Karst surrounding Vang Vieng

Wierd karst mountain

I saw this on the journey from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng. This magical mountain was out someone's imagination and stood alone.

Beautiful day in Laos

The bus ride from Luang Prabang down Highway 13 goes through the mountains.

On the bus to Vang Vieng

Surprisingly, the buses in Laos were nice, but the roads were riddled with potholes, which made travel times long.

Wads of dough

The Lao currency is the kip. One US dollar is worth about 10,800 kip, making their largest bill (20,000 kip) worth about $2. In Laos, we saw people walking around small grocery bags filled with neat rubber-banded stacks of money.

Temple at the Royal Palace

Reclining Buddha

This was on a hill overlooking Luang Prabang.

Across the Mekong

From the same hill, looking across the Mekong.

Looking down the Mekong

There is a hill in the center of Luang Prabang where there is a temple and this great view.

Hill in Luang Prabang

This was taken from the front steps of the Royal Palace Museum in Luang Prabang.

Monks strolling in Luang Prabang

Monks can be seen strolling around Thailand and Laos perusing mobile phones in malls and sipping frappaccinos.

Dinner in Luang Prabang

Emily, Rob, and Roland dining on fabulous Lao salad, wild boar, noodle soup, pasta, and beef "laap" (minced meat) -- absolutely delicious. It was all washed down with some Beer Lao (the best in SE Asia) and Lao red wine.

Night market in Luang Prabang

There wasn't a lot of stuff for sale at the night market. There were some t-shirts, but a lot of handmade cushions and clothing.

Arrival in Luang Prabang

Emily, me, and Roland, a Dutch dude we met on the boat.

A temple nestled in a cave along the Mekong

Karsts along the Mekong

The views on the second day along the Mekong was very different from the first day. The sky cleared up, and limestone karsts rose from the earth.

Swimming kids along the Mekong

A bunch of naked village kids were screaming and laughing along the banks of the Mekong. As we floated past them, they all jumped in the water.

Small world

I noticed two familiar faces getting on the boat heading in the opposite direction in Pak Beng on our second day on the Mekong. Hanna and Caroline were a couple of British friends from Mae Sot. They had left Mae Sot over a month ago, travelling to the beaches of Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos.

Daytime view of Pak Beng

Looking out my bedroom window, this was the early morning in Pak Beng. The streets became lively and noisy at daybreak in this small village.

Candlepower in Pak Beng

This was the view across the street from the restaurant we ate at in Pak Beng. Electricity here was provided by noisy generators, so many places used candles for lighting. Power shut off before 10 pm at night in Pak Beng.

Our guesthouse in Pak Beng

Our room was less than $4.

Mist in the hills around Pak Beng

Arrival in Pak Beng

Seven hours from Huay Xai, we arrived in Pak Beng, a small town on the Mekong halfway to Luang Prabang. This town exists only for the boat traffic up and down the Mekong.

River commerce

Our boat pulled up along this barge (loaded with teak) to sell them a chicken. Our boat stopped along the way whenever someone signalled us over. Sometimes Laotians on our bought meat from the villagers; this time they sold meat to these barge people.

Big village along the Mekong

This was the largest village we noticed aside from Huay Xai, Pak Beng, and Luang Prabang.

Wall of backpacks

Laos is supposed to be in the infant stages of tourism, but this wall of backpacks on our boat indicates otherwise.

Travelling down the Mekong

Like a big slumber party this was.

Crowded boat down the Mekong

The foreigners were packed in the front half of the boat, and the locals travelled in the back. There were a limited number of benches, so we sat spread on the floormats. It was actually quite nice and relaxing, picnicking, and listening to tunes while floating down the Mekong on a nice overcast day.

On the ferry to Laos!

A seven-minute boat ride across the Mekong River took us from Chiang Khong (Thailand) to Huay Xai (Laos).

Leaving Thailand

This gate was at the ferry boat landing in Chiang Khong.

Tuk-tuk ride in Chiang Mai

On our way to the bus station.

Another night at Bubbles

Aryca, Emily, me, and Rob well-pickled at Bubbles.

Hey, I know you!

At Rasta Bar, I ran into Mel, a French dude working in Chiang Mai whom I had met in Mae Sot. He works with an organization that is helping to build the foundations for democracy in Myanmar.

