Viantiane Again

Is once again in Vientiane but this time by myself, and this time to catch a flight to Hanoi. Yesterday was spent by getting a massage and then havng dinner with some British people I met in Vang Vieng. I thought that traveling by myself would be lonely, but it is not. So far I have never had dinner by myself but always managed to meet up with someone to eat with. Of course you can't trust every random person that comes up to you but 99% of the people you meet are exactly like you, someone who's traveling and is just want to have a good time.

Vang Vieng

Vang Vieng is mostly famous as a backpacker haven, a real party town and the Asian version of Ibiza. This is my first stop on my short trip through Laos and Vietnam. After having spent the evening on the day we arrive mostly relaxing at a restaurant drinking BeerLao, me and my German neighbor decide to try out the infamous tubing. We eat breakfast at a hotel by the riverside enjoying a spectacular view of the Vang Vieng scenery of rocky tall tall mountains. We split up, he to do some research and I to do some shopping. I buy a waterproof bag in which I can have my money and camera during the day. At 12.30 we meet up at the tubing-center, where we rent a tube, basically a floating tractor wheel, and then we tourists are packed into a tuk-tuk that drives us up the river. In the tuk-tuk we meet two other Germans and we decide to stick together during the day. The the tubing begins. Not by nicely going down the river, but first we spend some time at a bar. When tubing you float down the river an by the riverside there are several bars located where the staff throw ropes to you and get you "safely" to the bar. Well, the first bar we go to we actually visit before we go into the water. There we are welcomed by a shot of local Lao whiskey. Later we meet two other Germans and we become a German group+a swede. I will not go into detail about the afternoon, but after hours of jumping into the water, playing football with the locals, swings, water slides and beer we safely arrive back to the tubing-center where we return our tubes. Apparently it is not rare that people hurt themselves during this activity. sometimes people even die. So far I have heard different death-numbers, from 10-40 people this year. The next day I decide to skip the tubing and find something more relaxed to do. I realize once is enough. After breakfast I go by tuk-tuk to the "Blue Lagoon" at the foot of one of the mountains surrounding Vang Vieng. The trip is about half an hour and one the way we pass though several villages filled with playing children and cows roaming the road. The "lagoon" is beautiful, the water is perfect and the weather is just hot enough. I meet a lot of people there who had been tubing yesterday as well and we all agree that this is the perfect hangover-activity getaway.

A little update

I haven't been able to update for a while, it being several reasons. The internet (especially my internet) is incredibly slow and I haven't been able to load the writing page on my computer. The last week have been very fun actually. I have met up with two fellow couchsurfers, one traveling through and one who lives in Luang Prabang. The first one I met was Gary, an American traveling around southeast Asia and we had a drink at Scandinavian Bakery (note! drink means in this case iced tea/coffee). The other person I met was Melannie, another American who has spent the last 5 months in Luang Prabang working for a non-profit organization who focuses on building schools in rural Laos. We had dinner at her favorite restaurant and then took a walk through Luang Prabang, first checking out the night market and then strolling by the riverside. We really hit it off, I think both of us appreciated some new faces. Especially me since I don't know many people in my age in LP. And, she is a girl which is great since I only hang out with guys here. I also got two hugs! Yeah!! I am actually going to met up with her again next week. Awesome. Well. at the moment I am on a completely different adventure. I am going to take a trip through Laos and Vietnam these coming ten days. This morning I went by mini-van down to Vang Vieng. Vang Vieng is a little bit further than halfway down to Vientiane. It is famous as a party city and it's legendary tubing on the river which I will tell you more about tomorrow when I've tried it. On Tuesday I am taking the bus down to Vientiane to catch a plane on Wednesday to Hanoi. From Hanoi I plan to take the bus back to Luang Prabang. I see what I do about that. Let me just say that the trip today in the mini van was a about thousands time better than the last Vientiane visit. It was not only shorter but much more comfortable. And I saw a monkey at a Laotian farm. Which was both good and bad as it was super cute but also looked really sad. Vang Vieng is very very small. Twice I have run into Gary who I met in Luang Prabang for a coffee. Twice a group of Portuguese girls I met on the tuk-tuk. At the moment I am hanging out with two awesome Germans I met in the van, hopefully we're going tubing tomorrow together. No real partying today though. Leaving that for tomorrow. Tonight just going to relax in my queen size bed watching some TV before the workers on our neighboring construction site wake me up tomorrow at eight o'clock .

Vientiane 2

I am now back in Luang Prabang after taking a trip down to Vientiane. Saturday at 7 am I met my travel partner at Scandinavian Bakery to buy breakfast to take with us before we took a tuk-tuk down to the bus station. The trip down to Vientiane was pretty routine I would think, except for an extra vomit-stop. To the vomiters' defense the first couple of hours are in the mountains, with many many curves and turns on the road. The scenery is beautiful though. 11 hours later, we arrived in Vientiane. The second guest house we looked at was good, so we checked in and went out and grabbed some dinner. Apparently, there was a birth party going on at the hotel so when we got back from dinner we were invited to have a beer. We said one beer. I had to stop them from filling it up more than once, and then we went to bed.

