Well weren't we in for a treat :) After our quiet couple days in Luang Prabang, we've just arrived in Vang Vieng and they couldn't be more different. Let me wrap up our time in LP first....we spent one of the days exploring a nearby waterfall and a bear rescue center (more details on that to follow) and the second full day there renting bikes and exploring the town. We really enjoyed both of those activities.
Sadly, what I thought was going to be the highlight of LP didn't turn out as planned. We rose early yesterday morning to observe the almsgiving ceremony that happens daily. As described in my Lonely Planet book, monks walk up and down the streets, collecting food from the locals....and that is all they are allowed to eat (before noon I believe). This is apparently an age-old ritual and necessary for the life of the monks. So Katy and I parked ourselves on the street a little before 6am yesterday, in the dark, excited to witness this religious ritual.
Half an hour later, no monks to be found and hundreds of tourists. Booooo. We had read that you are not supposed to participate in the ritual unless you are Buddhist, so we obviously were keeping our distance and not purchasing food from the street vendors. I guess everyone else didn't get the memo. Busloads of non-backpacker tourists who must have been coming from some fancy oasis hotels were getting dropped off and being brought right to the vendors to buy sticky rice so that they could give something to the monks (meanwhile their husbands were in the monk's faces snapping photos). Katy and I looked around and realized there were almost no locals around. Ick. So the monks finally did start their parade down the main drag but Katy and I didn't really want to be part of something that we thought was going to be so sacred but in turn was clearly designed for tourists. We wandered around to find some breakfast and, in a last attempt to restore some faith in the tradition, ran into a corner of locals who were legitimately offering alms to the monks. That's what we were looking for :)
Anyhow, after almsgiving and breakfast, we grabbed a minibus to Vang Vieng. It was a dusty, bumpy 6 hours but we made it and found a great hostel to stay in immediately. Grabbed some quick showers and headed out to find the scene. And boy, did we.
In Luang Prabang, you have to be home by midnight every night. In Vang Vieng, all I wanted was a beer and instead all I could find was the "happy" menu: mushrooms plain, mushroom shake, opium, brownies....you name it, they have it. Obviously, Katy and I stuck to our beers and had a blast observing all the people in the middle of some crazy trips trying to act human. Prior to stumbling across the happy menu, we spent some time in one of the numerous bars that line the main drag here that offer seats on the floor with pillows so you can sprawl out and watch Friends episodes! A little taste of home......
We made some new friends (English and Swiss) during our Friends watching (ha) that we are meeting up with shortly to go explore some of the caves and a lagoon around here..... and that's about it! Pictures to come soon :)
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Back to the Basics
So...I have (hopefully) been doing a phenomenal job sharing our adventures with you....what we see, where we go, etc. But what about the day to day basics of living on the road? I think it's time for some behind the scenes posting...
Showers....
Being clean. Pretty important to me. How it happens everywhere else is not the same as the US...Exhibit A:
Yes, this is the worst hostel we have stayed in yet. Please notice the mold and water damage.... So there are no actual showers when you stay in basic accomodation in SE Asia; there are hoses that spray water over the entire bathroom, including the sink, toilet, and door. And that is if you are lucky. There are also the bucket showers, as we had the option of using during our homestay in a hilltribe village. I am a pretty simple girl but I'm not going to lie...the first time I get to use a shower with an actual wall or tub again will be glorious...as will using one where the hot water just comes out (here, you can get hot water some places- but only after turning on a few switches, etc).
Don't get too much of the wrong idea, though- the homestay was only one night as was the water-damaged hostel...we are currently in a place where there is an actual shower curtain!! (no actual tub walls or anything but the curtain prevents water from going everywhere).
Toilets:
As those of you that travel probably know, Eastern plumbing does not accomodate t.p. Therefore, the garbage cans in bathrooms are.......well, use your imagination. But this was something we both knew going in so, when in Rome.....
Surprisingly, most of the places we have stayed have had proper toilets and not just squat toilets, so that has been a pleasant surprise!
Transportation....
I am simply not going to know what to do the next time I get into a vehicle that has doors, windows, or seatbelts. The majority of Thai and Lao people ride motorbikes....and I am not talking single folks on motorcycles with helmets, I am talking entire families (mom, dad, and two small children) on one motorbike while one of them eats dinner on the way home from work. While Katy and I are not brave (stupid?) enough to rent motorbikes, we are using the only form of public transportation, the tuk tuk, or songthaew...both open air vehicles that I'm sure are wildly unsafe but definitely the only option.
