The Cute Puppy From Vang Vieng (Laos)

ລູກໝາ

The second time I visited Vang Vieng - population 25,000 - was on the month of September. I was curious if the sedate atmosphere was still there: backpackers too lazy to think outside alcohol; floating along the Song River on a tube, a dash of hashish in the fray, and just letting their hair down. I opted to stay this time at one of the riverside hotels which was far nicer than my previous Vang Vieng guesthouses. How times have changed indeed. I don't scrimp too much anymore since I've learned to get comfortable with the monetary exchanges and foreign expenditures. 

I had to cross the suspension bridge again, pay a minimal fee for doing so, and headed to the village just across. This part of town was quiet and fewer tourists stay in this area. Then I encountered a playful puppy who, after a few coaxing, walked over and had his belly scratched! It was the cutest thing.

While I adore dogs (I grew up with half a dozen dogs roaming inside the house at anytime during my childhood), I have learned to steer clear from them during travels because some of them aren't the warmest creatures, even without provocation. And Laos, particularly Savannakhet (south of Vientiane), has oodles of these unfriendly strays.

Meanwhile, Vang Vieng, situated between Viantiane and Luang Prabang, is gradually losing its relaxed atmosphere with the influx of more tourists. In a couple of years, commercialism would totally pop the surreal riverside bubble. Isn't this sad? Probably not for the locals who will eventually benefit from this steady parade of fun lovers.

This is the Eye in the Sky!

Nam Song - the Song River - and Vang Vieng's dramatic Karst Mountains.

Crossing Back the Vangtao-Chongmek Border to Ubon Ratchathani

Smoked glass ceilings at the Chongmek Boundary Post

It was time to head back to Thailand. I was looking forward to seeing the Moon River up close. Though not particularly associated with the wistful, albeit romantic river from "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (after all, it was just a song), my mind was bent on the romantic notion associated with the name. Before all that, I had to leave Pakse, cross the Vangtao-Chongmek border again, and check into a new hotel in Ubon Ratchathani - the Sri Isan Hotel. That was the immediate plan.

After a breakfast buffet with a hundred monks, I checked out at 7:20 AM. With baggage securely tucked behind me, I crossed the street across Champasak Palace Hotel and hailed a bicycle with a sidecar. I asked him how much it was to take me to the VIP Bus Terminal, he said 5,000 kip - far cry from the 40,000 kip tuktuk rate I was asked upon my arrival in Pakse. But wait, just before finally settling on my seat, the driver changed his mind. It would be 10,000 kip. Imagine what 3 seconds can do to a bicycle ride in Laos. Haha.

OFF TO VANGTAO

There were few people milling around the Kriang Krai VIP Bus Terminal. After presenting my passport, I purchased my ticket, used the loo (2,000 kip) and waited for my 8:30 AM departure. People started arriving shortly while I roamed the premises. Finally, at 8:40 AM, the bus pulled out of the garage and off we went. The scenery flashed like a slide show as we blazed the western highway. There were rivers and dried out rice paddies (it was post harvest), small temples and bridges. I liked the seemingly ordinary places I caught on film. They were specific moments in time that shall never be recovered in the future - and i shall leave them as memories. One hour later - at exactly 9:40 - we reached Vangtao, the Lao border town.

We were told to get off our bus and proceed to the Lao border office (there were 4 counters) to get stamped out. The bus crossed the border gates and it would wait for us at the other side. Some borders require passengers to unload their baggage for inspection, but not this border. Our baggage stays in our bus. This makes the immigration formality easier and faster.

Since it was just a matter of getting stamped out of Laos, the process didn't take me 5 minutes. No fees involved - just a fast stamping out. I saw Phonsavanh Bank and a Duty Free Shop, a Car Rental, a Customs Post during my walk away from the Vangtao Immigration Post. It's just a mere 100 meters to the Thai Immigration gates. The makeshift stalls of fruits, shirts, food, and other accouterments were still there. At the back of my mind, I wondered who would buy these products. Would they be fresher as fruits? Not in an arid and dusty outpost like Chongmek. Would they be cheaper? Highly unlikely.

