Northern Laos and Return to Luang Prabang

"Own only what you can carry with you; Let your memory be your travel bag."

- Alexander Solzhenitsyn


TO VIEW LUANG PRABANG PHOTOS, CLICK BELOW:

Photos Part I

Photos Part II

Andrea, Dave and I made our way to Nong Kiaow, about 2 hours north of Luang Prabang on a local mini-bus looking for something a little more backwoods Laos - and we definitely got it here!


We found 2 bungalows nestled into a bank along the Nam Ou River with private squatting toilet (a definite luxury), balcony (with a hammock) and a million dollar view of the limestone covered mountains, for just 45,000 kip/night (about $5 CDN). I went for a jaunt into the main centre of town to take some pics. It was obvious this town was not as accustomed to travelers coming through - even just raising my camera made everyone scatter like marbles hitting a wood floor. As per usual, it was the children who were the most engaging and eager to communicate.

We found a restaurant that looked to have a pretty good menu but continued down the street to see what else was available. We found another restaurant with the exact same menu but about 25% cheaper! This is Asia (T.I.A.) - no point in asking why. We got to know the couple that owned the restaurant quite well and we were lucky enough to see a traditional Lao song and dance from their little girl while their little boy shot at us with a toy gun. They had a cat called ‘Mow’ (rhymes with ‘wow’), which I thought was sweet at first because cats and dogs don't usually have names or treated as pets. I found out later in my travels that virtually every cat’s name in Laos, is ‘Mow’.

One morning, while having breakfast, an elderly lady leisurely strolled by the restaurant on her bicycle with a freshly chopped water buffalo’s head! It was quite a sight, especially with that unique water buffalo grin still intact on its face. After breakfast, we walked down the street a little and found 2 children thoroughly butchering previously seen water buffalo’s head. They were using every last bit of that head for something – not wasting a thing. The girl was quite amused by our apparent looks of disgust and decided to play it up for the cameras and make googly eyes with the water buffalo’s eyeballs...just lovely!

We walked to nearby Tham Pha Tok caves, which was where the entire town hid during the Indo China War in the 1960s-1970s. It blew me away to see that they had an art unit and a bank amongst other very normal things you would see in a little town – but it was all ran within the confines of the caves.

After a couple days of eating, caving and more eating – we took a one hour boat ride north, complete with beautiful views, postcard scenes with little kids running amock, fishing, swimming and waving at our boat. Among the locals in transit with us was a little boy with a chicken in a basket. I of course had to desensitize myself several times – animals are merely food in most of SE Asia and up to this point I had seen very little affection exhibited from Laotians towards an animal. But this little boy actually was comforting the chicken (I think) by putting his fingers through the holes of the basket and giving him some gentle scratches. It warmed the heart a little.


We arrived at our port – Muang Ngoi – a quintessential Laos village. Chickens, cows, goats, pigs, dogs, ducks and cats milling about amongst snickering children running through the red dirt streets. We bumped into a guy staying at my guesthouse who said there was a lady in the village rumoured to be 112. Just minutes later we saw her walk by.....if she isn't 112, well she definitely looks it!

That night we went to a place called, ‘Mama’s’ overlooking the river. It was a typical SE Asian restaurant, nothing fancy but definitely cozy with hammocks and cushions. We had met some people on the boat and at our guesthouse and ended up having a lovely dinner party. The food and conversation was great but the bugs all over the food, table and us, I could have done without. I couldn’t eat my sticky rice for all the flies and ants landing on it. It was one of those moments when I missed the west just a little.

In Muang Ngoi, the generators are only turned on for a couple of hours every evening. When I left my bungalow, my light switch must have been left on because when I arrived back, it had attracted all kind of friendly insects in all different shapes and sizes. I thought ok – I'll just turn the patio light on and open the door so they can clear out while I put my mosquito net down and all will be well!