Bugs, bumps, and bruises:
Well...I am an official backpacker now. My legs look like I have trekked through the forest and been beat up all at the same time. I don't think I've seen one fellow backpacker with nice looking legs, and mine definitely aren't looking too hot either. Between the bruises and scratches I've obtained along the way and the hundreds of bug bites....both Katy and I are looking pretty rough. We haven't found too many creature in rooms we've stayed in yet, with the exception of this little friend that we found while trying to kill some sort of beetle during our homestay in Chiang Mai :)
We haven't been sleeping under mosquito nets or anything (unecessary at this point) but we are both taking our malaria pills and I am personally loading up on some serious DEET if I remember before I leave the house.
H20:
We have been saving dollas on water because we are drinking tap water!! That's right folks, water from the sink....and it's phenomenal to freak fellow travelers out as we whip out our water bottles full of water that is clearly local. But we were smart enough to buy a Steripen before our travels...in my opinion, the best travel invention ever. The Steripen is a UV light that changes the DNA of bacteria found in water so that it cannot harm our sensitive Western stomachs. I would make commercials for this product if they let me.
And I think that covers a good majority of it!!! Stay tuned for a possible Chiang Mai summary and some definite Lao updates.
Showers....
Being clean. Pretty important to me. How it happens everywhere else is not the same as the US...Exhibit A:
 |
| Grossss.... |
Yes, this is the worst hostel we have stayed in yet. Please notice the mold and water damage.... So there are no actual showers when you stay in basic accomodation in SE Asia; there are hoses that spray water over the entire bathroom, including the sink, toilet, and door. And that is if you are lucky. There are also the bucket showers, as we had the option of using during our homestay in a hilltribe village. I am a pretty simple girl but I'm not going to lie...the first time I get to use a shower with an actual wall or tub again will be glorious...as will using one where the hot water just comes out (here, you can get hot water some places- but only after turning on a few switches, etc).
 | ||
| Our option at the homestay....I think I'll just wait.... |
Toilets:
As those of you that travel probably know, Eastern plumbing does not accomodate t.p. Therefore, the garbage cans in bathrooms are.......well, use your imagination. But this was something we both knew going in so, when in Rome.....
Surprisingly, most of the places we have stayed have had proper toilets and not just squat toilets, so that has been a pleasant surprise!
Transportation....
I am simply not going to know what to do the next time I get into a vehicle that has doors, windows, or seatbelts. The majority of Thai and Lao people ride motorbikes....and I am not talking single folks on motorcycles with helmets, I am talking entire families (mom, dad, and two small children) on one motorbike while one of them eats dinner on the way home from work. While Katy and I are not brave (stupid?) enough to rent motorbikes, we are using the only form of public transportation, the tuk tuk, or songthaew...both open air vehicles that I'm sure are wildly unsafe but definitely the only option.
 | ||
| Enjoying some Beerlao in our songthaew on the way home from Kuang Si Waterfall |
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| Tuk tuks waiting for passengers in Luang Prabang, Laos |
Bugs, bumps, and bruises:
Well...I am an official backpacker now. My legs look like I have trekked through the forest and been beat up all at the same time. I don't think I've seen one fellow backpacker with nice looking legs, and mine definitely aren't looking too hot either. Between the bruises and scratches I've obtained along the way and the hundreds of bug bites....both Katy and I are looking pretty rough. We haven't found too many creature in rooms we've stayed in yet, with the exception of this little friend that we found while trying to kill some sort of beetle during our homestay in Chiang Mai :)
 |
| Yea, he looks kinda small here but you should've run into him wearing only your headlamp while trying to shoo away another large bug.... |
H20:
We have been saving dollas on water because we are drinking tap water!! That's right folks, water from the sink....and it's phenomenal to freak fellow travelers out as we whip out our water bottles full of water that is clearly local. But we were smart enough to buy a Steripen before our travels...in my opinion, the best travel invention ever. The Steripen is a UV light that changes the DNA of bacteria found in water so that it cannot harm our sensitive Western stomachs. I would make commercials for this product if they let me.
 |
| Steripen in action |
And I think that covers a good majority of it!!! Stay tuned for a possible Chiang Mai summary and some definite Lao updates.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
I'm in Love......
As much as I want to write about the rest of our time in Chiang Mai, I think I have to give some credit to my current location first.....Luang Prabang. A lot of backpackers take the slow boat from Chiang Mai to Laos but it takes two days, so in the interest of time, Katy and I took an hour flight over here today.....and in about five hours, I am already completely in love with this city.
This city was one of the ones I was looking forward to the most after my rudimentary research. Something about the way that the lovely writers at Lonely Planet painted the picture of this town had me sold from the beginning. It also got raving reviews from my fellow travelers on my favorite travel forums....and here we are and maybe it is because I had built it up so high or maybe it is because the city really is that amazing.....but I cannot wait for the next few days.
