And, we’re back. After nearly three weeks of being in the black, we’ve emerged relatively unscathed from Laos. Our feelings about leaving Laos are identical to those when we arrived: excited and hopeful. Garrett came down with what we are calling “the Mekong” and Stacey lost control on a zip line and smashed into a tree at 25 mph, suffering only some bruising. Laos took a piece of our health, our time and definitely our pocketbook. We don’t regret any of choices we made during our visit to Laos rather, carry with us the memories of howling gibbons, the slow chug of the diesel motor down the Mekong River, enjoying Paris quality baked goods in Luang Prabang, and mostly, the great friends that seemed to serendipitously fall into our lives.
Thailand was beginning to pull us deeper and deeper into her embrace. There is no match to the kindness her people shared with us. They were patient, funny, hospitable and tolerant of our ignorance about their cultures and customs. We had become to get a little too comfortable there and decided we needed to start making moves towards our next destination. This included a marathon of minivans and busses, backtracking much of the route we had already taken. Mae Hong Son is just shy of the halfway point along the loop from Chiang Mai, Pai, Mae Hong Son, Mae Saring, Lampang and finally, back to Chiang Mai. The route is very mountainous and requires the road to switchback and forth up and down impossibly steep mountains. Mae Hong Son had provided a fulfilling cultural experience and our tolerance for an extra day of travel to complete the route was thin. Laos was falling into our sights.
A 10 hour bus ride back to Chiang Mai and another 4 hours north to Chiang Rai and we were on the door step of the Golden Triangle and the tail end of our time in Thailand. We found some accommodation in the city center and headed out for whatever culinary adventure we could find. The night market was in full swing once we arrived. Following our eyes, ears and nose we found what we were looking for. The city had a square designated for food vendors, covered seating and a performance stage. Following one of our travel principles, we patiently assessed the food situation and followed the lead of the locals (or, at least, who we presumed to be the locals). A common theme among the food stalls was we have come to know as the “Hot Pot.” This is a selection of raw meat and vegetables served with a pot of soup stock atop a brazier of hot coals. The diner then selects which ingredient and to which quantity they would like to enjoy. The cooking process takes 20 to 30 minutes, which allows for some time to enjoy light conversation, the stage performances, and some serious people watching. Once the soup is ready, it is served into bowls to be shared. This was so popular between the two of us, we returned the next night and each had our own hot pot.
Chiang Rai had two sights that we could not possible miss: The White Temple and The Black House. Travel by scooter had become the norm at this point and we rented ours early to beat the tour busses to the White Temple. The area had experienced an earth quake a few years earlier and the temple was badly damaged. Repairs were underway to repaint the frescoes inside the temple and there was noticeable damage to the steeple atop the main structure. The clouds were beginning to break and the temple was already busy by the time we arrived. The temple was stark white with mirrors placed to accent the sculptures. The highlight was the bridge leading from the sculptures depicting tormented souls into the temples. The bridge was guarded by two looming figures holding swords and pointing towards the judged. The walk across the bridge and towards the temple was a sight that is tough to describe, hopefully our pictures do it justice.
The Black House lies north of the city and we were back on our scooter to make the second stop. We found our way down some alleys to national artist, Thawan Duchanee’s Black House. (http://www.thawan-duchanee.com/index-eng.htm) We were awestruck by the architecture, sculptures, painting and general landscaping. Once again, I cannot find the words to capture the grandiose nature of his work and will rely on our photos.
Our time traveling was beginning to wear on us and we decided to spend some time relaxing and decompressing at a nice, relaxing place to regain our composure. Near the Black House and Chiang Rai University we found Naga Hill. Complete with a salt water swimming pool, attentive staff and delicious restaurant. Three days flew by under the sweltering sun as we red books, swam and decompressed.
Laos awaited. The staff at the Gibbon Experience had been slow to return our emails and we weren’t sure if ziplining was in our future or not. The border crossing over the Mekong River was smooth and we found our way to the Gibbon Experience office. We booked our tour for the next day and checked into our hotel for the night.