Just as soon as the flicker of my bright idea ignited, the lights went out. I had forgotten that the generators are turned off at 10 so my next move was to get my flashlight out of my backpack, which just happened to be in a compartment secured by a combination padlock. This would be fine, if I could SEE! OK think Tracey – light source ... need a light source! Aha! My laptop – I knew that thing would come in handy on the backpacker trail! I set it on the patio hoping that some of the creepy crawlies would line up like good little soldiers and march towards the light...wishful thinking. I then spent the next 15 minutes sweeping off my bed and shaking out the sheets so I could shield myself under the confines of my mozzy net. The whole process of removing the bugs and getting ready for bed took a good hour with no light and by the time I secured myself under the net - I was sweating and exhausted but quite content. After almost eating bugs for dinner, I was in no mood to sleep with them too!

I also had a roommate living in my bathroom – an inchworm! I had only been exposed ti them as funny characters in cartoons and had not actually seen one live. It was protruding straight out from the wall wiggling around like a blind man's arm trying to find his cane when I first noticed him. He was quite a little slow mover but extremely entertaining to watch and a much better roomie to have vs. the bat in my bungalow the previous evening.

We left Muang Ngoi by boat back to Nong Kiaow to catch a sawngthaw back to Luang Prabang. I was excited to get back to so called civilization – which really just meant erratic electricity and inconsistent, cold running water . Not having these things, even for a short time, definitely makes one appreciate it so much more. The week before in Hanoi, I past a teenaged boy on the street who said, ‘I wish I was you’ as I walked past. Just being born in Canada gives me a serious leg up over so much of the rest of the world and I intend to take full advantage of what has been given to me – freedom to travel, being one of them!

Our open air truck (sawngthaw) was filled with locals, backpackers and a chicken – there always seems to be a token chicken when traveling with the locals. Watching Laos life pass by was really cool and interesting the first hour, but by the third, it had started to rain and I could hardly feel my bum anymore. We were quite grateful when we got back ‘home’ to our guesthouse where we were yet again warmly welcomed by our adopted family.

Andrea and I went for dinner that night and talked literature, photography and jewellery design over Indian. I just love that girl - one of the most thoughtful and kind people I have known. Her and Dave changed the course of my voyage for the best and made my experience in Northern Laos magical and memorable. I felt like I was traveling with old friends. Both of them are extremely talented and I know I will be able to say ‘I knew them when’ someday. Dave’s paintings can be seen here: www.davebeazley.com.

Dave and Andrea departed for the Plain of Jars and I stayed in Luang Prabang to take in a little bit more of her charm before boarding a bus to the next destination – a little town called Vang Vieng, or more accurately – the Twilight Zone?! Doo doo dee doo doo doo dee doo!


The great difference between voyages rests not with the ships, but with the people you meet on them.

- Amelia E. Barr

Tigers, Bears and...Grub? (Luang Prabang, Laos)

Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.

- Maya Angelou


If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay home.

- James Michener

TO VIEW LUANG PRABANG PHOTOS, CLICK BELOW:

Photos Part I

Photos Part II


Laos, land of mastodonic hills and delectable scenery...renowned for having the most laid back vibe in all of SE Asia. So it was disheartening to learn that Laos also has the distinction of being the most heavily bombed country in the history of the world. During the Vietnam war, the US dropped more bombs here than all the bombs dropped in Europe during World War II – over TWO MILLION tonnes worth (that is one plane load every 8 minutes for 9 years). This was done to cut off Vietnam's weapon supply lines running through Laos territory. It is estimated that 30% of unexploded ordnance (UXO) remains, continuing to cause death and injury amongst Laotians (especially children) today. To learn more, visit: http://www.uxolao.org/.

My first stop in Laos….Luang Prabang, a city that oozes charm and loveliness! I elected to fly in from Hanoi vs. taking a 24 hour nightmarish bus ride. At that point, I had had my fill of overland transportation and corrupt border crossings but must admit that I was a touch unnerved to learn that Lao Airlines chooses not to have their safety records public (hmmm I wonder why). Regardless, I am thankfully still here to write about it!

