Hue

18th - 19th December

So after a hellish 12 hour journey and just one toilet break we were both pretty grumpy. Ten minutes after passing through the centre of Hue, where we wanted to get off, we were dropped at a hotel. To the amazement of the staff, we refused the kind offers of ‘Room for 10 dollar!’ and set off walking back the way the bus had just been. Our mood definitely wasn’t improving!

Settling for a bargain $5 room, we set out on foot to get our bearings. We were bombarded as ever with offers for tuk tuk and moto, but not really having a destination (the sky was looking stormy and we didn’t want to venture far) confused the hell out of the drivers – ‘just walking’ became our favourite phrase.

Lucy and Rene, our friends from Thailand, arrived at the same hotel later in the day. Since we left them in Pai, they took the opposite route to us - they were heading north through Vietnam as we were heading south. An evening of exchanging notes and recommendations for the upcoming parts of our respective journeys followed. Thanks for the tips guys!

The following day we all headed out together by motorbike, accompanied by Mr Hung, a local guide. We had a whistlestop tour of all the main sights around Hue, and were finished by noon, as we had a bus to catch. We expected to be whizzing between sights on the bikes, but the pace was much more relaxed.

We visited the most important pagoda in the area – Thien Mu, and also a second pagoda. An incense stick making village was also on the agenda, where Sam was able to try her hand at Incense stick rolling and became a dab hand. A new career perhaps?! The Tu Doc tomb was the most expensive part of the day, with admission costing 60,000 dong. Inside we saw the tombs of former Vietnamese royalty. It wasn’t what we’d all expected but was fairly interesting none the less.

On the way back we called at an American bunker used in the Vietnam war (referred to as the American war by the Vietnamese), with a great view of the River Song. It was a bit grim inside the bunkers but we could hardly feel sorry for them! Mr Hung left us to spend the last hour by ourselves so we took off around the citadel in the centre of the city.

After a flying visit to Hue, we were on our next bus that same afternoon; Hoi Ann, thank god just a few short hours away.

The Open Tour Bus

Background
Throughout Vietnam, the ‘Open Tour’ bus rules. An open ticket allows you to travel from Hanoi to Saigon, in either direction, stopping at many places en route, at a bargain price. This doesn’t make for very good independent travel – you are shepherded around like a package tourist. The bus companies also have a habit of trying to make more money from you by taking you to a ‘friends’ hotel at your destination and selling you an overpriced hotel room. For the long distances between some places, there was no alternative but to take an Open Tour bus.

Sinh Cafe is one of the biggest operators, but also one of the most copied. There are tens of other companies in Hannoi claiming to be Sinh Cafe. The real one is this one: http://www.sinhcafevn.com/AboutUs.asp

There are 2 types of bus - Sleeping (around 6 rows of 3 bunk beds where you get to lie almost flat) or Sitting (a normal bus with 45 reclining seats). We don’t think the sleeping bus is worth the extra money as the ‘beds’ are tiny for a westerner and it’s a bit like laying in a coffin!

Top Traveller Tip #9 – Think carefully before getting an Open Tour ticket. They can be restrictive in the route they allow you to take. We didn’t buy an Open ticket, we just bought the legs as we needed them, which for us worked out cheaper. Straying away from the coast (e.g. into the central highlands and Dalat) could mean part of your ticket wasted. There are some local buses available, but in some cases even on the local bus you will be overcharged as you are a foreigner.

Our Journey from Ninh Binh to Hue
We bought the cheapest ticket, 170,000 dong ($10), for a sitting bus with reclining seats. Our bus pulled up at the hotel, and we were ushered aboard. Shoes off and into a plastic bag straight away, we noticed that this was a sleeping bus, and not a sitting bus as we expected. We thought we’d had a result, by paying half what the other passengers had paid, then we found out why! The driver’s assistant ushered Ady to sit on the seat next to the driver – the one that folds away when people are getting on and off – yes, the bolt upright crew seat! Sam was put in a seat in one of the two aisles, jammed between two sets of bunks, which also didn’t recline.

We refused to sit in these places as we’d paid for a reclining seat, and didn’t fancy travelling for 10 hours bolt upright with the chance of going straight through the windscreen constantly on our minds! We weren’t afraid to let them know our thoughts and spent the next 10 minutes ranting and raging at the crew (and under no circumstances are you supposed to lose your rag with another person in SE Asia, it’s an absolute no-no), insisting we were taken back to town, waking the entire bus of sleeping people in the process. Another ten minutes and we were back at the hotel, letting rip at the staff there. They called around and told us that another bus would come to pick us up, this time a proper sitting bus.

Deja-vu as we were ushered aboard another sleeping bus. Shoes off again, but before we pulled away from the hotel we managed to determine that this wasn’t our bus either!

