Finishing Laos

Photo: Wat Xieng Thong in Luang Prabang

Over the last week or so I’ve finished up my short jaunt through Laos, and I’m back in Thailand. To be perfectly honest, I didn’t do a lot in Laos that I was super excited about. The country was extremely smoky, with a minimum AQI of 200 on the good days, and also extremely hot (105+ daily). Those two things, unfortunately, really limited my enjoyment.

I also spoke in a recent post about how I felt like I was constantly being scammed by Lao people. While that did not stop, I definitely got used to it and started to learn how to work against it. In general, I found that the tourist markup started at 200%. Meaning that once you cut the initial price in half, you found a decent starting point for actual negotiation. Regardless, Laos was so inexpensive that one valid strategy would have been to stop caring so much…

From my last post, I spent two more days in Luang Prabang. Each day smokier than the last! On the first of those days, I did a walking tour around the old quarter of the city, and saw some nice architecture and temples. Luang Prabang - the city itself - is listed as a UNESCO cultural heritage site for its lasting mix of Lao and French architecture. The buildings are very quaint, and I could only imagine how nice everything looked if you would lift the orange smoky haze (in the Instagram post below, I had to apply corrections for the smoke. Imagine even worse!).

That same day, after an amazing Lao dinner, I said goodbye to the pair I had been hanging out with - the man was headed north, and the woman east. It was a “planned” breakup after a short travel fling. I wonder how they’re doing now.

On my last day in Luang Prabang I took a day trip to the Kuang Si falls, one of Luang Prabang’s top attractions. They were beautiful! On the trip there, I made friends with a Japanese guy about my age who is living in Taiwan. We ended up hiking together for several hours in the heat before the bus back to the city.

The next morning, I would take a high-speed train to Vientiane, the country’s capital. The train and tracks were brand-new and amazing - all thanks to foreign direct investment from China. You could take the rail straight into China, which could be a cool trip. Vientiane was also hot and smoky (less smoky, much hotter). The city itself didn’t have a lot going on, but I took a tour around regardless. I found my visit to the COPE center to be a depressing but necessary reminder of what the US has done to the Lao people.

Despite speeding through Laos in what was really a desperate attempt to escape it, I do want to go back. I’m aware that the circumstances putting a damper on my trip were time-dependent. The heat and smoke go away at the right time of year. And now I’m prepared for what every-day negotiation looks like.

I originally planned to visit Phonsavan, a city near the historical “plain of jars” sites. I ended up cancelling that jaunt because I did not want to deal with the hassle of a flight or bus (do not take the bus in Laos unless you are 100% immune to carsickness). Likewise, I also skipped out on Vang Vieng (which looked incredibly beautiful as I passed it at 200 kmh) and southern Laos (no time for that anyways). I’m also convinced that off of the beaten tourist trail one can experience a lot more authentic Lao life and culture. All stuff for a future trip! I will go back!!

Yesterday, I left Vientiane via bus and crossed the border into Thailand. I’m staying in the northeastern city of Udon Thani until my flight to Chiang Mai for Songkran! So far, Udon Thani is actually my favorite Thai city. It doesn’t have a lot to see (no famous sights), but the market area is really nice, it has an easy rail connection, and there are some nice parks. And it’s missing the mobs of clueless tourists! Definitely seems like a good place to live, if you can handle the weather. Apparently other white dudes agree, because while I see almost no western tourists, I’ve seen a fair few “obviously lives in Thailand” white dudes hanging around.

Anyways, on Friday I fly to Chiang Mai to experience Songkran. I’ve been told that Songkran is still fun elsewhere (like Laos, or Udon Thani), but I really don’t plan on visiting this area of the world during April ever again (have I mentioned the heat and smoke?), so I want to experience Songkran in the city most famous for it! Stay tuned for my Songkran post :)