Sawadee. We are really having an amazing time in Laos, it’s a stunning country, from the French buildings in Vientiane to the lush mountains in the centre, it’s quite incredible.
19 October
All we have done today is get our visas from the Vietnam Embassy and walked back. Turns out Vientiane is really tiny and you can walk one end to the other in about half an hour. This may have all been completely pointless now because we may not be able to go into Vietnam due to Typhoon Migi. We had planned to fly from Luang Prabang into Hanoi and train it down to Ho Chi Minh City but the rail way track is part underwater now and the country is in a bit of a crisis.
We have been completely English today as well – Kellogs for breakfast, crisps for a snack and pizza for tea. Failing.
20 October
After asking the staff at the hotel where we could book a bus to Vang Vieng they kindly offered to drive us themselves as they were heading there. We took them up on their very kind offer and early this morning we had an amazing drive to Vang Vieng in their luxury Toyota Landcruiser. I am so glad they did as the roads are in a terrible condition winding around un-barriered mountain side roads
After about an hour on the roads we started ascending up into the beautiful lush mountains. We drove past little settlements along the road side with wooden houses on stilts and rusty red tin roofs to match the road. Speaking of roads, they were part potholed concrete and part red dirt track weaving up and through the mountains. Further into the mountain we spotted the locals trying to maintain the roads somewhat with a handful of stones chucked into the pothole and hot tar poured on top, job done Laos-style.
After another hour winding up into the mountains appeared lots of lakes and rivers, I really wasn’t expecting that. The villagers were selling hundreds of dried fish from the lake, and their cattle of cows, goats and chicken (and one pig) roam free across the road. A couple of touts on the horn and they move out of the way.
After another hour, to our surprise, we had reached Vang Vieng, a little traveller’s village in the middle of the mountains. The scenery is absolutely stunning and we have, eventually, FOUND SOME SUN! We got dropped to a really nice hotel, Villa A### (can't remember the name) for about £6 each per night and the view from our huge room is breathtaking.
We took a wonder along the streets to get some lunch and all the bars are playing Friends or Family Guy re-runs, just as the guide books had said.
I think we are going to like it here.
Keep the messages coming.
A la perchoine, Jo & Shaun
Xx
