Chris' Travels

Day 61 - Bangkok....(This maybe the last time!!)

SO It was one of those weeks. And it all started on New years eve.

Day 48.

So I did manage to leave Vientiane. It didn't really help when I got to the bus station I'd lost my ticket I'd bought the day before but lots of hand waving and smiling seem to make the bus guys trust me. No Probs. The bumpy bus took 4 hours to get to Vang Vieng, not alot to report there, Arrived, got a guest house chilled out for a bit. Met some Random tour group with people from the UK Canada, New Zealand, Belgium etc etc got on really well with them and went out for the new years eve celebrations. Now, Vang Vieng is a small place. It's built around two main streets, a mixture of restaurants and bars for westerners. We went and got some food. Had a couple of beer Laos and generally wandered about, there really wasn't that much going on. In fact the most happening place was a very small Laos Karaoke bar, only ALL of the Karaoke was in Laos! One guy stood there singing as 50 or so people from Laos and the rest of the world bobbed around to his singing. He must have been well pleased with his nights work. The New year arrived, Everyone cheered and feeling a little bobbed out we went up the road to another Laos bar, no probs.

Then it happened.

Sitting on my (slightly wobbly) stool at the bar minding my own business, my friend Frazier tapped me on the shoulder. I went to turn round, but actually found myself, picking myself up off the floor. I don't know how it happened. I hadn't had a spectacular amount of beer, I don't normally fall from chairs regularly, I really don't know. Whatever had happened, as I had fallen off the stool, I had hit my head (quite hard) on the table next to me and had sliced my ear up. I was lucky that 1 of the guys I was with was a vet from Canada, and although I'm not very much like a moose, He came along to the (SMALL) hospital in the town to get me stitched up. The photos below probably isn't for those that don't like blood, The expression of pain on my face is not for the camera but genuine discomfort. To be fair the stitches (without anesthetic) were many times more painful than the actual even, but I grimaced my way through like a trooper.



So that was that. Not a good end to the night. One of my friends told me a few days later the ear has no nerves in it at all. I told him, in my humble opinion, and limited experience he was completely and utterly wrong. 2am. Bed.

Day 49. I deserved the lie in I gave myself the next day. It felt like my ear was going to drop off. I'm trying not to talk this whole thing up too much but I cant describe the ache. The Doctor had given me some pain killers and antibiotics so I threw some of those down my neck and headed out. The whole point on Vang Vieng is water type activities, Kayaking, Tubing, Caving. I wasn't allowed to them in case I got an infection. Downer. Big downer. I dragged myself around town telling myself it wasn't all bad. And to be fair it wasn't, but it didn't stop me feeling sorry for myself. In the evening I finally got myself together, went to a bar and watched Pompey on TV. It went some way to relieve my glumness.

Day 50. Having again slept all morning a spent the afternoon watching TV with some of the guys from the tour. It's strangely popular In VV for restaurants to show endless hours of Friends or The simpsons back to back. I didn't mind, I needed something silly to do so hung around, eat a bit. There's actually nothing to tell. I just chilled out.


Day 51. Time to move on. I'd heard enough fun stories from the people coming back from the river, I was a bit jealous that I was missing out, So I wanted to continued North to Luang Prabang in northern Laos.
The journey was long, but absolutely spectacular. It was another twisty road through mountains (A bit like the one a did in Malaysia) but this one was better.
The views where truly amazing. We went though lots small villages were the locals just live in wooden shacks. It's just impossibly basic. It was the poorest area I'd been through and this, together with the mountains just made me stare out of the window for all of the 5 or 6 hours the trip took. It's the kind of road where I started to think I should learn to ride a motorbike and come back and do the whole thing at MY speed. Just incredible.


lung Prabang finally emerged from the mountain scenery. Another town, another guest house to find etc etc etc. I'd met A brit and some Aussies on the way into the town center and we'd started having quite a laugh. we wandered round in the ridiculous heat, got a guest house.
Then phase 2 of my great week began. No sooner Had a closed the door I was hit with the overwhelming sense of sickness. I rushed to the toilet and sure enough, right on cue I produced. This basically carried on in one form or another (nice) for 24 hours. After thinking about it I can only blame myself. I hadn't eaten alot all for the whole of the Bus journey, but I had still taken my pain killers, antibiotics, and malaria tablets all together with not too much water at lunch. I don't think my body liked that too much, and decided to get rid. So that was my first day in Luang Prabang. Bed. Toilet. Bed. Toilet.

Day 52. It seemed that I had finished. I wasn't rushing to the toilet every hour so i took my first nervous steps outside. I didn't feel bad so I carried on. I had a wander
round. Luang prabang is cool. It's hard the explain but the main town is surrounded by two rivers, partly the Mekong again (which I never said before is HUGE) and by another I don't know the name of, It really does have a frenchy feel because of the architecture and in the middle of town is a big hill with a temple on top. More than that it's SO laid back. I know I've said this about lots of places so far on the trip, but the place takes the biscuit. SO I had a wander. Bumped into the vet that helped me back in Vang Vieng and some of the others so we had a chat. In the evening went to a smart little bar with the aussies and while I was wise and didn't drink had a really good laugh with them and a bunch of dutch guys.

