The best laid plans.....

After a pleasant afternoon I headed back to the Hanoi Hilton to collect my bags and head over to the travel agents to collect my bus tickets to Hoi An.
It was just after 5pm and the sleeper bus was leaving at 7.00.
Oh no it isn't,
' we have a problem ' were the words that greeted me.
It didn't come as a great surprise.
He then turned his lap top round and showed me the news headlines. 51 inches of rain in the central costal area of Vietnam. 35 people swept away and dead with several more missing. It had been declared a state of emergency and it was on route to Hoi An. No trains or buses for at least 3 days!!

Monday, 6 December, 1999, 16:22 GMT
Second flood swamps Vietnam
Around 600 people were killed in floods last month

At least 105 people have been killed in central Vietnam and one million people are in need of emergency aid following a week of torrential rains. The deluge is the second to hit the area - one of the poorest in the country - in less than a month.

This is a double whammy for central Vietnam. Communities were only just getting their lives back to normal
John Geoghegan, International Red Cross


Thousands of people have seen their homes and rice fields destroyed. At least 22 people are missing and officials expect the death toll to rise.
Officials are evacuating tens of thousands of people and the army is using helicopters to deliver food. But flood waters have risen to two metres in some areas and continuing rains have further hampered relief efforts in the worst hit parts.

Dam fears

The affected region stretches from Quang Tri province to Khanh Hoa province and is home to more than eight million people. The government is especially concerned that a key dam in Quang Nam province may burst.
Soldiers are sand-bagging the dam, while thousands of people downstream have been moved to higher ground, officials said.

The rains have come just as the region was getting back on its feet after the worst floods in Vietnam for 35 years.






Last month's deluge killed nearly 600 people and caused around $240m worth of damage, setting development back by years. Relief workers and officials said the latest deluge had damaged recently re-planted rice fields and washed away temporary shelters erected following the last floods.

All north-south trains running between the capital Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have been cancelled until Wednesday."



This was the news on the web.


' you will have to stay in Hanoi'

Oh no I fucking won't I thought.

' What are the other options I asked, can't I fly to Danang, stay in Danang and get a bus to Hoi An'

' When' was the reply'

' How about now ' I said

In a jiffy I could see dollar signs in his eyes.
He actually came up with a better idea, I would fly to Danang tonight and get a taxi to the hotel I was planning to stay at in Hoi An.

Within 30 minutes the flight was booked, I had my e ticket and the hotel was confirmed. At 6.00 I was on my way to the airport for the flight at 8.00.
Rather than pay the 10 dollar rate he suggested I use his company to get to the airport. It was actually his mate. He would charge me 8 dollars. I agreed although I did think leaving at 6.00 was cutting it a bit fine. It was about 50 mins to the airport.
As it was nearing 7.00 I was beginning the think I should have got my own taxi. I just made it though and saved $2. whoopy doo!

All in all the flight cost me £44 and the taxis at both ends cost a total of 28 dollars. The additional night in the hotel was $30. such is life. At least I won't have a 15 hour bus journey and interrupted sleep and won't have to go back to the Hanoi Hilton.

I wasn't that unhappy to leave Hanoi. Two days was enough. Chatting to a Vietnamese guy from HMC we agreed that the best place to see the celebrations was probably on TV.

As we were flying to our destination it did cross my mind to fuck this backpacker and 'green' lark. I'm gonna fly between every stop from now in. It's much less hassle.

The plane landed in atrocious weather conditions. I got soaked as I walked from the plane to the bus, jumped straight in a cab and I was on my way to Hoi An.

Although it was dark the difference between Danang and Hanoi was amazing. This was a very modern city. The coast road to Hoi An was like driving the sunshine coast in Austrailia.
Hoi An is a little more in the sticks and old. I will explore in the morning. I noticed the hotel as we drove past it.
The driver seemed to have his own agenda.
' You have booked your hotel?'
Here we go again, I thought, he's going to take me to his mates hotel and get paid commission.

' listen' I said. 'I have booked the hotel, that's where I want to go and nowhere else, do you understand'
He then turned around and took me back the way we had just come.

He probably added a few dollars to the fare to make up the commission he had just lost but I couldn't be assed to argue.

Compared to the Bangkok Hilton this was loverly. The receptionist came out to meet me. Took my passport and gave me the room key.
The room was nice, mozzie nets, a balcony, even toiletries in the bathroom.
Sarah has come good again, I thought.

