Let's get Laos'd!

Right folks, here we are for the next installment. Spent the last week in Laos and so we will greet you with a Sabai Dee. Where to start? Spent 3 hours at Laos "bored"er control queuing for a visa. Was about as much fun as a hole in the head. Got onto the slow boat in time to sale down the Mekong river for the two day trip to Luang Prabang and what an eventful trip that was. First boat was crowding people in like sardines when we saw another boat pulling up next to us which looked like a luxury boat. An executive decision was taken to jump on board at the last minute despite our bags being on the first boat on the conclusion, after a garbled conversation with el capitan, that both boats were going to the same place. So we jumped ship last minute as did several others. Sweet decision. Ended up on a more spacious boat with a crazy fun bunch of people. This is where we met the Wolf Pack, a bunch of 8 Aussie lads on a mission to get "amongst it" (aussie version of getting involved) which shubs aptly renamed as getting a monks tit. We were reminded several times that they were not there to "f*** spiders" which basically translated into drinking the bar on the boat out of beer over the next 8 or so hours. We had no choice but to get amongst it. Would have been rude not too. Aside from the amazing scenery that passed us by on the trip much hilarity took place on the boat including witnessing a rather inebriated member of the wolf pack play "gay chicken" with a mad irish man called Sean (probably the funniest person we have met on our trip so far) Gay chicken for those of you who don't know is where two heterosexual males egg each other on to kiss each other before one pulls out, thereby claiming the title of gay chicken. Let's just say no one was backing out and tongues were involved!

Shubs discovered the delights of beer Lao having never drank beer in her life! Jonnie boy from Scotland convinced an inebriated member of the wolf pack that I was in love with him resulting in said member trying to maul me while everyone (including my little sis!) sat watching, laughing and taking videos. I owe jonnie big time and I will get him back, be afraid jonnie boy, be very afraid!

Beer ran out, whisky followed. This did not help in the identifying of bags when we arrived at the mid way point of Pak Beng in the dark, on a floating jetty, surrounded by kids who were probably trying to steal from us. Sean thought that it might be correct protocol at this stage to offer the children money to fight each other (extra money for fighting in the water) very wrong but nonetheless funny at the time!

Eventually retrieved our bags and everyone settled into finding accom in Pak Beng which consists of one street and can honestly be referred to as a one bar town. Nightly population equals the locals and whoever crawls off the slow boats for that particular night. Needless to say once settled into their respective accom, everyone then meets at said bar, known as Hive Bar. Caught happy hour and much fun was had while people hooked up their I-pods to the speaker system. Many friendships were formed and many towers made on sleeping drunk people with stools and later glasses, which conveniently smashed as I was walking out of the ladies while the culprits hid in corners and let me take the flak from the owner for the cost of replacement for a tower in which I had no input whatsoever!

Shubs and Paddy (a member of the wolf pack) bonded over merging straws through the process of smelting and Sean mostly got the rip taken out of him for wearing an age 4 t-shirt from George at Asda. Despite the 11.30 curfew in the town the night ended at 3.30am with a few of us drinking beers on the shores of the Mekong, adopting dogs, losing bets, eating leaves, admiring clouds/mountains and some injuries amongst the wolf pack members. All seemed like very profound bonding at the time.

8am start the next morning and back on the boat (ouch) during which some of us were a lot quieter than the previous day. The wolf pack however decided to get amongst it once more and anyone who declined was obviously a spider f&cker. Another gorgeous scenic journey down the Mekong in the beautiful sunshine ensued with music, fun, laughter and making new friends. Wonderful Timmy from the wolf pack was being paid to travel write and I was green with envy that he had my dream job!

Towards the end of the journey, disaster struck. It had become too dark and the boat's lights went out leaving us stranded near a village by the river. Much confusion followed as to what was to be done but what will stick in my mind more than anything is the camaraderie between everyone on the boat as to how we would get by. Everyone looked after each other and were all prepared to sleep in the nearby village in the open if necessary as a group. Eventually we shone our torches on the water and were able to guide the boat to a bigger township across the river where we were able to charter a bus to our final destination. An hour later we had boarded the bus and negotiated prices with the driver and were on our way again with Ernie from Frisco
leading a sing song which somehow dissolved into the whole bus singing the theme tune from the Fresh Prince of Bel Air!? The driver pretty much had us hostage and probably earned the equivalent of a couple of months salary that night but at this point everyone just wanted to reach our destination.... See Luang Prabang entry for what happened next.....