Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng - Belly Flips and Gorgeous Views

If you get vertigo, or motion sickness, or have anxiety with hairpin turns, overtaking vehicles on blind turns, or narrowly avoiding dogs, motorcycles, coach buses and cars, then the road from Luang

Prabang to Vang Vieng is not for you.

If you are excited by hairpin turns, enjoy seeing some of the most beautiful rain forested mountains, don't mind getting a little close to travel companions and don't eat too big of a breakfast, the road from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng is most definitely for you.  Through potholes and narrow passes, the road twists and winds up and down mountain passes for about 6 1/2 hours, churning the bellies of even the hardiest of backpackers.  For my Vietnam buddies, just imagine the Hai Van Pass, but even more turns, and for six hours.
There are a number of ways your vehicle can get delayed: punctures, collisions, suicidal cattle, landslides, murphy's law is in full swing and spares no one.

80 Amused Passengers and One Baby Monkey. Mekong Slow Boat Day 2

Pakbeng, Laos

Remember when I almost didn't get a seat yesterday?  That wasn't happening today.  Bleach blond girl was still in bed when I cinched and clicked my pack tight and headed out for an early morning at the dock.  I stopped by a bakery on the one main road through Pakbeng and made it down to the boats at
7:30am.  We were scheduled to leave at 9:30am.  You can't be too prepared for these things... today was going to be a potentially grueling 8 1/2 more hours of slow boat on the way to Luang Prabang.  So for about 30 minutes, it was me and ten other overly prepared locals, hangin' out on the boat.  The rest of the passengers slowly started rolling down the hill to claim their seats.  As some of the travelers were settling around me, someone mentioned "yeah...she's bringing it on the boat!"

I look up and a girl about my age is stepping into the boat and what is riding tightly on the back of her neck?  A baby monkey.  The girl-half of me was melting in sheer cuteness and the other logical-half was thinking... I've seen "Outbreak," I know how these things end...

The Jungle Cruise...Fo Real. Mekong Slow Boat Day 1

In Khmer language "Mae" meaning "Big, Mother, Boss or Large" and "Kong" is a short word of "Kongkea" and it means "Water". In the Lao-Khmer-Thai toponymy, all great rivers are considered "mother rivers" signalled by the prefix "mae", meaning "mother", and "nam" for water. (Wikipedia)

Of course I'm behind on some Thailand posts but I figured, since I'm ON the Mekong right now, I might as well post about it.

I don't know why, but I'm always a little nervous about border crossings.  There's just something about official men in official uniforms giving you that official look as they scrutinize your passport.  Their eyes tell you that you've done fifty illegal things in the previous country.  Gives me the heebie jeebies.

So, I was prodding my wonderful guesthouse owner for advice and logistics of everything that was to happen today.  I loved the guesthouse I stayed at in Chiang Khong.  It's the border town on the Thai side of the Mekong and a popular one-nighter for people crossing into Laos.  My private room with fan was 150 baht ($4.80) and her cooking was to die for.  Not to mention she fed me sticky rice with mango which is like Thai crack.  So, I was going to listen to everything she told me.

She saw my nerves and said that I could just book the slow boat tix through her (like another guest was doing) and I wouldn't have to worry about the ferry, tuk tuk and ticket office.  This man who would take care of all of that was her long-time friend and I could trust him.  The offer sounded pretty attractive and I would have a buddy doing the same thing, so I agreed, against all the advice I read online to just do the routine on your own.

On the Move

Bangkok Traffic

One of the biggest parts of continuous travel is the transport that takes you in and out of countries, through puddled city side streets, and out into the countryside. 

For me, figuring out new kinds of transport (which happens often) is a little stressful.  Do I need a token or a card?  Am I getting ripped off majorly right now in this taxi?  Oh you need that token or card that I’ve lost now that I’m at my final destination??

BUT, when I do figure out whatever system is taking me here and there and I finally get on it, I really, really, enjoy using it.  

Vietnam

In Vietnam, there were mostly xe oms.  “Xe” means motorbike and “om” roughly translates as “hug,” which is a cute way of calling (often) haven’t-showered-in-three-days men with no official uniform asking if you want a ride.  Having my own moto, I didn’t accept their offers too often, but when I did, it was a fast, cheap and friendly way of getting across town.  If you didn’t use the xe oms, you had to take a fancy taxi car, which was usually painful to negotiate and quite expensive as there were very few cars compared to the moto traffic. 

