Vang Vieng & Vientiane, Laos 2020

We took a 7 hour bus (mini van) trip in the rain, from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng. A rainy day on a travel day, we couldn't have planned that any better. The bus was packed, all the luggage was on the roof under a tarp. Since we had travelled to Luang Prabang in the dark, we had not seen anything, we only felt the bumps and curves in the road. But when we travelled to Vang Vieng it was daylight, and that was a bit scary.

They have dirt roads that are windy and narrow, mostly filled with large pot holes. People are coming as you are going, the road only has a little bit of a shoulder to pull off and let each other pass by. As we continued on down the dirt road we noticed a few wrecks in the face of the mountain. Then we looked out our window; IT WAS STRAIGHT DOWN, there were no guard rails, just a drop.

When we finally arrived in Vang Vieng, we decided to take it easy for the rest of the day. The town was full of bars, pubs, restaurants, and atv tours. We figured out (once we were there) that Vang Vieng is more of a party town, and people tend to come on the weekends from Vientiane. We had arrived mid week, we also spoke to a few people at our hostel who said 2 days would be enough; we had planned for 4 days. Photo Credit:V.Gray

As with most of the cities we have been to, we used a scooter to tour around the town. We also took a day and rented bicycles, because clearly we did not learn anything in Vietnam and wanted to punish ourselves. We saw a few ruins and temples this way but otherwise kept it pretty low key, seeing the city, its markets, and people. On our third day we did the Nam Xay Hike, all the reviews indicated this was a “must do” hike. In order to avoid the afternoon heat we decided to do the hike early in the morning.

The hike starts with some makeshift stairs, and a rope that we followed all the way up the mountain. At the halfway point there is a bench and table set up. The view here was beautiful, so if we had called it quits there it would still have been worth the hike. After a quick snack and some water we continued on.

Here the path started to narrow with rocks, which we were forced to climb over. What really motivated us was the promise of a gorgeous view of the rice fields, and the motorbikes located down the side of the mountain. So we continued on, and when we reached the top we were so glad we hadn’t given up.

Photo Credit: V.Gray

Photo Credit: V.Gray

Even in overcast weather the view was still incredibly stunning. We took a few moments and sat on the platform on the top and gathered our nerves. The next step was to climb down the side of the mountain to the bikes. We had made it to the top, but we couldn't leave without getting a picture and climbing to the bikes. This climb was nerve wracking but so cool. The bikes are chained to the ledge and head of the mountain.mountain.

Photo Credit: V.Gray Photo Credit: Ryan C.

After our adrenaline high, we started our descent down the mountain. When we reached the parking lot, we pulled up the map to our next stop; Blue Lagoon and Tham Phu Kham Cave. Somewhere to cool off after our crazy hike.

We had cooled off a bit from the scooter ride by the time we reached the Blue Lagoon and Tham Phu Kham Cave, so we decided to do the Tham Phu Kham Cave hike. Before we got to the mouth of the cave (which is half way up the mountain), we came across a small booth where we rented one head lamp - and we were glad we did.

Honestly we did not think it would be that dark. We had also joined together with a couple from Europe. I had taken the headlamp and they had flash lights on their phones.

We got to the buddha at the front of the cave, and then we walked straight into the darkness. We couldn’t even see our hands in front of our faces.

Photo Credit: V.Gray

The trail to the back of the cave was marked by randomly painted arrows. It was like a scavenger hunt: the arrows were painted on the walls, floor, and random rocks. While looking for the arrows we also found two more buddha's located in the middle and back of the cave.

After the hike we made our way to the Blue Lagoon to see the coy fish and take a dip. The water was a bit chilly, but the beauty surpassed the nippy water.

The Blue Lagoon has platforms in the trees to jump from, swings, beach sections, and rocks to climb down into the chilly water.

Once we were done swimming we went back to our hostel and booked our bus to Vientiane, which we were then told would not leave for another 2 days.

We had dinner and drinks with the couple we had met at the Tham Phu Kham Cave hike that evening.

Photo Credit: V.Gray

All bars in Vang Vieng have a "happy hour" free mixed (rum and vodka) drinks from 8pm to 11 pm. This turned into a small bar hop and dancing until 2 am. We now had a day to kill, so sleeping and Netflix in the room it was - sometimes, even when travelling, it is nice to just do nothing.