Our day in Vientiane was spent like this: Since Niclas, my travel partner, needed to cross the border to stamp in his new B2 Visa, I went as well, mainly to see how everything worked but also to get a new visa and 30 more days in Laos. We took a cab to the Thai border, crossed and came back with our new visas. The rest of the day was spent walking around touristing and checking out the city. My conclusion is that if you don't need to go to Vientiane, skip it. The city is not really anything to see. If you still want to go there, don't spend more than a night, maximum two.

The bus-trip back was interesting though. When we got to the second half of our way back, we entered the hilly parts if the country. It was raining. And the sun had set. I thought we were going to crash and it was one second I really thought I was going to die. Also, the bus driver was driving insanely fast. We changed the tires right after lunch which was lucky, I don't know what have happened if we were driving with the old ones.

Once I think the new tires started to smell burnt,
And once I think the engine started to smell like smoke,

But after 12.5 hour we finally got to Luang Prabang's bus station. We left Vientiane at 8 am that morning and 9.30 pm I got home, stepping inside my door with my brain feeling like mush.

Vientiane

At the moment I am in Vientiane, the capital of Laos. I write more tomorrow when Im back in Luang Prabang.

The bus ride from Luang Prabang was 11 hours. Which means another 11 hours tomorrow when we are going home. Yay!

Light Festival

On the the 13th of October we celebrated "Bun Awk Phansa" in Luang Prabang, also called the Festival of Light. This is the end of Buddhist Lent, and are very celebrated in the city. The citizens decorate their houses and streets with lanterns and candles and the monks build big bamboo boats that carry candles. On the evening there is Parade with every temple parading with their boat down main street, then passing through Vat Xiet Thong to release the boats into the Mekong. All around the city you can buy candles on banana leaves which you also let out onto the Mekong River and flying lanterns that you let go into the sky.

During the evening I strolled down Main Street watching the parade with the monks and their boats and all the lights and candles and the firecrackers thrown by the surroundings. I then went to the Mekong River where I bought I floating candle from my favorite lady around the corner from where I live and then joined the crowd to put it into the water. The Hotel had prepared a boat cruise where we could observe the festival from the river, but before I jumped on I lit some flying lanterns. Yes, like in Tangled, the movie. Well, the cruise was beautiful even though some men in the back had a little too much too drink. I then ended the evening together with the guys from the hotel at a night club, and also this night turned out to be much more fun than I though it would be.

The Hug

In Sweden we often talk about personal space and that we have this comfort zone made up of a private bubble. Still, there exists a lot of physical contact between people when communicating, that not exist in for example Laos. When introducing ourself we shake hands. The Laotians however put their palms together and bow/nod. No touching. This is the normal ritual for saying hello as well, or Sabaidee as they say. In Sweden we have different degree of physical contact when greeting each other, all depending on the people’s relationship. Now of course, I am only talking of my own generation.

When you run into someone in the city by accident or meet someone at a party, someone who’s only an acquaintance and not in the category of “Friend” you do the awkward “lets not touch each other too much”-hug. The hug when you only use your arms. Then there is the “real friend hug”, an actual hug that is not only using limbs as communication, but also expresses some emotion and warmth. We then have the baby hug. Example being me hugging my smaller siblings, mostly my soon 4 year old brother but also my 8-year old sister and my kinda new-born baby brother. I hug and kiss and snuggle them like teddybears even if they want to or not. And I do it a lot. Lastly we have the love-hug. Not only the hug between two lovers, but between two people who deeply cares about each other, being a parent and a child or two very close friends. The hug that lasts a little longer than normal, and is much more charged with emotion than any of the other hugs.

Well, let me tell you. Since I arrived more than two weeks ago the only hug I had was the “family-I haven’t seen you in a while-hug” which is somewhere in the middle-to-top of the hug-emotion-scale I just made up. Of the things I miss since I left home, I truly miss the physical contact Swedes have when communicating (and I’m not talking about sex now you dirty-minded bastards). Just shaking hands. Some personal contact that tells me we’re human beings and not robots or plague-infected corpses. This means I am saying hello to every other kid I see, often stopping to talk to them. I am also on the verge to adopting one of the adorable kittens that are running around town, being so skinny my heart breaks every time I see one.

Do not be lead to believe that I’m not having a good time in Luang Prabang. I really love it here and the Laotian people are just so kind and are genuinely interested in talking to you. I will tomorrow go and borrow the boy who lives on our street so I can hug him. I’ll bribe him with strawberry yogurt.

