Searching for the X-Factor in Laos

And so, I left Thailand (for the second time), to cross into Laos.  I had high expectations: I’d met numerous people for whom Laos was their favourite South East Asian destination.

For the first week, I think I was searching for what it is that makes Laos top other people’s lists.  After 11 days (again – really too short), I’m not sure that I found that ‘X-factor’ … It’s not that I didn’t enjoy it; in fact, I had a wonderful time:

·      The people are friendly, and are often keen to practice their English (English seems to be fairly widely taught in the cities, especially in the monastery schools).

·         The countryside is very pretty.  Around the southern region the features include some impressive waterfalls (they definitely beat the Victoria-Australia attempts hands-down!)

·         The food has been generally fabulous: a lot of similarities with some of the familiar Thai-food, but also some new delights (the French influence has left a legacy of pretty good baguettes – usually filled with pate/pork and fresh herbs: much better than the typical Asian bread!)

·         The architecture in some of the cities (in particular Luang Prabang) is lovely: a mixture of traditional Lao and French-colonial.  Also, there are no ‘big cities’ (Vientiane is just over 200,000), so they have a relaxed small-town feel.

·         It’s a very easy country to travel around; having a well-established tourist circuit.  While this can sometimes make travel less ‘eventful’ it is good when trying to cover a lot of the country in a short time!

·         I’ve met lots of other travellers, and haven’t had to eat too many dinners on my own (my least favourite part of solo-travel).

Arrival

I travelled into Laos on a (aforementioned ‘easy/boring’) VIP transfer package organised through my hostel in Chiang Mai.  This transfer included transport from Chiang Mai, across the border into Laos, accommodation for the first night, and then travel on the slow boat down-river to Luang Prabang.  While this might not have been an adventurous way to negotiate the transportation it was still an effective introduction into Lao-culture and ‘Lao-time’:

·         On the Thai-side, the transfer was fairly straightforward: pick-up from hostel (it was about 30 minutes late, but that seemed to be ‘par for the course’), drive to Chiang Khong (a few bumpy stretches of road, but otherwise comfortable).  Delivery to the border and a very short longboat ride across the Mekong to Huay Xai in Laos.

·         On the Laos side I had to fill in my Visa on Arrival forms.  It was all very straightforward – but the process seemed a bit messy: once you’d handed over your passport you simply had to loiter around the window until you were called back to receive the completed Visa and pay your money.  I’d opted for the border transfer in the afternoon, so there weren’t many people around… however I understand that it can be quite busy in the morning; in which case, I imagine it could feel a bit chaotic.

·         After entering Laos, we’d all been told that there would be someone waiting for us to take us to our pre-booked accommodation… there were about ten of us milling around wondering where exactly we were supposed to go…  After about 10 minutes, a woman swept past, waved a hand, and we all dutifully followed her in a Pied Piper-like fashion.  Myself and two others were dropped at a guest house, and told “I’ll be back at 8:30am – maybe”, and that was it - (Maybe?! – I would have liked a little more information!)

Huay Xai was not a particularly inspiring town – it has one dusty main road lined with small shops all selling the same things (supplies for the 2-day slow boat ride to Luang Prabang), guesthouses, and a few restaurants. 

When I say ‘supplies’ for the journey I am referring to sandwiches, fruit, snacks, drinks.  Also, cushions for the boat in a range of horrendous toddler-oriented designs.  There were also bottles of Lao whiskey with snakes/scorpions inside the bottle (I later discovered these are everywhere in Lao – I am unsure whether anyone actually drinks them *Perish the thought!)   According to the two guys in my hostel there were also other substances on offer to make the journey more enjoyable (I missed out on this proposition).

Huay Xai felt a lot poorer than where I had come from in Thailand – I later read in the Lonely Planet that Laos is one of the 20 poorest countries globally (though checking on the internet it seems that it may have lifted slightly - though not significantly - up the rankings).  My guesthouse for the night was fine, and I found myself eating dinner at one of the tourist-oriented restaurants in town (which meant I had company, joining another couple who had been on the bus with me from Chiang Mai). 

