If you speak to a backpacker about travels in South-East Asia, chances are he or she will pick Laos as a favourite destination.
Now why should this be when the nightlife is more happening in Thailand and the cultural scene more interesting in Cambodia?
Helping mum pull cotton from its pod I think it has to do with the authentic character that Laos exudes.
Unaffected by commercial tourism and offering amenities that are still quite basic, Laos is where you can experience a country that is relatively free from the influence of the outside world.
We landed in Vientiane at 10am and decided to head straight for Vang Vien, 150km to the north, and slowly work our way back to the capital city. It was a torturous three-hour journey in an old mini-van with faulty air-conditioning.
The sweltering heat was unbearable, the cramped seats were uncomfortable and the winding dirt roads leading up the mountains didn’t help at all. Vang Vien, though, was well worth the discomfort.
This peaceful town is nestled beside a calm river, the Nam Song, and boasts stunning limestone hills. Honeycombed with tunnels and caverns, these limestone cliffs, set amidst rice fields that stretch as far as the eye can see, are a spelunker’s heaven.
The town is small, and you can easily cover it on foot. There are plenty of budget guesthouses catering to the mobs of backpackers, as well as a few newer luxury resorts for the wealthier traveller.
A bell made from an American bomb Laotians are generally honest, and most of the crimes in Vang Vien tend to be those committed by travellers. We saw cartoon drawings in a shop of a customer stealing sunglasses with the warning, “Danger Falangs! (Laotian term for foreigner) No one looking I steal!!” and another of a man in handcuffs with the words, “Please Mister Policeman, no take me to jail. Boo Hoo Hoo”.
Restaurants are favourite hang-outs.
You can find plenty of people lounging on pillow-strewn floors as they watch reruns of Friends, The Simpsons or Family Guy. Food is relatively good. If you get bored of the restaurant scene, you can always buy a tasty baguette or pancake from the many roadside vendors.
Chalets at RM22 a night. — JOLEEN LUNJEW I saw what appeared to be a big rat barbecued on a stick and assumed it must be a field rat. The rodent was in one piece, and you could see every detail right down to its sharp teeth and claws. I just had to try it.
The texture was surprisingly rubbery, much like duck. The meat was lean and had a strong smell that reminded me of lamb. It wasn’t bad, actually, but the sight of its long tail made me a bit squeamish. Well, it’s not every day one eats a rodent, is it?
Vang Vien has a few temples but none as magnificent as those in Thailand or Cambodia.
Adventure tours
One thing Vang Vien is NOT is boring. For such a small place, Vang Vien offers an amazing variety of outdoor activities — trekking, kayaking, white water rafting, rock climbing, tubing, fishing, caving, swimming, cycling and more.
We decided to take a package tour that included caving, visits to temples and villages and kayaking. Our day started early in the morning with a 40-minute tuk-tuk ride to a small village.
It was very peaceful at the village — young children played naked in the river, old women fished, and farm animals roamed free.
Walking through the village, we peered through the open doorways of homes and saw children playing and women going about their chores. The smell of food cooking on woodfire stoves wafted in the air.
Our walk led us to where the river entered a cave. Called Water Cave, it had a collection booth set up at the entrance to charge visitors who wanted to swim there. You don’t actually swim in the cave but sit in a big tyre tube and float through the passageway with the help of a rope.
There was a big group of young Chinese tourists ahead of us so we decided to wait for the noisy bunch to finish first.
Although the sun was shining brightly, the water was freezing as we entered the cave in our tubes. The rope we clung to ended after a while and we had to paddle with our hands in the still water in almost pitch darkness because the headlamps our guide provided didn’t work most of the time.
About 200m in, the water became shallow, and we had to get off our tubes and walk on the sandy cave floor. Although the water was less that a foot high, wading through it for just 50m made our teeth chatter. We emerged from the cave 45 minutes later, cold and arms aching from paddling but happy all the same, especially since a delicious barbecue meal awaited in the sun by the river.
Later, we visited a small temple in Elephant Cave, so-called because it has a limestone that resembles a three-headed elephant. We saw an interesting bell made from a used American bombshell. Our guide told us that the monks would ring the bell, and the people of the village would come to give them food.
After taking our share of pictures, we headed back to the tuk-tuk for the drive to our kayak starting point upriver, where we would paddle back to Vang Vien.
Our two guides gave a quick briefing on how to use the kayaks. It was pretty easy-going at first, as the river was calm, and we quickly got the hang of it. Before long. we got to our first set of rapids.
One guide went first to show us how to tackle it. We quickened our pace as we approached the swirling rapids and stopped rowing as soon as our kayak hit the rapids. There was a slight pull as the currents shot us through. It was over in a flash, and we were back in calm water.
One European couple was not that lucky as their kayak overturned when they shot through. The lady was underwater for a while. Thank goodness for the quick response from the guides and the fact that she had a life jacket on, or things could have turned out badly.
The scenery along the river was absolutely beautiful. Limestone hills lined the horizon and yellow rice fields decorated the riverside. Buffaloes were cooling themselves off in the river, oblivious to river traffic, and there were ladies selling drinks from their small sampan.
It was very peaceful. I felt as though I could kayak down the river the whole day.
We arrived back in town in the evening and saw a lorry waiting for the kayaks. Tired but happy, we helped our guides drag the kayaks out of the water and loaded them on top of the truck.
It was a good trip, and well worth the US$12 (RM45) we paid.
Other attractions
Besides organised tours, Vang Vien can easily be explored on your own.
Tubing along the Nam Song river in an inflated tyre tube has become so popular in recent years that it is now considered a rite of passage for every traveller to town. You can rent a tube for US$6 (RM22), and this includes a ride on a tuk-tuk 4km up river to the starting point.
There are plenty of bars on each side of the river, each with thumping music and some form of water activity to attract the customers. I decided to try the swing at the first bar — you swing into the river from a rickety platform. Climbing up to the top, I reached for the bar that was attached to the rope.
It was too late to turn back now, so I jumped off the platform and swung to the middle of the river, then dropped feet first into the water. The river was pretty deep and I felt disoriented from the impact of the fall as I clambered towards the light, trying not to panic.
Finally, I surfaced and swam back against the current to the shore. What an adrenaline rush!
Further downstream, there were more activities on offer. The locals have thought of everything — bamboo springboards, flying foxes and giant water slides.
If jostling with rowdy youngsters amidst loud music is not your thing, you can always explore the many caves in the quiet countryside. The best way to explore these is by hiring a bicycle or motorbike since they are quite a distance out.
I explored many caves but loved the area around Xim Cave (2km from town) the most. You are required to pay an “entrance fee”, as usual, but at Xim Cave this entitles you to a personal tour, whereby they’ll show you the natural wonders such as limestone formations resembling animals, as well as some natural markings that resemble Jesus, and a Music Room where hollow limestone columns make different sounds when they are struck.
I enjoyed the serenity of the flowing river and the wide rice fields you have to cross to get to the caves. We loved Vang Vien so much that we stayed there for the entire duration of our trip and only made it back to Vientiane the night before flying home.
My only regret was not having enough time for rock climbing and jungle trekking. I guess Luang Prabang will have to wait for the next visit.
Vang Vien is accessible by bus/van from Talat Sao bus station in Vientiane. The trip costs US$4-US$6 (RM15-RM22) and the journey takes 3-3½ hours.
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