Third time lucky, we squeezed into a couple of seats on the back row of the next bus to arrive. This was going to be a very bumpy journey!

Ninh Binh

16th – 17th December

After 2 bone shaking buses, a taxi and a boat, we made it Ninh Binh (details on the Google Map). There are very few hotels here, and settling into a room at the Queens Mini Hotel, we wondered what else there would be in the town. The answer to that is a short one – not much! After a walk around town searching for food, we ended up back at the hotel eating with most of the other people that were staying there.

The main attractions are in the vicinity of Ninh Binh so we hired a motorbike for the day to see the area. The area is know as the Halong Bay of the paddy fields, with it’s spectacular limestone rock formations. It was good to be back on 2 wheels, independent again, although this Chinese bike wasn’t in the best condition – we were lucky to complete the day with it still intact!

First stop was Hoa Lu – the old capital of Vietnam under the Ding dynasty. After a few wrong turns, we happened upon the place, several tour busses hinting that we could be in the right place. We slowed, but the number of women running towards us trying to sell their wares encouraged us to speed up and not stop! What a couple of meanies! Also, the entrance fee was quite steep. Instead, we decided to ride down a road a bit further off the beaten track. We ended up in a couple of villages where, judging by the stares, tourists rarely venture! Ah, the wonder of having your own wheels!

The other major attraction in the area is the Tam Coc caves. On the way to the caves, we stopped off at the Ban Long pagoda. It is built into a natural cave, and when we arrived there was nobody about. As we walked up the steps, we were joined by an old lady who came out of her house next to the pagoda, and started to turn on all the fairy lights inside the cave. The overall effect was quite comical and we had to hold back our giggles for risk of upsetting her. She gestured for us to follow her as she walked behind the Buddha – pointing out lots of formations in the rocks – you can see them in the photos. We left a small donation, and left much more satisfied than when we visit the larger pagodas where an entrance fee is charged.

Several more kilometres of riding and we thought we were lost. The road turned into a track which was barely wide enough for a motorbike – had it not been for the western cyclists that we bumped into with their guide, we probably would have turned back! Assured that we were heading in the right direction, we continued and arrived at the Tam Coc cave complex.

Paying 30,000 dong per person, plus 60,000 for a boat, we thought we’d already been cleaned out for the day, but it was only the start. All the places to eat were charging exorbitant prices, so two plates of fried rice were lunch that day. Then 5,000 dong to park the motorbike in the special parking area… we tried to park next to the local’s bikes but were spotted. Our friendly boat rowers, a girl our age and her mother took us for our trip down the river, through the caves. The journey through the caves and back again takes around 2 hours, and the first hour is spent enjoying the scenery with some background info from our rowers. They also strike up conversation about their lives and yours. Then they go in for the kill. We already learned that they only get to row the trip once every 10 days, as there are so many other families with boats. (Really?!) They practically tell us that we are the only chance they get to make some money for the next 10 days… feeling bad yet?

Through the last cave and at the half way point, miles from home, and a fleet of rowing boat mobile shops come over to greet us. “Buy something mister… drink for your rower!” 2 drinks, some oranges and some nuts come to $6… more than a nights accommodation to us! Guiltily we put back the nuts and barter the price down to a still expensive 40,000 dong. How could we refuse to by a drink for the lovely girl and her mum that had rowed us!

Next step on the plan of attack was the onboard sale of tablecloths and other linens, ‘handmade’ by the family. We were sitting ducks. From what we saw on the other boats, it looked to us like every family in the village ‘handmade’ the same goods and packed them just like they had come out of a factory (how cynical are we???!) After declining the offer to buy 23 times, they gave up and we rowed back in silence… that must be it we thought… we’d got off quite lightly.

Not quite, as the request for a tip for the rowing came while we were too far from shore to escape… Another 20,000 dong later, we were back on dry land, feeling bad, but still like we’d been taken to the cleaners!

Traveller Tip #8 – If you visit the Tam Coc caves, buy some Red Bull or other refreshments at the supermarket before your trip. As you get through the 3rd cave, get them out for your rowers and it will save you a few dollars. In conversation on the first half of the trip, mention how you own a large tablecloth and linen company, specialising in factory made goods that look handmade. It may help, but then again they may have a plan B…
Also, visit late afternoon for smaller crowds, but then again you will be the sole focus of all the sellers! You could also jump in a boat with a wealthy middle aged American and let them take all the flack!

On reflection, the caves were OK, but not as spectacular as some we have seen on the trip, and certainly the most expensive cave visit to date.

