When you go out step on the dog, when you come back step on the frog

The title is an irresistable outtake extolling the virtues of hard work found in a Lao childrens book of proverbs picked up at Big Brother Mouse in Luang Prabang. The translation explained that you should get up and start your day early enough to find the dogs still sleeping at the doorstep, and you should return from your studies and chores late enough that the frogs have come out.

It's strange how Laos can feel so laid back and at the same time the people can be so dilligent and hard working. Don't get me wrong, these guys know how to relax too but I still haven't gotten up early enough to acutally see the first of the morning market stalls being set up - and I've gotten up early... In Luang Prabang, similarly, the night market is still breaking down when I'm stumbling back to my hotel bleary eyed from a long day walking the streets of town, snapping photos, and sampling the local dishes. In one of the wonderful garden bars, also in Luang Prabang, a waiter told us he starts work at 8am and works until close which is 11pm but in saying that he didn't seem to be complaining, rather he was just making conversation. Everyone here works too, like the grandmother in Vang Vieng who came out every evening with her clay oven and cast iron pancake form to set up shop on the dusty main alley that made up the tourist strip. She was still cooking up little silver dollar sized pancakes over glowing embers every time we were headed back to our bungalow; and she always greeted us with the same bright, wrinkled smile. It could be that these folks are putting on a good face for the tourists but I rather think they've sorted out how to enjoy themselves while they're doing whatever it is that they do to scrape by. I see the girls in the markets chatting and laughing loudly with the other sellers as they all lay stretched out behind their neatly arranged merchandise. The tuk tuk men, ever vigilant and always brandishing a big smile, huddle together playing cards or swing languidly in hammocks hung in the back of their rigs, laughing loudly with each other but never missing a potential fare in the passing foot traffic. Everywhere about the tourists districts we found the waiters, reception staff, and store clerks were students with a full class load working 6 or 7 days a week, most times putting in a full 8 hours at their jobs and although they make less in a day than a minimum wage worker flipping burgers back home, we found in talking with many of them that they frequently are able to send money home to support their families. I am in awe of the dedication and work ethic that seems to be intimately threaded through the cluture here and find it in great contrast to the often laisses-faire attitude I've encountered both as a worker and a customer in the states (and I'm not excluding myself from that passing judgement either!).

 

That said I've spent the last few days of my second round in Vientaine visiting the businesses that hire Lao staff and are working to empower the local people by helping them market their existing skills or by giving them new skills. One particularly interesting place was COPE which had a great UXO educational show along with being situated in the same complex as a wheelchair fabrication shop run by AAR  but staffed by and for Lao natives with disabilities. The Visitors center was very well set up with interactive and engaging educational displays including a mock up of a traditional Lao style thatch home stocked with tons of daily life implements that had almost all been fashioned from the remnants of war. It's cool to see the instruments of war being re purposed but there's a bigger problem behind that industry. The scavenging of scrap metal is a lucrative business and secondhand metal detectors help villagers locate metal fragments but it's impossible for them to discern something that will fetch them a months wages in one go from something that can kill them with one swipe of the shovel. As you might well have guessed access to healthcare and especially prosthetics is a little convoluded here which makes what COPE is doing that much more important. If you've got a minute please check out their website and if you feel inspired please make a donation! We've actually spent quite a bit of time now visiting the UXO centers: UXO Laos in Luang Prabang which has a brand new visitors facility, MAG in Phonsavanh where we saw a great documentary about the Secret War in Lao called "Bombies", and now COPE here in Vientaine.

 

On a completely different thread:

As most of you know I'm headed to meet up with a few cyclists in Chengdu, China in a few days. From there the 8 of us will take the train to Lhasa, Tibet and cycle overland from there to Kathmandu. I'm excited and nervous and have been running around Vientaine trying to square up my gear and tie up any loose ends before I fly out. This will be my first big adventure abroad without E. and I'm excited and apprehensive at the same time. I'll try and post some blog updates along the way but the trip promises very few cities and thus very few options for checking email or getting online. I promise a big post from Kathmandu though!

 

In the mean time I hope everyone back home is enjoying the last days of a balmy summer and getting some

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Reunion Blog Post

And we're back together again! Z learned first hand the often red-tape laden measures travelers encounter when trying to obtain a visa in Vietnam, especially when that visa is for China. After multiple fruitless attempts it was clear he would not be getting said visa in Vietnam. With a quickly expiring Vietnamese visa he decided to head to Laos and re-apply for the China visa there, after a few friends had reported having luck with the embassy in Vientiane. Fate brought us back together as E was only a few days from, and headed to, Vientiane also! Z easily got his 2 month visa for China and E took advantage of the US embassy in town as she needed more pages added to an overfull passport! We spent a fabulous few days in Vientiane and instead of making a run for the China border after a short reunion, Z decided to stay on in Laos for a while opting to cycle North to Luang Prabang with his favorite tour partner.

