sabaidee everyone!! sorry it's taken me a few days to write, i've been having trouble finding a place where i can upload photos properly. so i've decided to write now first and see if i can try again... i think last i wrote i had crossed the border into Lao. i took a loooooong 14 hour bus ride from the border in the north to luang prabang. most people opt for a slow boat ride down the Mekong which takes about 2 days, which may have been a more comfortable experience, but i'm glad i took the bus. although it took me about an hour or two to figure out whether they drive on the right or left side of the road, (in thailand it's on the left, in lao on the right), and many parts are unfinished with large dips in the road, i saw places of the country i would not have seen otherwise-- many little villages with people hard at work farming, kids running around, chickens everywhere. kids would run in the street to stop the bus, and try to sell fish on a rope. (snacks i guess?) as it got darker, people were relighting their fires, and then eventually, everyone was walking around with flashlights!
waking up being in luang prabang was amazing. the town is unbelievably beautiful, i kept thinking 'really? this is lao?'... it's not at all what i expected. travelers in the town? yes. but definitely not as tourist-driven as places in thailand. it was really refreshing, and very peaceful... walking around, taking in the scenery- it's right on the Mekong surrounded by mountains. before the sun went down i walked up Mount Phousi with my new polish friend and saw the panorama of the city, the view is just breathtaking. the following day we took a slow boat to the Pak Ou caves about 2 hours away. after seeing the Buddha statues inside, i caved and bough a little bird from one of the kids. there's a lot of selling everywhere, and it's common to see kids selling little birds in small cages made of wicker. this little girl was following me with a little bird saying "madam madam, one dolla one dolla good luck for yooo" so i said ok (and of course then had 7 other kids come up to me with their birds...) in any case, i set the bird free near the top cave and was happy to give it its freedom. on the way back, we stopped by a village to see "real" lao living. it's amazing to see how people live on so little here. many of the village women were sitting weaving scarves they sell at the markets, the men building new structures, kids running around playing. after getting back to town, we watched another beautiful sunset over the Mekong, and enjoyed the night market a bit.
tuesday morning i left luang prabang, arriving in vang vieng in the late afternoon. after getting to know the area a bit, i got a room then went to eat at an outdoor eatery dedicated to looping episode after episode of "Friends" on their tv's. it was nice actually! i haven't been watching any tv since being here (and missing the new season of LOST! ahhh, don't tell me what happens!!) so it was nice to see something familiar. yesterday i went tubing down the Nam Song and today i've searched out options for getting to vientiane tomorrow. i'm pretty sure i'm going to kayak. get ready, arms!!
i'll try to upload photos now... hopefully it'll work! hugs, kisses, love, Lauma
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