Outdoor paradise + cooking school = Chang Mai!!!

Leaving Laos was one of the harder things we have had to do so far on our trip.  We thought that nothing could compare to the warm and friendly lands of Laos.......we were wrong.  Again we opted to hit the pavement and head to the bus station as it is now our favorite mode of transportation.  The trip was broken into two sections, one overnight bus from Luang Prabang to the border and then the border to Chaing Mai.  We could really see and feel the difference when we crossed the border into Thailand from Laos.  The roads were different, the buses were different, the scenery was different.    

Upon arriving we decided that we should map out an itinerary for the next few days, a foreign concept to us the past month.  Chaing Mai has so many activities to offer, making it very difficult to choose which ones to do.  So after much debate we went with the following plan:

Day 1- Mountain Biking.  Day 2/3- Two Day/One Night Trek & Rafting.  Day 4- Cooking Class  

Day 1: 

Being novice mountain bikers the Hike & Bike tour immediately jumped out at us.  The brochure looked more like a ski map with everything from green circles (easy trails) to double black diamond (expert) runs.  The outfit we went with is run by a guy who is originally from Hawaii and moved to Northern Thailand a while back.  He set everyone up with the right gear and provided an hour long Google maps presentation on the in's and out's of the mountain.  We spent the first half of the day with 2 guides trekking straight up the side of the mountain. Apparently they do not believe in switchback trails and blazed a path directly up the mountain stopping at some waterfalls and some great view points looking out over the city.  The bottle of whiskey that our guide said he drank the night before did not phase him one bit, as the pace was non stop for hours at a time.  It was pretty much the first time we had a workout the entire trip, so we did not mind it at all.  Once reaching the top we broke for lunch at a cool little mountain village.  Next we suited up with helmets, shin guards, elbow pads and riding gloves......no joking around.  

Then we did a couple of practice runs in front of the guides so they could gauge our skills and make sure we had ridden a bicycle before.  Once they were satisfied that we were not going to kill ourselves the downhill portion of our trip began.  The mountain was awesome and extremely challenging.  You have to watch out for every little rock and stump while keeping an eye on the person in front of you to see which path to take.  About half way through the guide must have thought we were ready for some black diamonds as he took us off the main path and down a steep little chute peppered with the aforementioned obstacles plus heavy dirt and trees on either side.  First, the guide goes down effortlessly. Next Shaun makes the attempt missing the rocks but getting stuck in the dirt.  This led to a chain reaction of Rayann skidding out narrowly missing a few trees followed by an Irish guy in the group veering off course, and his bike, to miss everyone.  This happened pretty much all the way down the mountain.  Usually ending with the same result of the guide gliding down at top speed followed by the group bouncing all over the place and getting thrown off their bikes.  We both escaped the mountain unharmed.  Even Rayann who had many near misses with trees and close calls almost getting thrown over the handle bars never once hesitated hurtling down the steep runs.  

At the end of the course the whole group was rewarded with a swim at the lake at the bottom of the mountain followed by dinner and sunset on a wooden bungalow right on the water.  To say the least day 1 was awesome! 

Day 2 & 3:

We ended up booking our trek on a whim with a guy named Tony, of Tony's Tours.  We went into his shop planning on booking the trek with a bigger outfit, but soon changed our mind.  He was a good guy, and said he was from one of the surrounding villages.  He grew up poor, and always got picked on because the city people looked down on the village people.  Rayann fell for this hook, line and sinker.  After such a good sales pitch, how could we say no?  We opted for the 2 day, 1 night trek that included elephant riding and bamboo rafting!!  We even ended up booking our cooking class with him.  Our group left the next day and included  5 Dutch guys in their mid twenties, 2 French Canadian girls, and a couple from Prague.  We really couldn't have asked for a better group of people for this adventure.  The 5 Dutch guys were a riot, and were a lot of fun when it came time to sit around the campfire.  The trek unfortunately was not as demanding as the previous day, however it was no less beautiful with sweeping views of the valley below (we even got to see a mountain range over in Mayanmar).  There were waterfalls, and hilltop villages and some hot springs along the way.  We arrived at the village we were camping at for the night at about 5pm leaving enough time for a shower, aka a dip in the river with a bar of soap.  Once cleaned everyone put on some heavier clothing, as it got a little chilly at night because of the elevation.  The dinner was really good and we got to hang out all night with our new friends from around the world!