Flipper's Guide through the Cafés in Luang Prabang

I have now been in Luang Prabang for two weeks and I have tried a lot of the cafés in town. I thought therefor I should share some of my thoughts. There is one major difference between Stockholm and Luang Prabang and that is the tempo. I am not saying Stockholm is hectic but Luang Prabang is very laid back. Very laid back. Ordering a coffee in Stockholm takes you a minute, and your latte is finished and ready to be served. In Luang Prabang it takes the same amount of time to order a can of soda as it takes in Stockholm to order a grilled sandwich. Luckily, most people who go to cafés and restaurants are tourists and have all the time in the world.

Scandinavian Bakery: This café you find on Main Street and serves everything from Coffee to fruit shakes to pizzas. As the terrace is a meter above the street level it gives a nice view over the street. They serve Scandinavian-style cookies which is a real treat when being homesick.

Ancient Bon Café: Ancient Bon Cafés has both a guesthouse and a café, the guesthouse you find in the center of town across the street from the Hmong Market and the Café is out on the peninsula, just a block from where I live. They have a wide variety of coffee shakes and drinks, but also teas and smoothies. Their Frappes can compare to Starbucks's Frappucinos. Maybe even better since they're much cheaper and the drinks are topped with an Oreo Cookie. I tend to go here alot because of their coffee and free wifi. However, the small café is better than the guesthouse as the service is mush better and has a more personal touch.

JoMa Café and Bakery: Just a block away from Ancient Bon Café and Guesthouse. This café is very west-inspired, and has a Starbucks/Espresso House-feel over it. Drinks are good, especially their fresh passion fruit juice. The Iced Latte was a little too strong for me. They also have a lot of sandwiches, non which I've tested though. They should take it easier with the AC, last time I was there it was freezing. It's OK, but if you're only in Luang Prabang for couple of days you can skip it. I also heard the owners are religious fanatics, forcing their staff to read the bible. JoMa=Josef and Mary/Maria

Saffron: This café you find on the riverside by the Mekong. They have an excellent location, having an outside seating just by the river. Nice atmosphere and they always play good music. This is the most expensive option, but their sandwiches looks really good, and their coffee is great. Also free wifi.

Well, I am not a professional reviewer so this is what you get really. When in Luang Prabang, I recommend having lunch at Saffron or another restaurant by the Mekong, and maybe have a fruit shake in the afternoon at the Scandinavian Bakery. Then take a stroll at the Night Market which start at five in the evening before going to one of the restaurants on Main Street trying some delicious Lao food, maybe the set menu at Coconut Garden. Finish your evening at one of the vine bars in town.

A Regular Day That Didn't Turn Out to be Very Regular

Today I had no special plans, but the afternoon ended up being much more interesting than I though. At lunch I had a conversation with the only female in the hotel reception for the first time. Laotians are very shy, especially girls and rarely speak to westerners. Today, though, we managed to break the ice and spoke about the usual, age, birthdays, siblings. Then as I went to have my afternoon coffee another rare thing happened. I wore my 1982-Rose Bowl shirt today and as I sat slurping on my Iced Latte a voice said to me: "You are too young to have been to the 1982 Rose Bowl!"
The voice belonged to an older gentleman, he in turn belonged to a large group of men and women all in their 60s. As I explained the shirt's origin, he commented on me not even being from the US, and I defended myself by saying that I actually used to live in New York and therefor have the right to wear the shirt. And I also comment on the story of how this 100% American shirt managed to end up in a second-hand store in Sweden must be fascinating. The gentleman and his ladyfriend left the café together with the rest of a group with a smile and I returned to my coffee.

I then stumble upon my Step-grandfather having an afternoon beer at a local café and with nothing better to do I join him. A while later we split up, he going one way on the bike and me going the other to visit a local shop. On my way home as I walk down Main Street I meet the group from the café and the ladyfriend recognizes me.

"You are the Swedish girl from the café!"

I stop and we talk for about ten minutes, discussing how she is from California but is of Swedish heritage and have been to Stockholm several times and how her daughter spent a high-school year in Stockholm. I tell again the story of how I ended up in Luang Prabang and what I'm doing here. We then go our separate ways, wishing each other good luck and an enjoyable stay in Luang Prabang.

Brake

After a rather uneventful week I am back writing again. This is of course mainly my fault, as I have adopted a very bad routine. These past days I have slept until noon, then after lunch visited a café I know has wifi and spend my afternoon in front of the computer. In my defense, the computer time have not been a waste of time as I am preparing for November and NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month, a writing project that have been introduced to me by some friends.