A MOMENT OF EMBARRASSMENT


Chongmek Immigration Post (Thailand border town) is decidedly more upscale, with spaceship-like sheds and roofs seemingly awaiting flight. I stepped into a waiting room where people fill up an arrival form. Once completed, we queue at the immigration counters at the next room. Since I was visa-free (Filipinos need no visas to visit Thailand as a tourist), it didn't take long. Of course there was a moment of embarrassment when I couldn't understand immigration very well, I had to ask him three times before I finally realized he was just saying "Good morning!" My bad! I must have turned beet red because he had a wide grin. He must have thought that this Filipino doesn't understand English much. Poor guy! Haha! Anyway, land crossings to Thailand give tourists 15 days stay in the country (arrival at the Suvarnabhumi International will get you 30 days).

From the Immigration Counter, you walk into the Customs Room then head out of the building. I saw an ATM machine just outside the door. From there, I could see the sprawl of the market atmosphere of Chongmek. There were more stalls, tuktuks that could take you to nearby towns (including Ubon). To my left, I saw our bus. I rushed to get in, thinking they could be waiting for me. But of course that wouldn't be the case. There were several Caucasians - Europeans, Australians - who were still processing their visa-on-arrival.

THE CONSIDERATE GERMAN

I smugly sat back on my chair until most everyone was back on their seats. Thirty minutes later, an overweight German woman leisurely sauntered back into the bus, carrying items she bought from the shops outside. How convenient and considerate to be shopping while others waited for her - the schmuck, really. She was sporting a wide grin for another girl who was already on her seat - her words sounded like she was clearing her throat, throwing her syllables like there's something stuck down her larynx. "Danke schoen," she said to her seatmate. Thank you, lady, for letting us wait for you, I mentally muttered.

Two hours later - at 11:40 AM, I was back in Ubon's Bus Terminal. There was no need to linger. I have seen the area, and I had a long list of plans for the remainder of the day. I took a taxi to take me to Sri Isan Hotel, a business hotel located just a stone's throw from the Moon River. What's better is, it's just a block away from the famous Night Market! The meter clocked a cheap 68 baht (the airport rate to the city which is 4-5x closer was 200 baht). I gave my driver 100 baht.

Sri Isan Hotel was waiting for me. So was my room at 221.

This is the Eye in the Sky!  

My Kriang Krai Bus from Pakse to Ubon Ratchathani

This international bus had 59% Thais and Laos and 40% other foreign nationals. Oh yeah, 1% Filipino. Haha

Post harvest rice paddies

A river near Ban Phonthong.

Small temple with a Buddha and a Naga guarding it.

Another river west of Pakse as we got closer to the Vangtao town border.

Vangtao Immigration post to get stamped out of Laos.

It won't take 5 minutes to get stamped out of Laos.

Phonsavanh Bank at the Vangtao border.

Lao Duty Free Shop in Vangtao

Vangtao Customs Post

This is the 100 meter walk - through stalls - to the Chongmek Thai Border Post.

Stalls selling baguettes and fruits.

Lao shirts, anyone?

Cars for rent

The fenced walkway through the Chongmek Border Post.

Starship Trooper at the Chongmek Immigration Post

The International Buses pass through these gates while their passengers pass through immigration (right).

Entrance of the Chongmek Boundary Post

Write your immigration forms here before proceeding to the Immigration Counters at the next room.

ATM machine just outside the Customs Hallway.

Chongmek commerce just outside the Border Post.

If you arrived on a tuktuk (instead of a point-to-point bus), then you can get your next ride here. Tuktuks wait at the parking space. Haggle hard.

For a more complete information, here's my Ubon to Pakse border crossing (Chongmek to Vangtao):

- http://eye-in-the-blue-sky.blogspot.com/2012/02/from-ubon-to-pakse-crossing-chongmek.html

Ubon's main bus terminal

Ratchaboot Road - the street along my next hotel, Sri Isan Hotel.

My 68-baht taxi as it moves away from my hotel. There is a huge 3-story sprawling market beside the Moon River.

Sri Isan Hotel in Ubon Ratchathani

Another Tri-country Itinerary in Spell-binding Thailand, Laos & Myanmar - Travel Log 111611

Armed with a well studied itinerary born from intermittent, albeit careful planning, I was once again traipsing through Manila’s NAIA Terminal 3 with a baggage that’s unusually and bafflingly heavy (almost 9 kilograms). I should have become a sophisticate where traveling light is concerned. Apparently not. Have I been printing too much web materials inspite of my 2 Lonely Planet books (Asian Shoestring and Laos)?

