The journey from Vang Vieng was like most bus rides we'd taken so far. Bumpy, long and winding.
We were another 6 hours crammed in a minibus to get to our next
destination. Again a short distance of only 120kms took us hours because
of the accents and descents through the mountains.
The drivers here are wild that's for sure. I'm not sure how they have
the guts to zip around corners at the speed they do- but they do it.
Everytime I get into a bus, I assume its the last bus ill ever ride. No
guard rails on the sides of any of the roads. Even when there is a 300
meter drop into a valley right below. I could picture the bus loosing
control and barreling over the edge. I knew this would be a difficult
thought to make reality. But alas we survived the ridiculous roads and
dangerous drivers and made it to Luang Prabang.
The one thing that is so much nicer than Laos is how even the 'big' cities are not as polluted and built up.
So far Laos has been beautiful. Not only are the people nicer and more
helpful- but they also seem to be much cleaner which is nice.
We jumped off our bus and onto a tuk tuk which drove us into town. We
quickly found a guest house to stay at and settled in. By this point in
time it was nearly dinner. We decided to explore the city a little bit,
and then find a spot to eat.
After dinner we were right in time to see the famous Luang Prabang night market.
Now this was cool.
Just as the sun sets everyday, the main street is shut down, and people come and setup their tents for the night market.
Here they sell anything and everything. Some of the most beautiful hand
made jewelry, clothing, bags, musical instrument. They are selling teas
and coffees. Everything.
Steve and I walked the streets for hours until people starting packing
up their merchandise and taking down their tents. Though we didn't buy
much of anything is was very cool to look at all the both and try to
barter with the locals.
The next morning we decided to simply explore the city and see what it
had to offer. Luang prabang has something like 120 temples and watts
around and we would definitely go explore some.
One in particular was the most impressive and famous- and once we were there we could see why.
It was some 200 steps to the top of the temple. But from there you could
see the entire city including the river and watch a beautiful sunset.
After our climb we sat up top the temple for a couple hours. We met some
fellow canadians and chatted to other travelers for a while and then
made our decent.
We found a super yummy place to have dinner and ended up ordering our best meal to date! (Vegetable curry with coconut!!!).
We walked through the night market on our way home and practiced our bartering skills some more (successfully!).
Tomorrow we would have a more adventurous day exploring waterfalls and the likes!
Thursday, June 20, 2013
kayaking the Nam Song River!
As I'd mentioned before, steve and I both agreed to not participate in the rift-raft tubing adventure (or should I say laze).
Rather we booked ourselves a guide and decided to paddle 20kms of the nam song instead.
I was SO happy that we decided to do this.
Our instructors name was A (this can't possibly be his real name), and he was pretty cute. At first he was a little shy getting to know us, but by the end of the day we were joking around and teasing one another. It was an awesome day.
We started the day bright and early (8 o'clock). We boarded a tuk tuk which drove us through the country side of vang vieng. This is by far the most beautiful scenery we've had. Giant mountains covered in a thick green forest line the riverside. They are tall enough for the white fluffy clouds to linger at their peaks. I must have taken two million photos this day- but not one of them captured the epicness of what was actually in front of us.
At any rate- we drove to the launch point and before we knew it we were officially paddling the nam song.
The funny thing here is that you're allowed to do some risky-ish things without any guidance or safety lessons. Steve and I were tacking rapids and bashing into rocks left right and centre. A would just smile at us and after bumping to a few himself we would carry on.
It probably sounds like we are total amateurs here...but ill have you know there are a million rocks everywhere. I would defy someone to paddle the river and not hit a few here and there!
Anyways, after our first 5 km, we stopped at the side of the river and A guided us through a farm and field to a cave.
It seems like we explore a lot of caves here doesn't it?...
At any rate, this cave was filled with water, so to explore it you hoped onto an inner tube and pulled yourself through it with a rope and head lamp.
It was pretty neat. A kept teasing me that there were spiders, snakes and lizards ready to chomp you at any moment- and he thought it was pretty funny to get a rise out of us.
After we pulled ourselves through the cave A barbecued us up a delicious lunch.
We ate and talked for a while and then headed out again.
Our next stop was elephant cave. I thought of Tash for this, because by some stroke of luck, the rocks had made what appeared to be an elephant guarding the cave. It was so cool to see! This cave was really small, pretty much just a big opening with the elephant and a million Buddhas. A told us the story behind the cave though, and it was interesting to learn why the cave had both an owl and a hare at the entrance. Come to think of it I had seen this before. Apparently they are placed at the entrance of cave to catch any evil animals that could potential enter and mar it (rats and bats and snakes...).
We walked back through the farm- which I thought was pretty neat but both A and steve laughed at me because of- and we were back in our kayaks. Now it was another 15 kms to home.
It was really nice to paddle along the river and luckily we had a somewhat overcast day- so the sun wasn't as hot as normal.
Here and there we stopped to either explore the river shore or jump in for a swim.
At one point we stopped right below this bamboo bridge that hung some 20-25 feet in the air.
Steve- being used to heights decided to give it a go. This was one sketchy bridge. About 3/4 of the way over they stopped laying bamboo to walk along and just had two tiny cables to walk (or should I say tight rope walk) on to get to the other side.
I wasn't as brave as steve and got way to nervous of falling about a quarter of the way through. Yikers!
I know now I don't like heights.
Steve did admit that it was the scariest thing he'd ever walked on. It was swaying the hole time and pieces of bamboo were breaking off here and there leaving giant holes in the middle of the bridge. It definitely wasn't passing any canadian safety standards.
We were almost home- and in the final 3kms of our paddle we passed the many tubing tourists floating down the river (at a snails pace (the river was very low). As we passed them A was laughing and shaking his head. In that moment I was so happy I was in a kayak and not a tube!
It was an awesome day, and we ended up learing about Lao culture and meeting a new friend.
We got some dinner after our kayak, walked around the town a little and that was that.
We woke up the next morning, packed our bags, and planned on departing that evening.
We decided to have a lazy day and get our very first massages! We were both very excited for this, as we had only heard good things. It was interesting indeed. The traditional Lao massage involves a lot of slapping and punching... I definitely was not expecting this. They also used about an entire bottle of oil on both steve and I. We were so slippery by the time we were done. I think the two ladies knew it was our first time getting massages because we both let out a few chuckles and so did they! It was relaxing at the end of the day though- so that was nice.
After massages we hiked to another lagoon only a few kilometers from our hotel. This was another cool dip and a chance for us to wash all the oil of us!
We hung around the lagoon for a couple hours (which was attached to yet another cave to explore), and then headed back into town to grab some food before leaving.
Of course during our dinner the biggest storm I'd ever witnessed happened- it lasted for over an hour. All the lights went off and it sounded as though the thunder was right on top of us. The restaurant had no walls and a straw roof, so the rain was pouring in. The owner had set up a couple candles for light and we all huddled in the middle of the room until the storm passed.