Traveling in Laos continues to be serene and supremely rewarding with the beautiful countryside and the warmth of people. When E. awoke early for the 150 km long haul into Vientiane from Paxsan a mix of incense and misty fog blanketed the streets. A air of tranquility lined the roads. Women sat along the side walk quietly chatting while waiting patiently with bags of sticky rice resting in their laps for the passing monks collecting their morning alms. This Buddhist ritual takes place every morning around 5 am as the monks file out silently from the monasteries heading to collect food offerings, their gleaming silver collection bowls shinning in the morning rays. Buddhist chants and prayers rise up among the procession.

The ride between Vientiane and Vang Vieng was stunning, rainy, and anything but flat; introducing us to the mountainous landscape of Northern Laos with a few decent hills that shocked our legs and might have been the principle cause of some serious whining. We arrived in Vang Vieng around 2 in the afternoon and checked into a sweet little bungalow on the small island in the Nam Song river which our guidebook warns is a big party spot, complete with the backpackers holy trinity: all night bars, loud music, and cheap accommodation. Our bungalow was impossible to resist though, complete with a hammock on the deck and abutting the river it was an idyllic setting to spend a few days soaking up the atmosphere of the place.

Our sweet bungalow and sunset in Vang Veing:

We rushed off to catch one of the last runs of tubers heading out to the drop point a few kilometers upstream from town. Considered the rite of passage within SE Asia, Veng Veing has become legendary for its tubing experience. We piled into the back of a tuk-tuk with 8 other sweaty young travelers and our the bumpy way to the drop in site. Seemingly hundreds of happily intoxicated backpackers lined the rivers banks, setting up shop in the make-shift bars along the shore. Besides the river itself, the second main attraction is the giant swings and zip lines that are haphazardly strung out in front of the bars, providing the tubers with an irresistible temptation. We watched countless dare devil sloshed travelers tempt fate with these contraptions. We watched one girl face plant into the river, leaving her bruised and probably with a concussion. E tried one of the zip lines sending her cascading feet first into the river. Luckily we learned from watching that you have to let go before the line reaches the end or else the sling shot effect sends you somersaulting headfirst into the rock-hard river surface. Due to the active monsoon season the river is running swiftly, sending you shooting down the upon entering. Lao bar workers call out to the passing tubers, beckoning them in with promises of free tequila shots and the best drugs. Because your moving so quickly down stream the method of stopping rests upon luck and pure muscle as the bar workers chuck out ropes tied to water bottles to reel you in. If they are not strong enough to pull you in or you miss the hurtling bottle, then you simply continue the journey downriver, with or without your friends. The two hour trip soon passed the make-shift bars, opening onto jungle lined river edges with only the sound of the bubbling river. Overall we had a blast and managed to come out from the experience unscathed and sober.

The following day we pedaled out to the nearby Tamhoy, Thamloup, and Elephant caves where we unwittingly picked up a local guide, without whom we certainly would not have found our way to the second, third, and fourth caves. Most of the caves have religious significance to the Buddhists of the region and each cave has some spectacular incarnation of a Buddha enshrined inside. Past the first cave we wandered behind our guide, meandering through villages, in and out of families yards, and along cattle paths that cut between raised rice paddies. Our guide gave us an incredible tour of the second cave which seemed to go on endlessly! What started as a walk through a muddy but interesting cave soon became a slog through limestone ringed pools and eventually ended with us swimming through narrow caverns to reach huge cathedrals of cave on the other side. We trekked through this cave for what must've been half an hour before our guide decided we should turn back. Only the sound of our sloshing shoes and our guides melodic singing echoed down the length of the cave as we felt utterly alone in the depths of the limestone mountain. The last cave of the day was a tubing cave! Here we hopped in inner tubes, strapped dim lights to our heads and commenced to pull ourselves along an intricate system of ropes into a cave that had been carved out by an active river. During the dry season it is possible to kayak through the cave but at times we had to duck in order to keep from bumping our heads along the cave roof. At the end of the day we paid 5000 kip to take the bridge to get back across a river to our bikes, unfortunately the bridge isn't quite done and only spans three quarters of the river, so we had to ford the last third of the river; luckily we'd already been swimming a few times that day so no harm in getting wet all over again!

