Trip to Northern Thailand – Laos – Bangkok

We have a number of yachting friends – Rubicon Star, Sea Bunny, El Misti and more, who have been to Laos and loved it and encouraged us to visit. So it was high on our list of things to do.  We talked about it with our Australian friends Julie and Steve of Aqua Dreams, who talked with her folks Lynn and Gary, and plans were finally made.

Steve, Julie, Gary, Lynn, Darrel and Loretta in Vang Vieng, Laos

 

Chiang Mai

On August 4, the six of us flew out of Phuket to Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand. Darrel and I had been there before and were looking forward to our return. Highlights: beautiful countryside, the old city inside the moat and walls, comfortable yet affordable accommodation, the night market, good food, great massages, a visit to waterfalls, and a lively cabaret with exotic lady-boys dancing and singing and strutting in flashy costumes.

Rice workers - not too busy to give us a smile.

But very very busy.

 

At some water falls - not too close to the edge.

A young dancer at the Dragon Temple.

More young entertainers at the Dragon Temple.

Lynn and Gary in front of some of the glitter.

"Ring my bell".

At the colourful cabaret.

 

Chiang Rai

On August 7, the six of us hired a mini-van and driver to take us to Chiang Rai, the northernmost city in Thailand (founded in 1262). On the way, we stopped at some hot springs where we could have cooked some eggs (we had hot chocolate instead) and then at the absolutely amazing White Temple, aka Wat Rong Khun, which was designed by Chalermchai Kositpipat from Thailand. Construction on the temple began in 1997 and is ongoing. I think the photos give a pretty good idea of how fabulous it is.

No eggs for us, thanks.

 

The White Temple - breathtaking.

... and sometimes strange.

... and sometimes silly.

... but always photogenic.

 

 

 

Chiang Rai is situated on the “golden triangle” of Burma, Thailand and Laos. We had lots of fun having our picture taken on the same spot but with each different country in the background.

That would be Laos.

 

And that would be Myanmar (Burma).

And this would be Thailand.

Highlights: the night market (yes, we spent a lot of time browsing the markets but bought very little because we had no room in our small luggage), a free trolley tour of the city, massages, and a flood. While we were enjoying a tasty Thai meal at the night market, the sky opened up. We walked back to our rooms in pouring rain, lightning and thunder and through several inches of water in the streets, and even confronted a water snake. Luckily, our guest house was high and dry.

Not the driver of the free tour bus.

Our tour stopped at a number of temples.

This Buddha is made from Canadian jade.

These statues reminded us of totem poles.

It took time, but I finally got the gong to hum.

City clock tower:
designed by same artist who did the White Temple.

Guys - always trying to figure out how things are made.

Looks like this poor fellow has a mold growth on his wings.

Our high-and-dry guest house.

 

The Slow Boat to Laos

On August 9, the six of us took a ferry across to Laos. Customs and immigration went smoothly with the help of a handler, but, looking back, I think we could have easily done it ourselves and saved a few dollars.

Welcome to Laos - land of the slow boats.

 

We then caught the two-day slow-boat to take us south via the mighty and muddy Mekong River, which originates in the Tibetan Plateau and runs through China, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. We had taken a boat ride in the Mekong Delta a while back when we were visiting Vietnam, and found it a gentle, friendly waterway. It runs a lot more furiously up north.

 The slow boat was crammed with backpackers so the mood was lively, except when we were all told to sit down when we were passing through shallows and rapids. Navigating this river with all its rapids and obstacles is not an easy thing, so we heeded all warnings from the captain.

A view of the countryside.

Standing up to see the view ... before the rapids.

 

The scenery along the river was beautiful, with little sign of civilization. We made a few stops to drop off villagers and supplies for villages, so got a wee peek at the way they live … rudimentary it would seem. But my gosh they live in magical surroundings.

A fisherman on the Mekong.

 

A village on the Mekong.

Dropped-off villagers.

Rain around the corner.

Village huts.

Wow.

 

For the first night of our slow-boat trip, which took about five hours, we stayed in a very basic room with a bathroom in the small riverside city of Pak Bang, Laos for a cost of about $7.00 Canadian. The owner of the guest house was friendly and accommodating and cooked us up a very yummy dinner and breakfast and even made us some sandwiches for the next leg of our river trip, all for reasonable prices.

The guest house.

The second day on the slow-boat, which lasted about eight hours, was much like the first, except that the backpackers were all quiet in that hung-over fashion that was once familiar to us, and except that the boat was quite a bit nicer than the first day’s. We could see the spectacular view without having to stand up, which was appreciated when we once again hit the rapids.

