July 7, 2017

This trip was originally supposed to be a wild one in Vang Vieng, but it ended up being a simple change of plans....

Because the person who went with me changed their mind.

The first friend who requested a backpacking trip changed their mind.

They didn't go suddenly on the day everything was booked in Vang Vieng, damn it...

I was so lonely that I had to invite a scholar who worked with me to go.

We booked our tickets back in March, Chiang Mai - Udon Thani round trip for a little over three thousand baht.

We also booked a beautiful riverside accommodation. We couldn't not go.

Even though we had canceled the accommodation before, we were able to rebook it 3 weeks before the trip, and the room we canceled

no one took it until we rebooked it again.

What is meant to be ours will always be ours, no matter what. ++

Vang Vieng is a tourist town in Vientiane Province, Laos, about 160 kilometers from Vientiane. The geographical condition is a plain between limestone mountains, with abundant forests. It is nicknamed "Guilin of Laos".
Wikipedia

Personally,

Vang Vieng is a lovely town, where time slows down, like the gentle flow of the Song River. The people here rely on nature for everything. Everything is beautiful, the mountains, the rivers, the mist. Although traveling here is not very convenient, it is not that difficult. Or if you want to say it is comfortable, you cannot say that either. But it is not too difficult if you want to come...

This way of life and culture that relies on nature, I hope it will last forever. But... many things seem to be being destroyed by tourists and visitors. The author saw a lot of garbage flowing along with the Song River. Many resorts and accommodations are encroaching on the green natural areas. The beautiful culture that has grown slowly over time is flowing against the current of the changing world. I hope it will stay the same for a long time, "Vang Vieng" - mariabamboo

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Vang Vieng

July 7th, which was still a working day, I rushed home after work, changed my work clothes and thought I'd just go for it, because I was going to miss my flight. I took a small propeller plane to Udon Thani. It was my first time on a small propeller plane in Thailand, but I was proud that even though it was small, the plane didn't embarrass me. It was very smooth, smoother than the small plane I took in New York. Or maybe it was because the weather conditions on the day I flew weren't as bad as there…

2 flights per day

The file we received at around 3:00 PM was checked in online.

The flight to Udon Thani International Airport takes approximately one hour. However, due to our late decision to visit Vang Vieng, we are facing a time constraint. We made our travel plans only a few days before departure, after initially postponing our trip to Vang Vieng for 3-4 weeks. This has made it difficult to book direct transportation from Udon Thani to Vang Vieng.

Ploy's procrastination had reached a critical point, so much so that...

The journey will take three more days to reach the destination. Call to book tickets online.

The original plan was to sleep in Udon Thani and then take a bus to Vang Vieng at 8:30 the next day. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, the plan had to be changed.

Instead, the group took a van from the airport to the Nong Khai border. This took an additional hour, as the plane landed in Udon Thani at 4:30 pm. The van cost 200 baht per person.

Upon arriving at the Nong Khai border, the group had to go through Thai immigration. They then took a bus for 20 baht to cross the bridge to the Lao-Vientiane border. At the Lao border, they had to pay 55 baht for entry into Laos.

The process of entering Laos took a long time. However, the group was fortunate to meet two kind Thai men on the bus. Even though they didn't know each other, the men offered their help and advice.

The men even helped the group through Lao immigration and then put them on a local bus to the Vientiane morning market. In total, the group had taken three different forms of transportation.

Thai - Lao, only the Mekong River separates us

Note: Nong Khai checkpoint closes at 9:30 PM.

With a feeling of… itching on the top of my mouth on the local bus… I got to know a Lao sister. She was half Thai and Vientiane, but she spoke Thai very clearly. She asked me where I was going. I replied Vang Vieng, but I would probably have to stay in Vientiane for a night first. She suggested why not take a bus to Vang Vieng directly… because there were still buses going to Vang Vieng. She told me it was around 6 pm then. I was a little confused because most of my research said that Thai people would stay in Vientiane for a night near the morning market to catch a bus to Vang Vieng the next day….

Following her advice, I thought about it after the bus stopped at the morning market. I asked people around there… where is the bus queue to Vang Vieng tomorrow? He said that there are no more buses to Vang Vieng from here. The location has changed for three or four months. They separated the south and north lines for a while, he said. Oh… then the research I did… crashed ++ right in front of me. Never mind, let's talk and find a place to stay before it gets dark. Otherwise, it won't be safe for good-looking people like us. 5555 I crossed the confusing zebra crossing at many intersections, crossing in a daze, left or right, which way? I chose to turn right… because I saw a tuk-tuk parked there. I met the tuk-tuk driver and asked for accommodation. While asking, I also asked where the bus queue for Vang Vieng was. He explained it scene by scene. This uncle's name is Khamla… he is over 50 years old. I decided to get in his car. He asked for 400 Thai baht. I bargained for 300 and got in the car with him. I told him to stop for me to eat and find a SIM card. He did everything I told him to do.