Coincidentally where we ate was also where we purchased our bus ticket to Luang Prabang. They kindly informed us that the roads would be to dangerous to drive on, and we should rather leave the next day.
So I guess we were another night in Vang Vieng. This place just can't get rid of us.
Rather we booked ourselves a guide and decided to paddle 20kms of the nam song instead.
I was SO happy that we decided to do this.
Our instructors name was A (this can't possibly be his real name), and he was pretty cute. At first he was a little shy getting to know us, but by the end of the day we were joking around and teasing one another. It was an awesome day.
We started the day bright and early (8 o'clock). We boarded a tuk tuk which drove us through the country side of vang vieng. This is by far the most beautiful scenery we've had. Giant mountains covered in a thick green forest line the riverside. They are tall enough for the white fluffy clouds to linger at their peaks. I must have taken two million photos this day- but not one of them captured the epicness of what was actually in front of us.
At any rate- we drove to the launch point and before we knew it we were officially paddling the nam song.
The funny thing here is that you're allowed to do some risky-ish things without any guidance or safety lessons. Steve and I were tacking rapids and bashing into rocks left right and centre. A would just smile at us and after bumping to a few himself we would carry on.
It probably sounds like we are total amateurs here...but ill have you know there are a million rocks everywhere. I would defy someone to paddle the river and not hit a few here and there!
Anyways, after our first 5 km, we stopped at the side of the river and A guided us through a farm and field to a cave.
It seems like we explore a lot of caves here doesn't it?...
At any rate, this cave was filled with water, so to explore it you hoped onto an inner tube and pulled yourself through it with a rope and head lamp.
It was pretty neat. A kept teasing me that there were spiders, snakes and lizards ready to chomp you at any moment- and he thought it was pretty funny to get a rise out of us.
After we pulled ourselves through the cave A barbecued us up a delicious lunch.
We ate and talked for a while and then headed out again.
Our next stop was elephant cave. I thought of Tash for this, because by some stroke of luck, the rocks had made what appeared to be an elephant guarding the cave. It was so cool to see! This cave was really small, pretty much just a big opening with the elephant and a million Buddhas. A told us the story behind the cave though, and it was interesting to learn why the cave had both an owl and a hare at the entrance. Come to think of it I had seen this before. Apparently they are placed at the entrance of cave to catch any evil animals that could potential enter and mar it (rats and bats and snakes...).
We walked back through the farm- which I thought was pretty neat but both A and steve laughed at me because of- and we were back in our kayaks. Now it was another 15 kms to home.
It was really nice to paddle along the river and luckily we had a somewhat overcast day- so the sun wasn't as hot as normal.
Here and there we stopped to either explore the river shore or jump in for a swim.
At one point we stopped right below this bamboo bridge that hung some 20-25 feet in the air.
Steve- being used to heights decided to give it a go. This was one sketchy bridge. About 3/4 of the way over they stopped laying bamboo to walk along and just had two tiny cables to walk (or should I say tight rope walk) on to get to the other side.
I wasn't as brave as steve and got way to nervous of falling about a quarter of the way through. Yikers!
I know now I don't like heights.
Steve did admit that it was the scariest thing he'd ever walked on. It was swaying the hole time and pieces of bamboo were breaking off here and there leaving giant holes in the middle of the bridge. It definitely wasn't passing any canadian safety standards.
We were almost home- and in the final 3kms of our paddle we passed the many tubing tourists floating down the river (at a snails pace (the river was very low). As we passed them A was laughing and shaking his head. In that moment I was so happy I was in a kayak and not a tube!
It was an awesome day, and we ended up learing about Lao culture and meeting a new friend.
We got some dinner after our kayak, walked around the town a little and that was that.
We woke up the next morning, packed our bags, and planned on departing that evening.
We decided to have a lazy day and get our very first massages! We were both very excited for this, as we had only heard good things. It was interesting indeed. The traditional Lao massage involves a lot of slapping and punching... I definitely was not expecting this. They also used about an entire bottle of oil on both steve and I. We were so slippery by the time we were done. I think the two ladies knew it was our first time getting massages because we both let out a few chuckles and so did they! It was relaxing at the end of the day though- so that was nice.
After massages we hiked to another lagoon only a few kilometers from our hotel. This was another cool dip and a chance for us to wash all the oil of us!
We hung around the lagoon for a couple hours (which was attached to yet another cave to explore), and then headed back into town to grab some food before leaving.
Of course during our dinner the biggest storm I'd ever witnessed happened- it lasted for over an hour. All the lights went off and it sounded as though the thunder was right on top of us. The restaurant had no walls and a straw roof, so the rain was pouring in. The owner had set up a couple candles for light and we all huddled in the middle of the room until the storm passed.
Coincidentally where we ate was also where we purchased our bus ticket to Luang Prabang. They kindly informed us that the roads would be to dangerous to drive on, and we should rather leave the next day.
So I guess we were another night in Vang Vieng. This place just can't get rid of us.
Hello beautiful Vang Vieng
From Vientiane to Vang Vieng is only a mere 168 kms. This journey however takes anywhere between 7-11 hours.
This is because you are driving through the most mountainous region, on the worst possible roads.
Steve and I had just gotten used to the idea of putting our luggage under buses- though we were told to be cautious of people hiding where the luggage is stowed to steal peoples belongings.
Well the system in Laos is completely different. Here they piles anything and everything on top of the minibuses, and tie everything down with a little rope. Perfect I thought. Sooner or later I'm sure to see all my belongings fly off the roof of our bus and sore into the mountain valley below us.
This didn't happen... Though I wouldn't have been shocked it if did.
I had a good knack of curling into a small ball and squeezing myself to the confines of my small seat in order to take a nap. I did this on almost every bus ride we'd taken. Steve says its the funniest thing to see and it looks like some sort of circus act- but yet a couple hours of sleep is a couple hours of sleep! Ill take it.
Even logging those hours of zzz's, the ride was still long. I will admit that the scenery is pretty nice, and while driving you get to see all type of laos rural life. My favourite is seeing all the little kids running around or bathing in the rivers behind their houses.
These kids look the most happy splashing around and playing with their siblings. There is a crazy bond that almost all families share here. They are so committed to one another. Yes this is seen (seemingly) by just passing by towns in your bus, but also in the heart of cities, where we would stay for a couple of days. Every business is a family business, every older child is taking care of their siblings and every mother is caring for her children- they just seem to have the utmost concern for eachother, no questions asked. It is refreshing to see.
Anyways- after the long journey we had finally made it to Vang Veing. This place is known as the party capital of Laos, where the hoodlums get drunk and float down the Nam Sung river in inner-tubes, stopping at the many bars set up along the rivers edge.
