Our last experience with the Vietnamese was getting severely overcharged for our bus ride over the border into Laos. We thought we had agreed on a price before we boarded the bus, but found out that they wanted an extra 210 bucks. This was very typical of the Vietnamese (especially on the buses) and we had read a few horror stories about tourists getting dropped off in the middle of nowhere when they refused to pay the extra charge.
After arguing with the entire bus for about 20 minutes, (no one spoke English on the bus) we finally convinced then that we didn't have any money, which was kind of true (we had been lucky there was an ATM at the border to pay for our visas). Then after driving a few miles after crossing into Laos they stopped the bus and told us we were at our destination. Brian was positive that it was not since no one else was getting off the bus and thought they we deserting us because we refused to pay the extra money. However, once we got off we found that we were actually in the right place, a little border town called Lak Sao.
We immediately felt a totally different attitude in Laos. The people were much more laid back. It is crazy that two countries can be so close together and yet have such different demeanors.
We found that many times the Vietnamese were pushy and loud and many times tried to rip you off (keep in mind the majority of places we visited were on the tourist route and these were our experiences with the people in these places). This definitely got old after awhile. We always had to ask "how Much?" before doing anything and sometimes they would pretend not to speak English in order to rip you off. We finally learned how to say "how much" in Vietnamese ("baw neo"), but couldn't say much else because the language is totally based on tones and it is almost impossible to pronounce anything correctly.
Another note on Vietnam... I would suggest not to take an "Open Tour Bus" as a means of transportation in Vietnam. When we first arrived it seemed like a great idea because we heard it is the cheapest and best way to travel around, but this is not exactly true. You can definitely take a hard seat train for cheaper, although it may be more uncomfortable. The sleeper trains would be the best way if you're looking for comfort. The sleeper buses are just plain bad. They pack way too many people in them and, as a Westerner, you barely fit in the seat. Also everyone on the buses are predominantly Western and it makes you feel like you aren't even traveling in Vietnam. They all went to the same placed and you saw the same tourists everywhere! It felt very contrived.
I think if we could do it again we would do it by motorbike and go to the less touristy parts of Vietnam where it feels a little more real. All in all Vietnam was a beautiful country, but we could have picked a more original way to tour through it.
Anyways, after arriving in Lak Sao, Laos we found a local bus to bring us to Vientiane where we would being our bike journey.
Side note: Because we are restricted by time, we have to throw our bikes on top of buses and sawngthaews (basically a pickup truck with seats and a cover over the bed) a few times in order to see everything we want to see.
Vientiane was a beautiful city. It is the capital of Laos, but it is very quiet and laid back for a city (the population is only around 200,000). There is a lot of French influence throughout Laos, especially in Vientiane. Signs were in French, Laos and English and the city is well known for its baguettes and pastries (they were very good!).
We decided to test out our new bikes by doing a cycle tour of the city. We saw tons of wats (Buddhist temples) which are scattered throughout the city, along with a visit to the Patuxai, a monument in the center of Vientiane that is modeled after the Arc de Triomphe in France. The city is on the Mekong and you can actually see Thailand right across the river.
After a couple days sightseeings in Vientiane we started the first leg of our biking adventure. We weren't exactly in shape for the endeavor and it turned out to be pretty exhausting, but somehow we ended up doing around 100 KM (70 miles) and finished in a small villages called Thinkeo. The views during the ride were incredible. We went through many small farming villages (mainly rice farms) and up through mountains (I was trying to enjoy the scenery through the burning in my legs). Everywhere we went people were always smiling and saying "sabai di!" (hellos in Lao).
Everything seemed to be going well with our bikes until Brian's gears started to act up and he was not able to switch into low gears on the hills.
The next day we decided to bike only a short distance and take a sawngthaew to our next destination in Van Vieng (wehre we hoped someone could fix Brian's bike).
Vang Vieng was a very interesting place. Originally known for its cave and outdoor activities, it has recently become a tourist hub for partying. The second we arrived we were very aware of this fact. Most tourists rent tubes for the day and drive up the river to the drop off point where they proceed to float down the river and get wasted and then do it again all day. The town is also perfectly set up for your hangover the next day with every restaurant either playing "Family Guy" or "Friends" on full blast. people can actually lay down while watching and eating.
At first, Brian and I thought tubing sounded appealing, but it ended up raining both days we were there and everyone seemed to be off the river and watching TV in the restaurants instead. We decided biking to a nearby cave was a better option. We ended up bike a few kilometers and then hiking a small distance into a dark cave with a statue of Buddha laying in the middle surrounded by incense and different alms. It was very peaceful. Afterwards we even got to swim in a turquoise blue lagoon at the foot of the cave with rope swings and all. All in all a pretty good day!
Vang Vieng was beautiful, but the party scene definitely ruined it. It almost felt like tourists were going there to escape from the real Laos.
The day we were supposed to start out ride up to Luang Prabang it was downpouring (we didn't take into account the fact that it was monsoon season when we bought our bikes) and we decided to change plans and take a bus to Phonsavan where we would see the mysterious Plain of Jars.
It ended up ebig a 6 hour drive for only 15 minutes of looking a the jars, but they are definitely cool. It is literally a field full of large ancient jars that look like giant granite boulders from afar. The crazy thing is, is that no one knows what purpose they had or who built them. This was also the site where a lot of fighting between the US and Vietnam took place. Laos is actually the most bombed country in history, the majority of the bombing happening during the Vietnam War. They say that over 2,000,000 tons of bombs were dropped on Laos during the course of nine years.
