Enchanted with Laos

This is it. This is what I left for. To feel this. How I am feeling right this minute.

Where to begin?

We started our journey on a mini-bus ride up to the border town between Chang Mai and Laos. It was a longish drive; but the scenery was beautiful. The places people DON'T visit in Thailand. So green. And not dirty. I mean, they weren't pristine and kept up like I am used to ; but it felt cleaner than Bangkok. I enjoyed Thailand lots: Lop Buri was tons fo fun, and the trek a true adventure, and I had a good time. But I was ready to elave. ANd here I come to find myself in a ort of paradise. A sort of place I never knew existed and am so happy does.

The atmosphere, completely chill. ANd while it is familair (American pop songs play at restaurants occassionally...usually really shitty pop we would never listen to back home), it is still exotic. I am still in a foreign country.

This is a perfect change of pace for me, and a nice treat. As I hear Cambodia is very simialir to Thailand.

We crossed the border and got our visas and then stepped into those pointy wood boats you see in pictures, with a wood roof above us and thin wood benches to sit on. Packed at least two to a seat for 1.5. For 6-7 hours?

Okay, I thought...I bought a seat cushion (Becca looked at it and said: "Of course you'd find one that's pink with dolphins" :) ) But then this boat next to us, much bigger, it called to us and we saw some people jumping from our boat to theirs so we grabbed our bags, and WOW! What a great decision! I even managed to sit in the front, one of the four seats that were like car seats instead of wooden benches.
Nice.
The sun shone ALL day for the first time since I got in Thailand, and we rode down the Bang River. I can't explain it; riding on the river. The waves made by the boat made it sound like the ocean and we were surrounded by nothing but beauty. Sandy cliffs and huge trees. Just massive areas of green is all we saw. Occasionally a small hill tribe hut might be seen, maybe a random villager in a boat, once or twice I saw little village kids naked running down to the water. We just rocked on the water. It was exactly what I needed to recenter myself. I was so happy. Happier than I've been this trip: it was just us and the water.
We arrived in a small village about 100 people called Pak Bang (Mountain of the Bang River) there is no point ever to go there unless you are stopping over for the night to sleep before getting back on a 7hour boat ride. It had no electricity: ran on generators, and most of the young guys were offering opium.
But I loved seeing this was how they lived. Walking through their market and seeing pigs ears, still with the hair on them. Seeing all the babies around. Getting offered free homemade whiskey from the restaurant owners trying to get our business.

We set out again the following day for another extraordinary boat ride. Well, it wasn't as comfy as the last one: I had to sit on a bench. But I didn't care. I was on the water. It would occassionally spray on my face, and I was just surrounded by beauty. I went to the back of the boat where there was a sort of window (the whole boat was open...btw. I still haven't been able to upload, but here is a picture I found online:


Anyway, there was a sort of door on the back side of the boat and I just sat in it; with my head hanging out. It was amazing.
Just the boat ride and I could sware that was my favorite part of the trip.


All of us still together from the first trip, randomly bonded otgether and friends fo rth emoments we wer together on that boat an in Pak Bang. A couple from NZ, another couple orginially from England who have decided to travel for 6 months and begin their lives together in Austrailia, a woman who left the US for Austrailia at 19 for school and is at 25 thinking of coming back to the US, adn two 18yearold English boys on their gap year. Sharing small talk of where we've been, where we are going, little things. I know them here and now, but once we we leave, I will probably never see them again. But now, we are friends.

Then...then we arrived here. Luang Prabang, Laos.


This island paradise it seems, though we are not on the ocean. We are on the Mekong. Laos was once occupied by the French; so there is a particular type of romance and exoticness here, and a particular bit of familiarity. Lots of Europeans in the street, Bread and cheese! Wine bars!! I was actually able to look at a menu that was not simply: "Fried this...or rice that" I was able to have a salad for dinner last night!
The things you treasure.
We walked around the night market they have here, and everything started shutting off around 9:30. Apparently there is an 11:30 curfew here. Which I dont' mind. I think it adds to the relaxed nature here. The bars and restaurants are beautiful. At night with teh little lights and the chatter of all these people from all over. Everyone here is at ease. Happy. It's safe to walk alone in the evening: which I did tonight. It has a feel like the towns of Manhattan Beach, Santa Barbara...but more so, so so so much more exotic and beautiful and unreal.

We slept in today and when we woke up, got a driver to take us up 21miles to the Tat Koang Si waterfall.
I can't explain what we did for this day.

We got up there and walked by the most beautiful natural pools: such a color I have never seen, with little waterfalls around them. Jordan and I couldn't help ourselves by the third pool we saw on our way to the waterfall so we went in! It was amazing. Amazing! I couldnt' stop saying how happy I was. I can't use words to describe the color of the water, but we were in it. Swimming.


Now, it is slightly touristy; but I don't care! It is EXTRAORDINARY!!!




Eventually we went to see the waterfall...



When you look up at the Tat Koang Si waterfall you can't feel anything but grateful. To see something so magnificent, so enchanting, so grandious in beauty just there...in nature. Words can't express. I live in a world that has things like this. Something no human could ever create. How can you not be so grateful for this world? For existing in a place that creates such beautiful things?

Then, of course, Becca and Joran being the adventurers they are...wanted to go to the top of the waterfall. There are sort of paths...but for me and my little heart, it can be a lot more difficult. That and my ability to trip on flat ground made me a bit weary: and with no Bond to hold my hand! But I said that I'd at least try; and just see. If it got to be too much for me: if I spent more time worrying about how to get from one place to another without hurting myself than actually enjoying the waterfall I would stop. I told them not to keep waiting for me. Jordan is good at just going. :) And eventually, on my own, I made it to the top! It was amazing. To stand on top of that massive waterfall was unlike anything. And to know I did it myself, that was really incredible.
Now this is something the tourists do, so there were makeshift paths KINDA; it wasn't like our trek when I was just out climbing things. But still, it was really exciting for me and ureal.




After four hours swimming and exploring we came back, had an incredible meal at a restaurant that just opened by our guesthouse: two Belgians opened it. A couple. They came out here last year and loved it and wanted to see if they could do anything, and when it was feasable, they did. It was wonderful.

After that I checked out a really cool place I want to open in the states and watched a movie that Jordan and Becca weren't too interested in and then came down to the main street to write in my blog and quickly check my emails. Stores shut in about 30minutes.

I miss home; but Laos is my favorite favorite favorite place so far.

Come see this beautiful place.


Love and miss you!