So it was time to leave Luang Prabang and start a new adventure! As sad as I was to leave I was also ready to explore somewhere new. However we had a very bumpy ride through hills and mountains to contend with first. We were arranged to meet for our bus at 7am so decided to wake up at 5am to watch the alms giving that happens every morning. The monks gather and then walk the streets collecting food that is charitably donated by the locals. I thought it would be a wonderful thing to see but it is in fact a quite horrible sight to watch. A large majority of the tourists, and a large majority of these being tourists from China or Malaysia, were so rude. It was infuriating. They would literally point their big cameras right in the faces of the monks and snap a photograph, the flash going off in their face. They even blocked the path at one point. I deliriously wanted to get my flash out and take photos in their faces, see how they like it. However they were so close to the monks that I would have just been adding to the issue so instead had to grit my teeth and bite my tongue. At least I had my cinnamon bun I preordered to look forward to right..
Apparently not. When we arrived at the bakery they didn’t have any cinnamon buns. Why then, I ask, did they allow us to preorder two yesterday and not save two for the morning? With no time to get breakfast from anywhere else we had to settle for the fine cuisine of Oreos for breakfast. Not allowing it to dampen my spirits, they are never damp I assure you, I enjoyed my Oreos thoroughly.
I had started to read It by Stephen King so that and Spotify kept me entertained on our seven hour journey. We stopped off at the loo with a view, which simply has to have the most grandiose views of all porcelain thrones. It’s a toilet on top of a small mountain with a hole cut in the wall so you can ogle over the views while you defecate, or while you urintate if you choose to sit down.
We were due to arrive in Vang Vieng around 2pm which left us just enough time to go tubing. We were however having money issues due to a certain cash card and we both had been having stomach issues (due to a poor filter), so instead we decided to have a wander around and explore the town. It was probably the worst place we’ve been to so far. It was way more touristy. And when I say touristy I mean the type that like to get smashed and do drugs every night. Not my scene. After a wander and an incredible baguette, if I remember rightly it was: chicken, garlic, bacon, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and cheese, we headed back to the room to chill out and recharge our batteries.
That night we met the group and went for a meal. The food wasn’t great but it was our first experience of sitting cross legged on the floor at our table in the traditional style. The others went for drinks but we had an early night before heading for the capital.
It was another long journey to Vientiane, around 8 hours in total. Some of that time included us visiting the Stupor where Buddhas collarbone is kept, except we got there too late to actually go in and see it.. Good job Stray.
We also visited the C.O.P.E centre. In this centre they raise awareness and money for Laos people that have suffered from unexplored ordinance, so mines and bombs that were dropped but didn’t explode. Shocking news to me is that Laos is the most bombed country on the world per capita, and has had more bombs dropped on it than the whole of World War Two. I found it incredible that I didn’t know this. Even worse is that Laos is a peaceful country and wasn’t even at war when the bombs were dropped. During the Vietnam war American bombers sometimes couldn’t find their targets, sometimes it was too cloudy or dark, and they couldn’t safely land if they still had their full payload. What was America’s answer to this predicament? Drop the bombs on a nearby peaceful country. I’m full of indignation at the way America has acted and how they have tried to meddle in Asia. But I suppose I shouldn’t be shocked due to the communist influence there is in this part of the world. It was a truly eye opening experience.
We then had lunch at another Laos barbecue place but it was a case of ordering from the menu at this one. I had a barbecued fish, I’d been interested after seeing them for the first time in Bangkok but hadn’t got around to it yet, it comes whole, skin and all. It was really nice though and came with a brown spicy sauce that was lovely, and I added some spring rolls for good measure.
Afterwards we settled into our dorm which wasn’t great and was pretty expensive, we’d had much cheaper and better accommodation for 2/3rds of the price. It was an open sixteen bed dorm which got pretty awkward when a couple parallel to us mounted each other in bed. I had a BeerLao as a night cap and just snoozed through what could potentially have been a raucous lovemaking session.
We were due to leave the next morning, however Christina came down with food poisoning. Something that had affected other members of the group too. Since she couldn’t possibly ride a bus for 9 hours being sick we upgraded to a hotel and strapped ourselves in for another two nights in the capital. Both of our first impressions of the capital were below par so the thought of staying longer had us both a bit down. The first day we spent mostly in bed just recharging the batteries as Christina dealt with her illness. At seven she had gathered up the courage to go for food and we jumped at the chance to have one last meal with some friends we’d made on the tour who were now finished. We went to a posh looking Italian restaurant, not knowing at the time that it is the most highly rated restaurant chain in Laos. I ordered a vegetarian pizza that came with chips on the pizza! It was amazing. Christina pushed the boat out and went for a plain naan bread.
We used our last day in Vientiane wisely and wandered around the city taking in the sights as we went. We checked out the victory monument, a monument built using concrete that America had flown into the country and the Laos people stole as an act of protest. I had my first noodle soup, which was interesting but I probably wouldn’t order again, and we slowly grew to like the city. In a way I’m glad we stayed as it would have been sad to leave still thinking it was underwhelming. On the night we ate at a bakery/cafe and had our second western dish in a row, only our second since travelling (I believe). I love Asian food but after a couple of weeks I was craving a burger, of the beef variety. We then shared a caramel slice which was so tasty. Can you tell I’m hungry while I write this? So enthusiastic about food in this moment.
In the morning we had another early start to head for Kong Lor.
The Searcher 