I sat on the balcony having a beer and a fag. I was on the second floor. On the ground floor was a rat the size of a small pony scurrying about.

I smiled to myself.... Vietnam......

It was 11.30 by now, I brushed by teeth and got into bed, pulling the mozzie net over me. Fuck, forgot to turn the lights off. I nearly choked myself getting tangled in the netting as I went to turn out the light..
Back in my bed I made sure the mozzie net was ok. A couple of the bastards had nipped me on the hand today!

The end of an interesting day....


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Location:Hai Bà Trưng,Hoi An,Vietnam

Heading South to Hoi An

The owner of the City Gate Hotel has to be the most miserable, unhelpful person I have ever come across. He must be Bi Polar or something, the first day he was charming, now he is a miserable twat. Everything is too much trouble.









The City Gate Hotel aka The Hanoi Hilton

After a few question here and there I finally tracked down the location of the travel company who were organising the first leg of my trip down to South Vietnam. It turned out to be the 'building site' that I first came to. They have borrowed the name 'Hanoi View hotel' which, according to the web is a really nice boutique hotel, I had been looking forward to it instead I ended up in the City Gate hotel which is a typical backpacker dive, clean but very little else. The modus operandi appears to ship you out to somewhere cheap and pocked the difference. Robbing, gypsy bastards....

I clarified that I was to be at their office for five o'clock and the would take me to the bus station (probably on the back of a motor bike) for the 15 hour overnight drive to Hoi An, this is about a third of the way down the coast to Saigon. I did confirm that this was the sleeper and not the much cheaper 'local bus', I got an affirmative, we shall see. I'm not going to hold my breath. My philosophy is quickly becoming 'expect the worst and you won't be disappointed' that said, it's all part of the experience of backpacking I guess. Another story to tell!

My experience booking the tour in Bangkok would be DON'T DO IT!!. You are much better to organise yourself as you go along. Tempting as it is to have pick ups and transfers, they just don't happen as they should. If you are responsible for yourself at least you have only yourself to blame if you fuck up.

I need to check out of the Hotel at 11.00. Mr Angry from Hanoi has begrudgingly agreed to let me leave my back pack at the hotel till my departure, he will no doubt want money for the privilege. I will spend my time doing a few of the sights of Hanoi and getting some photos. In a way it has worked out ok. My itinerary had suggested I was out of here and to the bus at 7.00am. Given I was in Ha Long bay all day yesterday I would have seen very little of the city, and it is fast approaching it's 1000th Birthday!
Now I have an extra 8 hours or so.... Bring it on!








One of the many 'City' Gates

I checked out at 11.00, left my backpack in the lobby and headed into town. It was still manic, the area near the river was pedestrianised during the evening bit during the day the traffic was mad. Motor cycles, millions of them, every one hooting their horn. After a wander around the lake I headed back to the big roundabout for a spot of lunch at the city view cafe. It is 5 floors above the city looking over the lake to one side and the roundabout to the other. I was there for about an hour and despite the bedlam of traffic was very surprised not to see a single accident. Save a couple of sights like the mausoleum of Ho Chi Min, the Presidential Palace and a few museums there is very little to see. The charm is actually the hub bub of everyday life in the old quarter. The lake area is just like any other city.























Street vendors in the old quarter of Hanoi

It is five days to the celebration of 1000 years for Hanoi, I can't imagine what it will be like, the three days I have been here have been chaos. Lots of rehearsals are taking place all over the lakeside area. It promises to be a hell of a party. Part of me wishes I was going to be there as it is a significant piece of Vietnamese history. Another part of me thinks it will be good to get away to the relative quiet of Hoi An.






Wedding photo by the lake





Thang Long - a thousand years old on the 10th October





And only 5 days to go








No idea what this was all about!

The weather today is pretty much the same as it was yesterday. Very cloudy but none of the humidity of Laos and Thailand. That will change the further south I go.

Famous last words......




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Location:Cầu Gỗ,Hanoi,Vietnam

You couldn't make it up........