The next day we were up early and the group was split into two.  The 5 Dutch guys and two French Canadian girls were doing the 2 night trek, so stayed behind while we left the village with the couple from the Czech Republic.  Our transportation was waiting right outside tied to a tree............2 giant elephants!!  We later found out from our guide that it was a mother and child elephant and they arrived early that morning from a neighboring village.  We hopped on Noi (the younger elephant meaning small) and started down the river with our driver "Butterfly".  These animals are huge and pretty much go at their own pace.  To "steer" the elephant Butterfly would rub the inside of Noi's ear to move him left or right.  Pretty amazing.  Rayann even got to try her skills at steering Noi, while Shaun and Butterfly sat behind and enjoyed the ride.  

After about a 2-3 km ride on the elephants we said goodbye to our driver and elephant and boarded the bamboo raft that was constructed in our village the night before!  The safety check before heading out was to take our shoes off and stand on the raft to see if it could hold all our weight.  Since there was only about 4 inches of water over the raft and it didn't sink, it passed their requirements and we pushed off for our second leg of the day.  Now Tony had told us that since it was dry season and the rapids were not flowing, we couldn't opt for the white water rafting part on the river.  We pretty much got the white water rafting without the raft!  Each of the guys got a bamboo pole to push ourselves down the river, and to use to steer around the rocks and through the rapids.  We are still not sure how the boat made it down in one piece.  Every few kilometers we hit another set of rapids armed only with 3 bamboo poles and a raft that barely held our weight.  Only in Thailand..........It ended up being the highlight of the trek!!

Day 4:

I'm sure some of you are asking the same question.  How on Earth did Shaun get Rayann to take a cooking class, especially on vacation?  Kidding.  The cooking class was great.  The one that we chose was Thai Farm Cooking School.  Hands down the most unique one, driving us 20km outside the city to their organic farm for the day!  They took us all around the farm showing us the ingredients that we would later be using in our meals.  They even gave us some cool aprons and hats so we looked like professional cooks......well kinda.  We got to choose 4-5 dishes including curries from scratch, spicy soups, papaya salad, pad thai and fried spring rolls.  The day was broken into two sessions to give us a little breather in between to digest and take a nap in the shade of a tree on the farm.  Our instructor was awesome, and made the whole experience that much better.  Watch out Nina.......you are going to have some company in the kitchen!    

Link to the full set of photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/rayann.torres/Thailand#

-Shaun and Rayann

We Miss You Luang Prabang

Although we could have easily spent another couple of days in Vang Vieng laying in our bungalow hammocks, we hopped on a day bus up the windy and sometimes nauseating road to Luang Prabang. It turned out to be one of the most beautiful rides yet.  (It has been well worth the sore butts to travel the countryside of both Vietnam and Laos, getting to appreciate how most of the people in each country actually live.  We have been able to stop at many local villages along the way interacting with the people.)  A lot of the villagers live right between the main road and the edge of the 400 foot cliff!!!!!!  We are assuming this is so they are close to the power lines, but still looks very very unsafe.  After the beautiful, but long six hour trip we were excited to get off the bus and meet up with our good friends from San Francisco, Kevin & Hannah O'brien.  They had arrived into Luang Prabang a few days before us from Northern Thailand.  It was so great to see good friends half way around the world in Laos.....pretty amazing when you think about it!!  Of course the first thing we had to do was have a few Big Laos Beers and start swapping stories about our adventures while watching the sun set over the Mekong.  

