Rob Maisel
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Vibrant Personalities and Pho-tastic Hunger Relief!

4/30/2012

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Getting up early is NOT my thing.  If you know me, you know THAT.  Well, getting up at 5am in Luang Prabang to watch the people offer the monks food was actually worth it!  It took me until my FINAL day there, but alas, I finally did it!  People waited, seated on the sidewalk for the monks to pass by and dropped in pieces of rice, bananas and other items into their offering bowls.  I snapped pictures and avoided the fee of having a plate to feed them!  Watching the calm frenzy of orange robes was an entertaining sight for the morning!

I just got off of the "23-hour bus", which others had been told wass 19 from Luang Prabang, Laos to Hanoi, Vietnam.  That was more like a 29-30 hour busride!  Well, aside from the Vietnamese people being a bit more pushy than those in other Southeast Asian countries and the SUPER uncomfortable mat that we had to walk on (you have to take your shoes/flip-flops off), it went well!  The seats were comfortable for the most part, but jamming your toes into this small box was not so nice...however I discovered that under the seats you could sleep quite well on the cushions and I proceeded to do so for a large portion of the ride!  At times, it reminded me of a pimped-out ride with its blue-underglow and loud music playing!

Upon getting off the bus, two nice Texans and myself paid half of what the pushy and sly taxi driver wanted.  He did not want to open the trunk until we paid, but I started getting my bag and that settled that.  We paid what we owed and he dropped us at the lake, refusing to take us to the hotel, lovely Vietnamese hospitality (I was expecting this).  So we were a bit hungry after not stopping to eat much (and very few bathroom stops too!) so we ate the traditional dish, Pho, noodle soup!  For 1 USD on the sidewalk, I could not complain!  It was DELICIOUS...a seemingly small, but surprisingly filling bowl!  We could not check into the hostel I wanted because it was full so we split a nice room (and off to the hostel tomorrow)!  I will look to setup a tour to Halong Bay and then head South!  Also can't wait to try Vietnamese coffee!

First Impressions of Vietnam:  1) People are a bit more rude and pushy.  2) The scenery is gorgeous.  3) The buildings are beautiful and colorful.  4) The communist flag with the red star strewn across the yellow background is almost everywhere.  5) The language sounds notably different than that of Laos, Cambodia and Thailand - it is a bit more harsh.  6) The letters of the words have strange accent marks, question-mark looking things over some words and the letters seem to have slightly weird bits and pieces to them that we do not find in the English alphabet.
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Quiet and Quiant, Just Like a Saint

4/26/2012

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Luang Prabang: a small, quaint little town with wonderful meandering streets!  Old colonial French architecture is embroidered by decadent arrays of flowers, of all shapes, sizes and colors!  The town is surrounded by rivers - a lovely place to meander for sure!  A plethora of French cafes also line the town, and I prefer to spend my days exploring rather than doing adventure activities!

Okay, so a few days later I did end up going to a waterfall!  It was a lovely surprise to find different species of Black Bears there, in a development project to save them from poachers, hunters and activity in the illegal wildlife trade!  I really enjoyed that, along with the scenic beauty of the falls!!

People here go bowling after dark, which is an excuse for Westerners to continue hanging out and drinking until 3am, because everything noisy in the town shuts down at 11:30pm!
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Tubing in Vang Vieng

4/18/2012

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The tubing experience in Vang Vieng is as follows:  You rent a tube for 115,000 Kip (about 15 USD) and if you return the tube by 6pm, then 60,000 of the 115,000 is returned to you, costing you about $7 USD for the day.  As you tube along the river (which right now is relatively slow-flowing), tons of bars throw out water bottles tied to ropes and pull you in if you so desire.  They staff helps you up the platform and puts your tube aside, offering you a free shot (usually of Lao Whisky - you sometimes have a choice of Vodka, especially if you go with girls who know how  with the bartenders).  You then get in the tube and continue on your way until the next bar you want to stop at.  Several places along the way also carry food that you can consume if you get hungry.  Just a little ways past the final bar, there was a tree that had fallen into the river, in the path of the flow of the river, which actually picks up at this point.  The river is really shallow, so several people (including myself) got briefly stuck and my tube stayed stuck in tree (someone else had to go back and get it for me!)  It was a bit of a scary experience but the point at which the river speeds up is not a very large area, so before you know it, the river is flowing slowly again.  I told the owner of my guesthouse about the rough patch and have been warning other travellers so they can be prepared for it!  Oh, and I also lost a few bucks and my sun screen in the river, but as you must be aware..DON'T TAKE ANYTHING WITH YOU TUBING THAT YOU CANNOT AFFORD TO LOSE! :)
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So You Wanna Stay Dry??

4/16/2012

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After a stop in Pakse (walked around for a few hours and that was enough!), I took the overnight bus to Vientiane!  This quiet capital has just about enough to do for two or three days if you are not working here.  Taking a bicycle out, I got a bit lost exploring the city, quite nice and rather small.  It struck me as the quietest city, let alone capital city that I have ever been to!  If you have grown up anywhere near me, you are used to hearing sirens and horns until late at night, however surprisingly we find that in Vientiane, this is not the case! 

