Back in Thailand
Day 42 – Chiang Rai, Thailand So I left Laos behind me, crossing the border in one of the easiest crossing to date, and went back to Thailand. The bus dropped me in Chiang Rai, where I promptly took a tuk-tuk to my hostel. My hostel was very obviously closed, with a piece of paper…
Marketing 101: get a puppy
Day 40-41 – On the Mekong river When I bought my slow boat ticket Sunday afternoon, the salesman confirmed that I would be picked up at my hotel at 7:30. Wanting to avoid rushing at the last minute, I planned to be ready at 7:15. So when there was a knock on my door at…
Onwards – slow boat on the Mekong
Day 39 – Luang Prabang, Laos I was awoken this morning by the rain falling outside. Although we are in the rainy season, it doesn’t rain all day long, and until now it has been more like an hour here and there, usually in the afternoon. I like the noise of the falling rain, I…
The land where the scooter rules
So I’ve spoken a bit about the scooters and motorcycles that rule the world here. Basically, most people don’t drive a car, they drive a two-wheeler (and seldom a bike). Traffic rules varies between “the biggest go first”, like Vietnam, and “the fastest go first”, which is more Thailand. Red lights are often more a……
Kuang Si Falls
Day 35 – Luang Prabang, Laos (Yes, I know, the picture is not a waterfall.) As if to compensate for my lazy beginning, I had a (very) full day! I started with the visit of the Royal Palace, which is literally next door of my hostel. No pictures are allowed inside, and the gardens are…
The Botanical Garden
Day 34 – Luang Prabang, Laos I went to the Pha Tad Ke Botanical Garden today. The entrance fee is a little steep (€20), but it includes to boat shuttle both ways (the gardens are on the opposite bank of the Melong, downstream), several activities such as bamboo weaving and a talk about orchids, the…
Luang Prabang
Day 33 – Luang Prabang, Laos This is my second day of doing nothing but walking around a bit in my neighbourhood, and it is glorious. (It’s less glamourous if I explain that yesterday I didn’t dare go out before getting my laundry back, all cleaned up and dry.) Of course, I chose a backpacker…
Good evening Laos
Day 31, Luang Prabang, Laos Let’s sum up: – 3 busses (a shuttle bus, which was caught up on a large avenue by a scooter and its passenger, a fellow traveller apparently late, a sleeper bus, a mini-bus) – 1 scooter – 1 tuk-tuk – 27h – 1 meal – 2 border controls – some…
French reputation
Local people, when chit-chatting, ask where I’m from. France, I tell them. Oh, your English is so good, they tell me!
Cat Ba Island
Day 26-27-28-29 – Cat Ba Island, Vietnam I arrived on the island after around 21 hours spent in a train or waiting for a train or on a ferry or… you guess how rested I was. The ferry dropped us at the North of the island, which wasn’t very convenient for me, since I wanted…