Slow Boat to Laos

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After such an amazing and productive time in Chiang Mai, the day finally came to say goodbye and begin the journey to the third country on our list, Laos. A van came to pick us up at our hostel, but believe me, ladies and gentlemen, when I tell you that this van was unlike any other van we have ridden in on this trip. It was equipped with wide leather seats, air-con control for the back, and even drinking water. There was quite a sound system and a drop-down TV as well, but they didn't get broken out on our drive to the border. We shared the van with an Italian man, a German couple, four German guys just out of their studies, and a couple of young Aussie girls. It was a full car, but still the most comfortable ride yet, and we had fun chatting with Sasha, one of the German guys, and playing Monopoly on my Kindle.

The van made two stops on the way to the border town of Chiang Khong. The first was at a cashew nut factory. Along with a quick lunch, we sampled all sorts of flavored cashew nuts and saw an example of what exactly a cashew nut looks like as it's growing on the tree. It looked something like a red mushroom. A little bit strange, if you ask me.

The second stop was the White Temple that we'd heard so much about. Our first impression was awe as we were blinded by the pure white walls and the silver tiles lining the bridges and rafters. It looked like a glittering ice palace, a miracle in the middle of such a hot place. Every step closer, however, revealed just how strange this temple really was. Demonic heads warning against drinking and smoking guarded the entrance, along with a half-buried Predator. The bases of the sculptures showed distorted bodies and grotesque faces. To get to the entrance of the temple itself, you had to cross a bridge surrounded by disembodied hands reaching upwards and towards the vistors, some holding skulls begging for change, and others making lewd gestures.

The weirdness continued inside. It looked rather innocuous at first: a golden Buddha statue, per norm, and a wax figure of a praying Gandhi greeted you as you walked in. But when you turned around, you were faced with a very bizarre mural. Amongst purple demons and billowing smoke were brightly painted images of modern characters. Among those represented were Neo from the Matrix, Avatar, Sailor Moon, Batman, Spiderman, Bart Simpson, and Goku. There was also an image of the burning Twin Towers and a gas pump. It was unclear if the artist was condemning these things, or if they were fighting the demons. Either way, it was pretty freaky, and I was glad we hadn't made a special trip just to see this place. As it turned out, it was very new, with construction just finished in 2008. I wasn't a fan, but from far away it was quite beautiful!

It was back in the van for a couple more hours before we arrived in Chiang Khong. As part of the package we booked, our accommodation was already sorted for us. Nothing fancy, but we at least got free dinner. Caz and I explored the local market while we still had daylight, then snuck in one last Thai massage after dinner. We joined a couple of the German boys, both named Andreas, for a drink at the bar in the same building as our guesthouse. Someone mentioned that there was live music down by the river, so we went to check it out. Unfortunately, it turned out to be just a couple of drunk Thais singing very bad karaoke, so Caz and I called it a night.

The next day the whole crew grabbed their bags, and we took a wobbly little boat over the river into Laos. We took some time to get through customs and get shuttled around to an office, where we all exchanged money and signed up for a guesthouse in Pak Beng, the first stop on our two day slow boat trip. Then it was on a little pink truck that looked like it came to pick us up straight from Disneyland. It took us to a little store, where we chilled out and had snacks until we were told to go to the pier.

We were prepared for the worst as far as the boat went. We had heard that they were usually overcrowded, and that the wooden seats got pretty painful. We had even purchased cushions to help this situation. As it turned out, we needn't have bothered. All the seats on the boat were sets of car seats, both front and back, mounted on frames that could be easily moved around. Our boat wasn't at all full either, as it was the second one to be launched that day, so we and the four German guys (the last one was named Marc, for reference) moved a few of them around to face towards the middle of the boat, giving us plenty of leg room and the ability to chat. Caz, blonde Andreas, and I played Monopoly, and we all passed around snacks. Later we got some card games going with some of the other passengers, an American named Matt and a French couple named Elvina and Guillame (I am totally guessing at the spelling of the last two names). It was a very relaxed and enjoyable boat ride.

We pulled into Pak Beng before sunset and settled into another passable basic room. The town itself didn't have much happening besides guesthouses and restaurants, so Caz and I went for dinner. We were joined by Matt and a Swedish girl named Stina, and they were very good company. Thanks to Caz's clever ordering, we were introduced to the delious Laotian dish called laap, a concotion of minced meat, coriander, lime, and chili served with sticky rice. Delicious. After dinner we hung out on the balcony of our guesthouse with the Germans for a while, and saw the hugest cricket either of us had ever laid eyes on. It luckily wasn't a fast mover, so we weren't worried when we went to bed.

The next morning we were up early to get some breakfast and sandwiches for the second half of the boat ride (peanut butter and banana! It was good to get our fix!). Then we headed to the pier, dawdling a bit so as to get on the second boat again. When a second boat did not seem to be coming, we found out that there would be only one this time. Bummer. We still managed to find seats, but it was significantly more crowded. Still, it was a really nice ride. We perched on the side of the boat and dipped our toes in the Mekong as we slid past lush mountains and stilted villages. So what if there were a few extra people aboard? The slow boat was hands down the best journey we've had in Asia.

Upon arrival in Luang Prabang, we teamed up with Matt, Stina, and the French couple to find some lodgings. We turned down a couple, then finally gave in to a guy who was petitioning hard for our business. His guesthouse was actually pretty nice, so it was a win-win deal. We went to a cool little restaurant/bar called Utopia for dinner and passed our first evening in Luang Prabang drinking BeerLao and smoking hookah. Not bad. There was an 11 o'clock curfew in place, so the night didn't go on too long, and soon we were asleep after a hard couple days of sitting.