One of the best days of the trip

June 28, 2017

Vang Vieng, Laos

The best thing about Vang Vieng is getting out of Vang Vieng and exploring the rivers and caves, and seeing the countryside around it.

This was one of the best days of our entire trip. I am in awe of the beauty of this country. We started the day by riding a tuk tuk out to Hoy Cave. Now in the wet season, the water level is high. Travelling by large tractor inner tubes, we floated to the cave entrance and needed to duck to get in. The caves is long and dark so everyone was equipped with a headlamp. Pulling by rope we navigated through the cave, did and uturn and exited through the low entrance. Spectacular.

A family from Australia on vacation with 2 boys were excellent company. They were full of energy and adventure; a good match for my boys.

The hike to this cave took us through well soaked rice paddies and a small village.

From the cave to a section of the Song River for kayaking. I do not think I will ever have a more beautiful kayak ride. The current is fairly strong, so paddling isn't really necessary, except when beating the other boys to a set destination or splashing the oncoming kayaks is necessary. A few mini rapids that made the ride interesting.

What a view. I want to lock this in my brain forever.

A break was deemed necessary for a drink and a plunge.

The current is strong, so a pull back in helps.

There are still a few bars like this that line the Song River. Many have been shut down after numerous deaths. The amount of alcohol consumed with a bar every few meters  combined with this fast flowing river and many jumping platforms made the government intervene to shut most of the water sport

 travel down. Vang Vieng is trying to make a come back from this loss in tourism by marketing it more for families. They were careful that everyone wore lifejackets and would not let us near certain parts of the rapids. (The rapids were not really rapids!)

The eight km kayak down the Song River landed us back in town. Another tuk tuk ride to the Blue Lagoon. The pictures we looked at before coming were definitely misleading. It looked enormous in the pictures, but in reality it is not much more than a ditch.

None the less, an excellent high diving/jumping opportunity.

Phones and shoes were only a few of the items that were lost at the bottom of this deep canal. If it was drained I wonder what would all turn up.

Nate had eyed up these balls at the Mekong Delta. Today was his day to be a hamster with Levi, Jordan and Hudson.

Jeff and his boys, along with another Aussie couple met up with us for supper. A fun night with good company and food. Also the first night I have not been in a complete sweat just sitting eating supper. A cooler air at night here. I am sure it will not last.

The kid's table at supper. These low tables with comfy cushions are popular. This restaurant was not showing 'Friends', but many do. Not sure why.

Butt ugly city surrounded by beauty

June 27
Road trip to Vang Vieng

Nate lost his 6th tooth of the trip today eating a banana pancake for breakfast. He has lost teeth on 5 continents.

We have loved this city but time to move on. Road trip Vang Vieng today. We booked a private van to drive us the 160 km through twisty, lush green mountains. Ans and Avert, a couple staying at our guesthouse joined us as they were heading the same way. The trip started off well but within an hour we had climbed significantly into the mountains, were driving through the clouds, and  steady rain. Visibility was little and parts of the highway had been covered in landslides of rocks and dirt. A backhoe was clearing the worst section, but did not cause delays other than needing to creep along at 20km/hour.

 The beginning of our climb.

We twisted our way back down and the other side of the mountain was clear and sunny. Constant small villages lined the road. Herds of cattle, goats, children playing on the road, stalls of fruit and produce. Lots of living along this well paved highway.

Three and a half hours and we were in Vang Vieng. No other way to describe it other than ugly. We have walked through several areas and it does not get any better looking.

How can such beautiful landscape house such an unattractive city?

Across the street from our hotel.

The boys have been wrestling steady in the room driving us crazy. They were great for the road trip but now all is letting loose. Luke not feeling well, probably dehydrated.

Luang Prabang

June 26, 2017

The past two  days have been hot and humid, but that has not put the breaks on enjoying this city. Declared a UNESCO world heritage site, it has seen rapid development to accommodate the many people who come and are just as awed as we are. The peacefulness, safety, scenery, good food, lush green mountains and laid back people have put it up as advice from us as a must see from our perspective. Anyone wishing to visit SE Asia make sure Luang Prabang, Laos is on your list! Even Klinger approves.

The Mekong River at 6AM.

Getting up at 5:00AM has its rewards. For the past two days our schedule has been to go watch the Buddhist Monks receive alms. The alms giving ceremony is a sacred Laos tradition. We stayed in the background (not all tourists did) to watch this early morning ritual.  Rice, fresh fruit and sweets are the usual offerings. The purpose is for the monks to collect food for their one meal of the day. They are highly revered. A very peaceful experience.

Examples of offerings.

Monks that have one shoulder covered are considered novices. Around 20 years of age they become monks and both shoulders are covered. Boys and men may drop out at any time. We met some young men and boys who were eager to practice their English and they explained some of the traditions to us. We met them at Big Brother Mouse; an organization for young men and boys to practice their language skills with English speakers. The boys were a hit. Nate was writing sentences for practice and was called "the teacher". Luke had some good conversations comparing high schools in Canada to Laos. All were so eager to learn. We saw some great learning strategies happening.

