Luang Prabang and 2 Days on the Mekong

We spent about 4 days in Luang Prabang (LPB), and in true Laos style, didn't really do much. The Mekong River rolls right alongside the town and there is a fabulous night market with local artisans that we strolled by nightly - and may have done a little shopping too!

LPB was a great place for us to walk around town, enjoy some baked goods at the delicious JoMa Cafe and try to find a little piece of nightlife. Although when the whole town closes down at 11:00, it's hard to really find anything happening in the streets. This sign cracked me up - and it's totally how all of Laos operates.

We did wake-up one morning at 5:15 a.m. in order to see the locals giving alms to the monks. It was quite the thing to see. About 200 monks, dressed in vibrant orange and yellow robes, walking in single file, their faces expressionless, and the people squatted on the sides of the streets to grab handfuls of sticky rice or bananas to place into their little tin containers.


That was the same day we set out for a 2-day boat trip on the Mekong River to get us to the border of Thailand. It was quite a relaxing journey and we lucked out to not have an overcrowded boat - Lani and I got 2 cushioned seats each. We felt lucky! It was a nice way to get through Laos, much preferred over the windy roads by bus. However, it did rain the majority of the trip - and we're not talking a slight drizzle, we're talking a serious downpour! Luckily they had plastic tarps that they could drape over the windows so that the water didn't rush in.

Then we arrived in the border town of Huay Xai and checked in with the Gibbon Experience office. It's rainy season, so who knows how the next 3 days are going to treat us...it could be quite the mucky walk for hours on end, all in search of the monkeys.

Plain of Jars in Phonsavan

Well, this was one of those times where I found myself wondering if one can be proud to be an American? We just visited a town called Phonsavan, and saw the destruction caused by the US in one of the largest sustained aerial bombings in history. During the Vietnam War, en route back to the base in Thailand, they dropped 2 million tons of bombs on Laos and around 30% of the bombs failed to detonate. As a result, the country is littered with unexploded ordnance (UXO) and the UXOs are the worst in Xieng Khuang province, which is where Phonsavan is located. It's extremely sad and devastating because peoples countryside is contaminated and there are deaths occurring still, years later, as a result of the bombs that didn't go off. And when you're on a tour, and you say you're from America, and the guide just laughs and shakes his head, you really have to wonder what we were thinking years back. It would be different if the US were actually funding any type of program to try and clear the areas, but the only signs posted were from New Zealand Aid and the Brittish Mines Advisory Group (MAG).

Anyway, it was a short day and a half in Phonsavan. You really only go there for the Plain of Jars tour. There are 3 major jar sites - and nobody really knows much about them. They are these rock jarlike-shaped remains scattered on the ground that archaeologists suspect were used as stone coffins or urns. It was an ok little day tour - and we got to tromp around in some rain and mud along the way.

We dragged Katie along with us to Phonsavan. It's been fun having a third friend to accompany Lani and I's two-some.

Lazy Days in Laos

After a days journey by bus, which was really gorgeous, we made it to Vang Vieng. The area is green and covered in mountains, and only one paved road weaves through the countryside between Vientiane and Vang Vieng. It made for a lovely bus ride. As we rolled into town, the sun was setting over the jagged rocky mountains and the cloud cover and little river passing through made for quite the picturesque moment. It's so peaceful and quiet and underdeveloped and the landscape is just incredible. And when we hopped off the bus, there weren't 700 moto and tuk-tuk drivers all up in our face to take us away to their "cheap, cheap" guesthouse. It was a welcomed relief and I was reminded that I just pretty much love Laos! We strolled the street to find a little hotel room in the middle of town (which means it was on 1 of 2 main streets that make up all 10 blocks of this little place).

The next morning we went tubing down the river. It was delightful! We met up with a girl from England, Katie, and two Dutch boys, Roger and Martin. The 5 of us floated the river together, hopping off at the riverside bars for drinks (Beer Lao seems to be the beverage of choice for many) and some good times on the rope swing.

Tubing filled our day and then it was a relaxing evening spent strolling down the 2 main tourist streets. We grabbed some grub, and then came upon a true fat kid treat that Lani and I just couldn't pass up. There are these little banana pancake stands that the locals set up on every corner. They whip up little banana crepes and you can put any topping on them that you'd like: chocolate, coconut, peanut, sugar, honey, lemon, condensed milk, etc. (JCJ, you'd be in crepe heaven!) It's a fat kid treat if I've ever seen one - and Lani and I ended up eating one nightly!

Another piece of Vang Vieng is the fact that "Friends" is played in every single restaurant lining the streets. I didn't even know what I was missing out on when the show was on in the States for years on end. Fortunately for me, the pouring down, rainy days in Vang Vieng allowed me to get all caught up on re-runs. I know, this is probably not the best activity to really experience the culture of Laos, but the restaurants were totally set up lounge style with pillows and cushions - just calling out to me to grab a pillow, lay down and relax, sip on a fruit shake and escape from the rain showers. Plus, unfortunately Lani got sick with some ear troubles during our stay in Vang Vieng, so we had to keep our activity levels low.

