabang at about 3pm on 1/4, and checked into our lovely hotel right across from a gorgeous Wat (Buddhist Temple). We then had five days in Luang Prabang, a beautiful and historic city at the convegence of the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers, where French colonial architecture and numerous Wats dot the landscape. It's probably the most picuresque and laid-back Asian city I've ever seen (although Matthias was a little disappointed - he was expecting ancient temples like Ankor Wat in Cambodia as opposed to more modern 16-17th century stuff). We had four full days here to soak up the sights, check out the markets, rent bicycles to explore nearby villages and, of course, drink a few Beer Lao by the river(s). The food was excellent, and we decided to "splurge" on nice restaurants ($20-25 for two, including drinks) in the evenings. Unfortunately, that didn't spare Matthias from intestinal problems....
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| Enjoying a beer by the Mekong |
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| Matthias on the Mekong |
Our hotel's location across from Wat Saen made it a convenient place to get up and watch the Monks as they made their daily procession through the streets at around 6am. We were also happy because that meant the coffee at our hotel was ready each morning by 5:30 am - which is only about a half hour wait for Matthias....
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| Procession of young monks accepting alms in the early morning in front of our hotel |
On our last day in LP (when Matthias was feeling a bit better), we took the obligatory excursion to the Kouang Si waterfall, a series of beautiful shimmering cascades and blue pools, which I found perfect for a dip (even though Matthias thought it was too cold). It was a perfect ending to our time in Luang Prabang. Even the 30km tuk-tuk ride through the countryside to the waterfalls was lovely.
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Kouang Si Waterfall
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| Swimming at the waterfall - that dot is me... |
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Now the sun has come out on the Mekong (it was quite cold this morning) and we've been on the boat for a couple of hours. We've also "splurged" on a more upscale cruise (as opposed to the basic but popular back-packer variety) and we are enjoying some comfort and ample seating space as we cruise up this mighty river. Earlier this morning, we stopped quickly at the Pak Ou cave (spiritual place filled with Buddha statues) and now we'll be on the boat until around 5:30 pm when we check into our "comfort" hotel for the overnight before the second leg of the journey. Fortunately, I see some Beer Lao at the bar in the back, so we're set for the afternoon.
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| Another scene from the boat up the Mekong |
Post script - we are now in Thailand, which is even more fabulous, but I'm finding that updating the blog and sorting/labeling pictures using a tablet is a royal pain. Also I thought I'd have more time every night after Matthias went to sleep - but even he's having enough fun to stay up until around 10pm and I'm finding it hard to keep my eyes open much later (since he still wakes up at 5!) Tomorrow we're heading off on our motor bikes around the Golden Triangle. I'll try to explain and share photos soon if I have the energy!
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