 

Cambodia

In Cambodia, I was so amused by their tuk tuks!  Once a bicycle and cart operation, Cambodian auto rickshaws are a three-wheeled sensation, and an essential form of urban transportation, especially for 2-4 person groups.  There were also moto taxis of course, for even cheaper than the tuk tuks - but no helmets!  (I discussed these more at length in this post)

Queuing in Vietnam was practically nonexistent.
Look how these skytrain riders file in from the arrows
on the sides!  Crazy!  

Thailand

In Bangkok, moto taxis were again a transport staple, but they wore official orange vests.  There were SO MANY CAR TAXIS.  For such a huge city, I figured most people would rely on public rail transit - and many do - but looking down on a jungle of stagnant traffic, there were multiple colors of taxis as far as the eye could see.  If you didn’t want to take a taxi, you could hop on the Skytrain or the underground mass rapid transit – MRT.  I used the skytrain every day that I was in Bangkok.  It was so intuitive and conveniently connected to many attractions in the heart of the city.  Plus – on those hot muggy days (every day), the Skytrain was the coldest place in the city.  After five minutes, we were wishing we'd brought a sweater. 

Travel Mistakes with a Side of Stress to go, Please

US Dollars, Vietnam Dong, Cambodian Riel, and Thai Baht

Even well-seasoned travelers make mistakes from time to time.  If you’re lucky enough to witness them admitting them, you may find yourself in a high place, smirking at their misfortune because even you would never forget or do that.  That was me, reading a blog about a year ago when one of my favorite bloggers admitted her international money woes due to careless mistakes.  I wouldn't categorize myself as well-seasoned in the travel department but I have learned the essential dos and don’ts when it comes to staying out of serious trouble abroad.  Today was a bad day.

Siem Reap to Bangkok, the Easy Way!

From my transport research (because these transitions tend to stress me out) the legs from Ho Chi Minh (Vietnam) to Phnom Penh (Cambodia) and then from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap are relatively easy and hassle free.  It’s when you get to the Siem Reap to Bangkok (Thailand) leg where the fun starts.  The countless stories of near-death experiences and “I’ve never been more terrified in my life” statements start

 popping up.  I wanted to avoid feeling terrified while in Thailand, so I dug deeper.

VIP

Where’s the Hassle??

The problem with this route lies in the transfer over the border.  Many bus companies will take you to the border, and then when you cross to the other side, you then wait, sometimes hours, for smaller mini shuttle vans to pick you up.  These vans are on deadlines, and sometimes speed 130k and faster in an 80k zone.

These two problems – border thumb twiddling and mini shuttle vans from hell – are mostly solved with an bus company called Nattakan Co.  They have an office in Siem Reap just a few doors down from the only KFC in town.  I would recommend going a day or two ahead of time, just to make sure you get the bus/seat you want. 

Excuse me, but you have an Antenna in yo Teeth

Today was another long leg of the tri-country bus adventure.  I was going from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap (Cambodia) with Mekong Express (still highly recommend this bus line)  This leg was six hours and $12. Our fare included a bottle of water, a moist towelette and some bakery goods.  We also had a very sweet bilingual tour guide who gave us updates along the way in Khmer and English.  It always seemed like she spoke for a far lengthier time in Khmer than when she translated to English, but most of it was fluff anyway.  During our thirty minute lunch stop in Kampong Thom, I hopped off of the bus and walked over to a fruit and...insect stand where our guide was munching on something.

"What do we have over here?"

"Try it!" she says.  "You don't have any of this in your country?"

"Only for pets."

I stared down at a huge pile of crickets, and realized that someone was asking me to eat something, so I'd better agree.  I asked her if she'd video me eating my first cricket and she happily obliged.  It definitely looked like she was filming me as I grabbed the two back legs of the cricket and shucked the body away from them into my mouth.  As I'm chewing, I notice her fumbling with my camera.  A look of confusion replaced her smile.  ..Sigh..

