Up the Mekong

People often ask us how far we plan ahead for our travels. While we have a vague plan, we are usually only thinking a couple of weeks ahead, the rest of the plan is in flux. While this gives us some flexibility, sometimes hotels and plane tickets have to be booked ahead which results in less flexibility. 

While in Cambodia, we were considering going to Vietnam next. It made sense, the border was close and that was what many backpackers do. But we were concerned that this route might limit our time in Laos or Chiang Mai - or even eliminate them altogether - and we kept hearing everyone say what fantastic places these are. So with the help of some budget airlines, we decided fly to Vientiane, Laos instead. 

Arriving in Laos felt like a dream. It was cooler, calmer and green. There were sidewalks!  Our first day in Vientiane was spent with Marie-Do, a friend of my sister-in-law Julie. Marie-Do has a beautiful home and three nice kids and we enjoyed spending an afternoon with her and learning about expat life in Laos. Zac especially enjoyed swimming in the pool with her kids!

Eating street food in Vientiane:

After a few days exploring central Vientiane, we moved to an AirBNB that we call Mike's place (also known as The Jungle House). Mike and his Lao wife Xukiet were amazing hosts and provided much insight into Lao culture. Mike, who is a great storyteller, was the creator of the COPE center (center for prosthetics), and gave us a personal tour of the center as well as further information on the terrible ongoing impact on Laos of US bombing during the Vietnam. The food was excellent and the conversation even better - we loved our stay. 

Chilling on the patio at Mike's house:

From there to Vang Vieng in the mountains. While this city is known for crazy party life, we stayed at an organic farm on the outskirts of town in a mud hut. Zac and I loved this place (Danny had a different perspective) and wanted to stay longer, but we had already booked and paid for our next hotel so had to move on. 

Our mud house:

Zac made a new friend:

Danny emerging after an hour spelunking in nearby caves:

After a harrowing 7-hour bus ride through the mountains, we arrived in Luang Prabang, another city upstream on the Mekong River. (See my previous post for photos). As promised by many, it is a special place and worthy of its Unesco heritage status. Our last day here we visited, hiked and swam at the beautiful Kuang Si waterfall:

Beautiful natural pools for swimming:

From here we will continue our trip up the Mekong River on our way to Chang Mai - this time by boat. We considered taking a more comfortable tourist boat but decided to take the boat that Lao people take. It's going to be 2 hot days, unplugged, watching life on the riverbank from onboard a slow boat.  I am not sure if I am looking forward to this  or dreading it!  

But I will let you know how it goes as we continue our journey up the Mekong.