And that brings me up to today - 30th December.
Luang Prabang is a magical place. So lush and green. We went swimming in a waterfall in Pakse and as gorgeous as it was, I have a feeling that the waterfalls up here are going to be even more gorgeous and amazing!
Even arriving in Luang Prabang yu can feel the difference. You can see from the off that this place receives way more tourists - there are way more restaurants, guest houses, and people! The biggest shock regarding the tourists is seeing how many families are here. You wouldn't think that Laos would be a popular family destination but they are literally everywhere! It's kinda annoying because some of these kids look way too young to appreciate where they are. Or how lucky they are to be in such a beautiful place as this!
We went around the night market last night. I bought these cute, humungous and ultra squishy slippers which are going to be perfect in those cold winter nights in Tokyo! Of course I loaded up on Lao silk scarves - absolutely love them and the colours are so vibrant.
Today we're taking it easy - we're gonna take a walk around the city and then make some plans about what to do with the rest of the time here. There are so many options with different things to do so it's a little overwhelming, but we've decided to hit the adventure stuff - mountain biking, maybe a bit of kayaking. I want to go to the elephant village but I don't believe in riding them. I guess I'll just see exactly what's going down before I make a decision about that!
More to come!
xoxo
Friday, 30 December 2011
Sick, Sick, Sick
Apart from when I went to Cambodia, I have managed to enjoy over 4 years of travelling around Asia without getting sick.
Well - my luck was bound to run out sooner or later and on the 28th, it did.
I can't tell you what caused it. It could have been the anti-malaria meds I'm on, it could have been the coffee I accidentally drank (don't ask), it could have been the ice I also accidentally drank or it could have been something I ate. But on the night of the 28th I was in and out of the bathroom all night violently vomiting and with painful stomach cramps.
Luckily for me (and for my friend), I'm not one of those people to just give up and feel sorry for myself. I had litres of water on hand and rehydration salts. As much as I hate those things, I was forcing myself to drink them and mustering every bit of strength to fight it. We were flying the next day and I sure as hell didn't wanna be caught short on a transit day!!
I took it easy yesterday - I ate the blandest meals, took a day off the anti-malaria meds and stayed away from booze. A bit shitty seeing as it was my friend's birthday, but we're going to celebrate tonight instead. Feeling much better today but still gonna be keeping an eye on what I eat and drink so there is no repeat! Trust me to top it all off by today being that time of the month too! HAHA - too much info deshou! Sorry!
xoxo
Well - my luck was bound to run out sooner or later and on the 28th, it did.
I can't tell you what caused it. It could have been the anti-malaria meds I'm on, it could have been the coffee I accidentally drank (don't ask), it could have been the ice I also accidentally drank or it could have been something I ate. But on the night of the 28th I was in and out of the bathroom all night violently vomiting and with painful stomach cramps.
Luckily for me (and for my friend), I'm not one of those people to just give up and feel sorry for myself. I had litres of water on hand and rehydration salts. As much as I hate those things, I was forcing myself to drink them and mustering every bit of strength to fight it. We were flying the next day and I sure as hell didn't wanna be caught short on a transit day!!
I took it easy yesterday - I ate the blandest meals, took a day off the anti-malaria meds and stayed away from booze. A bit shitty seeing as it was my friend's birthday, but we're going to celebrate tonight instead. Feeling much better today but still gonna be keeping an eye on what I eat and drink so there is no repeat! Trust me to top it all off by today being that time of the month too! HAHA - too much info deshou! Sorry!
xoxo
Four Thousand Islands
On boxing day we set of for a 2 day tour and stayed on a small island in the Mekong at the most southern point of Laos.
The trip started with a visit to Wat Phu - the oldest Buddhist temple in South East Asia. It's older than Angkor Wat is is a crumpled heap of ruins which you reach after climbing crumbling, steep stairs!
Then it was a long car ride down to the point where we hopped on a boat for a 2 hour trip along the Mekong and around the Four Thousand Islands. The sun was blazing and the scenery was gorgeous but I'm not gonna lie -my arse was CANING by the end and I was dying to get off!!! LOL!!
We rocked up at this tiny island called Don Kone. It's not where most people stay but it has a better quality of accommodation and we were only there for one night. It was a shame really because even though we had the evening to relax, it got dark really quickly and everything shuts down so early that you're forced back into your room and my friend told me that I was knocked out by 9pm!
I have to take a moment to talk about the sunset that we saw on that island. Easily right up there with the best sunsets that I have ever seen it my life. My pictures look like postcards - I've taken so many and they are absolutely impossible to edit so I'm going to put them all up onto Facebook when I get back. Breathtakingly beautiful watching all the colours change and the palm trees and boats turn to silhouettes. You're gonna die when you see them, I promise!! I would have loved to spend the whole day on the island to get more time to look around, but by 8.30am the next day, we were on the move again. We took a bikeride to some gorgeous waterfalls and then it was back onto a boat to see the biggestr waterfall in SE Asia before stopping for a delicious lunch and heading back to Pakse.
