Laos--the untold story, part I
Well homeys, here i am in the middle of Laso--I can't even begin to describe this incredible country. You know, its funny, although a lot of people had told me about how interesting and wonderful Laos was, I never really picked up on it until coming here myself--this country is very different from Thailand but is incredibly beautiful and very refreshing.
So, a brief synopsis of my travels thus far. Sunday night, Juan Cortes, Mark and I boarded an overnight bus from Khao Sarn Rd. that was destined for the capital of Laos, Vang Tien. It picked us up at approximately 8PM--since this is the low season for Laos, it held only 13 people, so i had a whole two seats to myself to stretch out on. About 15 minutes into our trip, we noticed that the bus was moving somewhat slowly compared to other traffic. Sure enough, as soon as we got outside Bangkok, the bus stopped so that the driver could check on the engine. Over the next four hours, as Juan, Mark and I drank Beer Singh and played the geography game where you have to name a place that starts with the last letter of the person before you, the bus made several stops, during which the bus driver revved the engine while staring puzzledly at the dashboard and shaking his head. Fortunately for us, at 1230 at night we stopped at a restaraunt, the thai version of the all night diner. While I ate a bowl of noodles ( and bought another beer), our stuff was transfered over to a different bus, and the trip proceeded accordingly.
Upon arriving in the capital, we discovered that the bus we were supposed to be catching to Vang Viene (the packpacker/adventure tourism destination of choice in Laos) was not coming until 2PM. It was now 930, and we had been travelling for almost 14 hours. Ah well. We ate some lunch--note here, because of French influence in Laos and Vietnam, Laos has INCREDIBLE French food, including baugette...mmm...--anyways, we had some lunch and then decided to check out a nearby Wat for a massage and herbal steam bath--possibly the best decision of the trip. Believe me, there is nothing quite so pleasent as an herbal steam and a vigourous massage from a 5'3" Laotian dude after 14 hours of travel. Hasving completed this mission, we proceeded back to the bus to travel to Vang Viene.
Ok guys, gotta stop here for now--stay tuned for the rest of my Laos stories, and believe me, there are some incredible ones. One benefit of being in a Communist country is that everything shuts down early, so i've been going to bed at like 1030 or 11 PM. So now, it's time for a nap...more later....zzzz.....
So, a brief synopsis of my travels thus far. Sunday night, Juan Cortes, Mark and I boarded an overnight bus from Khao Sarn Rd. that was destined for the capital of Laos, Vang Tien. It picked us up at approximately 8PM--since this is the low season for Laos, it held only 13 people, so i had a whole two seats to myself to stretch out on. About 15 minutes into our trip, we noticed that the bus was moving somewhat slowly compared to other traffic. Sure enough, as soon as we got outside Bangkok, the bus stopped so that the driver could check on the engine. Over the next four hours, as Juan, Mark and I drank Beer Singh and played the geography game where you have to name a place that starts with the last letter of the person before you, the bus made several stops, during which the bus driver revved the engine while staring puzzledly at the dashboard and shaking his head. Fortunately for us, at 1230 at night we stopped at a restaraunt, the thai version of the all night diner. While I ate a bowl of noodles ( and bought another beer), our stuff was transfered over to a different bus, and the trip proceeded accordingly.
Upon arriving in the capital, we discovered that the bus we were supposed to be catching to Vang Viene (the packpacker/adventure tourism destination of choice in Laos) was not coming until 2PM. It was now 930, and we had been travelling for almost 14 hours. Ah well. We ate some lunch--note here, because of French influence in Laos and Vietnam, Laos has INCREDIBLE French food, including baugette...mmm...--anyways, we had some lunch and then decided to check out a nearby Wat for a massage and herbal steam bath--possibly the best decision of the trip. Believe me, there is nothing quite so pleasent as an herbal steam and a vigourous massage from a 5'3" Laotian dude after 14 hours of travel. Hasving completed this mission, we proceeded back to the bus to travel to Vang Viene.
Ok guys, gotta stop here for now--stay tuned for the rest of my Laos stories, and believe me, there are some incredible ones. One benefit of being in a Communist country is that everything shuts down early, so i've been going to bed at like 1030 or 11 PM. So now, it's time for a nap...more later....zzzz.....
posted by Rob at 9:45 AM
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