Laos (Luang Prabang)

If there is one place in the world I didn't plan on going to this trip it is Laos. I didn't know too much about about it, it seemed difficult to travel around, and I wasn't familiar at all with the culture. It just wasn't calling me. Then I started reading more, talking to people, and I became intrigued. I had seen plenty of temples and Buddha statues in Thailand so that wasn't a selling point.


Food is amazing all over SE Asia so no surprise Laos would be the same. The reason I really wanted to come to Laos was to explore what is one of the most naturally-thriving and untouched areas in SE Asia. Rivers, mountains, waterfalls, climbing, and trekking are all available at an unbeatable price and if lucky without the volume of people you'd find in, say, Thailand.


I wasn't the only one searching for this nirvana as I quickly found out at the hectic Thailand/Laos border. Laos is quickly becoming a must-do on a lot of bucket lists so in order to fulfill my crave for adventure I surprised myself, and did something I have always wanted to do but never thought I would do here. Oh and it has nothing to do with eating a chicken embryo on the side of the road while asking for directions... The journey to Laos began at the hectic Thailand/Laos border in Chiang Khong.


This border crossing is the absolute perfect candidate for a lean six sigma event (for all my consultant friends out there). The basic system to obtain a Laos visa is pretty much push oneself to the front of the line and extend your arm as far as you can into the small window where (if you're lucky) someone will snatch your passport, eventually review your application, and finally stamp it all in under 2 hours...if you get there early.


If you've heard of island time you'll quickly learn that Laos time trumps it easily. It was a delightfully entertaining experience! Once in Laos I took the slow boat to Luang Prabang with an overnight stop in Pakbeng. This is a very typical way to get to get to Luang Prabang.


Other options are the dangerous speed boats or nauseating buses (both pretty much advertised this way). I made the decision to take the slow boat trek with three Aussies (Alex, Alex, and Kaitlin).


The long boat ride on the gentle Mekong River consisted of continuous card games, reading, and admiring the stunning scenery along the river. There were fishermen with their lines at every turn, kids playing in the water and waving as we cruised by, and even wild elephants roaming the lush hills that shot out straight into the river. It was really a great experience which made the long two-day/fourteen hour journey painless.


At arrival in Luang Prabang we ran into the usual guys pushing guest houses usually at overpriced rates. We walked 400 meters and found a nice guest house at a pretty good price. We checked out the town that night and walked the popular night market.


This town is just stunning! Beautiful architecture with rich French/Asian flavors and typical underdeveloped street characteristics mixed nicely with a flare of posh. As far as romantic goes in this area of the world I think Luang Prabang is the front-runner. Add adventure to the mix of qualities and you can see why the borders are so busy.


We met two German girls (Leonie and Noelle) and two Brits (Amy and Lauren) and the eight of us rented mountain bikes and rode to the nearby Kuang Si waterfall.


The ride there was epic with emerald green rice paddies and giant teak trees dominating the landscape. Racing down some of those hills, with that scenery, iPod blasting, and the sun in my face is a memory that will surely linger in my head. We arrived at the stunning waterfall after 2 hours and were surprised at how nice it was...it actually almost looked fake.


It had a beautiful light blue color and chili water which refreshed us after the challenging 25km ride. There was a cool rope swing and we all took turns swinging.


We hiked to the top of the falls for a bird's-eye view, decided to go back down a different way, and eventually found ourselves looking at a spooky fenced-off cave.


Naturally we snuck in and, all huddled around in the infinite darkness with a weak flashlight in hand, got one of the biggest scares imaginable. We saw outlines in the distance of people sitting.


But why would they be in this fenced-off cave in the dark? After a minute of processing the worst scenarios in our heads (mummies, ghosts, cannibalism) we discovered they were Buddha statues.


Respectfully we began to exit but not before a hissing mystery insect rattled the silent cave and scared us half to death as it was feeding on a small unidentified carcass. Maybe the the cave was fenced off for a reason...


The rest of my time in Luang Prabang was spent cruising the markets, exploring a cave or two, watching monks receive alms from tourists early in the morning, and spontaneously buying a motorcycle! Correct.


I bought a 100cc Honda Win from German Noelle partly because it was a good deal but mainly because I wanted to see this country on my own terms and agenda without having to depend on bus schedules or ferry times.


It's no secret the best way to experience a country is to get to those places where most people don't go. Well I hope "Backfire Betty" is my answer. In fact, getting lost with Betty has already provided one good story. While asking for directions I also ask a man (by pointing to my mouth) if there is food nearby.


He immediately asks me to sit down with the rest of his mates at the makeshift roadside restaurant we are in front of and offers me a small glass of BeerLao. I accept and start asking questions which he responds by saying "thank you" every time, regardless of the question. He then hands me a hard-boiled egg which I excitedly begin to crack until water pours out of it and to my surprise, I see a tiny chicken embryo inside it. My immediate thought was "oops, they boiled the wrong egg".


That thought immediately went out the window when none of their expressions changed as the embryo juice oozed down my hand. I graciously ate the hard yolk (with a LOT of salt and pepper) and generously offered my host the embryo. He would not dare take my last bite and as I took the little cradle back from his hand I accidentally dropped it on the ground. It was a total (yet fortunate) accident and I was extremely embarrassed! I went next door, bought a BeerLao for all to share, and took off after eating some fruit with sugar and chili powder.


I truly hope to run into more interesting, uncomfortable, exciting, and unknown scenarios like the embryo one. I amy pretty sure my clunker motorcycle will let me down many times only to be picked up by great people and the experiences that come along with meeting them.