Ah Laos, I have a good feeling about you. Considering how fast pace the last few days in Thailand were, it’s nice to have a bit of rest and relaxation.
Vlog #4: Contiki Big Indochina Adventure: Mekong River, Luang Prabang, Laos
httpvh://youtu.be/maXGfftQAkM
First order of business: the Laos border crossing, probably the most interesting and disorderly crossing you’ll ever find and experience. For one, the Mekong River makes up the border between Thailand and Laos so you need to be ferried over to the other side. If you were a smart Southeast Asia traveler here is where having minimal luggage comes in handy, unfortunately I am not.
After you cross the border you end up in the most chaotic and disorganized queue for Visas I have ever seen. In a square no bigger than the size of a hotel room are three windows on each corner: one to drop off passports, one to pick up, and a money exchange to pay for your Visa. Now this is where the issue come in, all three window’s lines converge into the center of the square- hence madness.
Stupid queues aside, once all the paperwork was out of the way we hoped onto our canal boat for a super relaxed 2 day cruise along the Mekong River.
Village in Pakbeng where we spent the night along the river.
On the second day of cruising we stopped at the Pak Ou Caves on the side of the river. I cannot believe the amount of Buddha statues in the cave, thousands and thousands. Pretty sure I have seen this place in a National Geographic episode before as well.
Luang Prabang
Why can’t every city sightseeing tour be done by bike? I swear it’s the most fun and relaxed way to figure out your surroundings.
I’m actually surprised at how simple it was to vlog on a bike, as long as you can ride with one hand you are golden!
Wat Xieng Thong Temple
One of the stops on our biking city tour of Luang Prabang was at the Wat Xieng Thong monastery . There we got a chance to look at some Laotian temple architecture and see some beautiful gold statues.
Goodnight Luang Prabang.
I could never vlog on a bike…you are a pro, Nadine!
The river crossing had great scenery.. Now I want to go to Thailand and Laos!. Sigh…at least If I don’t get there, I can say I’ve seen some great sites in your videos. I love that almost all of your videos combine your personal story as well as lending time to the sights to speak for themselves. I find a lot of vloggers do one or the other – but you have the best mix.
You’ve seriously opened up a whole new world of travel to me. I didn’t think that would be possible, given how many places I’ve already been in my lifetime – but it makes you realize just how small the Western World really is in the grand scheme of things.
How many hours of footage do you go through to put together these awesome videos for us? I just can’t imagine doing all that work while on a contiki tour., but I really regret that I didn’t shoot much when I was up in the Canadian Rockies. It all goes by so fast, that really photos and videos, I feel, are the best way to document it.
I totally love what you are doing – you are an inspiration to anybody with a dream of travel.
I haven’t even gone on my NZ and AUS tours, but I’m already wondering how I can preserve my $$ while on those tours to allow me to do even more. :)