I can't quite place that accent

On we moved, ever east winding through the jungles of Lao until we came to Sam Neua (we never did quite figure out how to pronounce it, each time we said it to somebody leading to a blank stare). Walking into town from the bus station felt like we stepped through a portal into a different world. The red communist flags lining the streets and large block monument at the city entrance gave us the feeling that we must have accidentally crossed the border already into Vietnam.

Exploring Sam Neua was fun. We found the most interesting market I;ve seen so far. The smells we mesmarizing (we had to walk down the pork aisle twice to get the full effect, and try to identify the different parts of the pigs, the head was obvious). At the clothes market Tina set her sights on a shirt with Lao writing on it, not know what it meant. Our failed attempts to find out only led to hysterical laughing and teasing by the ladies running the stalls, to the point where they didnt even try to sell her the shirt. We got it anyways, and later found out it says something along the lines of "Happy Songkran, please don't dump water on me". Something that would have been useful a week ago.

By dinner Tina had the brilliant scheme to don our best worst accents, seeing as nobody in the entire town could understand us. She went Australian, while I went with a cross between German and Bostonian. Needless to say, it lasted until the first person we actually had to communicate something to, our waiter at dinner, who stood there unfazed and uncomprehending, and we had to go back to the tried and true method of pointing we had been using before.

The Magic (Mini)Bus

Onward! After spending a brilliant two days in Nong Kiew, it was time to soldier on. Locals told us the bus left at 10 or 11...The bus station told us the bus left at 12:30....and the bus actually left a 2. So....needless to say, we spend a lot of time waiting at the bus station, not sure whether we actually were going anywhere! To pass the time, we borrowed some bocce balls and played at the bus station courts...until I broke a ball! Yes folks, I somehow managed to split a giant, heavy metal ball clean in half. Don't ask me how. Don't ask Marshall, either. He was more suprised than me! So, game over there.

We finally climbed aboard a minibus (no pickup trucks here!) and readied ourselves for the 5 hour ride to Vien Thong. It was wild. Twisty, turny, bumpy, cliff-y, rainy, lightening-y...but Marshall and I have agreed it was our favorite bus ride so far. We saw incredible scenery...mountains, rivers, rice paddies, little villages...4 year olds leading giant cows by ropes, packs of pigs and piglets sqealing across the road.... When it got dark and the lightening started, and the bus windows started to leak, it only added to the adventure. We pulled into Vien Thong fairly late, so we didn't get a good chance to explore, but found a comfy guesthouse and some great noodle soup before we crawled into our bug nets (matching pink twin beds with matching pink bug nets was the only option at this guesthouse) and slept.


--
T

On the Road Again -- Nong Kiew

After luxuriating in Luang Prabang, we decided to get back on the road and explore the town of Nong Kiew. We arrived at the bus station preparing to settle into some sort of minibus for the 4+ hour journey, and were a bit surprised to be shuttled into the back of a pickup truck. We had flashbacks of the slowboat as more and more and more passengers and their giant bags (of rice? of bricks? what is so heavy?!) were loaded on. We ended up sandwiched between 15 others as we bumped along the road. We could only laugh as it began to rain halfway through. We made friends by sharing cookies and besides the pain of cramping legs, it was a pretty fun trip.

We disembarked in Nong Kiew, which is GORGEOUS. Huge rock karsts stick into the sky out of nowhere...green everywhere you look, and a beautiful river running right through the thick of it. We found an awesome riverside bungalow (with hammock! score!!) and explored the riverside, watching the local kids swim and fish.

The next day, we rented mountainbikes and set off towards some local caves we'd heard about. Terrible mistake number 1: Starting your activities at the beginning of the heat of the day.
Terrible mistake number 2: Doing the most strenous possible activity at the hottest time possible.

By the time we made it out to the start of the cave trail (where we had to leave the bikes behind), we looked like we'd just been swimming, drenched in sweat. Unfortunately, our fitness level was only just being put to the test: It was quite a hike out to the caves! Through rice paddies, over fences, and into the jungle...and then straight UP the mountainside. When we finally found the cave, which was used as a hiding spot during the Secret War bombings, we were almost too tired to climb into the vast darkness. Almost. But it was so cool in there...bit creepy, no signs or anything...just...explore at your own risk! It was awesome. Worth the trip, I think. Marshall might tell you differently.

Once we dragged ourselves back into town and had a cold drink, we debated about biking more. Apparently there were more caves down the road in the other direction. We finally decided to buck up and go-- and I'm glad we did. These were enormous caves, only 100m away from the main road--and had also been used as a place to hide the entire village during the second Indochina war. The caves were impressive, and certain caverns were labeled (security section, art section, section where bullets were hidden in the sand...). Our legs could barely carry us back to town, but we definitley earned our BeerLao and hammock time for the evening.

Next up: more bus rides!

--T

Dry Land: Luang Prabang!

Yes, it's true. I evidently was tipping the boat over with my big American butt. Not sure why they didn't switch the sturdy 6 foot tall German couple next to me...but I'm over it. Kind of...

