Day 75: First new country - Laos!

It seems a little hard to believe, but we've been on the road for 81 days, or almost three months since leaving Sydney. And although we've spent almost all of those days in places neither of us have been before, we hadn't actually been to a new country yet. Until today!

Laos has the dubious distinction of being the most-bombed country on earth, as it was essentially carpet-bombed during and after the Vietnam war by the Americans, as some parts of the Viet Cong were hiding out here. There are still large parts of the country now that are no-go zones, as they're completely packed with unexploded ordnance.

We slept in a bit today after yesterday's big day, so we had a relaxed hotel breakfast and then asked at a tourist info office about shuttle buses to the airport. Our flight was at 2:10pm so we figured arriving at 12 would be fine; unfortunately the shuttle buses only left at 10am and midday, so we basically had no option but to pick the 10am one. And annoyingly - it was 9:30! (Aside - the buses were infrequent because Air Asia fly from the older, less used airport in Bangkok, whereas most flights these days go through the brand new one).

So we hurried back upstairs and quickly packed, though we're both at the point now where we can almost pack our bags in the dark! Checked out, and I said a fond farewell to the suit guy - he was spruiking for a tailor just adjacent to the hotel reception area, and I'd told him I didn't want a suit probably 5-6 times a day for the last 3 days! The minivan turned up just after 10, and off we went!

Nothing to report from the journey other than the van was empty save one other person, and there wasn't much traffic so we arrived at around 11am. Self check-in, through security, through emigration and into the concourse. Since we were so early there was no gate number assigned, so we just picked a random quiet gate and parked ourselves for an hour or so. A large Chinese tour group soon turned up at the next gate to wait for their flight at full volume (including the neat trick of holding the smoking lounge door open to continue a conversation with non-smokers), so we headed off for a McDonalds lunch. As much as I hate eating western fast food overseas, it's still usually the most appetising thing available at airports.

The flight was fairly rare for AirAsia - the plane arrived and then departed right on schedule! Smooth going in the air for about 90 minutes before landing at Luang Prabang. LPB as the locals call it is a French colonial town in the north, surrounded by mountains and situated on the banks of the upper Mekong. The whole old town area is UNESCO World Heritage listed, with quite a few picturesque buildings around and old French mansions etc.

We were sititng right near the front of the plane, so when we got to the terminal there was no queue at either immigration or the visa on arrival desk - sweet! But since most people on the plane (either Laotians, citizens of ASEAN nations, or other communist countries) didn't need a visa, by the time our visa had been processed there was a huge queue for immigration. So we waited.

Finally got through and took a taxi into town, which dropped us off at the wrong hotel! Easy mistake to make - there are two branches of this hotel with basically the same name (something like Soknamtong Waterfront vs Soknamtong Bantong). Thankfully they were only a couple of hundred metres apart so we walked the rest of the way. Hotel is quite comfortable, in an old French house but seems well maintained and in good order. Plenty of space for us over the next few days, and the bathroom has been newly renovated.

As it was pushing on for sunset we went wandering and had a beer at a small bar overlooking the river - very muddy brown colour and flowing surprisingly swiftly. After the sun had set we walked up to the centre of town and essentially picked the busiest restaurant. I had a Lao soup dish I can't quite remember the name of, while Shandos had a noodle soup that was similar to a laksa. Afterwards we explored through the night markets but it was hundreds of stalls all selling the same stuff. Unique to Laos at least, and different to the stalls in Bangkok, but it seems a little odd when there are hundreds of stalls, but it's essentially the same 5-7 stalls over and over again.

Back to the hotel for a much-needed shower and off to bed. Look forward to exploring the town and the area tomorrow!Read more