Roadtripping Laos – A Travelogue

[englandmj7]

Analyst’s post about Cambodia reminded me that I should write up a little summary of my trip in Laos, as it will inevitably be a travel destination for many Supergays in the future.

This past December/January, a group of 7 of us left Pattaya, Thailand in two SUVs to drive through Thailand and into Laos. First stop: Vientiane, the capital of Laos. Took about 12 hours to get to the Lao border and about 4 hours just to get through all the goddamned red tape at the immigration center (particularly because we were bringing Thai vehicles in). Vientiane is as sleepy as a country’s capital can get. With a population of only 200,000 people, it is unlike any other Asian capital I’ve ever been to. The most common activity is drinking Beerlao along the banks of the Mekong, where locals have built decks housing restaurants & bars stretching as far as the eye can see. A one liter bottle of Beerlao is $1 (US) at virtually every establishment in the country ($1.25 if you are in one of Laos’ small handful of nightclubs). Spent 3 days here visiting temples, markets, hanging out with other backpackers, riding bicycles around the city and drinking heavily.

From there it was on to Vang Vieng, a haven for young, drug-seeking backpackers visiting Laos. Situated along the Nam Seung river, surrounded by massive rock karsts and dense jungle, Vang Vieng is an outdoor enthusiast’s paradise: the most popular activity here being floating down the river in a rented inner-tube wasted out of your fucking mind. The riverside is littered with dozens of bars offering mushroom milkshakes, weed sprinkled French fries, and of course, lots of Beerlao. The bars also blare music at ungodly levels and wave furiously upon your approach in hopes of enticing you to choose their establishment over the next. Please note, every one of these bars ONLY plays the following music: Bob Marley, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and more Bob Marley….that’s it. Whilst floating away, trusty Beerlao in hand, and “Fortunate Son” blaring across the water, one can’t help but feel like they’re in a scene from ‘Apocalypse Now.’ After floating from sun-up to sun-down, we hit up the bars and restaurants in town. Our hotel was the best in the area, with great looking rooms, teak furniture and air conditioning (a luxury in parts of the country), all for the absorbitant price of $30.

Nevermind the Jesus sandals, stupid grin, and devil horns sign (apparently, it's still cool).......

[englandmj7]

The Plain of Jars is located in the tiny town of Phonsavan (still happens to be one of the largest in Laos) and contains hundreds of stone relics that, to this day, no one has any fucking clue about. Phonsavan was approximately a 6 hour drive from Vang Vieng along treacherous mountain roads. There are only two highways in Laos, and even they are only two lanes wide (one on each side). Because of the poor roads and continual elevation change, a 50 mile trip can take over two hours. Phonsavan is a sleepy place and there really isn’t much to see except jars…..yes, here are some pictures of jars.

Last stop was definitely the most popular destination in Laos. Lunag Prabang is several hundred kilometers north of Vientiane and has an entirely different vibe than anywhere else in Laos. It is the old capital of Laos, and certainly the cultural capital. Littered with beautiful French colonial mansions (Laos was a French colony at one point), and even more beautiful French food, Luang Prabang is about as scenic as a city can get. It is surrounded by two rivers and is bustling with art galleries, traditional crafts, trendy bookshops, cafes, upscale hotels and monks…..lots of monks. There were a ton of amazing restaurants here, which, coupled with an average meal cost of $3 (at a nice restaurant), made eating a retarded amount of food a common occurrence.

Unfortunately for this story, all of the tits, prostitutes, ladyboys and ping-pong shows stayed back over the border in Thailand. The sex trade in Laos is non-existent, crime is virtually non-existent, and the people are as laid back as anywhere you’ll find in the world. The country is growing very slowly, but that isn’t stopping tourism. In Luang Prabang, the amount of tourists outweighed the local population by a staggering amount, and I can see why. Visit Laos.

[djrajio]

EPIC POST. I can't rep you! Gah. Thanks for the info and pics England. I really wish Sufu had more travelling logs like this!

[azn8oi]

very nice writeup.

ha. don't you own a pair of christos?

p.s. this was definitely funner than visiting sf for the self-edge party.

[azn8oi]

on a scale of 1-10 how scary was that?

I've always wanted to try that shit.

[englandmj7]

Thanks for the compliments.

on a scale of 1-10 how scary was that?

I've always wanted to try that shit.

Wasn't really scary other than the fact that the whole structure was held together by thin logs/rope and the majority of the river at that point was shallow and filled with rocks. Every bar had huge rope swings; I don't suggest using them whilst high, which unfortunately, 75% of the people using them were.

[Analyst]

England,

Nice work. I've heard amazing things about Laos, namely Luang Prabang.

Great post and pics. Next time, let me know when you're going to be in the area...

[poly800rock]

thank you england, will rep when i can. this is the reason i came to superfuture....your post and analyst's post are what keep me going. fucking insane. i need to get back asap. supergay Southeast Asia meetup should be in the works. who gives a flying fuck about clothes! I'm hitting up Bosnia this summer...

[Analyst]

The Balkans are my dream destination: Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Albania, etc. That sounds like a great trip. Make sure you write about it, too! A good read for the trip is "Black Lamb and Grey Falcon" by Rebecca West (1934). Some old-school shit about travelling in the Balkans.

I'm glad that there's some real appetite for the travel writing. Keep it up!

[azn8oi]

Analyst if you ever head there, please establish a company named "ted". I've been wanting to register www.ted.yu for years. Only companies located within the former Yugoslavia region can register.

thanks. will pay with rep.

[Cordwinder]

Great Post.. +rep

[mrip]

fucking jealous

[mike lowrey]

thanks, great write up!

[azn8oi]

or you can send me there. i'd try my best.

[adrian]

Great post! Love this picture.. +rep

[spacemanvt]

awesome write up.

[spacemanvt]

awesome write up.

[xcoldricex]

thank you england, will rep when i can. this is the reason i came to superfuture....your post and analyst's post are what keep me going. fucking insane. i need to get back asap. supergay Southeast Asia meetup should be in the works. who gives a flying fuck about clothes! I'm hitting up Bosnia this summer...

THIS WOULD BE DOPE. i'm free the very end of june....

thanks for the post england. need to get to laos/cambodia

[englandmj7]

Just found out that Anthony Bourdain is going to be doing an episode of "No Reservations" in Laos. Should be out in the next couple weeks and will be available on iTunes. It's surprising how little there has been on Laos in the vein of travel shows..........

[GiantEnemyCrab]

Very nice work.