Laos - laid back and lovin it!

We arrived in Laos just over a week ago and immediately fell in love with the laid back atmosphere. After the madness of Hanoi, Laos was a real breath of fresh air. From the moment we stepped off the plane we could feel that Laos was really different from any of other country. Laos is one of the poorest countries, but the poverty is very hidden. Most Laos people live a very simple life of subsistence farming. The few people that live in the cities (capital city Vientiane population 200,000 people) are the truly elite. The poorer people in the country don't have a lot, but they don't need a lot, and they really do seem to be happy. In contrast to all the other Asian countries we have visited so far, there are almost no beggars in Laos and people will never ask you more than once to buy something from them. I don't think you can truly appreciate this laid back feeling until you arrive here because we had heard people rave about Laos but never really understood why until we stepped off the plane.
I don't really know why the Laos people are so laid back as they've had quite a rocky history. They are one of the most bombed countries in the world but have never started a war. They are always the innocent bystander in the middle of other countries' wars especially the Vietnam war, and yes, many of the bombs dropped here were American.
Another refreshing and very suprising thing we discovered about the Laotians is their competency at speaking English. As we were lost on our bicycles in Vientiane I went up to the first Laos person I saw for directions, fully expecting him not to speak any English and was pleasantly surprised by his great fluency. Not only could he speak English but he was happy to help and gave us perfect directions.
Despite my love affair with Laos, we are not able to spend as much time here as we would have liked and have had to see the last 3 towns in a short 3 days each, so I'll share a few highlights.
In Vientiane we toured a unique temple with thousands of small silver Buddhas and the sound of bats ringing in the air. We also had some drinks with a 20 something Laos guy who had spent time in France studying French and English and fell in love with Western ways and also Western women. From Vientiane to Vang Vieng we caught a ride in the back of a pick up. It turned out to be very comfortable as there were padded seats and we were the only ones on it for much of the journey. The Laos people that did share it with us were very amusing.
In Vang Vieng we had a good mix of socializing and taking in the beautiful scenery and outdoor recreation. The limestone mountains behind the Mekong river are truly an amazing sight in themselves. We had an awesome time tubing down the river where they have set up countless 10 to 30 foot high Tarzan swings and flying fox jumps. I felt a bit battered the next day as some of the jumps were fairly high up, and I guess I'm not quite the gymnast I thought I was, and rather than doing graceful flips I did many back and belly flops! We also tried rock climbing and loved it! Only 20 bucks for a full day of climbing along the limestone cliffs with only 6 students. We did some progressively challenging routes and even got to climb on a stalactite hanging from the cave's roof - a great experience!
In Luang Prabang I spent some time taking in the Royal Palace museum, very beautiful, but not as posh as the other Asian countries. We experienced a full day power outage yesterday - Barely phased the Laotians, as apparently this is a regular occurrence here. I found it very interesting watching a Lao ballet by candlelight and later cruising the night market by candlelight. A little difficult to do either activity without proper lighting but it certainly gave the day a mystical, romantic feel. We also visited an amazing waterfall, one that rivals even the best waterfalls in Hawaii. It was multi-tiered and had a small "cardiac" climb to it's peak. The water was clear aqua marine and freezing!! (okay maybe not as bad as glacier water but I'm a wimp now).
We have one more day in Luang Prabang before we head to the Gibbons experience. Sorry, no pictures for now, unfortunately I have to replace my camera battery charger for the second time on this trip so the camera's temporarily out of commision

Hanoi and Halong Bay - Last stop Vietnam!

Our last stop was Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. For many reasons Hanoi did not win us over as the other cities in Vietnam did. It was our first rainy and cold city, which was nice for the first day as I got to wear my rain coat I had been lugging around with me for so long and the air was a little fresher, but after a few days it did wear on us a bit. (especially since I lost my thick Canadian skin after skipping the last 2 winters) Secondly, the people here were not as friendly as the rest of Vietnam. For example, we booked a tour with a different company than the guest house we were staying at and they would not let us come back after the tour or store our backpacks at the hotel and they didn't tell us about the backpacks until the morning we were leaving for the tour. Everywhere in Vietnam the moto drivers are very frisky to try and get your business but in Hanoi they are especially bad, one even chased me down and gave me the sternum (ie. breast bone) tap, not very pleasant. Finally the traffic is even more insane than Saigon and there are almost no sidewalks so you are constantly weaving through motos as you try to walk down the street. There are a few other reasons as well but I don't want to get too pessimistic right now, I'm sure the stories are better in person.

