Now We See the Safari

An excerpt from a recent NY Times article:

“There is nothing really outstanding in Luang Prabang,” said Laurent A. Rampon, the former chief architect and director of the cultural preservation office here.

“When you look at the architecture, it is interesting but normal, very normal; the temples are a little bit rough, not refined,” said Mr. Rampon, who is now an independent architect and consultant to the city.

“What is really interesting in Luang Prabang is all that together,” he said. “It is the ambience of the city, the daily life, the temples and the monks. In Luang Prabang, when the ambience is gone, it will not be Luang Prabang any more.”

Luang Prabang was one of the most peaceful destinations I have visited thus far. It's a quite and humble town located on the banks of the Mekong and is surrounded by gorgeous moutains. And it's true, there really isn't much there, which is why we spent less than 24 hours in town. But the feeling you get when you are there is really the reason to go.

However, there were tourists everywhere. Wat Phu Si, where I took the sunset photo shown below, was swarming with tourists fighting for the perfect spot to get their perfect shot. So was the market. We didn't go to the morning alms, but I can imagine how many people would be hanging around there. (Read more about the morning alms here.)

UNESCO World Heritage Centers (WHCs) are established to preserve our cultural and natural heritage, but are they really doing more harm than good? Luang Prabang and all kinds of other WHCs are begining to lose their value to swarming crowds of tourists. Read the full NY Times article about it here.

Also featured as Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree Thread of the Day.

"A Tonic for the Soul"

In a Buddhist town surrounded by mountains and the Mekong where honking horns and staying out past 11:30pm is prohibited, one can't help but leave feeling at peace.

Cambodia and Laos Highlights

People-watching at parks in Phnom Penh
The scenic bus ride from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng
Tubing in the Nam Song!
Eating amok every night in Cambodia
Exploring Angkor like it was a jungle gym
Cheap and delicious beer
Finding my Bangkok Rastaman (who only comes out at night ...)
Banana Pancakes (major bonus when they are cooked inside)
Hammocks
Bowling in Vientaine
Mountains and karsts of northern Laos
Five pressure points on a cougar's jaw
Luang Prabang handicrafts
Happy pizza
Kayaking partway to Vientaine
Rope swing- and cliff-jumping

And a few lowlights ...
Garbage spilled out all over the streets of Phnom Penh
Begging children in Cambodia
The Vang Vieng Friends epidemic
Mosquitos
Visa fees

Laos

Today is my last in Laos; Quinn is on a connection flight to KL right now before heading back to Singapore, and I'm hanging out for a few more hours until my train leaves for Bangkok. It's an overnight bed and I'll arrive in Bangkok around 6:30am. From there I think I'll bum around Khao Son Road for a day, then head to the airport and finally back to Singapore on Monday.

The trip to Laos has been quick and fun, but we really just scratched the surface of what it's like here. Eighty percent of the population lives off the land and the rest are in the cities -- Luang Prabang, Vientiene, and Pakse. From what I saw on the bus ride, their homes and villages don't look much different than those we saw in Cambodia, but they aren't living in poverty like the Khmers. It's comparable to the way the Native Americans used to live. I was hoping to have time for a homestay and actually live in a hill-tribe village for a night or two, but funds and time are short so it will have to wait until my next trip to Southeast Asia. (And believe me, there will be another!)

Luang Prabang was a delightful and charming place, and is a fabulous spot for anyone who just wants to relax and unwind. A real "tonic for the soul" as its been described. It's this small old-world town (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), surrounded by mountains and lined by the Mekong River. An 1130pm curfew is enforced and all the restaurants, shops, and internet cafes close down before then. Honking horns and even talking too loudly are prohibited. The views there are gorgeous, and the shopping is amazing!! Artists from the area flock to the main drag to set up shop for the Night Market, a very charming (and peaceful!) market illuminated with Christmas Lights selling high-quality scarfs, blankets, slippers, fisherman pants, dolls, lanterns, and a myriad of other goods, made right in their villages and sold in the town.

Vang Vieng is a backpackers' mecca, and though it's filled with kids just barely out of high school mindlessly staring at a TV all day, it's quite a fun place! One of the times when I jumped into the river from a swing I sort of landed angled on my left side, and even now, a few days later, it still feels like somebody punched me in the side. At least it's not as bad as Quinn's battle wounds -- she fell into the river about two meters from the base of the ladder.

Instead of taking a bus all the way from Vang Vieng to Vientiene, which would have taken another eight hours or so through the mountains, we kayaked part way down the Nam Lik river. It was my first time kayaking and it was quite fun!! There was one set of rapids and Quinn and I did pretty well on them -- we were the only ones in our group to make it through, until the very end when we lost our balance and our kayak tipped.

So now I'm in Vientiene, and will be leaving for Bangkok in about four hours. I'm not going to do anything but bum around KhaoSan Road all day, and maybe do some more shopping. I'm getting pretty exhausted from traveling, but I think all I need is a day to not do anything and I'll be ready to get back on my feet. Quinn and I have had a busy busy week and a half, going from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap and Angkor to Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng to Vientiene, and every day has been hectic and full of activity. So it starts to get to you after a while and you get very exhausted. But it's fun, and exhilerating all at once.

Am I Really Here? Is This Really Real?

Did I really just spend the entire day tubing down a river in a village surrounded by limestone karsts? Did I really stop at multiple tube-up bars and have a giant BeerLao at each, play volleyball in the mud, and jump from 10 meters into the middle of the river?? Did I really just take a six hour bus ride through the mountains to get here? Am I really in Vang Vieng, or is this just a really vivid dream as a result of my malaria pills??? I love it here. There is absolutely nothing to do except tube down the river, all day, every day, enjoy being in the middle of absolutely nowhere, in Laos, surrounded by limestone karsts that display the beauty of the world. Well, actually there is a lot more to do -- rock climbing, kayaking, visiting villages, and the like -- but I could really spend an entire week here tubing every single day. And I met a number of people today who have done just that. Every day they try to leave they end up staying a little bit longer.

Okay, so if you've read anything about Vang Vieng, you'll be well aware of the TV-bar Friends epidemic, and let me tell you, it is no exaggeration. I had a banana pancake and BeerLao for breakfast and we sat and watched Friends for maybe an hour. And the place across the street? The exact same thing. And down the other road? Yep, there too. At least there was one place showing Family Guy.