 

·         The next morning, we three were waiting outside, not entirely sure what to do: should we get breakfast? (We thought it was included).  After pestering the guest house owners with 1001 questions, he rang ‘our lady’ – she was ‘coming soon’…   We did indeed get breakfast dropped off to us – and were again told “I’ll be back about 10am” (What time does the ferry leave – who knew?)  Further waiting, and another 30minutes past the promised time, and someone came back to take us 100m down the road to another office.  More milling around (with a larger group of people).  Then onto a vehicle for a short drive.  Another stop.  More milling.  We had to hand over our passports.  Eventually tickets received, we trooped down to the ferry…

·         I had read many things online and in the guide books about what time the ferry was scheduled to leave: 8am/ 9am/ 11am/ 12noon/ when it was full (or possibly over-full)… In the end, I think we left around 11:30 – and I think the departure time is essentially ‘whenever the agency-booked passengers are all aboard’.

The slow boat

The boat itself was a pleasant surprise.  I’d read that you must bring your own cushion (which I dutifully did) – so I was envisaging sitting on the deck of the boat, or on hard seats for two days.  In fact, there were padded seats: they appeared to have been sawn out of the front of a random selection of old cars.  I’d also read that they sometimes overfilled the boat, and the overflow passengers would be forced to sit in the (hot, noisy, smelly) engine room.  Again, this was not the case; we even had allocated seat numbers – though these were generally taken to be a ‘suggestion’ – rather than a rule).

As a way to travel, the two days on the boat was quite pleasant.  It was a smooth journey (much more comfortable than a bumpy bus journey) and a nice companionable environment.  I did hear stories from other people about the loud bunch of young English backpackers, who played loud music, rowdy drinking games, and were generally a bit over-much to co-inhabit with!  Our boat was pretty tame: there were a few cans of Beer Lao consumed, and reasonably quiet games to pass the time.

At the end of the first day, the slow boat stops overnight at Pak Beng.  The guidebooks make this place sound like a ‘necessary evil’ in the journey – just a place to rest your head, in an range of not-very-desirable accommodation options, before escaping back to the boat the next day.  So; I wasn’t expecting much. 

There are lots of stories about accommodation scams in Pak Beng – so the advice is NOT to book in advance.  This results in a scrum of 80-100 tourists alighting the boat, to be accosted with touts from every place in town holding boards showing pictures of their ‘nice / cheap rooms’… The few I glanced at all looked the same: washed out colour images of generic rooms – I had no idea how to select a place.  Feeling a little unsure and alone, I opted for the approach of ‘walk past the first offerings, in the hopes that those at the back might have something better on offer’ so I scrambled on up the bank.

(My experience of Lao ferry piers is that they are all designed the same way – or rather, there is no design – Such that you have to negotiate across unsteady boats or floating platforms, scramble up steep slopes of mud, sand or gravel, and generally cover the most difficult and treacherous path.  This is all while saddled with a heavy pack, and probably wearing unsuitable shoes like jandals – decreasing my already questionable stability.)

As it turned out, by complete coincidence my accommodation approach kind-of worked: one woman was standing rather quietly – rather than hassling for business.  Her accommodation looked to be superior to some of the others (the price was higher to match!)  She did drop the initial price for me, and, - proving that I am a hopeless budget traveller – I decided take the offer.  (When I say ‘higher price’ I paid 300Baht, $10, compared to the 200Baht a lot of the other places were offering; cheaper obviously if you had a roommate to share with).  The place I ended up in was new, and one of the nicest rooms I have stayed in: a thatched bungalow, built out on the side of the hill overlooking the river, a modern, clean bathroom (hot water) and large bed.  It really was a pity I was only there for one night (although, as I discovered, Pak Beng gets quite cold at night, and the thatched walls were not exactly sealed – it was actually freezing, and I had to raid the cupboard for extra blankets). 

