Look Out Laos Here We Come
Luang Prabang, Laos: 11-12th November
Woke up this morning a little groggy but ready for a travel day, so after a shower in a room that had an opened condom wrapper on the floor – lovely – I was packed and ready to go. It was going to be a bit of a pain of a journey because it was a Saturday. On Saturdays there aren’t direct flights from Chaing Mai to Laos apparently, so it is a flight back to Bangkok for a layover and then a flight to Luang Prabang, our Laos destination. Having said that though, the journey goes fairly smoothly; getting a visa was a bit of a pain but luckily I had Nicole helping me fill out the form which we both fecked up a little and had to correct in the queue. It was sad saying goodbye to Prae who I offered my Dragon Trip passport holder that I got from China, which she loved. To be honest I was thankful for a travel day, feel like I needed a day of rest after a couple of nights partying.
Once we had landed and met our new guide, Neng, sorted out sims and got some cash out, we loaded onto the buses and headed off to our hostel. Those who had paid to upgrade rooms were in a hotel across the road and I was in a room with the boys, Louis, Charlotte, Elain, Zara and Lydia. Once settled into the rooms we all slowly shower and get ready while having a good old natter before heading out to dinner. We are taken to a rooftop bar where Alex, Louis, Jon and I share about five or six dishes between us before polishing off a couple of the girl’s left over pizzas. After dinner the group breaks off into smaller groups as we all slowly make our way through the night market. The boys and I don’t last too long before we are back to the bar area sharing a beer before heading to bed for a relatively early night.




Cock fighting
(click on the top right hand icon)
The next day was a fairly early rise by my standards: 8am, but I didn’t mind today, the boys and I had opted for the bike tour. No one else in our group wanted to do it so we had to pay a little extra but it was a bike tour by Neng. We cycled through Luang Prabang, down to the Mekong river before loading onto a ferry to cross over and then cycle for two and half miles (I initially struggle up the hill) before reaching Ban Chanh, the pottery village. Once there we request a quick stop for tea and coffee before beginning our tour of the pottery village. The village itself became a pottery village when a french man set up a massive communal kiln and work station for the village which is divided into groups of people who take turns using the area. The villagers then keep 70% of the profit from the variety of things they make, from massive pots to little figurines. It is hard work with people having to man the fires for days at a time and for what is better than before, but still little pay. Annoyingly when we get there it is a holiday so although a family is working the kiln the area isn’t really up and running. Luckily for us an older gentlemen offers to give us a demonstration of some the work they do there.










After we have seen and learnt about all the pottery, we happen to come across a roadside cockfighting ring which we ask Neng if we can see, out of some sort of morbid curiosity. It was amazing to see that they really care for their cocks, bathing them before and after every fight with real devotion They also tape down the back claw of the cocks which is how, in the wild, they would deliver the death blow. Lots of money is bet by the locals on the fight we watch, which ends when one of the owners throws in the red towel, worried that his fighter is becoming tired and injured. Neng tells us it will be months before the cock fights again, with all the fighting cocks being treated like prize possessions by their owners. Still, it is not the easiest thing to watch, but fascinating.


Once we are back from our biking and the others are back from their activities the group make our way to the Kuang Si Waterfall, on the Kuang Si river, a small tributary of the mighty Mekong, which is over 3,000 miles long. Now this is a real waterfall. A beautiful area with three different levels you can swim in. On our way up we even pass a bear sanctuary. The top pool has lovely water to swim in and is gorgeous on a hot day. There is also a bunch of young monks in training enjoying the water, which is nice to see. At one of the levels we find a tree to dive/jump off so, Alex being Alex, challenges me to a belly flop contest and, me being me, accepts. I come out of the water red, like really red but luckily the sting isn’t too bad! After we are all done at the waterfall the group heads back to the hostel to chill and play some games of pool on the roof before dinner.






For dinner we head to a restaurant round the corner and I order a pork rib soup which is rather nice. I am sitting next to Poppy who is a flexitarian (although she hates the term) who has a sesame allergy so, as you can imagine, someone who can be a little bit of a pain in the arse to sit next to in a restaurant in Laos. She orders the shrimp that come out looking good but like they often do come out in their shells and she doesn’t want to or doesn’t know how to get to the meat so I have to do it and I do. Bit of a shit job so end up sharing some of my soup although she does avoid the ribs. After the mess that was dinner we head to the local shop to buy some whisky and drinks and head to the roof for pool, games and drinks. After a few games of pool I get into a Dobble game with Charlotte, Elain, Lydia and Zara and I don’t fair too well. Elain is maybe the most competitive person I have met and I am drunker than all four of them combined but, although I may not have been victorious, it was fun nevertheless and a good way to end the day!






Ban Chan potter
(click on the top right hand icon)
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