Zach swimming in the cave and tubers lining up to enter the cave:


We skipped town the next day and started the ride to Luang Prabang that would take us three days at best, possibly four. The first day we encountered the usual Laos traffic, sunbathing cows, water buffalo, ducks, and chickens… oh and the occasional car, truck, or tuk tuk. The climbs weren't too bad and we topped out at just under 800 meters and ended the day at an awesome little mountain resort in the middle of nowhere called Bor Nam Oon. Our little chalet was just big enough to fit a full size bed and our collection of bags. We woke to incredible views and some incredible fog as well.

So when a small man with a big gun asks to have his picture taken, the answer is YES!


The ride between Bor Nam Oon and Muang Phu Khun was quite a bit more uphill and came in at 76kms. The views were stunning and in the late afternoon the rain was also stunning, but in a different way. We learned quickly that coupled with Laos notorious steep descents and white-out rain squalls our cantilever breaks don’t offer enough stopping power, causing much unneeded hand cramping from the bear like grip we have on the breaks while gingerly making our way down the mountain. We hid under a thatch hut while the worst of one squall passed. Next bike tour we will definitely use disc breaks. Even with the screeching descents and the endless ascents the breathtaking views made this part of the journey completely worthwhile. Laos offers up those type of views that look so stunning and so massive that they almost seem fake, like a pastoral landscape painting. During those wet moments children would come out en mass from the villages scattering the mountainside. Naked they run about singing and playing in the downpour and lake sized mud-puddles. As we rounded one corner four young girls dressed only in bright green galoshes with pink plastic bags on their heads and beaming smiles echoed laughter in unison and began playfully splashing us with their muddy puddle water. We made it in to Kiou Ka Cham and got a chance to chat with a couple of Brits on vacation in Laos in a town otherwise devoid of tourists. The room was not worth mentioning and the concrete box with a hose and tap for a shower was also not worth mentioning.

Zach and one of those views and rain squall:


A little kid waving from home and one of the many roadside veggie stalls:


We left early the next morning and rode a looooong downhill before riding a long windy uphill and then we were coasting the last bit of the way into the lovely world heritage city of Luang Prabang. We cycled through scores of thatched and tin hut villages along the way. A surprising feature dotting the ride was the ubiquitous satellite dish. More prevalent than tin roof and multi-room homes, satellite dishes perch blatantly outside homes, marking Laos unofficial entrance into the 21st Century. As we cycle by its not uncommon to hear the latest American or Thai pop song ringing out from inside.

E. enjoying a magnificent views:


Arriving in the former royal capital of Luang Prabang we were struck by its confluence of French, and Chinese architecture nestled in the surrounding hills. Monks shrouded in bright orange robes scurry about to the town's 32 historic temples. Although we both felt like we could stay a while we decided to make a side trip to visit a well known archaeological site called the Plain of Jars. Currently we are in Phonsovan in North Eastern Laos, having recently arrived via minivan after 8 hours on switch backs roads. This single day journey would have taken us at best 4 days by bicycle.

We spent a whole day exploring the three Plain of Jars sites surrounding Phonsovan town. Little is known about the jars, but archaeologists believe they are ancient funeral urns dating back over 2500 years ago. The three most accessible sites are located near Phonsovan but there are hundreds of jars scattered across Laos. The jars are huge and seemingly placed at random and weigh up to 1 ton each. Situated next to many of the jars are deep craters, remnants from the US secretive bombing missions in Laos during the Vietnam War. As the Mines Advisory Group (MAG) notes it is estimated that at least two million tons or ordnance was dropped on Laos between 1964 and 1973, making Laos the most heavily bombed nation in the world (per capita). Furthermore it is estimated that up to 30% of all bombs dropped failed to explode and now lay resting on Lao soil. Growing up and learning about the Vietnam War we never heard about missions and bombing runs in Laos. The province where Phnosovan lies is in the most heavily bombed region of Laos and it was shocking for us to learn that millions of unexploded bombs (UXO) still lay waiting. Walking around the Plain of Jar sites de-mined markers line the pathways, delineating the safe places to walk free from UXOs. The remnants of American bombing missions can be seen in Phnosovan and the neighboring villages; 3 foot bomb casings line café entrances, flowers grow in halved out bombs, cluster bombs shells used as scrap metal. War for us plays out in stories, books, and in the news. War for the Lao people plays out within daily life; In the rice paddies, having to carefully hoe the fields for fear of uncovered bombs or whether your child will find a cluster bomb the same color as the fruit on the trees. We uploaded the complete Plain of Jars photos here.



