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Finally in Luang Prabang.
The night before the journey here I ended up getting a massage in a place suffered by my guide. I don't think I would have found I myself but it was worth the journey on a motorbike there.
In the way back to the guest house I met another traveller from Australia and we had a good chat over a beer. It's So easy to meet people while you travel!
The next day started with a long ride to the bus station by a tuk-tuk. It was really cold and not that pleasant to sit in the wind. The minibus was waiting and we set off when full just after 9am. Somehow the driver chose me to sit in front. That was probably the best seat.
The roads were so bad and curvy that it took about 3 hours for the first 100km. We stopped for lunch and continued shortly. The views on the way were spectacular and worth some of the time.
We got around 17 and started looking for a guesthouse. Not much luck as most places were either busy or way overpriced. While walking by the river I met another Polish guy (or rather he shouted at me - I guess it was my Alpinus backpack...) and showed a guesthouse. Not so great but has a bed and a hot shower. The window faces a wall but who cares. It was £9.
Settled in I went to look for some trips and food. As all my gear needed washing I decided agains trek the next day. I found a group doing a day of kayaking with Green Discovery at £21 and it sounded just right.
As a pre-dinne snack and hydration I had 2 fruit shakes at the market at £0.80 each. They were made of real fruits!!!
For food I went simple and chose a place with few tables serving either fried rice or noodles. With a beer it added up to £2. I sat together with a Kiwi who works a bit and then travels as much as he can. We talked for quite a while.
Last item on the list was a massage. Being quite full I went for te foot massage. It helped a lot and for £4 was a great way to relax before going to sleep.
Back at the guesthouse just after 22 there was only one thing to do- go to sleep...
The next day I woke up early and walked to the market for a fresh baguette breakfast. I remembered it from my last time here. I wasn't disappointed his time either. Chicken baguette, fruit shake and Lao coffee was good and cost (rather much I thought) £3.
After that I showed up at the office and we set off for the kayaks.
On the way there (1.5h) I chatted to an American woman who was just about to start a placement in Singapore and was doing research on food in Laos and Cambodia. Again, really nice chat and we didn't know when one hour passed.
As I was the 'odd' number I got a single kayak. Not a type used in Poland - this one quite flat with holes in it which meant sitting in water all the time.
The trip sated slowly but we soon had our first rapid. I have no clue what grade it was but I ended up completely wet and almost thrown out a few times. Quite hard! During the whole trip we had about 9 rapids and 3 almost ended up in me getting out of the kayak. I was glad I managed to stay in!
When we stopped for lunch we saw a big family looking for gold in the ground near the river. They actually were founding some and I've seen a few tiny bits. I guess it all ads up. I asked the guide if I could buy some but he didn't like my idea...
We finished at around 16 and got back into town just before 18.
I've checked a few agencies and still there were no people willing to do a 2-day trek. Tough luck.
Quick fried rice, Beer Lao and a coconut (£3) later I went for a Thai massage for 90 minutes. It felt so nice and cost only £6.
At a last minute someone recommended another agency so went there. I managed to get a 1-day trek for £60. Not cheap but still decent money for an individual trip. He also sold it well by saying that it's not a tourist track but more of a hunting one. This means that it will get dense and narrow and the guide may need to cut the way through the forest. Can't wait!
So, having my trek sorted I resorted to another beer Lao. We'll see where I go from here...
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