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What a long time coming! In the original plan, SE Asia was to be our half way point - where everything becomes a lot easier. We can get most visas at the border crossings, the food is delicious, accomodation is available and cheap and people are friendly but not staring at us! So, hoorah!
We arrived in Luang Namtha after a full day on the Chinese side of the border. Not from our choosing mind you, the tour company had once againmade a massive error with the documentation. Our entry and exit permits stated we were travelling with two vehicles and four people. How frustrating!
After 'an important phonecall' was made several hours later we crossed the border and drove into Luang Namtha. Here we stopped in the main street and met up with Eric, one of the motorcyclists we were supposed to go through China with, and then later with Reuben! He'd been on break in Thailand and flown over to meet us!
We stayed at the Boat Landing, on the river. Everything was lovely, beautiful and relaxing. And it turned out that the owners of a great bar in town, Forest Retreat, were from New Zealand. And the wife had gone to school with Reuben! Small World!
After a few days in Luang Namtha we headed to Phonsavan on the road less travelled. Reuben drove us! How nice to be chauffeured around Laos. In Phonsavan we visited the Plain of Jars - a historic site of stone jars thought to be used in funeral rites. What amazed me was the devastating and terrifying numbers of UXO (unexploded ordinance) dropped on Laos by the US during the 'Secret War'. They are everywhere, still being uncovered and still exploding and destroying lives and fields and villages. There are lots of non-profit organisations, and agencies working to clear them. The main being MAG (Mines Advisory Group - check out the website www.maginternational.org)
In Phonsavan we also met up with Matt Ryan, who took us to a real Laos place for dinner and treated us to Laos style hotpot - AMAZING!! There is a hole in the centre of the table. The waitress brings over a bucket filled with hot charcoal and a metal lid with a large lip around the side and dome in the centre. Then you pour some of the stock onto the lid and place the fatty cuts of meat on the top of the dome. As the stock heats and the fat melts and slids off the dome into the stock, adding vegetables, egg and other cuts of meat the stock develops into a delicious soup and everything is so fresh and cooks as you chat, drink and look out over the river. Perfect.
From Phonsavan we drove to Luang Prabang and had a massive culture shock! This is a very tourist friendly town. There is an airport and we saw more tourists than we've seen on our entire trip! With Reuben flying out from here we gave ourselves a few days to explore the town, booked into the best restaurant in town, went to some waterfalls and saw some rescued Asiatic bears, enjoyed the pool and each others company.
So the next stage of our trip will be to head towards Vientiane where we have to decide whether to cross into Thailand and then back into Laos and then into Cambodia, or just to stay in Laos and follow the Mekong on the Laos side into Cambodia.
- comments
mum joan love your blog amazing photos enjoy your journey
Jenny That all sounds so good! Lots of love Jen x x x
mum I'm liking the sound of Laos a lot.
Mike Richards Go you two and great to hear that you caught up with Reuben. So when do you think you might get to Australia? What when you do? Keep the blog comming and look forward to seeing you both when you eventually make it to the land down under. cheers Mike