The main challenge of this trip is trying to anticipate what the travel agent will do next..... More of that later.
This morning I am visiting Ha Long Bay.
As I sit in the reception of my hotel I reflect on a conversation I had with a Muslim guy I was chatting to at the border between Singapore and Malaysia.
We were talking about the fact that, as a Muslim he could not eat meat that wasn't Halal. This means that the animal must be slaughtered in a special way. I asked 'what about fish'
' fish is ok, ' he said, 'it is not slaughtered, it is taken out of the water and it just dies'

I am sitting in the reception of the hotel waiting for my pick up. Across the road are various stalls, one being a fish stall, I have just watched a lady take an 18 inch fish out of a tank, it is still alive, wriggling like a 'good one'. She placed it on a board, took a cleaver and promptly chopped it's head off. Forgive me if it's just semantics but that looks a bit like 'slaughtering' to me.















Anyway... Today I am taking a tour to Ha Long Bay. This is the famous place where there are hundreds (1898 to be precise) of limestone islands jutting out of the sea ( with some pretty spectacular caves to boot!)

Ha Long bay is about three and a half hours out of Hanoi. The plan is we will drive there, get a boat, mosey around for a few hours and come back. Time is against me but they do live a board trips too which sound quite good. For once, what should have happened did happen and there was a pick up at 8.00pm.
My travelling companions were Vietnamese Dutch and Russian today.

We headed out of the city towards Ha Long Bay. The driving was a nightmare, trucks, motorcycles, bikes and coaches. No rules at all. I quickly sussed out that it is pretty much a no rules regime. The only rule appears to be that you are responsible for getting out of the way. Most of the 'b' roads have white lines down the middle, it is not unusual for undertaking, overtaking and even overtaking overtakes. The horn and flashing headlights rules. I was rather surprised we had not seen more accidents. Then we saw two in a row. One overturned lorry the other a tourist bus with it's front mashed in. One of the Dutch guys commented that 'at least they are not going that fast' hmmmmm.
We were nearly in an accident ourselves and I didn't look behind us but I could imagine we nearly caused a good few. Our driver was slightly unhinged and certainly not adverse to taking a few risks.

At the halfway point we stopped off for a break at a typical tourist emporium. Gifts and trinkets galore. Plus food!

Refreshed, we headed off again. Hair raising journey!

Ha Long city is really not that nice but as you get to Ha Long bay it is spectacular. This was probably not the best time of year to visit. It is just coming up to the start of winter and the weather while still warm was cloudy and overcast. The bay was shrouded in a blanket of sea mist. Nevertheless it was still an amazing sight to see these hundreds of limestone islands, green with vegetation, some with sheer rock faces dotted around the bay.

The disappointment was the usual one with these type of attractions. Around the attraction is a whole industry.












There were literally thousands of tours boats at the harbour, some for the day tourists and some for those that were going to be living aboard for a couple of days. We found our boat and were off. We darted between the islands an a leisurely pace and eventually pulled up (if that's what you do in boats) at a village pontoon. Around the islands are floating villages, some with their own schools, these are inhabited by the fishermen who have large nets of every sort of sea critter you can imagine (I didn't see any Geoduck though!)




















Lunch was served in the price but if you fancied lobster, big fish, crab or langoustine you could pick one out, pay for it and they would cook it for you. Also around the boats and floating villages were small boats moving around the tourist boats selling fresh fruits. It was a real hive of activity albeit very touristy.

Lunch was sticky rice, fresh fish and vegetables followed by melon.

After lunch there was an option of kayaking or taking a small boat around the islands and into the inner lagoons through the small caves.









I optic for the latter which again was spectacular. The trip lasted about four hours, on the way back we stopped at one of the larger caves and got off the boat. This had been discovered as recently as 1994 by a couple of fishermen who we sheltering from a storm. It was incredible. It has been really made a place well with visiting.



















By 4.00pm we were back on dry land and embarking on our trip home. If I'd thought the journey there was a bit hairy then this was a whole new story.

Our driver, for the whole four hours back played this game. It was a mixture of Cat and Mouse and 'chicken' ( and other drivers joined in too) you overtook someone and them slowed down so they overtook you. When you overtook them again you did it when a car, coach or lorry was heading in you direction. It's all part of the fun. By the time we got back I was high on nervous energy!!
Not something I would like to repeat but unfortunately I have three night buses over the next 8 days!!!!

On returning to the hotel I asked for confirmation that someone would be picking me up at 7.00am.
I got an 'if you say so' sort of response from the particularly unhelpful hotel owner. 'Si la vie' I thought and headed out for some dinner. I did think it somewhat strange that the bus to Hoi An took 15 hours and set off at 7.00am but it was a sleeper bus and I was not checking into my next hotel till Wednesday. He ho....