Back in Ninh Binh, we had a long wait for our overnight bus – it didn’t leave until 9pm. Our bargain price bus ticket, 10$ for a 12 hour journey was on a sitting bus, so a questionable nights sleep lay ahead!

Cat Ba and Halong Bay

13th – 16th December

With more than 3000 islands rising from the emerald waters of the Gulf of Tonkin, Halong Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the country's natural marvels. The vegetation covered islands are dotted with innumerable grottos created by the wind and the waves.

5 hours after leaving Hanoi, we arrived in Cat Ba town. The description in the Lying Planet guidebook had us envisage a peaceful picturesque town by a small port. We arrived in Blackpool.* High rise hotels dominated the seafront town and although the island is very beautiful, the town is not.


A kitsch 80’s throwback hotel room, with sea view of course, was ours for $5. We set out to explore and find some food. We didn’t have much success, and all 3 of the dinners we had on Cat Ba were memorable for the wrong reasons – no recommendations here then! The beaches near Cat Ba town were probably once very beautiful, but the mass of concrete and new ‘resort’ hotels, it was all a bit of an eyesore really.

One day, we signed up for a 1 day tour of Halong Bay with a company called Slo Pony. They promised a ‘cooler’ style of day trip than the other companies, offering rock climbing (expensive!), kayaking, and a fun backpacker crowd. We had a good day, but question if it was worth the extra money that it cost over a tour with the other local companies on Cat Ba.

Halong Bay is spectacular, as you’ll see from the photos. It’s just a shame the weather wasn’t better. Grey skies have been a familiar sight through Vietnam so far.

*For our readers not from the UK, Blackpool is a large seaside town in the north of England, famous for its fairground, Christmas illuminations and ‘Kiss Me Quick’ hats!

Hanoi

11th – 13th December

Our special pre Christmas treat was a flight with Laos Airlines from Vientiane to Hanoi. The alternative bus journey of 24+ hours had a number of horror stories to support it, and we decided that the expense of the flight was worth it. We saw the plane and had second thoughts, however there was no going back by now! We boarded and were faced with the weirdest plane interior that we’ve ever seen. Bright fluorescent seat covers in a blue, green, pink and yellow design – I wish we’d taken a photo! Ady was lucky (or unlucky!) enough to get a window seat. The added feature of this window seat was a view behind the scenes of the plane, as the plastic panel surrounding the window meant Ady could see the metal skin and bolts holding the window in!

Amazingly, We made it to Hannoi and were now a world away from Laos. From the moment we walked through the arrivals doors, we could sense something different. Where in Laos, people had to be woken from slumber to serve you in a shop or bar, here in Vietnam, people were very much in your face, daring you not to buy their wares!

Top Traveller Tip #7 – Make sure you get a ticket for the airport minibus at Hannoi to ensure you are paying the right price. We paid double (50000 dong) what the locals were paying! Pay no more than $2.50!

Within an hour of landing we were in the city centre. After finding a hotel, we strolled around the city centre to get our bearings. It’s impossible to walk 10 feet in Hannoi without someone trying to sell you something or get you onto their moto or into their tuk tuk. The concept of wanting to walk around is alien. Even if we could afford to take tuk tuks everywhere we’d still have a problem in that most of the time we aren’t heading anywhere in particular – try and explain that to a driver! They have an answer for everything and will “show you city for good price” if you want.

Part of our plan for Vietnam was to hire a motorbike for around 10 days and to head into the far north of the country. We were soon aware that this wasn’t going to be an easy task. The rental places we found were not what we expected and the helmets on offer didn’t make us feel comfortable. We’d be riding over 1000kms and with little more than a badly fitting building site hard hat to protect our heads we decided that this bit of our trip wasn’t going to happen.

With little to keep us in Hannoi, apart from the delicious Fanny (see photos) we had to move on. Getting a bus to the next destination should be simple. It isn’t. Firstly we need to explain about the ‘copy culture’ in Vietnam. When a business, for example “Sinh Café Transport” does well, all of a sudden many other businesses open up, and use the same name. In Hannoi there must be over 20 different travel companies calling themselves Sinh Café. This makes it difficult to find a company that isn’t a dodgy operator using someone elses success to give them a reputation!

We decided to go to Cat Ba Island, so we could visit Halong Bay independently instead of joining a tour from Hanoi. There are many ways to get to the island, we found what we believe to be the cheapest and easiest way, the number of locals on the bus normally lets you judge this, and we were certainly in the minority for this journey. Hoang Long sells a Bus-Bus-Boat-Bus ticket to get you from Hannoi to Cat Ba in 3.5 hours, this is what we used.

Vientiane

9th – 11th December

We arrived at 6pm, slightly chilled. Checked into the Wonderland 2 guest house – it was one of the few affordable places in the city. Had a curry. Ady got sick and spent the day in bed, Sam acting as reluctant nursemaid. We think it was the same thing that Ally and Jonny had a few days before!