This has actually brought quite a bit of death to the region- with tourists drowning in a fit of intoxication, or simply those who suffer from stupidity and think jumping into a shallow river littered with sharp rocks is a good idea.
Needless to say, the locals, who traditionally would fish and bathe in this river are so deterred from those tourist's actions that they now believe that the river is cursed, and omit from fishing and bathing in it.
As many of the bars have now been shut now due to so many incidences, more locals use the river, but as I talked to a couple in the town, they still find it laughable and a 'stupid' thing to do...innertube down the river drunk, when there are so many more ways to appreciate the extremely beautiful vang vieng scenery.
Steve and I were both embarrassed to hear of how upset the locals were of the tourists, and by no means wished to participate in the foolishness.
After a good sleep in, I was feeling a little better from the poor food decision the night before. Steve and I had heard of the 'blue lagoon' which was only 7kms from the hotel we found (off the beaten path -bonus!).
We decided we would bike the 7km, and then cool off in the icy blue waters!
The bike ride nearly killed me. I must have sweat 10 gallons of water in the 40 minute ride. Riding in the hilliest terrain on a one-gear, bright pink, raised handle-bar bike was, funny- when watching steve, but very hard in reality.
The roads are also so washed out by the torrential down pores that happen every night, and there are huge potholes and slippery parts to the road. Ill add here that there are tuk tuks, and motorbikes whipping by you- and heards of cattle blocking the way every once and a while. We made it there though. I thought I had died when we finally arrived.
It was well worth it though. The water was beautiful, and we quickly realized why they called it the 'blue lagoon'. I'm not sure what exactly makes the water so blue- but literally it is a deep clear blue colour. Very cool, and very pretty.
Steve and I both got in, and the water was more then chilly. Refreshing for sure- but almost too much so! Not exactly sure how the water stays so icy cold- but I like it!
There was swings set up in the lagoon to sit on, and even a tree you could jump from. It started to rain, so once everyone had left steve and I could play around- the whole lagoon to ourselves. It was pretty fun.
On this excursion there was also a cave to explore.
We hiked a little ways up this mountain through the forest, and stumbled across the caves (tham phu kham) opening. At first we thought it was only a little cave, maybe 100 meters long. But then we realized that if you crawled around and over some big boulders, you could explore further into the depths of the cave. This became a little eerie, because by this point there was no longer any natural light in the cave and rather just the little beam from our head lamps.
I found this really cool, as did steve, but I was certainly much more scared. As we kept going further and further into the cave, I would suggest turning back, but steve insisted to push on. With giant holes 20 feet deep and slippery rocks everywhere- we did just that. Until we got to the very end of the cave. It was very neat to see all the stalagmites and stalactites and again almost a creepy feeling to hear the bats fluttering around and the water dripping all around us.
By far we found this the best caving experience we'd had so far. Though paradise and heavenly cave we massive in comparison, this cave had no artificial lighting so it was more of an 'explore' rather then a guided walk through.
We left the cave and jumped back on our bikes to head home in the pouring rain. This was much nicer to ride in, as it has cooled down, what felt like, 20 degrees.
The chain on steves bike came off a million times on the ride home- but that was the only hassle.
At one point three little girls were laughing at him and helped him put it back on. It was pretty cute to say the least.
We showered off (we were covered in mud after the ride home) and then headed out for dinner. Steve and I had gotten in the habit of falling asleep before eating dinner and we were breaking the pattern tonight. Our stomachs still weren't at 100 percent so we ordered something familiar. PIZZA!
The pizza here is nothing like home. But hey- there was bread and there was cheese. We gobbled it down and went to bed.
This is because you are driving through the most mountainous region, on the worst possible roads.
Steve and I had just gotten used to the idea of putting our luggage under buses- though we were told to be cautious of people hiding where the luggage is stowed to steal peoples belongings.
Well the system in Laos is completely different. Here they piles anything and everything on top of the minibuses, and tie everything down with a little rope. Perfect I thought. Sooner or later I'm sure to see all my belongings fly off the roof of our bus and sore into the mountain valley below us.
This didn't happen... Though I wouldn't have been shocked it if did.
I had a good knack of curling into a small ball and squeezing myself to the confines of my small seat in order to take a nap. I did this on almost every bus ride we'd taken. Steve says its the funniest thing to see and it looks like some sort of circus act- but yet a couple hours of sleep is a couple hours of sleep! Ill take it.
Even logging those hours of zzz's, the ride was still long. I will admit that the scenery is pretty nice, and while driving you get to see all type of laos rural life. My favourite is seeing all the little kids running around or bathing in the rivers behind their houses.
These kids look the most happy splashing around and playing with their siblings. There is a crazy bond that almost all families share here. They are so committed to one another. Yes this is seen (seemingly) by just passing by towns in your bus, but also in the heart of cities, where we would stay for a couple of days. Every business is a family business, every older child is taking care of their siblings and every mother is caring for her children- they just seem to have the utmost concern for eachother, no questions asked. It is refreshing to see.
Anyways- after the long journey we had finally made it to Vang Veing. This place is known as the party capital of Laos, where the hoodlums get drunk and float down the Nam Sung river in inner-tubes, stopping at the many bars set up along the rivers edge.
This has actually brought quite a bit of death to the region- with tourists drowning in a fit of intoxication, or simply those who suffer from stupidity and think jumping into a shallow river littered with sharp rocks is a good idea.
Needless to say, the locals, who traditionally would fish and bathe in this river are so deterred from those tourist's actions that they now believe that the river is cursed, and omit from fishing and bathing in it.
As many of the bars have now been shut now due to so many incidences, more locals use the river, but as I talked to a couple in the town, they still find it laughable and a 'stupid' thing to do...innertube down the river drunk, when there are so many more ways to appreciate the extremely beautiful vang vieng scenery.
Steve and I were both embarrassed to hear of how upset the locals were of the tourists, and by no means wished to participate in the foolishness.
After a good sleep in, I was feeling a little better from the poor food decision the night before. Steve and I had heard of the 'blue lagoon' which was only 7kms from the hotel we found (off the beaten path -bonus!).
We decided we would bike the 7km, and then cool off in the icy blue waters!
The bike ride nearly killed me. I must have sweat 10 gallons of water in the 40 minute ride. Riding in the hilliest terrain on a one-gear, bright pink, raised handle-bar bike was, funny- when watching steve, but very hard in reality.
The roads are also so washed out by the torrential down pores that happen every night, and there are huge potholes and slippery parts to the road. Ill add here that there are tuk tuks, and motorbikes whipping by you- and heards of cattle blocking the way every once and a while. We made it there though. I thought I had died when we finally arrived.
It was well worth it though. The water was beautiful, and we quickly realized why they called it the 'blue lagoon'. I'm not sure what exactly makes the water so blue- but literally it is a deep clear blue colour. Very cool, and very pretty.