One thing’s sure though. After more than half a decade of almost quarterly international travels, I know I have earned my stripes and have become an authority in this regard. And I was beset with stark realization: this hullabaloo has become easier! Like second skin; like second nature; like it’s part of my profession though, in reality, it’s too far removed. But I like the duplicitous nature of these exercises. During these travels, I am able to partake on a different kind of life, much like a schizophrenic does with a variety of personalities. Who can’t be smug with such privilege?

Last night has been a sound slumber. There was a time "sound sleep" was an impossibility the night before a departure. I worried on a lot of things: customs, immigration, leaving passports, tickets, phones or wallet; the usual stuff from an OC mind; the usual travel jitters. They have since evolved into pure excitement. Less of the anxiety. I am getting older, dang!

There was an unusually few crowd gallivanting around NAIA. After paying my travel tax (P1620/$38.27)), I proceeded to the web check-in counter. If you wanted faster check in, web check is it: less queue, faster turn over, but I am not advertising, lest it catches fire. There was a spectacular Christmas manger beside the stairs leading to the food plaza where, at Dimsum and Dumplings, I pleasantly wrestled with a delicious sparerib topping (1st photo above) at just P79 ($1.87). Out of gluttony and curiosity, I also ordered Crabstick with Bird’s Nest Soup (2nd photo), but it was particularly bland.

With a heavier stomach, I sauntered to the pre-departure area, paid the hefty P750 ($17.72) terminal fee, and exchanged laughs with a friendly Immigration lady. Heaven bless her, we need more of her kind, especially when we’re stepping out of our country where a sliver of our soul gets left behind. After checking out the shops (posted earlier), I settled placidly into one of the pre-departure chairs contiguous from my departure gate.

Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino

I reached inside my backpack and retrieved my planned itinerary. Four long pages of detailed itinerary – it would shape the seemingly strenuous month ahead of me. New names of places from three countries, and images of carefully considered accommodations. There were more hotels than guesthouses this time, and I have become wiser at planning my finances. There was a time I’d stay in more modest places, eventually coming home with oodles of left-over cash from my allotted budget.

OVERWHELMING SENSATION

So as I gazed at the names of my hotels and guesthouses, I was swept with an overwhelming sensation of delight. These accommodations have become part of the adventure: finding them, navigating around the areas, discovering narrow and not-so-narrow streets in strange new towns, finding restaurants and post offices and ticket booths and riverside cafes and internet shops and markets. And I am flushed.

My booked hotels: Krungtong Hotel, Imoun Homestay, Champasak Guesthouse, Pon's River Guesthouse, Sri Isan Hotel, Bangkok Rama Hotel, After Glow Hostel, Champasak Palace Hotel, HI City Home Guesthouse, Chiang Saen Riverhill Hotel, Baan Bua Guesthouse, Siam Star Hotel

My itinerary covers more strange names from Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar; countries I’ve visited several times in the past. These transits have strangely become comforting! Like an anchor to the familiar! This trip includes 6 to 7 plane rides; 4 border crossings (even possibly 6); river crossings and boat rides on catamarans; taxi rides; motorcycle backrides, tuktuk journeys, and miles of plodding bus rides. Let’s not forget: kilometers of walking. This itinerary is flexible in specific legs, but not where airline schedules are concerned to avoid incurring additional unnecessary expenses.

THE ITINERARY (Abridged version)

- Manila to Bangkok by Cebu Pacific

- Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani by Air Asia

- Ubon Ratchathani sightseeing

- Ubon Ratchathani to Pakse: cross Chong Mek-Vang Tao border to Pakse

- Pakse

- Day tour to the island of Don Kho and visit the temple in the enchanted forest

- Day tour to the Bolaven Plateau: see the waterfalls (Tat Fan, Tat Lo, Tad Fane, etc.) and visit villages of some ethnic tribes (Laven, Alak, Katu, Su-ay), coffee and tea plantations

- Pakse to the lethargic Champasak Town

- Visit the Angkorian temple of Wat Phu Champasak (World Heritage site) and Tomo Temple (Uo Moung) which are quite a distance from each other; visit Wat Muang Kang

- Day tour at the island of Dong Daeng from Champasak Town

- Champasak Town to 4000 Island’s Don Khong (SiPhanDon's biggest island)

- Optional: Visit Don Det and Don Khon

- Back to Pakse: stay at the Champasak Palace Hotel, a real royal palace turned into a hotel

