Category Archives: Laos

Luang Prabang – Paradise???

Leave a reply

sorry, only google translate 🙁

Luang Prabang is the tourist heart of Laos and was touted to us by many as THE HIGHLIGHT of Laos. The reader of an English travel magazine choose it well regularly for rewarding city destination worldwide. Accordingly, we sat in anticipation in the booked mini van to in 7 (!!!) hours, the 350km from Luang Namtha to Luang Prabang to bridge. Just a tip: Take NEVER a mini van for a distance of over 2 hours. Those things are uncomfortable as everyone still so bad bus. Kerstin was just on her injured leg a slight swelling at the base … It must be said also that the landscape was really nice partially !!!

Arrived we sit first again in one of the mandatory tuk-tuks to the hotel and here already waited a welcome drink, a nice room and a plate of fruit on us. What sounds like an expensive hotel, is only a 13 € 1 star hotel with single rooms. After having his feet stretched out a little, we went to the night market in the city center, where it should devious us the next day even frequently, as the city simply radiated an incredibly serene and quiet atmosphere !!!
We also extended to the minivan experience our stay by 2 days when we just wanted to no longer make the other two goals (Plain of Jars and Vien Viang) due to further 4-6 hours in such a minivan. We also hoped thereby give Kerstins leg the necessary peace to be possible to cure completely.

Therefore, the next two days consisted of a scooter tour around the city, with two beautiful waterfalls as absolute highlights (Kuang Si with 5 stages and Tad Sae which is reachable only by boat). On Kuang Si waterfall there is also a sanctuary for bears, as they are trapped because of their supposedly healing saliva in Asia often. We also rented a boat to the Mekong upstream to drive and to look at the Cave of a Thousand Buddhas. The cave itself is quite worth seeing, if a little crowded, but the boat ride is truly stunning and we were sorry to have some not yet made the 2-day trip to Luang Prabang … But we stand just for the next time on: -)

We also visited some villages on the other side of the river and booked a one-day Laotian cooking course including guidance through a local market. In addition to the preparation of some Laotian dishes (which up to the intense coriander) tasted really great, we got even a cookbook to cook.

All in all a very successful albeit quiet stay in Laos!

After the experience with the buses, we also had another part of our Route deleted. Actually we wanted to Luang Prabang with a combination of buses and boats directly to Sapa, but after that as a 55 hours turned out trip and we now know the quality of buses at first hand, we decided to us and direct flights from Luang Prabang to Hanoi.

As it goes there, as it is always in the next entry!

Luang Namtha

Leave a reply

sorry, only google translate 🙁

Luang Namtha is a beautiful little town in the north of Laos, which is not yet arrived apparently really for tourists, although it certainly has the necessary infrastructure with guest houses and tour operators. It is probably more of an insider tip for hiking and action tourists but also for people who like to admire ethnic minorities. All three can be found here that is a dime a dozen.
Restricted by our injury, we could not, as planned, a (mind you, only with a guide possible) hike through the jungle to make, but borrowed back from a scooter to drive a bit through the area and the National Biodiversity Area of the road to admire. Here they keep coming through small town, which are built directly around the road around – as far as we can tell – are inhabited by farmers who sell their products on the market or directly to the street. This one gets especially always super views of the rice fields, which have already done to us there.

In addition, we made a detour to a waterfall whose movements especially Kerstin brought almost to its limit, however, which is why we did the stay with hikes for now.

However, this whole thing was already a foretaste of the rest of our time in Laos. Laos is indeed poorer, but in principle at all, a little more expensive than Thailand. Although the difference is not great, but we felt in Laos kinda like Christmas geese to be excluded just waiting. It is here really asked for every little bit to checkout. Be it a scooter park at the waterfall, which, of course, additionally entrance fee, admission for a temple, drinking in the hotel (which was always free in Thailand) and the tuk-tuks are obscenely expensive than in Thailand. Not that we misunderstand, the prices are not excessively high, but a maximum of 2 € / person, but by the sheer wealth of activities that require this price usually without any basis, just makes you feel after some time as the rich Europeans , the money can be pulled out of his pocket …

Anyway, in the evening we had a little culinary homesick, so we wanted to try the wood-fired pizza a New Zealand restaurants. Has really done well again 🙂 We also learned a nice American from Florida know which gave us some tips for the trip and the stay in Luang Prabang. Because – contrary to the information in the tourist office – the flow of Nuong Khiaw to Luang Prabang was in fact no longer passable by boat due to China’s hydropower plants. Therefore we somewhat reluctantly simply booked the minibus directly to Luang Prabang to there with an extra day to make yourself a boat trip. Whether it worked, but it is another story …

Off to Laos – a loooong bus ride

Leave a reply

Our primary goal in Laos was the world famous UNESCO Heritage town Luang Prabang. To get there, there is – except fly – two options:

The first is a 2-day boat trip on the Mekong. Sound first quite well until we looked a little deeper into the subject. There is a public boat for around 25 € / person, which used primarily by budget-conscious backpackers. Publicly in this case is probably wood class, so wooden benches. In high season the ships are probably so overbooked that not even that is guaranteed, and at nearly 18 hours on the boat. A typical case of “You get what you pay for” … Of course “real” cruise ships, but there’s one loose at 150 € / person, only for stop over at some villages and (once again) a little the term “human zoo “to breathe life. Even that appeared only partially desirable us. As we had read that both days of boating are relatively similar, we had briefly considered the “Speedboat” to take, which manages the route in a day, and only slightly more expensive than the public “Slowboat” is. After a few testimonials about lost luggage to death but was also not a real option for us.

Option 2 goes from the border crossing by bus to northern Laos – almost to the border with China – to where the small town of Luang Namtha to visit, which is situated directly on a National Biodiversity Park (quasi a nature reserve). From there it goes on the bus to Luang Prabang. Alternatively we had even read by a detour, which then take a boat tour on the less-developed and hopefully beautiful river Nam Ou heard what actually rather appealed to us.

You might notice that we easily’s preferred, but unfortunately there was this still a problem that the main activity is hiking in Luang Namtha, what was more difficult due to Kerstins injury. Option 2 However, we boating came on wooden benches also not so much better before, which is why we still opted for Luang Namtha to explore the park, at least with the scooter

After we had experienced at the bus station in Chiang Rai that of the Lao border town of Huay Xai always at 15:00 a bus to Luang Namtha, we therefore sat down at 10:30 in the bus from Chiang Rai to Huay Xai, which directly cross the border and waits also all Immigration matters of passengers. Actually a really good invention, especially when you consider the alternative: a bus to the border town in Thailand, exit at a road junction, Tuk Tuk to the Thai border posts, leaving Thailand, a new tuk tuk on the bridge to the Laotian border post (run prohibited), entry Laos, and even a new tuk tuk to Huay Xai. Unfortunately we had made our bill without the driver in Laos because of the 15:00 bus was without grounds simply deleted, so we had to wait for the 18:00 bus for 5 hours Bus Station to the boundary transgression.

When we had the wait finally bridged look with lunch and movies and sat in the bus, we got even feel how the Laotian driver tick that. After an hour, was stopped first and rumgedoktert something on the bus (probably coolant and brake fluid), after a further 1.5 hours, the bus driver then made a stop so that he could eat a 30 minute evening only 1 hour later to arrive in Luang Namtha. Two stops for 3.5 hour trip is really but a bit exaggerated, right?

Anyway, we eventually arrived around 23:00 at our hotel. So a mere 12 hours for ridiculous 400km crow … How we performed in Luang Namtha, then is the next entry!