We are nearing the end of our journey, and I am not sure if we are visiting places or this is part of the long winding road to Bangkok. The big city at the hub of Asian travel. Where we will buy presents and also get the healthcare we need. We have only 12 days left.
Our lives back home are looking good. I have a place at my sisters until I sort myself out. Sarah looks like she has secured a job and a place in the USA. This will be in Haines, Alaska. Alaska was our original plan, and it looks like it has come full circle. I'm excited and confused all at once. However, I'm curtailing my excitement, as between the USA and me stands the dreaded interview at the American Embassy. Thirty minutes of my life sat in front of a US diplomat who will decide my future based on a bit of a checkered, but fully disclosed past.
Back to the journey. We left Vang Vieng at 11ish and the bus journey through the mountains of Laos was magnificent. I was reading the actor Rob Lowes biography (dissappointing) most of the time, but had to put it down to look out the window to counteract travel sickness. The roads are winding and the speed of the bus I doubt passed 30mph for any of the 200 mile journey. This didn't matter. It was a honour to look out at the Laotian villages. They seem to build the smallest of wooden stilt houses all along the road. The people and children look so clean and content despite what is obviously not affluence.
We arrived at about 6pm into Luang Prubang, and through travel weariness took the first guesthouse with the right price offered. Its wasn't bad at all. On leaving to eat, we wondered where the Ubud or Hoi An we envisaged was. It was not until the following day, when we had a map and the correct turn we saw it there almost on our doorstep.
Central and historic Luang Prubang is a peninsular formed by the Nam Khan River meeting the mighty Mekong. To this end its a good place to wander as you cannot get lost, you run out of land. In the evening the restaurants lit up by fairy lights and sitting alongside the Mekong almost turn a torch on the magic of the town. Added to this, the town circles Wat Phu Si on the hill looking down on the town. You have a great place to wander.
We were sat having fruit shakes as a sort of breakfast desert, and I was thumbing through the bible that is Lonely Planet. I seemed to remember a temple where the narrative in the book says, "Despite the onset of temple fatigue (after three weeks in Asia) Wat Xieng Thong in Luang Prubang completely seduced me...". Did you say Luang Prubang. I saw this ages ago and wasn't sure where the temple was, possibly in the south or miles from where we are. A quick look on the map and it was merely a 10 minute walk north east alongside the Mekong.
I must say it obviously meant more to the writer, than it did to us. I had seen much better temples, but it was pretty good to have another look at a golden Buddha, and maybe get some more merits. The fun happened when we also found out it was a working temple, where young monks are schooled. I saw a gang of monk teenagers, garbed in the usual orange and arm wrestling. I signaled asking if I could take a picture. They said no and I respected their wishes. For some reason, like a boy asking to join a game of football I asked to arm wrestle. They were pleased to oblige. The first one I beat quite easily, but the second was a little harder to beat and pushing his wrist down that extra inch and seeing his earnest muscles flex in determination not to be defeated was impressive. Still he went down. I feared they would all line up to beat chubby Goliath. However, by the third monk my arms muscles had given up and he beat me very quickly. That was entertaining. How many can say they've arm wrestled a monk?
Today we have Luang Prubang to ourselves until 5pm. Then we catch a 14 hour bus to Huay Xai. Huay Xai also sits on The Mekong. Although on the other side of the river is Chiang Khong in Thailand. Yes we've almost reached the end of Laos.
Laos has been good to us. It hasn't hassled us much. On reflection, I don't think the people are amazingly friendly. Being friendly takes effort and it seems Laotians run from any effort of any sort. You are warned as a westerner entering Laos, that Laotians move at their pace. This should be fine, but even the most chilled of us can find themselves tapping their feet when a waiter looks slowly for a calculator to work out the change of Kp17,000 when handed a Kp 20,000 note. Or it may be it is time for me to go home to my world. It's all a learning curve.
Our lives back home are looking good. I have a place at my sisters until I sort myself out. Sarah looks like she has secured a job and a place in the USA. This will be in Haines, Alaska. Alaska was our original plan, and it looks like it has come full circle. I'm excited and confused all at once. However, I'm curtailing my excitement, as between the USA and me stands the dreaded interview at the American Embassy. Thirty minutes of my life sat in front of a US diplomat who will decide my future based on a bit of a checkered, but fully disclosed past.
Back to the journey. We left Vang Vieng at 11ish and the bus journey through the mountains of Laos was magnificent. I was reading the actor Rob Lowes biography (dissappointing) most of the time, but had to put it down to look out the window to counteract travel sickness. The roads are winding and the speed of the bus I doubt passed 30mph for any of the 200 mile journey. This didn't matter. It was a honour to look out at the Laotian villages. They seem to build the smallest of wooden stilt houses all along the road. The people and children look so clean and content despite what is obviously not affluence.
We arrived at about 6pm into Luang Prubang, and through travel weariness took the first guesthouse with the right price offered. Its wasn't bad at all. On leaving to eat, we wondered where the Ubud or Hoi An we envisaged was. It was not until the following day, when we had a map and the correct turn we saw it there almost on our doorstep.
Central and historic Luang Prubang is a peninsular formed by the Nam Khan River meeting the mighty Mekong. To this end its a good place to wander as you cannot get lost, you run out of land. In the evening the restaurants lit up by fairy lights and sitting alongside the Mekong almost turn a torch on the magic of the town. Added to this, the town circles Wat Phu Si on the hill looking down on the town. You have a great place to wander.
We were sat having fruit shakes as a sort of breakfast desert, and I was thumbing through the bible that is Lonely Planet. I seemed to remember a temple where the narrative in the book says, "Despite the onset of temple fatigue (after three weeks in Asia) Wat Xieng Thong in Luang Prubang completely seduced me...". Did you say Luang Prubang. I saw this ages ago and wasn't sure where the temple was, possibly in the south or miles from where we are. A quick look on the map and it was merely a 10 minute walk north east alongside the Mekong.
I must say it obviously meant more to the writer, than it did to us. I had seen much better temples, but it was pretty good to have another look at a golden Buddha, and maybe get some more merits. The fun happened when we also found out it was a working temple, where young monks are schooled. I saw a gang of monk teenagers, garbed in the usual orange and arm wrestling. I signaled asking if I could take a picture. They said no and I respected their wishes. For some reason, like a boy asking to join a game of football I asked to arm wrestle. They were pleased to oblige. The first one I beat quite easily, but the second was a little harder to beat and pushing his wrist down that extra inch and seeing his earnest muscles flex in determination not to be defeated was impressive. Still he went down. I feared they would all line up to beat chubby Goliath. However, by the third monk my arms muscles had given up and he beat me very quickly. That was entertaining. How many can say they've arm wrestled a monk?
Today we have Luang Prubang to ourselves until 5pm. Then we catch a 14 hour bus to Huay Xai. Huay Xai also sits on The Mekong. Although on the other side of the river is Chiang Khong in Thailand. Yes we've almost reached the end of Laos.
Laos has been good to us. It hasn't hassled us much. On reflection, I don't think the people are amazingly friendly. Being friendly takes effort and it seems Laotians run from any effort of any sort. You are warned as a westerner entering Laos, that Laotians move at their pace. This should be fine, but even the most chilled of us can find themselves tapping their feet when a waiter looks slowly for a calculator to work out the change of Kp17,000 when handed a Kp 20,000 note. Or it may be it is time for me to go home to my world. It's all a learning curve.
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