So I spent the last day here in Laos walking around the capital, Vientiane. It is by far the least developed capital I have ever visited. But it has a nice character to it. I visited more temples than I can count today, and loved all of them. While I am sad to see the trip end, I am happy to head home to Changsha.
The most interesting place I went was Laos' version of the Arc de Triumph. It was built from concrete donated by the US for a new runway... thus it has earned the nickname The vertical runway.
C. Johnson
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Kayaking
Okay, Vang Vieng was fun, but we couldn't stay there forever... so yesterday, it was on to Vientiane. Instead of just hopping on a bus and taking a long 3-hour trip down to Laos' capital, we decided to go kayaking. It was a blast!
We started by going through a couple of small rapids. Frank, Vinny and I all fell in the water... unfortunately Frank brought the trophy with him and it was never seen again. Actually, it was a fitting end for our brave mascot. Before stopping for a picnic of BBQ'd chicken and veggies with rice, we were given the opportunity to jump off a ten meter cliff into the river. Also a blast!!
Vientiane is a bit seedy for my tastes but we are only spending a bit of time here so it'll be allright. This morning I went for a walk down by the river and now I'm writing this post. This is our last full day here in Laos so I'm sure we will make the most of it.
Thanks for reading.
C. Johnson
We started by going through a couple of small rapids. Frank, Vinny and I all fell in the water... unfortunately Frank brought the trophy with him and it was never seen again. Actually, it was a fitting end for our brave mascot. Before stopping for a picnic of BBQ'd chicken and veggies with rice, we were given the opportunity to jump off a ten meter cliff into the river. Also a blast!!
Vientiane is a bit seedy for my tastes but we are only spending a bit of time here so it'll be allright. This morning I went for a walk down by the river and now I'm writing this post. This is our last full day here in Laos so I'm sure we will make the most of it.
Thanks for reading.
C. Johnson
Monday, February 7, 2011
Celebrating Spring with Aussies in Laos
Yesterday and today there was no power in the whole city... thus the lapse in blogging.
For Australians Vang Vieng is something equivalent to Cancun (except it is completely undeveloped still). My point is that Australians come here for spring break. So it is crazy...
The minivan from Luang Prabang was uneventful, other than the unbelievable scenery. Laos' Northern Provinces are covered with rugged mountainous terrain. Without the money for true highways, the government has essentially just paved the most frequented dirt paths through the hills, which means that it takes hours to get anywhere of consequence. The countryside is well populated, but not crowded, with most people living in thatch huts made of palm fronds. Each valley was more beautiful than the last and every time we went around a bend a dusty ribbon of road came into view and snaked endlessly through the Northern lands.
Vang Vieng is a dusty little town that thrives under the burden of Australian spring breakers. My Aussie friend (travel buddy) Jack has a quote that just about sums the place up. Last night after drinking on the river (more later) we were dangling our feet off the back of the Tuk Tuk returning to town. He lost his sandals (as I subsequently did) and he said "Well I'm not gonna buy new ones... there's no need in this town."
'The River' boasts kayaking and tubing, zip-lining and water slides, all centered around four or five river-side bars. In the wet season the bars are spread out, but now that it is dry the next bar is just about always in the line of sight of the bar you're at now.
Every morning an army of tan young bodies pile into Tuk Tuks (open air taxis) and are taken ten kilometers upstream from the town to the cleverly named Bar 1. Which is of course followed by Bar 2, Bar 3, Bar 4 and so on. As the tubers or kayakers make their way downstream, those without transportation (me and Jack) jump in the river and swim down to follow them. The party moves and keeps going in this remarkably organic fashion from 10 AM till about 6 PM. Then you pile back into your Tuk Tuks and come back to town. As you might imagine, it is a pretty raucous atmosphere... and I am enjoying myself.
I've only got a few more days here in Laos before I head back to China, and Mary. The relationship seems to have survived this short distance test which is good. I love you all and thanks for reading.
C. Johnson
For Australians Vang Vieng is something equivalent to Cancun (except it is completely undeveloped still). My point is that Australians come here for spring break. So it is crazy...
