Thailand & Laos
It was about 1am and our Thai Airways flight was preparing to land.
Bangkok from above seemed so shiny, its tiny little lights lit up the streets and it looked rather peaceful down there.
A quick nod from our air hostesses and Yee Haa we were in Bangkok.
"Luke did you just yee haw?
Quite a modern airport but with a cool spaceshipy sort of look. It's easy enough to understand and with some minor shuffling we had our bags and headed for the exit.
And BOOM!!!!!!!!!!! Like a tonne of bricks the smell of Asia stings the nostrils! Its soo great....you know you're in asia when you can smell it...
With endless cabs, we jump in the closet one and head for Koh Sahn Road. You can never really get a feel of a city from inside a cab at 2am but once our over-excited cab driver pulled up to Koh Sahn road we could tell the party had only JUST started.
A few back alley ways, some drunken tourists with some bad directions, we manage to find the hostel. Straight away we dump our bags and head for the action. Bars, street food, mcdonalds, massages, thai people, drunken brits, loud aussies, hippie germans, tattoos, lady boys, cheap tee's the list goes on and on but you get the drift.
Awake and with a headache we felt it would be a wiser decision to get out of Bangkok and head north. Knowing we'd be back at the end of the trip we bought a cheap flight to Chang Mai and hopped on our little Bangkok Airways flight north.
Chang Mai is cute. Surrounded once by a mighty fort and moat, there's signs of its ruins scattered across the city. Its a lot less hectic than its big sister Bangkok and the people here seem more welcoming.
When the sun goes down there's an amazing night market enjoyed by both locals and tourists alike. A bit of shopping, we enjoyed a quick thai massage and a early night in. As for the next morning we had booked ourselves a day exploring the northern jungles ontop some friendly Asian elephants.
A good couple of hours drive we eventually hit a dirt road and pull up to a cute little tree house. Shoes off and a blue momo's on, we were quickly walked off after a quick luncg to meet the infamous big ladies.
Holding some banana's we got a quick lesson in thai (left, right, stop, up, down) we were handed more banana's and told to climb up.
"Please sir, hook your legs behind her ears and gently kick her to start"
"oh it was a kick starter" I giggled.
We start trekking our way through the thick rainforest. My elephant was Layla, she was nice, about 4000kgs, so obviously hungry. She persisted on reaching cliff side for some green tree treats nearly throwing me head first to near death. Whats 'woo back' in thai?'
Controlling her without a guide or having to sit on hard wooden seat made for a closer connection with the animal. Are relationship hit second base when we decided to bathe with each other. With a big broome and a large shammy I gave Layla the best clean she's had in years. She even got a nice little rub behind the ears (I guarantee I felt her leg kicking).
So gentle are these creatures you find yourself getting easily attached. Immediately you begin feeling comfortable and you grab their trunks and start using them like giant fire hoses drowning your fellow travellers. Although you cant help but feel sorry for them, that such large kind creatures are used for such tenuous entertainment. I made sure to give Layla an extra big wet hug before I left.
The next couple of days we booked ourselves in for a trek through the mountains and to visit a few hill tribes. Of course the scenery is stunning with sweeping valleys, slippery streams and booming waterfalls. The first hill tribe was the infamous ring necked women, think ET but beyonce pimped.
As we kept wandering deeper and higher the scenery only got better. When we finally made it to our pit last stop, we were greeted with a cute little hill tribe that had stunning views, stilted wooden huts and a few chicken and dogs. We slept under the stars and the safety of our mosquito nets and listened to a local boy sing and play his guitar to put us to sleep.
From Chang Mai we headed east towards Chang Khong. This was to start our journey into Laos. We decided the best way into Laos would be an old wooden boat down the mekong for two days.
Visa sorted at the border, we sailed down and headed for a little place called Pak Beng. This small village would be our first nights stop. It had one main strip with a few bars and restaurants. Our night consisted of a few drinks and weird obsessions over gecko's. There was just soo many. Look at them run. ohhh look at 'em go. I think we were drunk.
