1st June - Up at 6am for a 7am start. We headed to the Thailand border, got our departure forms and passports stamped. Then into a skinny long boat to cross the small river over to the Laos boarder. We hung around the Laos border until Richard (Our Tour Guide) got all our Laos visas sorted. I wanted to change NZ $ into Laos Kip but the bank wouldn’t take it so we ended up drawing out $1million kip. We then jumped into the back of a Ute and headed for our private boat. The boat is rather large and beautiful. The boat has deep red wood floors and carving details all around the side and many comfortable reclining car seats. The actual family who own the boats are on in with us, they have a separate section out the back of the boat.The group just sat around talking, reading, drinking tea, and just chilled to the sights of the Mekong River. The river isn’t that wide and is a milky brown colour and the mountains are lush green, all you can hear is the hum of the engine and thousands and thousands of crickets chirping away. It is so relaxing just what we needed after a busy full on couple of days. There are children playing in the water while their parents fish with nets, and dotted all along the river are bamboo fishing rods wedged in between large rock formations with a water bottle connected to the top, so that when the fish takes the hook you can see the bottle bobbling about.
We stop off at a local Laos mountain village where the people live in bamboo houses about 2 meters off the ground on stilts. The children are super friendly and try to make you laugh. There were many animals roaming the village including, piglets, chickens, ducks, dogs (which they will eat eventually) & manky looking cats. It was so interesting to see how this village lived and even more interesting to see that just about each house had satellite TV dishes.
We get back to the boat and lunch is all prepared consisting of buffalo stir fry, morning glory and fried chicken, was pretty average but nice to eat on the boat.
After much relaxing Richard suggests we play a card game so he taught James, Graham and I to play. It is a very similar game to Asshole or Scum. We play this game for several hours with a constant flow of ice cold beers.
We got to Pak Beng at around 5pm, a total of 8 hours on the boat. Once docked up against the floating jetty about 6 small young Laos boys jumped on board and started putting our back packs on saying ‘ I carry uphill for you, $5,000 kip, cheap, cheap I carry yes’. Graham and I decided to toughen up and carry our packs on our backs for the first time, might I add our bags are the biggest and by far the heaviest on the whole trip. So one broken jandle and a pulled hammy later we made it to the top or the hill where our hotel was. We had 45 mins to shower and then meet in the lobby.
As we walked down the streets of Pak Beng Richard and our tour guide and Louis our local tour guide seem to know all the locals and are being pulled inside peoples home to drink Laos Whiskey (Laa Laa).
We found a nice place to eat where the price was right and there was a free bottle of Whiskey on the table. This is where the shots started, shot after shot of whiskey that burned when it went down, but peer pressure from Richard was the key to keeping the shots coming. ‘King moot’ we would all chant and down the clear burning liquid. About an hour after we ordered our food finally arrived, it is common to have to wait at least an hour to get your food, Laos is much more slower than Thailand, was more chilled and relaxed similar to Fiji and island time.
The tunes were pumping so after dinner we all got up and started dancing the night away.
The toilet or should I say, spider covered dungeon downstairs made you want to drink even more whiskey, just to get the courage to go down there again.
The food was amazing, the music was amazing, and company was amazing and the whiskey was......OK, it was free.
After much dancing we headed up the road to the Hive bar which was a funky cocktail bar. We made friends with the beautiful Laos bartender and I ended up old school dancing with her, swinging each other around and laughing so much we nearly fell over. Well actually I did fall over, but that was later on the way back to the hotel.
We got back to the room and there were bugs everywhere, massive, huge, black, flying bugs! Victoria and Shanad had a massive beetle encounter when is ran up Victoria’s leg, Graham was quick to help rescue the screaming girls, but instead the bug ended up crawling up Grahams leg and he let out a big girl scream!
2nd June – Feeling a tad bit hung over today, I
think everyone is to be honest. Didn’t make the most of the included breakfast today, consuming only 2 pieces of bread and a tea. Back down the hill to the boat and another day of cruising down the Mekong. We are on our way to Luang Prabang, and will be stopping at the Pak Ou Caves. At the moment we are chillaxing , drinking fluids, and getting well replenished after last nights episode. Pak Ou Caves were a bit dissapointing to be honest, we walked up about 250 stairs and it was one small little cave with all these old dusty buddahs in it and about 30 odd bats flying around. Did I mention is was freeking hot, like one of the hottest days so far. Laos seems to be much hotter then Thailand at the moment.We were lucky enough to see some elephants on the water front while on our last leg of the Mekong River. For the next 3 nights we are staying at the Villa Tavandeng which is pretty good and comes with breakfast included which was super yummy this morning.
