It’s official. I’m old. 38 years old. Ancient really. I was born at a young age, but I’ve got to say that in all of my life I have never been this old before.
I was reflecting on my age while staying in Vang Vieng, Laos.
Vang Vieng is set in an incredibly beautiful location. The river is of the crystal clean mountain variety, and imposing limestone karsts make for an impressive backdrop.
Vang Vieng
The town itself feels more like a resort than a town. A backpackers resort. I have heard it be described as Khao San Rd in the jungle (the famous backpacker road in Bangkok). If you had to build a Club Med type place exclusively for backpackers, you would use Vang Vieng as a model. Apart from government administrative buildings it’s hard to find a business here that isn’t given to tourism.
There are bars, restaurants, guest houses, internet cafes, banana pancake street vendors, travel agents and souvenier shops everywhere. There are sports bars playing Australian cricket and English football, serving up Australian steaks and English breakfasts.
Pancakes in Paradise
Then there’s the Friends Bars. when I arrived in town one of the first bars I saw had “No Friends” on the front sign. I couldn’t work out why you would sell a bar to someone who has no friends. I soon worked it out after doing a lap of the main street. Every second bar was playing Friends on repeat. It’s a surreal sound hearing Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler and Ross, and the sound of canned laughter everywhere you go.
Bars that weren’t playing Friends were playing Family Guy. I haven’t discovered the delights of Family Guy yet, but seeing I like the Simpsons I’m sure I’ll like this show.
Vang Vieng is a base for activities such as kayaking, caving and rock climbing. The number one activity in Vang Vieng by far is tubing. Here you rent out an old tractor tube and then you are driven to a launch spot a few kilometres upstream. The float will take 1 to 3 hours, depending on the season. Being the dry season I got stuck in the river navigators version of the doldrums, and had to paddle my way downstream by hand for a while.
While tubing down a lovely river with stunning scenery is a nice way to spend a day, the real attraction for “tubing in the Vang Vieng” for most people is the bars that line the river. Some bars throw ropes out to you to try and reel you in. Some bars have attractions that are a lure enough in itself, such as mud volleyball, flywires and even a giant slide.
Tubing Slide – Vang Vieng
Judging by all the “Tubing in the Vang Vieng” T-shirts that you see on sunburnt Scandinavians all over Southeast Asia, Vang Vieng has become one of the premier stop-off points on the banana pancake trail.
Tubing in the Vang Vieng Singlets
If you are a twenty-something backpacker, you will probably love this place. At 38 though I was feeling my age here. I am now twice the age of a 19 year old, which this town had in abundance.
When I was 19 the Seattle grunge scene was the soundtrack to my life. Now I’m meeting kids – adults actually – who haven’t heard of Kurt Cobain. It will only be a matter of time before I meet adults who weren’t born when he was alive.
I turned 38 in Luang Prabang. I had timed my travels to make sure I spend my birthday there rather than in a bus. It turned to be an ideal place to have a birthday. In hindsight I now see that Luang Prabang is a flashpackers paradise, with all those funky cafes and bakeries with wi-fi and trendy villas. And I, for want of a better word, have become a flashpacker.
It didn’t occur to me before I arrived that Laos has great coffee. You don’t really see it marketed well outside of Laos. It’s quite common to see the Sumatran or even Sulawesi blend at a Starbucks, but Lao blend, I don’t recall. Anyway the coffee here is great. Local beans brewed in a coffee sock and the usual sweetened condensed milk as is the go around this part of the world.
Coffee Lao by the Mekong River – Luang Prabang
Of all the cities I have visited in Asia, I am hard pressed to think of another place that blends east and west as well as Luang Prabang.
Luang Prabang is one of the best preserved colonial cities in Asia. I may not have appreciated this fact had I not already seen other once grand cities that have since been concreted over.
Restaurant La Cave Des
Luang Prabang is located at the junction of the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers. The Nam Khan flows to form a peninsular of land, which adds to the amount of river frontage. There are no buses allowed in the old town and as the historic section of town is on a peninsular there is no through traffic.
Mekong and Nam Khan rivers
In the centre of town is Phu Si, a hill crowned by That Chomsi (a Buddhist temple). The view from the top gives you a better idea of how well located Luang Prabang is. From here you see the river valley and surrounding mountains.
Luang Prabang from Phu Si
If you are not flying to Luang Prabang it is a bit of a trek getting here. You can arrive by a 2 day boat from the Thai border or by bus on winding mountainous roads.
Despite the relative trek to get here, Luang Prabang has definitely been “found”. There are upmarket villas, boutiques and restaurants everywhere. I found myself in an air conditioned cafe using its free wi-fi while having a Cappucino Freeze.
I took the overnight bus from the border, which was a tortuous 13 hours on a winding potholed road. I found myself never wanting to get on a bus again (actually buses are kind of sucky at the best of times). Being in Luang Prabang is the perfect place to be if you’re not in a hurry to get to the next place.
