Laos, the land of a million elephants
Well, we haven't actually seen any elephants, so like many things in this part of the world, it's a bit of false advertising. But we have seen some incredible things and given the wonderfully warm and honest people here, I'll assume that I'm either blind or haven't looked hard enough. Chang Mai was great and we had a blast doing our cooking course, though I'm quite worried about my new ability to make spring rolls. This could be seriously hazardous to my health. One highlight of Chang Mai is the night market. This frenetic zoo of shops and stalls crammed together with barely enough room for passage is a place where one can lose a lot of money along with their sanity. You can buy pretty much anything, but in order to keep your arm and part of your leg, you have to bargain hard. More to the point, you have to be a real asshole. Unfortunate reality.
Next to this, Laos sits in stark contrast. Walking through the night market in Luang Prabang, I was blown away by how open it was. How friendly the people are and how they aren't hell bent on squeezing every last penny from you. You almost don't have the heart to barter. And it's not just in the market. All around, the people are so honest and happy and beautiful. Travelling in Thailand, you have to keep your guard up all the time, but in Laos, it's much different. And you can feel it in the atmosphere. It's easier to breathe here.
In Luang Prabang, we hired our very own boat and driver to take us up the Mekong river to the Pak Ou caves. The first of these spectacular caves has it's entrance right on the waters of the river. Both caves are stacked with old dilapidated buddha images. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of all shapes and sizes and in all states of disrepair.
But as beautiful and impressive as the caves were, the most amazing part of the day was the trip up the river. This was our introduction to the mighty Mekong who's muddy waters span a couple hundred meters at this point. As our slow boat meandered back and forth up the river, moving at a pace that seems natural and proper, we were treated to some incredible snapshots of life along the Mekong. From the brown of the water and the shore, through the lush green of the surrounding jungle and mountains, to the brilliant blue of the cloudless sky, the specturm of colours seemed so complete. And all along, we passed beautiful images of everyday life. Naked children bathing and playing in the water. Fisherman casting their nets. Farmers tending the crops that sit crammed between the banks and the river. Men tending their boats. Everything was so amazing and exotically pedestrian that we were going through film like it was water. Everywhere you look, you see a photo waiting to me taken. The whole country is a photographers wet dream.
However, that dream turned into a nightmare for me yesterday when I realized the cause of the funny noise my camera has been making for quite some time. Seems that somehow, the shutter got messed up and when I've been taking pictures, it hasn't been opening. In short, all of my photos, maybe back as far as Nepal, are likely crap. This was a pretty heartbreaking realization to make, but I'm trying not to let it get me down. On the bright side, I'll have much less to bore you all with when I get back ....
We're in Vang Vieng now and we spent today tubing down the river. For $2.50 US, you can rent a tube and get a tuk tuk ride 4 km up the river. From there, you just hop into the slowly moving river and float away. So peaceful and relaxing, sitting there watching the jungle and the limestone monoliths, for which this area is famous, pass quitely by. But the most beautiful thing is that every hundred yards or so, you can pull off to the side of the river to where some enterprising local will sell you an ice cold, 650ml Beerlao for 80 cents US. And once you've had a rest or had your fill of diving off platforms and swinging off ropes into the river, you and your beer can just hop onto your tube and float on. A brilliant way to pass a gorgeous sunny day.
But alas, time is short and we'll be heading back towards Thailand tomorrow. I wish we had time to explore Laos more completely. I've really fallen in love with this country. From the people to the scenery, it truely amazes me. It reminds me a bit of Nepal, in that it feels like a backwater. Like it is just quietly ignoring the rest of this crazy world. A great place to be when one is trying to do the same.
Take care and I'll talk to you soon,
Justin
Next to this, Laos sits in stark contrast. Walking through the night market in Luang Prabang, I was blown away by how open it was. How friendly the people are and how they aren't hell bent on squeezing every last penny from you. You almost don't have the heart to barter. And it's not just in the market. All around, the people are so honest and happy and beautiful. Travelling in Thailand, you have to keep your guard up all the time, but in Laos, it's much different. And you can feel it in the atmosphere. It's easier to breathe here.
In Luang Prabang, we hired our very own boat and driver to take us up the Mekong river to the Pak Ou caves. The first of these spectacular caves has it's entrance right on the waters of the river. Both caves are stacked with old dilapidated buddha images. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of all shapes and sizes and in all states of disrepair.
But as beautiful and impressive as the caves were, the most amazing part of the day was the trip up the river. This was our introduction to the mighty Mekong who's muddy waters span a couple hundred meters at this point. As our slow boat meandered back and forth up the river, moving at a pace that seems natural and proper, we were treated to some incredible snapshots of life along the Mekong. From the brown of the water and the shore, through the lush green of the surrounding jungle and mountains, to the brilliant blue of the cloudless sky, the specturm of colours seemed so complete. And all along, we passed beautiful images of everyday life. Naked children bathing and playing in the water. Fisherman casting their nets. Farmers tending the crops that sit crammed between the banks and the river. Men tending their boats. Everything was so amazing and exotically pedestrian that we were going through film like it was water. Everywhere you look, you see a photo waiting to me taken. The whole country is a photographers wet dream.
However, that dream turned into a nightmare for me yesterday when I realized the cause of the funny noise my camera has been making for quite some time. Seems that somehow, the shutter got messed up and when I've been taking pictures, it hasn't been opening. In short, all of my photos, maybe back as far as Nepal, are likely crap. This was a pretty heartbreaking realization to make, but I'm trying not to let it get me down. On the bright side, I'll have much less to bore you all with when I get back ....
We're in Vang Vieng now and we spent today tubing down the river. For $2.50 US, you can rent a tube and get a tuk tuk ride 4 km up the river. From there, you just hop into the slowly moving river and float away. So peaceful and relaxing, sitting there watching the jungle and the limestone monoliths, for which this area is famous, pass quitely by. But the most beautiful thing is that every hundred yards or so, you can pull off to the side of the river to where some enterprising local will sell you an ice cold, 650ml Beerlao for 80 cents US. And once you've had a rest or had your fill of diving off platforms and swinging off ropes into the river, you and your beer can just hop onto your tube and float on. A brilliant way to pass a gorgeous sunny day.
But alas, time is short and we'll be heading back towards Thailand tomorrow. I wish we had time to explore Laos more completely. I've really fallen in love with this country. From the people to the scenery, it truely amazes me. It reminds me a bit of Nepal, in that it feels like a backwater. Like it is just quietly ignoring the rest of this crazy world. A great place to be when one is trying to do the same.
Take care and I'll talk to you soon,
Justin
posted by Justin Callison at 7:20 AM
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