At the Luang Prabang northern bus station, the cat hopped on a waiting songthaew with Mr Belgian 2, a falang couple & a few Lao. Didn't travel far before the cat was greeted by a sign of Singapore - a signboard for the Luang Prabang branch of Informatics computer school!
First stop on the 10,000kip ride was at the turn-off to the road leading to Wat Pa Phon Pao & Ban Phanom, just after crossing the Nam Khan river. Next we headed southwest along Visounnalath Road, before the driver realised that Mr Belgian 2's destination was the guesthouse area near Wat Aphay, & backtracked towards the Nam Khan. A lot more turns & we ended up somewhere along Sisavangvong Road heading towards Nam Phou...but more confusion over the guesthouse that the falang couple wanted to go to led to even more backtracking & exploration of side roads...
& so the cat enjoyed a complimentary 'sit in coach' tour of the central part of Luang Prabang...freebies like this are most welcome =)) Mr Lost Songthaew Driver criss-crossed the old city a few times, giving the cat a rough orientation of the main roads, which would be most useful for the next few days of wandering. First impressions of the town - lowrise shophouses, the afternoon sun peeking through trees casting leafy shadows on quiet roads, French influence on local architecture, little traffic...
The couple finally alighted at one of the places run by Tum Tum Cheng, & the songthaew went on its way yet again. & then Mr Had-Enough-Of-Being-Lost Songthaew Driver turned back to look through the back window of the cab, & realised that there was still a cat sitting in the back (together with a few locals)...& stopped his vehicle to walk to the back for the uptenth time, to ask it where it was heading - he had clean forgotten =P Once again, we drove all the way back to Nam Phou fountain, which we had passed at least once earlier, & the cat got off at Ban Wat That along a little lane leading towards the Mekong...end of 'coach' tour & a great bargain =P
February 17, 2008
the two 'Ly's
[170208] even before the cat has finished writing about its first trip to Laos, or written anything about the second, it is already dreaming of a third:
click on image to link to larger version
Why the places on this clockwise route starting/ending in Vientiane:
1. because it's there
2. because there's no one else there
Hence the two 'Ly's - Sayabouly & Phongsaly, the southwest & northeast corners of northern Laos. Many more reasons, including the Nam Ou river, karst scenery, mountains in an ocean of fog, & a whole lot of Tai Leu temples & Akha subgroups. The last green section of the route is just because the cat has to get back to Vientiane cheaply.
Hopefully Mr Saysouly Guesthouse Bouncer, Monk Spoil Market (former novice turned 20 y/o 9 days ago & ordains as a full monk today), Phongsaly Novice #1 (if the cat can find him in Udomxai again) & Pig-friend (from Muang Houn) can help with info on their hometowns/villages =) Anyone with useful tips is welcome to share them. So far the only account the cat has found of travelling the Nam Ou between Oa Tai & somewhere south of Ou Tai is by whitewater rafting with an overnight camp on a sandbar.
Hopefully it will be possible to take '我来也' (the cat was here) photos at the Lan Tui border =P
Hopefully the cat will have better luck with Nam Ou boats this time *paws crossed*
Hopefully Air Asia will still run their KUL-VTE route by the time (long way off) the cat can get down to this *paws crossed*
Kobayashi-san - please don't freak out!!
click on image to link to larger version
Why the places on this clockwise route starting/ending in Vientiane:
1. because it's there
2. because there's no one else there
Hence the two 'Ly's - Sayabouly & Phongsaly, the southwest & northeast corners of northern Laos. Many more reasons, including the Nam Ou river, karst scenery, mountains in an ocean of fog, & a whole lot of Tai Leu temples & Akha subgroups. The last green section of the route is just because the cat has to get back to Vientiane cheaply.
Hopefully Mr Saysouly Guesthouse Bouncer, Monk Spoil Market (former novice turned 20 y/o 9 days ago & ordains as a full monk today), Phongsaly Novice #1 (if the cat can find him in Udomxai again) & Pig-friend (from Muang Houn) can help with info on their hometowns/villages =) Anyone with useful tips is welcome to share them. So far the only account the cat has found of travelling the Nam Ou between Oa Tai & somewhere south of Ou Tai is by whitewater rafting with an overnight camp on a sandbar.
Hopefully it will be possible to take '我来也' (the cat was here) photos at the Lan Tui border =P
Hopefully the cat will have better luck with Nam Ou boats this time *paws crossed*
Hopefully Air Asia will still run their KUL-VTE route by the time (long way off) the cat can get down to this *paws crossed*
Kobayashi-san - please don't freak out!!
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