The man who burnt his ankle with a pizza

Richard writes:

That man would be me. I always knew this trip would provide some odd ailments and injuries, but none quite as bizarre as this. The incident occurred at a restaurant in Vang Vieng in Laos where we were enjoying the company of some fellow travellers we had met that day on a kayaking tour. All was going well until my meal came to the table. The table wasn't really large enough for the five of us to sit around, and it was one of those tables that is only just above floor level with no chairs. I was busily clearing the empty Beer Lao bottles and condiments from the table to make more space, when I clipped my pizza plate, depositing the pizza face down in my lap, with the sizzling mozzarella getting well aqauinted to my by now bubbling skin. I hastily removed the hottest bits of cheese as quickly as I could, gave everything a wipe down before going on to consume more beer and the remains of my pizza (which in reality was now just tomato paste on bread!). My ankle did hurt as the evening wore on, but not enough to prevent a visit to a local colonial style bakery where I enjoyed a delicious chocolate chip cookie. It was not until the return to our hotel, that I realised I had a bit of problem. Two large blisters had developed, and it was increasingly sore. We debated a visit to the hospital, but I, like the martyr I am, vowed to see how it went overnight and would check in the morning. By the morning the blisters were even larger, with a long bus trip ahead of us to Luang Prabang, I was a bit concerned. Casey did a great job of dressing the wound, and has continued to play nurse ever since, for which I am very grateful for as I do not even like to look at the slightly gruesome scene!

My bandaged leg!

Until the pizza incident, I had intended to call this blog post "Lovely Laos". In truth this was a slightly naff title, but I could only think of one adjective beginning with L that seemed suitable, but "lovely" doesn't really do Laos justice. From the moment of stepping on our sleeper train from Bangkok station, the chaos of Bangkok and Thailand seemed a world away. We enjoyed a very pleasant overnight train journey before arriving at the Laos border early in the morning. Laos border formalities gave us an early indication of the mindset of the populace. Apart from some form-filling and smiles, the process was almost non existent. Throughout our time in Laos, this laid back attitude has been everywhere.

Our first destination in Laos was Vientiane. We were lucky enough to have the opportunity to stay with friends in Vientiane. A massive thank you to Steve, Hannah and Howard (their dog) for allowing us to stay at their pad on the Mekong river right in the city centre. It was great to stay in a home rather than hostel and gave us some great relaxtion time. Sadly Hannah was away in Melbourne, but thank you to Steve for showing us around and providing a night out! Also thanks to Howard for giving us some entertainment.

Howard and Casey Dancing

Vientiane couldn't be described a beautiful city, but it is one that both Casey and l instantly felt at home in and liked. It has some gorgeous colonial architecture and as with everywhere else in Laos the pace was slow and laid back and we were never hassled in any way (which made a change from Thailand). It has to be the sleepiest capital city I have been to, but it is a city that Casey and I slightly envy Steve and Hannah, at their being able to call it home.

The morning after drinks with Steve, we headed out for a day of sightseeing. We saw the Presidential Palace, the Patuxai (a concrete Arc D'Triomphe replica) and the Cope Centre. The Cope Centre is a medical facility providing prosthetic limbs and rehabilitation to victims of the numerous unexploded bombs that litter the Laos countryside. The USA bombed Laos extensively as part of the Vietnam war and many of the bombs dropped did not detonate at the time, but provide a constant danger to farmers and children if accidently disturbed. The visit was a sombre one, but very interesting to see the impact of the Vietnam war on Laos. The aformentioned Patuxai was built with donated cement from the Americans, who had intended it to be used for a new runway. Humorously, the Laos thought a better use of it was the arch shown in the photo below. Another distinctive feature in Vientiane, is the numerous hammer and sickle flags, an omniscient reminder of the country's communist government. 

The Patuxai

In an adjustment to our original schedule we left Vientiane for two nights in Vang Vieng. I had mixed feelings about going to Vang Vieng. The only thing I knew it for was Aussie uber hedonists consuming vast quantities of alcohol and drugs before embarking on travelling on a rubber tube down a raging river, with the predictably tragic consequences. I was wrong to have viewed Vang Vieng with intrepidation, it was beautiful. A quiet and sleepy town surrounded by majestic mountains and lusciously green jungle, with none of the alcohol fuelled over exubrance I was expecting. Alcohol was enthusiastically imbibed, but just by travellers wanting to have a good time, not to get completely trashed before a trip down the river. After arriving we walked along the river and shared a large Beer Lao before looking for a spot for dinner. We hit upon a pub/restaurant called the Jungle Bar. We ordered more Beer Lao and Laos' national dish; Laap. Laap is an interesting combination of flavours, but is extremely tasty. It combines mince meat with chilli, ginger, spring onions and mint, served with sticky rice and is delicious. Dinner was followed by a free shot of Lao Lao (rice whisky) and a game of chess.

Evening stroll in Vang Vieng

After a shot of Lao Lao!

The next day in Vang Vieng we partook in the activity I had heard so much negative press about, tubing. We did it however without consuming any toxins and done at a very sedate pace. We tubed through an underground lake with just headlamps to direct us before a gorgeous lunch of kebab skewers, rice and bread. We spent the afternoon kayaking 8km down the Nam Song river back to the Centre of Vang Vieng.

Tubing and Kayaking

The next morning, with my burn dressing attached we got on the minibus with six hours ahead of us before arriving in Luang Prabang. The seats were cramped, the roads were atrocious and the driving was frightening. Despite this, the six hours was incredible. We navigated our way up, down and through mountain ranges, passing through countless Laos villages. It was clear that village life in Laos is simple, and the majority are poor, but all seem to have shelter and food, and most villages greeted us with smiles as we travelled through.

We probably didn't see all that Luang Prabang has to offer.  We ambled around its World Heritage listed streets and popped into many temples, had a river boat cruise a long the Mekong and enjoyed the night market. There is lot more to do I think, and it is clearly a beautiful place, but the heat was opressive and in truth we were both feeling a bit lazy after a very busy week in Laos.

Buddhas in Luang Prabang

All that lies between us and China is a 24 hour bus trip. Our first stop is Kunming. My research suggests that we will not be able to check the blogger website in China (as well as Facebook and Twitter), but I think I have found a way to post blogs without logging on. Please still post comments, as we will receive these via email and don't need to log on to see them.