Our bus ride to Vientiane (which is the capital of Laos) was a quick 3 hours, and we arrived by lunch time. The entire bus was unloaded at the city centre, which was a 5 min walk to our hostel. Once we had checked in, dropped our bags off, made a coffee in a lobby, and looked at the map. We then made our game plan for our time there. We knew we had 10 days until our flight to Bali, and wanted to spread out our sightseeing.We also wanted to take time to walk around and find our next hostel.

One of the first things we found during our walk was That Dam. That Dam has 3 legends.

Two of the legends claim there is a protector of the city who lives inside, who comes out to protect the people from violence and looting. The third legend claims That Dam was actually covered in gold until the Siamese invaded in 1827. The Siamese did take gold from major temples and other locations throughout Laos during the invasion.

As we carried on through the city we came across the Patuxai Gate or Victory Gate. It is dedicated to all those who fought for Laos’ independence against Photo Credit: V.Gray

France in the 1940's.

It is quite an impressive sight, which has Hindu and Buddhist symbols throughout. We took a few minutes to take in all the beauty of the architecture and artistry. Pictures do not do the Gate or the artistry of it justice.

Photo Credit: V.Gray

It has 7 floors, and for a small fee (33 cents CAD each) we climbed to the top to view the city of Vientiane. Each floor had a shop, except the top that is just open space on the roof. Later we passed the Gate at night, seeing it all lit up against the night sky is really spectacular.

Photo Credit: V.Gray

We spent a couple of our 10 days just walking around or relaxing at our Hostel. At one point we went to a local Indian Restaurant for dinner, which was one of the best meals we had.

One of those days we rented bicycles, because clearly we did not learn our lesson in Ninh Binh, Vietnam and rode to look at different Hostels we were interested in. The next day we hurt so much again from biking, that we rented a scooter for the move. We moved a total of 4 times, 1 that was closer to the Buddha Park and 1 closer to the COPE (Cooperative Orthotic & Prosthetic Enterprise). These were 2 sights we really wanted to see.

Photo Credit: V.Gray

We made the move close to the Buddha Park, which was about a 30 - 45 minute scooter ride outside of the city. Buddha park is a mix of Hindu and Buddhist statues that borders along the Mekong River. This is not a religious site and you do not have to cover up, however I did wear pants and a t-shirt. For me it is always important to respect the country I am visiting, and to make an effort to understand their history and meaning behind their statues and places. The country of Laos is very conservative and for me this felt like the right thing to do - after all I was the one visiting their country.

Photo Credit: V.Gray

This park really is as fascinating and entrancing as the reviews say. There is so much to see, and that at first you are not sure which way to look. The laying down Buddha is 40 meters long. Then there is a Giant Pumpkin in the middle of the park, which has stairs to climb to the top to get a view of the park. Each level has a depiction symbolising Hell, Earth, and Heaven.

The stairs are narrow, uneven, and steep. If you are over 6 ft tall you will have difficulty standing upright. The rooms are short, above is a photo I had taken of one of the levels.

Photo Credit: V.Gray

Photo Credit: V.Gray

You can exit the mouth of the Giant Pumpkin onto a ledge, it goes around the entire stature and enables you to see most of the park.

The next day we moved to our last Hostel back in central Vientiane, within walking distance of the COPE (Cooperative Orthotic & Prosthetic Enterprise). COPE teaches about the American bombs that fell on Laos during the Vietnam War. They disscuss how the country is still cleaning up and disposing of these bombs. People have/ are going through rehabilitation due to the injuries sustained by these bombings.

The visitors centre is not very big, but it is very informative: they show pieces of bombs that were found and had been detonated; maps of areas where the bombs have not been cleared; and how they are helping their people with prosthetic limbs and the rehabilitation process. All of their displays, information, and documentaries are very gripping and pull you right in. It is free to enter, however there is a donation jar when you exit.

With that, our time in Laos had come to an end. We had an early flight out of Vientiane heading to Denpasar, Bali. This is when Covid-19 started to catch up to us in our travels. Our 8 am flight got delayed until 9 am. As we were boarding our plane, we watched the flight board change several flights from "delay" to "cancelled". But we were still on our way to Bali.

Cheers!

Photo Credit: V.Gray

A map of Laos and places we have travelled.

**Please note that all opinions and views expressed in this post are my own, from my own experiences. If you would like to see more pictures follow me on Instagram vikki.gray

This post is edited and proofed by E.Gray Editing.(https://www.egrayediting.com )**