The main reason to stay in Vientiane for a couple of days was to get our Vietnam visas. Mission accomplished and it was time to jet off to Hanoi. We treated ourselves to a 1 hour flight with Laos Airlines, instead of a 26 hour bus journey. When we saw the plane, we weren’t sure if we’d made the right decision. This would be a fun flight!

Merry Christmas and a Big Blog Update

First of all Merry Christmas to everyone! We've been busy typing up the past couple of months worth of news, and finally we're up to date again. You can read about the time we spent in the north of Thailand and then what we got up to in Laos. We are now in Vietnam, far enough south for it to be beach weather. We'll be heading off on Christmas day, for another mini adventure in the Central Highlands.

The updates we've just posted are linked below in chronlogical order, or you can just scroll to the bottom of this page and read from the last post upwards!

3rd - 5th November - Bangkok
5th - 6th November - Sukothai
6th - 15th November - Chiang Mai
15th November - Road to Pai
15th - 22nd November - Pai
22nd - 24th November - Chiang Rai
24th November - Into Laos - Huay Xai
25th - 27th November - Luang Nam Tha
28th - 29th November - Nong Khiaw
29th Nov - 1st Dec - Muang Ngoi Neua
1st - 5th December - Luang Prabang
5th - 9th December - Vang Vieng

Once again we'd like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, and if we don't speak to you before, a Happy New Year!

Ady and Sam

Vang Vieng

5th - 9th December

Vang Vieng is touted as lying in a valley alongside the Nam Song River with the spectacular backdrop of jagged limestone karsts. Had we not already been up close and personal with this type of scenery in northern Laos, we would have been blown away. For us though it was a bit of an anticlimax. This wasn’t a problem however, as you don’t go to Vang Vieng to admire the scenery…

We knew what to expect, but to the uninitiated it could be a different story. Arriving in the mid afternoon, the town was quiet, and only the number of bars containing lounging sofas an TV’s showing friends hinted that this place could be a bit different to the Laos we had seen so far. As the time passed, staggering bikini clad girls and topless guys emerged onto the streets. Throughout Laos, there are posters everywhere telling you the do’s and don’ts in Laos. Keeping covered up is one of the basics, but this doesn’t seem to apply in Vang Vieng. Before long, we heard a familiar voice, it was Tony who we had first met in Muang Ngoi Neua. He was slightly drunk, or more accurately, battered. He raved about the adventure he had just had on the river, and swore he’d be back for more tomorrow!

That evening we met up with Ally who’d left a sick Jonny in bed. Having arrived a day earlier, she gave us the low-down on where to eat and drink and before we knew it we were in a pizza restaurant ordering a regular Hawaiian pizza, accompanied by not-so-regular garlic bread! Let’s just say that in a fairly short space of time we were very “happy”! We did say that VV was a law unto itself!

As the weather was much warmer than we had become used to, we spent the next day relaxing in the sunshine by the river. We met up with Jonny and Ally – and agreed that we head off tubing the following day.

Tubing in the Vang Vieng (well, the Nam Song actually!)

As we said earlier, you don’t come to VV for the scenery. Tubing is the age old art of floating down a river on a tractor inner tube. Tubing in the Vang Vieng adds a certain dimension to the art, involving riverside bars that wouldn’t look our of place in Ibiza. Add some trapeze style swings, zip wires, buckets of Lao Whisky and Coke and you kind of get the idea. Ady was brave enough to take his mobile phone camera with him in a waterproof case so there are some great picture of the action here!

We started quite early, and were at the first bar by 11am. The Mojito Bar at the Organic Farm marked the start of the tubing, and we were encouraged to have a ‘drink for the children’ here. 4 Mojitos later (not each!) we set off on our tubing journey. Not 50 meters downstream, we were hauled out of the river by the next bar. Buckets were order of the day, Whisky, Coke and Red Bull being our favourite! The bar soon got busy and as the drinks kept flowing, so did the bravery of the boys. The swings were too tempting, and after a couple of pencil dives, a bomb by Ady had the crowd groaning in sympathy as he flopped on his belly.

Several more bars, drinks, free shots, swings and limbos later, it was getting late and almost time to head back to the town to get our tube deposits back. We’d left an hour for the float back down the river. It wasn’t long enough and after a lot of frantic paddling, we decided that we’d never make it in time. As it got darker, we worried that we had even missed the town, as there were no lights to be seen! After another 30 minutes, just as drunken panic was setting in, we finally saw the lights of the bars in town and de-tubed. Ally bailed out to bed, but the rest of us needed food and Jonny and Ady carried on at the party island until late. Lets just say that a day sleeping it off was needed… we spent the next day comatose on some sunbathing decks by the river!

