June 29, 2005
Not a fun ride
(Day 132) I had thought about staying on Phonsavanh another day, so I wasn't spending every other day on a bus. Distances between towns aren't very far, but travel by land still requires several hours, eating up an entire day. However, with the only internet cafe in town being expensive and torturously slow, I decided I would be happier moving on.
Sean and Charlotte (from my Plain of Jars tour yesterday) had managed to secure a ride to the bus station from the guesthouse owner, so at 6:00am, I was waiting out front to join them.
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Posted by markyiin at 08:36 AM | Comments (4)
The Plain of Jars
(Day 131) Like Stonehenge, the Plain of Jars remains one of the world's unsolved mysteries. The huge stone containers are obviously man-made, but no one knows when they were built, and who built them. With the smallest weighing several tons, and made from stone not found locally, one wonders, how did they get here, and most importantly, why would the creators have gone through the trouble? Some have speculated that they might've been used for storing food, or as containers for cremated remains. Recent evidence has pointed in the direction of the latter, but the case is far from closed.
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Posted by markyiin at 07:50 AM | Comments (2)
June 27, 2005
A poor country
(Day 130) The bus pulled over on the side of the road. I roused from my daydreaming and looked at my watch. 10:30am. Still too early for lunch. And we were in the middle of nowhere. Why did we stop?
Someone said something in Lao. A couple guys stood up. Maybe we stopped for them to get off. Then everyone else started to get up. Even the driver. What was going on?
Not wanting to be left behind, I followed the crowd. No one took their luggage, so I left my own aboard too. The passengers started walking in different directions. Into the bush. And... oh, toilet break!
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Posted by markyiin at 11:23 PM | Comments (3)
Luang Prabang
(Day 129) Luang Prabang is one of the most enchanting towns I've stayed in. Built where two great rivers meet, encircled by forest covered mountains, the location is perfect. French colonial architecture existing in harmony with Buddhist temples. Unesco knew what it was doing when it decided to give the town a World Heritage listing.
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Posted by markyiin at 07:14 AM | Comments (6)
Another day on the Mekong
(Day 128) No one seemed to know when the boats would leave.
"8:30?" suggested my guesthouse owner.
"Maybe 9:00?" speculated a fellow traveller.
"I heard 7:30," claimed another.
I didn't worry too much about it though, and took my time eating breakfast. As long as there were other foreigners walking the streets, I was sure I had time.
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Posted by markyiin at 07:03 AM | Comments (0)
June 25, 2005
Cruising down the river
(Day 127) Laos, pronounced with a silent 's', is the only country in southeast asia without a coastline. A network of rivers, including the mighty Mekong, make up for the lack of oceanfront property. Any visit to the country would be incomplete without a ride on one of the slowboats plying the waterways.
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Posted by markyiin at 05:54 AM | Comments (4)
My first river border
(Day 126) Some of Deer's coworkers were coming to town for a meeting, and were expecting to be able to stay at her home, as they normally do. Though I was no longer a secret to her friends and family, she wasn't quite ready to introduce me to her teammates. As a pretty bachelorette, there was a great interest in her personal life, and she didn't want rumors to start swirling around the office.
"I want you to stay here, but I'm worried my coworkers will be able to read my feelings," she had confessed.
I solved her dilemma by offering to stay downtown for a few nights until they left. She agreed to this suggestion. Her family probably wasn't aware of what was going on, and when they saw me loading my bags into the back of her SUV, thought I was again leaving for good. The language barrier prevented me from conversing much with Deer's mom during my stay, but that didn't prevent her giving me several hugs, as if that would change my mind. Deer packed a few things herself, and the whole family smiled and waved as turned onto the dark rural roads. We found a hotel in Chiang Rai where we spent the night. Day 126 didn't begin until we woke up the next morning.
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Posted by markyiin at 05:35 AM | Comments (0)