Laos? Where the Hell is That?
Unknowing of what Laos was going to be like, we kinda just penciled it into our travel plans. We had heard of this “mysterious” place before through other backpackers and from people we knew from home that had traveled there. (Also, shout out to my old friend Leo who’s family is from there and it was through him that I caught knowledge of this place). When people think of Southeast Asia, Laos is probably not the first or second country that springs to mind. Laos is the landlocked country that shares borders with Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, China and Myanmar - a hidden gem that gets lost amongst it’s neighbors. This place remains true to it’s roots meaning that modern infrastructure and technology have yet to ruin the authenticity of the true Laos. Because the world is developing and advancing, it is harder to see the natural charm of a country. You can still find that here.
I first arrived to Luang Prabang, after 24 hours on a bus coming from Vietnam. We would have chosen to take a sleeper train but our only options were to fly or to take on the challenge of surviving a 24 hour bus ride. So, in true backpacker fashion, we chose the latter. We even read many articles from other travelers about how dreadful and uncomfortable the bus was but, when your penny pinching, you gutta do what you gutta do.. Picture a coach bus, but along the windows there are two rows of skinny bunk beds. In this particular bus, there was actually another line of “beds” down the middle of the bus. I set up shop on the top row, window seat. To my surprise, the trip wasn’t all that bad. I had downloaded episodes of Breaking Bad and I’d sleep until we stopped for the next bathroom break. (Note: there was also no toilet on the bus so you just pray you get some relief within a timely manner). As we stopped at different rest areas, more passengers got on board knowing there wasn’t any room for them. The aisle space began to fill with bodies. I vaguely remember a chicken being in a cage although at that point I could have been hallucinating. This wouldn’t fly in the US - surely defies some safety codes.
We reached the border an hour before the immigration office opened which gave us time to grab a coffee at a nearby store and stretch our legs. It cost $38 USD for a 30 day visa. In their currency, around 341,145 kip. We reached the border but that was not the final destination.. another 12 hours on the bus. Here we go. Some windey roads along the mountainside were allegedly made for 2 lane traffic although at the speed we were going, flying around those curves, an oncoming car wouldn’t stand a chance. At times I had thoughts that this was totally unsafe, picturing this doubledecker bus toppling over and falling off the cliff. I just put my life in the hands of a random Asian man who I saw drink a beer at the last rest stop .. But I suppressed those negative thoughts & went back to being entertained by Walter White.
The landscape was so lush and green. The sky seemed to be a nice gray color. We finally arrived at Luang Prabang around 7 PM and from there grabbed a tuk-tuk (a three wheeled motorized vehicle used as a taxi) to get to Sunrise Hostel. The small city was lit up nicely, same massage service storefronts and local restaurants as we saw in Vietnam but seemed cleaner and more presentable. This place is probably classified as a “city” because of the population but it’s not what you’d think of when you think “city”. Things seemed to be closing down when we arrived got there. We quickly grabbed some food then checked out Utopia Bar that was next to the hostel. This place had those zen, Bali vibes I have been waiting for the whole trip. Pillow seating on the ground, cute twinkle lights, tables low to the floor & great tunes. We were pretty drained from that bus ride so we called it a night and joined our 4 other bunk mates in our shared room.
The next morning, we rented a motor bike from the the hostel and embarked on our journey to the Kuang Si Waterfalls! I tell all about this magical place in another post so I won’t get too much into it but it’s spectacular. I didn’t realize there were that many shades of turquoise and teal. On our way back, we stopped at a buffalo dairy farm and treated ourselves to a fresh cheese board of ricotta, mozzarella, feta and yogurt. Before we left we said hello to the pigs and rabbits and grabbed some homemade apple pie ice cream that was nostalgic of being back home. Good thing we stopped for a snack because then we got lost. In the pouring rain. No poncho ~ It’s all a part of the adventure!
When we finally made it back to the hostel, we grabbed food at the Uptopia bar. I was ecstatic to be eating a salad and remember finding it so refreshing. Has anyone ever craved a salad before? I went weeks without a salad and, I swear, I dreamed about them. That night, we went bowling with 20 other people from our hostel. Apparently, bowling is the thing you do in this city because it’s the only place that doesn’t shut down at sunset. Either I’m really good or my team just sucked cause I won with 94 points!
We packed our bags the next day and left Sunrise Hostel to meet Um, our home stay host. He runs the Eden Mekong Farm. (You can read all about the experience that tested my sanity in another post). When we finally left that place only 24 hours after arriving, I was so happy to be getting back to society. It felt like we were so far from it since we literally had to take a boat to this farm. On our ride back to civilization, our “captain” the only other person on this skinny boat, stopped along the delta so we could walk around a small village.
This is where I saw the true Laos. Raw and real. Children playing outside barefoot. We smiled at each other and we exchanged a friendly “Sabaidee”. A woman plucking feathers from a chicken in her doorstep. The homes seemed to not be in the greatest condition. They almost looked like tree houses made of straw. No cement road. Laundry hung out to dry that seemed old and warn. A woman walking with her naked baby. And then down the road a big beautiful temple, bright colors, trimmed in gold and pretty scriptures on the outside.
If you want to see what traditional Southeast Asia looked like thirty years ago, you should consider visiting Laos soon. In time, the country will grow and develop. It will still be just as beautiful but maybe a little less pure.