Rasta bar, or Koon's II

We went to the Rasta bar in Chiang Mai to meet up with a friend, but ran into a whole slew of folks from Mae Sot. I felt like I was back at Koon's! Here's Lindsay, Rob, and Maria.

Matt, Zoe, and Katelin at Bubbles

These guys were staying at the guesthouse too. Matt just finished university in the UK. Zoe is British and Katelin is German.

Ben and Eduard

These were a couple lawyers from Paris whom we met at the guesthouse in Chiang Mai. I got obliterated this night and paid for it the next day.

Chinese food in Chiang Mai

On my last weekend in Chiang Mai, Emily and Val came up from Mae Sot. We went to get some great Chinese food.

Back in Mae Sot?! (Don't ask, don't ask.)

Vientiane, the capital of Laos, was closed when we got there. Just kidding. Actually, it had been closed for the week prior to arrival, opening back up the day we arrived. The ASEAN conference had been going on and all backpackers had been kicked out for security reasons. It was a short 3.5-hour bus trip to Vientiane from Vang Vieng. We arrived on a Sunday, so most of the stores and sights were closed, but we were able to stroll around their streets (some paved, some gravelled), the whole time thinking, "This is the CAPITAL?!" There were no skyscrapers in sight. We saw an old stupa, the main boulevard that runs between the Arc d'Triomphe-like Patuaxi (Victory Monument) archway and the Presidential Palace, and strolled along the Mekong River. It was nice to see the super-high wall and street blocked off around the US Embassy -- as close to "home" as I've gotten on this trip.
In Vientiane, we dined on some excellent French food. That's pretty much it.
The next day we got up early to start our trip back to Thailand. It took all day and three buses to get from the eastern side to the western side of Thailand. I have returned to the warm bosom of Mae Sot: cheap 20 BHT meals, 5 BHT samosas, and 15 BHT/hr internet. I'm waiting around getting some visas and visiting friends, some of whom appeared to be in the burnt out state that I found myself in a month ago. My, how a month out and about can change things.

Friends in Vang Vieng

We're in Vang Vieng now. It's a beautiful setting with limestone karsts and rivers. It's a small town that sprouted about around a now-disused landing strip (from the war?), and now filled with backpacker cafes with episodes of "Friends" playing back-to-back -- strange, I know, but the surrounding is fantastic. We visited a cave today and swam in a cool natural spring coming from the mountain. This place is magical. We've decided to forgo going to the Plain of Jars for more rest-time here. From here, we'll head to Vientiane, the capital of Laos. Coming down through Laos, I ran into a couple of friends from Mae Sot, Hanna and Caroline, who were headed up the Mekong. I've also run into a Dutch dude that I met in Mae Sot on my last night there, saw again in Chiang Mai, and again in Luang Prabang, and again today. This is a small world. It is wierd how well-tread the beaten path is in Southeast Asia. When I was leaving Chiang Mai, I ran into a whole group of Mae Sot volunteers in a bar. We had a good time hanging out -- I could have sworn I was still in Mae Sot!

Laos, baby, LAOS!

I'm in Luang Prabang, Laos! I and a couple friends (Emily and Rob), took a seven-hour bus journey from Chiang Mai to Chiang Khong, a border town in Thailand on the Mekong River. It was hot (a barely functioning air-conditioning and no vents over our bench!) and crowded, but I finally made it out of Chiang Mai! The next morning, we took a small dugout across the Mekong to Huay Xai, the border town in Laos (Laos, baby, LAOS!) and got on the slow boat to Luang Prabang.
The slow boat down the Mekong River takes two days, stopping overnight in Pak Beng, a town that exists only for the trip to Luang Prabang, as far as I can tell. Along the Mekong are dozens of small villages, isolated from the rest of the world if not for the Mekong River traffic. They consist of a few ramshackled elevated huts made from woven reeds. The boat stopped off at a few places to buy and sell wild boar and chickens to these river folks. There were a few water buffaloes grazing by the river. I felt like I had gone back in time.
Luang Prabang is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is gorgeous and small. The food here is wonderful. There is a mixture of French and Laotian cuisine that is out of this world, after almost four months of Thai food. I love Thai food, but this is simply amazing. Today we sat by the Mekong having Beer Lao (fantastic!) and some spring rolls and a nice Lao salad. I cannot describe how perfect it is here. This country place is pretty run down, but there are a lot of old French Colonial buildings. Things close down early (11:30 pm). I'm not sure why, but probably for security reasons. Tomorrow we plan to head to Vang Vieng.
Lao, baby, Laos!