Today, there are countless UXOs (unexploded ordinances) scattered throughout the country that still kill or dismember people every year. Event the hostel we stayed at in Phonsavan used many UXOs as decoration, such as key chains, pots for plants and the pit for the fire. We read in our guide book that some hotels have UXOs on display that haven't been diffused, so we kept our distance.
After arguing with the entire bus for about 20 minutes, (no one spoke English on the bus) we finally convinced then that we didn't have any money, which was kind of true (we had been lucky there was an ATM at the border to pay for our visas). Then after driving a few miles after crossing into Laos they stopped the bus and told us we were at our destination. Brian was positive that it was not since no one else was getting off the bus and thought they we deserting us because we refused to pay the extra money. However, once we got off we found that we were actually in the right place, a little border town called Lak Sao.
We immediately felt a totally different attitude in Laos. The people were much more laid back. It is crazy that two countries can be so close together and yet have such different demeanors.
We found that many times the Vietnamese were pushy and loud and many times tried to rip you off (keep in mind the majority of places we visited were on the tourist route and these were our experiences with the people in these places). This definitely got old after awhile. We always had to ask "how Much?" before doing anything and sometimes they would pretend not to speak English in order to rip you off. We finally learned how to say "how much" in Vietnamese ("baw neo"), but couldn't say much else because the language is totally based on tones and it is almost impossible to pronounce anything correctly.
Another note on Vietnam... I would suggest not to take an "Open Tour Bus" as a means of transportation in Vietnam. When we first arrived it seemed like a great idea because we heard it is the cheapest and best way to travel around, but this is not exactly true. You can definitely take a hard seat train for cheaper, although it may be more uncomfortable. The sleeper trains would be the best way if you're looking for comfort. The sleeper buses are just plain bad. They pack way too many people in them and, as a Westerner, you barely fit in the seat. Also everyone on the buses are predominantly Western and it makes you feel like you aren't even traveling in Vietnam. They all went to the same placed and you saw the same tourists everywhere! It felt very contrived.
I think if we could do it again we would do it by motorbike and go to the less touristy parts of Vietnam where it feels a little more real. All in all Vietnam was a beautiful country, but we could have picked a more original way to tour through it.
Anyways, after arriving in Lak Sao, Laos we found a local bus to bring us to Vientiane where we would being our bike journey.
Side note: Because we are restricted by time, we have to throw our bikes on top of buses and sawngthaews (basically a pickup truck with seats and a cover over the bed) a few times in order to see everything we want to see.
Vientiane was a beautiful city. It is the capital of Laos, but it is very quiet and laid back for a city (the population is only around 200,000). There is a lot of French influence throughout Laos, especially in Vientiane. Signs were in French, Laos and English and the city is well known for its baguettes and pastries (they were very good!).
We decided to test out our new bikes by doing a cycle tour of the city. We saw tons of wats (Buddhist temples) which are scattered throughout the city, along with a visit to the Patuxai, a monument in the center of Vientiane that is modeled after the Arc de Triomphe in France. The city is on the Mekong and you can actually see Thailand right across the river.
After a couple days sightseeings in Vientiane we started the first leg of our biking adventure. We weren't exactly in shape for the endeavor and it turned out to be pretty exhausting, but somehow we ended up doing around 100 KM (70 miles) and finished in a small villages called Thinkeo. The views during the ride were incredible. We went through many small farming villages (mainly rice farms) and up through mountains (I was trying to enjoy the scenery through the burning in my legs). Everywhere we went people were always smiling and saying "sabai di!" (hellos in Lao).
Everything seemed to be going well with our bikes until Brian's gears started to act up and he was not able to switch into low gears on the hills.
The next day we decided to bike only a short distance and take a sawngthaew to our next destination in Van Vieng (wehre we hoped someone could fix Brian's bike).
Vang Vieng was a very interesting place. Originally known for its cave and outdoor activities, it has recently become a tourist hub for partying. The second we arrived we were very aware of this fact. Most tourists rent tubes for the day and drive up the river to the drop off point where they proceed to float down the river and get wasted and then do it again all day. The town is also perfectly set up for your hangover the next day with every restaurant either playing "Family Guy" or "Friends" on full blast. people can actually lay down while watching and eating.
At first, Brian and I thought tubing sounded appealing, but it ended up raining both days we were there and everyone seemed to be off the river and watching TV in the restaurants instead. We decided biking to a nearby cave was a better option. We ended up bike a few kilometers and then hiking a small distance into a dark cave with a statue of Buddha laying in the middle surrounded by incense and different alms. It was very peaceful. Afterwards we even got to swim in a turquoise blue lagoon at the foot of the cave with rope swings and all. All in all a pretty good day!
Vang Vieng was beautiful, but the party scene definitely ruined it. It almost felt like tourists were going there to escape from the real Laos.
The day we were supposed to start out ride up to Luang Prabang it was downpouring (we didn't take into account the fact that it was monsoon season when we bought our bikes) and we decided to change plans and take a bus to Phonsavan where we would see the mysterious Plain of Jars.
It ended up ebig a 6 hour drive for only 15 minutes of looking a the jars, but they are definitely cool. It is literally a field full of large ancient jars that look like giant granite boulders from afar. The crazy thing is, is that no one knows what purpose they had or who built them. This was also the site where a lot of fighting between the US and Vietnam took place. Laos is actually the most bombed country in history, the majority of the bombing happening during the Vietnam War. They say that over 2,000,000 tons of bombs were dropped on Laos during the course of nine years.
Today, there are countless UXOs (unexploded ordinances) scattered throughout the country that still kill or dismember people every year. Event the hostel we stayed at in Phonsavan used many UXOs as decoration, such as key chains, pots for plants and the pit for the fire. We read in our guide book that some hotels have UXOs on display that haven't been diffused, so we kept our distance.
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