From the 4 thousand islands and the South we took an overnight bus to Vientiane, capital of Laos. We were surprised by the comfort of our bus (the outside of which was decorated with a Finding Nemo theme) and it's reclining seats, but not so pleased with the Karaoke TV and fierce aircon that kept us up all night. I don't think we'd felt cold since we left New Zealand, but we were shivering all night! I guess it is getting us in training for the return home.
From Vientiane, we took a kayaking trip on the Nam Lik river, which dropped us at our next destination, Van Vieng, - at the end of the day.
On arrival, Van Vieng seemed a neon lit backpacker haven and a complete contrast to the south of Laos, and even the capital city. We'd only spent one night in Vientiane but enjoyed the laid back feel of the least hectic capital city ever visited and the restaurants of Van Vieng playing 'Friend' reruns and offering 'happy' additives to food and drink were not what we were looking for out of Laos (though we'd been well warned by the guide books). It is the beautiful scenery and opportunities for tubing, trekking, and kayaking that draws people to Van Vieng, and we made the most of it. Away from the main backpacker strip, we found a guest-house with bamboo bungalows and great views over the river to the hills beyond.
We spend one day 'tubing', literally floating down the river in big inner tubes, stopping at bars and restaurants along the way - most of them offering swings and flying foxes to keep you entertained. They were blasting out Bob Marley or hits of the '80s and the whole experience was a bit surreal. We left the crowds behind after a while though and for the last hour it felt like we had the river to ourselves, apart from a few fisherman and kids splashing about in the sun. We found ourselves a perch at the end of the run, to watch the sun go down and see the other tubers coming back in varying states of sobriety. Getting out of the tube at one of the faster points in the river, in the dark and after a day of drinking Beer Lao in the sun, is very amusing to watch!
The following day we rented bikes and headed out to Phoukam cave, cycling through Hmong villages, past women weaving silk scarves and refreshed ourselves in the turquoise lagoon outside the cave. The cave itself was big and dark, and with a fair number of bats to maintain the spooky factor (no lights!).
From Vientiane, we took a kayaking trip on the Nam Lik river, which dropped us at our next destination, Van Vieng, - at the end of the day.
On arrival, Van Vieng seemed a neon lit backpacker haven and a complete contrast to the south of Laos, and even the capital city. We'd only spent one night in Vientiane but enjoyed the laid back feel of the least hectic capital city ever visited and the restaurants of Van Vieng playing 'Friend' reruns and offering 'happy' additives to food and drink were not what we were looking for out of Laos (though we'd been well warned by the guide books). It is the beautiful scenery and opportunities for tubing, trekking, and kayaking that draws people to Van Vieng, and we made the most of it. Away from the main backpacker strip, we found a guest-house with bamboo bungalows and great views over the river to the hills beyond.
We spend one day 'tubing', literally floating down the river in big inner tubes, stopping at bars and restaurants along the way - most of them offering swings and flying foxes to keep you entertained. They were blasting out Bob Marley or hits of the '80s and the whole experience was a bit surreal. We left the crowds behind after a while though and for the last hour it felt like we had the river to ourselves, apart from a few fisherman and kids splashing about in the sun. We found ourselves a perch at the end of the run, to watch the sun go down and see the other tubers coming back in varying states of sobriety. Getting out of the tube at one of the faster points in the river, in the dark and after a day of drinking Beer Lao in the sun, is very amusing to watch!
The following day we rented bikes and headed out to Phoukam cave, cycling through Hmong villages, past women weaving silk scarves and refreshed ourselves in the turquoise lagoon outside the cave. The cave itself was big and dark, and with a fair number of bats to maintain the spooky factor (no lights!).
No comments:
Post a Comment