At night, the town of Pak Beng was quite pleasant.  It was small, and lined with restaurants, cafes (and one bar), all catering to the influx of overnight travellers off the boats each day.  I met Joe (Austrian) and Martin (German) and we enjoyed a pleasant dinner, followed by a failed attempt at dessert when the electricity failed (thus apparently preventing the ability of the kitchen to cook without any light).  Joe was heading in a different direction the next day, but Martin and I shared the boat on to Luang Prabang and another few meals before our paths took us in different directions around the country.

 

Luang Prabang: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Luang Prabang was an architectural delight: traditional wooden buildings, old French colonial architecture, ornate temples (a lot in a very small area), and lots of inviting looking cafes, restaurants and wine bars.  It was especially attractive at night, when all the buildings were lit with colourful lanterns, and many of the trees festooned in fairy lights.  There was a busy night market filled with handicrafts, and a market food-street packed with bargain seeking travellers, loading their plates with cheap all-you-can-eat buffet food and BBQ’d meat.  All-in-all, it is a very attractive, comfortable town, and it was easy to see why it is such a popular place to spend a few days (or more).

 

The activity highlight for me in Luang Prabang was doing (another) cooking class.  I hadn’t intended to do one in Laos – having already done so in Chiang Mai, and fully intending to in Vietnam.  However, one afternoon I stopped for lunch at Tamarind restaurant – choosing a sample platter of Laos ‘bites’.  The food was fantastic: and actually very different from my expectations (showcasing different flavours and a different style of eating compared to what I’d encountered in Thailand).  It was so good, I went inside and signed up for their cooking class the next day… And I am so glad I did.  I think there were ten of us, and I always find it fun hanging out with people who are as fixated on their food as me.  First up, we went to the local market – I always enjoy this bit, as there are so many weird and different things available. 

·         A few years ago, I remember watching Luke Nguyen (Australian/Vietnamese chef) on his tour of Vietnam show.  He was eating an egg, containing an unhatched chick “I get the crunch of the beak… Oh, there is a feather” – It made me cringe at the time, and it’s not something I’m keen to try… These fertilised eggs were on sale all through the Luang Prabang market, with a number coding system – I am not sure if this relates to the development state of the chick, but “3” is apparently good.

·         There were many bowls of bright-red squares of congealed blood (for making sausages).

·         A woman was smoking a rat over a fire: it was the whole animal, but appeared to have been almost completely dried.  Our chef asked who wanted to cook rat later – Daniel said he would – though we all assumed that the chef was joking…

After the market, we were driven out of town, to the most gorgeous setting: a series of thatch-roofed open huts, in a tropical garden setting, with ornamental pools.  Our work benches, charcoal fires, and dining table were all set-up under these, and the view as we worked (and ate) was pretty special.

The selection of dishes we prepared was a little different compared to the Thai cooking in Chiang Mai.  A couple of the dishes were a little more intricate (stuffing minced chicken into a lemongrass stem was rather fiddly – I think I ‘failed’ this one!) and when we got to the Luang Prabang stew the dried rat was produced (alternate options were pork or buffalo)!   All the food we created was tasty, and dining at the end was very enjoyable.  Daniel is a professional blogger, and performed a very amusing monologue onto video before tasting his rat stew: “the smell is making me nauseous, here goes… actually it’s not too bad – would anyone else like to try?” (Overwhelming silence ensued).  Ok – so I didn’t want to perform to the camera; but actually, I did try the rat… It didn’t smell bad (poetic hyperbole was being utilised), and the taste wasn’t terrible either: it had a more distinctly ‘animal’ flavour than other meats (I’d compare it to the animal-flavour in goats cheese compared to cow cheese).  I wouldn’t say that it was my pick of the meats (and in fact, there was relatively little meat on the bone), but it was ok.