This eventually bled into dinner at a great little riverside restaurant specializing in hotpot (Laos BBQ).  Very challenging, but worth the time and effort, Laos BBQ is where the waiter brings you a pile of fresh vegetables accompanied by marinated chicken, pork and beef.  And of course some sauces unique to Northern Laos and chilies.  Kevin and Shaun are both gluttons for punishment with the same mindset that you are not truly eating unless your mouth is on fire and you have a good sweat on the brow.  Although they both have both found out it is a lot more bearable if you actually eat the peppers with some other food.  Knowing we were in for a big day the following day we decided to limit our drinks to a few scotches and in Rayann and Hannah's case a Coconut Milk and Lao Vodka at Lao Lao Garden, which translates into whiskey garden.  The 'scotch' as they called it was surprisingly smooth, and at the price of $20k kip ($2.50) & buy 1 get 1 free, the price was right.

The next day we got up early and headed up to the Kouang Si Waterfalls.  This place blows any other waterfalls out of the water (see pics).  They are multi-tiered pools of blue green water that only get more extraordinary around every corner.  Every time you think it is done another set of pools and rapids appear until finally you arrive at the main waterfall that cascades down about 30 meters into a pool below.  After a steep hike up to the top of the falls we enjoyed a chicken sandwich that we packed into our bags (our new favorite lunch out here).  

The falls were great to hike around, but now it was getting hot out and it was time to get into the water and jump some waterfalls and try out the "Tarzan Swing"!  Needless to say, the Tarzan swing is exactly what you would expect from a rope that is named such.  The premise is that you climb a steep, slippery tree, corral the hanging rope with a small hooked branch and viola.......you are transformed into Tarzan swinging effortlessly through the air letting go of the rope and splashing into the cool blue water.  Right before Kevin and Shaun get to the tree to give it the old college try, a local boy maybe 10 or 11 years old scoots past them, scales the tree, grabs the rope and nails a perfect "Tarzan dive".  Kevin and Shaun look at each other, give a nod of approval and head up the tree for their Tarzan imitations.  Easy enough right.  Wrong (sorry Kev)  On his first attempt he left too much slack in the rope.  The laws of gravity held true and when he jumped off the tree the rope tightened, and he slid right down the rope and splashed into the water........no swinging involved.  Not to worry though, I think the crowd of about 30-40 people got their monies worth and got some great entertainment and pictures.

This is a picture of Kevin's first jump - note the 2 guys in the background laughing. 

This is Shaun's first jump - a true pro!

But in the end Kevin redeemed himself and nailed a few swings right after the failed first attempt.  It should also be noted that of the 10-15 people who tried the swing about half did the exact same thing, including one poor guy who didn't let go of the rope and hit the tree coming back towards the shore narrowly missing the rock ledge. 

Day two in Luang Prabang we chartered a long-tail boat up the Mekong to Caves and a stop at 'whiskey village'.  The first cave was filled with hundreds of Buddha statues of all different sizes and poses.  Compared to all of the other caves on our trip this one lacked in size, but was still very interesting when you add in the dusty, cob-webbed statues.......kinda eerie.

Really, the highlight was the boat ride itself.  Putting along the Mekong with the sun shining surrounded by jungle and getting to see riverside villagers do their daily chores was awesome, whether it be fishing the river, washing their clothes and dishes or the kids doing back flips off the river bed.  The whiskey village was very unique and apparently grew vegetables until they found out that Lao Lao was a much more lucrative business.  After taking a windy path through the village we arrived at the "brewing station" that was manned by a little old woman that was more than happy to show us around her little compound and have us taste the different types of whiskey.  She also showed us the different stages of brewing the whiskey from the fermentation of the rice to the final stage of dripping the finished product into the barrels.

 With that kind of hospitality we felt obliged to buy a couple of bottles of original Lao Lao from her (which is still sitting in our backpack).

We spent the last day in Luang Prabang biking around the city and the outskirts.  We biked to a few nearby villages, saw some pretty amazing wats and countryside, and got some traditional Thai, Lao massages.  Great finish to an awesome week!  The next day we headed to the border to cross into Thailand.  Be on the look out for our next post from northern Thailand!

Link to the Lao pictures again: https://picasaweb.google.com/rayann.torres/Laos#

Sunshine, Kayaking, Tubing, & Caving!! Welcome to Laos!