Kayaking to Vientiane

As if our last experience kayaking together wasn’t enough, we agreed to join a tour whereby you part kayak, part ride to Vientiane. I think perhaps it was the lesser of two evils; neither of us was keen to get back on the bus and it seemed like a good alternative to make a day of it. Loaded onto the back of a truck with 7 other budding kayakists, we set off on the journey. Halfway into truck ride, we ground to a halt. The clutch on the truck failed, and the driver couldn’t get into gear. After 10 minutes, the driver was stumped and it looked like we were going nowhere. Ady stepped in and tried to explain how they would be able to get going again using a little trick he learned once in the Polo!

Top Traveller Tip #6 - If your clutch cable snaps, switch the engine off, put the vehicle into first gear, and start the engine. You may need a push from some friends to help, but the vehicle should move forwards. Once the engine is running, in first gear, get everyone back in the truck, as it is moving. Build up speed, and change gear without the clutch – it is possible if you ‘feel’ your way into gear! If you have to stop, do so facing downhill so you can set off using the starter motor more easily. This obviously works better on deserted roads than in the city, but it can help to get you home if you get stuck!

The trip downriver was great, and the BBQ at lunchtime was delicious. We picked up some survival tips such as how to BBQ food without a real BBQ! Our only concern now was whether or not our luggage (still on the truck) would make it to the end point of the kayaking for our onward journey to Vientiane. An hour late, the luggage did arrive, but it was now getting dark. We still had an 90 minute ride on the back of a dusty truck and once the sun goes down, the temperature drops…

Luang Prabang

1st – 5th December

Having survived the 6 hour boat journey, with only one moment of panic (even the driver looked worried!) over some rapids, we made it to Luang Prabang.

Luang Prabang (LP) is nestled on the sacred confluence of the Nam Khan and Mekong Rivers. It is an Unesco World Heritage city and possibly the most photogenic city in the whole of Southeast Asia.

Some more haggling got us a room in the Seng Phet Guesthouse for 100kip, a bargain for a nice room in upmarket LP. We spent the next day wandering round the town, taking in the sights and enjoying the culinary delights that were on offer. Eating at Tamarind restaurant, we tried their tasting platter of real Laos food. Sticky rice, combined with Jeow set our taste buds racing and persuaded us to try another cooking course to expand our Asian repertoire further. We signed up for a class in a couple of days time. Continuing our meander through LP, we saw how a strong French influence remains. From the architecture to the food stalls on the street, you could be in rural France - instead of selling noodles and rice, there are baguette sellers galore, giving us a taste of home for 10000 kip!

We met up with Guy and Jo again in LP, and together with Jonny, Ally and Tony we decided that a curry was in order. A proper Indian curry that is, with naan bread, tikka masala and all! Highly recommended, although maybe ask them to go easy on the chillies, Neesha’s Indian restaurant is less well know than the ‘Nazim’ chain in Laos, but the food was superb. Guy and Jo recounted their day – they hired mountain bikes and cycled to the nearby (35kms one way!) waterfall. They gave us the idea to do the same the following day – how hard could it be!?!

Cycling to the Waterfall

Up bright and early (10am!), the search for a bicycle began. It was quite a mission – nowhere was willing to hire out a mountain bike for the day without us joining a guided tour! Countless offers of gearless shopper bikes came flooding our way, but there was no way we were going to cycle 70kms on one of those! We had wanted to hire a scooter for the trip, but motorbike rental to ‘foreigners’ has been banned in Luang Prabang Provice due to the high number of accidents involving foreigners. We won’t mention the number of Laoations that we have witnessed falling off their scooters and the number of spray painted outlines of motorbikes on the roads (marked by police every time there is a crash!). Eventually we stumbled upon a couple of half decent (we thought) Trek mountain bikes parked outside a guest house. The lady was willing to rent them out for 50000kip a day, but told us that if we were stopped by the police, we had to say that they were our own bikes and that we had brought them from Thailand! It turns out that you’re not supposed to be able to rent any form of 2 wheel transport as a foreigner, (city shopper bikes excepted) and the police like to empound bikes they find in the hands of tourists! Crazy!

After picking up the bikes, getting a couple of baguettes made up for lunch, we set about finding a way out of town that avoided the police checkpoint… seriously, we had to sneak out of town like criminals, all because we wanted to cycle! After 2 hours of more ups than downs, we made it to the waterfall. Out of puff, Ady almost lost it when a man told him to pay 2000kip to park the bicycle against a tree!!! We didn’t swim in the falls as it was quite chilly, and the thought of another 35kms in wet shorts wasn’t appealing. The scenery was spectacular however and worth the ride.