Children greeting the slow boat.

The scenery changed on day two.

Sitting while sight-seeing.

 

Luang Prabang

On August 10, we landed at Luang Prabang, Laos, a lovely ancient city situated where the rivers Mekong and Nam Khan meet. It’s small – about 50,000 people, but it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site so lots of money has been spent on it and it is very well kept. It’s easy to walk around on well-maintained sidewalks (unusual in S.E. Asia) to see the shops, restaurants, tour agents, and ATMs that help you to enjoy all that is to offer. $1.00 Canadian buys about 8,000 kip, so for a short while, we were millionaires.

Again, we found affordable but comfortable rooms, and were lucky that the guest house was next-door to a delicious eatery that served fresh-baked breads and pastries and good meals. It was our favourite hangout. Other highlights: the market, the national museum, the incredible Kuang Si waterfalls and it’s numerous pools, massages, an 83 year old Laotion lady who lived in Winnipeg for many years, doing business with a less-than-honest tour agent (we got our money back), and meeting two lovely ladies from the Asian Development Bank who helped us get rooms for our next stop – which was a very harrowing bus ride away.

The team in the museum grounds.

The team on the way to the museum.

Darrel amongst the glitter.

As Julie would say, "Strike the pose".

The guest house family cleaning up rug glue.

It was funny seeing my laundry drying in the street.

Lynn and Darrel acting up at a refreshment stand.

People swimming at the falls.

A young lad jumping in the falls. His dad went first.

A pretty shot of the falls.

Darrel deciding to go for a swim.

 

Vang Vieng

On August 13 (maybe the date should have been a warning), the six of us along with two sweet Irish lasses hired a mini-van and driver to take us to Vang Vieng, which is the halfway point between Luang Prabang and Vientiane (which would be our last stop in Laos). Because of a mixup with the less-than-honest tour agent, we had nearly decided to skip our visit to Vang Vieng. But the two lovely ladies from the Asian Development Bank, who happened to be sitting in our guest-house lobby while we were dealing with our travel dilemmas, encouraged us to visit Van Vieng and graciously arranged our rooms for us.

 We left at 2:00 p.m. and arrived at 9:00 p.m. – about two hours later than normal. I’ll try to find the right words to describe the condition of the mountain road: treacherous, washed out in many places, obstructed by fallen trees, rutted, flooded, mucky, winding, narrow, steep on both sides at times, unpredictable and frightening. At one point, where there was a fresh landslide wherein a front-end loader had become buried, we thought we might have to turn back. We didn’t. We ignored the driving rain, the close lightning and thunder and road conditions and continued on our way. Our driver was excellent and calm, and none of us lost our cool, with many of us actually enjoying the wild adventure (easy to say once we arrived safely). Because of the rain and then the falling darkness, we were unable to get many pictures.  But the images are burnt into our memories.

Quite a view from the mountain road.

More of the view.

A roadside stop - road still okay but sky turning mean.

We saw many huts perched on the side of the road.

A cleared landslide.

It looked pretty bad at this point.

Vang Vieng Thavisouk Hotel:
Loretta, recording "phew" in her journal.

 

We were pleased with our accommodation in Vang Vieng, and were able to avoid the loud and touristy area of town that the guide books warn against. We did not go tubing on the Nam Song River. Considering the iffy safety standards and increased river flow, we gave it a pass. Nor did we go exploring the limestone karsts or caves because the paths were thickly muddy from the recent downpour. But we loved the scenery and the serenity of the area of town we were in. We hiked along a not-too-muddy trail and met lots of locals. We hired a tuk-tuk to tour around the town. We got massages. Then we spent a leisurely evening at a riverside restaurant enjoying the mountain air, a good meal, and a pleasant chat with the Laotian lady who ran the place. Sometime in this busy day, we all caught a cough, but have all since recovered.

Our hotel - flashy compared to most.



The awesome view from the hotel.

A motorized ox cart.

Gary, Loretta & Steve crossing the bridge.

Locals in their motorized cart.

Walking out in the country.

This sign didn't convince us. The path was pretty muddy.

Everyone wondering if we should try the path.

A farmer in her field.

A local on the muddy path. We didn't follow.

Some new construction in Vang Vieng.

A school playground.

 

Vientiane

On August 15 the six of us and a few others caught a mini-bus to Vientiane. During the four-hour drive, we noticed the surroundings getting more modern. Vientiane itself was busy and noisy, and it took us four tries before we found suitable cheap accommodations. There were many seedy hotels in our part of town, but we eventually found something comfortable and central, and were able to walk to the river (hello once again, Mighty Mekong), the market, and restaurants. We hired a tuk-tuk for a city tour and fell in love with this capital city of Laos. Unfortunately, we didn't have our camera with us on the tour.