Steve and I both got in, and the water was more then chilly. Refreshing for sure- but almost too much so! Not exactly sure how the water stays so icy cold- but I like it!
There was swings set up in the lagoon to sit on, and even a tree you could jump from. It started to rain, so once everyone had left steve and I could play around- the whole lagoon to ourselves. It was pretty fun.
On this excursion there was also a cave to explore.
We hiked a little ways up this mountain through the forest, and stumbled across the caves (tham phu kham) opening. At first we thought it was only a little cave, maybe 100 meters long. But then we realized that if you crawled around and over some big boulders, you could explore further into the depths of the cave. This became a little eerie, because by this point there was no longer any natural light in the cave and rather just the little beam from our head lamps.
I found this really cool, as did steve, but I was certainly much more scared. As we kept going further and further into the cave, I would suggest turning back, but steve insisted to push on. With giant holes 20 feet deep and slippery rocks everywhere- we did just that. Until we got to the very end of the cave. It was very neat to see all the stalagmites and stalactites and again almost a creepy feeling to hear the bats fluttering around and the water dripping all around us.
By far we found this the best caving experience we'd had so far. Though paradise and heavenly cave we massive in comparison, this cave had no artificial lighting so it was more of an 'explore' rather then a guided walk through.
We left the cave and jumped back on our bikes to head home in the pouring rain. This was much nicer to ride in, as it has cooled down, what felt like, 20 degrees.
The chain on steves bike came off a million times on the ride home- but that was the only hassle.
At one point three little girls were laughing at him and helped him put it back on. It was pretty cute to say the least.
We showered off (we were covered in mud after the ride home) and then headed out for dinner. Steve and I had gotten in the habit of falling asleep before eating dinner and we were breaking the pattern tonight. Our stomachs still weren't at 100 percent so we ordered something familiar. PIZZA!
The pizza here is nothing like home. But hey- there was bread and there was cheese. We gobbled it down and went to bed.
all aboard the death bus please!
We boarded the mini-bus which took us to the big bus station in Hanoi.
'Look steve- its a big version of you!'
This guy and his girlfriend board the mini-bus. He's wearing a red base-ball cap on- backwards... Long-ish hair, sporting the exact same backpack as Steve.
This was pretty strange.
Soon after the spotting we introduced ourselves. Big Steve's name was Justin, and his girlfriend was Sarah. They too were from Canada making the long busride from Hanoi, Vietnam to Vientiene, Laos.
We got on to our bus. Which ended up being a sleeper bus and started chatting up a storm. It was nice to meeting some friendly people and have a conversation that was longer then just a few words!
We would have to get used to having numb bums, because as I mentioned the busride was apparently 24 hours... Minimum.
Oh joy.
The roads here are nuts. We were driving through the mountains which meant ups and downs, around corners at the speed of lightning. Passing anything and everything in front of us.
Steve, Justin and Sarah had fallen asleep a couple hours before me, and after running out of ways to preoccupy myself I did too.
About 8 ours later, its now the middle of the night- or should I say wee hours of the morning. At this point the bus is a rumblin'. We were being jostled from left to right. It felt like we were taking on some serious corners, and the bus driver was beeping his foul head off! I turn to Steve who was sitting up at this point.
'Is everything ok Steve? Why is it so bumpy?'
'Oh ya rach... Everything is fine. Go back to bed'.
I listened to him, but had I turned over to look at Sarah and Justin I would have seen them white- knuckling the bar in front of their seats.
Once we stopped at the border (around 3 in the morning) we all woke up and Steve then explained to me what had happened.
Long story short- our bus driver was crazy and had a death wish for all of us. He simply could not not pass people. So when faced with hair-pinned turns and giant mountains he was literally driving in the ditches and honking at people to pass them.
At one point this one bus wouldn't let him pass- so we were driving right on his tail all the way to the border stop. This is when our bus driver lost it.
We had a flat tire from driving in the ditches and over giant pot holes- but before fixing that- the bus driver got out and starting yelling at the other driver, banging on his windows and cursing and swearing I'm sure.
We didn't really know what was going on. But it was a relief that the bus was at a stop.
As the driver fixed our flat we drifted back asleep and waited another 3-4 hours before we could apply to cross the border.
I was nervous for this part of the journey as we didn't have particularly good luck the last time we tried.
The first part entailed waiting in line for an hour just to get your passport stamed to get out Vietnam. Then you had to wait another hour to get your laos VISA. A lot transpired in these hours.
While steve waited in line to get our stamps, I sat with our bags on the sidewalk just 15 meters away.
Sitting there about 5 guys came up to chat. This is a regular thing here as many people are fascinated with tourist and see it as an opportunity to improve their english. Not a problem I think.
(Especially not worried because there are armed guards all around where we are sitting, so it would be highly unlikely for someone to try and steal from you or hurt you...)
Anyways- the conversation starts out quite normal, with the usual 'where are you from?' 'Do you like vietnam?' 'How long are you here for?'...
I happily answered these questions, and then it started getting weird.
We continued to talk about how I was somewhere in my mid-twenties and wasn't married and had no children.
'Do you want a baby?'
'No...' I answered firmly.
'I will put baby in you ok?'
... Pause...
I took this as my cue to go stand with steve and wait for our stamps together, and kindly declined his offer.
It is strange how quickly conversation goes from appropriate to inappropriate here. I couldn't fathom asking anyone let alone a stranger a question like that.
Such is life though.
Our VISA ended up costing us 43 dollars each. People seemed to be complaining about the steep prices, but steve and I were thanking darwin that it wasn't costing us a whopping 360.
We were on the bus for another 3 hours before a stop for food. This stop sat particularly bad with steve and I, especially as we weren't quite over our hershey squirts dilemma.
We didn't dare order any food from this stop, but Justin and Sarah did, as well as two other travelers (James and Sarah (yes we know the names are all so similar) ) did.
No one here spoke english- and it seemed whenever we asked for something they just laughed at us. We weren't exactly sure of the reason for this.
At any rate- they all ended up with some type of pork meal. This was THE most disgusting thing I've ever seen.
The pork came with hair still on the skin, and teeth in the meat. The flies flying around the plates wasn't appetizing either...
I thought I was going to be sick.
No one really ate their meal. Maybe they dared a few bites of rice.
Before we knew it we were back on the bus and we'd arrived in Vientine, the capital of Laos.
We were met with aggressive tuk tuk drivers and sand storms, which sounds bad but it really wasn't.
This would be mine and steves first tuk tuk ride, and already we loved them!
Not only do they look so retro, all brightly colours and decked out with lights and paintings- but they are also super breezy to ride in.
We walked the streets in search of a hotel, and once we found one we washed the dirty bus off of us with a nice shower (albeit it was a cold one!) And then met up with the two Sarahs, James and Justin for dinner.