Setting off back towards LP, we realised how much uphill we had ridden on the way there. We coasted the first 4km without needing to pedal! After stopping off at a local village to give away some pencils and erasers to the children, we had picked up an escort for our journey home. Somehow, the local children managed to fly past us on the uphill stretches, even though their bikes had no gears!

By 5pm we were home, saddle sore and tired, but at least we hadn’t been impounded! Our arrangement to meet Ally and Jonny in the evening couldn’t rise us from our bed – we had a quick bite to eat from a food stall then crashed out for the night.

Tamarind Cooking Course

Lao food is quite different to that of the other countries that we have visited so far. Sticky rice is the staple, and it is eaten with all kinds of dips and sauces. We learned about the ingredients and delicacies during our trip to the local market.

Jeow is a spicy salsa type sauce, made with roasted chillies and a variety of other ingredients depending on what type of Jeow you want to end up with. Ady used red chilli, tomatoes, garlic and shallots to create a fiery paste. Sam used green chilli for a milder flavour. After we made the Jeow, and cooked the sticky rice, it was time to eat!

After our snack, we made a number of other dishes including steamed fish, lemongrass stuffed with chicken (yes, you read it right – check the photos!) Buffalo Laap, and a tasty Lao stew. All the dishes were delicious and by the end of the day we almost needed to be airlifted out of the school! A big thanks to Joy at Tamarind for sharing his knowledge. We’d recommend the course to anyone interested in Lao Cuisine.

The next day it was time to move on to Vang Vieng, what we discovered to be a little bit of Ibiza in the heart of Laos.

Muang Ngoi Neua

29th November – 1st December 2008

Back on terra firma Sam and Ally sought out the best bungalows in town. We struck gold in the Nicksa bungalows – a row of four impeccable wooden huts with verandas and hammocks set high on the riverbank, with views to die for.

Despite the early hour of 4pm we headed to the sunset bar to meet Guy and Jo (and watch the annoying early sunset), who’d arrived on the earlier boat. They entertained us with tales of how a rat, trapped in their hut had kept them awake the night before… and then went on to scare us about Muang Ngoi Neua aka “rat city”!

After dinner, we left Jo and Guy to have an early night with their rat friends and were enticed down an alley by the glowing lights of what turned out to be a newly opened bar. Although there was a fire built outside, no one could be bothered to light it and everyone was stood inside freezing. Ady rose to the task of getting the fire started, and before long there was a crowd of people surrounding the glowing embers, staring at the flames. After an hour of thawing out, it was time to head back to the fridge that was our room. After scaling a fence to get back home (curfew was 10pm!) we wondered what would be waiting to greet us!

Thankfully the Nicksa bungalow didn’t let us down. In any case our Achilles heels are mossies or cockroaches but definitely not rats! Once the couple next door had finally quietened down, we lay in the quiet still dark room. There was a noise. Was it a rat? Was it a cockroach? Was is Johnnie and Ally?! After 10 minutes, Ady had to get up to investigate and discovered that it was dew dripping off the roof onto the ground at the sides of the hut. Now with a plausible explanation for the bumps of the night, we could both sleep easy.

Kayak Adventure

To fully appreciate the amazing limestone karsts along the river, we thought that a kayak trip would be a peaceful way to drift down the river admiring the scenery. How wrong could we be…!? Jonny and Ally had the same idea, so we all signed up for the trip which included a short walking trek, visit to a local village, visit to a cave, and of course a kayak.

A 60 minute boat ride upstream with kayaks in tow ended after 30 minutes. The clunk of broken metal signalled the end of our propeller shaft. We drifted to the bank and our ‘guide’ gestured that we would paddle upstream to get to the next village – the intended start point of our trek.

30 minutes and 100 meters upstream later, we were both not speaking. Not having kayaked together before it seemed that we were incompatible in more ways than one. Sam complained that Ady couldn’t listen to orders, and Ady maintained that he spent the whole time correcting Sam’s sense of direction (although Sam is the more experienced Kayaker!) After going round in circles and doing a slalom around a course that didn’t exist, we caught up with the others who had been resting on a beach for some time. We threw our paddles onto the beach, and stomped over to where the others were waiting. The guide then told us it would be another 90 minutes upstream before we got to the village… The general consensus was that paddling upstream was no fun at all, and we would head back to where we started and try to get some of the money back as we didn’t really get the trip that we paid for!

The scenery we saw was spectacular, and the 20 meters of minor rapids were fun, but the trip would be much better had it been wet season!

