Luang Prabang
When I get off the boat, I take a few days to visit the city before continuing my journey.
Despite the fact that Luang Prabang is listed as a World Heritage Site for its pre-colonial and colonial heritage, despite the fact that it was the capital of Laos for a long time, despite... all the efforts I make to find it beautiful and interesting, I don't succeed.
Luang Prabang seems to me to be tasteless, without flavor. And yet, I have always found something interesting in each of the countries, each of the cities that I have visited in the past but this time, nothing to do.
So, I go out a little...
Kuang Si Falls
My host tells me that to the south, an hour's drive away, there are some very pretty falls.
Falls? Let's just say we are very spoiled in this respect, in Quebec city (Montmorency), in Quebec province (Vauréal, Chaudière, Fraser,...) and in Canada (Niagara), but let's go see them anyway.
The effort was worth it. The falls are magnificent and unlike any other. The calcium carbonate, which the water is saturated with, reflects the light which gives the impression that the water is turquoise.
This same carbonate makes deposited and creates very attractive "curtains".
Whiskey you say?
On the way back from the falls, a short stop in a rice paddy where the farmer shows us the technique of making Whiskey, the same whisky that had put my boat companion to sleep so well during our stop in Pak Beng.
To make this drink, you need rice, of course. But not just any kind of rice, sticky rice. This rice is a mutation of the rice we know well and is the favorite of the Laotians.
The process begins by letting the sticky rice soak in water for 3 days. After that, it is boiled for a few hours.
The whole thing is placed in jars and mold and bacteria are allowed to form, allowing the fermentation process to break down the sugars and convert them into alcohol.
After a few days, the alcohol obtained is ready for distillation.
Two tanks are stacked on top of each other; the lower one contains the fermented rice alcohol placed on the fire, the other contains fresh water. The tank with the rice wine is then heated with a regular fire, which evaporates the alcohol. When the alcohol vapors reach the other tank, the water cools it and condenses. The alcohol flows through a pipe to be collected.
All that remains is to add various ingredients to delight tourists in search of sensation, such as snakes and scorpions.
Nong Khiaw - From Dream to Reality
Now it's time to go on an adventure again. This is where I learn that Laos doesn't have the same definition as its neighbors when it comes to "luxury buses".
Here's what they propose on there Website...
credit: 12GO.ASIA
So I go to the starting point to see, with surprise, a Tuk Tuk arrive.
So we pile our luggage on the roof and the people in the back box. There is not enough room for everyone, so people sit on other people.
And there... the tuk-tuk leaves. At first, I thought we were going to a more central station, but no. We go around the city once, twice, three times, always adding more luggage and... people.
Finally, we arrive at the "station" and the whole process starts again. Unloading all the people and luggage from the tuk-tuk, loading the luggage onto the roof of a minibus and... piling the people into the old, beat-up bus. And, I suddenly understand why the company that sells the tickets insists on offering life insurance.
Most of my companions make the best of a bad situation, but some are indignant at the treatment.
Speaking of hearts, I realize that my gravols are in my travel bag and it is on the roof. Let's hope that the need to take some will not arise. Let's also hope that my luggage will still be on the roof when I arrive.
I am lucky to have a window, but it opens constantly, allowing the dust from the road to penetrate the cabin.
Four hours later, we arrive in Nong Khiaw, clothes, hair and... lungs covered in a fine brown dust. A simple walk will convince you of the truth of my words.
Well, Nong Khiaw is not just dust. It is also beautiful landscapes.
A little opium ball with that?
While walking through the village, I discover a bar of another kind. This one sells food and drinks and... cannabis and... opium. There are even bunks to fully appreciate the few hours of dreams brought by opium.
I don't understand anything, knowing that all "recreational" drugs are illegal in Laos. So I question a Frenchman living in Nong Khiaw, and I learn that although drugs are illegal, the police turn a blind eye as long as they receive their bribe. This is calculated on weekly sales.
The War in Laos
From 1964 to 1973, the United States bombed Laos, dropping a bomb every 8 minutes, 24 hours a day for NINE years. Laos was the most bombed country in history, and yet it was not at war with the United States. This American strategy was designed to cut off arms supply lines to North Vietnam.
30,000 people were killed in Laos during the Vietnam War and 20,000 more since then due to unexploded bombs.
Laos is considered one of the most polluted countries in the world by cluster munitions. Every day, people are at risk of being injured or killed by explosive remnants in over 10,000 villages. There are an estimated 80 million unexploded cluster munitions.
Cluster munitions:
Air-dropped or fired from the ground or sea, they release hundreds of small bomblets called “submunitions” mid-flight, which can cover an area the size of several football fields. They are now banned by the Geneva Convention.
The vagaries of travel
When I tell you about my adventures, I avoid talking about what I don't like, knowing that one man's trash is another man's treasure. In addition, small inconveniences are generally outweighed by a multitude of beautiful discoveries.
However, I had a lot of difficulties with Laos. It seems that this country is not in my color palette. To say that I didn't like anything would be wrong but not so far from the truth.
Whether it's the aggressive driving, the "crooked" built stairs, the "bush" transport, the food, the hardness of the boards they call "mattresses", the dust, the complete absence of a shoemaker in a city of over 50,000 people, the pharmacists with no minimum training, the food poisoning I caught in Nong Khiaw, followed by a virus that I caught and am still battling, 10 days later, the country has not welcomed me in its best light... if it has one.
Well, the good news is that I lost at least 5 kilos... but I will surely find them again on the way.
Koh Tao (Thailand)
I wrote this post from Turtle Island (Koh Tao) where I have been living for about ten days, trying to get back in shape. If there is a place I was looking forward to arriving, it is this one. I can't wait to get better so that I can fully enjoy it and share my discoveries with you.
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