Month: March 2016

Days 309-311: Savannahket, Laos

Posted on by ajrtw

Getting around by bus in Laos was slow, pricey, and uncomfortable.  From Phonsavanh we got on the first early morning bus to Paksan, where we were let off on the curb.  Along with a young Italian man we walked towards what we thought was a bus station to find the next bus heading further south.  Eventually we waved down a packed-to-the-gills, ancient-looking bus loaded with everything imaginable including a few thousand cucumbers stacked on the roof.  For the next several hours we endured a standing room only ride through the afternoon heat.  Along the way we made an extended stop and all hundred bags of cucumbers were thrown down to the curb.  Just after dark we arrived in Thakek, and thankfully made it with ample time to transfer to the final bus of the day to Savannakhet.  North of town the road split and we were transferred into a minivan for the final half hour, then grabbed a tuk-tuk ride to our resting place after 589 km of travel.  We were very happy with our large room at Savanphattana Guesthouse with a large shady balcony and excellent wifi.

 
Sleepy and devoid of nearly any tourism other than the occasional cross-Mekong Thai visitors, Savannakhet offered us a chance to plan out our next several moves.  We enjoyed it’s handful of quaint cafes, and the small but friendly night market.  Two days later we caught an early ride south to Pakse to start our exploration of the Bolaven Plateau.

Days 307-308: Phonsavanh, Laos

Posted on by ajrtw

bomb crater at the Plain of Jars
MAG sign marking the mine-safe path at Plain of Jars

Our decision to visit the sleepy town of Phonsavanh emanated from our desire to skip out on tourist hotspots of Vang Vieng and Vientiane.  Before we arrived however, we had to endure a stomach-turning bus journey through the mountainous terrain on the winding track from Luang Prabang.  

 

The accommodation in Laos certainly offered a great value for the cheap rates we paid, and the Namchai guesthouse in Phonsavanh hit all the marks.  We ventured around the singular main street through town and ate some lackluster Indian food, then grabbed cheese sandwiches and banana bread for the next day’s grub.

 

On our Chinese Honda knock-off motorbike we set out south of town to the Plain of Jars site 1.  Besides featuring large fields filled with hundreds of ancient stone jars (possibly for burial purposes) and a handful of small caves, the site also bears the more recent scars of war in the form of bomb craters and hidden unexploded ordnance (UXO).  We stuck to the indicated walkways marked by the Mines Advisory Group signs and took in the sobering contrast of natural and manmade landscapes.

 
Further from town were additional Jars sites but having seen enough already we grabbed lunch in town before a visit to the MAG UXO information center.  We were fortunate to view a well-produced documentary highlighting the dangerous and arduous work of finding and destroying UXO in the region, as well as the effort to educate a very poor and rural population on the risks of living in proximity to the unseen UXO.  Before dawn on our second morning, we haggled a tuk-tuk ride out to the bus station for a very long southbound trip to Savannakhet.

Days 304-305: Luang Prabang, Laos

Posted on by ajrtw

kuang si
kuang si
rescued asiatic bears at Kuang si
kuang si

At the bus station in Luang Prabang our van was swarmed with eager tuk tuk drivers quoting rather steep prices for a ride into town. Outside the station on the street we haggled a ride for about half the cost much to our relief. Before checking into the Mano guesthouse, we submitted applications for Vietnamese visas at the embassy for next day pick up.

Seeking a bit of comfort, we made our way to the edge of town for pizza by a Canadian expat. After a satisfying pie, we crossed one of the iconic bamboo pedestrian bridges into the main tourist area of town for a stroll through the expansive night market.

Our intention to visit the Kuang Si waterfall 30 km south of the city was rewarded when we meet a group of five tourists already waiting in a tuk tuk ready to depart. More than anywhere, the strength in numbers came into play in negotiating a fair price with the drivers. After coming to an impasse with the driver on price, our entire group began climbing out of the truck ready to find another ride. By the time we had all exited, the driver changed his tune and agreed to our requested price, and off we went.

Situated at the entrance to the waterfall was a center for rescued Asiatic bears. A few off the bears were active and one in particular captivated our attention for a few minutes quite eating some bamboo. Fortunately, Kuang Si was just as visually appealing as we’d seen it in pictures. The river bank path led us by dozens of small cascades of white water, each different than the last. The trail split at the base of the main waterfall, and we took a rather steep and slippery incline on the right side up to the top of the plume.

We enjoyed a picnic lunch at one of the many tables along the path then retreated down the trail for our return to town, stopping by to snap a few bear pictures on the way.

At evening time we had an extraordinary meal at the popular riverside restaurant Tamarind. The cuisine featured inventive takes on traditional Lao meals, including many things like fried lemongrass stuffed with chicken we’d never seen before.

To kick off our final day in town, Ashley took part in the daily gathering at Big Brother Mouse where students can come to practice their English skills with foreigners. We stopped for mid morning coffee in a large colonial era building along the main drag. After retrieving our passports from the Vietnamese embassy, we walked a few blocks to the UXO information center and educated ourselves on the harsh realities that unexploded bombs dropped on Laos are still maiming and killing people each year.

Our taste buds were still curious for more authentic Lao cuisine, which we found at Rosella for dinner. Our plates of traditional Laab salad and stir fried eggplant were some of our favorite meals in Laos.

Returning to the bus station, we boarded the mini bus bound for Phonsavanh.

Days 299-303: Muang Ngoi, Laos

Posted on by ajrtw

sunset over the Nam Ou
Muang Ngoi countryside
blooms outside our bungalow

Accessible only by boat, Muang Ngoi appeared to be an ideal spot to kick back for a few days while experiencing the lifestyle of a rural Lao village. Having grown in popularity for its remoteness and dramatic mountain views across the Nam Ou, we arrived on the boat from Nong Khiaw to a few hawkers offering bungalows. Luckily we found a river view bungalow at our first choice, Nicksas Guesthouse. The room was basic but had an attached bathroom, two hammocks on the porch, and a superb view of the slowly coursing river. The tourist portion of the village consisted of a single dusty street less than a kilometer in length lined with guesthouses, restaurants, and a handful of houses.

 

The real draw of town for us was simply taking in the views from our hammocks. Other highlights included walks along the river bank where we watched kids try their luck at net fishing while water buffalo waded through the water upstream. We attempted a walk to the neighboring village, but turned back before we made it as the grueling track under the direct sun quickly wore us out.

 

The food we sampled was a bit too bland and as a result we found ourselves eating sandwiches on a daily basis. We returned to Nong Khiaw after three blissful days by the river, walked to the west end of town to the bus station and caught a minivan south towards Luang Prabang.