The countdown is on. And not in a good way. In a very bad ‘Back-to-reality’ way. And it always happens – on every trip. You end up getting to the end of the trip, and dreading the ‘Real World’, and try to plan ways to make this heaven last just a little bit longer. The end always comes, and it gets harder with every trip to accept it. But it happens, and you have to deal with it.
I know what happens when you get home. You spend a week or two just dreading life..Just day dreaming of the places you have been, and the places you still want to see. A week or 2 after that, you are back in the groove of things, still cleaning up the loose ends of the trip…Pictures, presents, story telling. Then, it happens about a month after you get home…its gone. No more stories, no more leftovers to deal with, no more people to meet. Just gone. All that is left is the memories and the pictures.
…And you can never take those away from me.
It’s those memories that I look back on and cherish. It is those memories that make me want to go to new places on new continents and meet new people and see new things. It’s those memories that put the smile on my face when I am most depressed, or most lonely. Those
memories are worth more than the dollars I have spent to be here, and like I said…You cannot take those away from me.
Sorry about the soliloquy to start the post, but that is just the mood I am in right now. I decided to go experience the Laos countryside on my own, and have found myself at the foot of a mountain. ½-way up the mountain lies the Proukan Cave, and right in front of me is a topaz lagoon, filled with locals basking in the cool fresh water. I expected to see some sights on my solo journey today, but the extent of its beauty was a shock to me.
Memories…This is another one that I will file away…
Going back a couple days, I have to tell about the night out in Luang Prabang. We met up with some guys that Julia (the American we are traveling with at the moment) had met in Vietnam, and these English/Irish/Israeli’s were ready to tie one on. So we fell in line, heading out to the local pub for a couple pints of Beerlao, the beer of choice in Laos, and one of the best beers I have had in SE Asia. By 11:30, the bar was closing. You see, there is a national curfew in Laos for all residence. They have to be in by 12-midnight, or they will suffer grave consequences…That means the only place that sells booze past midnight is the….BOWLING ALLEY.
So there we were…2 Canadians, partying it up in Luang Prabang, Laos at a goddamned bowling alley! Just for the record, I bowled a 119, and won!
SIDEBAR STORY: During the tuk-tuk ride to the alley, our driver got in a little bit of trouble. While loading into the tuk-tuk, the driver wanted as many people as possible to make for a good fare. ‘Get on the roof!’ And up the girls went. Midnight, full of beer, and in a speeding tuk-tuk towards a goddamned bowling alley. The police frown upon this behavior, and immediately placed a fine on the driver, which was then put on us to pay. After a lengthy discussion on where this money would be coming from, we all forked over the 5000 kip ($0.70) and got a free ride. I was under the impression that the driver was REALLY stressing about it, with the fear of him losing his job a real possibility.
Back to the fun of the night…Heading out, I knew I wanted to see the monks morning ritual which occurs every morning at about 5:30am, so therefore I was smart enough to head in early for a good night sleep before seeing this…right? Wrong. In bed at 3am, out at 5:30. As for the ritual, every morning at 5:30, the monks walk the streets of town asking the towns people for food and money. This is all they can eat and spend during the day, so they basically live off of others donations. Anyways, seeing hundreds of monks, all covered in their orange sashes, walking in formation down the road was as interesting as I expected it to be. But the sleep was going to be much more important, so it was back to bed to catch another hour’s worth of sleep.
You see….
We left Luang Prabang at 8am. Little did the 4 of us realize that this bus would be a loooong, weaving, bumping, tiring journey that at times would have us staring down the side of a canyon. What made it even better for me is the young monk (probably 15 years old) I was sitting beside decided to catch some Z’s, and also decided that ¾ of the seat belonged to him. I guess Buddha says it’s ok to take another man’s seat.
After what felt like eternity on that bus, we arrived at our destination: Vang Vieng, Laos. The town is known by all backpackers in Asia, and leading up to the trip, I had probably 100 people tell me that I had to come to Vang Vieng. Why? Tubing.