The weather was pissing down and seemed to have diluted the number of bikes around the old quarter. I had not got used to the area but made some mental notes and found my way to the lake and yet more celebrations for the 1000th city birthday party. Pork and rice, a beer and a wander, I them made my way back to the hotel. Across the road is a small cafe so I stopped for a beer and pick up my e-mails on an unsecured WiFi connection.



On getting back to the hotel a different lady was on the desk. She tells me the bus to Hoi An leaves on the evening. After the lack of pick-ups that had gone tits up so far I rang the local contact. She told me someone will collect me to take me to their office to get my bus ticket and the bus did indeed leave in the evening. I will get her address and go and see her myself. Mrs Tang is her name!

Siem Reap should be interesting, the contact name is Mr Cheat.....


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Location:Thanh Hà,Hanoi,Vietnam

Homeless in Hanoi (nearly)

I woke this morning quite early, I'd been having a strange dream, it revolved around the question of how many people would contact me proactively if I stopped putting stuff on Facebook, sending texts and sending e-mails.
Only two days in Vientiane has obviously been enough. Not enough banter is going on.

It had fair pissed down in the night, not that I heard it, the Air-con and fan make too much of a racket.

A taxi is due to take me to Wattay International Airport at 11.30 I have already checked with reception and it is booked. I'm starting adopt a 'expect nothing and you won't be disappointed' sort of approach and make sure I check that what's supposed to happen will happen rather than just leave it to chance.

I have been quite surprised at the lack of bites I have got here, especially it not being too far from the Mekong River. I think I got more when I was in Malaysia from the sand-flys.

That said, Laos is a Malaria Hot Spot and it only takes one. Yesterday when I was rummaging in my backpack (I'm tending not to unpack as I'm not in any one place long enough) I found to that the bottle of Mosquito repellant I had in a wash bag had leaked. The bag was now just a mass of a black glue type substance, it looked as thought it had been attacked by the Ebola virus. Fortunatley I was able to remove it in one piece only getting the gunk on my hands and avoiding it contaminating the rest of my backpack. It really does make you wonder what evil ingredients are in DEET. Nevertheless, I shall continue to use it and to take my anti malaria tablets..

Strangely the taxi did arrive and I was deposited at Wattay international airport for my 90 minute flight to the capital of Vietnam, Hanoi.

Going through immigration the officer asked me where I had stayed in Vientiane, I tried to recall but after a few failed attempts he accepted near the 'big monument'
The flight was uneventful, save the landing, I did wonder at one stage as we sped down the runway if we were ever going to stop. Immigration was no issues despite all the rumours of if taking for ever. The lady officer had a problem reconciling me face with my photo but I suppose that's what you get for having a $5 haircut!!

My expectations were met and as I expected there was no one to meet me at the airport. This time though, rather than ring the travel agent in Bangkok I thought I would make my own way there, it would probably be less expensive and certainly less frustrating. There was a warning in the airport to be wary of taxi touts so I did the right thing and asked at the information desk. I was quoted $30 return, despite the fact that I was travelling g out of Vietnam overland it was still $30. Thinking that was a bit steep I headed outside where I negotiated $15.

The airport is about 25km outside the main city and I was staying in the old quarter. I was taken to my hotel and as I tried to register found that no booking had been made. After about 10 mins of ringing around it transpired that the Taxi driver had taken me to the wrong hotel. No worries, it was only a couple of hundred metres down the road, except it wasn't. What should have been my hotel was an empty shell being refurbished. There were a couple of Vietnamese chaps working there, they invited me in, gave me a cup of Vietnam tea and fag and started ringing around. Got knows how and why but about 10 mins later a chap arrives on a motorcycle, shows me my booking on his mobile and tells me he will take me to the 'new hotel'. The 15k rucksack was put on the front of the motorbike, I got on the back and we were off into the melee of down town Hanoi. It wasn't vey far but was quite an experience, there are no rules, just sit on your horn and point the bike in the direction you are going. It did cross my mind that my insurance may not cover this reckless behaviour.

You know when it starts to dawn on you that you've been had, that's what I was starting to think about the travel agent in Bangkok. The room and hotel is not what I would have chosen and I was beginning to think that I would have been financially better of doing it all on the hoof. That said, it was all still within my proposed budget so I was not going to let it spoil things. I had a bed and they knew about the trip to Ha long bay in the morning.