The mekong itself is gorgeous. Its murky waters glimmer in the sunlight and the ruggered mountains stay hidden by hanging shrubbery. I recommend exploring one of the many caves you will most definitely pass. The river itself is the life blood for many Laos people and they line its shores, waving, jumping and yelling frantically to gain your attention. Young kids back flip like their little Tom Daleys. Its a gold for Laos...
When we pulled into Luang Prabang, we hailed a tuk tuk and headed to our hostel. A nice dinner and a night in, we decide to get some rest for a few big days that lay ahead in this french inspired town.
Day 2 saw us wake and head into town for a quick look around. Surrounded immediately by little kids selling wristbands they eventually told us of a mountain temple with uninterrupted views. A few wristbands sales later we were on our merry way.
The top is a very peaceful place, the view was amazing and we shared the space with many monks who were also here enjoying the silence and peace.
That afternoon we caught a bus to the local waterfalls Kuang Si Falls. They are short in height but wide in length, the water is clear and it sneaks its way through the surrounding dense forest. You can literally park your arse on the soft river bed and let the river take you for a gigantic natural slippery slide.
Day 3 saw us do a bit of admin work and orgainse our way to Vang Vieng and ultimately Vientiane. However before our journey south we hired a guide, a few bikes and some kayaks for some more outdoor fun.
Cycling is always a great way to see a destination and Luang Prabang didn't disappoint. Grumpy, shaven ox's line the roads as you pass village after village. A few hours in and we were covered head to toe in mud. We dumped the push bikes and pick up our kayaks and headed riverside. I can always remember the tiny yellow butterflies that lined the river side, simple pleasures that put a smile on my face.
Sailing down the river as it hugged the forest made it pretty hard to paddle as your always stopping to take it all in and a few minor rapids made for some short lived adrenaline. We had a quick dip here and there, tried some fishing and paddled some more. I had to admit by the end of the day we were pretty exhausted.
"is it beer o clock yet?"
That night we checked out the night markets, got some food and declined the many offers of pot, *whistle whistle, head nod* the universal language for weed.
Our journey south of Laos saw us visit Vang Vieng (famous for its tubing) and than onto Vientiane. A broken down bus saw a few more hours added to our journey, but we werent complaining. The countryside was stunning with its ruggered mountains, fresh green glow and cute villages with friendly locals.
The capital is quite dull and honestly not much time should be spent here.
Back in Bangkok, we immediately headed south to the islands for some partying and relaxation. Flying into Koh Samui, it was all beach, beers and lady boys. Koh Phangang is full moon central with unlimited beach booze bonanza's.
One word 'Buckets',
another word 'Cheap'.
Thai's line the beach in their little wooden shacks screaming anything to attract your attention. The full moon parties in Koh Phangan are world famous and should be enjoyed with some of your best mates at least once in your life.
We headed for Koh Toa famous for it diving. It's much smaller then the other two islands but twice as pretty. Exhausted from months of travel it was the prefect place to finish our trip. We found a deserted beach, an old wooden shack equipped with hammocks. We surrounded ourselves with palm trees, white sandy beaches and clear blue waters. We were in heaven.
A small bar up in a tree house made for quiet beers during the warm nights. And a small thai family made home-made dinners for when our tummies rumbled.
At night we had to wait for the 10 inch toad to finish his business. He owned that toilet and would croak to the heavens if we opened the door. *CROAAAAAAK*
Some nights when we accidentally left the odd chocolate bar open we had midnight visits from mysterious creatures that can be heard but never seen.
'Never did see that chocolate bar again'.
With our heads clear and our trip coming to the end, we said a final goodbyes to prefect sunsets, white sandy beaches, our much loved hammocks and headed back to Bangkok to fly home.
For me what I miss the most about Asia is that smell. Theres no-where in the world that smells quite the same.
Its unique. It gets you excited.
You might get the odd wiff here and there at home and straight away you're taken back. Back to the smiling faces, to the worlds best fruit shakes and a place with a permanent place in your heart.
If you haven;t been, go, south east Asia is waiting.