I met a Kiwi couple while in line for our visas at the airport who had been going to school in Auckland; Andrea, a Jewellery Designer and Dave, a Painter. They were taking a tour through SE Asia on their way to London to work for a few months before settling at an artist’s retreat in the south of France. They had hooked up with Luke and Jenna in Vietnam, an Australian couple who had just met each other recently in Asia. We all shared a taxi into Luang Prabang where we happened upon a guesthouse, cozily tucked away down a side street. The price was right but we had no idea how enchanting and friendly the family who lived there were going to be.

I was on my way to meet Carolina and Rodrigo (who I had met in Halong Bay), so we all made plans to catch up later on. I zipped my way through the night market – a streak of shimmering jewellery, multi-coloured fabrics and glowing lanterns. I was amazed that I made it all the way through without getting pulled into a stall or receiving an auditory summons to buy something. I had already been quite impressed after arriving at the airport without any hassle from anyone. The atmosphere, the architecture, the sleepiness....was all very refreshing.


The 7 of us had a delightful evening at one of the many dimly lit restaurants on Luang Prabang’s main street. It was unfortunate that it was Rodrigo and Carolina’s last night as I know their company would have been very welcome in our newly formed group - we were all sad to see them go home.























The first week in Luang Prabang was spent frequenting the many shops, cafes and restaurants along the riverfront and within the city, lollygagging in the night market, getting $5 massages and giving homage to magnificent art and rich culture at the National Museum. Several wats dot the city and were of easy access and short walking distances and there was no shortage of monks waiting for someone to practice their English with – all of them very sweet and interesting to talk to. There seemed to be a photo op at every turn!

One stifling hot day, the 5 of us decided to go and check out Kuang Si waterfall, about 30 minutes outside of Luang Prabang. On the way there, we stopped at a sanctuary for the Asiatic Black Bear. Many of them were rescued from bile farms where bears are confined to tiny cages so their bile can be extracted regularly via a catheter. Bear bile is used as a traditional medicine in Asia but can be replaced by herbal or synthetic alternatives making this a very unnecessary process. Bones, claws and blood are also sold for health purposes, but their is no evidence that they have any beneficial effects on humans. For more info, visit: http://freethebears.org.au.

Phet, a 7-year old Indo-Chinese tiger, was not there for us to visit as we were told she was sick and being cared for somewhere else. A malnourished 5-week old Phet had been rescued after being bought and sold 4 times. Her mother was shot and killed at the Plain of Jars by poachers and sold to Chinese businessmen for medicinal preparations (crushed tiger bone commands a high price in China and ‘cures’ really valid health issues like ‘eruption under the toenail’ and ‘demonic possession’....come on now please!).

Thanks to Care for the Wild International, a large forest enclosure was built for Phet where she was well taken care of for the remainder of her life. I was deeply saddened to recently find out that Phet did not recover from her illness and passed away after suffering from a central nervous system disorder in May. This tiger was a symbol in the fight to protect endangered species in Asia. Their are less than 1500 Indo-Chinese tigers left, down from 100,000 at the turn of the century.

Even more disturbing is that Laos was once dubbed, "Land of a Million Elephants", but now has only about 400 surviving in the wild.

Killing or trading endangered species is now forbidden in Laos but poachers are still very much at large.

To read more about Phet’s story and learn more about Care for the Wild Intl, visit: http://www.careforthewild.org/ and type 'Phet' in the search box. You can also help by adopting wildlife here: http://www.adoption.co.uk/tiger/

We carried on and hiked to the top of the waterfall. The views were spectacular but the best part of the day was jumping off the lower tier of the waterfall with Andrea and Dave into startlingly refreshing turquoise water. We ended the day with a picnic where we were visited by a butterfly who took a breather on Dave’s hand.

This was another one of those magnificent days in Asia that I will revisit in my memory for years to come.