Luang Prabang is a small, safe, town full of genuinely happy people. Starting with the man who dealt with our visas at immigration all the way up to and including the man at our hostel for tomorrow night who offered us his home cooked meal, I have never seen people who appear to be so friendly. According to my sources, Laos just reopened to tourism in the late 1980s and the country is now in a rapid state of economic rise as it attempts to get off the list of one of the world's poorest nations. Also, the city of Luang Prabang is on the UNESCO World Heritage Site List. As expected from my previous reading, everyone moves at a slower pace here....Lao time if you will....and it is very refreshing.
The town has a curfew of midnight; therefore all bars and businesses close by 1130pm every night so that shop owners and customers can make it home by curfew. The curfew is strict, and it is expected to be respected by all travelers as well. One of the main reasons for curfew is that the majority of the town is awake before 6am to give alms to the monks every morning....something I cannot wait to witness in the next few days. Here is a brief article about it if you are interested: http://www.luang-prabang-hotels.com/travel-info/the-alms-giving-ceremony-in-luang-prabang-guidelines
The Mekong River runs through the town and after exploring a bit tonight, we can tell there are tons of places to grab great authentic food and sit along the river. There is also a nightly Hmong market from 530-9, and as much as I do not enjoy shopping, the market seemed great. What else is on the agenda? We heard that there are some beautiful waterfalls nearby, lots of treks to do if we choose....and the city is so small that you can rent a bike for the day and easily cover the whole thing (I think you actually can on foot as well, but bikes will be more fun).
We are headed to bed early this evening as we had a few too many eventful nights in Chiang Mai and need the sleep....and somehow both of us crazy planners overlooked the fact that we need a visa for Vietnam which cannot be obtained at a land border crossing....so we need to go drop off our passports in the morning as it takes a few business days for our visas to be processed.
I have nowhere I need to be and nothing I have to do until March 13, when we meet our friend Megan in Vietnam.....and the feeling is great :) We are anticipating four or so days here, but depending on who we meet and how we spend our time, we may stay longer.....sky's the limit. I will hopefully post some pictures soon as we delve into this amazing city.....and I'll catch everyone up on Chiang Mai as well :)
This city was one of the ones I was looking forward to the most after my rudimentary research. Something about the way that the lovely writers at Lonely Planet painted the picture of this town had me sold from the beginning. It also got raving reviews from my fellow travelers on my favorite travel forums....and here we are and maybe it is because I had built it up so high or maybe it is because the city really is that amazing.....but I cannot wait for the next few days.
Luang Prabang is a small, safe, town full of genuinely happy people. Starting with the man who dealt with our visas at immigration all the way up to and including the man at our hostel for tomorrow night who offered us his home cooked meal, I have never seen people who appear to be so friendly. According to my sources, Laos just reopened to tourism in the late 1980s and the country is now in a rapid state of economic rise as it attempts to get off the list of one of the world's poorest nations. Also, the city of Luang Prabang is on the UNESCO World Heritage Site List. As expected from my previous reading, everyone moves at a slower pace here....Lao time if you will....and it is very refreshing.
The town has a curfew of midnight; therefore all bars and businesses close by 1130pm every night so that shop owners and customers can make it home by curfew. The curfew is strict, and it is expected to be respected by all travelers as well. One of the main reasons for curfew is that the majority of the town is awake before 6am to give alms to the monks every morning....something I cannot wait to witness in the next few days. Here is a brief article about it if you are interested: http://www.luang-prabang-hotels.com/travel-info/the-alms-giving-ceremony-in-luang-prabang-guidelines
The Mekong River runs through the town and after exploring a bit tonight, we can tell there are tons of places to grab great authentic food and sit along the river. There is also a nightly Hmong market from 530-9, and as much as I do not enjoy shopping, the market seemed great. What else is on the agenda? We heard that there are some beautiful waterfalls nearby, lots of treks to do if we choose....and the city is so small that you can rent a bike for the day and easily cover the whole thing (I think you actually can on foot as well, but bikes will be more fun).
We are headed to bed early this evening as we had a few too many eventful nights in Chiang Mai and need the sleep....and somehow both of us crazy planners overlooked the fact that we need a visa for Vietnam which cannot be obtained at a land border crossing....so we need to go drop off our passports in the morning as it takes a few business days for our visas to be processed.
I have nowhere I need to be and nothing I have to do until March 13, when we meet our friend Megan in Vietnam.....and the feeling is great :) We are anticipating four or so days here, but depending on who we meet and how we spend our time, we may stay longer.....sky's the limit. I will hopefully post some pictures soon as we delve into this amazing city.....and I'll catch everyone up on Chiang Mai as well :)
Sunday, February 19, 2012
A few Khao Yai pics
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| Bugs :) |
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| Yea, there really was an elephant on my car |
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| Guides playing with the snake |
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| Inside the bat cave....taken with a flash as I didn't realize all these little guys were flying right at me |
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| Playing with more bugs |
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| The black line you see are bats flying out of the cave....awesome |
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