Pakse really is a boring, sleepy little town. It's only known for being a transport hub to the South. There is literally nothing there so once the sunsets, you can drink a bit but then with the curfew, there really is nothing to do later at night. Something which is becoming increasinly annoying! I'm just wondering what the deal is on NYE!!!
Fingers crossed!
xoxo
The trip started with a visit to Wat Phu - the oldest Buddhist temple in South East Asia. It's older than Angkor Wat is is a crumpled heap of ruins which you reach after climbing crumbling, steep stairs!
Then it was a long car ride down to the point where we hopped on a boat for a 2 hour trip along the Mekong and around the Four Thousand Islands. The sun was blazing and the scenery was gorgeous but I'm not gonna lie -my arse was CANING by the end and I was dying to get off!!! LOL!!
We rocked up at this tiny island called Don Kone. It's not where most people stay but it has a better quality of accommodation and we were only there for one night. It was a shame really because even though we had the evening to relax, it got dark really quickly and everything shuts down so early that you're forced back into your room and my friend told me that I was knocked out by 9pm!
I have to take a moment to talk about the sunset that we saw on that island. Easily right up there with the best sunsets that I have ever seen it my life. My pictures look like postcards - I've taken so many and they are absolutely impossible to edit so I'm going to put them all up onto Facebook when I get back. Breathtakingly beautiful watching all the colours change and the palm trees and boats turn to silhouettes. You're gonna die when you see them, I promise!! I would have loved to spend the whole day on the island to get more time to look around, but by 8.30am the next day, we were on the move again. We took a bikeride to some gorgeous waterfalls and then it was back onto a boat to see the biggestr waterfall in SE Asia before stopping for a delicious lunch and heading back to Pakse.
Pakse really is a boring, sleepy little town. It's only known for being a transport hub to the South. There is literally nothing there so once the sunsets, you can drink a bit but then with the curfew, there really is nothing to do later at night. Something which is becoming increasinly annoying! I'm just wondering what the deal is on NYE!!!
Fingers crossed!
xoxo
Christmas Day!
Merry Christmas!
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas from Pakse in Southern Laos!
Christmas Day and we were up at 4am to catch a 6am flight from Vientiane to Pakse. Even though I was tired, I was excited to move onto the next place on our trip - ready to leave the city behind and get back to nature. I reckon it's coz we took such an early flight that the experience was super smooth and stress free. We got to our hotel and found ourselves, yet again, victims of falling for the clever photography online. Don't get me wrong, the room is more than sufficient and very reasonable priced - complete with a Christmas menu which we laterfound out was served on Christmas Eve! HUH?!
The weather down here is absolutely gorgeous! It's nice to feel the warm sunshine first thing in the morning. Yesterday in Vientiane was a little cold and windy but it was great for walking aroumd and doing a spot of sightseeing. Really looking forward to chilling out and watching some gorgeous sunsets.
Have a great Christmas Day!
xoxo
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas from Pakse in Southern Laos!
Christmas Day and we were up at 4am to catch a 6am flight from Vientiane to Pakse. Even though I was tired, I was excited to move onto the next place on our trip - ready to leave the city behind and get back to nature. I reckon it's coz we took such an early flight that the experience was super smooth and stress free. We got to our hotel and found ourselves, yet again, victims of falling for the clever photography online. Don't get me wrong, the room is more than sufficient and very reasonable priced - complete with a Christmas menu which we laterfound out was served on Christmas Eve! HUH?!
The weather down here is absolutely gorgeous! It's nice to feel the warm sunshine first thing in the morning. Yesterday in Vientiane was a little cold and windy but it was great for walking aroumd and doing a spot of sightseeing. Really looking forward to chilling out and watching some gorgeous sunsets.
Have a great Christmas Day!
xoxo
Laos: 23rd December
Today was out first day in Vientiane. When we left the hotel the temperature was absolutely perfect. After a less than satisfactory breakfast - ants on my friend's coffee cup (seriously?!) - we were soon realising that paying for a 5* hotel doesn't mean you're gonna get quality.
We set off on an exploration of the city. Laos National Museum was this absolutely stunning building - colonial architecture, slightly decayed and just a photographer's paradise. We walked around as the sun was blazing down on us to the Patuxai - a replica of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. It was so beautiful and gave us views all over the city. We then took a tuk-tuk to Pat That Lung, which was this stunning gold stupa - shining so brightly beneath the cloudless blue sky. It was miles away from the freezing cold of Tokyo and the lack of tourists just made the whole experience that much more enjoyable. After a mammoth lunch, we found ourselves in a food coma and headed back to the hotel for a nap.