Steve didn't want to brave any meat just yet, so we split a falafle and pad thai. It was pretty yummy, and it definitely filled us up after not eating for a couple days.
Sarah ordered a curry and vomited a mere 5 minutes after eating. That was pleasant.
We all went back to our hotel for some rest and relaxation and low and behold 4 out of 6 of us were sick. (Me being one of them...)
It was time to get the hell out of dodge!
'Look steve- its a big version of you!'
This guy and his girlfriend board the mini-bus. He's wearing a red base-ball cap on- backwards... Long-ish hair, sporting the exact same backpack as Steve.
This was pretty strange.
Soon after the spotting we introduced ourselves. Big Steve's name was Justin, and his girlfriend was Sarah. They too were from Canada making the long busride from Hanoi, Vietnam to Vientiene, Laos.
We got on to our bus. Which ended up being a sleeper bus and started chatting up a storm. It was nice to meeting some friendly people and have a conversation that was longer then just a few words!
We would have to get used to having numb bums, because as I mentioned the busride was apparently 24 hours... Minimum.
Oh joy.
The roads here are nuts. We were driving through the mountains which meant ups and downs, around corners at the speed of lightning. Passing anything and everything in front of us.
Steve, Justin and Sarah had fallen asleep a couple hours before me, and after running out of ways to preoccupy myself I did too.
About 8 ours later, its now the middle of the night- or should I say wee hours of the morning. At this point the bus is a rumblin'. We were being jostled from left to right. It felt like we were taking on some serious corners, and the bus driver was beeping his foul head off! I turn to Steve who was sitting up at this point.
'Is everything ok Steve? Why is it so bumpy?'
'Oh ya rach... Everything is fine. Go back to bed'.
I listened to him, but had I turned over to look at Sarah and Justin I would have seen them white- knuckling the bar in front of their seats.
Once we stopped at the border (around 3 in the morning) we all woke up and Steve then explained to me what had happened.
Long story short- our bus driver was crazy and had a death wish for all of us. He simply could not not pass people. So when faced with hair-pinned turns and giant mountains he was literally driving in the ditches and honking at people to pass them.
At one point this one bus wouldn't let him pass- so we were driving right on his tail all the way to the border stop. This is when our bus driver lost it.
We had a flat tire from driving in the ditches and over giant pot holes- but before fixing that- the bus driver got out and starting yelling at the other driver, banging on his windows and cursing and swearing I'm sure.
We didn't really know what was going on. But it was a relief that the bus was at a stop.
As the driver fixed our flat we drifted back asleep and waited another 3-4 hours before we could apply to cross the border.
I was nervous for this part of the journey as we didn't have particularly good luck the last time we tried.
The first part entailed waiting in line for an hour just to get your passport stamed to get out Vietnam. Then you had to wait another hour to get your laos VISA. A lot transpired in these hours.
While steve waited in line to get our stamps, I sat with our bags on the sidewalk just 15 meters away.
Sitting there about 5 guys came up to chat. This is a regular thing here as many people are fascinated with tourist and see it as an opportunity to improve their english. Not a problem I think.
(Especially not worried because there are armed guards all around where we are sitting, so it would be highly unlikely for someone to try and steal from you or hurt you...)
Anyways- the conversation starts out quite normal, with the usual 'where are you from?' 'Do you like vietnam?' 'How long are you here for?'...
I happily answered these questions, and then it started getting weird.
We continued to talk about how I was somewhere in my mid-twenties and wasn't married and had no children.
'Do you want a baby?'
'No...' I answered firmly.
'I will put baby in you ok?'
... Pause...
I took this as my cue to go stand with steve and wait for our stamps together, and kindly declined his offer.
It is strange how quickly conversation goes from appropriate to inappropriate here. I couldn't fathom asking anyone let alone a stranger a question like that.
Such is life though.
Our VISA ended up costing us 43 dollars each. People seemed to be complaining about the steep prices, but steve and I were thanking darwin that it wasn't costing us a whopping 360.
We were on the bus for another 3 hours before a stop for food. This stop sat particularly bad with steve and I, especially as we weren't quite over our hershey squirts dilemma.
We didn't dare order any food from this stop, but Justin and Sarah did, as well as two other travelers (James and Sarah (yes we know the names are all so similar) ) did.
No one here spoke english- and it seemed whenever we asked for something they just laughed at us. We weren't exactly sure of the reason for this.
At any rate- they all ended up with some type of pork meal. This was THE most disgusting thing I've ever seen.
The pork came with hair still on the skin, and teeth in the meat. The flies flying around the plates wasn't appetizing either...
I thought I was going to be sick.
No one really ate their meal. Maybe they dared a few bites of rice.
Before we knew it we were back on the bus and we'd arrived in Vientine, the capital of Laos.
We were met with aggressive tuk tuk drivers and sand storms, which sounds bad but it really wasn't.
This would be mine and steves first tuk tuk ride, and already we loved them!
Not only do they look so retro, all brightly colours and decked out with lights and paintings- but they are also super breezy to ride in.
We walked the streets in search of a hotel, and once we found one we washed the dirty bus off of us with a nice shower (albeit it was a cold one!) And then met up with the two Sarahs, James and Justin for dinner.
Steve didn't want to brave any meat just yet, so we split a falafle and pad thai. It was pretty yummy, and it definitely filled us up after not eating for a couple days.
Sarah ordered a curry and vomited a mere 5 minutes after eating. That was pleasant.
We all went back to our hotel for some rest and relaxation and low and behold 4 out of 6 of us were sick. (Me being one of them...)
It was time to get the hell out of dodge!
the Hershey Squirts... how lovely!
We had two more days left in Hanoi- and it was a good thing that Mrs.
Chi had other plans this morning and couldn't meet us until dinner.
We knew this day would come. We dreaded it...but we knew it had to be faced.
The Hershey Squirts...as Steve so vividly calls it.
It hit me first. We decided to tour around Hanoi city- go to the market, walk into some cool little shops.
Hanoi is known for its silk. Around every corner there are beautiful little shops with handmade silk scarves, bags, wallets, flowers... Anything you can imagine- they've got it... And its all silk!
We were off to a great start to the day. It was swelteringly hot again and we were both sweating like pigs. And then I knew... Just like that, that something wasn't right.
Nonchalantly I turn to Steve and say perhaps it would be a good idea to go back to the hotel. We made it just in time. The chocolate factory was officially open- and then weren't running low on supply.
Holy moly- I realize now why they say that traveling as a couple is a make or break it situation.
We were meeting Mrs. Chi for dinner- and I had pulled myself together for that. At this point Steve had not yet been hit by the squirts, so we were doing pretty good.
We went out for some street food for dinner. It was pretty neat watching this guy toss rice in the air from his giant wok, and throw this and that in it to make it taste extra yummy. One of the many awesome things about Mrs. Chi, was that she actually knew Hanoi city- which meant she also knew the good places to eat and visit.