The other highlight for me in Luang Prabang was assisting some of the young guys who were learning English.  I spent about 2 hours one evening talking to one of the staff at my guest house.  This was a part time job for him; he was studying English at university and had an oral presentation to give in a few days – he practised on me, and we talked about different ways to construct sentences (I hope I was of some help!)  Another day, I went to ‘Big Brother Mouse’; an organisation that publishes books in Lao and English to distribute throughout the country.  They also host a 2-hour session every morning during which foreigners can come and volunteer their time to help with English language.  I wasn’t sure what to expect, but was ultimately paired with two guys who had been attending these sessions for some time… they had pretty good English, and just wanted practice.  Basically, we just spent 2 hours chatting about nothing-in-particular (I was somewhat challenged by their questions on grammar and spelling!)

VIP? Travel

From Luang Prabang, I took an overnight ‘VIP’ bus to Vientiane (a journey of about 11 hours).  As-always in Asia, the bus wasn’t exactly what was advertised (I think the pictures may have been taken when the bus was about 10 years younger…) Nevertheless, it was ok: just a standard bus – not new, but not in total disrepair either. 

Once we were all on-board we set off - only to stop about five minutes in, after hearing what sounded like breaking glass… I have no idea if the noise was inside or outside, I never discovered the cause, and though it didn’t seem like a great start we set off again after a few minutes.  Not so long after, the driver apparently decided we needed some music to accompany our attempts at sleep.  Now, I don’t object to music per-se… not even Asian-pop if that’s what it has to be… but this was being played at such a volume that (not only was it impossible to tune out) it was actually painful.  The bus was predominantly filled with Western foreigners, and I think we were all like “Are you serious? / You have to be joking?… this is (sort of) amusing in a when will it be over? kind-of way”.  Next thing we know, there was yelling from an Asian woman on the bus – it didn’t sound like a very civil discussion – but the music was stopped! 

The remainder of the journey wasn’t so eventful: I did wonder initially if we would ever make it to our destination – the bus seemed to be crawling at a snail-pace along the dark, narrow, winding roads (I admit, slow progression was probably infinitely more desirable than a breakneck pace through these roads).  At about 1am we stopped for ‘dinner’ (the halfway point) – and all of us bleary eyed travellers piled off for our bowl of noddle soup (it was pretty good, even if it was a weird time to be eating).  I did sleep for a good portion of the way, and arrived in Vientiane feeling remarkably good.

Where I didn’t go

I should say – that most travellers en route from Luang Prabang to Vientiane stop at Vang Vieng.  I did not.  In fact, I was very resolute that I was completely AVOIDING the place.  Vang Vieng is where all the backpackers go tubing; in a fashion that sounds like a series of nightclubs on the water: loud music, drinks, and then further floating downriver to the next such place.  I’m afraid that I really couldn’t think of anything worse than that scene – so I avoided the location completely.  I did speak to a few other travellers before, (and several more since) who say that it is a beautiful part of the country.  It is possible to enjoy the scenery, go kayaking, and generally enjoy the region without going anywhere near the party-crowd.  Having said that, I had limited time in Laos, and couldn’t go everywhere – so I don’t have any regrets about my decision (other than wishing for more time!)

The Capital city

The streets of Vientiane had a distinctly French feel (more so than Luang Prabang) – in the architecture, the landscaping, fountain squares – but even more so in the sheer number of French restaurants and wine bars.  The city also has its very own Arc de Triumphe monument: the Patuxai monument sits in the middle of a roundabout (with rather a lot least traffic volume than the Paris equivalent).  I wouldn’t say it is an exciting city – there is not a lot to ‘do’ or ‘see’ – but it is pleasant, and had a very small-town feel.  This surprised me, until I looked up the stats and found that the population is only just over 750,000.  If this is the biggest city, in a country of around 7 million people, the population is truly spread out throughout the countryside.

