LAOS THAI TRAVELS

A spur of the moment decision saw me flying back to Asia on June 7. Following wrist surgery (total right wrist fusion) I was sitting around doing very little all day. No golf, no gym, no anything that required the use of my right hand, though I was able to hold 2/3 kgs in weight by this time. The thought was to complete the golden triangle countries of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos with the latter being the country I had yet to visit.

I arrived Bangkok late Friday night getting to my hotel at midnight. My Laos visa had yet to arrive, however though I had confidence in the system but did not just want to hang around Bangkok. Saturday I hired a car and headed inland for a couple of sights I wanted to see but I was also keen to test myself driving in Thailand and in particular Bangkok.

I headed out through Nonthaburi a so called outer suburban region. After well over two hours of driving I decided to find accommodation and landed in beautiful spot in Buabang.

Sunday late morning I headed out to the Nakhon Nayon falls and dam. it looked like a long drive but the traffic even this far from Bangkok is unbelievable so I picked a nice spot for lunch on the way. To make matters worse the access road to the waterfalls and dam spill over was closed but the reservoir area was spectacular. If I arrived earlier I would have taken the two hour cruise around the lake.

If I thought the drive to the dam was a challenge the three and a half hours driving back made it look easy. Thank god for google maps or might still be looking. Back at my accommodation I planned for a visit to Khao Yai National park which is also Thailand’s most significant wine region. I booked accommodation there for the night.

the next day-disaster not quite the word for it but the rain came. Much too heavy to drive and I would have had trouble engaging in the opportunities there so I decided to remain put for another day and night in Buabang. Fortunately beer, wine and food only 25 metres away and Netflix worked.

I at least had the confidence to drive which has enabled me to adjust my plans after Laos. Now when I leave Luang Prabang I will train it to Chiang Mai and from there hire a car and drive down to Bangkok over 3/4 days. Hopefully Khao Yai will then be possible.

In the meantime it’s back to Bangkok, drop the car off and enjoyed a couple of nights beer food music and massage.

Thursday morning drinking coffee at Tom Tom’s a Korean coffee chain, which has been my morning routine the past couple of days. Check out at 10:00am then off to Don Mueang for the 90 minute flight to Vientiane the capital city of Laos.

Airport taxi driver said “call me Mack” and proceeded with his pitch to undercut every tour by 40%. I have his number so will follow up tomorrow.

Spent the afternoon walking, having lunch and a massage before returning to the hotel for a swim. Showered then changed and headed off to the Night market. A large market on the river front with great items and food for sale but no real crowd which makes wandering around here very pleasant. The river front is a gathering for locals and their families with a carnival like atmosphere.a

I then headed to a 5 star rated bar and was impressed. It would easily fit in with the expectations of home as a top range bar and restaurant. I ordered a bottle of St Emilion second Cru for around $90 Australian and enjoyed tapas style food over the next two and a half hours. About a 7 minute walk home then stopped at a bar across the road form the hotel with country and western theme and band. Stayed briefly then bought a couple of Lao-beer, coke and nibbles and sat on my balcony for one drink before bed.

Money is a bit like Vietnam with very large denomination bills. The Kip is the local currency and they love US dollars which are hard to come by. $10 Australian is a little more than 140 000 LAK (The Laos Kip). My hotel is the Vientiane Garden Villa Hotel. Though quite old facilities are great with Kok Kok Mart ( Lao version of 7/11) over the road, coffee shop close by plus a few bars and 10 minute walk to the river.

Friday morning and I head for the coffee shop but it does not open until 8:00am. Eventually get my coffee which is very good and plan my day. I call Mack who will pick me up at 1:00pm for a city tour in the meantime I will walk by the river to get my daily exercise.

Mack arrives on time and we head off to our first stop the Sisaket museum which besides beautiful temples hosts a large range of ancient Buddha statues.

Across the road is the Ho Phrakeo museum home of religious arts. Its major historical piece is the Jade Buddha. You can guess which photo is the jade and which is Mack and I.