The minivan from Luang Prabang was uneventful, other than the unbelievable scenery. Laos' Northern Provinces are covered with rugged mountainous terrain. Without the money for true highways, the government has essentially just paved the most frequented dirt paths through the hills, which means that it takes hours to get anywhere of consequence. The countryside is well populated, but not crowded, with most people living in thatch huts made of palm fronds. Each valley was more beautiful than the last and every time we went around a bend a dusty ribbon of road came into view and snaked endlessly through the Northern lands.
Vang Vieng is a dusty little town that thrives under the burden of Australian spring breakers. My Aussie friend (travel buddy) Jack has a quote that just about sums the place up. Last night after drinking on the river (more later) we were dangling our feet off the back of the Tuk Tuk returning to town. He lost his sandals (as I subsequently did) and he said "Well I'm not gonna buy new ones... there's no need in this town."
'The River' boasts kayaking and tubing, zip-lining and water slides, all centered around four or five river-side bars. In the wet season the bars are spread out, but now that it is dry the next bar is just about always in the line of sight of the bar you're at now.
Every morning an army of tan young bodies pile into Tuk Tuks (open air taxis) and are taken ten kilometers upstream from the town to the cleverly named Bar 1. Which is of course followed by Bar 2, Bar 3, Bar 4 and so on. As the tubers or kayakers make their way downstream, those without transportation (me and Jack) jump in the river and swim down to follow them. The party moves and keeps going in this remarkably organic fashion from 10 AM till about 6 PM. Then you pile back into your Tuk Tuks and come back to town. As you might imagine, it is a pretty raucous atmosphere... and I am enjoying myself.
I've only got a few more days here in Laos before I head back to China, and Mary. The relationship seems to have survived this short distance test which is good. I love you all and thanks for reading.
C. Johnson
Friday, February 4, 2011
Sun Bears, Waterfalls, and Boobs
Another good day...
Last night Frank decided it would be a good idea to buy a box of wine. So obviously this morning when I woke up I felt pretty terrible.
At 11:30 AM, after eating a baguette with two eggs, we climbed into a saganthaw (a small truck with two benches in the bed) and made our way to the local waterfall... It was just what I needed.
Included in the park is a bear sanctuary. Laos currently has a ton of problems with the export of rare (and thus endangered) species, and the purpose of this facility is to educate the public and try to protect the local exotic wildlife. They had at least 5 small Sun Bears (as opposed to a Grizzly Bear). We then walked up on a dirt path to the waterfall, which was beautiful.
Between the waterfall and the reservation facility there are a number of small pools where one can swim in the stream. One pool features a nice waterfall (maybe ten feet high) to jump off of, and in front of that they built a rope swing. A mass of people gathered around this pool anticipating:
A) you would be really good and do a cool flip or dive,
B) you would try to be really cool but mess up and hit the water with a loud painful slap, or
C) you would make a complete ass out of yourself.
Trust me it was a pressure cooker. After several jumps somewhere around the 'low-A' to 'B' range I made one jump that was a complete 'C' and called it a day.
Outside the park I bought a nice blanket. As I was negotiating the price, the woman I was speaking to picked up her baby and started breast feeding it. This was a good tactic as I probably agreed to a price too high just to get out of there.
Tomorrow we will head to the party town of Vang Vieng!
C. Johnson
Last night Frank decided it would be a good idea to buy a box of wine. So obviously this morning when I woke up I felt pretty terrible.
At 11:30 AM, after eating a baguette with two eggs, we climbed into a saganthaw (a small truck with two benches in the bed) and made our way to the local waterfall... It was just what I needed.
Included in the park is a bear sanctuary. Laos currently has a ton of problems with the export of rare (and thus endangered) species, and the purpose of this facility is to educate the public and try to protect the local exotic wildlife. They had at least 5 small Sun Bears (as opposed to a Grizzly Bear). We then walked up on a dirt path to the waterfall, which was beautiful.
Between the waterfall and the reservation facility there are a number of small pools where one can swim in the stream. One pool features a nice waterfall (maybe ten feet high) to jump off of, and in front of that they built a rope swing. A mass of people gathered around this pool anticipating:
A) you would be really good and do a cool flip or dive,
B) you would try to be really cool but mess up and hit the water with a loud painful slap, or
C) you would make a complete ass out of yourself.
Trust me it was a pressure cooker. After several jumps somewhere around the 'low-A' to 'B' range I made one jump that was a complete 'C' and called it a day.