Trekking around Sapa Town

What a way to end our days in Vietnam! We took a night train - my first sleeper train ever - up to the hills of Sapa, which is in NW Vietnam. It was beautiful and green with terraced hillsides, much like Dalat. And it also rained on us, much like Dalat. But it wasn't quite as cold - so that was nice. We got in early morning and really wanted to do a 2-day trek and stay with a family in a village, but we weren't sure if we'd still be able to book that on the same day. We lucked out though and had an hour to repack our bags, change our clothes and grab some b-fast before joining 2 other people and a guide for a muddy mountain stroll.

As it had been raining on us for part of the morning, the trail was super slippery. One of the guys in our group, Michael, spent the majority of the hike on his butt. Lucky for us, part of what the village people do here is send their children out to walk along with the tourists, in hopes that we will buy something from them at the end of the hike. I had the 2 sweetest girls, Ti and Mo, walk with me for hours and hold my hand and try to keep me from slipping. They had a pretty good success rate. However, at one point, I did slip and I took both of them down with me. Everyone laughed - it was quite funny. I kept apologizing to them, but I don't think it was the first time it had happened to them on the trail with a clumsy tourist. And sure enough, I wanted to buy something from them at the end of our hike. I walked away with an overpriced silver bracelet, that the silver is already chipping off of and a wallet that'll make a good souvenir for one lucky person!

Anyway, our guide, Hi, led us down the trail and we ended up hiking about 13 km when we finally arrived at the homestay for the night in Ban Ho Village. Now, this family operates with no modern day conveniences, except for a tv, which every family seems to have, no matter how poor you might seem. It's quite impressive to see how their world works. We cooked over an open fire and did dishes in the corner on their cement floor. Lani and I helped make spring rolls that night. Hi wasn't so impressed with our rolling capabilities - but anyone that knows me, knows I'm not a cook. So this was a great start for me!


We ate like kings and queens with more food than anyone would ever really eat (yes, it was even too much for Lani and I). However, we had no problem popping in like 8 fried spring rolls each. After dinner, we helped them wash dishes, we sang around the fire and then we had a dance party. The loud music must've been heard across the entire village, because all of a sudden, all the boys in the area were standing on the cement patio wanting to join in on the fun. It just took a couple minutes for them to stop being shy and then they were out on the dance floor turning tricks and doing their own little break-dance moves.

On the second day, we went to a waterfall. It was nice and refreshing!

When we returned from the waterfall, we said good-bye to our host family of 4 generations and started up the trail again. Luckily, it wasn't raining on us this time. But it sure made my legs hurt walking up hill...just another reminder of how out of shape I've gotten on this trip. I'll be sore for days! But it was such a cool experience to be hiking through the hills and staying with a village family. Sapa and the surrounding area was a high point of our adventure in Vietnam. A nice way to close the Vitenam chapter.

Setting Sail in Ha Long Bay

Words can't describe what a cool experience our 3-day boat trip on Ha Long Bay was. We went with Vega Travel (after an afternoon of research) and were so pleased with our guide and the tour and everything we were able to see. Our "junk"- which is what they call the style of boat we were on, was nice and clean, and our room was pretty good sized. Y'see, we'd heard horror stories about dirty boats, lost passports and luggage, and junks filled with more passengers than capacity. So we felt really lucky when we had a group size of 8 the first day, and then it was just down to 4 of us for the remaining 2 days. Doing a 3-day trip on Ha Long Bay was great advice we had received from a traveler we met in Hoi An.

The first day we took a minibus to Ha Long City - about 4 hours. Then we hopped on our vessel and weaved our way out of the junk jam to the open bay. It was overcast the first day, which was a disappointment, but it was still beautiful. We explored some caves, did some kayaking, jumped off the boat deck and swam in the water. We had a tasty dinner and then decided to play some cards with our English friends, Chris and Mark. We taught the boys how to play "Somethings Gotta Give" and they were huge fans! And if I remember correctly, I'm pretty sure I won! It was such a peaceful evening, sitting out on the deck of the boat, trying to see the stars peak through the clouds and looking at the lights reflecting off the fellow junks on the water. Before retiring to my cabin, I had to pinch myself because sometimes I just can't believe this is real!

The second day was pretty much all to ourselves. The 2 Spanish couples returned to Ha Long City, and we went on with our English friends and our good little guide, Ba. We went into a different bay, Lan Ha. This was our guide's favorite place because we could escape from all the other people. We went on a hike through Cat Ba National Park - and it poured rain on us. We went through a couple's little home in the park. They are the first people I've ever met allowed to live in a National Park - but apparently, they were there long before it was declared a protected area. The man had gone to the market that day, which consisted of an hour hike to the water and then a 3-hr boat trip. Quite the trek to get to the market, huh? We finished our hike, had some lunch, the sun came out, we did some kayaking and then motored away to Cat Ba Island.