We head south to a village called Xiang Khuan which is 25 kms away and hosts BUDDHA PARK which was built in 1958. Adjacent to the Mekong River this is a large garden area and fills with families each weekend. There are some 200 statues in the park. Each Buddha statue has different characteristics with different meanings to a practicing Buddhist. Two very large statues are the reclining Buddha and the Big Pumpkin which represents level of hell, earth and heaven.

Some of the many statues in the park.

On the drive back we stop briefly at the local brewery, Beerlao, the most drunk beverage in Laos.

Pha That Luang museum is our final temple stop, thankfully as two temples is enough in one day for me. Also known as the Great Sacred Stupa, it is the main religious monument in the capital and stands 42 metres tall. Many locals believe it contains a relic (breastbone) of Buddha. This is also the national symbol of Laos and is found on its banknotes.

Interesting side note the entrance fee is 5 LAK for locals but 30 LAK for foreigners.

Final stop near home is the city centre – Putaxay Park, home of a water display and monument.

I say goodbye to Mack and organise my train ticket to Vang Vieng for tomorrow. Off for a massage then swim and dinner at the night dinner markets. I bought a couple of beers and sat on my balcony watching the Saints Brisbane game on the iPad.

Friday morning, armed with a WhatsApp QR code boarding pass I commence a 40 minute taxi ride to the train station. There it’s like domestic flight security, baggage scan and eventually an”check-in” process to board the train with your own carriage and seat. Process was all new to me but simple and seamless. this is a Chinese built system known as the Lancang train and once away travelled constantlybatv160km per hours. Destination reached in 45 minutes. Met by a dozen Mimi vans with a designated hotel area for each and 15 minutes later I. Jwas in my hotel.

Vang Vieng is made up of a cluster of small village style homes, guest houses and hotels with 3 significant hotel/ resorts. It’s a parity town for the young and active, with a range of challenging adventures none of which suited me with my wrist unable to support these activities. Interesting just wandering around, food beer massage. Walking street does not work here, Buddhism thrives among the locals and life is easy going.

That evening I settled into a very nice Irish pub simply “Garys” and had a pleasant evening chatting to a couple of lads one from Belgium and the other from Croatian. After. Couple of Beerlaos I tried a pint of Guinness which was “moreish” and became my drink for the remainder of the night. For the first time I went away form Asian food and ticked into a delightful beef and Guinness pie with chips on the side before heading home to sleep.
Sleep was a disaster and I decided to change hotels. Background. I booked into the Malay Guest House based on hundreds of great reviews. What a dump. Shower spray was everywhere but on you, TV did not connect to the satellite, Aircon would automatically switch off and the curtains were so thin that the lights may have well been turned on at 5:00am. Other than that the reviews were truthful.
Went walking in the morning and booked into one of the big 3 – the Amari hotel. Views from my room below.

Rugged mountains and the Mekong river provide great nature viewing all within walking distance of the town.

Monday morning and again armed with my WhatsApp train boarding pass I leave the Amari and board the train at 10:45am heading for Luang Prabang. Fingers crossed the reviews are spot on for my next set of accommodation.

A little more about the train and journey. I can’t speak highly enough of this. This phase of the journey was through very mountainous terrain and it felt like we were in tunnels for at least two thirds of a the journey. Check in process and train service is outstanding.

Pleased to report that the accommodation is excellent, great rooms and an excellent pool which I used not long after arrival. Went for a long walk to acclimatise to the area in particular along the Mekong and had an excellent lunch. In the evenining wandered areounc a few bars and restaurants then found the night market which is very busy and popular. Walking through here took me back to my hotel.

Overall impressions of Luang Prabang is a much better organised city than Vientiane more tourists and cleaner. Significantly bigger than Vang Vieng but outside of the waterfall certainly not the options for those who like to be challenged. A nice place two or three days.

The next two days were very unpleasant as I developed food poisoning around lunch time Tuesday and threw up for 20 hours. The following day was bed rest only and I booked a ticket back to Bangkok where even today I am very careful with what I eat/ drink and hoping to be fully recovered for Fri day.

the following two pictures describe my memorable moments of Tuesday and Wednesday – a dump and a toilet bowl.