After 7 days of being sick in Luang Prabang, 33 bowls of noodle soup, and learning that milking goats is a great hangover cure for New Year’s Day, I’ve arrived in Vientiane, the capitol city of Laos. I’ve had a blast in Laos. The people, the government and infrastructure, are much less flashy then China and I think it works well in the hot, muggy air that consumes this landlocked country.
The roads from Jinghong, China to the Laos border are wonderfully paved, though they undulate 100 M in elevation the entire route – in other words its very hilly. It cost 37 USD for a 30 day visa upon entering Laos and cost only smiles to exit China (I was sure glad to have paid the extra amount of money a month earlier to obtain a Chinese visa renewal).
The roads from Mohan, China to Luang Namtha, Laos were great – mostly flat and only about 60 KM apart from each other. Luang Namtha is small – but very touristy. The day I entered Laos I saw more tourists than I had in the two weeks prior in China. It was very apparent that the country is somewhat of a bottleneck for tourists and that I had entered SE Asia’s high tourist season. For breakfast – eggs, baguette, and “Café Laos” local coffee with sweetened condensed milk. Only this could rival China’s “Bowdza” (steamed buns) and hot soy milk breakfast.
From Luang Namtha I cycled to Uduomxay. Beautiful roads, and a nice town where I watched the last day of Luang Prabang’s roving film festival in an outdoor theater. The roads from here to Pak Mong were mixed gravel and pavement with a few 500 M climbs. From Pak Mong to Luang Prabang (110 KM) the road is almost flat. There was a leotard race taking place as I was cycling and I imagined myself to be a slow contender, a very, very slow contender.
In Luang Prabang I mistakenly stayed at Spicy Laos – the party hostel. And I mistakenly slept there for seven nights including Christmas Eve and Christmas! Oh well. I was feeling ill, and they let me camp, use their shower, bath and movie room for the equivalent of $1.90 / night. Luang Prabang is… relaxing, scenic, and very touristy. The night market is wonderful for the cheap and tasteless (the food really ain’t that good – but you can’t beat “all you can fill your plate” buffet for a buck).
Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng is an extremely hilly road – one 1,000 M climb and one 500 M climb within 100 KM of Luang Prabang. After two days of ascending and descending the road flattens into Vang Vieng – a big party town with more drunken Australians than a night out in Sydney. New Year’s Eve was a little too much here: Bad American Pop, Beer Laos, and bacteria infested rivers. I stayed at the wonderful “Vang Vieng Organic Farm” which serves delicious, homegrown food. The guests were served goat that was slaughtered the day of, vegetables that were in season, and mulberry mohitos (berries grown on site).
From Vang Vieng the road to Vientiane is flat, flat, flat and an easy 160 KM. Vientiane is a nice, small city, with beautiful temples.
Across the friendship bridge and on to Thailand! Only 700 KM to go until Bangkok! Until then!
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