Day 51 and 52: Leaving Laos and Arriving in...Vietnam!

Day 51

We are up at the crack of dawn, 6.30am to make sure we are ready for our tuk tuk at 7. We check out with a little confusion of whether we had paid and I think it's the first time anyone has identified us as a couple by Ben's beard and not my hair. A short, bumpy ride later we are in the airport, checked-in and flying. I do love Lao Airlines, they give the best snacks, today is a cheese sandwich which I devour like a pug. Only downside to this flight was an idiot French couple behind us, who shoved Ben's seat when we was leaning on it to sort out the bags at his feet, they didn't even start with an excuse me, just a hard push. So rude!

We touch down in Hanoi, Vietnam and its freezing! Well 16C and drizzling, we are not used to this. We've already got our visas so breeze past the queues and past immigration with only a few comments about how amazing my hair is. Bags collected, we head outside to find the number 17 which should take us to 3 mins from our hotel at a fraction of the price of a taxi. We wait and wait and wait and I accost a young Vietnamese girl who spoke okay but pretty broken English to see if she knew what was going on. Turns out she was waiting for the 17 too and had no idea, like us, where it was. Turns out after her asking a few people, that we are at the wrong stop and to get there, we and 3 other travellers we'd picked up by this point, had to get on a golf cart. I'm not going to lie, I got pretty nervous when it left the airport compound and went on a dual carriage way and it did cross my mind that someone might whizz past and grab our bags but it's all fine and we turn up at a little bus stop, where the 17 was waiting for us.

It takes about an hour to get into the city and I get caught sitting next to a selfie girl again. It's still raining and looks pretty miserable but Vietnam does look very green. The bus stops at Long Bien bus station and a police officer directs us to the road we need and after a short walk in the drizzle, we spot our little hotel. This place is so deluxe compared to what we've been used to, there are hot drinks waiting for us as we arrive and we swiftly get taken to our room which is lovely, with a mini bar, a large shower and a big bed, and the best bit? It's only £6 a night!

I'm still not feeling great so we decide to grab some food from the hotel restaurant but within two bites, I'm dashing down the stairs to the room. I have never been so close to poo-ing myself on a hotel stairs, it's horrible. I go back up again to try and finish my food but within minutes I'm back in the room so we rest up for the rest of the night and watch chick flicks and K-Pop before falling asleep.

Day 52

I feel marginally better today and wake up hungry which is always a good sign. The breakfast here is really good and I have a triple decker cheese sandwich to keep feeding my addiction. I have also started to drink tea as its the only soft drink that's not fizzy that they serve. It's alright when you get past the fact it tastes like bark.

I might be feeling better but now Ben has come down with it but we really want to explore so just hope for the best. It's still drizzling so we dress for the wet and set off for about 30 minutes in the wrong direction, I blame the illness. We retrace our steps and finally get on the right road for the Hanoi Museum of History, well we think it's the right road until a solider with a gun turns us away.

We are only a street out though and finally get to it at 12.30...to find its closed until 2pm, urg! There's a little cafe next door which we hide in till it reopens and eat sweet potato fries. We wander around a strange complex of building which are lovely but not really what we thought we would see, they look about 300 years old and there wasn't much descriptions inside them, we find a bunker used in the Vietnam war but that's about it and it isn't until we are walking back that we realise, we're in the wrong museum! The one we want is behind this one and only a short minute walk away. Now this is more what I was thinking, it's full of planes and tanks salvaged after the "American" war and interesting cabinets inside full of maps and weapons. We potter around here for a bit until we are both feeling knackered and we walk back to the hotel, to try and make ourselves feel a little human again. 

Day 49 and 50: Coffee and Toilets

Day 49

My shoulder is better but my tummy is not so we are having a full day on the hunt for some new coffee shops. The first on Ben's list is called Pilgrims Cafe and it seems to do a nice breakfast so we head there. I go for Granola and I swear I could have eaten a mixing bowls worth of it, it just delicious. I have also spotted on the menu macaroni and cheese and it doesn't take too much persuading to get Ben to stay here until lunch as he gets free refills and he's in a blogging mood. The mac and cheese did not disappoint and I could have licked the plate, it's strange what you miss but cheese for me is definitely up there. 

The coolness of the cafe means I actually get some work done today which is a nice change from the last week, the heat here really knocks you out and all you want to do it sleep. About 3 again (really another whole day eating) we go pick up our passports with our snazzy Vietnam visas in them. My stomach has got worse still and Ben's not feeling good either so we head back to our sanctuary and miss out on the market dinner.

Day 50

Today is our last day in Laos and I'm quite sad about it, this beautiful country is probably my favourite place we've been so far and it's a shame we didn't plan to see more of it. We resume our coffee hunt and next on the list was Cafe Laos and we head there to sample their wares. 

This coffee comes out in a syphon like contraption and looked so cool when it was being made. Ben goes into a little more detail about it so have a look at his blog here. It gives him 3 cups and I slurp down some coke whilst we enjoy the cafe's old colonial style.