 

Another bus journey

My next bus journey was from Vientiane to Pakse; another 10-11 hours, but this time on a sleeper bus.  I’d seen pictures, but wasn’t getting my hopes up after the last experience!  After pick-up from my guest house, I arrived at the bus station to at least 20 different buses of different sizes, and different levels of Over-The-Top external décor… some of the buses were fully decked with glowing neon lights – like some kind of nightclub on wheels (I wanted to travel on one of THOSE!)  I got my wish… “King of Bus” (my company) had glowing neon lights illuminating the rear end, an electronic WELCOME positioned in the front windscreen and around half a dozen fluffy stuffed toys hanging in the front to complete the look.  Inside, the berths were quite comfortable; raised platforms, with soft mattresses, pillows, blankets, space to place your shoes and bags.  However, two seats were one mattress – about the width of a king single bed – I was sharing with a (typically tiny) Asian lady, but I wouldn’t have wanted to be any bigger… I could just stretch out from end-to-end, and I spent the night trying not to move too much for fear of disturbing (or squashing) my neighbour.  I was the window side, so every time I wanted to get up (which was a few, as I was restless), I had to perform a series of acrobatics to climb over my bed buddy!  I think I slept better on the standard bus seats on the LP-Vientiane bus!

 

Bolaven Plateau

I arrived into Pakse at 7am, and headed straight to a couple of travel agencies.  Pakse is close to the Bolaven plateau: an area of scenic bush, ‘countless’ waterless (so says Wiki!), hill tribe villages and coffee and tea plantations.  I was interested in doing a trek for 1-2 days, but I was unable to find any groups that I could join (and while it would have been possible to arrange a guide on my own, it would have been more expensive and less fun)…  So, instead I signed up for a day trip around the region (including all the aforementioned ‘key sights’).  Just after 8am, (and still feeling a little hot and smelly from the bus journey) I was on-board a minibus with 10 other travellers.

I usually have mixed feelings about day trips – and this one was no exception.  It was a good way to see a little of the region in a short time, and it was fun being with a group of companions, but of course you only get a superficial appreciation of the region.  The coffee and tea plantations we saw were not particularly exciting, but the three waterfalls we went to were all worthwhile stops in picturesque locations.  The hill tribe village felt remarkably ‘real’ considering they had a big bunch of foreigners trooping through, taking pictures.

 

At the end of the day tour, I agreed to join forces with two of the others for a morning trip to Wat Phu, a ruined temple complex on a hill upriver from Pakse (to be fair, it could be downriver...)  I hadn’t intended to visit this site (I’ve seen just about enough temples, and still had Angkor Wat to come).  But I was told that it was in a picturesque location, with good views of the surrounding area.  Also, Nok and I would then travel onwards together to my next intended stop; Si Phan Don (Four Thousands Islands). 

At Wat Phu, initially, you reach two ruined pavilions.  It was hot, in full sun, and I was really not excited.  However, you then climb up some very steep steps, and reach a cool oasis; hidden in the trees from below.  There is a small temple complex, some rock carvings, and a Buddha footprint.  But mostly, it was just a beautiful small plateau up the hill, shaded with palms and Jacaranda trees, with flowering hibiscus adding a splash of colour.  It was a really nice place to sit and relax.  There was a group of young monks, and one came to talk with me; he spoke good English –he once had a teacher from New Zealand!

