After taking two buses, three ferries, two tuktuks and a moderate argument with border police I made it to Luang Prabang...dropped off at 230am 10km from the city..perfect...Finding a guest house was not easily done at this time, but it happened before sunrise. Success! It was at this Guesthouse I met a crazy Spaniard which made my visit to Laos complete. The days in Luang Prabang were lazy ...between waterfalls, sweet milk/ whiskey, moterbike rides and talks by the Mekong, time didn't really exist. The town was so beautiful.. small, green, and Kuang Si and Tatong waterfall close by (even if they were close..i never fail at making extended lost bike rides to reach them).. I was impressed. But having just been pressed for time in Thailand with the visa, I was eagar to keep going, not wanting to have to skip sonething later on. So I left, with potatoes in my bag...and a smile on my face:)
I was North bound to Muang Noi and Nong Kiaw as recommended by a local I met at the border. It was his favourite place in Loas..I couldnt skip it. He had me convinced when he started describing the sunsets behind the limestone cliffs... I got to Mung Noi a couple hours before sunset after a small crash in a tuk tuk and a very wet baot ride through one of the most scenic areas I saw in Laos up the Nam Ou river. On the way I decided that I was going to a homestay in a village I had overheard about in the boat. Not knowing where it was..I started asking the locals about a bamboo hut?... as they kept pointing me in the same direction, I kept walking and the sun kept setting..faster then I could walk. Almost two hours after having got off the boat, trekking over red dirt coverd hills and falling into a small stream with my backpack..as well as an extra 2k I was carring for a friend, I reached beutiful BanNa and was greeted by 'mama' who showed me to my unfisnished bungalow with a sheet for a door and the cold wind blowing through the bamboo walls. I was cold, hungry and happy. I stayed there for a few days exploring the small trails, caves used as shelter during the war, searching for hours for waterfalls (that im sure didnt exist!), talking with the villagers who could speak some english (mostly young men who worked for the goverment to use metal detectors to find and detanate remaing bombs from the war so they could build a road to the village) all while wearing all of my clothes in my pack and still feeling the bone chilling wind of northern Loas. You would go to bed at 8 and get up at 5, it was great to be there, the people were beutiful. The time came however, where I needed to head back to Muang Noi where the boat dropped me off) for a much needed shower and walls to my room. I cant say i did much that day..other then sleep, it was great! That night however, the aftermath of a wedding to which the whole town was invited to was a sight to see. The whole village was drunk.. I have never seen anything like it, very entertaining in every way. The drinking continued into the night where things got messy and social around the camp fire. Very glad I woke up for one last night in a beutiful sunset paradise with great people. The next morning I took the boat back to Nong Kiaw for the night, where the sunsets where even better, the town was a good suprise, glad i extended another day in the cold north before hitching my way back south, past Luang Prabang and headed towards the old party capital of Loas, Vang Vieng. Oh Vang Vieng, did I ever get stuck. The night I arrived, it was late and I didn't realize the paradise I had been dropped into. It was a long cold ride and I stayed in a fancy hotel with a friend for cheap and woke up surrounded.by cliffs, mountains and caves.We were mesmerized and planned a moterbike ride to explore the area, but.not before we went down the tube.... Since the bars that used to line the river were shut down by the king a few moths earlier (way too many deaths per month on this river), the ride was more relaxing and scenic then anything else, a good day lounging in the tube, with only a few drinks.. that started our.night at noon..and ended by sunrise. It was a good time, with great people, a night to remember. After a hungover ride through the country side stopping in villages along the way, I really started to like this place..and then we moved to the Banana Bungalows where all productivity ceased to exist. The days consisted of exploring caves close by, swimming in the river, lounging in my hammock outside.my.bungalow.looking at the.best view in town and eating copious amounts of Laos sandwiches and pancakes with sweet milk. It was the life. So my two to three day stay turned into a week and I was ready to leave.But..I went to the Blue Lagoon and played volleyball for a few hours with other tourists and locals(alot of fun!!!), until I realized I had developed huge blisters..and could barley walk..so I stayed another two days healing up a little so I didn't look intoxicated with every step I took. An excellent place to have to wait. Then continued south to the capital, Vientiane.