Blog no. 2: THE BEGINNING OF LAOS ADVENTURE - NORTHERN LAOS

21.1.2015 (Chiang Khong - Luang Namtha) HELLO, LAOS ☺!

After waking up very early, we looked through the window and there is was: Laos, just the mighty Mekong was flowing in between. And immigration offices ☺! It takes at least an hour to cross the border, even if there are not a lot of people. After Thai departure procedure, you have to wait for a bus to take you over the bridge.

For Laos you can get visa on arrival on most border crossings, it costs 30 USD (be sure to bring USD, because otherwise it will cost you more), fill in the form yourself and give it to the officials and then wait for them calling your name, and usually if you give them the papers first, it doesn’t mean you will be called first ☺. You can exchange money on Laos side, I think it has quite good exchange rate. To get from the border to the bus station or slow boat landing in Huay Xai it costs 20.000 Kip (10.000 Kip was about 1,1 EUR at that time). Transports from touristic places (borders, bus stations) have fixed prices and usually they don’t negotiate, no matter how many people are there. There are three ways to get from the border to Luang Prabang - by bus, by slow boat (it is supposed to be a nice boat ride that takes 2 days), or by speed boat (a lot of people advise against it, but my brother went and was satisfied). We were choosing between a bus and a slow boat ride. I love the freedom when you can decide where you will go just before the travel and you don’t have to arrange everything in advance. When we woke up in the morning we decided to go by bus, because we wanted to see Nong Khiew, a little village on the way. We arrived at the bus station to go to Luang Namtha, which is about 4 hour drive away from the border, at 9 o’clock, when the bus was just about to leave. But it was full, so we waited 2 and a half hours for the next one. We tried to get on an earlier bus that passed Luang Namtha and asked them to drop us there by the road, but they wouldn’t do it ☺.

While waiting we ate some fruit and went around searching for ATM - it is very good to know that in Laos you can withdraw at one time usually just a million of Kip, which sounds a lot, but is actually just about 110 EUR. For a cash withdrawal you have to pay commissions of both Laos and your bank (about 4 EUR), which means that somebody is making a lot of money on bank transactions! Some ATM’s allow 2 millions withdrawals, but are rare. After visiting the ATM I was a millionaire for a while, like in the picture on the right ☺!

They exchange Thai Bahts and USD quite good, so I would recommend bringing a lot of it with you, so you don’t have to withdraw cash every few days. Well at first I didn’t know about the withdrawal limit and I thought there was something wrong with my bank, but it wasn’t, that’s just Laos ☺. Another advice is always check your belongings - I know it is a typical advice, and I try to follow it, but while travelling you move all the time and sometimes you have one bag, sometimes two, so keep that in mind. I’ve managed to lose a jacket in Luang Namtha, phone earings and phone bag at 4000 islands and somewhere I’ve left my eye mask ☺. Oh yeah, and I bought a big piece of aloe vera, but had it for just one day, I guess it fell out of my bag somewhere in Chiang Mai. Yeah, losing the jacket was clearly not the best thing to do and it happened just before travelling to the coldest places of my journey. Luckily Marija had enough of warm clothes to lend me, so it worked out ok, although I was quite cold in the evenings and on busses. But buying a jacket in Laos wasn’t easy. Sure, there are a lot of little shops where you can buy some necessities and also sweaters (the one with a Mickey Mouse you could buy all over Laos ☺) or some weird things, but buying a good jacket wasn’t easy.

The ride to Luang Namtha was quite ok. We didn’t have a lot of space for the legs and from time to time I had to ask somebody to close the window a little bit, but it was good. There are no toilets on these vans, after two hours we stopped in the middle of the road, got off the van and if you wanted you could use a “natural toilet”. We could see that we weren’t the first to stop there for toilet, so it must be like Lao official toilet ☺!

We arrived at Luang Namtha at about 4 o’clock. Of course from bus station we had to get another van to the centre, driving past the airport just as one airplane was landing almost in the middle of the field ☺! Luang Namtha isn’t big and it is quite easy to find accommodation there - the moment we arrived there was this guy offering us cheap room for 70.000 Kip. We decided to looked around a little bit and stayed at the Phou lu III Guesthouse, with beautiful, spacious bungalows for 120.000 Kip (after negotiation).

We rented bikes and drove around a little bit, it was so nice just looking at mountains and the nature outside the town and being so free, just riding around, carelessly ☺. The town itself is nothing special, but is a good starting point for hikes (especially hill tribe hikes). We were thinking about it, but decided in the evening to head to Nong Khiew on the next day. We had only 2,5 weeks for the whole Laos, so we had to skip some things. We went to the Golden Stupa, which was just under reconstruction, but it was a nice view from the hill with sun setting in the mountains. It gets quite cold in the nights (under 10 degrees Celsius), so we grabbed some fruit, went to a nice curry dinner at Zuela guesthouse, walked through the night market with a nice variety of different food and fell into bed early. Luckily I bought earplugs, which I needed because next door they had a loud night party, but I slept like a baby ☺.

22.1.2015 (Luang Namtha - Nong Khiew) ON THE ROAD

In the morning they picked us up from the guesthouse at 8.30 to go to the bus station. Like usually we ate fruit breakfast before and brought bananas and snacks for the ride. I had a little time to look around and went to the river and saw a beautiful narrow bamboo bridge, which was just being used by a girl with a scooter - it looked awesome ☺!

Of course the bus didn’t start at 9 o’clock as it was supposed to be and it didn’t take 6 hours as it was supposed to, but we were quite lucky with the ride. The van wasn’t overcrowded, we were the only Falangs (Europeans) there, so we had a chance to “bond” with the locals, they were really nice, offering us mandarins and cookies and in return they got bananas. I found it really interesting to connect with people in Laos over food - they offer it to you and also have no problems accepting it. Although we obviously looked, talked and behaved differently, we were actually the same, just people, travelling from one place to another, with the same needs and feelings. Marija taught one guy to count in English and he taught her to count in Lao ☺. It was a nice way to pass the time on a bus. It took us 7 hours on a bumpy road to travel 200 kilometers, which can be quite tiring, and because of the opened window we had to put on more clothes, but we were already used to this. It was really weird: it was more than 20 degrees in the day, but for them this is cold, so they were wearing warm jackets, but at the same time travelled in cold busses ☺. But I realized something - I can get sick while travelling on the winding road, but there I never felt sick, I’m sure it helped that we received a lot of fresh air as the windows were usually opened. It was a nice ride, driving with the locals, observing beautiful nature, mountains, villages and using natural toilets ☺.

A part of the road isn’t concrete and there were works on the road, so we had to stop for a while. But actually we were really lucky, our driver got us to Pakmong market in 7 hours with a stop in Oudomxai for lunch. Realising in Pakmong that we have to wait for more people to come to go to Nong Khiew ( it is possible to go with just a few people in a van, but that isn’t a good choice if you are travelling on a budget), we bought a really big watermelon, which we shared with the locals because we couldn’t eat all of it. We waited for more than 1 hour until other Falangs from Luang Namtha, who started the journey the same time as we did, arrived and it was already getting dark as we were driving towards our destination. I really wouldn’t take direct ride from Thai border to Luang Prabang, I think it would take you more than 12 hours on a very narrow, winding road and travelling through mountains. Of course it can be done, but if you have more time, just take it! Arriving in Nong Khiew after dark wasn’t a problem, there were enough of available accommodation. We wanted something cheap and I also wanted a view of the river, so we stayed at Paradise bamboo Guesthouse for 50.000 Kip for basic accommodation, left our laundry to be washed and went to dinner to CT Restaurant with good ginger tea and maybe a little lack of understanding English. As we realized later in Laos people don’t admit that they don’t understand you - they nod and later you realize they really didn’t know what you were saying ☺.

23.1.2015 (Nong Khiew - Muang Ngoi) JUST WHAT WE NEEDED

In the evening we decided to go to Muang Ngoi the next day - to visit this village you need to spend the night there (because boats go back only in the morning). As we were spending the night by the beautiful river and surrounded by mountains we expected beautiful scenery in the morning. We both got up very early, sometimes even before the sun, I guess we were so exited ☺. We realised soon that early mornings can be quite foggy and therefore also chilly. We packed, changed money at a bank (which was a good choice, because in Muang Ngoi you can exchange money but with a bad exchange rate, as there are no banks nor ATM’s) and went walking around the village. We found a nice food market after a 10 minute walk in the direction of the bus station, bought rice snacks and bananas for the ride and boarded the boat.

Nong Khiew morning fog

Negotiating for fruit

Typical Laos shop

Boarding the boat

The ride was very nice, there were some bus sits on the boat where the Falangs sat and a bench where the locals sat, and I was one of the latter ☺. It wasn’t the most comfortable, but ok for an hour ride. I enjoyed the life, the beauty and fertility of the Nam Ou river. There were people fishing, collecting river weed and a lot of nice gardens by the river, surrounded by wooden fences. Sometimes the boat just stopped in the middle of nowhere and some people got off or somebody boarded. No piers, but usually they had to walk a little into the river to get from the boat to the land. For me it was very nice just observing the locals, giving them bananas and rice cakes, which I was nibbling while enjoying beautiful mountains, forests and gardens. Suddenly we saw a small village. The sun just came out the clouds and shined on this amazing place, which was about to be our home for the next two days.

Muang Ngoi !

We checked a few bungalows and decided upon a very nice concrete bungalow overlooking the river, clean and with comfortable beds and of course, a hammock ☺. We were supposed to be staying there for just one night, but we decided unanimously that we didn’t want to pack our bags and move every day, because this can be quite exhausting, and this was a perfect place to stay. Relaxed atmosphere, fresh air, beautiful nature, living amongst the locals and also had all of our travelers needs met - good, cheap accommodation, delicious fruit, not a lot of people, Kanom Krok on the streets, a massage and good tea. You can even get internet in restaurant and in some bungalows.

For lunch we decided upon an Indian restaurant and it was a perfect choice - very good food, friendly host and also finally I got my first beer ☺. Here I was, enjoying good food and company, sitting in the warm sun and sipping one big (640 mL) of Lao beer - my definition of happiness! As for once we weren’t in a hurry we were just sitting, relaxing, walking through this small village with one main street and just smiling and enjoying! Later we relaxed some more in the hammock, Marija went to take a nap and I went around and met a girl in a restaurant, we talked and she told me about this amazing desert - rice porridge with coconut milk and pineapple and banana at the Riverside Restaurant - very delicious! Marija and I were still feeling a little bad because of our cold and were blowing our noses, coughing and also sometimes cleaning our throat by spitting, which felt like a local as it was very common to spit in Laos ☺. In the evening we went to all you can eat buffet - the food was ok, already a little cold, but later we both had a little problems in the stomach so we were thinking that maybe next time it is better to order something that they prepare just for you as this means it is fresh ☺.

24.1.2015 (Muang Ngoi) EXPLORING ♥

I wasn’t feeling the best because of the cold, but we were supposed to go walking around, so I had to get some more energy. We ordered ginger tea at the bungalow the night before and I wanted to get some ginger to nibble for the road. But the old lady didn’t speak English, so I just used body language and showed her the sipping of the tea and then getting something out of the ground and she completely understood me, she showed me where ginger was growing, gave me a stick and I picked up my own ginger, amazing! You can communicate easily without words, you just have to try ☺.

This time we decided to try not to wake up before the sunrise to get some sleep ☺. We had a great all you can eat breakfast at a restaurant of the niece of our landlady (we got the bungalows for just 80.000 Kip a night if we promised to eat there ☺). I would definitely recommend it for breakfast, it is called Phetdavanh Buffet Place, it is ran by a Falang and his Laos wife. We ate so much of fresh, ripe fruit, rice porridge with coconut milk and fruit and amazing coconut pancakes, all served with lovely Lao tea for just 25.000 Kip. They also had a lot of cooked food with rice and vegetables and meat, but I was already so full and had to relax a little.

We wanted to see the view, so we climbed a hill - it was small, but the path was quite steep and rocky, so we had to be careful, but the view was worth it! We could see the entire Muang Ngoi, the river and the surrounding mountains, beautiful. And here it wasn’t so foggy, so the sun was already very warm. After we headed towards the villages that were located about an hour walk away. The walk was beautiful, so peaceful, there were rice fields ( although they were dry, they looked amazing) and limestones. We passed Tham Kang cave which was used as a bomb shelter - if you have a good torch you can go walking inside, it is supposed to be quite big. When we continued our walk we found an interesting obstacle - to continue the road we had to walk through a creek. As the road was also used by motorbikes we saw how people just drive through the creek ☺.

The road

And there it was, Ban Na village, with basic housings and of course, cows and chickens and pigs just walking around freely. As we were hungry we ordered lunch and relaxed in the hammocks and enjoyed peacefulness!

We had to hurry back a bit to Muang Ngoi as the sun was already setting. We couldn’t find anyone there to pay them, so we left the money on the table and hoped that it will stay there and not be taken by a chicken or be blown away by the wind ☺. We returned just before the dark and went back to the Indian restaurant for delicious dinner. I had an oil massage which wasn’t the best choice as it was already quite cold outside and a lady massaged me almost on the street, but it was a nice massage anyway. We went for the delicious rice porridge and we were so tired from all the walking that we turned in early, like usually ☺.

25.1.2015 (Muang Ngoi - Nong Khiew) JUST ANOTHER ORDINARY DAY

Just another ordinary day that happened to be my 32nd birthday. It is so nice to spend your birthday travelling, this way you spend it just the way you want to. I didn’t want anything really special, the only thing I asked Marija was not to take a bus ride on that day ☺! After eating amazing breakfast buffet again it was time for Marija and me to leave this wonderful village and take a boat ride back to Nong Khiew. Yeah, at this time we already knew the name of the village which at first we called “Mjau Mjau” - while travelling you see so many different places that at first it is hard to memorize some names ☺.

This time I got the bus seat on the boat which was quite comfortable. It is nice to see that they reuse old things ☺. The boat was leaving at 9 o’clock in the morning which meant we had to put on a lot of clothes because of the wind. First thing we did in Nong Khiew was find a new place to sleep and we took the first bungalow that we looked at ☺. After relaxing we were hungry for some more Indian food - we really liked Deen Restaurant, I ate very delicious chickpeas. In the village they were drying amazing riverweed everywhere.

Later I decided to go to the view point and Marija decided to stay in the village. I packed a lot of water and rice cakes and started my ascend. The walk took me through the jungle, it was quite well marked, but steep and some parts were rocky, so I had to use ropes sometimes. I like to climb mountains, so it wasn’t a problem although I was a little weak from the cold, but it was very warm and it did me good to be active. I really loved the path inside the jungle with the view of Nong Khiew and interesting trees and other plants. Finally, after more than an hour of walking, I reached the top and the view was stunning! It must have been about 800 metres of height altitude from the village and here I could see Nong Khiew and other small villages, Nam Ou River and the magnificent mountains. It was so peaceful there.

A few people were there and we were talking a little, but mostly just enjoying the calmness and the beauty! We weren’t even bothered by someone listening to loud music way down in the village. Actually it is quite common in Laos to listen to music very loudly so that everybody can hear ☺. But luckily at nights there must be silence after 11 o’clock which is perfect if you want to go to sleep, like we usually did ☺. The descend was much easier and I felt so good, it was a perfect thing to do on my birthday! I came to the village just in time to enjoy the sunset from the bridge and when I got there Marija came also, yeah we were really synchronised ☺.

For dinner we went to Alex restaurant and ordered fish, steamed in a banana leaves, which was good but didn’t have strong taste. But we loved the fried river weed with sesame and eggplant dip! I ordered a papaya salad and as I had learned in Laos they usually make dishes that are supposed to be spicy not so spicy, so I asked the salad to be spicy. Yeah, I love spicy food and I think that I can handle a lot of chillies, but this was crazy spicy (yeah, I know, I told her to be spicy, but stil ☺) and it was the first food I couldn’t finish because it was too spicy! I ate about half of it and was sweating and crying and the lady came and was smiling and felt a little bad, so she brought me a slice of coconut to help the spiciness. I explained her that I am ok and that the salad is good. They were laughing when they saw that despite crying a little bit I continued eating it! There were a lot of rice, which at first we thought we would take for the next day, but I ate it all ☺! It was nice to try such spicy papaya salad! Marija had some deserts, but I was full from the rice and couldn’t really taste food at that time yet ☺, so I skipped it. They had really a lot of ginger just lying there, so they gave me a little piece for the road ☺. After dinner we went to Sabai Sabai garden restaurant for a hot steam herbal sauna for just 20.000 Kip! It was very nice, we got a silky pareo and entered the sauna to relax and just enjoy. When it was too hot we went out (it was below 10 degrees celsium), drank tea and then we went quickly back in to warm ourselves again. Very nice, relaxing and would definitely recommend. Before going to bed we grabbed a lime cake at Alex restaurant and that was a perfect ending to 25th of January!!