Before that though, we headed to the Settha Palace hotel - you should Google it. It's the best hotel in Vientiane and is absolutely stunning, complete with London black cabs. We had seen some promotional offers online and even though it was pricey, we decided that it would be the perfect way to end out holiday here. We went in and spoke to the manager who agrred to give us a corporate deal at $165 a night down from $217! Merry Christmas!
After our afternoon nap, we decided to walk down to the Mekong River to see the sunset. It wasn't what we were expecting, but I was more than impressed with the whole chilled out vibe amd we enjoyed spirits and beer before heading back to the hotel at 10.30pm (the bars have an 11.30 curfew). It was a bit frustrating being forced to go back to the hotel so early, but we still had a good time and met some interesting people!
xoxo
We set off on an exploration of the city. Laos National Museum was this absolutely stunning building - colonial architecture, slightly decayed and just a photographer's paradise. We walked around as the sun was blazing down on us to the Patuxai - a replica of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. It was so beautiful and gave us views all over the city. We then took a tuk-tuk to Pat That Lung, which was this stunning gold stupa - shining so brightly beneath the cloudless blue sky. It was miles away from the freezing cold of Tokyo and the lack of tourists just made the whole experience that much more enjoyable. After a mammoth lunch, we found ourselves in a food coma and headed back to the hotel for a nap.
Before that though, we headed to the Settha Palace hotel - you should Google it. It's the best hotel in Vientiane and is absolutely stunning, complete with London black cabs. We had seen some promotional offers online and even though it was pricey, we decided that it would be the perfect way to end out holiday here. We went in and spoke to the manager who agrred to give us a corporate deal at $165 a night down from $217! Merry Christmas!
After our afternoon nap, we decided to walk down to the Mekong River to see the sunset. It wasn't what we were expecting, but I was more than impressed with the whole chilled out vibe amd we enjoyed spirits and beer before heading back to the hotel at 10.30pm (the bars have an 11.30 curfew). It was a bit frustrating being forced to go back to the hotel so early, but we still had a good time and met some interesting people!
xoxo
Laos: From The Beginning
Hey guys!! Hope you all had a fantabulous Christmas and are gearing up for the New Year!
So right now we're in Luang Prabang - no joke - this country is truly magical but I'm going to start from the beginning for you! I started keeping my blog on paper - not that that lasted long but here's what I had!!
22nd December:
After a mad day of travelling, we've finally made it to Laos.
Narita airport was absolute madness this morning. Last year when I went to Australia, I left on the 19th December so I obviously missed the peak of the airport rush. When we arrived, we were literally gawping at the queue for the ANA check-in counter. I swear, I have never seen anything like it. We flew Thai airways which wasn't as bad but we still had a 40 minute wait.
Thai airlines...man, what a DISAPPOINTMENT! I don't know why, but I had the impression that it would be an awesome airline. Not only were we surrounded by coughing, spluttering and snoring Japanese businessmen, there were NO individual screens on the seats, so we spent the 6hr 45 min flight absolutely BORED SHITLESS! The movie that was showing on the main screen was cack - plus I couldn't really see it anyway. My friend and I resorted to practicing kanji, drawing animals (he does the BEST lion) and playing hangman - all of which we tired of very quickly. The first meal was just OK, but our "snack", about an hour before we landed, was this shitty sandwich - one with processed meat and the other was stinking tuna! And you all KNOW how I feel about tuna! That one went straight back to the attendant - right before the monster next to me let out a tuna burp! Eeeuuuuwwww!!!!
On the plus side though, when we were disembarking, the attendant in first class gave me a spare flight comfort pack! I will definitely make use of that on the way home!
We had a layover in Bangkok where we headed straight to Mango Tree for some yummy Thai food. Then it was off to Boots to pick up some Ibruprofen! Don't laugh- we all know that Japanese painkillers suck- definitely goingto stock up on more on the way back.
Arriving in Laos was much smoother than expected and the strength of the yen has made us super rich! We arrived at our luxury boutique hotel to find out that our room had been upgraded. It's absolutely huge but doesn't have the "luxurious" feel that you would expect looking at the reception area. I guess that's how it always goes in this part of the world though.
We haven't made any concrete plans so I'm just looking forward to mooching about and taking my time to see the sights tomorrow.
xoxo
So right now we're in Luang Prabang - no joke - this country is truly magical but I'm going to start from the beginning for you! I started keeping my blog on paper - not that that lasted long but here's what I had!!
22nd December:
After a mad day of travelling, we've finally made it to Laos.
Narita airport was absolute madness this morning. Last year when I went to Australia, I left on the 19th December so I obviously missed the peak of the airport rush. When we arrived, we were literally gawping at the queue for the ANA check-in counter. I swear, I have never seen anything like it. We flew Thai airways which wasn't as bad but we still had a 40 minute wait.