Goodbye rainy Vietnam and sabaidee (hello) Laos!  After an all day "VIP" bus from Hue Vietnam, we finally made it over the border and into Savannahket, Laos.  Our one way, non transfer bus turned into a transfer, local bus, which for those of you who haven't experienced a southeast Asia local bus means it tacks on another 2-3 hours to your trip. We spent one night in Savannaket as there weren't many sights to see and really just a stop over town.  The next day we took another local bus, at the advice of our guesthouse manager and arrived in Vientiane about 10 hours later. I never saw so many people crammed onto a bus, alongside motorbikes, newborns, chickens and other live stock.  Funny enough, we met a Loa woman on the bus who lived in Fremont, CA.  She was with her family visiting her mom's town because there was a death in the family.  Small world that we meet someone who lives in CA on a local bus in Lao! Needless to say, after that bus ride, we were exhausted & tired from those last 2 days.  Vientiane is the capital of Laos and compared to Vietnam, SO MUCH quieter.  There was rarely any honking in the streets and not thousands of motor bikes zipping around you!  We spent the day walking along the very dry Mekong River.  The Mekong in Vientiane borders Thailand, so we could see Thailand on the other side.  We checked out a few beautiful wats and just really enjoyed a quiet day with lots of sunshine...and food of course!We saw the sunset over the mekong with some ice cold Bia Lao!  That may have been a highlight after the 2 day bus rides :)

 

 

The next day we hopped another bus to Vang Vieng...known mainly for its infamous tubing and drinking down the river, oh and bar and bar lined with plasmas playing repeats of Friends and Family Guy.  Think spring break, but for Australians!  The town itself is not typical Laos, but a fun, warm and welcoming 3 day break with all the traveling, sightseeing and cold from Vietnam!  We decided off the bat that we wanted to get a small bungalow on the river...at a whopping $10 a night! We loved the bungalow, especially for the hammocks, although we will need to definitely get in some more hammock time in southern Thailand.

 

Our first day in Vang Vieng instead of tubing, we decided to go on a kayak and caving trip instead.  We left early in the morning and visited a few nearby caves (the Elephant cave an the Water cave).  The water cave was a blast because they put the group in inner tubes and we followed a rope through the dark cave in our tube.  We had headlamps on and swam a little in the cave. We had seen a few caves already in Vietnam but seeing one in the water up close was so much fun! 

 

After the water cave we went down the river further to start kayaking.  This time of year the rivers aren't so deep so we had to start a few kilometers down to avoid the dry spots. We hit a few fun rapids but nothing strong enough to tip us over.  The 8 km kayaking trek included the 4 km done for tubing so this is where we started to see the debauchery and why Vang Vieng is known for this.  There were bars lined up on either side of the river for about 4 km with slides, rope swings, zip lines, you name it, catapulting people into the river.  There were tons of people partying, dancing and jumping into the river from these riverside bars and moving from one to the other as the sun moved throughout the day.  We stopped at one bar, where after a few beers and a "whiskey bucket" (think scorpion bowl mixed in a child's sand bucket), the both of us got the courage to slide down one of the slides and Shaun jumped off the zip lines.  We have some great videos of these, but you will have to wait until we download those on youtube :) 

 

The next day we decided to do a few hikes around Vang Vieng which has beautiful local sights.  We explored a few more caves (since we haven't had enough) and trekked around the surrounding rice fields.  We also rented mountain bikes and biked about 4 km to a blue lagoon, where we swam while the sun was setting. The had a few much smaller rope swings and jumps there that we were happy to partake in after the crazy jumps we saw on the river.

 

We enjoyed our last night in the bungalow sitting and relaxing on the hammock.

 

 

Check out the pics from Laos (no captions on all yet - sorry those will come soon!):  https://picasaweb.google.com/rayann.torres/Laos#

 

Also, we added a few more pics in the Vietnam album from Hoi An:  https://picasaweb.google.com/rayann.torres/Vietnam#

 

Shaun & Rayann