day 198, Luang Prabang

Had a pretty dreadful sleep as the bed was lumpy and woken up by kids running and shouting around at 8 in the morning, got up and took in my surroundings, bumped into Scottish Andy from Chaing Mai who’s been here for a few days, had a wander around the town which is really nice, has some very cool buildings and heavily French influenced, the whole town is a world heritage site, stopped for some noodle soup and a shake then nipped into a café for a iced chocolate and a read. Back at the hostel ran into Irish Dave, Amy and Chris and went to the food alley for dinner after having my first Beerlao (the only beer in Laos which has 99% of the market and thank goodness it’s pretty decent.) The food alley was really cool, a buffet for 10,000 kip for a piled high plate plus another beerlao, walked to Utopia (a bar) and had a few drinks chatting with people, quite a few from Chaing Mai and Pai, before kicked out at half 11 for curfew (funnily enough the only place to go after 11:30 is the discothèque which then closes at 1 so your only option is to go the bowling alley where the emphasis is on drinking. Knackered, me Andy, Amy and Chris walked back to the hostel and chilled out round the fire nattering away till the early hours of the morning.  

day 197, the bus to Luang Prabang

Having not slept enough, woken by the owner who is a bit of a dick, got some breakfast in which went down a treat, got fed up with the owner of the guesthouse so walked to the ferry terminal myself and down to Thai Immigration. Despite everything I have read and talked to people I had to pay 500baht for overstaying one day, whereas I believed you had one day’s grace; it was particularly encouraging to see when I gave the bloke a thousand baht he took the 500baht change from his wallet which was in his pocket. Caught the one minute ferry to Laos, filled in my forms and handed over my 35 bucks, got a visa and caught a tuk-tuk to the bus station to catch the 9 o’clock bus. There isn’t a bus at nine, only two or five. Sat down for 5 hours waiting, watched kick-volleyball which is a strange sport, plus some boxing, talked to a Swiss bloke called Chris who has been travelling asia for 3 years, he spent 6 months on a island living with a family just chilling out, had to visit the mainland by a 2 hour bus ride every four days of commodities plus didn’t have electricity but he fucking loved it, and is now in the process of becoming a bamboo tattoo artist. The bus finally left which was 13 hours of fun, thankfully it wasn’t full so could commandeer two seats and be uncomfortable over two seats, stopped off for some dinner and chatted to two dutch blokes who are cycling round SE Asia on the bikes which you lie down on, seemed pretty cool. Arrived at Luang Prabang at 02:30, only tuk tuk around takes me to my hostel, wake up the security guard who puts me in the movie room and hands me his sleeping bag to crash out, bloody knackered, dehydrated and stinking.

day 196, Pai

Last day in Pai due to visa limitations equals sadness, don’t want to leave. Had an amazing sleep and woke up to amazing sunshine, went into town with the mancs, Holiday Simon and alex from preston, the quebecian girl, tilly and Graeme for a really good breakfast, had a wheatgrass shot which was excellent, mooched round town and headed back to the hostel to chill out. I finished my book and put on some tunes just gazing out over yonder in a hammock having a bloody ball. People slowly rolled in from their different day’s activities and chatting. Packed my bag and come evening said my goodbyes and walked to town with Lucy, an aussie girl to catch my bus. Got a cheeky pre dinner brownie with Lucy before heading to the curry shack for one final curry. As it was busy was sat with Kevin, a canandian dude who was really cool, looked like scrubious pip, chatted to him and ordered two curries before he disappeared. Just as my dinner came out almost everyone from the hostel turned up for dinner, basically taking over the very small curry shack. Everyone was in a really good mood enjoying being around, though I had to catch my bus. Once again said my goodbyes and headed to the bus, got in a minibus with Canadians, yanks and Israelis who were all friendly, before we set off on our mental ride with the driver driving like a cock and people throwing up. Around 3 in the morning arrived at the border and to a shitty guesthouse for 4 brief hours sleep.

day 195, Pai

Bade farewell to Galen in the morning which was a shame as he was a fucking dude, hammock’d for a while and read my book, walked into town with Tilly, an aussie, got some food which was really good and a particularly tasty shake before going in different directions, I went to the bus station and booked a ticket to head to Chiang Khong, the border for laos for tomorrow night, walked back to the hostel and chilled out. I took two mancs, nick and tom and a Quebecian girl, M,  to the curry shack, had an amazing masaman and back to the hostel. The reggae bar were having a buffet so we went there with everyone for a couple of drinks, some buffet and chilled out in front of a fire, chatting away to some south African blokes,  chris an aussie and frank a dutch bloke, before getting knackered and having an early night.

day 194, Pai

Woke up feeling pretty good, slept really well this time fully clothed and hatted to fend off the cold, lazed in the hammock with Galen trying to work out what to do, a trek through the forest following the river to a waterfall or a bike ride to the biggest cave in Thailand. No decision made we headed back to the curry shack for another curry, this time masaman, before driving to the jungle bar, ditching the bikes and walking 3 hours to the waterfall. It was a really good walk, having to cross the river loads which was fun though my Velcro on my sandals kept coming off pissing me off a treat, plus I lost my sunglasses cleaning case (grr) but reaching the waterfall it was bloody impressive, we dipped in under it, climbed up some rocks to a pool formed about 5 metres above ground level, it were bloody cold, before walking back ending in near darkness which was surreal. Really enjoyed the day though my feet were fucked due to the Velcro malfunction, bloody hungry we drove to the curry shack again for dinner, had khao soy which was marvellous, plus another panang (after the curry yday I got some street food which was nearly the same price though no where near as good so thought fuck it, and it was a cracking decision as I was nicely full when I finished, plus yesterday I got some chilli sauce in my eye and in drunken wisdom Graeme wanted to pour beer in it to clean it out) and walked through the markets while the other 3 (Galen, malana and Graeme) shopped for local style clothing till it got too cold, got some beers and drove back to the hostel, showered and chilled out chatting and sitting around a bonfire until ran out of wood.

day 193, Pai

Tried to sleep in though I was bloody freezing during the night and as the dorm building is on stilts in a rice paddy field where they are preparing the fields by flooding it there was a constant 1 foot waterfall right outside my window which just made me need a piss half way through hence I didn’t sleep in that much. Waking up I wasn’t in the mood to do anything with the day so didn’t. I mooched around in a hammock reading Garry Nelson’s Left Foot forward, talked to a couple of people then wandered into town with Lisa-Marie, Galen, Graham and Malena for some needed dinner, walked a bit round town having a look then went back to the hostel to chill out. In the evening me, graham, Malena, amy, Chris and galen went out to the curry shack for dinner, it’s just one friendly dude making the curries, I had a Panang and it was stunning. We got some booze and went back to the hostel for a few drinks before heading out to the sun bar for a couple more, had a great night, ended up at the don’t cry bar sitting round, smoked a bit of weed for the first time in ages, was enjoying it then remembered why I don’t like weed, it sticks in the back of my throat and tastes fucking horrible, wandered back to the hostel after declining kit’s offer to be the third person on his motorbike (he’d consumed a bottle of whiskey) and sat in the hammock with a bottle of water looking out into darkness just chilling watching people stagger in.

sidenote

hello! sorry not been able to post, been crazy busy and internet has been scarce. have still been writing every day and will post when get round to it. hope everyone is well, thanks all for festive messages, Have a great new year! dom x