Outside the park I bought a nice blanket. As I was negotiating the price, the woman I was speaking to picked up her baby and started breast feeding it. This was a good tactic as I probably agreed to a price too high just to get out of there.
Tomorrow we will head to the party town of Vang Vieng!
C. Johnson
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Soaking up Life in Laos
Luang Prabang
Yesterday we took a 9 hour bus ride from Namtha to Luang Prabang. The ride was crowded, hot, long, and the bus broke down... twice. Last night was Chinese-New- Year's-Eve and we tried to find some Chinese tourists here to party with. Unfortunately our efforts proved to be largely futile. We did find a Hunan Restaurant that had two large families watching CCTV's New Year's programing being broadcast from Beijing. We threw out a few 'XinNian KuaiLe's' (Happy New Year), and spent a little time talking with them. Because the upcoming year is my animal (year of the rabbit) people were especially excited for me. We also spent some time shopping in the famous night market in the center of town.
Today I took a much needed solo day. Instead of renting bikes with the guys, I decided to walk around Luang Prabang. It's a charming little town full of small cafes and little markets. I visited Wat Xieng Thong. This small temple was overrun by tourists. On one hand, the temple was really cool. I have probably seen over one hundred temples in my life but I am still amazed by the dutiful effort the monks, at even a small temple like this, put forth to maintain their institutions. Unfortunately, most people were not respecting the privacy of the visiting Laos locals and were blatantly taking photos of Buddha and those praying in the temples. In Thailand or India these people would have been removed from the Temple, but Laos is more laid back and most pretended not to notice the annoyance.
Walking along the Mekong River I noticed two boys no older that six bolt out of a shack on the far bank and run into a shallow, slow moving part of the river. They were stark naked. They picked their way carefully through the shallows to a small exposed sand bar about fifty meters upstream. Once they got there they jumped into the fast moving current on the opposite side of the sandbar and giggled wildly as they flew downstream. I imagined that their mother had sent them out to go wash up, and presumed that instead of doing something boring like taking a bath, they decided to play a bit. Of course when mom asked if they were clean, they would certainly assure her that they were.
I found a second temple complex named Ban Aham. This was laid out over a large complex and includes 8 or 9 stupas with one main hall. It was nice to relax in the shade and enjoy the outdoors in one of the many large grass lawns within the temple complex. I bought a couple pieces of artwork near here as well.
Upon the recommendation of an ex-pat turned local I walked for about an hour on the far side of the Mekong River. There wasn't much over there, but again, it was fantastic to soak up the sun.
Tomorrow we will head in a minivan to a supposedly fantastic waterfall at about 11:30. There are only 8 days left in my vacation so I need to enjoy the weather as long as I can!
C. Johnson
Yesterday we took a 9 hour bus ride from Namtha to Luang Prabang. The ride was crowded, hot, long, and the bus broke down... twice. Last night was Chinese-New- Year's-Eve and we tried to find some Chinese tourists here to party with. Unfortunately our efforts proved to be largely futile. We did find a Hunan Restaurant that had two large families watching CCTV's New Year's programing being broadcast from Beijing. We threw out a few 'XinNian KuaiLe's' (Happy New Year), and spent a little time talking with them. Because the upcoming year is my animal (year of the rabbit) people were especially excited for me. We also spent some time shopping in the famous night market in the center of town.
Today I took a much needed solo day. Instead of renting bikes with the guys, I decided to walk around Luang Prabang. It's a charming little town full of small cafes and little markets. I visited Wat Xieng Thong. This small temple was overrun by tourists. On one hand, the temple was really cool. I have probably seen over one hundred temples in my life but I am still amazed by the dutiful effort the monks, at even a small temple like this, put forth to maintain their institutions. Unfortunately, most people were not respecting the privacy of the visiting Laos locals and were blatantly taking photos of Buddha and those praying in the temples. In Thailand or India these people would have been removed from the Temple, but Laos is more laid back and most pretended not to notice the annoyance.
Walking along the Mekong River I noticed two boys no older that six bolt out of a shack on the far bank and run into a shallow, slow moving part of the river. They were stark naked. They picked their way carefully through the shallows to a small exposed sand bar about fifty meters upstream. Once they got there they jumped into the fast moving current on the opposite side of the sandbar and giggled wildly as they flew downstream. I imagined that their mother had sent them out to go wash up, and presumed that instead of doing something boring like taking a bath, they decided to play a bit. Of course when mom asked if they were clean, they would certainly assure her that they were.