Tonight we are off to have dinner with Richards family, he is married to a Lao lady and her and the mother in law are cooking us a feed.
It started off with a welcoming ritual where we all had to hold this table in the middle of the room and all 3 Lao ladies started mumbling prays, welcoming us into their home and protection us from any evil spirits. After this we all had to eat a small piece of food and then the ladies started going around tying white cotton braceletts around everyones wrists, everyone got 3 on each arm except Smith who get 4 on each wrist, not sure why though.
We ate the meal on the floor, sitting on little mats. Such an array of foods, the salad was the best by far and the frien egg plant was pretty up there also. After the main meal we finished off with some sweet sticky rice (wild rice cooked in coconut) and the best mango I have ever tasted in my life.
Off to the markets we go, Patricia who is from Germany and is only doing half the tour with us bought up a storm. I managed to some more country patches for my bag and another scarf, Graham got some slippers and Lao singlet and together we got some matching wodden lamps.
James who is from London bought nothing because he had run out of money and wanted to save it for a beer instead. So off to the pub we go, problem was they closed at 11.30pm as Laos have a 12am curfue rule. So it was off to bed for the 4 of us.
3rd June - We managed to get a little bit of a sleep in with an 8.40am go time. We all met in the foyer and headed off to the Arts & Ethnology Museaum, which was rather interest
ing learning about all the different Lao people and how they are all split up and different cultural dress for each group. Then on to an air conditioned bus for our 45min trip up to Kuang Sii waterfalls.The Kuang Sii falls were amazing, like out of this world beautiful, we were in heaven....well I was in heaven when I saw the falls and Graham was in heaven when he saw the swing roap that went into the deep pool. We were all so pleased to get into the water and find that it was actually cold, so refreshing when its about 30 degree out. Graham went nuts on the swing roap so was good fun to watch, then of course he had to pu the swing rope and get more dangerous so climbed up the waterfall part and jumped off the top of that. See Facebook for all the pics, they are fabulous.
We have free time to do what ever we want for the next 2 days. Tonight we are off to dinner with Ausy and Jonothan who are from DC in America and are a lovely couple and I believe Patircia is suppose to be coming along also. Should be a good night.
4th June - Last night Azy, Jonny, Patricia, James Graham & I booked a full day tour including a leisurly bike ride on a drit track then elephant riding through the bush then a gentle kayak down the river, it was rated as 'easy' and the guy at the reception said it was easy for everyone. What a joke, it was more like intermediate level to hard. Our leisurly bike ride consisted of us biking up and down big dirt hills with millions of pot holes and rocks to dodge, on shit as bikes, in the intense heat of the sun. I was one of thoes hard core exercise activities when you have to get off your bike to vommit then push it up the hill. Graham on the other hand loved it and was one of the 3 who cycled right to the end, the whole 2.5 hrs. Azy had to throw in the towel after an hour as it was too sunny and she was getting burnt. I was tempted to go back with her as I was just about ready to pass out but decided to harden up and dig it in. A
bout an hour after James slipped and rammed his bike into a large muddy pot hole and injured himself. I yelled out to the guide that James was hurt and he cycled back and quickly checked the bike had a laugh and made a call. I was kinda glad James fell off cause if meant I could get a ride to the end with him, I figured 2hrs of hard core cycling was good enough for unfit me. We then got to the river side and ate some fried rice. Thenn accross the river on this tiny little long skinny boat that was just about ready to sink over to the elephant riding. Elephant riding consisted of us on the back of the elephant and the elehapant guides following us round the forest, it was about half an hour all together and I almost slipped out the front of the chair. We corssed back over to the original side we were on and walked down the rockey river to the kayak's. The kayaking was the easy part kayaking for a total for 2.5 hours also, crusing down the Nam Ou river, watching the locals fish and the water buffalo having a swim. We stopped off at the Tad Sae falls another beautiful waterfall similar to the Kuang Sii one, same same but not as good as the Lao would say. We met 'the girls' Victoria and Shanade at the waterfalls, they had some a full day with the elephants feeding them and bathing them in the Nam Ou river, they said it was amazing. We got back in the kayaks and paddled down the river again over some small white water rafting spots which was fun and then got a tuk tuk back to the hotel. We names our little group 'Go Team Gap'.