Luke and Jenna were leaving the next day, so we decided to head out to the discotheque! The disco made all of us feel very....tall. We towered above the crowd while befriending many Laotions that knew how to seriously get down with their bad selves on the dance floor. The night was still young when the disco closed at midnight, so we tuk tuked it over to the bowling alley to throw a few big ones down the lane! Andrea wowed us all with the ridiculous number of strikes she made and Dave with his celebratory poses.

By this time, we had all become well acquainted with the family who owned our guesthouse. It took awhile for Gramps to warm up to us all but once he decided we were ok, we were treated like family. Dave and Gramps held a special bond after enjoying some fried larvae together.


We had been to the night market, visited the wats and waterfall and did just about everything one should do in Luang Prabang. We decided to go 'rural', northwards to a village on the banks of the Nam Ou River...


Some roads aren't meant to be travelled alone.

- Proverb

Hanoi, Vietnam

To travel in Europe is to assume a foreseen inheritance; in Islam, to inspect that of a close and familiar cousin. But to travel in farther Asia is to discover a novelty previously unsuspected and unimaginable.

- Lord Byron



To view photos from Hanoi, click here.

...I met Gill and Tony in Hue at their guesthouse in time to take the night bus together to Hanoi – another 12 hour wild ride! We all settled into our ‘beds’ (reclining seats that have an enclosure at the bottom, like a box, that you slip your feet into), when I heard a bit of commotion at the front of the bus. I leaned my head out into the aisle where all I could see was Gill’s hand gesturing in a way that told me she meant business! Her hand was pointed at a Vietnamese bus driver who had told her (in a not so polite or meek manner) that the seat she was in was his (for sleeping shifts) and she would have to take one of the seats at the back of the bus on the bottom level (this is where the bus drivers normally sleep). Gill had tried sleeping there on our Nha Trang-Hoi An sojourn where she was the victim of a bus driver's wandering hands, so this time, she wasn’t having any of it).

'I paid for my ticket which SHOULD ensure me a decent seat on this bus so I am NOT MOVING!’

Bursts of cheer and applause came from the rest of the bus as Gill gave the bus driver the ‘What for?’ and in the end he had no choice but to accept her decision. All of us had probably been in a similar situation somewhere along our travels (being told to do something we knew didn’t make sense or was not fair) and witnessing Gill refuse to take any crap, did all of our little backpacker hearts some good.

When sleeping on an overnight bus, one never really SLEEPS. You are constantly woken up by either the blaring of the horn, the blaring of Vietnamese music through the speakers located inches away from your head or the bus driver having to suddenly break for oncoming traffic and random cattle crossing the road. By no means is bus travel a SAFE way to travel, but it is definitely interesting and....best of all, it’s incredibly CHEAP!

When we arrived in Hanoi, it would have been convenient had the bus dropped us off in the Old Quarter, where all of the guesthouses are located but no....that would be too easy. We were dropped somewhere on the outskirts of Hanoi and had to negotiate a decent fare with a taxi driver into the city, not really knowing how far away we actually were. Then comes the gruelling task of finding cheap accommodation that is firstly and most importantly safe, and secondly, clean. This can be an impossible feat at times ... add the hot and humid weather, lack of sleep, laptop, camera equipment and backpack to the mix and it’s not the most enjoyable task. This time, it took us well over an hour of walking from place to place, splitting up, meeting and comparing prices before finding a decent option.

When we were in Hoi An, we met 2 Australians, Ross and Gary. Gary lives in Cairns and does things like wrestles crocodiles and tags tiger sharks for a living! Ross is a Health Advisor for the Australian Embassy in Hanoi and was gracious enough to offer up his extra room if one of us wanted a place to stay. So later that day, I took a moto to the embassy to meet Ross (about 20 minutes away from the Old Quarter) and spent the next 4 days there. I took a moto to the Old Quarter during the day to cruise around Hoan Kiem Lake and catch up on photo editing and writing. I met some lovely expats at the cafe I went to (‘hello’ to Edwin, Caroline and Samuel - sorry we didn't get to reconnect) and had some good quality Tracey time:) In the evening, I met up with Ross for dinner. It was so nice to stay in a non-touristy area and amongst true Hanoians. Ross and I had many a stimulating conversation over delightful, authentic Vietnamese food and I can't thank him enough for the hospitality.