Day 53. I was meant to go for a tour of a local cave but didn't get up in time. The whole of the last week I've really been incredibly lazy. I read my book for a bit. Had an incredibly 3D pancake which was extremely good. Wandered. bumped into more people I'd seen in Vientiane and VV. In Laos because most people do the same towns in one direction, you see lots of people time and time again that you've chatted to maybe 3 or 4 days before. It's nice that you really are in a big traveling group of friends. So anyway, Met lots of people again, had the obligatory coffee with them and got ready for a goodbye evening with the Aussies because they were off to Vietnam the next day.
Firstly we went up the Mountain (well hill) in the middle of town. Some nice lady sold me, Andy and Ben some sparrows to release at the top. Jenny (that was the name of my sparrow) and Trevor (the Name of Australian anode's sparrow) were getting on pretty well chatting in their cages. We released them and reckon they've gone off to start a small sparrow family, or maybe just flew down the hill to be captured again. Either way, whatever. The local market provided us with our food: b-q'd Chicken, Pork and fish. It was really pretty good food.
Then we went off to the towns "cinema". A cinema in Luang Prabang is basically someone who has converted their house. You go in and it's a bit like going to Blockbuster. You pick whatever DVD you want to watch from loads and loads on the walls. Then you get your own Viewing room with a big tv and surround sound. It's like hiring a front room for the night. Having enjoyed Napoleon Dynamite, we headed off again to the (1 and only) cool bar in town. Met the dutch and Had a chat. Then someone talking to us said he was off to the bowling alley later. Bowling alley? This is a tiny town really and a bowling alley here just had to be seen. We all hoped in a tuk-tuk, and true enough a bowling alley, there was. It had a colossal 8 lanes, was jammed full of Lao people but we squeezed in a lane. We played 4 games, which cost about 3 pounds, chatted (through mainly hand signals) with the lao guys next to us (who just loved bowling) And although in the second game I scored a MEASLY 62, the next 2 were high scoring and great fun oh, and I won them...Obviously. The computer seemed to have a mind of its own that just added to the craziness, you knock over 5, it gave you a strike. You miss them all, it gave you 3. We didn't argue. Computers Know best after all.

Day 54. Time to go again. I bought a ticket to get a slow boat the next day to the Thai border. Waved the aussies off to the airport (we'll probably meet again in Cambodia) and didn't' do too much else. The highlight of the day was the machete store on the market. Any shape, any size, you want a machete, they had it.

Day 55. Early mornings suck. I got up at 6.30, dragged myself to the boat terminal and got there just in time. The boat had about 8 comfy soft seats the rest were just wooden benches with a rubbish little cushions. The trip takes two days, 8 hours a day on the boat, with a stop in a town halfway.
Just like the journey from Vang Vien to Luang Prabang the boat scenery was just insane. It didn't just last a few minutes either. The mountains and jungle, and rocks sticking out of the Mekong last the entire way. Met a couple from London and we all got on well so a few games of Uno later we'd become friends.

Met another Annoying Australian called Kim, who looked for all the world as though he'd just stepped off a squash court. He was fully attired in a shell suit, Squash t shirt. Squash shoes. All he really wanted to talk about was squash. He was also the most completely disrespectful guy I'd met on the trip, I stayed clear.
The 8 hours past in what felt like 2 hours, we arrived at the halfway town. Small town. Big Mountain. We Scrambled up the rocks next to the river had a brilliant Indian curry, and chatted to another passenger from the boat, the most lovely, tiny, thai woman, the the loudest high pitched voice you've ever heard. she was hilarious and so just friendly. A true nemesis for old Squash boy Kim.

Day 56. Another early morning, and almost a replay of the day before. Perfect scenery. Really nice company (expect for Kim who, well hadn't changed his clothes as far as I could tell). This time the boat had no comfy seat so we sat, slept, and played cards on the floor. Again had a great time chatting to the Thai lady (I never did find out her name). So we arrived at Nong Kai and the sadness hit me. I didn't want to leave Laos. I really was sad to go. Ok so it may have been a difficult couple of weeks physically, but Laos is just the best. I was pretty sure Thailand couldn't be beaten as a cool place, but Laos does just that. Its amazing. The views. The people. And if it was anymore chilled out everyone would stop. Dead. We regularly waited 50 minutes for food at restaurants. Likewise at bars, shops, random bowling alleys, and anywhere. But strangely it just didn't matter. I can't even really say what it is that makes it so good. If you ever get a chance: GO.

Day 57. Can you believe it. 3rd early morning in a row, boat across the Mekong and back for the third and possibly final Thai visa to be stamped in my Passport. The English guys from the boat were still traveling with me, we hoped on a bus for chiang Mai, Thailands second largest city right in the north of the country. I'd like to tell you what the bus journey was like. I can
't really because I was asleep. It seemed to go quickly, that's about all. It was a bit of a late night with the brats at a live rock bar, we knew that tomorrow we could finally have a lie in!!

Day 58. Back to school for the day. Well cooking school at least. Me and the brits were off to a thai cooking course in Chiang Mai. It was really good fun. Basically, First of all they take you to the local market to see learn about all the fresh produce etc... then your shown HOW to cook a dish, COOK the dish, EAT the dish. 7 dishes over 5 hours needless to say we all ended up absolutely stuffed, plus leant a bit about real thai food. The staff were great and a good laugh, even when the oil in the guys next to me's pan nearly burst into flames, they handled it all well. I had a quiet night.

Day 59. Spent the day in Chiang Mai, just potering around having a look. It's ok. It didn't blown me over, if anything I struggled a bit to get used to city life after all the time in relatively small towns and villages in Laos. Caught the night train to Bangkok. Last time I was on a night train i was part of the noisy(ish) crowd, this time I was with the thais, I went to sleep at 9 o'clock. Lovely.

Day 60 and 61. So I'm in Bangkok again. I met up with my friend Trey I met earlier in the trip, I'm staying at his very nice apartment, that still cost a pretty ridiculous price. I've got to go to Cambodia at some point in the next few days though thinking I'm going to spend a bit of time here first. That's all.

posted by Chris @ 1:19 pm