May was such a busy month – I taught 4 workshops the first
week of May, helped organize and pull off two action research colloquia, and
submitted my first paper for my PhD program. So, after all my classes finished
on June 7 and I had nothing left to do, I decided to take a final trip to Laos
and Halong Bay. I hadn’t planned to visit Laos originally, but I figured it was
a good way to spend my last few weeks in Southeast Asia.
The Bus Ride
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| crowded bus with people sleeping in the aisle |
There was no flight to Laos from Hue, so I took the bus to
the capital of Laos, Vientiene. It was brutal – a 19 hour bus ride with
Vietnamese feet in my face the whole time because the bus was so crowded. Also,
the main purpose of the bus seemed to be to transport cargo from Vietnam to
Laos – we stopped so many times for people to load and unload bags and other
cargo from the roof of the bus. Needless to say, I was so relieved when we
finally reached Vientiene at 5 in the morning!
Vientiene
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| Golden Stupa in Vientiene |
Lao’s nickname is Lao “Please don’t Rush,” (from the country name, Lao PDR - People's Democratic Republic) and even the
capital was super laid-back and chill. Some of my time there I visited the
famous sites – like a temple with a golden stupa, or the COPE museum – but a
lot of the time I spent relaxing in cafes, just walking around, or riding a
bike. I wanted this to be a relaxing trip, and the weather – hot and rainy –
forced me to take it slow. At the hostel, I met a French girl named Marion, and
we traveled together throughout Laos. She was in the middle of a six month trip
around Asia and made the perfect traveling companion for me.
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| By the River |
Vang Vieng
I almost skipped going to Vang Vieng because the town has a
pretty bad reputation as a backpacker party city. Every year, drunk backpackers
die there, usually from drugs or from drunk accidents while tubing on the
river. But, Vang Vieng is also
spectacularly beautiful, and I had to see it for myself.
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| outside the cave |
Despite my initial trepidation, Vang Vieng turned out to be
the best part of my trip. In the morning, Marion and I rented mountain bikes
and traveled on country roads, past farms and cattle, to a secluded cave and
swimming area called the “Blue Lagoon.” The roads were really rough, and I
don’t think my but will ever be the same, but the scenery was absolutely
breathtaking. When we arrived at the cave, no one else was around, so we were
able to explore all on our own. Even though it was the morning, it was really
hot, and we went straight to the “Blue Lagoon” for a swim in the clear waters.
The lagoon had rope swings and a tree branch to jump off, and the water was so
refreshing!
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| the "Blue Lagoon" |
In the afternoon, we went back to Vang Vieng and had lunch.
Marion didn’t want to go tubing, but I didn’t want to miss out on a chance to
tube the river in Laos, despite the party reputation, so I went by myself. In
Vang Vieng, as in the U.S., tubing revolves mainly around drinking. In this
case, there are four bars at the beginning of the tubing course, and most
people never make it to the end of the tubing (they usually take a tuk-tuk back
from the last bar). You tube from bar to bar, and workers throw out ropes to
bring you in to each bar from the river. For me, however, I just wanted a
relaxing afternoon, so I skipped the bars, avoided the ropes, and drifted down
the river in blissful peace and solitude. The mountains were beautiful, the
water felt great, and life was good!
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| a nice view of Luang Prabang |
Luang Prabang
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| in front of the waterfall |
My last stop in Laos was Luang Prabang, a world heritage
site and favorite among travelers in Laos. Luang Prabang was a nice city, but
the best things were day trips nearby. The first place I went was a lovely,
crystal blue waterfall. Here you could hike to the top of the waterfall and
then swim in one of the pools at the bottom of the waterfall. At the top of the
waterfall, there was a guy with a raft. Even though you could cross by
yourself, I decided to take the raft just for fun. After getting sweaty climbing
to the top, swimming in the waterfall was just amazing! Even though the fish
were nibbling at my legs, the water felt great and I really enjoyed myself.
Another interesting trip was a boat ride to Buddha cave. I
went with Marion, and while we both agreed that Buddha cave was a bit of a
let-down, the boat ride there was wonderful. Cruising on the Mekong river, we
just enjoyed riding and looking at the scenery.
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| raft at the top of the waterfall |
In Luang Prabang itself, the night market was a daily event
– the best part was the vegetarian buffet. Although it was really a buffet, for
just $1.25 you could fill a large plate full of as much vegetarian food as you
wanted. Needless to say, I ate there all four nights! Another highlight was the
temple at the top of a hill – even though the temple itself wasn’t anything
special, the view of Luang Prabang and the surrounding area was awesome!
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| Marion and I in front of "Buddha Cave" |
Halong Bay
After a relaxing trip to Laos, I felt my stress level rise
again as soon as I came back to Vietnam. I really wanted to see Halong Bay
before leaving Vietnam, so I booked a cheap 2 day, one night trip on a junk
boat. These tours are notorious for scamming and lying to people, so I just
decided to pick a cheap one and go with the flow.
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| in Halong Bay |
Actually, I enjoyed the trip a lot – the Bay was beautiful,
and I enjoyed talking with all the other travelers on the boat. There was quite
an international mix – German, Chile, American, Israeli, Malaysian, Korean,
Vietnamese, etc. However, the other travelers joked that it was really a
“waiting” tour. There were only a few small activities the first day –
swimming, kayaking, and a cave – and other than that, we were herded to
different places only to wait for long periods of time once there. Also, the
tour guides were awful – one got into an argument and started cursing at one of
the passengers. And did I mention the cockroaches on the boat?
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| View of Halong Bay from the Boat |
People complain because Halong Bay tours make you feel like
you’re being scammed and the tour company is just trying to get as much money
out of you as possible. And, it’s true. But, it’s also true that Halong Bay is
a beautiful place to visit, if only to say you’ve seen one of the wonders of
the world. I’m glad that I took the trip, but it was quite a change of pace
from Laos!
Hanoi
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| me and my free tour guide in Hanoi |
I ended my trip in Hanoi. It was my third trip to Hanoi, and
I realized that I had seen almost all the famous sites. I stayed with my
coworker Jill and was also able to catch up with some Australian friends who
used to work in Hue, so it was nice to be able to see them before leaving
Vietnam. I also did a free tour with a university student. We went outside of
the city, which was nice, and visited a pottery village. I also just walked
around Hanoi a lot and watched T.V. in Jill’s apartment. It might not have been
the most exciting part of the trip, but it was a nice way to end my final trip
in Southeast Asia.