Since my Vietnam visa was running out fast, I had to choose whether I would go to Sapa in the north of Vietnam or Halong Bay (about 2 hours away from Hanoi). In the end, I opted for Halong Bay based on other traveler’s recommendations and its proximity.... I was told it was ‘ a must see’ and it really was truly spectacular...stony mountains covered with greenery casting their watery shadows... like tender leviathans sleeping in a glassy pool. I must admit, I had low expectations of what our boat was going to be like based on stories from other travelers, such as the lack of safety precautions taken, i.e. no lifejackets. But to my surprise (and delight), not only did our boat have lifejackets, it had amenities such as a restaurant, KARAOKE machine, sundeck and our very own cabins (with bathrooms even!).

We explored caves, went swimming and kayaking at sunset, had more than enough tasty gourmet food to eat and the best part of the trip - the people onboard! I met 2 ladies from Australia – Helen and Marg, best friends traveling together from Melbourne and Jeanette, an Australian English teacher moving from Bangkok to France who all had there eye on a fellah on board who didn’t have the best of intentions with me. They became the matriarchs of the boat and I was happy to have 3 Halong Bay 'Moms' looking out for me. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of their company and plan to meet up with them again somewhere down the road.



Then there was Nathan and John, both from L.A. and Carolina and Rodrigo, from New York. Nathan and John were on a whirlwind trip of Asia and I shudder to think what kind of trouble they must have gotten into after hearing stories of their trip thus far. Carolina and Rodrigo were on vacation spending their last few days in Halong Bay before finishing their travels in Laos.
The latter part of our last eve on the boat was spent on the top deck chatting and having a good laugh. I was sad to leave everyone the next day but the fun wasn’t completely over yet as Carolina, Rodrigo and I made plans to meet for dinner when we arrived back in Hanoi. Spending time with such a loving couple was so refreshing. They were always affectionate with one another – something you don’t see enough of these days - and what was even more heart warming is that they are BOTH ridiculously awesome people – loads of fun, worldly, great storytellers and beautiful inside and out.

I decided to spend my last day in Hanoi paying homage to the man himself, Ho Chi Minh. I went to the Mausoleum, where his body is preserved for viewing. The story goes that Ho Chi Minh wanted his body cremated ('Not only is cremation good from the point of view of hygiene, but it also saves farmland.'). Despite his request, he was instead pickled and put on display in a Lenin-esque sarcophagus.


To pay a visit to Uncle Ho, one must wear proper attire (no skirts or bare shoulders) and keep your hands at your sides or in front of you and remain completely silent while inside (as enforced by 4 guards within the mausoleum dressed in white). In case you are not familiar with who Ho Chi Minh is, he was responsible for uniting the country against first the French and later America, making Vietnam an independent nation and a force to be reckoned with. I must say he looked absolutely stunning, angelic almost. If you want to pay respect to Uncle Ho, try to do it between February - October as he goes on vacation to Russia for a refresh (primping) sometime between November to January.


After having spent 6 weeks in Vietnam, a Communist and Buddhist country, I was to say the least...confused. Vietnam is a country of contradictions with a diverse and colourful culture, history, scenery and people. Despite being one of the fastest growing economies in the world, it has managed to avoid globalization, i.e. didn't see ONE Starbucks!, and preserve its own traditions and beliefs.


Sure there were some lowlights for me along the way, but the highlights greatly outweighed them. I got to see their side of the story (Vietnam War) and gained a greater respect for its people - they are tough! And on a lighter note, I have some really good stories to tell 'round the campfire:)

"Are you a god?" they asked.
"No."
"An Angel?"
"No."
"A saint?"
"No."
"Then, what are you?"
Buddha answered, "I am awake."


In traveling: a man must carry knowledge with him, if he would bring home knowledge.

- James Boswell, Life of Samuel Johnson