The town of Vang Vieng is the main reason why I was drawn to visit Laos.
Vang Vieng is known for its beautiful landscape of tall Karst hills surrounding the small town, which is seated at the banks of Nam Song (Mekong) River. Vang Vieng became famous to travellers, particularly the young party goers, during the year 2005 onwards, for its riverbank bars , extreme parties and drunks drifting themselves on tubes down the river. Until the last quarter of 2012 when the parties already brought too much hazard and accidents , that the Lao government decided to cease the trend.
Today, Vang Vieng without the parties, may be considered a boring destination for many. But to some , including myself , Vang Vieng of today was brought back to its small town beauty ; humble, relaxing atmosphere , beautiful landscape by the river , where one can enjoy local beer and just sit by the river on a lazy afternoon.
The town of Vang Vieng, fog embraced in the morningView for my room at the 4th floor of Bountang Guest house . Priceless!
my 7 USD hotel room at the 4th floor of Bountang Guest house . I did not make any prior reservations to this because I wanted to find a good room with an unobstructed view of the hills.Vang Vieng Town
Woke up early one morning to check on the streets and the Market.
First time to see Grilled Chicken Egg with Spices . Did not enjoy this though. The spices were too strong.Grilled Cow Genitals !
People these days visit Vang vieng to do Mountain trekking, kayaking, caving and tubing, which is what I exactly did . All that activity including lunch and transportation for only 12 USD . Drifting down the Nam Song river surrounded by the Karst Hill landscape was pretty amazing , and is by far the best part of my Indochina Backpacking Trip.
Travelling to Vang Vieng from the Lao Capital, Vientiane by Van/Mini bus can be arranged with your hostel for only 35,000 kips (4.5 USD) with hotel pick up. You may opt to travel with a local bus from the terminal at the city market , for a cheaper price (an a lot of stops) , but the Van arrangement is more convenient and relatively practical.
Travel is a scenic 4 hours ride. Road is a bit bumpy on some parts. But hey! I am from the Philippines , so I should be used to bumpy roads and not complain about it. =)
The country of Laos, officially referred as Lao People’s Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Vietnam to the east, Burma and China to the northwest, Cambodia to the south, and Thailand to the west, as divided by the Mekong River. As a landlocked nation, Laos greatly depends commerce and trade with its neighbouring giants.
Laos is among the few nations today that run on communist rule, to which has only opened its doors to global trade and tourism during the 1990’s . As compared to its neighbours, Laos is less dynamic and is still on the process of coping with the demands of modernity ; we at least for the moment.
Pra That Luang Shrine, the most respected Religious Symbol of LaosVientiance City, the capital and the biggest city in LaosPatuxay Monument, symbol of Lao independence from French rule.
Vientiane is the capital city of Laos . Though the nation’s the biggest, this city is less modernized, with no railways and no malls , less noise and traffic , with a lot of patches of green. The central market is still the city’s source of almost everything.
I arrived to this laid back city on a Sunday afternoon, and I was eased to see that locals enjoying the parks and open spaces, and playing a sepak takraw like game. A number of tourists freely enjoy roaming the streets on bike . Vientiane was definitely a breathe of relaxing atmosphere.
Residences in downtown VientianePalace of the President
Laos is not much visited by Filipinos as compared to other ASEAN nations. In my five days stay, I have not heard of a single Tagalog phrase , I was a few times asked if I were Thai or Chinese. I definitely felt the foreign atmosphere in this Country.
night market at the riverfront promenadeThe biggest Buddhist Temple in Vientianereclining BuddhaA view of the stuppasLocal juice along the streets. Similar to Thai .
I Explored the nearby night market for local food. They do a lot of grilling and sun drying . This red meat on a ring is like dehydrated seasoned pork , covered with sesame seeds.
I personally think that Lao food is influenced by Chinese , less the flair and artful preparation, since Laos is farther up the mountainous side of Indochina Peninsula.
Chinese food and lifestyle definitely made an influence neighbouring countries in Southeast Asia. But with the route I travelled, I have observed that the farther the country is from China, the simpler the food becomes.