You'd think having not eaten since lunch yesterday I'd be starving and English Hatty would be but its not before mid day that I do get peckish, so we head to our favourite haunt Utopia and relax on the Thai beds, taking in the river sounds for the last time. After a very garlicky lunch and starting on The Book Thief, the heat over powers us again and its time to retreat. The heat is the only thing I won't miss here, it just takes out all of your stuffing and leaves you an over heated mess, the stomach upset isn't helping either and I start to miss the comforts of home. We have a small dinner and pack ready for our trip to Vietnam tomorrow.

Day 47 and 48: Bears and Bathrooms

Day 47

The alarm needs to wake us as we aren't used to these early starts (8am, ha). Breakfast at the hostel has a little language barrier problem but it means extra food so I'm not complaining too much, though Lemon tea with ice cubes as kinda odd. At 9.30, our tuk tuk driver comes and gets us and we set off turning left, instead of our usual right and head off into the Laos countryside. The journey takes 45 minutes and makes me feel a little peaky with all the bouncing but the scenery is beautiful, the area is full of little farms and tiny creeks and I want to stop at every one. It's not long thought before we arrive at the little village, at the bottom of the waterfall park. It's obviously geared up to take all that they can from the tourists but they aren't pushy and it's only 20,000 kip (£1.60) each to get in.

We haven't walked 20 steps in before we see a moon bear in the distance, yes that's right a bear!! I forgot to mention that part of the water fall park is a rescue centre for moon bears who otherwise would have been sold to bile farms or for paw soup and it amazing! It's run by Free The Bears and it's really well laid out, there are fences but it's set out so you feel really close to the animals and they look really happy and content. The centre doesn't receive any money from the park entrance fee but you can donate to them there or do as we did, buy some of their merch. We picked up the awesome Keo bear and a cool tee for Ben. 

We stay and watch the bears for ages before moving through the luscious forest towards the sound of running water and I'm amazed at how beautiful it is here. There are several waterfalls here in the park and a few that you can swim in and we jumped right in after the last few days sweltering in the town. The water is so cold but refreshing, I glide through until I hear Ben yelp. "What's up...aah! What is that?" We both look down to the weird nipping sensation at our feet to find a shoal of fishy having a right old nibble on our toes. Very odd but I know some people pay a fortune for it so it can't be bad. We carry on swimming and squealing before we decide to move to the next pool which is as lovely as the first.

After we are nicely cooled, we get dressed and walk a little further into the forest and find the biggest and most beautiful water fall of all here. It's so spectacular and Ben wants to see how far we can climb it, I'm a little more apprehensive when it comes to scrambling up rocks than he is but I said I'd push my boundaries here and I start up the hill side with him. It isn't long though before I've slipped a few times and over heated so I plonk myself on a log with all the heavy bits so the monkey can scoot up. Once the adventurer returns, and obviously says I've missed out on the best view (hmm) we make our way down the steep, slippery rock. I spend half of it on my bum as I decide I'd rather start on it then end which Ben thinks is hilarious and then he slipped. Ha.

Our way back takes us past the Bears, where we stay and watch a bit more and then off to the car park to find our driver. The ride back is as bumpy as the way here and my peakiness turns to full blown motion sickness and I muster up all my brain power to not vomit off the back of the truck. I luckily last till the hostel but feel rubbish and it takes me all of the rest of the day and night to recover. 

Day 48

I wake up this morning so sore, I missed out the part in yesterday's telling where I slipped on a rock getting out of one of pools and jared my right arm and shoulder so today I'm doing my best broken robot impression and I can hardly lift it. We have breakfast at Joma bakery just off the river and we leave at 3. Seriously we managed to spend the whole day in an Air Conned bakery, it was torture as you can imagine. I had to eat at least 3 cookies, 3! The food was great and we both just got lost in our books and the web. Dinner is another market stall special but tonight I'm not feeling so good and it's not just my shoulder so we head straight back so I can be near a friendly bathroom.

Day 45 and 46: Finding Food and Not Lot Elses, Luang Prabang

Day 45

Feel so much better today, my necks still sore and I still feel hot but the dizziness has gone and I've got a bundle of energy. We have breakfast on the main road and have a little explore before I start to over heat and Ben fancies a snack (yep, that close to breakfast). We decide it's too hot to do anything other than sit in Utopia so we spend the afternoon reading books and listening to the river runs past. Our blissful afternoon is disrupted at 3pm as it's get too hot even in the shade, the temperatures reach 40 and just take so long to cool down. We go back to the room to freshen up as tonight we are going to the market in search of a mystical food market.