The more I think about it Bangkok is just a hotbed of con artists. I will know next time. If you go there just have your wits about you, the vast majority only want your money!!

It is said that you either love or hate Hanoi, it is very busy, supposed to be a bit dangerous too.










After settling in my room and using my PacSafe net to lock my backpack to the wardrobe I went out for a wander and a bite to eat. You really have all on not to get knocked down such is the traffic.
As I was leaving the guy on reception told me to put my backpack in front of me and make sure my camera and wallet was safe. He gave me a card with the hotel details on it in case I got lost. Me, get lost..... Never..
He suggested that I head for the lake. This year Hanoi is celebrating it's 1000th anniversary. That is why it is so busy. The anniversary is not till the 10th and the celebrating will go on till then, every day.
The noise and fumes are overwhelming. I found a lovely little bar and had a meal if Vietnamese chicken fried noodles. It was delicious.






After that I headed down to the lake. Quite a few of the streets around the lake had been cordoned off and there were shows going on a thousands of people milling about. It was quite exciting.
Sure enough, when I came to leave I had no idea where I was I relation to the hotel. Answer, jump in a rickshaw! There's me being driven round the streets of old Hanoi, in a rickshaw being cyclic by a bloke who is not a day under 80.
Well, you have to and it's ploughing money into the economy.
So an exciting day. I have two nights in Hanoi before heading south. Looking at the first bus trip. It starts at 7.00 and I don't get to Hoi An, my next stop till the following day. Makes the trip from Luang Prabang seem like a walk in the park....

Still no photos as the broadband is shite. But they are there ready to be uploaded.



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Location:Thanh Hà,Hanoi,Vietnam

A quiet day in Vientiane

There is a list of things on the back of the hotel door. You know, the things you can't do. One says......
' Prohibited to move around any furniture's and put up any nude picture on the wall without obtain permission from hotel manager'

Priceless.....

Today is a day of relaxation, there are only a couple of things I want to see. Then I will just sit in cafes and watch the world go by. I was really looking forward to Vientiane. It is painted in the lonely planet as a 'special destination' it does go on to say 'only rivalled by Luang Prabang'.
I was speaking to an Aussie couple in Luang Prabang and to an extent they have managed my expectations. Although it has tree lined avenues there are only certain parts that have that smell of sandalwood chippings (Vientiane translates as Sandalwood City) and freshly baked baguettes. The rest seems to be busy and very very dusty.







For the first time since I started my trip I had a lie in, 9.30 am. My hotel was on the main road. As my first attraction was the 'Patuxai' it was within easy walking distance. It is Vientiane's replica of the Arc de Triomphe which sits at the end of Th Lan Xang, the main avenue. The pictures I have seen depict a grand Napolionic type building sitting in area of manicured lawns and fountains. In reality it is not like that at all. It was built in 1969 with cement that was donated by the USA for the construction of a new airport. It is known by the local expats as the 'vertical runway'
It is in a sorry state of disrepair. Climbing up to the top it was rather like going up the stairs of a block of 1970 concrete flats. Once at the top it is crumbling and quite frankly a bit of a mess. You do get a great view over the city and up the. Ain avenue though.

For breakfast I headed to the Nam Phu area of town, this is quite nice, the Scandinavian Bakery did an excellent omelette, fresh fruits, croissants, coffee and fruit juice. Just the job. Once again it was baking hot (forgive the pun!)









I'm having difficulty with the Lao people, after Singapore ,Malaysia and Thailand they are just fealty difficult to engage with. I will keep trying.
Making my was around the are of Nam Phu there are loads of Buddhist monks wandering around in their saffron robes, all shapes and sizes.






There was a rather entrepreneurial chap who had set up a stall just opposite one of the temples selling fresh fruit shakes. They were not the type we have at home with milk, more a type of frappé. I tried a mixed fruit one first, then was going to go with a lemon and mint but he was out of mint. The Pineapple and melon was a good substitute. I headed back to my hotel for an afternoon snooze. My plan was to head back to Nam Phu this evening for a bite to eat and a drink.






Being as it was a Saturday night and my last evening in Laos, I decided to push the boat out so ate in a little Parisian bistro (it wasn't really) in Nam Phu. This was followed by a Lao leg and foot massage....

Loverly


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Location:Khun Bu Lom Rd,Vientiane,Laos

A long bus ride.......