As I hadn't eaten in some time- I gobbled down my food lickadee-split. Steve on the other hand wasn't doing so hot. And that's when I knew. The poor guy. Just like that he turned to me and said 'I think maybe we should go back to the hotel now'...
And we did. Steve immediately ran upstairs and sprawled out on the bed. After a short visit with Mrs. Chi in the lobby, I went up to check on him and make sure everything was ok.
I've never seen Steve like this. So helpless.. Everything about him screamed uncomfortableness.
Right before he fell asleep, he told me. 'Everything hurts- my legs, my arms, my stomach...I think I want to puke'...
He didn't puke- but I don't think I need to explain what happened next.
The next morning was our last official day in Hanoi. We would be leaving that night for Laos.
Mrs. Chi again planned a great day for us, going to see the big Hanoi cites. We visited the Ho Chi Mnihn museum, the prison, the first Hanoi university... All kinds of cool things.
Mid way through the Prison tour I looked over at Steve, and when his weepy little eyes met mine I knew it was time to go home.
We booked it back to the hotel, and asked for a late checkout so that Steve could go sleep. He slept for 8 hours or something ridiculous like that.
I packed up the room- shipped a parcel out and went for a little walk, and woke Steve up just before our bus was supposed to arrive.
'Do you feel any better Steve?' I asked nervously. I knew we were faced with a 24 hour long bus ride...
'I feel much better actually' (I was relieved)
'I think I would have died if I didn't have that nap'
The expression on Steve's face when he said that to me was priceless as he was so sincere about it.
We waited with Mrs. Chi and her brother at the bus station while sipping some delicious iced coffees- awaiting our bus to come.
Of course the bus was some 2 hours late. We were used to this though.
Just as we were leaving the most insane downpour overcame Hanoi. The three of us agreed that even the sky was sad we had to leave.
Alas it was time. And more adventure would meet us in Laos.
We knew this day would come. We dreaded it...but we knew it had to be faced.
The Hershey Squirts...as Steve so vividly calls it.
It hit me first. We decided to tour around Hanoi city- go to the market, walk into some cool little shops.
Hanoi is known for its silk. Around every corner there are beautiful little shops with handmade silk scarves, bags, wallets, flowers... Anything you can imagine- they've got it... And its all silk!
We were off to a great start to the day. It was swelteringly hot again and we were both sweating like pigs. And then I knew... Just like that, that something wasn't right.
Nonchalantly I turn to Steve and say perhaps it would be a good idea to go back to the hotel. We made it just in time. The chocolate factory was officially open- and then weren't running low on supply.
Holy moly- I realize now why they say that traveling as a couple is a make or break it situation.
We were meeting Mrs. Chi for dinner- and I had pulled myself together for that. At this point Steve had not yet been hit by the squirts, so we were doing pretty good.
We went out for some street food for dinner. It was pretty neat watching this guy toss rice in the air from his giant wok, and throw this and that in it to make it taste extra yummy. One of the many awesome things about Mrs. Chi, was that she actually knew Hanoi city- which meant she also knew the good places to eat and visit.
As I hadn't eaten in some time- I gobbled down my food lickadee-split. Steve on the other hand wasn't doing so hot. And that's when I knew. The poor guy. Just like that he turned to me and said 'I think maybe we should go back to the hotel now'...
And we did. Steve immediately ran upstairs and sprawled out on the bed. After a short visit with Mrs. Chi in the lobby, I went up to check on him and make sure everything was ok.
I've never seen Steve like this. So helpless.. Everything about him screamed uncomfortableness.
Right before he fell asleep, he told me. 'Everything hurts- my legs, my arms, my stomach...I think I want to puke'...
He didn't puke- but I don't think I need to explain what happened next.
The next morning was our last official day in Hanoi. We would be leaving that night for Laos.
Mrs. Chi again planned a great day for us, going to see the big Hanoi cites. We visited the Ho Chi Mnihn museum, the prison, the first Hanoi university... All kinds of cool things.
Mid way through the Prison tour I looked over at Steve, and when his weepy little eyes met mine I knew it was time to go home.
We booked it back to the hotel, and asked for a late checkout so that Steve could go sleep. He slept for 8 hours or something ridiculous like that.
I packed up the room- shipped a parcel out and went for a little walk, and woke Steve up just before our bus was supposed to arrive.
'Do you feel any better Steve?' I asked nervously. I knew we were faced with a 24 hour long bus ride...
'I feel much better actually' (I was relieved)
'I think I would have died if I didn't have that nap'
The expression on Steve's face when he said that to me was priceless as he was so sincere about it.
We waited with Mrs. Chi and her brother at the bus station while sipping some delicious iced coffees- awaiting our bus to come.
Of course the bus was some 2 hours late. We were used to this though.
Just as we were leaving the most insane downpour overcame Hanoi. The three of us agreed that even the sky was sad we had to leave.
Alas it was time. And more adventure would meet us in Laos.
Hanoi we're here!
We've made it to hanoi after a LONG nightbus, bus ride.
The buses here are bonkers. More so should I say the bus stations. Here you think you'll be dropped off or picked up from a legitimate place. Think again. The bus stations seem to be anywhere- at anytime. You'll get dropped off on the side of the road somewhere, and told to wait for your next bus. Low and behold it comes. Maybe a few hours late, but hey.
Anyways- we role into Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, early early in the morning. Though they call them 'sleeper buses' they hardly make for a goodnight's sleep.
You never know what awaits you when you step off your bus. For me today it was a nice slap. I had put my bag down on the side of the road- and I guess the bus driver didn't like that much. So he just had at the back of my legs. 'Ouch!'
We moved on quickly after that.
At any rate, not knowing exactly where we were (but thinking it must be close to the city centre because that's where we were told we'd get dropped off), we start to walk towards where we'd be able to find a hotel or hostel.
What we thought would be a short walk ended up being roughly 5kms. Doesn't seem like much, but at 5 in the morning its tiring, especially with packs on!
Anyways- we find a hotel for a relatively cheap price and we make our way upstairs. Its about 50 degrees outside and possibly the hottest day we've experience since arriving in the Nam.
After being assssured we had working air conditioning- we were both more then upset to be met with a swelteringly hot room. Like I've said before- we feel so ridiculous complaining about no AC... But I'm telling you- the weather messes with your head!
Being the Leaf fans we are (I say 'we' loosely (no offense!)), we listened to the leafs game in our boiling room. On the radio! We felt the most ghetto ever. Nonetheless it was a hard game to listen to, and after witnessing the embarrassing leaf loss we decided to go grab coffees.
I need to emphasize here how amazing the coffee is in Vietnam. It is SO strong- but so delicious and refreshing.
