Day 9 -10 Vang Vien (laos)

Day 9, Bus to Vang Vien, almost 8 hrs on really bumpy, really windy narrow roads. Ugh. I didn't see much since I spent much of the trip laying down trying not to be sick. We had one stop for about 20 minutes because they were clearing a landslide off the road, and a toilet stop (2,000kip, about .25 to use the toilets) then a stop for lunch at a view point. I was still not feeling well so I skipped lunch and just enjoyed the view. They are burning off many of the fields right now after harvest, so the air is pretty smokey and not a good distance view for photos, but still beautiful. The Restaurant at the view point is set up on the point with STEEP sides falling from the dining benches. Take a wrong step getting off your bench and it's a pretty long way down. 1000kip for the toilets here, I got to use my second ever squat toilet, oh what fun. At least this one wasn't pitch dark inside. (I had to use one of the other people's flashlights for the first one, totally couldn't see a thing, and that was a bit much for my first squat toilet experience) Then back on the bus, it's a private one and the seats aren't all that uncomfy, the roads are just really, really bad. I spent some time sitting up with Gary in the front seat watching the road. Lots of cows on the road just wandering. Poor houses, many made of woven walls and thatch roofrs, interspersed with richer looking houses. I tried to get pictures but out of the moving bus was dificult (plus the bumps made it even more fun). One more stop for a "viewpoint" at a bridge was beautiful and a good chance to stretch my legs. About 1/2 hr more and we reached Van Vieng. It isn't really big. We had a 2hr break, discovering that our room in the "hotel" (so not a hotel, cheap guesthouse quality) had no mosquito nets and was crawling with mosquitos!! We talked to Long and he talked to the staff and while we went to dinner (rice noodle soup with chicken and a coconut shake, noodles were odd, thick somewhat like uodon, but good enough) they sprayed our room for mosquitos and jurry rigged mosquito nets. They are pink. :) After dinner we all walked to town (about 5 blocks) and checked out the adventure companies. Gary and I decided to do a caves and tubing 1/2 day adventure, Doro is going on a full day hiking up the mountain, Julie is going in a hot air balloon, and the rest decided to do a 1/2 day kayaking trip. Walked back past an atm out in the middle of nowhere. Things keep being more expensive than I think they will be here, since Kip cannot be "sold" back at the end of our stay easily, I have been trying to not get more than I need. I think it's been a failure, with all the fees for the bank being more than I would save having leftover. Oh well. Only 2 more days in Laos.

Day 10

Woke before the alarm and headed out to get breakfast. D didn't want to do the buffet at the hotel for $3 so we went across the street to get breakfast. I had sticky rice and mango with a mango shake for 20,000kip (about a savings of $.60), it was pretty good. Then back to the room to get ready for a day hiking and in the water. 9am and the truck came to pick us all up. We rode in the truck (camper shell like thing with benches along both sides) along realllly bad bumpy pot holed roads for a bit, then dropped off the 1/2 day kayakers and D with her guide. Then the rest of the people in the truck, Gary and I and a few all dayers continued on to a different drop off point. Once we got dropped off we walked about 15 minutes along dirt roads (tracks?) past green growing things. There were teak treas and "potatoes" and something that smelled like lemongrass but our guide said was mint?? and Banana trees and lemon trees and so many things I can't start to name. After a while we came to the "Elephant cave" which was small, probably 60ft deep? with a large buddah and an elephant shaped rock up on the wall. It was actually very pretty. Then another 15 minutes of walking or so and we came to the dark cave part. Picked up a headlamp (very pathetic, I WISH I had remembered to grab my mini flashlight) from an old man listening to a radio, and hiked a bit into the cave, it was DARK, and really slippery but incredibly neat. No bats though. :( I got a few pictures but they do not in any way do it justice. There was a buddah image there, hidden durring the war, then it was too "noisy" to move it back out again after it had gotten acustomed to the dark and quiet (according to the guide) since I feel flash photography is disrespectful of buddah images, the photo is very dark, but I still think it turned out ok. The formations were pretty incredible. Then we managed to get ourselves back OUT of that cave, and headed to the other one nearby which was drier and pretty much a straight shot back, It also had a buddah, in the entrance this time. Very large and beautiful. Aparently this cave goes back for 5km, we probably went 1/2 of one then decided it was dark enough and turned back. At one point we turned out our headlamps and the sensation of utter pitch black is very disconcerting. After making our way back out of that cave we headed over to the swimming cave where we got in tubes and floated our way in, guiding ourselves along with the ropes strung along the way. It was really, really amazingly neat, though very cold. We went quite a distance in, and then on the way back, turned out our headlamps!!! Very odd feeling pulling yourself along in the utter darkness not knowing where the walls are, being able to see NOTHING. I kept expecting my eyes to adjust but there was NO light for them to adjust to! Once we got back out we had an included lunch. Chicken skewers with pinaple and tomato and zuchini?? (IO didn't think it grew here) and actually bad fried rice. :( But the chicken was tasty. Plus bananas. Mmmm. Then after lunch we walked back 20 min or so through a village where I got to see baby pigs and LOTS of baby ducklings. The houses are mostly on stilts with woven reed (palm frond) walls and thatch roofs. Most of the women are wearing a blouse or t-shirt on top with a straight wrap skirt on bottom, usually dark colors with a 3-6 inch contrast embroidered (woven?) band at the bottom. Other are in pretty much western dress. Lots of flip flops with socks though. :P This town is pretty overrun with tourists, not very authentic, but still fun for a short jaunt. After the walk, and going back over the woven frond bridge (very glad it was just a few feet off the water) we got back in the truck and rattled our way back to the hotel. Quick shower and Gary and I walked down town to find a beer. Found a place right on the river with a killer view and sat and chatted and relaxed with a large Beer Lao. Pretty much a light beer, not particularly good, not bad. Once it started to get a bit crowded with all the tubers coming off the river we headed back to the hotel and I chilled till meeting with everyone to walk to dinner. We went to this place called the Organic Farm Cafe. Took FOREVER to get our food but it was very tasty. I had a mulberry shake (oh so good!!, D got the starfruit one and that was good too) and the Harvest curry with Pork. It has onions and cabbage and Potatoes and Carrots and pumpkin and basil in it as well. Tasty. After dinner (which took almost 2hrs) headed back and to bed. I was exhausted. 

Day 11 - Breakfast was a bowl of Museli over fruit and some fried rice and a fried egg from the buffet. I am checking email while I wait for it to be 9am and we take the bus to Vientien. Ta for now!