Our next destination was Vang Vieng… a city well-known on the one hand for its parties and tubing activities and on the other hand, for its amazing mountain landscapes. As mentioned in the Lonely Planet, “you like it or you hate it” ;-) For us, let say that we didn’t fall in love with the city but we enjoyed a 35km bicycle ride in the surroundings.  We drove through local villages, rice paddies,… Really nice landscapes but the last kilometers have been a bit though as again we were riding on paths with hundreds of stones… no roads!

In the evening, we joined two “Quebecois”, Jasmin and Charles,  in order to practice our Old French expressions ;-) We had a good time laughing around a Lao Fondue… We definitely ate too much but it was sooooo good! J

In Laos, you have to know that most of the backpackers are heading to the same cities so we had the pleasure to share again the same minibus/hostel as Rachel, Joe, Fabien and Matt J Patrik did not follow us as he felt in love with the famous plain of jaaaaars ;-)

After two days in Vang Vieng, it was time again to take a bus (this time a bigger one) to Vientiane… the capital of Laos.  This is the most industrialized city of the country… We enjoyed a walk around the city passing by the Morning market (lasting until 5PM) where Marjan bought a watch, some temples, a “duplicate” of the Paris Arc de Triomphe,…

In the afternoon, by chance, we met again our backpackers friends on a terrace.  We shared a tuk tuk with Joe and Rachel to go to the Buddha Park… This park is located at about 25km from Vientiane and is full of Buddhist and Hindu sculptures. Check the pictures below… quite fascinating!

Our Laos experience has already come to its end L We are currently in the plane for Siem Reap in Cambodia!  See you there for new adventures…

25-01-2011 om 12:53 geschreven door Marjan & Isa  

Here we are and in good health this time J

Below some updates about the two next cities/sites we have been visiting after leaving the famous jungle… Luang Prabang and the Plain of jars.

What to say about Luang Prabang… in the Lonely Planet, the city is described as “the most sophisticated, photogenic city in the whole of South East Asia”. The tone is given… The city atmosphere is really nice.  Relaxing on a terrace is a sport on its own in Luang Prabang ;-)

Luang Prabang is also an old French settlement so you can easily find there: croissants, baguettes, cakes, … Mmmmhhhh. Things that we didn’t eat for a while but we definitely did a big catch up in a few days ;-)

In the evening, the main street of the city is transformed into a great colorful night market… again extra kilos in the backpack especially for Isa!

After our jungle experience, we were a bit afraid to join any guided tour again… but we decided to do a half day elephant trekking! We were this time with a group of 10 people and had really good fun.  The elephants are great animals… Check the pictures below!

After a few days in Luang Prabang where we completely recover from our jungle experience, we took a bus to Phonsavan which is the starting city to visit the mysterious Plain of jars. The Plain of jars is a large area where huge jars of unknown origin are scattered about in dozen of groupings. We got lucky and met on the minibus to Phonsavan, a group of nice backpackers… with whom we spent the next days.  A special hello to Rachel, Joe, Fabien, Matt and Patrik! J

Within the region, there are also several fascinating sites related to the CIA Secret War (from 1965 to 1973) during which the US devastated Eastern and North Eastern Laos with no stop carpet-bombing to counter the presence of the North Vietnamese in the country.

We have been visiting a Russian tank, a US Lima S108 airstrip, two hospital caves,… and a UXO site (Unexploded ordnance site) full of unexploded bombs.  No worries, this time we had a BRILLIANT guide ;-)

It is now time to jump on a minibus AGAIN… in order to reach our next destination. Please take into account that in Laos, roads are not existing and turning without an end! So on average, you drive 35km/h trying to avoid anything that could be on your way: cows, pigs, chickens, kids, other vehicles,…

25-01-2011 om 12:51 geschreven door Marjan & Isa