Room Service

Our final evening was spent on the balcony of Jonny and Allys hut, warmed by 2 large bottles of local Lion whisky and Coke. We ordered food from owners of our huts, and after a ‘Lao’ wait, our feast was delivered to the balcony! Top service and great spring rolls! 9pm passed and the electricity went off, as is the norm in rural Laos. We continued drinking under torchlight and eventually crawled back to our own hut.

In the morning, we were bundled onto another sinking ship for the 45 minute journey downstream, back to Nong Khiaw. After some expert bargaining by Jonny, we secured ourselves first class seats on the boat to Luang Prabang. 6 hours of winding river and breathtaking scenery stood ahead.

Nong Khiaw

28th – 29th November

We mentioned earlier that a popular way to travel in Laos is by riverboat, the most famous of which is the cruise down the Mekong. A lesser known and equally stunning trip is to travel down the xxxx river from Nong Khiaw to Luang Prabang.

We travelled via Udomxai to Nong Khiaw with the intention of taking this trip downstream, as well as the opportunity to spend a few post-trekking days relaxing by the river. Nong Khiaw and it’s neighbour, Muang Ngoi Neua, one hour up river and completely void of vehicles are the ideal places to do this. We stayed overnight in Nong Khiaw at the Riverside bungalows, watching the sunset and enjoying some Beer Lao with Jo and Guy and another couple we’d met, aussies Jonny and Ally. There wasn’t a lot to do in Nong Khiaw other than watch the world go by. The scenery is completely out of this world, but when the sun drops behind the limestone karsts around 4.30pm the temperature suddenly plummets and you’re left wondering how to keep warm!

We took refuge in what looked like a warm café. I think we were fooled by the posh glass doors, the cosy leather sofas and candlelit ambience. Oh how wrong we were… the place had no side walls and even our hot chocolates were cold by the time the cups touched our lips! The saving grace was the best piece of cheesecake ever !

The following day there were two boats scheduled to Muang Ngoi Neua. We took the later 2 o’clock boat and spent most of the morning waiting for the warmth of the late rising sun to thaw out, before exploring a nearby cave. The cave was interesting enough but we spent more time on the journey home where we stopped at some neglected lily ponds watching dragonflies, Ady camera glued to eye, after the elusive “money” shot!

In hindsight we probably should have taken the earlier, quieter boat. A boat normally used to ferry 8 people was packed with 22 well fed westerners and their big backpacks, each the size of an average Laoation alone! Unsurprisingly the waterline rose alarmingly close to the top of the boat! As soon as we moved there was seepage. The seepage turned into a trickle… how long would we stay afloat!? It was a tense journey and we were all fearing for our cameras, laptops and bags, if not ourselves!

Luang Nam Tha

25th – 27th November

After an afternoon of research we agreed on a two day/one night trek to the Akha village of Ban Phouvan. Tourism in Laos, though still in it’s infancy is extremely highly regulated, with strict, ecologically sound guidelines set up and enforced. In addition to protecting the national parks, the Laos government quite rightly is keen to avoid the exploitation of the Hill tribe people, or the “human zoo” effect, as is the unfortunate case in some parts of Thailand. The frequency of visits to hill tribes are restricted, as are group sizes. Other rules include not handing out gifts directly to the children, so as not to promote a begging culture, but instead passing on to the village chief or teacher who ensures fair distribution.

We were under the impression that the total trekking distance over the two days would be 35km, possibly the longest we’d both ever walked under our own steam. The itinerary was to spend the first day walking through dense jungle, climbing steadily to the village, and the second through open countryside and agricultural fields.

Perhaps Laos methodology of measuring distance is as warped as that used for time keeping, but after just two hours of brisk walking through the forest we stopped for lunch, Laos style. Nobody was really hungry, having eaten our fill of slow burning carbs at breakfast. Still, the food was delicious; sticky rice, barbequed meat and lots of very spicy Jeow (a bit like tomato salsa but with 10 times as much chilli), served on banana leaves.

A couple more hours of (not so!) hard trekking and we arrived at the village where we’d spend the night. The adults were all working in the fields but the children were happy to say hello and keep us entertained with their antics. A large packed heap of soil, dried out in the sun had been furnished into a mini slide, the plastic containers used for the kids to sit on polishing the surface to a high sheen and providing an even more slippery run! It didn’t take long for Ady and Guy to get involved, though only able to fit one arse cheek onto the small piece of plastic, they didn’t look quite as graceful, nor land quite as softly!

Towards sunset, our guide took us for a full tour of the village. Some of the adults had returned, but not that many. Either that or they were hiding out in their houses. Of the few that we said hello to, it was difficult to gage whether or not we were welcome, even though we’d been told by our guide that visits by tourists were seen as a good thing – whether this was solely for monetary gains (a percentage of what we’d paid for the tour goes directly to the village) we’d prefer not to know. The gifts our group had brought along were given out – marbles and animal masks seemed to go down particularly well.