After Vientiane I stopped in (and still am in Vang Vieng).  This place is known for the absurd tubing that goes on!  You rent a tube, get a tuk tuk to the starting point and begin tubing down the river, not forgetting to stop at each of the bars for a free shot and trying out the ridiculous contraptions such as swings that have been set up as fun little diversions on your way!  Once you are done drifting, and if it is before 6pm, you get your tube deposit back!  This will be for tomorrow!  I initially thought that the wild and drunken westerners would be polluting the Lao culture, however with the amount of drinking that has been going on here by Lao people, I have changed my mind.  Maybe this is due to the Lao new year but I am unsure!  I was invited out by the owner of the guesthouse I am staying at and her family to celebrate the new year, so I went!  ...and there we sat, on small stools with our feet in the Mekong River, eating prawn-flavored crackers, spicy food, french fries and drinking lots of beer!  All the while, we were splashing and being splashed by overly intoxicated Lao citizens celebrating the new year!  The fact is, for these three days if you do not want to get wet, then you are better off not even leaving the house.  Due to the culture and the heat, it is tradition to soak any thing or person that appears to be in the slighest bit dry.  This is accomplished through super soakers, water balloons, buckets, hoses and whatever the multi-aged and cultured crowd participating in the festivities can find!  People attack from the streets and from vehicles as well!

After the tubing madness that is to come, I will be entering an elegant French town in the North called Luang Prabang!

Random Fact:  Vang Vieng has a slew of restuarant and guesthouses which are not only affordable, but play endless loops of Friends and Family Guy!  I feel more at home here than many other spots! :)
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Easy Lao Livin'

4/11/2012

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The 4,000 Islands was so relaxing that I actually spent 7 nights there...partly because on the day I was to depart my stomach was bothering me.  I took a long walk with friends, and perhaps got dehydrated a bit and drank some bad water, but all is okay now!  Don Det was very quiet, and after sunset the bars stayed open for awhile until everyone went down to the beach to make a fire.  When I finally left, I took the sleeper bus to Vientiane.  I have never been in a capital like this before!  For a city, it is not big nor hectic, rather quiet!  A capital city without honking horns and chaotic sirens?  YES, Vientiane!  People are also preparing for the Lao new year, so perhaps there are not many people here, contributing to the quiet atmosphere!  I have spent my time soaking up the sun on a bike and seeing the sites, enjoying the French influence and doing a bit of necessary shopping (my shorts had holes in them practically to the point of earning myself a ticket for indecent exposure in my home country, coupled with making it WAY too easy to rob me so I had to buy new ones :) ).  Cambodia and Vietnam too are former French colonies, but in Laos here and particularly Vientiane, there is much evidence of the French.  Aside from hearing French spoken a lot around here (by many French tourists, not so much the locals), you can also find menus in French and French food galore!  I have been LOVING the fresh baguettes, and a good coffee is not too hard to find either (although a bit expensive).

Tomorrow I will head to Vang Vieng for some tubing madness on the Mekong River!  More to come soon!!
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Laos'n Up

4/6/2012

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I booked a ticket from my Siem Reap to the 4,000 Islands thinking that when they said I would arrive between 4 and 6pm that day...I WOULD.  Well, let me tell you that this is a lesson to be learned.  When traveling around SouthEast Asia, you must have patience!  I arrived just before 4pm I would say, but the FOLLOWING day!  I got on the first bus which was EXTREMELY air-conditioned and EXTREMELY loud due to the blasting soap opera dialogue and music that was being played.  For some reason we had to get off and wait for another van and nobody knew how long we had to wait, that took about an hour.  This minivan, I was CERTAIN would not fit everyone and all of our bags..but with enough squeezing into small spaces and jamming our bags into the back, keeping the trunk closed by tying several pieces of rope to the bumper and then to the back windshield wiper...it was doable...INCREDIBLE!  The journey continued and several more transfers were needed, several stops were made and I did not know why always.  The vans picked up eggs, coconuts, fish, etc.  I believe that I was transferred among several companies.  Finally I arrived at a town called Stung Treng where I was brought to a small family guesthouse.  They were super nice and the wife made me and three others food (even at 12am!)  This turned out to be the cheapest accommodation that I found in all of Cambodia!

The next day we arrived at the border after taking a bus (that was an hour late) but it was rather quick.  After paying for the Laos Visa, the man stamping the passports was demanding a "$2 Stamping Fee" from everyone.  All those who were waiting for the bus to continue on to the 4,000 Islands paid it, and at first I did not, because I knew it was corruption and this was not an official charge.  There was one guy from Croatia, Boris who did not pay it.  He explained that he already had been to Laos and had never paid a $2 stamping fee and eventually said he would have to call his embassy to explain why he could not get his passport, even when the door was shut on him.  The man returned his passport without him paying.  I wanted to do the same thing, but was afraid that the bus to 4,000 islands was going to leave, and was also not feeling great about the fact that these guys were holding onto my passport.  Boris was right though.  You cannot stand for these corrupt things, because in the past this fee was $1, and if people continue paying it, it will surely rise to $3 or $4.  These officials must be shown that they cannot get away with taking people's money (even if it is only $2).  Once again, it is the concept of it, as you have often seen me writing in my blog.  The concept of being treated unfairly, scammed, or tricked is prevalent in this side of the world due to less money, so it is the truly honest people that I come across in this side of the world whom I really respect.

After passing through the border, it was a short ride to the Si Phan Don, more commonly known as the 4,000 Islands!  We all went to the island called Don Det.  This place is fantastically relaxing, with a little bit of drinking and atmosphere as well!  At night after the bars close everyone goes to the beach.  There is a lot of construction going on, as this place is seeing more and more tourism each year.  My advice: catch the amazing sunsets and breezy days in the hammock now before you have to pay more than $4.50 a night for it!!  I was going to head to Vientiane today, but because I am feeling a bit under the weather, I will wait a couple more days until I feel 100% to make the long overnight journey!

PS - for some reason it is super entertaining for me to hear Asian people on this side of the world talking to each other in English...don't ask me why....hahahaha
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