bout an hour after James slipped and rammed his bike into a large muddy pot hole and injured himself. I yelled out to the guide that James was hurt and he cycled back and quickly checked the bike had a laugh and made a call. I was kinda glad James fell off cause if meant I could get a ride to the end with him, I figured 2hrs of hard core cycling was good enough for unfit me. We then got to the river side and ate some fried rice. Thenn accross the river on this tiny little long skinny boat that was just about ready to sink over to the elephant riding. Elephant riding consisted of us on the back of the elephant and the elehapant guides following us round the forest, it was about half an hour all together and I almost slipped out the front of the chair. We corssed back over to the original side we were on and walked down the rockey river to the kayak's. The kayaking was the easy part kayaking for a total for 2.5 hours also, crusing down the Nam Ou river, watching the locals fish and the water buffalo having a swim. We stopped off at the Tad Sae falls another beautiful waterfall similar to the Kuang Sii one, same same but not as good as the Lao would say. We met 'the girls' Victoria and Shanade at the waterfalls, they had some a full day with the elephants feeding them and bathing them in the Nam Ou river, they said it was amazing. We got back in the kayaks and paddled down the river again over some small white water rafting spots which was fun and then got a tuk tuk back to the hotel. We names our little group 'Go Team Gap'.5th June - We checked out of Villa Tavandeng and were off on the buss at 9am for a 7 hour trip to Vang Vieng. The scenery is gorgeous, much like the South Island for me and similar to the Drakensburg in SA mountain ranges, similar to the devils tooth in some parts. We stop at the top of one mountain and the view is stunning absolutely gorgeous, Graham ordered a prawn an cashew stir-fry and I had a spicy chicken soup, my taste in food has totally changed, im loving my spicey curries and soups. We get to the Thavensouk Guesthouse which was really nice. We had a second floor room with a balcony and a/c, yay. We have a free day tomorrow and decided to book an other tour with Azy and Jonothan. So the four of us decided to do a half day rock climing tour. Off to dinner for a pizza and a burger as we were craving western food.
6th June - Today was the day that 'Go Team Gap' was renamed 'Team Extreem', we seem to
be suckers for pain. It was absolutly pouring down today and we had to wait around for 1.5 hours while the guides decided what we were going to do. At about 10.30 we finally got on the road off to the shead up the road to get our climbing shoes and harnes geers, then off to the mountain rock face.....or so we thought. We didn't really think that in order to get to the rock face we would actually have to hike through some pretty dense bush. We were rock climbing up the hill befor we even got to the rock climbing area. we crossed over a very strong river up to our thighs, got bitten by fire ants and jumped around like a bunch of little girls, climbed up slipery rocks and hiked up dense bush with more ants this time they were deadly so we stayed clear of them. Then some time later we finally got to the actual climbing wall. So first up was....hmmm....guess who? Graham! Hehehe.
be suckers for pain. It was absolutly pouring down today and we had to wait around for 1.5 hours while the guides decided what we were going to do. At about 10.30 we finally got on the road off to the shead up the road to get our climbing shoes and harnes geers, then off to the mountain rock face.....or so we thought. We didn't really think that in order to get to the rock face we would actually have to hike through some pretty dense bush. We were rock climbing up the hill befor we even got to the rock climbing area. we crossed over a very strong river up to our thighs, got bitten by fire ants and jumped around like a bunch of little girls, climbed up slipery rocks and hiked up dense bush with more ants this time they were deadly so we stayed clear of them. Then some time later we finally got to the actual climbing wall. So first up was....hmmm....guess who? Graham! Hehehe.Graham climbed the grade 6A and got ¾ of the way up on the 1st attempt. He found it quite a challenge as it has been a number of years since he has climbed and is out of practice. Azy climbed grade 5 on and managed to get about ¾ of the way A up she seemed to take the rock with much ease and like a rock rabbit scrambled up the cliff. Johnny attempted grade 6 and managed to get ½ way up the cliff. Leah was next, she attempted to climb grade 5 and got ½ way up the cliff. For a 1st time climber she took to the rock with much ease. I think Leah enjoyed abseiling down more than the climb, as she let out a little screech on the way down!!!I I’m not sure if it was from fear or excitement!!! Round 2 was on ...Graham attempted the more difficult grade again, and this time managed ½ way. He seemed very determined , but fatigue , and all the biting mozzies got the better of him .Azy attempted grade 6, and managed about ½ the climb. Johnny was next and climbed grade 5. He had no real issues , and with the guidance of one of the instructors (monkey man )who shouted out from the bottom where to put his hands and feet conquered the cliff!!!!! Leah decided that 1 climb was enough and took to the camera and captured all the evidence. I am writing this form a very very bumpy bus ride on the way to Halong Bay.