We will again part ways in the next few days. Zach having gotten his China visa will fly from Vientiane to Chengdu, China on the 27th. He'll meet up with the group cycling in Tibet and they will start their amazing journey a week later. Elise will be taking the slow boat up the Mekong from Luang Prabang to Thailand on the 20th. Her teaching course in Chang Mai, Thailand starts at the end of the month. We send our love to you back home. Thanks for reading the blog.

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Laos Cycling Adventure!

Well I'm writing my first blog post with 5 days of solo riding under my belt. Currently I'm taking a rest day in the small town of Thakek about 360 kms from the capital city Vientiane. Zach and I parted ways in Hue and will meet again in 2 months Katmandu, Nepal. We are having our separate journeys with my exploration through Lao and his time climbing the Himalayan mountain range through Tibet and Nepal (not an easy feat with one speed!).

Just to recap some, we left Hoi An a week ago heading north towards Hue. We both loved Hoi An with its ancient Chinese style architecture and meandering river waterways, it was a truly unique spot to spend a few days. At night glowing lanterns line the walkways and paper-mache animals perch glowing on their stands above the waterways, casting their silhouettes shimmering onto the surface. The two day trek to Hue, left us spending one night in Danang, Vietnam's 3rd largest city. After securing Z's visa extension we said our farwell to Hoi An and set out the 30 kms to Danang, with one stop at large hill primarily made up of marble and aptly named Marble Mountain. Leaving our bikes with a local marble shop owner, we scrambled up the hundreds of slippery marble steps leading to the top of Marble Mountain. With help by one of the young Vietnamese guides we were shown one of the most spectacular views of our whole trip; a 360 degree view of Danang, surrounding mountain ranges, and the coastline and islands near Hoi An, all at sunset. Pushing the last 10 kms into Danang under nightfall we negotiated the massive free for all traffic circles and found a hotel.

1) Zach a top Marble Mountain 2) I thought I had a heavy load!:

The following day included one 10 km mountain pass directly outside Danang. Luckily we started the climb early because the temperature steadily climbed into the high 90's. At the summit of Hivan Pass was a series of original American artillery bunkers. As we clambered around these war relics it brought to life the reality soldiers faced daily during the Vietnam War. As usual our decent passed far too quickly, dropping us back down to the coast. We spent the last 70 kms into Hue racing the impending storm clouds rumbling behind us. In the tourist guide books Hue is marketed as a tourist hotspot, but having come from Hoi An we all were a little disappointed with this bustling city. Like a watery line the Song Huong (Perfume River) separates the new city from the old city. Across the river, in the old city, lies the crumbling Citadel, housing the 13 emperors under the Nguyen Dynasty between 1802 - 1945. Steve, Zach, and I spent a morning wandering through the imperial enclosure named the Forbidden Purple City. Modernization merged with the ancient evidenced by the multitude of plastic paper-mache modeled animals perched on top of the decaying imperial city. Actively in a state of repair, workers hammered building stones back into place, replaced broken tiles, rebuilt roofs, attempting to delay the inevitable decay. Later that same day we all set off towards the riverfront and alter some heavy negotiating we procured a turquoise tourist boat to take us 4 kms down the river to the Thien Mu Pagado, founded in 1601. This beautiful pagoda also houses a monastery where young monks and nuns study. Clad in striking orange robes the young students peaked out behind their books giggling at the passing tourists.

1) Us at the top of the pass 2) US bunker:

1) Hue sunset view 2) Young nun and pagoda


Departing Hue with fond farewells and tears in my eyes I cycled into first solo bicycle tour. The two day ride followed the historic Highway 9 or better known as the DMZ (de-militarized zone) that separated North Vietnam from South Vietnam during the war. Now mainly used as a tour route and a land shipping connection between Vietnam and Laos, the road traverses through beautiful lush valleys, climbing up into the mountains ranges, then back down towards Laos. Besides a massive g-force headwind that stalked me for those two days to the border the road was in excellent condition and offered up some amazing views. At the top of a big climb I even managed to catch up with a stopped group of Aussie tourists, who stared distantly out at what is known as the "Pile of Rocks." Recovering well from the defoliants originally used in the area, the "pile" looks more like a jagged green peak jutting straight up to the sky, than an actual pile of rocks. But their guide let me know that during the Vietnam War the Americans built a helicopter landing pad atop this peak because strategically it is the highest point in the area. Waving goodbye to the Aussies gazing at me in wonderment why anyone would choose to cycle as a mode of transportation we parted ways. 85 kms of rollercoaster roads later I coasted into the border town of Lao Bao just in time to beat the imminent rain clouds chasing me. Wishful thinking on my part, these rain clouds would continue to steadily pour on me hundreds of kilometers into Laos.

