So after much deliberation at the Vietnamese border, from the border control staff, we finally got to leave Vietnam. They didn’t seem too happy about my emergency passport but in the end gave me a piece of paper saying I could leave. We then drove the 5 minutes to the Laos border control. Again I got the disgruntled look about the passport however we had already had our visa for Laos so the process was much easier. We must of paid around 5 different types of charges including a 10000 kip (ÂŁ1) overtime fee as it was a Sunday. After passing through the border we got back in the taxi (no buses due to Tet 🤦‍♀️) and after a short while we arrived at Muang Khoa.
The next day we took a boat to Nong Khiaw our first stop in Laos. This boat was meant to take 5 hours but took around an extra two hours which in South East Asia this is a common occurrence for all transport. Along the river they have built a dam so we had to get off and transfer to another boat. However there was a lot more people that needed to get on this boat. Of course the only normal solution was to get a meat knife and start hacking the chairs out and bashing the nails down so more people would fit in. Eventually a very cramped ride later we arrived. As we get off I find out that my bag has been laid in a puddle on the floor- cue a grumpy Jess with a very wet bottom from carrying a wet rucksack. My grumpiness soon disappeared though as my clothes that were inside bags in my rucksack had survived the wet! We then went for a walk to discover the sunset and for a bite to eat.
The next day we had booked a tour to go see some local villages, a waterfall and then kayak down the river. Our first stop was a village with only 200 people, we saw the school and how the locals lived. One little boy followed us around, we found out he has some kind of learning difficulty and therefore doesn’t go to to school as they didn’t see the point. Unfortunately although provision for the disabled people in these countries has improved it still has a long way to go.
We then hiked to the waterfall the scenery was so beautiful more impressive for me than the actual waterfall. When we reached the top we had some food on a banana leaf. Whilst we were dubious at first as it had been in our guides rucksack for most of the day in the 30°+ heat it tasted good.
We then got to Kayak down the river we spent two hours kayaking until we reached the end as the sun was setting.
The next day we spent the morning relaxing before we hiked up the Phadeng peak for sunset. When we arrived there was warning sign about unexploded bombs, sticking to the path was a must. After a very exhausting and hot hike up we got to see a pretty spectacular sunset. We then hiked back down with our head torches on and as it was away from any lighting we got to see a full sky of stars.
Luang Prabang
My favourite city, with a french feel to it. The atmosphere was calm yet busy and the people were very friendly. We met up with our friends Dave and Stacey and had a lovely dinner with great company.
During our time here we went to Kuang Si waterfall. The waterfall was so pretty with a blue colour. We hiked up to the top of the water fall and discovered some of the area and walked to the springs. When we came back down we decided to have a swim in the waterfall. Not of course without Chinese tourists taking photos of us (we seem to be a tourist attraction for some Asian tourists as this hasn’t been a one off occasion). However aside from that the waterfall was refreshing. It also housed some bears that had been rescued as they are poached and killed for their bile and paws for use in Chinese medicines.
We also saw Mount Phu Si and the Royal Palace museum, they were both interesting and added more to our Laos experience. I even found a Saturday Buddha- the day that I was born (I’m reminded of a story that when I was born my grandad got brought baby shopping instead watching the the Final of the FA cup).
Vang Vieng
This town had more of a party vibe which is a shame as tourism is spoiling the town but I guess fun for those looking to party. We spent our time here tubing down the river. When planning this trip I pictured this as a relaxed experience stopping off at bars down the river and relaxing. It was more of a glorified pub crawl but with lots of drunk people in and out of the water. We had a good night however and the tubing was definitely entertaining. We spent the rest of the time relaxing and soaking up the sun and again meeting Dave and Stacey for Mexican this time!
Vientiane
We have spent the last 2 days of our time in Laos here before crossing the border into Thailand. We have been to the night market and had a cute little valentines date. We of course ate the British eat and had fish and chips and beer.
We have spent today visiting the Buddha park and the COPE centre. The Buddha park was fun and different a big exhibition of different buddhas each telling their own story.
The COPE centre was a real eye opener for me and again hit home about the devastating impact the war had on innocent people. It still is having a massive impact to this day with many people dying or being injured due to UXO (unexploded bombs). Children are collecting scrap metal from the bombs to sell for money to help their families without questioning the fact it could explode. The COPE centre is a organisation that supports people getting prosthetics mainly due to bombs but also other accidents or disabilities.
We now are going to cross the border into Thailand tomorrow, meaning we only have just over 2 weeks left of our trip.
Next blog post will be of Thailand. Bye for now x
JessTashandBobby-SEAsia 