I forgot to mention the Singaporean girl who climbed with us and had a full day climb. Team extreme had a half days climb, we packed up and headed back down the mountain. The walk back was very challenging , as we had 2 deal with the fire ants , biting mozzies , and steep az rocks to get down. We got down the mountain and waited for the tuk tuk 2 arrive. We made some friends with a couple of dosy looking cows and found them quite amusing. We arrived back at the office about 3:30pm.
We rushed to go grab a coupla tubes to tube down the river, but they were about 2 close...not meant 2 be!! Off 2 the pub for a drink.
Later that night eam extreme + 2 caught a tuk tuk 2 the blue lagoon , which turned out not being so blue... it bucketed down the night before .nd the lagoon which was more of a stream was a murky brown colour.... classic.
We had a swim and a play in the water and then headed back virtually in the dark in the same tuk tuk to have sum grub and a early night . On the way back we passed a number of broken down scooters ..... classic az. quite glad that we didn’t hire a scooter as the road was bumpy as!
I forgot to mention the Singaporean girl who climbed with us and had a full day climb. Team extreme had a half days climb, we packed up and headed back down the mountain. The walk back was very challenging , as we had 2 deal with the fire ants , biting mozzies , and steep az rocks to get down. We got down the mountain and waited for the tuk tuk 2 arrive. We made some friends with a couple of dosy looking cows and found them quite amusing. We arrived back at the office about 3:30pm.
We rushed to go grab a coupla tubes to tube down the river, but they were about 2 close...not meant 2 be!! Off 2 the pub for a drink.
Later that night eam extreme + 2 caught a tuk tuk 2 the blue lagoon , which turned out not being so blue... it bucketed down the night before .nd the lagoon which was more of a stream was a murky brown colour.... classic.
We had a swim and a play in the water and then headed back virtually in the dark in the same tuk tuk to have sum grub and a early night . On the way back we passed a number of broken down scooters ..... classic az. quite glad that we didn’t hire a scooter as the road was bumpy as!
7th June- 8am bus ride from Vang Vieng to Vientiane took us 3.5 hours. A long time to hold it if u are busting!!!! We were supposed to have a toilet stop half way, but that never happened.
We arrived around mid day, checked in and took a walk 2 get a feed. Graham had a mean as cheese and egg burger, and leah had satay chicken on sticks.We also had fresh spring rolls (rice paper)
We then missioned round various temples, went up some monument that looked a lot like the Arc De Triomp. It was called Patu Xai. The history behind this was that the American’s supplied the dollar to build a runway,but that never developed into anything, so the Vietnamese people built a monument.
We climbed many stairs, there were markets inside the monuments, any opportunity for a market ay. Graham purchased a massive lighter that he had ever seen!!!!
We then went shopping to one of the chopping centres which were numerous stalls all crammed together. Graham was not up for shopping , so we caught a tuk tuk back 2 the hotel and chillaxed for a bit.
Dinner was near the waterfront at a lovely French restaurant. Leah had a chicken breast with mashed potato which was good for her potato fix. Graham had a stir-fry beef. A coupla of beers and then went walking 2 find a massage, which ended up being a mish that didn’t happen.tuk tuk back 2 the hotel 2 end the day.
We arrived around mid day, checked in and took a walk 2 get a feed. Graham had a mean as cheese and egg burger, and leah had satay chicken on sticks.We also had fresh spring rolls (rice paper)
We then missioned round various temples, went up some monument that looked a lot like the Arc De Triomp. It was called Patu Xai. The history behind this was that the American’s supplied the dollar to build a runway,but that never developed into anything, so the Vietnamese people built a monument.
We climbed many stairs, there were markets inside the monuments, any opportunity for a market ay. Graham purchased a massive lighter that he had ever seen!!!!
We then went shopping to one of the chopping centres which were numerous stalls all crammed together. Graham was not up for shopping , so we caught a tuk tuk back 2 the hotel and chillaxed for a bit.
Dinner was near the waterfront at a lovely French restaurant. Leah had a chicken breast with mashed potato which was good for her potato fix. Graham had a stir-fry beef. A coupla of beers and then went walking 2 find a massage, which ended up being a mish that didn’t happen.tuk tuk back 2 the hotel 2 end the day.
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