Laos!

I arrived in Vientiane, Laos by plane and took a taxi into town to find a place to stay. I settled on a little hostel in the center of town. The amenities were not great, and air con was only available at night, but it was around $5 a night, so I made it work!

Vientiane is the capital city, but to be honest, I didn't find anything too exciting there. I had originally planned on taking a bike tour, but unfortunately that did not work out, so I was left to explore on my own. On my second night, I took an overnight bus to Luang Prabang, a city in central Laos. I had a much better experience there.

The bus was really interesting. There were three rows, and each row had a top and bottom. Each person had a tiny reclining seat. I was about the maximum height to still be able to sleep comfortably. I felt really bad for the guy in front of me, who was easily over 6 feet tall. In the back of the bus, there were three seats all together, with no barriers. A French guy was assigned one of those in between two Lao men and was incredibly uncomfortable. It was funny, but I am glad it wasn't me!

Upon arrival in Luang Prabang, I again found accommodation. This time I got a very reasonable prices single room, but sadly it did not have AC. My fan was working overtime! During my time in Luang Prabang I also had a paper due for one of my classes, so a lot of time was spend in coffee shops finishing that up. Luckily, I got it done on time, and I was fairly pleased with the quality.

My favorite day in Laos was spent on a motorbike. About 30 kilometres out of town, there are waterfalls. The drive was beautiful, and brought me through mountains, small country towns and beautiful landscapes. It was also fun being on a motorbike, and made me eager to get back on my little Suzuki soon! It was pretty easy to get a hang of the motorbike. It was only 110cc, and while it was a manual, there was no clutch to worry about.

Another highlight was the night market. At the edge of the river, there is a market that is only open at night. It is about a kilometre long, and is just filled with stalls and shops. It was so fun to wander through and look at the different wares. I picked out a few souvenirs (including a beautiful Lao skirt called a Sinh), but the real highlight was the street food. There was so much, and it was all delicious.

If it hasn't been made clear yet, I am a street food nut. It is usually incredibly delicious, but also really inexpensive and authentic. Actually, I am just a food nut in general. I think the best way to learn about a culture is through food and dining experiences. I love how collective and involved dining in Asia is, and the huge varieties of food that are available. While I loved travelling on my own, if I had someone else with me I could have sampled twice as much food!

From Luang Prabang I flew into Bangkok to start my Thai adventure, the last leg of my short journey through SE Asia.

I ended up with so many currencies during this trip! This is US dollars, Chinese Yuan, Vietnamese Dong and  Lao Kip. In Thailand I added some Baht to the pile. My wallet was stuffed. Sadly, the total value was relatively low.

Roasting whole fish over charcoal was popular in many countries, but it was most delicious in Laos. This fish cost the equivalent of $1.

A local house on my way to the falls.

Beautiful landscapes.

My trusty steed.

The night bus. It was an interesting ride.

The largest of the waterfalls.

Riding through amazing scenery.

There was a bonus bear sanctuary at the waterfall! I love bears.

At the foot of the falls, there were these beautiful pools to swim in. It was fun, but little fish kept biting my feet, which I didn't like.

Night Market.

Here comes the street food! First off, a fruit shake.

There were many buffets that would sell one plate with as much food as you could fit for around $1.

Beer Lao and spring rolls!

Lots of roasted fish and meat varieties.

Sticky rice. The green chili sauce was incredibly hot. The girl who sold it warned me, and she wasn't lying! Most of my beer was consumed trying to put out the fire.

Lao potsticker

The Luang Prabang airport is the smallest I have ever been to.

Check in counter. There were only four total.

We walked right out to the plane. There were only two planes at the airport: Ours, and one that had just flown in. I think only two airlines use the airport!