Riverside Hotel, Vientiane, 28th February to 7th March 2010

Saw this place on Travelfish and in my Lonely-Planet so checked it out after trying a few other cheaper places, however with so many arrivals in town when I got here, they were full. The Riverside however was not, probably due to it being a touch on the expensive side:

180000 Kip per night for an aircon double or single room en-suite;
100000 Kip per night for a fan double or single room with en-suite.

The rooms themselves aren’t very big, but the beds are amazingly comfy which was good news for my back as so far on this trip the beds have not been that great. They have cable television with BBC World News, so I could get my Auntie Fix!

As far as location goes, its a stones throw from the frontage along the Mekong – however the promenade area is undergoing a massive regeneration/construction project, so do not expect to see much – and close to the rest of the main traveller amenities – bars, restaurants and the like.

They offer some travel services, in addition to free wifi in the lobby and a car service should you require it.

Biggest downside for the majority of travellers is the cost, however in Vientiane elevated costs seems to the norm, so its not a reason to be put off staying here.

The Long Dark Teatime of the Soul…

It’s not quite 4pm yet, but I have firmly entered what Douglas Adam’s coined “The Long Dark Teatime of the Soul”. The part of a Sunday afternoon when:

that terrible listlessness which starts to set in at about 2.55, when you know that you’ve had all the baths you can usefully have that day, that however hard you stare at any given paragraph in the papers you will never actually read it, or use the revolutionary new pruning technique it describes, and that as you stare at the clock the hands will move relentlessly on to four o’clock, and you will enter the long dark teatime of the soul.

Being stuck in Vientiane – possibly the most laid back capital on the planet – on a Sunday with nothing to do as there is nothing open has brought me closer to the “long dark…” than I have ever experienced before, and I have had some awful Sundays.

Seriously kill me now.

No T-shirt for me…

Vang Vieng. Love it or hate it, its one of THE stops for nearly everyone who travels through Laos. The majority who do stop here come for the tubing – floating down the local river on giant inner-tubes stopping at bars along the way to drink beer, mushroom shakes and smoke some pot; a minority of others come for the stunning scenery and a plethora of caving opportunities.

Personally, having been to the place before, and done my fair share of tubing, this time around Id already made a decision to NOT tube, and to not just treat it as another place to get messed up. I wanted to avoid becoming part of what for me has ruined Vang Vieng. And since I am not a fan of long bus rides, a stay here is a necessity to break up the Luang Prabang to Vientiane journey.

So instead I explored around the town – and how it has changed over the years, from a small village of bamboo huts to a bustling town with never-ending construction, bars and reruns of Family Guy & Friends – the cave systems in the area are really wonderful, many sited near/under the karst formations that are such a grand backdrop to the awful sight of wasted westerners floating down the river. Even getting out of town across the river is a relief at times, walk away from the river and you start to see the older Laos still struggling on, only a stones throw away from the debauchery that has over run this once quiet corner of a quieter country, don’t get me wrong, Laos deserves to grow as all countries do, but is this really the best way?

The worst thing about my visit is that somehow I erased all the images I had taken while there, and did not notice until I was long gone from Vang Vieng, making all my efforts to avoid the uglier side of the place, moot. At least I now backup my images everyday.

So did I get a T-shirt, No. I found my fun in other places in town and yes I still mingled with the other travellers around, but I did not focus solely on getting trashed while in town, and since I did not tube, why would I have wanted a t-shirt that says “Tubing In The Vang Vieng Laos” to wear for the rest of my days in Laos. Shame they don’t do ones especially for the bitter and jaded like me.

Ban Sabai Riverside Bungalows, Vang Vieng, 25th February to 28th February 2010

Got into VV very late – too late to originally stay here on my booking. However after spending the night in a cheap flop-house of a place, I popped down to see if they would be able to honour the aforementioned booking. Lo and behold the reception staff said they could. They gave me a gorgeous bungalow overlooking a well stocked fish pond on the grounds, yes it cost $32 a night, but I wanted to relax and pamper myself somewhat, given that I would be spending some time in a place I have come to loathe.

The room was very large with a king size double bed, aircon, hot water showers and a veranda right over the pond, facing towards the restaurant and the river.

For a bit of a splurge the place is very much worth it and the attached restaurant is such a change from the rest of the riverside places in VV, it has a wonderful “piazza” feel to it and does some amazing food, from Laos staples right though to good Provençal and even some Malaysian dishes.

Check their website for more information.

Rattana Guesthouse, Luang Prabang, 21st February to 24th February

Having made the decision to fly into Luang Prabang, I needed to find a place that would pick me up from the airport, as its a slight way out of town.

After much browsing of Travelfish and Google, I happened upon Rattana’s and fired off an email. A few hours later my reservation was confirmed. A day later I was met at the airport and taken to the guesthouse.

Rattana’s itself is close to the boat landing for the slow boats, as well as close to Phou Si, the Hmong Market and pretty much the rest of Luang Prabang. The rooms are pretty spacious overall, and very well maintained. And at $15 a night you cannot ask for more.

Rattana’s also offers trekking and other tour services ould they interest you, as well as being able to arrange onward bus tickets to anywhere in Laos.

Overall as a slightly more costly place than most of the budget range in town, Id say Rattana’s does what it does very well and I have no complaints about the place.

Luang Prabang

I’m in Laos now, more specifically in the town of Luang Prabang, a UNESCO protected World Heritage site.

Town is very pedi friendly, so I’m a happy chappy.

I’ll have more to say in a day or two.

Big Trip Destinations: Laos

Travelfish.org describes Laos as “one of the Asia’s most enchanting destinations. Stunning natural beauty — think mist-shrouded mountain peaks flanked by jungle-clad valleys teeming with wildlife — combine with a fascinating Buddhist culture to make Laos a superb destination for backpackers and independent travellers” and they are pretty much spot on.

The country is amazing, run the gauntlet of the typical South-East Asian terrain, but with the added bonus of the Mekong River running for its entire length, giving the country a feel like no other in the region.

As for highlights, I certainly intend to visit the following and find some activities to do when at each one, although the promise of the long bus rides across mountains and valleys is driving me towards this country:

• Luang Prabang: A UNESCO World Heritage site and home to a huge population of Buddhist monks, who daily walk the towns myriad ways for alms from those willing to give;
• Vientiane: Current capital of the country with a great line in Colonial-era French buildings and the place to sort many adventures around the country;
• Phong-Sali and other points north: the best places to trek in the country, if not the region due to being relatively unspoilt and pretty hard to get to by the vast majority of the backpacker crowd;
• Mekong River: Hopefully the river is high when I am in country and I can spend a bit of time cruising slowly down this most enduring of rivers;

There obviously is alot to more to Laos and I really hope to do the country justice in the 4 weeks – very short I know – my visa (on arrival) will give me, although the option to extend it by visiting the Immigration people in Vientiane is one that appeals to me, as I am sure this country could eat up alot of my time.