Overnight stops (in date order): Uo Muong; Wat Phu Champasak; 10km south of Seno; Phasoume Waterfall; Tat Fan waterfall; 20km east of Vieng Kham; Tham Kong Lo cave; Tat Leuk waterfall (Phu Kha Khuay National Park); Vientiane (x6); Ban Na Khuen; 10km south of Kasi; 30km south of Luang Prabang; Luang Prabang; Hanoi (x6); Halong Bay (x2); Hanoi; Luang Prabang (x9); Vientiane
The crossing into Laos, at a very quiet border post, was quick and simple – after some hard bargaining to reduce the amount of ‘tea money’ demanded by the border guards for working on a Saturday. Our first stop at the Khon Phapheng falls (which is claimed are the falls with greatest volume of water of any in Asia) was a wonderful introduction to the country;
as was our first night – spent at the ruined, forest temple at Uo Muong.
We took a ferry across the Mekong River
to visit Wat Phu Champasak, an ancient Khmer temple set at the foot of a hill known colloquially to the locals as Mount Penis.
At the Phasoume waterfall
we met local tribes people
who were not at all fierce.
The Bolaven Plateau, which was heavily bombed by the Americans during the Vietnam war, is famous for its coffee (which was in flower)
and its waterfalls.
East of Vieng Kham, on the way to Vietnam, is another region of weathered limestone
where, at least during the dry season, tobacco seems to be the principal crop.
The Kong Lo cave
is a seven-kilometre long tunnel cut through a limestone hill by a river. The journey by boat from where the river leaves the cave
to where it enters
(and back) was for me one of the highlights of the trip.
We spent six days in Ventiane
where we obtained visas – for Mongolia, Vietnam and Thailand – and enjoyed its relaxed ambience. Although Laos’ capital has monuments to the war against the imperialist forces of France and America,
and to those that led the fight,
and temples galore,
the city is on a modest scale and very quiet compared with other south-east Asian capitals – and is subject to regular power cuts.
We spent three days driving the 380km north to Luang Prabang. Our first night stop was at Ban Na Khuen, on the banks of the Ang Nam Ngung, a large lake
created when a dam was built on the river of the same name to generate hydroelectric power.
We stopped for lunch in Vang Vieng.
The (bumpy, winding and hilly) road north took us through spectacular country (albeit shrouded in mist and smoke from fires set to clear the ground for the coming wet season)
and tribal villages;
although the villagers are very much living in the 21st Century.
We ourselves became a tourist attraction for a coach load of Malaysians
and the truck received its first visit by a monk.
At Luang Prabang we parked the truck at the bus station and flew to Vietnam for nine days (we would not have been permitted to drive the truck across the land border). We spent a week in Hanoi
whose old quarter buzzes with life.
You could (and we did) sit for hours watching and wondering how the traffic negotiates the (traffic-light free) intersections without more death and mayhem.
The streets teem with vendors; many of them women working 16-hour days in the city to support their families back in their villages.
French colonial architecture moulders above the shop fronts
and the country’s revolutionary past seems to sit side-by-side comfortably with its consumer-driven future.
Ho Chi Minh (portrayed as ‘Uncle Ho’ in the top left corner of the previous picture) is still an icon. His suspiciously waxy-looking body (no photography permitted) still lies on view in his mausoleum;
and I had to join a queue that must have been a mile long to view it.
A Vietnamese man told us that many people have a photograph of Ho in their homes that they treat as they would a shrine. The Vietnamese are proud of their struggle to defeat first the French colonisers (who they accuse of having committed atrocities)
and then the Americans – who took over the task of trying to keep Communism at bay – and this is reflected in their museums
and in their recent art.
Not surprisingly for a country whose population is a mix of more than 50 ethnic groups,
Vietnam has rich and unique cultural traditions; including water puppetry
– definitely an acquired taste!
We took a two-night cruise on Halong Bay;
an area of shallow sea and many hundreds of weathered limestone islets,
lagoons
and caves.
Back in Laos we enjoyed Luang Prabang’s laid-back ambience for a further nine days.
Sited on the confluence of the Nam Khan and Mekong Rivers, the town was the seat of Laos’s royal family,
until the last king went into exile in the 1970s. The town is a UNESCO World Heritage site by virtue of its many temples, monasteries
and other historic buildings
The town’s many monks
process silently through the streets at dawn every day
to receive offerings of sticky rice in their begging bowls.
As with Vietnam, the population of Laos is made up of many ethnic and tribal groups; each with their own variation on a broadly shared culture.
We accepted an invitation, from Jer who worked in our hotel, to spend an evening teaching English pronunciation to a group of teenagers
and learnt a little about Lao cuisine.
The Laos have the reputation of being the most laid-back people in south-east Asia;
which might be at least partly accounted for by the popularity of Beerlao – by far the best beer in the region.
Responses
Andrée says: I am very impressed by the last picture!!! Lovely place to visit. Danielle and Paul, ÀI received your postal card. Thank you! Andrée xxx
Sharon Larsmon says: Ok you two, seeing you’re surrounded by so much tabacco, can you bring me back some fags please ? You need a second mortgage for a pack of 20 in Blighty, and that’s before the budget on Thursday. Also, just wondered who that chap is in Kong Lo cave. You know, the guy hanging from and pinned to the massive stalagtite ? Is it a slip of the eye ? Or did Jesus resurrect and pop into Laos to avoid vapourising in a cloud ? Whichever which way, your pictures are stunning, and remind me there is still utter beauty and wonderment (is that a word?) in the world. Sharon xx
Simon Mcilroy says: I liked the satellite dishes outside the wooden houses. Or are they nets for some sort of Laotian ball game .Monks on the truck-did you have a plate by the door to receive offerings from the visitors as they left? And if I had known you were heading for Mongolia I would have lent you my cookbook ‘101 Things to do with a Sheep’s eyeball’ Good journey.
Sharon Larsmon says: The sun shone today. First time in 6 months. (thought you’d be pleased).
Andrée says: Les photos sont superbes. Danielle tout vêtue de blanc, tu as l’air tellement confortable. Paul, prendre une bière sur le bord de la route ne semble pas trèss relaxant!!!
Simon McIlroy says: Tempus fugit. Last wrote over 3 weeks ago! Laos sounds like Ireland of the Far EasT. I expect you to return with a few stories starting “Have you heard the one about the Cambodian, Laotian and Vietnamese,….” I hope the bureaucratic challenges, for the next part of your epic journey, are not too outrageous. Does the Chinese guide travel in your vehicle? If so I hope he is not too partial to Garlic. Some of the Chinese Garlic sold in Waitrose causes considerable explosions but always guarantees a seat on the bus. Safe onward journey.
Andrée says: Comme toujours, je suis impressionnée d’une fois à l’autre. Le peuple du Laos ont dû être épaté par la nouvelle enseignante. Mais que dire de l’assistant chef Paul!!! J’adore ces photos. Paul, si tu peux mon prendre en photo un autre moine vêtu de orange en train de prier, je serai heureuse…
Thérèse LEVER says: Your trip in Laos, Vietnam and all countries of your travel around the world is like a dream for me, it’s only tremendous. Thanks for sharing with us your wonderful experience. I love you because you give us to live a precious time of very nice pictures, well photographs of women, child, and men. Very thank you. Thérèse et Le clan d’Igé …