Relaxing in Vang Vieng

The main purpose of our visit to the small, yet beautiful, town of Vang Vieng was to catch up with some friends from Norway who had been working there for the past few months. On our first night there they gave us a little tour of the town, and we saw that there is not much in the town, however, it's surroundings are very picturesque.

The next day we decided to go for a little walk across the river to a small lagoon where we were told we could go swimming. As we walked along the long bumpy gravel road, we could see the karst hills in the background.

We paid a small fee to cross over a bridge, and we walked along the peaceful riverside area, taking in the scenery. The water in the river was surprisingly a deep turquoise blue.

Further along the river, we came to a park with seating areas, and next to this was the small lagoon. There was a cave you could swim in there, and the water was nice and refreshing.

After we had a dip in the water,  we decided to dry off in the sun, and then head back into town for lunch. There are many restaurants in Vang Vieng which have Japanese style sitting areas with low tables and cushions. We found these perfect for us to sit in, so that Charlotte could sit up by herself.

We have found that the food here is quite similar to what you will find on menus Thailand, though I have to say overall we enjoyed the food there much better.  There is however, a big French influence in Laos, and we have found baguettes, crepes, and french bakeries in all of the cities we have visited.

I am planning to do a separate food post in the future about some of the different dishes we have eaten so far.

Thanks for reading,
Hannah xx

Bus ride to Vang Vieng

Early last Wednesday morning we got a mini bus ride from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng. The road was extremely windy and in very poor condition, so for the first half of the journey I was feeling nauseous and holding on for dear life. By the time we had gone half way there I was feeling a lot better, and able to enjoy the scenery. I wrote down some things we saw on the bus trip to pass time.

We saw...

Farmers tending to their roadside crops.

Banana palms and papaya trees.

Ferns and tall grass.

Dramatic mountain peaks. 

Bamboo or wooden huts with tin roofs. 

Sometimes more grand brick houses painted lime green,  pink or purple, or aqua blue.

Laundry hanging out to dry.

Lots of greenery. 

Cows and goats and lots of chickens.

People trekking up the road carrying things on their backs.

Roadside stalls selling fruit perfectly stacked into pyramids. 

We made a lot of stops along the way for people being sick, which made our journey well over five hours. Charlotte was really good during the bus ride, and she slept a lot of the way. Probably because the road was so bumpy.

At the halfway point we made a stop at a beautiful viewing point of the mountains. We stopped there for five minutes but I could have stared at the landscape for hours. 

I was so glad when we came down into the valley and the road was less winding and bumpy. One of the worst things about travelling in SE Asia is the poor quality of the roads, and the terrible driving. Thankfully we made it okay,  and it could have been worse, according to the owner of our guesthouse in Vang Vieng, who took a bus to Kathmandu that had no brakes. Someone had to run outside the bus each time with a wooden wedge to brake the bus going up a hill. Crazy!

It is a different world here in Asia, that is for sure, but one thing that is still the same is that family is important, and as a family travelling around for 6 weeks so far, we have been treated really well. Everyone loves the blue eyed, blonde curly little girl that is Charlotte, and they take care of her just like they would their own babies. In restaurants, they give us bananas and other fruits to feed Charlotte; they come and pick her up and carry her around so that we can eat. Everyone that we have met has been very friendly and welcoming to us, especially because we have Charlotte with us. It really make travelling with her easier, when people are so kind to us.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading about our journey, and I'll be back soon with another update.

Hannah xx 

One Week in Luang Prabang

We arrived in Luang Prabang on the slow boat earlier in the day than we expected, which we were very happy about, as it gave us a chance to look around while the sun was still up.
We didn't have a place booked to stay, but we found one easily, right in the centre of town.
The whole town of Luang Prabang is actually a Unesco World Heritage site, and you can tell walking through the town that it has been very well preserved. The sidewalks are paved in beautiful red brick, and the buildings have a kind of European charm, with their painted shuttered windows, and vines and flowers growing next to them.
Here are my top five favourite things about the city, in no particular order:

1. Kuang Si Waterfall
We took a minibus from a travel agency in the centre of town, to travel to this beautiful natural wonder. The falls are many tiered cascades of turquoise blue water, with serval spots where you can swim in the pools. Even if you don't want to swim, there are plenty of trails to walk around, and sitting areas to just enjoy the peaceful atmosphere. At the end of the falls you can also visit the Asiatic Black Bear Rescue Centre. We really enjoyed our day trip to the falls.

2. River bed beach
At the end of the peninsula,  where the Mekong and Khan rivers meet, there is a beautiful park with steps leading down to the dry river bed "beach". This is where the river is at its lowest point in the dry season. At this point, there is a bridge to cross over to another part of the city. We just walked down to the water's edge, and I felt like we had found a little beach in landlocked- Laos.

3. Night market
Though definitely not as big as the Chiang Mai night bazaar, for example, this night market has a good atmosphere and is easy to navigate. At either end of the main street, and down most of the side streets, there are food stalls selling fruit shakes, crepes and baguettes, as well as Lao food. In between these stalls are the market stalls selling souvenirs, clothes, tea, Lao coffee, jewellery, and more.

4. The Mekong river at sunset
There are so many cafes and bars along the river where you can just sit and relax, and enjoy a fresh fruit shake or Beer Lao, and watch the sun go down by the palm tree lined riverside. This is a place where you can sit and daydream about the mountains and jungle beyond the river.

5. Mount Phousi
We took Charlotte in the ergo baby carrier up the many hundreds of steps up to see this fantastic view of the city. It was a good walk up, and although the steps were quite steep, it was worth it to enjoy the panorama.

Thanks for reading :)
Hannah xx