Mar put it perfectly, the slow boat was definitely a majestic experience. Equally as exciting was stepping off the boat onto dry land and regaining my personal space! Luang Prabang, besides being the most fun city to pronounce, is a really neat town with an interesting cultural mix of French and Lao culture. The colonial influence is seen by western-style villas and buildings, contrasted by the colorful Lao street markets and Buddhist temples right across the street. We stayed here two nights--no ghosts here, by the way--and rented bikes to explore the city. We saw breathtaking temples, enormous spiders, and ate excellent Lao food. Our exploring energy was a bit dampered by the heat, so we allowed some good rest time in there, too. (I treated myself to a $4 pedicure. Now my toes are monk's-robe orange!)

-T

Slow boat, go boat, whoa boat

The slow boat ride down the Mekong was one of those majestic, unforgettable experiences that can only truly be enjoyed quile squatting on the floor wedged between a Lao mother who's baby keeps hitting her and a group of Lao men playing careds on a suitcase. Waking up early after a ghost-ridden night we headed down to the dock to ensure we got a seat on the boat, which proved to be a good idea, as group after group of tourist and locals alike came marching down the stairs to cram into the vessel. After 3 hours of playing the "this has to be the last group they can't possibly fit any more" game, we were off on our journey.

The trip was fantastic, with every bend in the river offering a new and interesting glimpse into local lao life, as kids swam, villagers of all ages fished, farmed and congregated by the beaches and jutting rocks of the river. That night we stayed in Pakbeng and got our first taste of local buffalo Lap (ground up with mint), along with instructions from the locals on how to eat it with our hands and the sticky rice. The next morning we strolled down to the boat dock, only to find the boat already crowded with everybody who hadn't gotten a good seat the day before. We nestled into our little corners in the front of the boat with the before mentioned locals. This seating arrangement worked out great, as I joined in the card game with the lao men (a loa version of asshole, which I got dominated at and had to excuse myself before they started playing for money), shared food and drink with the family, and got to practice a little lao.

Things learned on the Mekong:
- When you think the boat is full, it can always fit at least 6 more people and 12 more bags of rice.
- When the boat lists port side, the captain will have Tina switch seats with a tiny old lao woman across from her to correct the problem (this actually happened).

Laost in Translation

Hi! Found internet again, and this time I'm not paying 250 kip per minute!

A few good stories from our first night in Laos:

Marshall and I were warned that Lao people were not very friendly and wouldn't look us in the eye...and found the exact opposite. After checking into a nice guesthouse (for a whopping $10), we walked around the neighborhood and were immediately invited to a local Lao party! They sat us down, fed us dried fish, and poured us BeerLao (the beer of choice here) and LaoLao (local whisky)...and lots of it. They sang kareoke and we tried to communicate with our limited Lao and their limited English...mostly it was just them smiling, nodding, and pushin a laolao cup to our lips. As much as we wanted to participate in local culture, we had to escape or we would have never been able to find our way home.

I'll tell the second story from this night, but you all must promise you won't think I've lost it over here. That night, in our guesthouse, we were visited by a ghost. I woke up at 1am and our doorknob was rattling and shaking. I could hear a faint jingle of keys too. I woke up Marshall and he went over to the door to make sure it was double-latched, and called out that we were in the room. The rattling continued, and he said it was probably the wind. I almost threw up I was so scared...the light shining from under the door showed no feet or anyone standing there...When it quieted down, Mar opened the door to see if anyone was around. There was nobody around at all...but it wasn't windy at all either.

Updates!

So much to catch up on folks, sorry we haven't been internetting recently.

First, a clarification on my 'panic' in the cave (thanks Mar): SOME people (ahem, Mar and Cody) were too busy having deep conversation to notice our guide took a turn on the path to go to the caves. Everybody went in (I thought they were behind me) and started deep into the dark. I realized my headlamp didn't work, so I waited a minute for MAr and Cody to catch up (Mar is always bragging about his 70-lumen headlamp) but they never showed! So I was stranded in the dark cave, couldn't go back out or deeper in! Had to yell out to the group, who was already deep away into another cave room. So, anyway. If you call yelling to the group to avoid being lost forever in a dark cave, then yes. I had some panic. (Also, Mar and Cody never got to see the cave. So there.)

Anyway... a quick update on our location currently: (Details and stories to follow later)

We celebrated Songkran in Chaing Mai which was incredible. Kind of overwhelming. Escaped the next day to Chiang Rai with Cody, but we had to leave our travel buddies Apoi and Marche behind. From Chiang Rai, Cody went back South to find the Perfect Island. Mar and I went on and crossed the border into Lao and spent a night there. From Huay Xai (I think this is the name of the town?) We hopped on the Slow Boat, stayed overnight at Pak Beng, and ended up in Luang Probang. Spent 2 nights there, very awesome place. Today we took a 4 hour bus ride (in the back of a pickup truck with 15 other people....not the most comfortable...) to a town called Nong Kiew (not sure on spelling there). We're staying here for 2 nights and then the adventure continues!!

Will update more soon!

Love to all,

T and M