The Gibbon Experience started with a 50 mile ride into the mountains to a Hmong village. A two mile hike into the rainforest and we were to the base camp. After a quick introduction our gear was issued and we chose our respective tree houses. The groups hiked further into the forest and we started on our first zip lines. We clipped onto the lines and headed how the lines. The afternoon was spent recovering from the hike and enjoying our new accommodations. As the sun set, the jungle came alive with the sounds of animals and insects. We sat and listened for hours to the music of the forest.
We awoke to the call of the gibbons, organizing for the day’s activities. They called back and forth to each other in a building manner that ended with the gibbons screaming excitedly. This was very special, as very few trips get to see the endangered species. The rest of the day was spent taking the ziplines across the jungle. We visited all of the 7 treehouses, each with their own unique designs, views and perks. While heading down one of the lines, Stacey was coming in a little too fast. She attempted to brake, but wasn’t slowing down fast enough to avoid hitting the tree at the end of the zipline. She pulled herself to the platform and we assessed the extent of her injury. After a 15 minute break, we decided it was just a bad bruise and she kept in good spirits the remainder of the day. The second day was a short day of ziplining and a return hike down the mountain. The return song theaw (a truck with benches in the bed and a pavilion over the top) was much smoother than the initial ride up. After 3 action packed days, the slow boat down the Mekong awaited us.
Two days of the slow chug a lug droning from the diesel motor carried us through northwestern Laos. This is absolutely the only way to travel from northern Thailand into north central Laos. We shared the boat with a many travelers such as ourselves. The trip consisted of two 8 hour days, staying in a small trading town, Pak Beng, along the way. The abundance of time afforded us the opportunity to talk with other travelers and learn about places we were headed and some places we learned we would like to visit. Talking with new people from new lands has inspired me to do more of the same when we return to the US, broadening my insights and knowledge about the world we live in.
Luang Prabang was were I came down with the Mekong sickness. Two days were spent mostly in the hotel room and going out mainly for meals. The French influence was evident in the architecture, language and culinary options. Le Banneton bakery became our favorite dinning option in the city. The quality of the croissants and baguettes was impeccable. Another highlight was the coffee, easily the best in all of Laos. The local food in Laos leaves a lot to be desired, so this had become a welcome oasis for us.
Our time in Luang Prabang began to feel a little forced. We had applied and recieved our Vietnam visas and decided it was time to get out while the getting was good. Some friends from the Gibbon Experience had gone south to Vang Vieng and we decided to head down there for some tubing, pizza and beers. The weather was great and we had fun meeting up with some familiar faces. The landscape was spotted with mountains rising from the river valley and made for some great sunsets. We had our fill of pizza and fruit shakes and we took a 7 hour bus ride north to the city of Phonsovan.
The people of Laos were unwillingly dragged into the Vietnam war. Their country was used by Vietnamese troops to resupply troops to the south, utilizing the Ho Chi Minh Trail. In an effort to disrupt this supply route, the US military ran a bombing mission in Laos every 8 minutes, 24 hours a day for 9 years. More bombs were dropped on Laos during the Vietnam war than all of the bombs dropped during World War 2. These missions were taking place in secret even though the US had signed a peace treaty in Geneva promising not to involve Laos in the Vietnam War. Of all these bombs that were dropped, approximately 30% never exploded, littering the country with unexploded ordinances that pose a grave hazard for generations to come. To learn more about the efforts to clean up these remnants of war, visit http://www.maginternational.org/ .
Phonsovan was a quick stop for us on our way to Vietnam. The area has been a historically important trade route and is home to the enigmatic Plain of Jars. These monoliths are carved from local rock and resemble a large jar. It has been speculated that these were used in burial ceremonies and excavation of local sites has revealed evidence to support this theory. The area was subjected to heavy bombardment in the Vietnam war (referred to as the Indochina war in Laos). During the bombing, several of the jars were damaged and the 20 foot deep craters remain to this day as a testament to the military actions of the area.
We were happy to move on to Vietnam and find some western creature comforts. The bus ride took us through the mountainous passes between Phonsovan and the border. Our bus lacked heat, but none of the migratory Vietnamese workers seemed to mind too much. 13 hours later we had arrived in Vinh, Vietnam with Hue just a short train ride away.
We apologize for the brevity of this post, as several factors contributed to us not posting the past 2 plus weeks. We hope to have more entertaining and informative posts to come.
