Tag Laos
I’ve been on the road for two days now. My goal was Thakhek which is just a little bit too far to do in one day.
Just a short distance outside Vientiane is a park called Xieng Khuan Buddha park. It is meadow full of Buddhist and Hindu statues. Though many of them look ancient they were made using concrete starting in 1958 by a priest-shaman called Luang Pu Bunleua Sulilat. The statues depict all manner of gods and creatures out of Buddhist and Hindu mythology; it’s a mix between weird and scary. The most prominent statue is a large … Read the rest
I’m on the stairs up to a small shrine atop a kind of obelisk-like stupa. The stairs are so steep and the steps so narrow it feels more like a ladder than actual stairs; there are no railings, nothing to hold on to, and it feels very precarious standing here. Behind and beneath me a whole bunch of statues are spread out across a field of green grass. They depict all manner of gods and creatures from Buddhist and Hindu mythology, each more fantastical than the next. This place is just fascinating.… Read the rest
I am at the center of a large, ball-like concrete structure. The Windows to the outside only let in minimal light and I sweep my flashlight around me to see where I am. The room I’m in is some kind of representation of Buddhist hell because lining the walls is a large number of statues depicting terrible scenes: demons preparing to behead humans, snake people twirling around each other in dance, and gods holding skulls in their hands. I know they are only statues and it’s the middle of the day but still kind of creepy.… Read the rest
In front of me is a giant, pumpkin-like structure, a big ball with lots of little windows around the circumference. On the top is a kind of spire, branching out in the middle to form a sort of eye like pattern against the blue sky. A couple of people are walking around on the small platform around the spire, looking at the view. Right in front of me is a large, terrible face with angry eyes and gaping mouth that acts as the entrance to the structure. It is one of the most bizarre things I’ve seen in a long … Read the rest
I had one main mission for today, getting my luggage rack fixed. It took me most of the morning to find a place that could do welding work and another hour or so to get the work done. Final result: the luggage rack is now nice and solid. Mind you it felt pretty solid after the last time I fixed it too, but I’m more confident this time. Hopefully it will hold up for the rest of the journey.
Once I got the bike fixed I had some lunch … Read the rest
It felt good to leave Vang Vieng, I liked the activities you can do there, including the partying, but I didn’t like the town itself. It’s so full of tour operators and backpacker oriented bars and restaurants that serve sub par western food. It almost feels like the place has been tainted by tourism.
I visited Vientiane back in 2009 so I didn’t really have to go there again but I’m hoping I can get the luggage racks properly fixed. Also, I don’t mind seeing some of the sights again since it’s been seven years since then.
The road from … Read the rest
Well this is new, the road is actually straight, and not just for a few hundred meters; no, it has been straight for at least a couple of kilometers and it looks to be straight for several kilometers more. Sure there is only one lane in each direction, sure the surface is kind of rough but it’s neither bumpy not twisting. This is the closest thing to a highway I’ve seen in all of Laos so far. Amazing!… Read the rest
When the riverside bars closed down in 2012 the action sports companies moved in. Nowadays Vang Vieng is crawling with tour operators selling day tours of kayaking, ziplineing, terrain buggy driving and parasailing. One of my favorite sports is rock climbing so for me that was the natural choice. I booked a one day tour and as it turned out it was just me and the guide which was good for me. Since I’ve climbed before he gave me a few minutes reminder of how to belay then off we went. I belayed while he climbed lead and set the … Read the rest
I’m floating down the river in an old tractor inner tube, it has been yellow but the paint has faded and peeled off from use and the black rubber is showing through. The water is a muddled brownish green color and the sun, already sinking lower, is sparkling on the surface like liquid silver. I lean back, raise my feet out of the water and relax. In front of me the spectacular Laotian nature, karst cliffs rising up out the jungle, and behind me the other tubers, all swimming suit clad bodies and yellow tubes, floating lazily along with me.… Read the rest