I found a second temple complex named Ban Aham. This was laid out over a large complex and includes 8 or 9 stupas with one main hall. It was nice to relax in the shade and enjoy the outdoors in one of the many large grass lawns within the temple complex. I bought a couple pieces of artwork near here as well.
Upon the recommendation of an ex-pat turned local I walked for about an hour on the far side of the Mekong River. There wasn't much over there, but again, it was fantastic to soak up the sun.
Tomorrow we will head in a minivan to a supposedly fantastic waterfall at about 11:30. There are only 8 days left in my vacation so I need to enjoy the weather as long as I can!
C. Johnson
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Tiger "Tales"
First thing after breakfast yesterday we rented some 125 cc Suzuki gas powered mopeds and hit the pavement. The first place we stopped was a small town just outside of Luang Namtha.
The roads off of highway 3A were all bumpy, dirty, dustbowls, but one specific road had a parade of colorful umbrellas so we followed it. The umbrellas were protecting students from the sun on their way to school. Most walked or rode on bicycles... I saw only one student with a gas powered moped.
The high school was a structure of no more than three or four rooms built on stilts. Most buildings that are not made of concrete are built on stilts. (Most buildings are not made of concrete). The primary school was on an adjacent corner. It was just a concrete shell with no visible sources of electricity running towards it. Dirty, I mean really filthy, children were playing in the small schoolyard.
At lunch we met two guys who ran tourist trekking companies in town. Being good entrepenuers, they invited us over for a drink. We started talking and the topic of tigers came up. The man closest to me told me this story: "When I was a young child I was walking my water buffalo through the jungle with my brother and my aunt. We had two buffalo. Suddenly a tiger attacked the lead water buffalo mortally injuring it. My aunt tried to protect the second buffalo, but the tiger started attacking her. My older brother was very brave, and we had a rifle, so he shot at the tiger. Then he pulled out a machete and hit it three times. The tiger ran away. My aunt lived but the tribal doctor needed to amputate her leg."
The other man told this story: "When I was very young a hunter in my village killed a tiger with some other men from his family. That night we had a huge celebration and everyone ate some of the tiger."
These may be tall tales but think about this before you write them off.... The second man's village is only accessable by a four hour bus ride (from a capital city where there are more bamboo buildings than concrete ones) followed by a four hour trek into the deep jungle. Laos is craaaazy.
C. Johnson
The roads off of highway 3A were all bumpy, dirty, dustbowls, but one specific road had a parade of colorful umbrellas so we followed it. The umbrellas were protecting students from the sun on their way to school. Most walked or rode on bicycles... I saw only one student with a gas powered moped.
The high school was a structure of no more than three or four rooms built on stilts. Most buildings that are not made of concrete are built on stilts. (Most buildings are not made of concrete). The primary school was on an adjacent corner. It was just a concrete shell with no visible sources of electricity running towards it. Dirty, I mean really filthy, children were playing in the small schoolyard.
At lunch we met two guys who ran tourist trekking companies in town. Being good entrepenuers, they invited us over for a drink. We started talking and the topic of tigers came up. The man closest to me told me this story: "When I was a young child I was walking my water buffalo through the jungle with my brother and my aunt. We had two buffalo. Suddenly a tiger attacked the lead water buffalo mortally injuring it. My aunt tried to protect the second buffalo, but the tiger started attacking her. My older brother was very brave, and we had a rifle, so he shot at the tiger. Then he pulled out a machete and hit it three times. The tiger ran away. My aunt lived but the tribal doctor needed to amputate her leg."
The other man told this story: "When I was very young a hunter in my village killed a tiger with some other men from his family. That night we had a huge celebration and everyone ate some of the tiger."
These may be tall tales but think about this before you write them off.... The second man's village is only accessable by a four hour bus ride (from a capital city where there are more bamboo buildings than concrete ones) followed by a four hour trek into the deep jungle. Laos is craaaazy.