1) "Pile of Rocks" 2) Need some bananas?

The following morning I pushed out into the downpour and newly flooded streets of Lao Bao towards the border 1km away. Eyeing me with a mix of suspicion and curiosity the Vietnamese customs official eagerly stamped my passport, waving me into Laos. Less than a minute away was the Laos border office offering a stark contrast to its Vietnamese counterpart. Parking my bike under a awning away from the rain I made my way to the "Visa on Entry" office. A smiling man in a dusty Lao uniform sitting behind an archaic computer met me and a few wild hand gestures later I understood that I needed to fill out one form letting them know I wanted a 30-day visa, another form letting the government know I didn’t have the H1N1 Swine Flue virus, then wait 10 minutes for this man's boss to finish eating his breakfast of noodle soup. An 80's style pleather couch with broken legs beckoned me. While waiting I watched soggy stray dogs run in and out of the office, obviously fond of the border officials for providing them with the occasional food scrap. As promised 10 minutes later I had a Lao visa sticker in my passport and after exchanging my remaining Dong into the Lao currency Kip I cycled out into the unknown.

Immediately the road opened onto the Laos border town of Dene Savan. The soggy mud drenched streets were lined by dismal looking cement bunker style shops and shipment trucks passing to and from the border. I swerved not to hit a giant black bristly haired pig standing its ground in the middle of the road. The town no more than a few hundred meters in length soon opened onto verdant bamboo and tree forests with the regular passing river. The small villages along the road consist of a few bamboo raised huts with roofs constructed primarily out of natural thatched material. It wasn’t until 200 kms later that I started to see village huts with tin roofs. Often these dwellings were in various states of disrepair with leaky holes in the palm thatch roofs. Even compared to Cambodia the level of poverty in villages and towns seems more apparent. Children often naked or wearing torn t-shirts embossed with western logos holler out "Sabaa-Dii!" (hello in Lao) while I pass them bundled in my blue rain jacket. Heading to and from fields and homes, men, women, and kids alike walk up and down the roads carrying various agricultural implements. Women are typically dressed in local embroidered shirts, sometimes adorned with traditional style hats. I even noticed a number of people with tribe specific head shavings. As my Lonely Plant remarks, the people of Laos hail from dozens of ethnic groups, many of which can be found throughout the whole of SE Asia. More than 30% of the county is comprised of non-Lao-speaking non-Buddhist hill tribes.

Pictures from my first day in Laos:

Cycling these last 3 days in Laos people smile and look at me with open eyed intrigue. We share words of "Sabaa-Dii!" and "Sok Dee!" (good luck). On the road I pass tractors loaded with people laughing and waving as I cycle by. The traffic is low, with the occasional passing truck, and even unlikely car, each always giving a wide berth. Chickens, ducks, dogs, water buffalo, cows, pigs, and goats dominate the roadside. Taking little notice of the passing cycle tourists they continue grazing. There are many rivers along the way, sometimes with locals waist deep in the water carrying out a traditional style of drop net fishing, where a large net is sunk the bottom held by the fisher's marionette like poles above. Pulling the net to surface it reveals a few minnow like fish flapping about which are then placed in the wicker basket affixed to the fishers hip. I pulled over multiple times to watch this elegant process, each time myself being spectacle for the locals to check out. So far I have decided to forgo taking pictures certain time and instead experience the moment without my camera. I've found that with photography it can ruin a moment, scare people away, and often can feel like an invasion of another culture and peoples privacy. Now cycling alone a camera seems even more out of place.

1) Approaching rain clouds 2) My soggy feet Day 1 in Laos

I continue to enjoy cycling alone. I've taken to riding with my headphones which helps to pass the hours. For a long time I thought I wasn’t strong enough to cycle tour alone and felt that I needed others there who know how to do it right. But the reality is that there is no one way to travel by bike, every day is a new experience with its own set of physical and mental challenges. I continue to ride at a the same pace too, averaging between 85 - 135 kms per day. And although I do miss Zach, we both have found that this time apart isn't as bad as we thought it would be. Its nice to miss the one you love and look forward to seeing them again soon. Tomorrow I leave to continue the journey north. It will probably rain and I will probably get wet, but the one thing for certain is that I will cycle through amazing scenery and get a glimpse into an unique and beautiful culture unlike my own.

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