 

After leaving Wat Phu, Nok and I were dropped at the ‘bus stop’ to catch the local bus to Ban Nakasang for the Four Thousand Islands.  The ‘bus stop’ was a road intersection; meaning we would be required to flag down the bus.  I wouldn’t have attempted this without Nok, but I was lucky: Nok hails from Thailand, and can therefore understand Lao, and read some of the Lao alphabet (apparently they are not exactly the same, but similar).  According to the locals, the buses should come through every hour – we must have just missed one, because I think we waited the full hour.  I wasn’t sure what to expect from a ‘local bus’; I was assuming some small, overcrowded beat-up bus.  Actually, the vehicle we took was a pick-up (truck with bench seating down each side of the trailer, and fully canopied).  It wasn’t particularly crowded, though we did have to fold our legs around boxes of floor tiles, bags full of clothing, a few watermelons and a number of 20L paint pails.  There were five bags containing (live) small fish hanging from the rear of the front cabin.  So, it wasn’t actually a bad journey; plenty of fresh air, and though my legs did start to cramp after a few hours some of the passengers did alight, giving us a chance to move around.  My only concern was whether the ferries would still be running out to the islands (it was getting dark).  Again, things all went pretty smoothly; we walked down to the pier, got straight onto a boat, and motored the short distance out to the island of Don Det under a spectacular setting sun.

 

Si Phan Don (Four Thousand) Islands

I spent two days on the islands (the first night on Don Det, then I moved for two nights on Don Khone - a neighbouring island, joined to Don Det by a bridge). 

The first morning, Nok and I hired bicycles to see the Somphamit waterfalls on Don Khone.  The falls were quite impressive, but the rural scenery was even more pleasant; rice fields, buffalo, geese, small villages, and local people going about their morning tasks.  Nok had to leave mid-morning, but I continued to explore around Don Khone (much larger than Don Det, with narrow, bumpy tracks through the trees and between the fields).  In the afternoon, I fell asleep in my hammock on my porch, before checking out sunset from the bridge.  I then managed my first real ‘injury’ of my trip: stumbling down the stairs, twisting one ankle, and taking a rather large area of skin of the big toe on the other foot… Feeling very sorry for myself, (particularly since I had no one to provide me with sympathy) I retired home to tend to my wounds.

On my second day I went on a kayaking tour.  I found myself in a group with another two travellers whom I had met a few days before in Pakse.  Esther and I acquired ourselves a double kayak, and enjoyed the scenery, and the chance to do something a bit more physically active (it was by no means difficult waters, but at the end of the day I was rather tired).  We saw the Irrawaddy dolphins as they surfaced and dived (albeit briefly, and from a bit of a distance), and finished up at the Khone Phapheng waterfalls; the biggest in South East Asia (we didn’t quite extend ourselves to kayaking this section!)  Even by Lao standards, the tour organisation was TERRIBLE!  It took about two hours to get going in the morning (you’d have thought that a daily tour operation would have equipment arrangements down to a smooth operation?), there was no explanation or instruction from the guides, and for some weird reason they insisted on hanging out the back of the group for the first kayaking section – meaning Esther and I actually overshot a stop at one point – and had to drift until the others caught us up.  Fortunately, being out on the water was lovely (though hot in the sun), so overall, the day was enjoyable.

As far as islands go, Si Phan Don is a scenic area.  I did find it weird being on an island without a beach (there are a couple of places where swimming is possible, but not many).  The north end of Don Det is a veritable backpacker’s ghetto of cheap guesthouses, restaurants and travel agencies (it felt very much like Khao San road on the beach – without the beach!).  I didn’t like it very much – though it wasn’t overly busy.  Don Khone was quieter, with more local people, a school, and rural life, however, it was less practical for ‘activity-based’ holidays (I was charged a premium to transfer me to Don Det for the kayaking).  In between, the South-East side of Don Det looked a little less-ghetto, more quiet bungalows (I didn’t stay around there, but it looked pleasant). 

 

The X-factor?

So, as I said… I think Laos is lovely.  I just don’t know that it would stand out as the number one destination…  But the more I think about it, the more I think that Lao does make a good ‘package’.  There is something for everyone, and although I would probably pick other countries for certain aspects (Thailand for food and beaches, Myanmar for people), Lao does deliver all that you could want in a small area.  I would love to go back and see more – particularly outside of the city areas (although I say that about everywhere I go).