After Luang Prabang, most of the people from the Spicylaos Hostel travelled to Vang Vieng together, so that we could partake in the infamous tubing. I would just like to say that the Spicylaos crew consisted of some of the most amazing and fun travel mates I've ever met. Rock on guys!
My last day in Luang Prabang was quite rainy and cold (for Laos anyway). Since we wanted to go to Vang Vieng anyway, we decided that the next day would be a perfect time to leave: escape the rain, and get our tubing on.
How very, very wrong we were.
There were about fifteen of us shoved into a minivan, and without warning, we headed south, down a snaking, muddy, sometimes-overflowing road. Because the road conditions in Laos are famous for being terrible, the minibus hardly ever accelerated over fifty kilometres per hour. After a while, my legs had completely cramped up, and I was ready to start walking.
We finally arrived in Vang Vieng. Now, normally, Vang Vieng is a happening little town, full of backpackers, lively bars and of course, hundreds upon hundreds of people tubing down the Nam Song river. Unfortunately, when we arrived, the town was completely deserted, because there was torrential rain, and the weather was around twelve degrees. What do you do in Vang Vieng when the weather is unnaturally awful, you ask? Well, the answer is to hang out with your mates in one of the thousands of restaurants that play reruns of Friends or Family Guy during the day, and at night, spend some time bar-hopping, while dressed in a sodden raincoat, and try to forget how cold and miserable you are.
I'm going to be honest, I'm pretty upset that I didn't get the chance to go tubing. That was definitely one of the parts of my trip that I was looking forward to the most. However, I can honestly say that I didn't have a terrible time in Vang Vieng. I owe it all to the group that I was travelling with. Had I been alone, I would have jumped on the first bus out of there. But hanging around with other waterlogged travellers actually proved to be quite a fun and memorable time. As for the tubing,
I guess I'll just have to go back one day. Man life is rough!The Spicylaos Hostel in Vang Vieng is more or less a bamboo shack. I think that if the weather was sunny, it would have been one of the most awesome places to stay that I've been so far. Unfortunately, because it was freezing, I was too afraid to roll over, lest my blanket would move. I'd suggest checking the weather before booking into this place.
The second night, Reena and I returned from a five-hour Friends marathon, only to discover that everyone else had relocated. We were the only two left at Spicylaos. I refuse to believe that we are anything less than badass.
After two days in Vang Vieng, we realized that the weather wasn't going to get any better for a couple of days, and the combination of being in a time crunch as well as not being able to bear any more of the cold, Reena, Adam and I decided to bite the bullet and head to Chiang Mai.
The trip to Chiang Mai from Vang Vieng took us about twenty-three hours. We were loaded onto a decent bus to Vientiane, where we transferred to an older, creaky bus that lacked any shock absorbers, which would take us over the border. Luckily, the journey from Vientiane to Udon Thani isn't too terribly long. I was anticipating another shaky, disorganized border crossing, but like Cambodia to Vietnam, it was short, sweet and to the point. Now all my border crossings are complete, and only Thailand to Cambodia was a complete crapshoot!
In Udon Thani, we transferred to the nicest bus I've ever been on. The seats reclined, I could move my legs more than an inch at a time, and - most importantly - we were given food and coffee! I would definitely suggest weaseling your way onto a VIP bus in Thailand if you get the chance. They do not disappoint.
We arrived in Chiang Mai fairly early the next morning, and decided that after days at a time stuck in the mud and the rain, we wanted to find a guesthouse and shower. We checked into the conveniently located A Little Bird, which had clean rooms, and was only $3.50 a night!
Trekking, rafting and elephant-related activities are definitely the main pull to Chiang Mai. After walking around the city all day, I felt that I had more or less seen everything in Chiang Mai that I wanted to see. The night market is definitely worth a go, and the food is pretty fantastic, but two days in the city itself are really all you need.
On our first night, we had heard people at the hostel talking about seeing a Muy Thai fight, and we figured that it would be worth a go. The fight turned out to be in a seedy-looking ring surrounded by bars. Although I would have been terrified to be there alone, being in the company of others made it a rather hilarious experience. The people watching was worth every baht.
The fights began with a match between two kids who looked to be about twelve, and went from there. After a while, I felt that I was seeing a show as opposed to an actual sporting event. It was just as well when we left.
After Chiang Mai, Adam and I headed to Pai, which I had only heard good things about. The coffee shops, bamboo huts and dreadlocked locals are definitely reminiscent of the hippie trail. There are quite a few waterfalls to head to during the day to beat the forty-degree heat, and at night, there are little bars open, mostly featuring cover bands.
Pretty much everything around Pai is accessible by motorbike. Because I had never ridden a motorbike in my life, and on top of that, had to deal with driving on the left side of the road, I was quite terrified. But I can assure you that after a few minutes it's really not so bad. We wanted to head to a waterfa
ll that was marked on the map, but en route, we were told that it was only accessible by foot, and it was three hours each way. Because the day was almost too hot, we decided to head to a different place. Although it wasn't as amazing as the waterfall in Luang Prabang, it was a nice place to chill out for a few hours, and watch local teens continually slide down the falls - something I'm sure I'd break a bone or two if I tried.I really liked Pai. After Chiang Mai, it was nice to kick back and enjoy some time in a small, chilled out place. I had heard from quite a few people that it's easy to get attached to Pai and don't want to leave. I definitely understand where they're coming from. One day, I just may be one of the old hippies hanging out in Pai. I can only hope, really.
I'm now back in Chiang Mai. I think I'm going to do a trek tomorrow, and then after that, I need to figure out what I want to do. I need to be back in Bangkok by the end of the month so that I can fly home. I don't believe it!
Questions? Comments? Criticisms? I'd love to hear them all!
the-wanderingjew@hotmail.com
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