 

Back to Thailand – Nong Khai

August 16: At this point in the trip, Darrel and I parted ways with our travel buddies. The four of them went to Udon Thani (going east) to stay with a friend. We headed south, catching a bus across the Friendship Bridge between Laos and Thailand, and spending the day in Nong Khai.

 Twice on this day we were told “no tickets available”, first for the trip across the bridge, second for the sleeper train to Ayutthaya, but both times we persisted and managed to get tickets for both.

In Nong Khai, we hired a tuk-tuk driver for the better part of the afternoon. He took us to the train station so we could buy our tickets, and then took Darrel and I and our new friend Himi from Okinawa, Japan (Himi – we hope you weren’t affected by the August 26 typhoon) to the “Sala Kaew Ku” site. There we found a park with a variety of big Buddhist and Hindu statues sculpted by an exiled-mystic native of Laos in 1978. It was a good way to spend a day, especially with Himi along. She explained to us how the effects of the 2011 tsunami are still being felt, and we felt sad for her yet we were amazed (as we always are when we meet lone travellers) at her courage to backpack around S.E. Asia on her own.

Darrel and Himi.

Loretta and Himi.

 

Sleeper Train to Ayutthaya

August 16 still: On the same day that we crossed the Friendship Bridge between Laos and Thailand, we caught the sleeper train from Nong Khai and headed south to Ayutthaya. Our tuk-tuk driver had taken us to a 7-11 so we could stock up on snacks, but we later discovered we could have ordered supper on the train. We left at 6:30 p.m., the porter made up our beds at 9:00 p.m. (top and bottom berths), and we enjoyed a very comfortable sleep. Everything on the train was clean – a different experience from our adventures in Vietnam and India.

 

On August 17, at 7:30 a.m., we arrived in Ayutthaya. Darrel had picked out a guest house, so we had a tuk-tuk driver take us directly there. We got a “room with a view”, ate breakfast, then rented two bicycles to tour this “fallen town” (which used to be one of the world’s largest cities in the 1700s before it was destroyed by the Burmese army).  It is full of ruins. We spent a lot of time in the Ayutthaya historical park - the ruins of the former capital of the Kingdom of Siam. In the evening, we walked the streets, shopped in the department store (and rather enjoyed the air-conditioning), and ate noodles on the side of the street with some locals.

Our view.

Cycling through the back streets.

Some renewal is happening.

In the historical park.

This is a hot tourist spot.

I splurged on new accessories at a market.

The steps were not "user friendly".

The ruins are very ruined.

We've never seen a lawn mower quite like this before.

Nor have we seen a 3-wheeler this colour!

Once they hauled logs, now they haul tourists.

The funky steps in our guest house.

 

Bangkok

On August 18 at 9:00 a.m. we caught a mini-van to Bangkok, population 12 million plus, with a bunch of locals. We arrived at the Victory Monument at 10:30 and then caught a metered taxi (cheap – unlike Phuket) to the backpacker district. We managed to get a room in the “Rambuttri Village Inn”, one of the nicer places in the area, and breathed a sigh of relief. Shortly after, everything decent was booked solid. And this was the “low” season.

This part of Bangkok is a lot of fun. Tourists (mostly much younger than us) come from all over the world. There are restaurants, shops, tour agents and massage parlours galore. Just a short walk away is the Chao Phraya River (not flooding, phew), a peaceful park, amazing temples, and a bustling local market. For a cheap taxi ride, we got to the train station, took the subway, connected with the sky train, and set foot in a very expensive high-rise mall. We were shopping for Kindle accessories, but had no luck, and didn’t bother to window shop.

For a couple of nights, the rain poured down, so Darrel and I zipped to the 7-11, got ourselves some chocolate bars and red wine, and went back to our room to watch movies. Yes, that’s what we did in Bangkok.

The sky train rail.

A pedestrian-friendly street in backpacker district.

Lining up for Pad Thai.

Eating in the street ... we've done this.

 

But that’s not all: On August 20 we took a tour to the town of Kanchanaburi – home of the Bridge on the River Kwai and a war cemetery where we paid our respects to many dead soldiers from WWII. In 1942, the Japanese forced locals and allied prisoners of war to build the infamous Burma Railway and construct the bridge. Many of the workers died from disease, brutality and accidents.