- Pakse (Laos) back to Ubon Ratchathani (Thailand): cross Vang Tao-Chong Mek border

- Stay near Moon River

- Ubon Ratchathani to Bangkok via Air Asia

- Bangkok to Chiang Rai via Air Asia

- Chiang Rai sight-seeing: visit the White Temple and all other temples

- Chiang Rai to Mae Sai (Thai border town near Tachilek, Myanmar)

- Mae Sai (Thailand) to Tachilek (Myanmar)

- Tachilek back to Mae Sai (Thailand)

- Mae sai to Chiang Saen (Thailand), the country’s northernmost town

- Day tour to the Golden Triangle (where Thailand, Myanmar and Laos meet)

- Chiang Saen back to Chiang Rai

- Visit the Black Temple (Baan Daam)

- Chiang Rai to Bangkok via Air Asia

- Bangkok to Manila via Cebu Pacific

Random images of places I will be visiting:

Will I get to see them all? Which will I miss?

This itinerary, as I said, has flexible legs. Each city or town will take a minimum of 2 days and a maximum of 3-4 days depending on the list of must-visit places to check out. Most accommodations have been booked via Agoda, a booking site that I never used until last year. On the “free legs” of this trip, I will look for accommodations once I get there (one day in Don Khong, another day in Don Det, Chiang Rai and Tachilek in Myanmar since I wasn’t sure on the duration of days in these places). Planning an itinerary should account for the possibilities of extensions and trip cancellations to avoid the hassle of incurred fees which are, more often than not, designed to be expensive.

PHOTO CURIOUS

I was curious as to the veracity of the photos and the condition of the accommodations booked, but this is part of the excitement. Will they look exactly the same – or have they been “sugar coated” to lure the innocent? Isn’t this what adventure is all about?

What's interesting in this rather "busy" schedule is how, in the end, I'll be able to fulfill this schedule. How much of these places will I see? Moreover, how much of the photos in the montage do I get to visit?

There’s a “hole” in the early part of the itinerary though; one that I couldn’t bring myself to decide until I’m there: one of those crazy, anxiety-ridden “crossing-the-bridge-when-I-get-there” moments. Let me tell you all about this dilemma. But before that, I have to get to my 5J-931 seat for Bangkok. Amidst worries of floods closing in on the Thai capital, I am amped to discover and document another leg of my solitary travels in the bowels of spell-binding Asia.

This is the Eye in the Sky!

NAIA T3 Pre-departure Area

The Long Hard Road to Luang Prabang Part 1

SEAT-NAPPERS AND MONEY-NAPPERS
With 13 hours behind me, I was optimistic as Hell Bus went westward. My Vietnamese seatmate uncannily occupied MY seat while her friend took the one beside mine. I was standing at the isle perplexed. How convenient! “Excuse me, but THAT is my seat” I declared. She mumbled gibberish and began pointing me to an unoccupied seat in front (beside Mr. Jamaica). “NO! NO! NO! THAT IS MY SEAT!” I said with clarity and conviction. I had been miserable - and I’ve hallucinated on that chair all the way from Hanoi - and I deserve to further hallucinate THERE until the end of this freaky ride! Her seatmate went back to her old chair. Ms. Hairy Vietnamese would NOT leave MY seat. She offered her old seat – the one with a fully reclined chair in front! NO WAY! This gargoyle is testing my patience! This is the 21st century where women no longer flock to the streets to demand equality. They already got equality! I don’t feel chivalrous. I have no compulsion to offer her my chair. I paid $30 for it. It was my prerogative to keep it. She left and I took mine. Some people could be so moronic.

