November 17-23, 2023
Laos was a surprise: it turned out to be the most beautiful country of our trip, with some of the most welcoming people.
I had high hopes, yet they were exceeded. I know so many Lao families; Laotian Refugees from the Vietnam War were relocated to my home town. I taught more Lao kids than I can count on five hands during my teaching career, they in turn were more than gracious to me, and so I have always wanted to go see where they came from.
*side note* I taught a few Thai kids and a couple very memorable Vietnamese as well. But the Laotian families were the ones who welcomed me into their lives.* Laos was peaceful in its beautiful green mountains, beautiful in the colors of their fabrics and every day life, and welcoming on a level exceeding any country I have visited. My impression is that it is the "overlooked" country in SE Asia, yet comparing it to Thailand I'd pick Laos any day.
Again, to see more photos of what we did day to day, see OldManWithaWhiskey on InstaGram.
It was here we boarded a long boat for the two day trip down the Mekong River to Luang Prabang. The long boats normally hold like 60 people, and you pay for the seat. But the five of us bought a boat for just us. It was $300 each ($1500 total) for two days; kind of a splurge but really worth it in the end. The wife fed us, we stopped at villages and temples along the way, and we could choose to sit or nap anywhere on the boat. It was a very peaceful two days float.
Halfway down the river we stayed overnight at Sanctuary Pak Beng Lodge, in a great room looking over the valley. In the morning we walked into Pak Beng, past all the backpacker hostels up to the morning market where I saw things I have never seen, and ate Water Buffalo-on-a-stick for breakfast.
This was all set up for us by Vong, a local guide. He arranged everything from our transportation from Chiang Rai to meeting us at the border with some KIP (Lao money) in hand, setting up the boat, hotel and village stops. When we ran into a little bit of trouble in Vientianne, he was just a phone call away to help. If you want someone you can trust, contact Vong through WhatsApp. His number is +856 20 22 045 100
Luang Prabang is a gentle, walkable city of French architecture, palm trees, flowers and cafés. It is on the banks of the Mekong, yet it has a tropical beach vibe (without the beaches). We stayed five great nights in the Belle Rive Boutique Hotel and I'd stay again. The breakfast and coffee was great, the room incredible, the location perfect.
In Luang we took a day trip to Kuang Si Waterfall and saw the Asian Sun Bears, watched the morning alms (for the monks), found a great hide-away bar to sit and people watch on the hot afternoons, climbed to the temple on the highest hill in the city, ate at the night market, ate more food that were like miniature works of art, and wandered the streets. This was a relaxing, manageable city, very European in influence, so an exotic mix of cultures to me.
I got to know the early morning "breakfast" crew at the hotel, and had many interesting conversations about life in Laos.
Shout out to Phou, who we really formed a friendship with.
He took us across the river in his long (very long, very narrow, very low to the water and tippy) boat. The ceremony involves a lot of drinking, so we came back across on the much safer car ferry!
It is a ceremonial blessing, and though I am not religious, I have to say I felt blessed, or very touched deep inside.
In fact we all felt that way.
But me?
I didn't remove the strings until we returned home three weeks later.
All in all, I'd say Luang Prabang was the single most pleasant place we stayed on our trip.
We stayed the night at Salana Boutique Hotel which had a fantastic fourth floor, hideaway bar to hang out in.
All in all I got my best photos, some of the best memories, and met great people in Laos, which just confirmed to me all I knew from the families back home.
Again, for more photos and information see OldManWithaWhiskey on InstaGram.
Luang Prabang, Laos