Laos Bound!

I am finally leaving Chiang Mai! Tomorrow (keeping my fingers crossed), I will be headed to Chiang Khong and, from there, to Huay Xai, in Laos. I will be taking a two-day slow boat on the Mekong River down to Luang Prabang. Laos' claim to fame: the most heavily bombed country! It's also known for being very laid back and cool.
I can't wait!

Kicking the GONG!!!

(No, I did not actually do this.)

Just to let you know that I was able to get that photo CD from April to work. You can check out more photos I've posted from my days in Singapore, Malaysia, and Krabi (including the Songkran celebration) at my flickr site.

Chiang Mai soi canopy

Something I've done while I've been in Chiang Mai is upload a lot of my photos from the past few months to my flickr site. There should be a few hundred of them there, many of them not on this blog. That site can be accessed through one of the links on the right-hand column of this page (see "LINKS") or directly through: http//www.flickr.com/photos/whereruericliu/sets/

You can download larger sizes of some of them if you "log in" to flickr, which happens to be free.
The photos are organized by location. I don't have the photos from the first part of my trip as I have mailed those home, and the photo cd from April is messed up so I can't show you all the photos from Singapore, Malaysia, and Krabi. Oh well. Nevertheless, enjoy!
Also, feel free to comment on the photos or this blog, as it is the only form of feedback I get on what you find entertaining to read about or see. You can do it anonymously without having to sign in.

Great food for 50 cents a plate!

Although I am a fan of the weiner and pretzel stands in New York City, these food stalls beat them hands down! And they're cheaper too!

Roadside food stalls appear at night

This is where you can get the most bang for your bhat around dinner time in Thailand. These stalls can serve up your favorite rice and noodle dishes for about 20 BHT, or 50 cents. And the ice water is free!

The city moat

Endless traffic inside the moat travels counterclockwise, and outside the moat, it goes clockwise.

Sunsetting over Sunday Market

As you have figured out, I am a sucker for dusk skies. This is the Tha Phae gate plaza, facing the wall.

Tha Phae gate and the Sunday Market

Tha Phae gate was the main entrance into the city center. This is the plaza in front of it, facing out. That sign above the square is what we call in the literary circles, "foreshadowing".

The Sunday Market goes on and on!

And yet again, another Sunday, and I find myself at the Sunday market, where I find I overpaid up to four times for stuff I got in the night market earlier that week. Doh!

Highest point in Thailand!

This was a long motorbike trip. The roundtrip took over six hours from Chiang Mai. Doi Inthanon is the highest peak in Thailand at 2595 meters. It was a great day for a ride, until the last 10 km when I was in the clouds, mist, and rain. It was freezing! I almost turned back, it was so cold! All I could do was take this lousy photo and turn around! (NB: Fisherman clothing -- not made for cold rain.) On the way up, I passed through pine forests with banana trees -- it was a reminder that I wasn't in North America.

Top of the water fall

I thought this was pretty cool. The top of the waterfalls wasn't a big river or stream, but just a gentle, harmless-appearing cascade over some flat rocks.

Mae Klang Waterfall

Just a big gush of water on the way up the mountain. There are quite a few of them in the surrounding area. This was the only one I checked out, since it was going to be a trek to get up to the top.

Flooded fields

Incredibly, I am STILL in Chiang Mai. I took a road trip this Sunday to check out Doi Inthanon, the highest point in Siam. I was told it would be a day trip. It was. It too over an hour for me to get to the start of the mountain, and then a couple hours to get to the top. I stopped to take this photo on my way to Doi Inthanon National Park.

Cooking in a boat

I ate at this place a couple times because it is close to my guesthouse and cheap. This dude climbs into a miniature longtail boat and cooks his noodles and meats for you. This is the kind of wierd image that you take for granted after being here for a while.