A TukTuk into town and the night market. As I arrived the smell of French bread on the food stalls was very tempting, I was spoilt for choice but settled for a chicken salad. Odd for Asia but it went down a treat as I ambled through the streets of the old town. Just by the side of the night market is a side street which is absolutely bursting with food stalls, baguettes as well as all sorts of local dishes. The aroma in the air was mouthwatering and I was beginning to wish I had not bothered with the sarnie. Down the side of the road were benches and you could purchase your food, grab a beer and then sit down to enjoy it. It was full of locals and backpackers side by side.



















By 6.45 in the morning I was packed, checked out and down in reception for my moto to the bus station. I was not that confident it would actually turn up. My lack of confidence was not unfounded, it didn't.....

I checked with reception at 7.15 ,' five minutes'. I've come to the conclusion that Lao people just say 'yes' if the don't understand what you are saying. You can see in their eyes however that they real mean ' yeah, whatever!'

I'd decided if it didn't arrive by 7.30 I would walk onto the road and flag one down. At 7.29 it arrived. It was the same guy who'd tipped up late at the airport. Fell asleep again??
It was only a five minute ride to the bus station, it was packed, locals mainly. I went to the ticket office, told them where I was going and my name and was pointed in the direction of a bus that looked as though it was held together with string an gaffer tape. Not sure it would make the 10 hour journey!






As a mechanic was bashing the engine with a hammer I looked in envy at the VIP bus that was just leaving for China.

At 8.30 we all boarded and set off. After around 10 mins we stopped for fuel. I put the seat back and closed my eyes, 10 minutes later we stopped again, this time to change transport. As this one was less than full we were to share. It was a much nicer VIP bus. Result!






It was the big one....

The countryside was absolutely stunning. As were travelling along mountain passes, one minute in the clouds, the next getting a panoramic view of the huge pinnacles jagged in the distance. This was slightly tainted by the bloke a little further down the bus who was continually clearing his throughout then spitting on the floor. If he carries on doing that all the way to Vientiane, we will all be wading in mucus. Dirty bastard!




We stopped off at a little village for a toilet break after about two hours. It was 2000 Kip to use the loo so most if the blokes just pissed by the roadside. I was the only westerner on the bus, along the way it kept stopping to pick people up. Most were heavily laden down with sacks of rice, huge bags of fruit and veg. The only thing we were missing at the moment were a pig and a couple of chickens.

My purchase of a chicken salad baguette at the station was a good idea as the food at the various stops looked a bit dicey.

The bus had a ticket collector who seemed to think he was in his car rather than running a public transport bus. For the first few hours he played his eclectic selection of music ranging from Asian to Take That, at full blast. My ears would be bleeding before we reached our destination. When he was finished he decided to watch the latest 'resident evil' film, again at top volume. I tried to sleep but was disturbed every few minutes by the sound of a zombie being decapitated, shot to death or blown up. 10 hours of this will be a little testing.

Note to self:- bring ear plugs for the next bus journey. Apart from the fact this was not turning out to be the most comfortable journey and was going to take 10 hours, it is a fantastic way to see the country. Small villages and towns, awesome vistas and getting to experience being close to the locals was a good experience. Well done Sarah 9/10.

There was a bit of an eyeopener when we stopped in the middle of nowhere and everyone piled off the bus. Most of the blokes were having a piss at the side of the road. One of the women started to clear her sinuses and throat in a most unlady like way then launched a huge phlegm into the road. If a vehicle hits that, there is going to be a serious accident. Another lady looked at me, smiled and raised he eyebrows in disgust of the aforesaid action. She then proceeded to hitch her skirt up, squat down about 10 yards from me and urinate!

I've always followed the premise, if you see something you don't recognise, shoot it! Ha ha......

There is a piece in my guidebook about Laos people expecting modesty. Hmmmm.

As the sun set behind the mountains it presented a picture postcard view of the countryside, paddy fields and small hamlets.
Driving off the mountains into the lowlands of Laos the roads got straighter and faster. Up till now it had been a mixture of poor quality tarmac and dirt. I would hate to do the trip in the rainy season.
Apparently China is providing shed loads of labour to help the country with the roads and infrastructure. The contra deal is taking some the countries huge timber resource of which China has a shortage.

