8 years on - Natural Light II
Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang (12/12/97)
Awaken to natural light & roosters ~8am. Salty omelette & café nom (800k) for breakfast. (US$~1,200kip). Leave for bus stop ~10am and see the Swedes, 2 from last night + 2 more, complete with Miles Davis on a portable tape player. A tuk tuk with an Italian and a German sit around waiting. The driver comes over and strikes up a “5 person, 5kk” deal. We hop in. It’s not too crowded but tiny slats limit scenery views. One of the locals takes an interest first in one of the Swede’s spectacles, then in Hannah! Quite funny as he offers money for both.
One-and-a-half hours later, we’re at Kasi. The trip from here to Luang Prabang is another 6-7 hours & 7kk. Our driver is now demanding 1.5kk from each of us and after a long, barely communicable – my Lao, his English – exchange, we finally settle on the 1kk arrangement. Genuine misunderstanding? Or rip-off attempt. Hard to say…..
After a bus fails to show up in 20-30 minutes, we give in to the same guy’s offer of 7kk to Luang Prabang. Meanwhile, Christoph and Regis arrive with a public bus close behind. The bus is full and only roof seating is available. We hop into the tuk tuk and after 10 seconds, pile out because the driver decides not to go to Luang Prabang.
I walk the 100 yards to the bus and decide to roof it for 7kk. Am concerned about sun exposure,.
Everyone else comes along and we’re all on the roof. I, together with Christoph & Regis have spaces in a basket-like section atop the driver’s cabin. The rest are all piled on top of the luggage tarp.
Key points:
1. Beautiful scenery, consisting of dramatic limestone karsts and rolling green hills. Guilin-like relief.
2. Children of the hills
3. Cute little (and big) pigs
4. The cold air!!
My snowboarding jacket soon makes its appearance from the pack. Only one brief toilet stop on the way up the windy road. Condition is good except for the odd landslide section. Bus goes awfully slow up & down the hills. Watch the milestones for Xieng Nguen pass agonizingly slowly.
Finally arrive ~7pm, some 6-1/2 hour hours later. Many of the guesthouses are full and we end up at Manilath. Get a single with shared hot-water shower, which is so-so but oh-so preferred to bone-chilling after the rooftop freezedown, for 5kk.
Make our way out for dinner and splurge at the Lane Xang Luang Prabang where the new, cheaper menu is debutting. The Swedes turn up a little later. Our dinner indulgence is ~ 7kk per person. In bed by 11pm, eyelids droopy, nose sniffly. In fact all our noses were – Christoph, Regis and the German too.
Awaken to natural light & roosters ~8am. Salty omelette & café nom (800k) for breakfast. (US$~1,200kip). Leave for bus stop ~10am and see the Swedes, 2 from last night + 2 more, complete with Miles Davis on a portable tape player. A tuk tuk with an Italian and a German sit around waiting. The driver comes over and strikes up a “5 person, 5kk” deal. We hop in. It’s not too crowded but tiny slats limit scenery views. One of the locals takes an interest first in one of the Swede’s spectacles, then in Hannah! Quite funny as he offers money for both.
One-and-a-half hours later, we’re at Kasi. The trip from here to Luang Prabang is another 6-7 hours & 7kk. Our driver is now demanding 1.5kk from each of us and after a long, barely communicable – my Lao, his English – exchange, we finally settle on the 1kk arrangement. Genuine misunderstanding? Or rip-off attempt. Hard to say…..
After a bus fails to show up in 20-30 minutes, we give in to the same guy’s offer of 7kk to Luang Prabang. Meanwhile, Christoph and Regis arrive with a public bus close behind. The bus is full and only roof seating is available. We hop into the tuk tuk and after 10 seconds, pile out because the driver decides not to go to Luang Prabang.
I walk the 100 yards to the bus and decide to roof it for 7kk. Am concerned about sun exposure,.
Everyone else comes along and we’re all on the roof. I, together with Christoph & Regis have spaces in a basket-like section atop the driver’s cabin. The rest are all piled on top of the luggage tarp.
Key points:
1. Beautiful scenery, consisting of dramatic limestone karsts and rolling green hills. Guilin-like relief.
2. Children of the hills
3. Cute little (and big) pigs
4. The cold air!!
My snowboarding jacket soon makes its appearance from the pack. Only one brief toilet stop on the way up the windy road. Condition is good except for the odd landslide section. Bus goes awfully slow up & down the hills. Watch the milestones for Xieng Nguen pass agonizingly slowly.
Finally arrive ~7pm, some 6-1/2 hour hours later. Many of the guesthouses are full and we end up at Manilath. Get a single with shared hot-water shower, which is so-so but oh-so preferred to bone-chilling after the rooftop freezedown, for 5kk.
Make our way out for dinner and splurge at the Lane Xang Luang Prabang where the new, cheaper menu is debutting. The Swedes turn up a little later. Our dinner indulgence is ~ 7kk per person. In bed by 11pm, eyelids droopy, nose sniffly. In fact all our noses were – Christoph, Regis and the German too.
posted by jngah @ 10:40 AM
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