Despite our negative impression of Hanoi, we did have some good times here. Most notably, celebrating St Patty's day in a fairly nontraditional way. We were almost the only people at the bar that remembered or knew it was St. Patty's day; there was no green beer or Guinness or any type of Irish beverage at all; and apart from a little U2 (Whoohoo!) no Irish music. Nevertheless we had a great time toasting, dancing, singing and filling in the locals on the significance of the day.

From Hanoi we also took a 2 day boat trip to Halong Bay, a group of limestone islands on the coast of Vietnam. Although not ideal for visibility, the foggy and rainy weather created a very mystical and eerie feeling that prompted us to brainstorm the next blockbuster - "Pirates of Halong Bay" It was very beautiful and we also spent some time touring a giant cave and kayaking. The boat was no Robertson 2. We were living in luxury with our own room including 2 single beds and a bathroom, but unfortunately no sails. The only real complaint about Halong Bay is that it is very over-touristed causing the water to be full of litter.

That's all for now folks, we're catching the plane to Vientiane, Laos early tomorrow morning. I'll leave you with some pics.

Misty Halong Bay

Views of rainy Hanoi from City Top Cafe where a hot coffee was greatly appreciated!

Happy St Patty's Day - Buy 2 get one free!

Three almost Irish lads and lassies

Hoi An - Charmed city of Tailors

Our next stop Hoi An, Vietnam truly won my heart. We were planning on staying for 3 days before scurrying up to our next stop. At the middle of the third day we stopped and took a breath while eating lunch and decided we had to slow things down a little and weren't ready to leave this charming little city.

Most travelers, myself included, will remember Hoi Ann for it's many tailors. Shops line every street and there is even a market dedicated to tailors that will custom make "anything you want" in just 24 hours. We learned that this is true when they are trying to sell themselves, but not so true when you receive what you have ordered, and they can't buy the leather for a jacket, or the zipper to fix a backpack, and even after thorough measuring everything has to be made larger. (You'd think they'd be use to western sizes by now). In any case I ended up shipping 15 kg of stuff back to the parents including winter jacket, suit, dress, blazer, jeans,and oops, 5 pairs of shoes. Did I mention the tailors are also skilled at convincing you that you need to buy more, even when you think you're done?

We did find that Hoi An had much more to offer than just Tailors, however. The town itself is full of character. Small streets, many of which to our delight were for pedestrians only; cute, colourful French buildings lining every street; a peaceful river flowing through the center of the town; amazing cuisine at every restaurant; shops selling cute handicrafts along the street; and friendly Vietnamese at every turn. We cooked up one of our best meals so far at a cooking class - Spring rolls, calamari salad, and mackerel cooked in banana leaf. Yum!

We also met many interesting characters here in Vietnam. My moto driver who is 70 and states he is "number one driver, no beer!" An old toothless man who took us for a tour of the river in his row boat, happily posing for pictures and drawing the Canadian flag on his boat with water. One man took us into his house and played us ABBA and Celine Dion on his DVD player and fed us instant noodles with a Vietnamese twist and snake wine to keep our backs healthy. There is one down side to the great people of Vietnam. In this country we are the millionaires ( I do have 1,000,000 Dong in my purse right now, about 60 US dollars) and everyone is always trying to get a cut. You never know if they are showing you a good time because they are genuinely interested, or because they want you to buy one more pair of shoes or give them a donation for their kindness. This feeling can wear on you after a while. Especially since we like to give everyone the benefit of the doubt and not always be so skeptical.

We got to do just a small amount of touring around Hoi An. We visited Marble Mountain. Yes, a mountain made entirely of Marble. This mountain had steps carved into and many caves with Buddhas and Temples inside to create a magical effect. Nearby at China beach the waves rocked the shore and the current was too strong to swim against creating a nearly empty, beautiful beach oasis for us to enjoy. A little too choppy for surfing, but fun to play in all the same.

We've left the peace and calm of Hoi An for the city bustle of Hanoi. I'll be posting more soon, keep me updated!

The riverside of Hoi An

"Big Buddha" at Marble Mountain

Who's the better Lion?

God shines his light upon Lindsay

China Beach

Versatile shoes for any outfit?

Muine and Natrang pics!

Mojitos, anyone?

The View of Natrang, Vietnam

Waterfall near Natrang

Notre Dam Cathedral - Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

Red Canyon, near Muine

Posing at the Sand Dunes near Muine at sunset of course!

Peek-a-boo!

Windsurfing (or attempting)

Muine and Natrang -Beachin it up again!

We've spent the last few days beaching it up at 2 of Vietnam's best beaches! Both were great in their own ways, but very different.