By 7.30 we were pulling into the bus station in Vientaine. Once again I need to make my own way to the hotel. I asked a price, got one then told the driver that a driver over there had already given me a better price. The TukTuk was not in the best shape and the driver stopped a few times to give it kick. The hotel seemed fine. Once again clean rooms, it's all you can ask for. After checking in, dumping my bags and washing my face I went downstairs and had a bite to eat. Wireless is available in the lobby at £2 for three days. A bargain. Apparently it only works I. The lobby. I checked my mails over dinner then went to bed. The WIFI worker fine in my room too.

I've decided after a days trekking, mountain biking and a 11 hour bus ride I'm going to have an easy day tomorrow. A bit of sight seeing maybe but coffee and the famous pastries that this city is famous for are on the top of the to-do list.
I'm a bit 'templed' out!!




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Location:Avenue Lane Xang,Vientiane,Laos

Mountain biking in Luang Prabang - Northern Laos

Today I will be mostly mountain biking. The agenda is to see a couple of temples, trip around town, a co-operative where they make silk produce, the short trip up the river to the waterfalls of Tat Kuang Si and then back for 2 ish.

We are to kick off at 8.30, I had a good nights sleep and aimed to get I to town by 8.00 I could have a coffee before picking up my guide and mountain bike for the day.

The town has got French colonial history and that ' laissez fair' type of approach is so apparent here. Lao people are charming but the pace of service is a few notches down from other places I have visited on the trip.

We left about 8.45, the bike was ok and the ride out of town was fairly flat. This time of day it was warm but pleasant. I still can't get my head around the traffic. It seems they drive on the right, unless the road looks better on the left. There is nor a lot to the town and quite quickly we wear getting out into the country side. Along the way we passed through small villages. Ducks, turkeys, dogs, chickens a d the occasional buffalo were diving and darting across the road. Clearly a poor country but a lot of nice SUV's on the road.

Our first stop was the temple of Wat Xieng Muan. World heritage funds have been used to set up a school teaching novices and monks the art of Mural painting. We took time out to wander around the temple. It was much more basic than some I have visited but some very pretty painting and it's location was fantastic









From the temple we visited a local co-operative that had been set up for silk weaving. I was surprised that the silk scarves and table clothes etc are all hand made here. It takes around three weeks to make one table cloth and they sell for around $20.

More cycling through little villages, the scenery was just stunning, it was starting to warm up now but the roads were pretty flat. The gears were getting a hammering to conserve energy. There is the same problem with logging as there is in Northern Thailand (although I don't thing the Laos take it as seriously. Neighbours China have a huge demand for hardwood and Laos provides a lot. That said, there are still many Elephant parks around the north to cater for the retired elephants and the tourists.









Our next stop was the waterfalls at Tat Kuang Si. To get there you have to take a long boat across and down one of the tributaries of the Mekong. I met a coup,e of Aussie girls waiting for the ferry, one of them was taking a 150cc motorbike across Cambodia. The bike had been bought and renovated, it was a honda and it was 53 years old!

The waterfalls were just spectacular, at the bottom there were elephants bathing and as you moved upstream there were hundreds of menthol green pools and water cascading. Amazing....









After a long morning in the saddle it was a perfect opportunity to cool down and I took it. The water was a bit chilly at first but very very refreshing.

I had a simple lunch of Miso and rice then we headed back. I did have a passing regret that I had not taken a TukTuk as we still had about 15km to ride. And it was bloody hot.









A couple of hours later we cycled into Luang Prabang. I was, once again wet through, I couldn't tell if I had a sun tan or was just filthy. Such was the dust on the road I suspect I will have black snot for days.

After handing the bike back my first stop was the French cafe and a Pineapple frappe followed by a mixed fruit frappé . I was just so thirsty. I could have had beer but I was sticking to my own advice. Besides which I suspect I would have been well pissed before my thirst was quenched!

Back to the hotel for a well earned rest and a shower. I checked with reception what time I needed to get to the bus station. The Laotian receptionist did not speak a word of English so we communicated using pictures. My drawing of a bus and a clock and a moto got the message across. I would be picked up at 7.00am and the bus leaves at 8.00.
I couldn't quite convey that I don't actually have a ticket and should I? We shall see.
I'm trusting Sarah has done her job....

Tonight I will go into town, have a wander, a couple of beers and some Dinner. I can also upload the blog on the French cafe's wifi.




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Location:Luang Prabang - Northern Laos