Playing in the Mud - Cambodia

Today was definitely a highlight for my short stay in Cambodia.  I took a day trip to the province known for pottery, just two hours via bus from Phnom Penh.  I would have just continued on to Siem Reap afterward, but there are two main arteries out of Phnom Penh - Hwy 5 going to Battambang and hwy 6 going to Siem Reap.  Kampong Chhnang (the province I was visiting) was on Hwy 5.  So, early in the morning, I said goodbye to the other couchsurfer staying at the movie house and snagged a tuk tuk to the Sorya bus station near the Central Market in Phnom Penh.  I bought a ticket for $4.00 and again, assuming the worst, boarded the bus going toward Battambang.  My fears were put to rest with decent seating – no, I didn’t want to touch anything, but this would definitely do.  There was a young western fellow sitting across the aisle from me and whaddya know, he was also going to Kampong Chhnang and hailed from Palatine, IL - so close to my home town!  Sometimes I wonder how these things happen. 

One thing that I really loved about getting out into the countryside were all the palms that filled the vast, flat stretches of land.  Through these, the baby blue sky reflecting in the rice paddy fields.  A Cambodian pastor sitting near us informed that this province was also an area known for sugar, which is extracted and boiled from the palms.  After a slightly longer than quoted bus ride, the other American and I got out in the middle of a very small town, with one central monument.  I swear every single child –and some adults – said “hello!” as we passed, looking for a tuk tuk to our respective destinations.

On the road in Phnom Penh

I told myself I wasn't going to compare Vietnam with the other countries that I visit in SE Asia, and I'm conscientiously not stooping to some backpackers' generalizations to culture or a people as a whole!...God forbid, BUT, I must quickly note, that I am loving the transportation in Phnom Penh, in contrast to Vietnam.  Not only is it cheaper, but much more comfortable and appears slightly more sane on the daredevil motorbike aspect.

Pimp my Phnom Penh Ride

My Ho Chi Minh couchsurf host

Today has been an exhausting but fun day of transport.  At 6:10 (ten minutes before my alarm was scheduled to rattle me awake) I rose from my host's couch and prepared for the bus ride into Cambodia.  She generously drove me to the ticketing office where the most recommended bus company was to pick me up at 8:00am.  We said our goodbyes, I helped her kick-start her bike (it had been having problems), and then she was off to work!  Walking into the ticketing office, I froze with panic.  I had left my purse inside her bike seat because she had warned me about moto-theft.  The bus was leaving in twenty minutes and it would take her at least ten minutes to get to work and open her seat, realizing my purse was in there.  Of course my phone was in my purse so I couldn't call her.  All I could do was wait on the curb and be calm, because there was absolutely nothing else I could do to get my purse faster.  Playing through all the possible scenarios of what I would do if I missed the bus, I turned my head to the right and there she was, thirty meters away, walking her bike toward me.  With my two backpacks, I awkwardly started waddle-running toward her in an epic romance fashion, yelling, "I knew you'd come back!" 

Kelsey.  Seriously.  No more of that.

In Transit

Let me first start off by saying that I have never had a more pleasant flight and airport experience.  Even with three security check points, a building change between flights and two attempts at putting my backpack in checked luggage (it was over 10 kilograms), I navigated through the international terminals of Ohare, LAX, Seoul’s Incheon and Hanoi’s Noi Bai airports with relative ease. 

Bi-Bim-Bab!

Also to note – up until this trip, Southwest Airlines had taken the cake in airline love, but my heart now belongs to another – swoon – Asiana Airlines was like royal treatment compared to any American flight experience I’ve ever had.  With a fleet of graceful attendants dressed in silk aprons and identical tight buns in their hair, my flying companions and I were treated to pillows and super soft blankets, individually screened blockbuster movies and games, two delicious full course meals, complimentary wine, coffee and tea, and numerous rounds of orange juice and water.  If you ever have the chance to choose this airline, I wouldn’t hesitate for a moment.

Room to Spare

My stepmom got me these rockin' tags

You know those super fun lessons that you have the good fortune of learning "the hard way"?  I've had plenty of those, and although I'm sure "the hard way" may make for a few good stories, when it comes to my stuff, I don't mess around.  I want all of my things on my person at all times, and this means that I will only be traveling with carry-on bags.  This mode of travel is way superior to checking luggage for so many reasons: