Sunday, 4 May 2014

Interesting, Beautiful, Peaceful.... Laos

overlooking Luang Prabang

the pools at Kuang Si Falls

 Laos, Laos, Laos, we've had our ups and we've had our downs. Unfortunately, almost the entire 10 days I've spent here I have been ill one way or the other. Whether it was a stomach bug, bad reactions to the malaria tablets, or a fever, I still absolutely loved it here. The reason is because less tourists come to Laos. I do not know if it is the fact that Laos is one of the poorest countries in the world, or as it’s a strict Buddhist country and it’s not appropriate to party here, but there were just less tourists here; that was great.

monastery in Luang Prabang

We started in Luang Prabang and traveled by bus from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng, then finally to the capital of Vientiane. My favorite town was definitely Luang Prabang, but I had the most fun in Vientiane. We made friends on the bust to Vang Vieng and ended up travelling with them all the way to Vientiane. We all explored Vientiane together and it made the experience that much better and the city seem fun.

Vientiane
Vientiane


 Vientiane as a whole (in my opinion) is actually quite a dull city. However, there are great places to eat at. One example is the restaurant of MakPhet. It also is a great cause as the funds help to take kids off the streets and train them as chefs. Also, due to the high French influences here, Luang Prabang and Vientiane had amazing cafés, croissants, and baguettes. The one must see would be to head to the Buddha Park. It is a small park filled with Hindu and Buddhist sculptures, but just plopped every which way. It is so strange, but interesting!

Buddha Park

My favorite city was Luang Prabang. It is set between two rivers on a peninsula and is actually a small town. It is filled with temples (Wats), Buddhist Monks, cafes, and amazing restaurants. It is so cute and a great place to just relax and eat. About 30 kilometers out of town, there are some amazing waterfalls. The water is so blue, it is truly amazing. It is called the Kuang Si Waterfall and not only does it have a huge waterfall and amazing blue pools, there is also a moon bear sanctuary. The rescued bears live quite a luxurious life in the spacious area as they no longer can be set back into the wild. Overall, Luang Prabang is a gorgeous place and a must see in Laos. It is so relaxing, peaceful, and simply beautiful.

Luang Prabang


Kuang Si Falls
The bus ride from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng is also an experience in itself! Windy mountainous roads through gorgeous green mountain ranges. It is hard to enjoy the beauty while constantly thinking you’re going to fall off the side of the road due to the small road vs. big bus comparison! Once you get to Vang Vieng, it is kind of a letdown. The landscape around Vang Vieng is phenomenal, probably some of the best I’ve seen whilst travelling. Just imagine breath taking backdrops of limestone mountains, green fields, and streams connecting the rivers. However, the town in itself is quite boring and frustrating.


Vang Vieng

Here is the only place young backpackers go and the only place that seemed touristy. The food here is awful. Young travelers 18 to early 20s come here to enjoy the tubing along the river and drinking in the river, but their sheer disrespect of the culture is an outrage. There are signs everywhere in Luang Prabang reminding people to cover their bodies. It’s like HELLO!!! You’re in a very strict Buddhist country with monks on every corner, so why the hell would you think it appropriate to get drunk and walk around half naked? COMPLETELY disrespectful. It made me sad that the people had to put up with young ignorant backpackers. It seemed that hardly any of these types come to Laos, but if they did they were are residing in Vang Vieng; such a shame. The landscape here was gorgeous, but the actual town was nothing to write home about I am afraid.

Ali & I on our bike ride in Vang Vieng

Laos is a beautiful country filled with amazing nature, landscape, historic towns and Wats. However, I found it quite interesting as the people just seemed so blasé. Everywhere else I've been in Asia, people definitely wanted my money and bartering is quite common. However, it was a struggle to find anyone to barter with! It was like, don’t you want my money? Or my business?

Vang Vieng
You would walk into a shop and no one would be there. Or you would want to buy something at a market and they would just look at you. Even walking on the street you would smile at a stranger and just get stared at. I read before coming here that the Lao people are very easy going, but this was just shocking. I mean, it was great because there was no heckling on the streets from vendors, but really different to the other countries! The customer service was fine, but a simple smile and a please and a thank you would go a long way. That didn't even happened.


the temples/Buddhas of Luang Prabang

I didn’t come across as many tourists as normal on the “SE Asia backpacker route”, but it did make me think if the little ones who do come are leaving a bad example to the locals. Not sure if it’s because now too many young, stupid, backpackers are ruining the reputation for all the other “foreigners” to them, but I did not get a laid back feeling. I just got a sense that no one wanted to help us out. I am not complaining, just notating the indifference as everywhere else we seemed to go there was so much (probably fake) friendliness we didn't get here. Although, I have to admit I did like the fact that I did not get hassled on the street, it made the country that more peaceful !

Jayda and I at Kuang Si Falls

Don’t let this deter you from coming though, we felt incredibly safe, had a ton of fun, and the country is so beautiful, relaxing, and peaceful. One of the best parts of our trip was that we made friends and got to experience the country together. Comparing notes of our travels, what we thought, and making conversation with strangers who become your friends is all part of the experience. Laos is absolutely beautiful and I was sad to go. 

my new friends and I at the Buddha Park !

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