Lets cut to the chase…Yesterday, we paid our $7 CAD to get our tube, and a tuk-tuk ride up river - 4km north of town. Before we even got our tubes wet, we had beerlao in our hand. You see, the entire river is lined with bars. Each bar has its own way of luring the tubers in, whether it is with a 10m swing, a zipline into the depths, or a massive waterslide ending with an upward turn that will rocket you into the air before you hit the clear water like a rock.
At ever bar, tourists gather to cheer and jeer at the spectacle in front of them. Some people do a
graceful jump into the water, while others smack the water, leaving bumps, bruises, and scrapes. Some people are even more unlucky. As you walk around town, you see people on crutches, and with casts on arms. And just 16 days ago, a girl died while taking the massive slide into the water. The story goes that the smack of her head against the water knocked her unconscious, and no one was paying attention at the time, and she drowned. Very sad tale, but times go on in Vang Vieng, and we knew we had to be safe.
Yes, I swung. Yes, I zip lined. Yes, I slid. Yes, I drank beer while I did it all. It was just another day on this trip that the afternoon beers did me wonders! J
At night, all the tubers that are still standing (tons of people are too drunk to continue on) take to the island in town which has been converted into a number of outdoor nightclubs. We met some tubers we met on the river and started a big drinking game (basically sociables). We had Canadians, Americans, Dutch, French, English, and Swedish all playing along. Did I mention that I love the memories made while traveling?
So that is kinda Vang Vieng in a nutshell. Tubing, caves, lagoons, drinking, and backpackers. It’s a ton of fun, but 2 or 3 days is good. Plus, we have to be on our way, Bangkok is calling.
…And that means back to the bad part…Just 4 days until we hop on a plane for the journey home. Please go back and read the first couple paragraphs again to understand how I feel about that.
You and Me
We’ve seen everything to see
From Bangkok to Calgary,
And the soles of your shoes
Are all worn down
The time for sleep is now
There is nothing to cry about.
I know what happens when you get home. You spend a week or two just dreading life..Just day dreaming of the places you have been, and the places you still want to see. A week or 2 after that, you are back in the groove of things, still cleaning up the loose ends of the trip…Pictures, presents, story telling. Then, it happens about a month after you get home…its gone. No more stories, no more leftovers to deal with, no more people to meet. Just gone. All that is left is the memories and the pictures.
…And you can never take those away from me.
It’s those memories that I look back on and cherish. It is those memories that make me want to go to new places on new continents and meet new people and see new things. It’s those memories that put the smile on my face when I am most depressed, or most lonely. Those
memories are worth more than the dollars I have spent to be here, and like I said…You cannot take those away from me.Sorry about the soliloquy to start the post, but that is just the mood I am in right now. I decided to go experience the Laos countryside on my own, and have found myself at the foot of a mountain. ½-way up the mountain lies the Proukan Cave, and right in front of me is a topaz lagoon, filled with locals basking in the cool fresh water. I expected to see some sights on my solo journey today, but the extent of its beauty was a shock to me.
Memories…This is another one that I will file away…
Going back a couple days, I have to tell about the night out in Luang Prabang. We met up with some guys that Julia (the American we are traveling with at the moment) had met in Vietnam, and these English/Irish/Israeli’s were ready to tie one on. So we fell in line, heading out to the local pub for a couple pints of Beerlao, the beer of choice in Laos, and one of the best beers I have had in SE Asia. By 11:30, the bar was closing. You see, there is a national curfew in Laos for all residence. They have to be in by 12-midnight, or they will suffer grave consequences…That means the only place that sells booze past midnight is the….BOWLING ALLEY.
So there we were…2 Canadians, partying it up in Luang Prabang, Laos at a goddamned bowling alley! Just for the record, I bowled a 119, and won!