Steve and I had been in contact with Mihn, a family friend, who had family in Vietnam, and she got us in contact with a lady, who I have never met before, Mrs. Chi.
She had been emailing me for over a week, and we had arranged to meet that afternoon for an exciting evening just outside of the city.
Steve and I didn't know what to expect- but we had pictured a lady in her mid-40s coming to tour us around.
Little did we know, she thought that WE would be in our 40s!
Well we were both wrong.
Mrs. Chi ended up being in her mid 20s, and we had the best time together. She was completely awesome- and had planned us a couple really awesome days in Vietnam's capital.
Steve and I felt like royalty. We had a driver and everything. Super surreal.
First we went to a pottery village just outside of the city. When they say 'pottery village' that's what they mean. This was the most pottery I'd ever seen. It was roads and roads of hand made dishes and figurines-bracelets and statues.
We walked down and through the aisles and shops for hours and actually got our own private pottery lessons. It was really cool. We spun some bowls and cups. There was no electricity, so getting the trick of how to spin the tables right was a little difficult- but seeing our teacher do it was amazing. She would spin vases, cups, bowls, plates- anything, any size so effortlessly. Very cool.
Seeing as it was a bazillion degrees, it was nice to have a cool ride back into the city.
Mrs. Chi had booked us a reservation at what she called in her email as 'her favourite restaurant'...
Well it turns out that it was the FANCIEST of fancy-pants places you could imagine. And here Steve and I come traipsing in (again) like a heard of turtles.
We had the grubbiest of clothing on... Haven't showered in days.
We felt like ABSOLUTE shmucks!
Again we seem to be met with women in evening gowns and men in suits- when we ourselves are in scruffy shorts and a Tee.
Humpf. It is what it is.
We did get a DELICIOUS meal and great company.
To top off an already 'misfit-feeling dinner' we left the swanky joint by taking some photos here and there. The waiters were all chuckling at us. It was pretty cute.
Seeing as we had a really long day- we were excited to get to bed- even though we fell asleep in a pool of our own sweat! Yuckers.
We woke up the next morning- met Mrs. Chi outside our hotel, and made the 3 hour journey to Halong Bay.
This place is beautiful! Giant limestone islands jut out from the sea and make for the most picturesque surroundings.
We boarded an old ship, where they fed us a extra yummy lunch. Mrs. Chi and Steve got fresh sea-food. I wish I could have indulged- but the vegetarian stuff was pretty darn good too. After we were right full, we set sail!
We toured all around the islands and stopped at a little fishing village.
The village was all comprised of houses built on stilts as to not touch the water. It was pretty neat to see. Here we got to kayak around the islands and go explore a couple caves too!
Then we were taken by boat again, to Heavenly cave, apparently one of the seven wonders of the world. It was stunning to walk through. Steve and I had now been in a couple difference caves. By far Paradise cave was the most impressive- but we both agreed that caves in general had an eerie feeling about them. Its always a little dark and dingy- and all you can hear is the 'drip drip drip' of the water falling from the rock ceilings. Very cool to say the least.
It was an awesome day. And just as we thought it was over- Mrs. Chi had arranged for us to go out for beers with her and her boyfriend, Phi. We ended up going to a famous bar in Hanoi- and had a lot of fun talking and enjoying eachothers company.
After a day of feeling like a King and Queen we went to bed. I was forseeing a sleepin in our future!
The buses here are bonkers. More so should I say the bus stations. Here you think you'll be dropped off or picked up from a legitimate place. Think again. The bus stations seem to be anywhere- at anytime. You'll get dropped off on the side of the road somewhere, and told to wait for your next bus. Low and behold it comes. Maybe a few hours late, but hey.
Anyways- we role into Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, early early in the morning. Though they call them 'sleeper buses' they hardly make for a goodnight's sleep.
You never know what awaits you when you step off your bus. For me today it was a nice slap. I had put my bag down on the side of the road- and I guess the bus driver didn't like that much. So he just had at the back of my legs. 'Ouch!'
We moved on quickly after that.
At any rate, not knowing exactly where we were (but thinking it must be close to the city centre because that's where we were told we'd get dropped off), we start to walk towards where we'd be able to find a hotel or hostel.
What we thought would be a short walk ended up being roughly 5kms. Doesn't seem like much, but at 5 in the morning its tiring, especially with packs on!
Anyways- we find a hotel for a relatively cheap price and we make our way upstairs. Its about 50 degrees outside and possibly the hottest day we've experience since arriving in the Nam.
After being assssured we had working air conditioning- we were both more then upset to be met with a swelteringly hot room. Like I've said before- we feel so ridiculous complaining about no AC... But I'm telling you- the weather messes with your head!
Being the Leaf fans we are (I say 'we' loosely (no offense!)), we listened to the leafs game in our boiling room. On the radio! We felt the most ghetto ever. Nonetheless it was a hard game to listen to, and after witnessing the embarrassing leaf loss we decided to go grab coffees.
I need to emphasize here how amazing the coffee is in Vietnam. It is SO strong- but so delicious and refreshing.
Steve and I had been in contact with Mihn, a family friend, who had family in Vietnam, and she got us in contact with a lady, who I have never met before, Mrs. Chi.
She had been emailing me for over a week, and we had arranged to meet that afternoon for an exciting evening just outside of the city.
Steve and I didn't know what to expect- but we had pictured a lady in her mid-40s coming to tour us around.
Little did we know, she thought that WE would be in our 40s!
Well we were both wrong.
Mrs. Chi ended up being in her mid 20s, and we had the best time together. She was completely awesome- and had planned us a couple really awesome days in Vietnam's capital.
Steve and I felt like royalty. We had a driver and everything. Super surreal.
First we went to a pottery village just outside of the city. When they say 'pottery village' that's what they mean. This was the most pottery I'd ever seen. It was roads and roads of hand made dishes and figurines-bracelets and statues.
We walked down and through the aisles and shops for hours and actually got our own private pottery lessons. It was really cool. We spun some bowls and cups. There was no electricity, so getting the trick of how to spin the tables right was a little difficult- but seeing our teacher do it was amazing. She would spin vases, cups, bowls, plates- anything, any size so effortlessly. Very cool.
Seeing as it was a bazillion degrees, it was nice to have a cool ride back into the city.
Mrs. Chi had booked us a reservation at what she called in her email as 'her favourite restaurant'...
Well it turns out that it was the FANCIEST of fancy-pants places you could imagine. And here Steve and I come traipsing in (again) like a heard of turtles.
We had the grubbiest of clothing on... Haven't showered in days.
We felt like ABSOLUTE shmucks!
Again we seem to be met with women in evening gowns and men in suits- when we ourselves are in scruffy shorts and a Tee.
Humpf. It is what it is.
We did get a DELICIOUS meal and great company.
To top off an already 'misfit-feeling dinner' we left the swanky joint by taking some photos here and there. The waiters were all chuckling at us. It was pretty cute.