Thai airlines...man, what a DISAPPOINTMENT! I don't know why, but I had the impression that it would be an awesome airline. Not only were we surrounded by coughing, spluttering and snoring Japanese businessmen, there were NO individual screens on the seats, so we spent the 6hr 45 min flight absolutely BORED SHITLESS! The movie that was showing on the main screen was cack - plus I couldn't really see it anyway. My friend and I resorted to practicing kanji, drawing animals (he does the BEST lion) and playing hangman - all of which we tired of very quickly. The first meal was just OK, but our "snack", about an hour before we landed, was this shitty sandwich - one with processed meat and the other was stinking tuna! And you all KNOW how I feel about tuna! That one went straight back to the attendant - right before the monster next to me let out a tuna burp! Eeeuuuuwwww!!!!
On the plus side though, when we were disembarking, the attendant in first class gave me a spare flight comfort pack! I will definitely make use of that on the way home!
We had a layover in Bangkok where we headed straight to Mango Tree for some yummy Thai food. Then it was off to Boots to pick up some Ibruprofen! Don't laugh- we all know that Japanese painkillers suck- definitely goingto stock up on more on the way back.
Arriving in Laos was much smoother than expected and the strength of the yen has made us super rich! We arrived at our luxury boutique hotel to find out that our room had been upgraded. It's absolutely huge but doesn't have the "luxurious" feel that you would expect looking at the reception area. I guess that's how it always goes in this part of the world though.
We haven't made any concrete plans so I'm just looking forward to mooching about and taking my time to see the sights tomorrow.
xoxo
Thursday, 22 December 2011
And We're Off Again!
The day before I travel is always a mad rush.
I'm always working until the last minute and then spend the whole evening packing while my friend just chills.
It's part of the fun of getting ready for it.
We are so totally excited - it only really hit me yesterday that we are leaving tomorrow and now that we have a better idea of what we're gonna be doing in Laos, it's just made the excitement double!!!
See ya on the other side!!
xoxo
I'm always working until the last minute and then spend the whole evening packing while my friend just chills.
It's part of the fun of getting ready for it.
We are so totally excited - it only really hit me yesterday that we are leaving tomorrow and now that we have a better idea of what we're gonna be doing in Laos, it's just made the excitement double!!!
See ya on the other side!!
xoxo
Tuesday, 20 December 2011
Rush Rush Rush!!
Where the hell does all the time go!!!
I'm going away in 2 days and I couldn't be any further from being prepared!
After my Japanese class this morning, I had to rush back home and do a whole load of laundry and clean my house. It's so hard to keep up with everything - bills to pay, furikomis to make - my "To do" list just keeps getting longer and longer. The bad thing about it is that I now only have tomorrow to do EVERYTHING. And I'm gonna be working from 10 through to 7 so that really means tomorrow night is gonna be a mad rush.
Even tighter since I just checked my flight time and I need to be at Narita at like 9.30am. Thank God for the Skyliner!!! I can now get to Narita airport door-to-door in 1 hour 10 minutes. SWEET.
But I still have so much stuff to do!!!!
Just a quick one - I have received so many gifts off my clients this year! Sure, I did get a few last Christmas but they have been coming in every couple of days so I'm super chuffed. Totally love pressies!!!! Even just Christmas cards are enough - it's nice to feel appreciated for a change!! HAHA!!
I got something super cool today. It's like this rubber man figure bent at the waist. When you make cup noodles, you put in on top to stop the lid from flapping up. And we all know how annoying it is when that happens! I had to buy noodles especially so that I could try it out. The arms turn white with the heat and just the sight of it cracks me up!
Props for originality!!
xoxo
I'm going away in 2 days and I couldn't be any further from being prepared!
After my Japanese class this morning, I had to rush back home and do a whole load of laundry and clean my house. It's so hard to keep up with everything - bills to pay, furikomis to make - my "To do" list just keeps getting longer and longer. The bad thing about it is that I now only have tomorrow to do EVERYTHING. And I'm gonna be working from 10 through to 7 so that really means tomorrow night is gonna be a mad rush.
Even tighter since I just checked my flight time and I need to be at Narita at like 9.30am. Thank God for the Skyliner!!! I can now get to Narita airport door-to-door in 1 hour 10 minutes. SWEET.
But I still have so much stuff to do!!!!
Just a quick one - I have received so many gifts off my clients this year! Sure, I did get a few last Christmas but they have been coming in every couple of days so I'm super chuffed. Totally love pressies!!!! Even just Christmas cards are enough - it's nice to feel appreciated for a change!! HAHA!!
I got something super cool today. It's like this rubber man figure bent at the waist. When you make cup noodles, you put in on top to stop the lid from flapping up. And we all know how annoying it is when that happens! I had to buy noodles especially so that I could try it out. The arms turn white with the heat and just the sight of it cracks me up!
Props for originality!!
xoxo
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