Well, today the I managed to break the curse and got out of bed before 9.30 am. Today we drove up to the Elephant Village, an elephant camp where you can go elephant riding and go through Mahout Training, a Mahout in short being the elephant's personal trainer. From there we went up the Nam Kahn River to the Tad Sae Waterfall by boat. We didn't go elephant riding or took a swim in the waterfall, as we (or, well, they) only had a short amount of so the time was mostly spent watching everything. However, now I know what I really need to do before I leave Luang Prabang, I have to take my time and do it.

A Book Thief and A Nanny

A have read two novels parallel to each other this last week, one being The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and the other The Nanny by Melissa Nathan. These two are very different from each other, one focusing on a little German girl in Nazigermany, the other on how being a nanny in a posh suburb of London. While the chicklit was an easy read, very inside the comfort zone the Novel by Markus Zusak goes much deeper.

The Book Thief could be described as poetic, with an unusual narrator and a unusual story. This is not on how it was to be Jewish in Hitler's Germany but about the normal people, the ones going either with the flow or against the current. I won't tell you more about the book, but more about the my reaction at the end.

Even if you are told how the story will end, it always comes as a shock. It happens in The Book Thief, but for me it is often the same throughout literature and even movies. Well, I also have to add that I am very sensible when it comes to these artforms. I open up my heart to let characters in and then they are suddenly taken from me by cruel writers (get the hint JK). Also, it doesn't matter if I am already aware what's going to happen or if I read or seen it before. I cry and I cry and I cry. Every time Uncle Ben is killed after he and Peter had a fight. Every time Mufasa is betrayed by Scar and falls to his death. And of course when Snape kills Dumbledore, even though I by now know it was a necessity. It's especially easy when I'm alone and no one's there to judge. That is probably why I managed not to cry waterfalls when we saw the Deathly Hollows but only a few tears. Next time tough. Expect oceans.

To get to the point, yes I cried to the end of "The Book Thief". Most people won't though but it doesn't mean the novel won't leave a mark.

Birth Party

When a child is born in Laos, the celebration is not held until a couple of months after the birth. In Enhlish it called a Birth Party, but I don’t know what its called in Lao. To one of these celebrations was I invited to today through my step-grandfather. It says on the invitation that it starts at 10 in the morning and then having lunch. We arrive 10.45 and are the first ones to be there. Not until 11.30-12.00 more people start to drop in. I could write a lot about this occasion, but I will focus on the dance. When most people where at the end of their meal, the host couple/parents to the child start off the dance, dancing the traditional Lao Dance but are soon joined by others. Mostly women in their fifties and above. The dance is simple, just swing to the music and moving your hands in a wave-like fashion as you walk around the dance floor. Despite the dance’s simplicity I am somehow fascinated by it. My belief is that what makes it such an enchanting sight is the older women. While they dance they give a sense of elegance and pride. I also think it is because of the seriousness in what they’re doing. In Sweden people would have laughed and might have danced as if they were joking, but these people danced just to enjoy the dance in itself.

Mount Phousi and Midnight Noodles

Having again slept until noon I spend the day finishing what I had started the day before. I return to Dala Market to do my shopping and I had my afternoon reading time at JoMa Café, slurping on passion fruit juice. I then decide to do the climb up Mount Phousi. The way up to the top is actually a little challenging, 350 steps i definitely more than it sounds. The reward however makes the climb absolutely worth it. The view is stunning with Luang Prabang down below, surrounded by green soft mountains with their peaks hidden in the clouds and Mekong River making its way down south. After standing on the peak of the mountain for a while absorbing the view I make my way down on the opposite side of the mountain from which I came. Here the path is steeper and it is less crowded. It is also surrounded by statues of Buddha and I pass some Laotier praying while I secretly vomit on the tourist taking a picture of their sacred moment. When I’m almost at the end of the climb down, I meet a group of tourists going up exhausted by their climb so far, I want to tell them that they still have a long long long way to go.

The rest of the evening took a rather unexpected turn. My relative and host gives me a call earlier in the day and tells me that the boys at the hotel is going out clubbing tonight and that I am welcome to join. Of course I can’t say no and at 10.00 pm that night I find myself at a local bar, Star Pub, where I and another Swedish newcomer are the only westerners and they only play Lao or Thai music, first on the stereo but later live. The alcohol for sale is BeerLao and Carlsberg, which just recently just bought Beerlao. We hang out for a while and then move on to a nightclub which actually plays music I recognize. We go by car with a sober driver, but the rest of Luang Prabang go by vespas or motorbikes and when we exit the nightclub we have a sea of auto-bikes in front of us. I do not need to tell you that most accidents on the road happen on a Friday or Saturday night.

We end the evening by introducing “fyllekäk”, or drunk-food, to our new Laotian friends but since there is no McDonalds in Luang Prabang (Thank God) we end up a the night open noodle place wolfing down Yellow Chicken Noodle Soup. Everything closes early in Luang Prabang and by 1 o'clock in the morning I am back home after a surprisingly fun night.