We had the afternoon and evening to ourselves on the Island - free to wander around, grab some dinner, explore the uneventful nightlife that the town had to offer. Lani and I tried to hit the discoteca, but it turns out that nobody really goes there on a Saturday night. They were playing techno anyway, which explains why the dance floor was empty! :)

The next day we drove through the National Park and then we were back on a junk and headed into Ha Long City. Fortunately, we got another few hours on the boat, looking at the scenery and the sun actually came out. It was quite a beautiful trip and we totally lucked out with a fantastic guide - who really was a true delight! (Below is Captain Ba himself)

Shop Till You Drop in Hoi An

Well, for two girls who aren't overly obsessed with new clothes and shoes, we sure went crazy in Hoi An. You can't really pass up a tailor-made suit, or leather boots, or a new dress, or...ok, I'll stop. All I know is that we had to factor in an extra day to make sure we made it to all our fittings and that our clothes were finished and ready to be shipped.

Hoi An is infiltrated with tailor shops, and all the prices are competitive, so it was extremely difficult to decide where to go. The first day we spent researching, collecting business cards and talking prices and fabric quality. And then at night we prioritized the business cards and mapped out our day. The first couple days were filled with us ping-ponging from one shop to another. Eventually we got smarter and planned our fittings for the afternoon so that we could go to the beach in the morning or sit by the pool at our hotel. So in between shopping, which did consume the majority of our time, we were able to pedal out to the beach and bask in the sun and enjoy a beautiful ocean view. We did have some pool time too and really enjoyed wandering the colorful, cobbled streets of Hoi An as well. And of course, we found time to eat A LOT! Hoi An has incredible food, typical to the area. There is a shrimp wonton dish called 'White Rose' that was quite good. We were also huge fans of 'Cao Lau' (a pork and noodle dish), and actually found ourselves eating it more than once a day. But it was so good, and such a good price (like $0.70), that it just couldn't be passed up. And when were we going to be back to Hoi An to eat this food again?!

During our stay in Hoi An and also the last couple days of Nha Trang, we met a classy couple from England, Andy and Marie, who we got to spend several days with. So it was fun to hang out with them, do a little shopping, go to the beach, and grab treats in the evening together and stroll along the riverside. The town would light red lanterns at night that reflected off the river and made for quite a lovely evening on the water. We needed low key after Nha Trang, and Hoi An was the perfect little town to explore by foot, do some damage on the credit card, enjoy a little beach time in the mornings and then prepare for a downpour in the afternoon while trying on clothes in various shops. Our tailor of choice was Trang at KHOI. She did a fabulous job on our clothes and then had the postmen come to us at her shop to pack up our boxes.


I sent a 14 kg box home, by sea (yikes! check that scale below!).


So hopefully, in the next 3-4 months my package will come floating to the doorstep. That is, if these boys actually made it to the post office on that moto bike - quite a load between Lani and I. Cross your fingers for me that the box arrives by Christmas!

Sleepless Nights in Nha Trang

They say you can get "stuck in a rut" in Nha Trang...and our 6 block radius of fun did end up holding us there for about 5 days...when we'd originally planned for 2. I can't really explain it, but we met so many travelers who just ended up staying in Nha Trang - and we became, for only a brief chunk of time, part of this "locals" group. It was fabulous! We did the same thing each night with the same people at the same bars, danced to the same music, watched the same sunrise, and laid on the same beach each day to catch up on some sleep. The first night we were there, we strolled down the street and bumped into who seemed to be the local celebrity, Bin. He was promoting his pub, Red Apple, and encouraging us to go for a drink. Little did we know that our one drink would lead us to stay in Nha Trang, and cross two of our other coastal destinations off the itinerary. We had such a good time meeting people, that it became what we had to do for the next few nights. The first night, we retired early (about 2 a.m.) as we had already signed up for a 4-island boat trip in the morning, and didn't want to be out too late and risk getting sea sick on the boat.

One of the classic stories of one of the travelers we met was a guy named Jason who is actually from Berkeley and was just traveling through Vietnam for 3.5 weeks. Well, that was 6 months ago, and he still hasn't left Nha Trang. In fact, he's just renewed his visa for another 6 months, and really has no plans of going back to the States any time soon. He told Lani and I that Nha Trang is his rut. Haha, I'd say!

Anyway, to make 5 long days short. We did a day out on the boat island hopping - and that was quite a fun time. Our tour guide, Dat, was a cheeseball - but I guess that was to be expected.


We ate fabulous and fresh lobster at one of the street-side restaurants at night. They grilled it right there on the bbq for us, and it was so tasty. It was huge! I think we're probably complete lobster snobs after that experience.




And then it was the same-same. Our nights out began. At Red Apple Bar we'd mingle with fellow travelers, play Jenga or Connect Four, shoot some pool and/or do a little dancing. Our friend, Bin, was always busy on the corner gathering more people to come on in for good times. Next, we'd head to Why Not? Bar and our nights were the same. We danced till dawn, went for street food at 4:30 a.m., where we'd sit in the streets at little plastic tables and on stools that kindergarten kids would sit in back home. Then we'd watch the streets fill with locals as they marched to the sea for early morning aerobics (and I mean early, because it was still dark outside), and then we'd watch the sun rise over the ocean. Not too shabby of a place to get "stuck in a rut" we decided.