Talking about morons: One of the brit girls started yelling about a lost 3,500 baht ($110). This is the story so far. While processing her Lao visa at the border, she left her wallet inside the bus – ON her seat. She allegedly saw one of the drivers go inside the bus while the rest of us were busy with the immigration formalities. Now, she was yelling, “I will call the police! That man has my money! Give it back!” After making a spectacle of herself, everything – as expected – fell on deaf ears. While I sympathize with her loss of riches, I can only offer my condolences for her stupidity. I would gladly call myself an IDIOT if I left my money inside a third-world bus and still expect to see it upon my return. Some misfortunes are well deserved!
At 9 AM, the bus parked beside an old building. What now? It was the Customs Building. The drivers opened the storage room at the side of the bus and disembarked some huge cargos for inspection. The cargos on top of the bus were left alone. I scampered out to visit the john, though I didn’t exactly need to go, but hey… There’s no toilet on-board and I am going to void as often as opportunity beckons.
At 9:30AM, the bus left the Customs Office. This was where I started to notice the limestone peaks. These are mountains of limestones which have eroded, through time, into intricately curved boulders - which they call “karst”. We are traipsing along the Kaew-Neua Pass. Nothing short of breathtaking. Along mountainous roads are waterfalls flowing beside the road. Giant ferns curl from stony ground. Greens everywhere. Another huge waterfall is seen from afar, across winding roads and foresty landscapes. Now I understand why there is no direct route from Hanoi to Luang Prabang. The topography of Laos doesn’t allow it because of the rugged terrain of peaks and mountains. Roads after all are constructed along the contours of mountains and hills. Otherwise, they would have to dig through these boulders, di ba?



At 1:15 PM, we were still on the road. It’s such a mystery to me why these people can’t even think of stopping by for even half an hour to feed us! Oh no! That is beyond their comprehension and common sense. I began regretting why I didn’t order 2 pho’s instead of one at the border when I had the chance to. A noodle soup obviously doesn’t suffice. I took note of the names of places we passed. Nothing much to do. Silsilay. Pakxan. Namlo (“Nam” in lao means “river). Nam Ching. I was estimating the hours based on hunches. They’ll probably stop in Vientiane and allow us to recharge, eat, stretch our feet. Luang Parabang is a loooooong way from Vientiane. Yeah, that must be it. I was hopeful and optimistic.
At 4 PM, we reached the Southern Bus Station of Vientiane, the capital! AFTER 21 LOOOOONG HOURS! From Vientiane, it will take another 10-12 hours to get to Luang Prabang up north. BUT there’s more surprise my Hell Bus has in store for me and my busmates!

The surprise? WE HAVE REACHED OUR DESTINATION!
Wait!!! I paid for Hanoi-to-Luang Prabang, not Vientiane! I talked to one of the drivers. I spoke with the lady beside him. But remember, we were not issued any ticket! Nada! No proof that I paid $30. Both idiots feigned ignorance. (Although to be honest about it, I was the purple-faced idiot with a huge rotten egg on my head! LOL) Of course, they can’t understand me. My spirit was sagging. Looks like I’ve been had. Hanoi to Vientiane only costs $14. Hanoi to Luang Prabang is $30, which I directly paid through my Hanoi hotel. I HAVE BEEN SCAMMED! What disappoints me was not the amount of money involved but the feeling of being had! I felt so helpless! What is $30 really. I stood in front of Hell Bus with my 8kg baggage and started to consider my options. There were several touts offering their tuktuks (50,000 kip – $6.25 which seemed a little steep) to take me to the North Bus Station which services Luang Prabang commuters.
TO GO OR NOT TO GO

Should I stay here in Vientiane overnight? I’m already here so I might as well see the city. It’s part of my itinerary anyway. BUT my mind wasn’t really set into seeing Vientiane. Not yet anyway. You have to go with your instinct. I walked from the station to the nearby road. Fortunately for me, there were other backpackers who wanted to go to the North Station, so I joined them as we hitched at the back of a tuktuk along with other Lao locals. I said hello to everyone. I was beaming and everyone smiled back. Though we couldn't understand each other, I knew they were asking me where I’m from. For a while there, I was Mr. Congeniality. I paid 10,000 kip ($1.25) for the ride. (Earlier, I was offered 50,000 for a private ride.)
North Station is far from South Station, but it was a leisurely ride through the streets of Vientiane. I saw Patuxai (pa-tu-chai) – the grand “Arc de Triomphe” of the capital. I was inspired. Hehe. Ang babaw ko. By the time I reached the station (to check the sched of Luang Prabang-bound buses), my stomach was starting to play his epoch cantata.
A VIP Bus will be leaving for Luang Prabang (LP) at 8PM – and is expected to reach LP at 6AM. A 4PM bus just left the station, but I didn’t want to get there in the wee hours when it’s dark and everyone’s asleep. I decided to take the 8PM bus for several reasons: 1> taking the night bus will save me half a day of travel time; it will also save me some hotel money; I didn't feel like taking on Vientiane for some reason. My mind was so set on LP. Let’s get this over with. I purchased a ticket worth $15 (120,000 kip).