…

The wind was relentless, whipping against my face the entire journey.

I parked near the night market, hoping to find some food and a new SIM card. However, my search proved futile, leaving me feeling suffocated and unable to breathe without internet access.

This is a blank paragraph.

This is a blank paragraph.

Food that makes you feel like you're still in Thailand... Characters that confirm you've arrived in Laos.

We arrived at the Northern Bus Station by tuk-tuk, hoping to find accommodation and continue our journey to Vang Vieng the next day. However, we mistakenly entered the ticket office instead of the accommodation entrance. We asked the ticket officer if it was still possible to reach Vang Vieng. He informed us that there were plenty of buses available, but they were sleeper buses heading to Xieng Khuang and Luang Prabang, with a stop in Vang Vieng. We were surprised to learn about this option, as we had not considered it before. Being naive, we simply wanted to go to Vang Vieng, and when presented with this additional option, we readily agreed, eager to reach our destination quickly.

The sentence is already in English and does not require translation.

A little after 8 pm on the sleeper bus, they charged us 250 baht and we paid in Thai currency.

I haven't had time to exchange money yet. Please call me when you arrive in Vang Vieng.

The journey took four hours on a sleeper bus, our fifth bus in a row. It was a chance to catch our breath and have dinner, which we didn't eat much of due to concerns about the bathroom.

When we first boarded the sleeper bus, the staff handed us yellow plastic bags.

They told us to take off our shoes and put them in the bags to carry with us.

Each person had their own bed. My sister and I decided to squeeze together on the second floor,

as the lower floor was already crowded. On the sleeper bus, we met Jun, Mani Vong.

He was cheerful thanks to the Lao beer and clear liquor he had brought along.

His eyes were sparkling, and we gained another travel companion. I took the opportunity to ask him to put a SIM card in my phone,

which I had bought along the way, and to register it for me.

He was very kind and helpful, even registering a Lao SIM card for me.

If it weren't for Jun, I would have been in trouble. Thank you very much.

Because of the heavy drinking, I couldn't sleep because I had to pee. I didn't eat, but I drank some rice wine, which is how things went. I remember holding my pee for several hills and not being able to sleep. I got up and talked to the driver, who told me he had been driving for over 10 years. Most of the songs they were listening to were Thai songs, like Arisman and Takkatan. I listened and then begged him to stop the bus. He stopped halfway at some district, I don't know which one because it was very dark and raining heavily. The rain in Laos must be as big as chicken eggs, it was so heavy!!!

When the bus stopped, I saw the bathroom like it was heaven. I didn't care, I paid 2,000 kip.

Fast asleep on the bus. It's already 11 pm, and the rain creates a very sleepy atmosphere... Wake me up when we arrive in Vang Vieng... Zzz!

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Vang Vieng

After a four-hour journey, almost one o'clock in the morning, the driver woke us up and said, "Vang Vieng!" We quickly packed our things and got off the bus. Goodbye, thank you very much…

Then we looked at each other… because it was raining heavily and there was nowhere to sleep… Where are we going to find accommodation? How do we start from here? Where are we in Vang Vieng? It's so dark… We covered our backpacks with a tarpaulin… It's a good thing we brought an umbrella because we forgot our raincoats…

After a while, a local tuk-tuk driver stopped and offered to take us to Champalao, where Thai people usually stay. We went, but Champalao was already closed… It was one o'clock in the morning, you know. We paid the driver 120 Thai baht for the six of us, which made us miss our car back home…

Wandering in the pouring rain, we stumbled upon Mountain View Resort, which had one room available for that night only. It seemed like fate, so we agreed on a price of 1,000 baht, including breakfast. Exhausted, we decided not to look further. After a shower and hair wash, we crashed into a deep sleep.

Five in the morning... I woke up because of the life cycle of salarymen.

Because of the temple's loudspeaker...

On the day of Buddhist Lent, Lao people wake up to make merit even though it is raining heavily.

The city that was asleep woke up to go to the temple...

As for the author, I woke up with them...

I woke up because of the view... and I couldn't go back to sleep.

This is it... what I've been waiting for all along...

Mountains, mist, only the river is missing.

At that time, I couldn't see it with my own eyes. My body was stuck in the accommodation, but my heart had already flown away.

Unable to sleep, I spent the entire night counting the change I received before coming here. Am I really this rich? I'm still confused about the amount of kip I paid. It's just so huge, isn't it? 5555

Muttering to myself... It's going to rain so much... I want to tour the city... But from the looks of it, the rain won't stop for us... I can only comfort myself by saying... Let's go eat instead. The best way out 555

Note: This text is already in English and does not require translation.

A hearty breakfast after a long night of hunger… The rain wouldn't stop all morning.
No, it's not us who will be stuck at the accommodation…
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Stay tuned for a walk in the rain in Vang Vieng in the next blog.
Thank you for visiting Vang Vieng with us.