The Horn on the Bus goes Beep Beep Beep
Trip Start
Jun 15, 2008
1
5
36
Trip End
Jun 15, 2009
Vang Vieng,
Lao Peoples Dem Rep
Saturday, June 28, 2008
We Landed in Luang Prabang after a nerve wracking flight for myself, as I previously explained. We had prebooked accommodation on the net before we got there so it was just a matter of getting a taxi to our guest house. The trip to our guest house was our first introduction to the law of the roads in Laos. These people will attempt to pass out a vehicle on any stretch of a road. On a straight, on a bend, ANYWHERE. And how do they do this maneuver? By blowing their horn. The blowing of the horn has two purposes. 1. To warn the vehicle in front to keep in (As these roads are very narrow) and 2. To warn oncoming vehicles to keep in as there is a maniac coming around the corner trying to over take a tuk tuk on a bloody bend.
French style building in Luang Prabang
Relieved, we got to our guesthouse safe and sound and we were pleasently surprised with our accomodation. We checked in and decided to go for a walk and explore Luang Prabang. Its a pretty small town with a very big French influence in the architecture and restaurants and cafes. There were lots of art gallerys and the night market is filled with stall after stall selling beautiful textiles and fabrics (Scarves, bed covers, table cloths, e.t.c) It is a very laid back place and weirdly enuoght the whole town has a curfew of 11.30 That is extended to midnight for foreigners or "Farang"
We had originally only planned spending one night in Luang Prabang but decided to extend that to two. We spent our first night enjoying dinner in a busy restaurant in the centre in town. Our table was literally on the pavemant so we could watch the hustle and bustle as we ate. I, at the end of the meal, mistakenly asked a local boy who was just walking past the restaurant for our bill (All of the waiters were just dressed in casual clothes). "Bill" I said as I waved my arm in the air pretending to write (You know the universal sign for bill or cheque as the Americans call it). He looked confused. "Does he not understand me" I think. So I say it with a little bit more volume "BILL" I say, again shaking my hand in the air. The poor lad hadn't a clue what was going and just walked off looking confused
Waterfall outside Luang Prabang
. Then it dawned on me that he was not one of the waiters. Cue Caroline bursting into fits of laughter. After that we went to the very trendy "Hive" bar. This bar wouldnt be out of place in St. Tropez or Ibiza with its trip hop and trance music and cocktails and furnishings. We enjoyed a few drinks before returning to our guest house to beat the curfew.
Friday 27th June
We went to one of the most beautiful waterfalls I have ever seen on our second day in Luang prabang. It was about 30km outside town, and again the journey there was an eyeopener. These people will pass each other out ANYWHERE. At the waterafll there were lots of tourists. The were about 6 water falls, one after another, on this one stretch of the river. Lots of places to swim and dive. No words could do justice to the very top waterfall so I will try and get a picture up in the next few weeks.
That evening is spent again eating and enjoying a few drinks. At dinner I decicde to be brave and order some traditional Laos food. I dont know what it was called, but it was some sort of stew with potatoe and beef in it with a very dark, inky tasting soup and it was DISGUSTING. One taste and I had to order something else. Sorry Laos, but whatever that dish was it should be outlawed.
That night we pack as we are getting a bus to Vang Vieng the next morning at 8. As we are packing Caroline notices a gecko on my bag. Cue histerics as I try and get it out of the room. I eventually did and calm was restored.
The next day we had a 6 hour bus journey to Vang Vieng. As I explained earlier, the bigger the vehicle you have in Laos, the more power you have on the road. Well we were on a bus now, so the driver had all the power in the world (Rellatively speaking to the roads in Laos) And how does he show this power. By blowing his horn...... Constantly. This is the drivers way of telling every vehicle in front (Now this is what I picture the bus driver saying) " Im sorry old chap, would you mind ever so kindly just pushing in a little while I overtake you on this dangerous bend because, you see, my vehicle is bigger than yours so I can do this", while really I imagine it goes something like this: BEEP "Get the Fu*k out of my way" BEEP. I also should mention that northern Laos is practically covered in mountains, so there are lots and lots of bends as you make your way up and down these mountains. When a big vehicle like a bus is going around these bends it has to warn on coming traffic by, you guessed it, beeping its horn. So for the six and a bit hours it took us to get to Vang Vieng all we could hear was BEEP........BEEP ....................................BEEP.................... BEEP BEEP BEEP ................................................BEEP...................................BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEEP
You get the picture.
But we made it in one pice to Vang Vieng, the tubing capitol of the world. If you've never heard of tubing. It involves a blown up tube from the inside of a tyre, a river and lots of bars and swings down the banks of the river.
Tubing here we come
