03.06.2014
I crossed the boarder at the friendship bridge. Easy and fast I could get my Visa on arrival. As the bus arrived in Vientiane I searched for a place to stay and quickly found one, as there where many on the main street. As usual I wanted to see the town by walking, but as I started I saw some chilled bicycles for rent. As the town had many one ways the traffic was not as crazy as usual. Happy I rode my bike to the presidential Palace, the Wat Ong Teu, the Wat Hai Sok and Wat Mixai. After I went to the beautiful Patuxai.
In the evening I went to a Lao Massage and the nice night market at the Mekong river side. The perfect day ended for me with a Beerlao. Next morning I went for a run at the Mekong and drove with my bike to the bus station. There I took a bus to the Buddha Park (Xiang Khouang), where a monk 1969 started to build different Buddha statues.
After I gave back my bike and made myself a cheese baguette with an ice cold Savanna. My first sleeper bus left Vientiane at 8pm to Luang Prabang. It was 150.000 Kip (~15€) but very comfortable.
After I gave back my bike and made myself a cheese baguette with an ice cold Savanna. My first sleeper bus left Vientiane at 8pm to Luang Prabang. It was 150.000 Kip (~15€) but very comfortable.
I could see the end of the famous monk ceremony in Luang Prabang as I arrived in the early morning on the 26th. I took a dorm bed at a hostel and went to climb up the stairs of the Phousi hill in the middle of the town. Form there I had a very nice view over the half island the Mekong and the Nam Khan river are forming. After the nice and quite Vientiane this surrounding nature made me finally fall in love with Lao on the 3. day of my stay. I went to see the Ho Khan Kings Palace and Wat Ho Phra Bang.
After a shower in the hostel, the day of the backpackers slowly started. I already got one included breakfast and set down at the table of two German guys, as the language seemed appealing to me. Lucas, Lüder and I ended up talking till noon and drinking some Radler against the upcoming heat. Finally we found our plan for the day: to rent two scooters and drive to the Pak Ou Caves as the weather was a bit too cloudy for bathing in a waterfall. But first we played some pool, went for some lunch and of course a bit more Radler. So as we finally rented the scooters it was already 4pm. We made our way through some little towns to the Mekong bank where we had to take a boat to the other side where the Tham Ting (Buddha Cave) is. As we finally arrived it just got dark. But we thought in a cave it is dark anyway so where is the difference? We actually couldn't see too much as light really was necessary to see the hundreds of little Buddha figures people brought here. After dinner we had a funny ride home in the dark seeing some cool insects, if Lüder haven't overrun them already. The day ended in a funny discussion over some Mojitos. We all haven't been too sad about the heavy rain at the next morning, so we couldn't go to the ceremony. So the day started slowly and after noon we left for the Khuangsy Waterfall. But who can see caves in the dark can figure out to end up at the wrong waterfall. So we enjoyed a cool bath at the nearly dry Tadsae Waterfall. We decided to leave Luang Prabang in a rush to bin in Vang Vieng at the next morning for the legendary tubing.
On the 29th we arrived in the middle of the night in Vang Vieng. A Tuk Tuk brought us to a hostel where we could all share the last room for at least some hours of sleep. As we woke up, we still felt not pretty awake. We had two options: 1. drinking the rest of the day at the Tubing. or 2. go to see a waterfall and a cave (so the usual program). We didn't felt like partying but less like walking to a cave. So we ended up renting a tube and 30 min later we found our self drinking with other backpackers. After a while it started raining a bit and we remembered why we actually went drinking in Vang Vieng: The Song river and a tube! So catch a tube and up in the river! Some years ago there have been around 26 bars at the riverside. Now a day there are 4 as many accidents with drunk tourists happened. We spend the day tubing to all of them and getting some drinks there. We met some nice people like 2 Brazilian girls. So as it got dark we all went back for a shower and met everyone again later in one of the bars in the crazy party town.
As the Lao Vodka and Beerlao are not the best quality the next day started a bit later again. We rented 2 scooters and went with another German girl we met to the Blue Lagoon, where also the Poukham Cave is. The Lagoon was very cold but beautiful blue. The cave was very big and we are not sure if we have seen all of it. It was a impressive high hall full of very big stagnates. Of course there was a lying Buddha statue in the middle of the hall.
At the next morning we took a bus to Phonsavan. It was another time a long and not too comfortable bus ride. The streets in Lao are not the best and very curvy.
After a shower in the hostel, the day of the backpackers slowly started. I already got one included breakfast and set down at the table of two German guys, as the language seemed appealing to me. Lucas, Lüder and I ended up talking till noon and drinking some Radler against the upcoming heat. Finally we found our plan for the day: to rent two scooters and drive to the Pak Ou Caves as the weather was a bit too cloudy for bathing in a waterfall. But first we played some pool, went for some lunch and of course a bit more Radler. So as we finally rented the scooters it was already 4pm. We made our way through some little towns to the Mekong bank where we had to take a boat to the other side where the Tham Ting (Buddha Cave) is. As we finally arrived it just got dark. But we thought in a cave it is dark anyway so where is the difference? We actually couldn't see too much as light really was necessary to see the hundreds of little Buddha figures people brought here. After dinner we had a funny ride home in the dark seeing some cool insects, if Lüder haven't overrun them already. The day ended in a funny discussion over some Mojitos. We all haven't been too sad about the heavy rain at the next morning, so we couldn't go to the ceremony. So the day started slowly and after noon we left for the Khuangsy Waterfall. But who can see caves in the dark can figure out to end up at the wrong waterfall. So we enjoyed a cool bath at the nearly dry Tadsae Waterfall. We decided to leave Luang Prabang in a rush to bin in Vang Vieng at the next morning for the legendary tubing.
On the 29th we arrived in the middle of the night in Vang Vieng. A Tuk Tuk brought us to a hostel where we could all share the last room for at least some hours of sleep. As we woke up, we still felt not pretty awake. We had two options: 1. drinking the rest of the day at the Tubing. or 2. go to see a waterfall and a cave (so the usual program). We didn't felt like partying but less like walking to a cave. So we ended up renting a tube and 30 min later we found our self drinking with other backpackers. After a while it started raining a bit and we remembered why we actually went drinking in Vang Vieng: The Song river and a tube! So catch a tube and up in the river! Some years ago there have been around 26 bars at the riverside. Now a day there are 4 as many accidents with drunk tourists happened. We spend the day tubing to all of them and getting some drinks there. We met some nice people like 2 Brazilian girls. So as it got dark we all went back for a shower and met everyone again later in one of the bars in the crazy party town.
As the Lao Vodka and Beerlao are not the best quality the next day started a bit later again. We rented 2 scooters and went with another German girl we met to the Blue Lagoon, where also the Poukham Cave is. The Lagoon was very cold but beautiful blue. The cave was very big and we are not sure if we have seen all of it. It was a impressive high hall full of very big stagnates. Of course there was a lying Buddha statue in the middle of the hall.
At the next morning we took a bus to Phonsavan. It was another time a long and not too comfortable bus ride. The streets in Lao are not the best and very curvy.
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