SIDEBAR STORY: During the tuk-tuk ride to the alley, our driver got in a little bit of trouble. While loading into the tuk-tuk, the driver wanted as many people as possible to make for a good fare. ‘Get on the roof!’ And up the girls went. Midnight, full of beer, and in a speeding tuk-tuk towards a goddamned bowling alley. The police frown upon this behavior, and immediately placed a fine on the driver, which was then put on us to pay. After a lengthy discussion on where this money would be coming from, we all forked over the 5000 kip ($0.70) and got a free ride. I was under the impression that the driver was REALLY stressing about it, with the fear of him losing his job a real possibility.
Back to the fun of the night…Heading out, I knew I wanted to see the monks morning ritual which occurs every morning at about 5:30am, so therefore I was smart enough to head in early for a good night sleep before seeing this…right? Wrong. In bed at 3am, out at 5:30. As for the ritual, every morning at 5:30, the monks walk the streets of town asking the towns people for food and money. This is all they can eat and spend during the day, so they basically live off of others donations. Anyways, seeing hundreds of monks, all covered in their orange sashes, walking in formation down the road was as interesting as I expected it to be. But the sleep was going to be much more important, so it was back to bed to catch another hour’s worth of sleep.You see….
We left Luang Prabang at 8am. Little did the 4 of us realize that this bus would be a loooong, weaving, bumping, tiring journey that at times would have us staring down the side of a canyon. What made it even better for me is the young monk (probably 15 years old) I was sitting beside decided to catch some Z’s, and also decided that ¾ of the seat belonged to him. I guess Buddha says it’s ok to take another man’s seat.
After what felt like eternity on that bus, we arrived at our destination: Vang Vieng, Laos. The town is known by all backpackers in Asia, and leading up to the trip, I had probably 100 people tell me that I had to come to Vang Vieng. Why? Tubing.
Lets cut to the chase…Yesterday, we paid our $7 CAD to get our tube, and a tuk-tuk ride up river - 4km north of town. Before we even got our tubes wet, we had beerlao in our hand. You see, the entire river is lined with bars. Each bar has its own way of luring the tubers in, whether it is with a 10m swing, a zipline into the depths, or a massive waterslide ending with an upward turn that will rocket you into the air before you hit the clear water like a rock.
At ever bar, tourists gather to cheer and jeer at the spectacle in front of them. Some people do a
graceful jump into the water, while others smack the water, leaving bumps, bruises, and scrapes. Some people are even more unlucky. As you walk around town, you see people on crutches, and with casts on arms. And just 16 days ago, a girl died while taking the massive slide into the water. The story goes that the smack of her head against the water knocked her unconscious, and no one was paying attention at the time, and she drowned. Very sad tale, but times go on in Vang Vieng, and we knew we had to be safe.Yes, I swung. Yes, I zip lined. Yes, I slid. Yes, I drank beer while I did it all. It was just another day on this trip that the afternoon beers did me wonders! J
At night, all the tubers that are still standing (tons of people are too drunk to continue on) take to the island in town which has been converted into a number of outdoor nightclubs. We met some tubers we met on the river and started a big drinking game (basically sociables). We had Canadians, Americans, Dutch, French, English, and Swedish all playing along. Did I mention that I love the memories made while traveling?
So that is kinda Vang Vieng in a nutshell. Tubing, caves, lagoons, drinking, and backpackers. It’s a ton of fun, but 2 or 3 days is good. Plus, we have to be on our way, Bangkok is calling.
…And that means back to the bad part…Just 4 days until we hop on a plane for the journey home. Please go back and read the first couple paragraphs again to understand how I feel about that.
You and Me
We’ve seen everything to see
From Bangkok to Calgary,
And the soles of your shoes
Are all worn down
The time for sleep is now
There is nothing to cry about.
It's what you're coming back to that allows you to travel in the first place - that's the cup-half-full reality about coming home. You can always go back - there are many, many places that you didn't see and they will still be there in 5 years. Think about saving more money and travelling for a year or more next time.
ReplyDeleteAnd enjoy Bangkok - the Grand Palace, the water taxis, the incredible food.