After dinner, a game of cards and the obligatory shots of Lao Lao whisky, the young women from the village arrived to give us a massage. It was a nice touch, but after the expertise we’d experienced from our massage teacher Joy, we probably didn’t appreciate the poking and prodding as much as we should and were quite relieved when it was over!

As our hut was next to the village school, we spent another hour or so with the children the following morning. There were two sessions each day, so that each child attends either morning or afternoon classes. Sadly only the boys are educated; the girls are sent to work in the fields with their mothers as soon as they can work. At least this is the explanation we were given; we only saw three girls in the whole time we were there, in contrast to the hundred or so boys. When you look at the photos you’ll see how letting the kids take control of the camera meant that we got some great shots of the locals, very close up.
Top Traveller Tip #5 – Get a different perspective in you photos by being brave and handing over your camera to the local children.* Some have never seen or used a digital camera and they love to take close up pictures of their friends. It also avoids you feeling bad for exploiting the locals! *Disclaimer – we will not be held responsible for stolen cameras as a result of this idea!

Our return hike passed down through a valley and then up a long, very steep climb, the months without regular exercise finally taking toll. We passed over the summit and followed the path of a river, crossing it many times via fallen trees, makeshift rudimentary bridges or slippery stepping stones. Amazingly no one fell in, but our trainers were pretty soaked by the end of it.

All in all it was an enjoyable and rewarding trek and gave an insight into another culture and way of life, in a very untouched part of the world. Long may it stay that way.

Into Laos - Huay Xai

24th November

We crossed the river which constitutes the Thai/Laos border in minutes, and breezed through immigration, encountering none of the expected “fines” or pleas for dollars. Huay Xai is nothing more exciting than the border town it is, unfortunately the earliest buses or boats to other destinations are all cunningly scheduled for the following day, meaning that we and every other traveller has to spend the night there. Every cloud has a silver lining; we met Guy and Jo from East London and feasted on curry from Nazim, a great Indian restaurant - we later found this to be a chain and to feature throughout the whole of Laos.

The usual route from the border is to take the two day slow boat directly to Luang Prabang. To do so misses out some of the more beautiful and untouched parts of the country. We decided to head to Luang Nam Tha in the far north, home to the Nam Ha national park and it’s clouded leopard, elephant, gaur and tigers. We also looked to take in a trek to one of the minority hill tribes. It turned out that Jo and Guy were set to do the same so we agreed to link up and trek together and hopefully force the costs down too.

Until recently the journey between Huay Xai and Luang Nam Tha was possible only by two day boat or an 8 hour bone cruncher of a ride on dirt tracks. Now the road was sealed and a comfortable 3 hour ride was promised.

We were woken by loud banging on our door at 7.15am; someone was telling us that our bus left in 10 minutes. Confused (we weren’t due to leave until 9) we found the mini van outside waiting. Other travellers equally baffled but clearly the driver wanted to get somewhere quick. Just ten minutes out of town we pulled over and the driver took a bundle of papers into a nearby building, leaving us by the side of the road. Around an hour later he returned and found us milling around the roadside like a flock of sheep, having evacuated the van. No explanation was given, but then I guess his English was as good as our Lao. Or maybe, in his eyes, none was needed – after all …this is Laos! After this delay, we were on the road by 9am and heading east.

Chiang Rai

22nd November – 24th November

With Laos in our sights a stop over in Chiang Rai was in order to break the journey and allow us to check out the famous Golden Triangle. 70kms north east of Chiang Mai, it was an ideal opportunity for us to rent another motorbike and spend a day on two wheels.

After carrying out some research on the area by visiting tour operators, we cobbled together a plan for where we could visit in a day. It was difficult trying not to look too shocked at the 1500 Baht price tag (per person) for the day trip in a minivan!
Top Traveller Tip #4 – If you want to save money on a day trip, go to the agents and get them to tell you where you can see in a day, then hire a motorbike and follow their route!

Our plan was to head to fish and monkey cave, Mai Sae (the northernmost point of Thailand), The Golden Triangle, The Opium Museum, Chiang Saaen, a long neck village and then head back to Chiang Mai.

As you’ll see from our pictures, we accomplished all of our plan, apart from the Long Neck Village, which we couldn’t find. Still, we saved ourselves nearly 3000 baht by doing our DIY trip!

For further details on the route we took, look at our Google Maps in more detail!

A border crossing into Laos loomed, so an early night was called for. This was the last we would see of Thailand for a while and from what we had heard, things would only get tougher as we cross to one of the poorest countries in South East Asia.