My First Lao food dinner at a local night market. Air dried seasoned pork , and banana leaf wrapped fish egg, which I first thought was rice.Air dried – seasoned pork up close. yummy ! This is their version of Chinese Asado.grilled frog. More than just a delicacy, frog is considered a staple food in Laos. Probably because the country is landlocked and seafood supplies are imported from Thailand and Vietnam.Grilled catfishnight marketEgg crepe ,which can be found everywhere in Laos.
One fine morning in Vientiane , I woke up at 5:30 am to check out the nearby Talao Sat Public Market , which is the city’s center for trade .
It is always a priority of mine to visit public markets whenever I go places, because it is where one finds cheaper souvenirs, and authentic cooking. But more to that, public markets are less trendy and more on the local atmosphere, which gives visitors an interesting vibe on how the foreign community starts up its day.
First time to see this much Boiled Whole Chicken. This is done to prevent meat spoilage. I have also noticed that sellers here don’t use ice .French Baguette. Strong french influence since Laos has been under France for quite a while.Steamed rice prepared on a basket. very different from the way Filipinos do it.From a local eatery. Bamboo Soup + grilled pork and riceBamboo soup ( Kong No Mai Sai Yanang ) Delicious ! similar to our pinoy Lau-uy due to its textureFamiliar Sight. Icy Gems are still popular in Laos .
Visiting Laos was not originally part of my Indochina backpacking trip . I have not known much about it before, as compared to the touristy Vietnam, and the Heritage Sites in Cambodia. But I came across http://mylovelylife88.wordpress.com ‘s visit to the small town of Vang Vieng in Central Laos, and my thoughts immediately got caught by the town’s Karst limestone hills standing tall by the soft flowing river. Laos was once under strict communist rule, and it was only during the mid 90’s that Laos has fully opened its doors to tourism.
Thus decided to allot a few days to see Laos, and it was a good thing that getting there is just an overnight train away from Bangkok.
Below is my detailed travel from Bangkok, Thailand to Vientiane, capital of Laos.
From Hualamphong Train Station , Bangkok , I booked a second class , aircon sleeper train for 688 baht ( around 22 USD ) to Nong Khai ( Thai border point to Laos ) . Cheaper non-aircon train seats (No bed) are also available for around half the price. Hualamphong Station is pretty organized and the officers converse in English. Train left Bangkok around 8pm, and arrived at Nongkhai train station around 9 am the next day. The train made very few quick stops on towns, but Nongkhai is the last stop, so it would be impossible to miss this.
From Hualamphong Train Station , Bangkok , I booked a second class , aircon sleeper train for 688 baht ( around 22 USD ) to Nong Khai ( Thai border point to Laos )Hualamphong Station, BangkokThese seats turn into beds with curtain partition. It was surprisingly comfortable, i had a good uninterrupted sleep .morning coffee at the train. around 6:30 am.Nong Khai Train Station, Thailand .
Nongkhai station also has an immigration office of Thailand. After clearing with Thai immigration, I transferred to another train headed to Thanaleng Station,Laos for 20 baht. It was a 20 minute train travel that crosses Mekong River.Another option to cross borders is by bus, since train schedules to Laos are very limited as of this year(2013). Upon arriving at Thanaleng Station, you will immediately see the Lao immigration counters.
The transfer train from Nong Khai , Thailand, to Thanaleng , Laos. only 20 Baht . around 20 minutes ride.
The 20 minute train ride across the Mekong River to LaosThe Friendship Bridge between two countries divided by the Mekong River
Thanaleng Station is located 15 kms to Vientiane capital of Laos , around 30 minutes travel time. There are a number taxis/vans to the capital that can be shared with fellow travellers. We got ours for 400 baht , at 100 baht per person, since there were 4 of us who shared. I shared with 3 Thai nationals.
View of downtown Vientiane . Quite a Laid back city. Relax . not much traffic .I just walked myself around the city center . It was sunday afternoon that time .Vientiane City Center , view from the top of the Patuxay monument .Some charming residential area in Downtown VientianePra That Luang Shrine. Laos’ sacred religious symbol. said to contain some relics of Buddha.Patuxay Monument, symbol of Laos’ independence from France.
And there I was in the capital city of Vientiane, Laos ; laid back, less noisy , not much traffic, ,no big shopping malls. The country embodies a relaxed atmosphere and a perfect view of sunset by the Mekong.
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