Seeing as we had a really long day- we were excited to get to bed- even though we fell asleep in a pool of our own sweat! Yuckers.
We woke up the next morning- met Mrs. Chi outside our hotel, and made the 3 hour journey to Halong Bay.
This place is beautiful! Giant limestone islands jut out from the sea and make for the most picturesque surroundings.
We boarded an old ship, where they fed us a extra yummy lunch. Mrs. Chi and Steve got fresh sea-food. I wish I could have indulged- but the vegetarian stuff was pretty darn good too. After we were right full, we set sail!
We toured all around the islands and stopped at a little fishing village.
The village was all comprised of houses built on stilts as to not touch the water. It was pretty neat to see. Here we got to kayak around the islands and go explore a couple caves too!
Then we were taken by boat again, to Heavenly cave, apparently one of the seven wonders of the world. It was stunning to walk through. Steve and I had now been in a couple difference caves. By far Paradise cave was the most impressive- but we both agreed that caves in general had an eerie feeling about them. Its always a little dark and dingy- and all you can hear is the 'drip drip drip' of the water falling from the rock ceilings. Very cool to say the least.
It was an awesome day. And just as we thought it was over- Mrs. Chi had arranged for us to go out for beers with her and her boyfriend, Phi. We ended up going to a famous bar in Hanoi- and had a lot of fun talking and enjoying eachothers company.
After a day of feeling like a King and Queen we went to bed. I was forseeing a sleepin in our future!
Caves Caves Caves!
Hello fans! Steve here trying this blogging thing out! Rach has been working hard so I thought I'd give it a whirl!
We had booked a tour to paradise cave which I had been pretty excited for,it is the biggest dry cave in southeast asia at 31 km+ some spots 150m high and 100m wide, there was two options you could do, a short hike through with all the tourists about 1km or a 7 km full day trek inside the pitch black cave, stopping and having lunch around the 5km mark. Obviously we wanted to do the 7km option.
off to the tour Agency we go,we book a package deal and get a bus there(with a guy holding a sign up for us when we arrive to take us to the hotel), hotel for the night, cave tour, then a sleeping bus to hanoi, now I wanted to make sure we got the extended tour so after showing her the online brochure of the 7km tour, asking about 30 times and being reassured about 40 times, it got to the point where she asked me to stop asking I figured it was good.
So that afternoon we get on the bus head to hue for the night, we arrive a few hours later and no one is waiting for us, so we wait about ten minutes and decide no ones coming, we start walking towards the hotel and about 5 minutes later this really frantic guy comes zooming by on his motorbike yelling and pulling papers out of his pocket and he comes to us and turns out he just couldn't find the bus station, which sounds silly but they seem to just drop you off wherever they want here, usually a few km from the bus station.
Anyways we get to the hotel, check in, get dinner, go to bed, pretty uneventful night (except for the rat that ran across the floor of the restaurant we ate at)
The next morning we get picked up at around 6 am and were told the cave is 4 hours away, but we would also stop at a famous christian church and have lunch and wouldn't arrive to the cave till around 12. Turns out I wasn't clear enough to the booking lady, and our trek turned into a golf cart ride from the van to and from the cave and a little peak into a massive cave.
The cave itself was pretty spectacular, you had to walk up 518 steps to the entrance and the entrance was no bigger then a doorway, when we got close though it felt like stepping into ac because of the cool air coming out of the cave which was really neat. My fist impression of entering was a jaw dropping wow, once through the little doorway the cave just opened up! It was absolutely huge, probably could have put westside (my highschool) and the water tower in there and still had room to fly a kyte and park the car. It was big, and every corner we turned it seemed to be just as big, after about 10 minutes it turned into more of a tunnel instead of the taj mahal which was pretty sweet aswell, we followed the walkway for about a kilometer where they had lights lighting the place up and some parts were colourful lights which we both thought ruined it but what are you gonna do, it just made us wanna do the 7km trek more the time we reached the end, oh well though it wasn't all bad, we met a girl from germany who we hung out with for the day and she was on the bus to hanoi with us too, so it was nice to share some stories and kill time with her.
All and all day was a bit of a bummer but the cave was still pretty awesome, to hanoi we go!
Back to Rach!!!
We had booked a tour to paradise cave which I had been pretty excited for,it is the biggest dry cave in southeast asia at 31 km+ some spots 150m high and 100m wide, there was two options you could do, a short hike through with all the tourists about 1km or a 7 km full day trek inside the pitch black cave, stopping and having lunch around the 5km mark. Obviously we wanted to do the 7km option.
off to the tour Agency we go,we book a package deal and get a bus there(with a guy holding a sign up for us when we arrive to take us to the hotel), hotel for the night, cave tour, then a sleeping bus to hanoi, now I wanted to make sure we got the extended tour so after showing her the online brochure of the 7km tour, asking about 30 times and being reassured about 40 times, it got to the point where she asked me to stop asking I figured it was good.
So that afternoon we get on the bus head to hue for the night, we arrive a few hours later and no one is waiting for us, so we wait about ten minutes and decide no ones coming, we start walking towards the hotel and about 5 minutes later this really frantic guy comes zooming by on his motorbike yelling and pulling papers out of his pocket and he comes to us and turns out he just couldn't find the bus station, which sounds silly but they seem to just drop you off wherever they want here, usually a few km from the bus station.
Anyways we get to the hotel, check in, get dinner, go to bed, pretty uneventful night (except for the rat that ran across the floor of the restaurant we ate at)
The next morning we get picked up at around 6 am and were told the cave is 4 hours away, but we would also stop at a famous christian church and have lunch and wouldn't arrive to the cave till around 12. Turns out I wasn't clear enough to the booking lady, and our trek turned into a golf cart ride from the van to and from the cave and a little peak into a massive cave.
The cave itself was pretty spectacular, you had to walk up 518 steps to the entrance and the entrance was no bigger then a doorway, when we got close though it felt like stepping into ac because of the cool air coming out of the cave which was really neat. My fist impression of entering was a jaw dropping wow, once through the little doorway the cave just opened up! It was absolutely huge, probably could have put westside (my highschool) and the water tower in there and still had room to fly a kyte and park the car. It was big, and every corner we turned it seemed to be just as big, after about 10 minutes it turned into more of a tunnel instead of the taj mahal which was pretty sweet aswell, we followed the walkway for about a kilometer where they had lights lighting the place up and some parts were colourful lights which we both thought ruined it but what are you gonna do, it just made us wanna do the 7km trek more the time we reached the end, oh well though it wasn't all bad, we met a girl from germany who we hung out with for the day and she was on the bus to hanoi with us too, so it was nice to share some stories and kill time with her.
All and all day was a bit of a bummer but the cave was still pretty awesome, to hanoi we go!
Back to Rach!!!
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