Country: Laos
Date: 30 Jan 2010
I love New Country Day. New currency, new flags, new languages, new people.
Laos has been on my radar for a few years but I have never managed to fit it into my schedule. I was in Cambodia and Vietnam in 2005 and heard passing travellers tales of Laos, and I knew I would have to go as well.
I arrived in Laos from Chiang Khong in Thailand. From Chiang Khong it’s a short boat ride across the Mekong to Huay Xai, Laos. I figured this would be the best place to enter by land as it would involve the least amount of backtracking.
For a border town Huay Xai is not so bad. Border towns are usually unremarkable places of hustle. Maybe it was the lack of hustle and “New Country Day” that made it enjoyable. Lao people are known for their laid back attitude. Here I wasn’t asked once if I wanted a tuk-tuk or any other commercial offer.
Wat Chome Hhaou Manirain Mekong View – Huay Xai
There are loads of guesthouses and tourist related shops in Huay Xai. The town is handy launching pad into Laos with riverboats and buses. It’s from here I go to Luang Prabang.
The Little Mermaid in Copenhagen often ranks as one of the most most disappointing attractions in Europe. I don’t know about that. Afterall you are forewarned that it’s going to be little.
If you were one of those people who felt let down by the Little Mermaid then maybe you should come to Thailand. In Songkha, in the deep south of Thailand, there is a mermaid you might be interested in. She is the Golden Mermaid.
She is a full grown woman of a mermaid and it is even possible to sit on her lap.
Legend has it that if you rub her breasts you will have good luck. Judging by her well worn bosum many have been before me to top up on luck. Me, I never pass up an opportunity to top up on luck, so how could I not.
She has become the symbol of the town and is even featured on the streets signs.
Spotted in Satun, Thailand. Not a chicken bus in the traditional sense, but a VIP bus adorned with chickens.
Penang is well known for being a foodies paradise, and it is one of those destinations where people go just to eat. If you don’t know your Hokkien Mee from your Wan Tan Mee (that would be me), there is a great brochure that lists the most popular dishes of the Island. It gives a description of each meal and a map of where to find them around the George Town area. Pick up the brochure from your guesthouse or the tourism office.
Penang Food Guide
I have been to Penang twice before so this time I was only passing through on the way to Langkawi. This short stay meant that I only had three possible eating opportunities (without being gluttonous). I had a morning ferry to catch so I didn’t think I was going to get a good breakfast either.
I found out on the way to the ferry terminal that there are 24 hour Indian restaurants here. To be able to get a curry 24 hours a day must surely be the pinnacle of civilisation.
Indian Restaurant – Open 24 Hours
My favourite breakfast dish is Roti Canai. When I am travelling to Malaysia I usually start drooling about a day before I arrive, knowing that I am going to get a good roti canai. A plain roti is about RM0.90 (25 cents USD) and there are different varieties with egg, cheese and meat fillings.
Sometimes restaurants will have a pile of premade roti, but the best ones are made to order, so your roti arrives steaming hot and melt in the mouth good.
Roti Canai With Curry Dips – Breakfast of Champions
Once again I have been lured by an AirAsia sale and find myself in Kuala Lumpur. I didn’t intend to book a flight when I checked the AirAsia page, I was just checking if there was anything new on the site. Next thing you know the flashing $149 AUD one way sale banner was hypnotizing me and I had my credit card out ready to go.
Being not too dependent on time my criteria for booking flights is to find the cheapest available. The two cheapest flights I could find were 2 and a half months apart. So for the next 80 days Southeast Asia is my living and working playground.
I did a 5 day stop-over in Tokyo in 2007 en route to London from Australia. One thing I really wanted to see was the Harajuku girls and associated sub-culture. What I didn’t know until I got there was that all the cool stuff at Harajuku happens on the weekend. I was in Tokyo from Monday to Friday, so I missed out. This just gives me another excuse to return to Tokyo (not that I need one).
Even if you are there during the week Harajuku is worth checking out for the shopping. Lot’s of unique stuff you can get so when people ask where you got that special something, you can give your coolest look and say “I got this in Tokyo”.
I saw this T-shirt which made me laugh. I’m not laughing at Big Bird copping it in the neck, it’s the maniacal faces of Ernie and Bert that does it for me.
The Last Supper
For my vegetarian friends here is a more sombre collection of meat on the table T-shirts.
Dinner Table Animals
Boxing day in Australia means two things on the sporting calendar – The Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race and the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.
Cricket is the most popular summer sport in Australia. It is remarkable that the game has remained popular considering that Test Match cricket goes for 5 days and still doesn’t guarantee a result.
I like how it involves playing teams from places like Pakistan and the West Indies. I also like how the captains wear blazers before the start of play, even on a blazing hot day.
Pakistan Captain Mohammad Yousuf