C. Johnson
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Crossing the Border into Laos
OK so it has been a while since I posted, but the Internet has been tricky here on the border. We spent one full day in Jinghong, the least Chinese city I have ever been to. The architecture, language (in addition to Chinese), and the people are SE Asian.
We rented some bikes then tooled around the outskirts of the city. I caught my first sight of the Mekong, one of the world's great rivers, which I was pumped about. At dinner that night we complained to the waitress that Yunnan food was too bland and that we Hunnan people would want something spicier. They threw their best at us... and ya, it was spicy. While at dinner we met some Chinese guys, and after going home to change our clothes, we met them at a club on the less populated side of the river. The place was completely empty except for our new-found friends. As hard as we tried, there was no way to make this a party so we headed home early for our trip to Laos the next day.
The bus was already close to full by the time we boarded it at 11:30. The reputed Jinghong to Laos bus clearly had its true origins somewhere to the north. After clumsily taking my seat I got ready for the long trek south of the border. I passed the time by listening to audio books and pretending to be asleep.
After a few hours we stopped in Mengla, on the Chinese side of the border. All the passengers hopped off(I unfolded like an accordion) and got some stuff to eat. While we were gone our bus was packed with everything from Lays chips to some odd metal satellite looking things. It wasn't until then that I realized our driver had parked in the import/export section of Mengla's bus station.
Another hour and we were at the border. The Chinese building was a magnificently clean, new, and large hall where silence was required and the customs officials checked and rechecked each passport. Actually the guy who was in charge of our line was kind of an idiot and I noticed that he changed my name to GRAIG thinking that I had mistakenly written CRAIG. The Lao border... was a cement shack where people were jostling to get through the fastest. It was quite a disorderly process but, of course, we made it through.
The Laos countryside is gorgeous but impoverished. North of the border a giant highway cuts straight through the hills, cutting tunnels and hillsides away. In Laos the highway tries to meld with the hills. Instead of dominating the landscape, the highway makes you feel to be a part of it.
At the border some Laos people got on the bus, and one sat next to me. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure that he pooped his pants right before he got on the bus. An hour after that we reached Luang Namtha. This tiny border town is full of foreigners in transit to or from China. We will spend the day today renting motorbikes and hopefully penetrating the countryside a bit. Tomorrow we will go farther south.
C. Johnson
We rented some bikes then tooled around the outskirts of the city. I caught my first sight of the Mekong, one of the world's great rivers, which I was pumped about. At dinner that night we complained to the waitress that Yunnan food was too bland and that we Hunnan people would want something spicier. They threw their best at us... and ya, it was spicy. While at dinner we met some Chinese guys, and after going home to change our clothes, we met them at a club on the less populated side of the river. The place was completely empty except for our new-found friends. As hard as we tried, there was no way to make this a party so we headed home early for our trip to Laos the next day.
The bus was already close to full by the time we boarded it at 11:30. The reputed Jinghong to Laos bus clearly had its true origins somewhere to the north. After clumsily taking my seat I got ready for the long trek south of the border. I passed the time by listening to audio books and pretending to be asleep.
After a few hours we stopped in Mengla, on the Chinese side of the border. All the passengers hopped off(I unfolded like an accordion) and got some stuff to eat. While we were gone our bus was packed with everything from Lays chips to some odd metal satellite looking things. It wasn't until then that I realized our driver had parked in the import/export section of Mengla's bus station.
Another hour and we were at the border. The Chinese building was a magnificently clean, new, and large hall where silence was required and the customs officials checked and rechecked each passport. Actually the guy who was in charge of our line was kind of an idiot and I noticed that he changed my name to GRAIG thinking that I had mistakenly written CRAIG. The Lao border... was a cement shack where people were jostling to get through the fastest. It was quite a disorderly process but, of course, we made it through.
The Laos countryside is gorgeous but impoverished. North of the border a giant highway cuts straight through the hills, cutting tunnels and hillsides away. In Laos the highway tries to meld with the hills. Instead of dominating the landscape, the highway makes you feel to be a part of it.
At the border some Laos people got on the bus, and one sat next to me. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure that he pooped his pants right before he got on the bus. An hour after that we reached Luang Namtha. This tiny border town is full of foreigners in transit to or from China. We will spend the day today renting motorbikes and hopefully penetrating the countryside a bit. Tomorrow we will go farther south.
C. Johnson
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