I wish we could have spent more time paying our respects at the war cemetery. The inscriptions on the tomb stones were very touching. We were disappointed with the trashy tourist stands around the bridge. And our ride on the “Death Railway” was nearly like an amusement park ride. We were not impressed. We were saddened by news that the “Death Railway” continues to kill. The day before, the train had collided with a car on a crossing, killing the driver, his wife, and two children. Still, the next day, it was a carnival atmosphere.  Totally not appropriate.

 

The tour included a trip to the Saiyok Noi waterfall, where we stayed longer than the others because we skipped the Tiger Temple (we’re tired of visiting caged animals). We also skipped the museum visit, which we understand was a good move … no one we spoke to enjoyed the museum. Our time at the falls was relaxing; we got to cool our feet, watch the local children play, and take photographs for other couples. It was a big day – 12 hours of touring – and we capped it off with a bottle of wine and a couple of chocolate bars from 7-11.  We are so predictable.

 

August 21 saw us meandering around Bangkok and visiting sites within walking distance. It really is a great city. We experienced some sadness when we stopped to chat to an old Thai woman sitting on a bench in the street, who spoke perfect English. She had married an American, moved there with him and gave birth to a daughter, and has since been abandoned by both. Yet she still smiles at passers-by.



We saw some nice parts of the city on our riverside walk.

The taxis, affordable compared to Phuket, come in all colours.

 

Then a big treat: a swim in the 5^th floor outdoor pool at our hotel. Mmmm good. And the scenery was good too. Then, since we missed our steak dinner on the 16^th (Sweet 16 Day), we went out for steak. Mmmm good. Oh yes, then we had wine and chocolate bars in our room. We are so predictable.

View from the pool.

Another view from the pool.

 

Heading home to Phuket

On August 22, we started the day with a wholesome breakfast, massages, clean laundry, leisurely warm showers and then a pizza lunch. We love Thai food but sometimes we just have to have some salami. We had booked the 6:30 p.m. sleeper train to Surathani (a few hours drive from Phuket), and needed to kill time after our noon check-out from the hotel.

We caught a taxi to the train station, checked our luggage, and then walked around the area. It’s exciting to see all the rebuilding going on. I wish they’d start on the railway station (Step 1: Get rid of cockroaches).

 

We walked to the Trimit Wat that is home to the Gold Buddha. Wow. Double wow.  This statue, origins unclear – maybe 13^th or 14^th century, is 5.5 tonnes of 18 karat gold (with a mixture of purity). It had been covered in plaster long ago and was only rediscovered in 1955. What a find.

Bangkok has many pretty canals.

Home of the gold Buddha.

Wow,

From ever angle, it was amazing.

 

We wandered back to the train station and its cockroaches in the late afternoon, caught the 6:30 sleeper train (which was much rocker and noisier than the one from Nong Khai, but still clean) and ordered some soup from the porter.

August 23: We arrive in Surathani on time, anxious to catch our 9:30 a.m connecting VIP bus to Phuket. It doesn’t show. We wait until 12:30 and are loaded into a mini-van with four other Canadians and two Texans, all disgruntled by our missed connections. One of the female Canadian backpackers, who strongly complained to the tour operator, says to the rest of us: “We Canadians are polite … TO A POINT.”

 The mini-van gets us to Phuket in good time. He drops us off at a grocery store so we can pick up a few supplies. We call a taxi driver that we know and he picks us up and gets us safely home to the Dewa.

 Ah, back to our own pillows. Good to be home. We celebrated with wine and chocolate. We are so predictable.

In Closing

I read this in Wikipedia: Brett Dakin, the author of Another Quiet American, a chronicle of two years in Laos working for the tourist authority, said, "Each time a young Australian woman strolls down the street in a bikini, a bearded American smokes a joint on a guesthouse terrace, or a group of Koreans tumbles drunkenly out of a restaurant, it saps a little more of the essence of a town like Vang Vieng."

I just want to say that our experience was different. The backpackers we met were mostly very charming, polite, and appropriately-dressed travellers. They know that their travels have made them better educated about the world. They are dismayed at the uneven distribution of wealth in the world and the lack of progress regarding protection of the environment. They are good people and they are sharing their hard-earned money with S.E. Asians. They deserve kudos, not criticism.

And one last note: Our tans faded during our three-week trip. Our Thai friends here in Phuket often hold up their arms against ours and comment that we “look Thai”. Not anymore. They are all amazed at how white we have become, and a few have advised us that we need to get some more sun. “You should go back to your boat”, said one of them. We will, soon.

All the best to all of you,

Loretta & Darrel, only temporarily white