Vip bus to luang probrang…
I wish a had a snappy acronym it, but basically VIP means night bus that is air conditioned enough to hang meat and Karaoke’d enough to bleed from the ears all night. So sleeping is pretty much out of the question, but it gives you what Lao high-life is all about. We were fortunate to soak up an extra 6 hours of full volume androgynous lao music while a huge chunk of the mountain was being pulled off the road.
We show up in Luang Probang dragging some serious ass, but fortunately we find a tuktuk to pour into that takes us straight to the doorstep of a guesthouse. It always feels like being an orphan dropped off on stranger’s doorstep, and I know we look the part. Jordan is still all kinds of sick, so most of my day was spent taking trips to the saddest pharmacy ever and the local pancake nook with Jordan totally cheating on me with The Shawshank Redemption in our room. (I’m still a little wounded, that movie NEVER comes on in Laos.)
After a couple days of the same, cheap food, antibiotics and HBO, we book our two day slowboat up to Huay Xai. Although the trip is gorgeous the title isn’t kidding about the slow part, it took us 10 hours to get up to the next town. I mean come on, it’s like an inch away on the map. It turned out to be just a lot of getting rained on through the 3 foot wide cloth flap that is supplied for your barrier from the elements and 10 later we’re in Pakbeng. The next day god decided to supply us with Jay and Sam, two canooks that have enough Bacon/zombie movie/ New Findland/ Thai prostitute stories to keep us thoroughly entertained. Jordan and I fully abscond with them as friends, forcefully made them Drink Laolao(rice whiskey) with us and exchange silly stories ‘til the wee morning hours(like 10:00).
I wish a had a snappy acronym it, but basically VIP means night bus that is air conditioned enough to hang meat and Karaoke’d enough to bleed from the ears all night. So sleeping is pretty much out of the question, but it gives you what Lao high-life is all about. We were fortunate to soak up an extra 6 hours of full volume androgynous lao music while a huge chunk of the mountain was being pulled off the road.
We show up in Luang Probang dragging some serious ass, but fortunately we find a tuktuk to pour into that takes us straight to the doorstep of a guesthouse. It always feels like being an orphan dropped off on stranger’s doorstep, and I know we look the part. Jordan is still all kinds of sick, so most of my day was spent taking trips to the saddest pharmacy ever and the local pancake nook with Jordan totally cheating on me with The Shawshank Redemption in our room. (I’m still a little wounded, that movie NEVER comes on in Laos.)
After a couple days of the same, cheap food, antibiotics and HBO, we book our two day slowboat up to Huay Xai. Although the trip is gorgeous the title isn’t kidding about the slow part, it took us 10 hours to get up to the next town. I mean come on, it’s like an inch away on the map. It turned out to be just a lot of getting rained on through the 3 foot wide cloth flap that is supplied for your barrier from the elements and 10 later we’re in Pakbeng. The next day god decided to supply us with Jay and Sam, two canooks that have enough Bacon/zombie movie/ New Findland/ Thai prostitute stories to keep us thoroughly entertained. Jordan and I fully abscond with them as friends, forcefully made them Drink Laolao(rice whiskey) with us and exchange silly stories ‘til the wee morning hours(like 10:00).
After this we just kind of mill around Huay Xai until Our big Gibbon Experience day comes about.
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