Vientienne – Vang Vieng – Luang Prabang
The Night Bus from Hanoi to Vientienne:
This. Was. Traumatising.
Not only were Fi and I conned into buying a non-existent 1st class bus ticket to Laos, we also had to add 5 hours to our already 19 hour journey and share a bed/horizontal seat.
We were then used as a disguise for the illegal smuggling of stock over the Vietnam/Laos border. The bus staff literally piled up clothes and other items into the aisles, so that some backpackers were buried alive (whilst Fi and I watched from the safety of our top bunk).
Trau-ma-tising.
The HIGHLIGHTS: (as our time in Laos was short but sweet, so shall the highlights be)
Vientienne: a quick one night stop over in this sleepy French-like town, allowed Fi and I to indulge in veggie lasagnes and pesto pastas before loading our backpacks and ourselves onto another bus destined for Vang Vieng.
(I also had a kitty sleep on my bed for half the night – which was amazing, until I realised he was sleeping on my blanket and wouldn't be moved … the little shit.)
Vang Vieng: I loved VV. We had one day playing the very romantic cyclists, riding through the countryside, tunnelling through caves, hiking up a never ending cliff, and discovering a hidden underground cave-pool where we had a relaxing paddle! It was honestly one of the best days ever. It also ended with a trip to Gary’s Irish bar where I consumed a veggie burger the size of my head – so, like I said: BEST DAY EVA.
The "viewpoint" and underground cave-pool
And of course, we spent another day participating in the famed Vang Vieng “tubing”. Well, kind of … Halfway through the day, already drunk, we participated in a game of Musical Tubes, where I was scandalously tackled by a fellow tuber, resulting in my newly healing Saigon Kiss (aka: exhaust burn) having the skin ripped off it. I was then sent to the clinic, where a nurse (whom I'm convinced was a child) cleaned up my wound and drugged me. I'm not joking. I was knocked out for 17 hours. I missed out on dinner – so you know something dodgy was occurring.
<During this little interlude, Fi and Pod employed some rather questionable tactics to allow one of the them to actually win musical tubes, AND a free alcohol bucket. My theory is that this bucket is the cause of both of their phones “mysteriously” getting water damaged. But don't tell them that>
Fi and I also hit a new level in our friendship (success!) when we both got bikini waxes … whilst lying right next to each other … Yes, it is as weird and awkwardly hilarious as it sounds.
Luang Prabang: Pad Thai. The best Pad Thai you've ever seen, or smelt, or dreamed of. Imagine the kind of Pad Thai they serve kings. It was the God of all pad thais. It deserves its own podium …. And maybe a superhero cape?
Moving on from the Ode to a Pad Thai, Luang Prabang was quite eventful. Sunrise yoga, the most beautiful/lethal waterfall I have seen/climbed so far, a night market that robbed me of most of my money (I forgot I was a poor backpacker), “clubbing” – but actually bowling because that's the only place that serves alcohol after 11pm, and … Yeah, did I mention the Pad Thai?
NEXT STOP: NORTH THAILAND!!
