We had an extra half-day in Hanoi, due to Vietnam airlines cancelling our morning flight, so we took advantage of the Pearl Spa at our hotel (Hanoi Pearl) and I was NOT disappointed!!! My massage therapist was AMAZING and the lady who did my facial was equally fabulous (although Ryan informed me that she wasn't the best massage therapist). I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the therapists at the spa, since sometimes hotels can be hit-and-miss.
The sun finally came out as we were leaving Hanoi (of course!) and we had our last phó bo's at the airport, with our last Saigon Specials. Lao Airlines was great, and the difference is that the 'first/premium class' (not us) is at the back of the plane, as the plane boards/disembarks for the back as well. Worked for us, since our seats were three rows away from the start of the fancy section ;)
We hustled across the tarmac and were the second in line for our visas. The bags arrived so quickly that we got the impression that airport staff just wanted to go HOME.....too bad they had to wait for the remainder of the flight patrons to get their visas lol.
Villa Chitdara was a lovely, family-run, French-friendly, olden teak-style guesthouse, and our room was on the second floor facing the street, so we watched the Almsgiving to the monks the next morning at 6am. It's sad that the Buddhist tradition has attracted a lot of tourists who simply don't respect it or the culture. We witnessed two white tourists who had come in a minivan with their tour guide: they were not seated properly (they were on small chairs, as opposed to traditional mats, since you're supposed to be lower than the monks - it's a respect thing!!!) and they looked at the monks while they placed rice in their baskets (you're (women ESPECIALLY) are supposed to keep your head down in a respectful manner and place the rice in their baskets and not make eye contact). We saw another man take FLASH photographs! Obviously he didn't read the signs posted all over Luang Prabang (see below). Unfortunately, there is much talk that the morning Almsgiving tradition might have to end, due to the ongoing disrespectful behaviour of ignorant tourists.
The city (town?) is fairly small (another UNESCO World Heritage site!) and very walkable, although tuk-tuks are plentiful and extremely willing to drive you to Kuang Si and Mae Sa waterfalls. Budget-conscious tourists and backpackers find a tuk-tuk early and wait for it to fill with passengers, so that they split the cost six to eight ways, averaging approximately 20,000 kip ($2.50 USD) per person. Ryan and I visited Kuang Si waterfalls on my mother's 65th birthday, and I will explain the majesty of this place in further detail below.
On our first day in LP, we walked around town and had a sindad (Laotian BBQ, very similar to Korean BBQ, but with soup and loads of veg) and several large bottles of Beer Lao (our new favourite!) at Dyen Sabai, which is across the river that surrounds LP. You must cross an old, rickety bamboo bridge and pay 5,000 kip to cross, as that fee goes to rebuilding the bridge every year after the wet season (during which Dyen Sabai provides a free boat to cross the river). The food was amazing and the place had free wifi, so we stayed for a couple of hours ;) We ate dinner that evening at the night market, where you could fill your plate with amazing vegetarian food for just 15,000 kip (less than $2 USD).
The next day we ventured to Kuang Si waterfall and agreed to pay our tuk-tuk driver 100,000 kip for the return trip, meaning we had three hours to enjoy the falls and the bear sanctuary before heading back to town.
Ryan ended up trekking to the very top of the falls, but I had had enough walking by then (we had already walked a great deal to get to the main falls). Kuang Si is AMAZING!!! The water is this crystal-blue (explanation below in photos) and it's like something out of a dream - it doesn't even look real. Believe me when I say the photos do not do it justice. We also visited the Bear Sanctuary and got to watch these amazing rescued sun bears just play and do their own thing :)
Ryan got sick that night, presumably from the manager of Jasmine Junk, who seemingly had a cold and shook Ryan's hand, so the next few days/nights were not pleasant for him, as he had to deal with a very high fever that was difficult to shake. He spent the majority of the Shompoo Cruise reading, while I forced water and herbal tea down his sore throat. We visited Pak Ou cave and saw the thousand Buddha images that villagers have brought and left for centuries, as doing so is seen as good luck for their families. This is also where we learned of the seven different types of Buddha, one for every day of the week. This will be explained during the next post Chiang Rai & Chiang Mai.
The Shompoo Cruise was great - the seats were plentiful and comfortable, there was enough room to stretch out and take a nap (the boat can hold up to 40 people, but we only had 9!!!), the food was homemade and DELICIOUS, and our guide was helpful and kind. The stay in Pak Beng, however, was very basic and kinda sketchy: Pak Beng is basically a town where all the slowboats going up/downstream stop overnight. We picked a basic accommodation, and that's what we got. We had a traditional Laotian meal at a restaurant on the other side of the road, and although we worried about preparation, all was well (except for Ryan's ongoing fever - pauvre Ryan!!).
We crossed into Thailand just after 5pm on January 19, and I was surprise to find the Thai border as lax as it was....maybe because a lot of people don't cross overland anymore? We totally could have brought in our half-finished bottle of duty-free scotch (purchased when leaving Vietnam), but we donated it to the boat instead. Daddy's words ring out in my ears: "no bail money!" ......plus we didn't want to risk our bags being randomly searched.
The IBIS Styles Chiang Khong Riverfront was perfect for our one night stopover, except that Ryan's fever was the worst and we had to keep wetting towels in order for him to cool down (even WITH the air con on!). We had a lovely bungalow on the Mekong River overlooking Laos, and the open-air restaurant was very nice. We were lucky enough to get a lift into town early the next morning to take the bus to Chiang Rai, and so continues our adventure.....