We stopped at Muine for 2 days. Muine is a very small and quiet town with only one road that runs parallel to the beach. Our guesthouse, of course was right on the beach. Despite the town's small size, the beach stretched on and on for miles - fine white sand. Muine is also a haven for wind and kite surfers, so feeling a little starved for water sports, Lindsay and I took a wind surfing lesson. I don't think we'll be getting sponsored any time soon, but it was a ton of fun!

Muine is also famous for it's sand dunes and red canyon. Since there is no snow in Southern Vietnam, if you want to go sledding, you head to the sand dunes, and that's what we did. A lot hotter than sledding in Canada, but also a lot messier. We got sand everywhere! (It didn't help that we had to have a go at rolling down the dunes)

Our next beach stop was Natrang. At 1 million people, Natrang is slightly bigger than Muine. Yes, unfortunately, back to the hustle and bustle of a big city. However, with the big city comes a lot more nightlife, including happy hours everywhere, and big bars on the beach. Lindsay compared it to Waikiki. I guess if you take away most of the Vietnamese people, the triangle manicured trees, roving vendors on the beach, and multiply the price of everything by 20, she might be right. Not too shabby, anyway.

From Natrang we also took a trip to a beautiful waterfall, complete with a pond for swimming in, in the middle of the mountains and jungle. We also got to see many farms along the way - cashews, bananas, papayas, sugar cane, rice, and even crocodiles (apparently they taste very good, but I'm not that brave in the meat department) Afterwards we visited a natural hot springs mud bath. It's always great to pamper yourself and get a little dirty!

Surprisingly for me, Vietnam does know how to beach it up! Unfortunately we have so many stops to make in Vietnam and so little time we are starting to feel a bit rushed, and like we could stay at each place at least 2 more days, but all the rushing around has proved to be worthwhile as we've seen so many cool things. We have started to take night buses as well, which is no picnic, but all a part of the backpacker experience I suppose!

Miss everyone!

Picture time!

Here's some long overdue pics. I still have to put more on but with the computers here it's not easy. Enjoy!

Sunset in Sinoukville, Cambodia

Trying out the Cuh Chi tunnels, Vietnam
Traffic in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
Sunset in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam (yes, I like sunsets)

Sporting a Cobra at the Mekong, Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh and the Mekong Delta

We arrived in Ho Chi Minh (formerly Saigon), Vietnam 5 days ago. We spent our first day here learning more about the Vietnam war. We went to Ho Chi Minh tunnels, where the Vietnamese hid and conducted guerrilla warfare with primitive weapons. It was quite touristy and even included a firing range where you could fire any type of gun including a machine gun, I settled for the AK 47 (only because they said it was the easiest to fire) but I am still no sniper! The tunnels had been modified for westerners to three times their original size and were still very tiny. I could imagine how claustrophobic it was for those people living in them. Afterwards we stopped at the War Remnants Museum. Both attractions presented the Vietnamese war in an interesting light. They were very light hearted about it, and viewed the outcome as a Vietnamese victory. Many soldiers received "American killer" awards, and the formal name of the War in Vietnam was "The War Against America". The museum also had many exhibits about the effects of Agent Orange and how the people believe the US should reimburse Vietnam for the effects of Agent Orange.
After a few days in Ho Chi Minh we took a tour down to the Mekong Delta. This area was very different and consisted of farms and primitive factories. We visited a coconut candy factory, incense factory, rice noodle factory, honey farm and two floating markets. We stayed with a farming family that lives on one of the many islands in the delta. The only way to reach their house was by boat, followed by a short trek through the jungle over bamboo bridges. This was harder than one might think since we arrived after dark and there was ponds on either side of the paths. The family cooked us a great meal with rice wine. Two of the younger men could speak some English and the women spoke no English. It was interesting talking to these guys as one's father had fought with America in the Vietnam war. He said even if he didn't agree with the current government and the outcome of the war he could not say anything as the government would condemn him. He also talked of how difficult life as a farmer in the Mekong is, with the government over taxing, every member of the family has to work from sunrise to sunset to make ends meet. That night we slept in a hut where we could hear the sounds of the jungle. We were awoken by monkeys jumping on our roof in the middle of the night!
Now we are back in Ho Chi Minh and heading to Muine tonight. So far the people in Vietnam have been very friendly and very interested in Western travellers. Locals helped us cross the busy street on two occasions, even though they didn't speak any English, we were quickly invited to play a form of hackey sack with the local University students in the park, and throughout the Mekong all the locals smiled and waved at us as we were passing by on our slow boat. (and none of them were asking for money!) So far a good start to a new country! Stay posted, and miss you all!