Along the Banana Pancake Trail

Hello friends,

Along the road to Vang Vien

We flew to Laos in the beginning of February, arriving in Vientien around the 7th.  From the airport we were whisked to the bus station by taxi, where a bus waited for us ( thanks to a phone call from our taxi driver to the bus driver, love those cellphones).  We joined a bus full of young travelers who were coming on an 24 hour  ride from Chaing mai Thailand, and were very ready to get off after our four hour ride with them to Vang Vien.

Beautiful rural countryside

  I guess we'd ended up on the "Banana Pancake trail"; the rout of young international backpackers. As we walked the streets of town pulling our lugage and looking for a hotel, we were picked up by a hotel manager cruising the streets for grey haired travelers.  He convinced us that we needed to go to his hotel because it was on the quiet end of town and we would be able to sleep.  As it turned out, it was a great place with a few other " mature" backpacker types like ourselves. 

View from our Vang Vien hotel room

Renting a bike for $4 with a full tank of gas, $2

 The rest of the town went crazy at night and the parties went on until 4:00 inthe morning.  We didn't realize that this place had a real party reputation and drew young travelers there for the "tubing" down the river lined with bars and the bar scene in town.  All we knew was that it was a beautiful spot and our first stop in Laos.  We winded up staying three days, meeting interesting travelers (including a retired bush Alaska principal who had bicycled all over the world and was riding his way through Laos), hiking and riding bicycles and motorbikes through the fields and villages along the river which wound  between  huge limestone mountains.

 We enjoying viewing the life of the Lao people on the "quiet" side of town, as most of their lives seem to be conducted on the sidewalk out front of their houses... cooking on campfires, eating at portable little tables sitting on the ground, people gathering for parties or making usable goods.

Life got a little poorer in Laos. But check out the blue purse.
I'm sure there is a cellphone in there somewhere.

We then took an awesome 7 hour bus ride up  mountain roads to Luang Probang.  The bus had very little space ( bus seats are small in this country.  My long legs barely fit). Even though the locals next to us were throwing up on the curvy spots, the views of high limestone mountains and deep valleys were stunning.  We passed through villages which clung to the cliff sides along the road and ridges. Not many flat places for houses.  The bamboo and grass houses looked like marginal living and the people very poor.

Cliffside village through the mountains.

Is that the mighty Mekong or the Columbia Gorge?

Beautiful French influenced Architecture 

Alleyways of Luang Probang

Recycling the ubiquitous plastic bottles.

 It is a town with old French-influenced architecture, with a dozen elaborate Buddhist temples, where the monks file out every morning in a monk parade to receive alms (rice and other food) from the locals.  

Sign on the outside of the Temple

Beautiful Wat (temple) in Luang Probang

Jan waiting for a much needed Beerlao
 at aMekong  riverside cafe.

Luang Probang's  placement between the Mekong and another tributary creates a

mile of riverfront hotels and open riverside cafes from which to have a Beerlao (50 cents) and watch the activities along the river... Long boats, people and their gear in canoes, fishermen, cargo boats etc.

Long boats for transportation along the Mekong

We found that we hadn't really planned enough time to visit this laid-back and beautiful country.  Oh well, I guess that means another extended trip some day.  For now it's on to Viet Nam!