From 6pm, the main street in Luang Prabang, Sisavangvong Road, is closed and fills up with stalls selling clothes, books, souvenirs and Laoatian whiskey. We meander past all this as we've heard a rumour that behind the main market, down a side street is a food strip and we can't miss this. There are 20 stalls piled high with fruit, BBQ fish, all manner of meats and buffets full of delicious vegetarian food and salad. We dive straight for that and fill our bowls high for only a £1 each. It's so good, and I'm going to say my favourite food we've had so far along the trip, even beating the Thali. We went to the market late and by the time we've finished eating, the stalls have started to pack up so we vow to come back earlier tomorrow for a second filling and a bit of shopping.

Day 46

We plan to be a little more constructive today so after breakfast we go off to get our Vietnam visas sorted, you need either a letter for a Visa on Arrival or you can get a full Visa from the Vietnam embassy so we opted for that. I forget however to bring our passport pictures along, whoops, so we have to walk back to the room (about 20 minutes) in the heat, to get them with a lot of grumbling from both of us as its hot and only going to get hotter. Once grabbed and back, we also book a tuk tuk for tomorrow to take us to the main waterfall Kuang Si, it's only costing us £15 for a private one which means we can stay as long as we like and as its a 45 minute drive, I think that's a pretty good deal. After this is lunch as we are guided by our stomachs, I have a fresh salad whilst Ben goes for dried buffalo and river moss, the later is very scrummy and takes a bit like seaweed. 

The heat is killing is again today so we go back to book some flights until buffet time! After another deliciously scrumptious pile of food, we go shopping as Ben's fed up of being nibbled and he grabs some dark elephant pants to hide his legs.

We finish our nights stroll with some pool and now we're at 10-5 but Ben does get beaten by a very high local so I get a little victory. Every night we walk back to the hostel we're offered drugs, anything from weed to opium and it's so strange for it to be so open. We have heard though that the local drug dealers will shop in the tourists who buy from them for ammunity themselves so it's not the best choice you could make. We come back and start making a Best. Songs. Ever playlist (suggestions please) and pack for our day waterfall hunting tomorrow.

Day 43 and 44: Arriving and Exploring Laos. Luang Prabang.

Day 43

We want to say goodbye to the Catmosphere cats before we go to the airport so we have a brownie breakfast whilst having all the kitties to ourselves. I know I've already raved about the apartment owners but they really are amazing and to top off their wonderfulness, they are giving us a lift to the air port. So at 11.30 with our bags packed, we say cheerio to Chaing Mai.

The airport is small but seems to have everything we need including a rude exchange lady and a cat in the toilet. The check in is downstairs and there's so many signs for food pointing towards the gates that we don't worry about getting anything downstairs, however once we've rushed through there is hardly anything up here and I have no idea where the signs were pointing. So we have a rubbish tuna sandwich and discuss the pros of keeping Bees until our check in, a smelly bus to the plane and boarding. Which is very quick as the plane is tiny, it has propellers and holds about 40 people. So cute.

It's our first flight with Lao Airlines and I'm really impressed. The seats and comfy and spacious and although our flights only an hour we get a nice snack and a free drink. The only down side is because the plane is so small we had a lot turbulence so even though they were very hospitable I was glad to get off. Luang Prabang airport is even smaller than Chiang Mai but we get our visas pretty quick and collect our bags, it's also really hot here and I'm feeling our first taste of the 40c heat, urg. We are also millionaires once we've got to the cash point which I didn't think I'd ever say, the conversation rate is 1,000,000 kip is £83ish.

Laos from the part I've seen today is beautiful, and I'm so glad we came. We haven't got a map yet so we haven't done too much exploring but I can't wait too, just maybe not in the mid day sun

Day 44

As seems to be common with hostel rooms, it's pitch black so we sleep through until 10am but dress quick once we are awake as we saw a pancake stall yesterday and who can say no to them. We set off from our breakfast in the direction we think the main town is and I'm surprised by how quiet it is. It's nearly 11 and there are only a handful of cars and people on the streets. It's blissfully peaceful and I fall in love a little more. 

We walk about 2 miles following the Nam Khan river till we find where it connects to the Mekong. There's a bamboo bridge that crosses the river at this point and the guy who owns it, builds it at the beginning of the dry season each year and takes it down again before the end. We go across and I try not to think it's just bamboo holding me up when I start to feel a little peaky. I've all of a sudden got really, really hot, like fainting hot, my neck hurts in every step and I feel dizzy. We sit down, watching the river and the brightly coloured monks but I don't feel any better and all I want is to lie down.

We wander for a bit, come back across the bridge and have a drink but I feel even worse. So we split up, Ben goes off to explore the town and I go back to rest up. I think it's the malaria tablets I've just started taking which have, ironically, given me some of the symptoms of malaria. Ben comes back after a few hours and fills me on his adventures with steps and monks and I show him a restaurant I've found nearby called Utopia. 

It's so chilled and over looks the Nam Khan river. The owner is a Canadian who's really keen on everything being right and the food is amazing. We stay here for a few hours, just watching the sun set and chatting away until my head starts to hurt and I'm tucked in and asleep by 8pm.