We biked around town but during the heat of the day we retreated to the coolness of the guesthouse. The fresh pineapple we have been eating is so sweet. It never tastes like this in Canada.

Pineapple expertly peeled and quartered.

A common mode of transportation - the tuk tuk.

A house on our street.

A late afternoon walk to see the other parts of town.

Monday morning we set off early with the taxi driver who had been after us to visit the Kuang Si Falls. Jack and I both agreed we had seen many water falls and did not know if we should go. We decided to go since we heard there was opportunities to swim in the cool water. Are we glad we went! Probably the most beautiful falls we have seen. There were at least five levels. Swimming in the aqua coloured water allowed on the first two levels. They were so perfect they seemed man-made.

The water was cool, clean and filled with small fish. Freaky at first when they started nibbling and pecking at toes. I have seen this fish nibbling service offered on some spa menus. I would recommend it! The location of the falls is more appealing than a spa.

Toes calves and fingers getting nibbled.

On the drive back from the falls we were the first on the scene of a scooter accident. A Brazilian woman was driving her daughter to see the falls and lost focus and crashed into a concrete post along the highway. Her knee looked broken and the daughter had scraped skin on her leg. Our driver arranged for a truck to come pick her up to take them to hospital. Other people stopped and between 4 guys she was hoisted into the backseat of a Toyota truck. The scooter was not driveable. They were to fly home tomorrow.

The afternoon had a massive downpour of water while we were on siesta. The droplets hit the street so hard they bounced back up a few inches. The rain lasted 30 minutes and left the air fresh and somewhat cooler.

Ate at the night market. I was trying to hold off on eating pad thai until we got to Thailand but I caved. Glad I did!

Luke got a belated birthday present. The crafts and textiles are different from other markets we have seen in the world. Indigo is big.

We spent 3 weeks in Vietnam and we coulda been in Laos?!

June 24, 2017

Luang Prabang

The flight to Laos directed us back to Hanoi and then onward to Luang Prabang. The connecting flight seemed to be on a somewhat small plane, but the bit of turbulence we had coming in for landing just made the stomach jump a little.

Landing at Luang Prabang's International Airport is a bit misleading from the title bestowed upon it. The terminal is one small building and with the only the 23 people aboard our flight and a few officials, it appeared deserted.

Applying for the visa took only minutes and $43. Canadians are often charged the highest rate and Laos was no exception.

A taxi from our guest house was waiting. He called himself Mr. Joy and was more than happy to offer his services as a taxi driver for the rest of our stay.

Budget hotel are always an interesting surprise. When toilet paper is mentioned in the description as an amenity, I know to keep the expectations low. This guesthouse charges $20/night, with free airport shuttle and free breakfast. I thought we had nothing to lose. I was right. What a find!

The Singharat Guesthouse is lovely. We got the boys a room on the bottom an us a room on top. The "fishing" has kept them amused along with the family dog.

We arrived around 2:00PM and had not eaten yet today. The airline served a bun with some mystery deli meat that only Jack ate so we were hungry. We ventured to the main street to find something local. Local indeed. I can't remember eating in a place like this. The floors were dirt and the ceilings made of cardboard, but the noodles were delicious.

Most restaurants do not look like this! Jack was game to try and when we saw what he was getting we joined him.


The heat is still intense of 34 plus humidity. Nate had lost his third hat this trip and we needed to cool down a bit for the afternoon. The city is so calm, quiet and peaceful. Laos is now in the top recommendations for my travel list. From the streets we saw this morning in Saigon to this, is unbelievable.

This is main street Luang Prabang. So peaceful!

Walking along the streets tonight two kids came running up asking is we were from Canada. When I said yes I recognized them from Australia. We had this family from Canada over two months ago when we first landed in Melbourne. Funny how that works. They were having a drink on a patio so we joined them for a few hours. They had spent a year in Australia and were on their way home.

A night market is on from 5 - midnight daily. Local specialties include elephant slippers, bracelets made from landmines and bombs that have been combed out of the region, indigo fabric and many textiles products.

(Coach John, see what Nate had picked for you!)

The evening ended with a food court never seen by our eyes before. Even Levi was happy. The alley looks like something Charles Dickens describes in Oliver Twist, but there was variety. What boy doesn't like eating chicken right off a stick? Looking at the wares of chicken feet, chicken liver, and chicken bums, the chicken breast on a skewer was the winner.

Luke was still hungry so he went for the all you can eat buffet. Looks like Salmonella Saturday to me. I stuck with a cold beer in a bottle tonight.

I have started calling Levi Klinger as he always seems to be looking for a section 8 to get back home. Arriving in Laos had changed his opinion of Asia. Our advice - fly straight over Vietnam and land in Laos!