Photo Trip Report: Laos by Boat, Bike, Buggy and Balloon
Re: Photo Trip Report: Laos by Boat, Bike, Buggy and Balloon
The next day would be a down day to catch up with a bit of work and get some laundry done. A morning shower cleared the air a little and dissipated some of the dust that literally got into everywhere. A cave complex called ‘tum jang’ was within walking distance of our hotel so we checked that out after lunch.
More to follow ...
More to follow ...
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
Re: Photo Trip Report: Laos by Boat, Bike, Buggy and Balloon
I'm impressed with those pictures.
Re: Photo Trip Report: Laos by Boat, Bike, Buggy and Balloon
Cheers, the new DSLR and some post processing tweaks in Adobe Lightroom have done the job!
Mrs buksi had her heart set on the sunset hot air balloon trip which was not cheap at $90 per person. I didn’t have much of a choice so we booked it and would be picked up later that afternoon. We were driven to a field on the outskirts of town where a Chinese company ran the balloon operation. A team of 17 people busied themselves inflating the beast while the pilot, a Chinese version of Tom Cruise complete with mirrored aviators, sauntered out.
As soon as the balloon was up the four of us and five other passengers were rushed into the tiny basket while ‘Maverick’ squeezed the gas which put out so much heat I actually lost some hair. We were airborne and once the jets were turned off it was pretty surreal floating a few meters above the tree line and towards the town. Increasing in elevation to around 1100 meters the balloon floated over Vang Vieng offering some spectacular views of the valley and surrounding mountains at sunset. The Chinese dollies on board were more interested in their phones and makeup than the views.
More to follow ...
Mrs buksi had her heart set on the sunset hot air balloon trip which was not cheap at $90 per person. I didn’t have much of a choice so we booked it and would be picked up later that afternoon. We were driven to a field on the outskirts of town where a Chinese company ran the balloon operation. A team of 17 people busied themselves inflating the beast while the pilot, a Chinese version of Tom Cruise complete with mirrored aviators, sauntered out.
As soon as the balloon was up the four of us and five other passengers were rushed into the tiny basket while ‘Maverick’ squeezed the gas which put out so much heat I actually lost some hair. We were airborne and once the jets were turned off it was pretty surreal floating a few meters above the tree line and towards the town. Increasing in elevation to around 1100 meters the balloon floated over Vang Vieng offering some spectacular views of the valley and surrounding mountains at sunset. The Chinese dollies on board were more interested in their phones and makeup than the views.
More to follow ...
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
Re: Photo Trip Report: Laos by Boat, Bike, Buggy and Balloon
Jeeze, should think you could ill afford to lose that hair!!
Good pix BTW.
Good pix BTW.
Re: Photo Trip Report: Laos by Boat, Bike, Buggy and Balloon
Landing was interesting to say the least; the support team was spotted barreling down the main road in two minivans chasing our descending dirigible as Chom Chruze sought a suitable sized field. With a bump or two the basket hit the deck as the team scrambled to keep it from floating off again and less than an hour later the ride was over.
More to follow ...
More to follow ...
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
Re: Photo Trip Report: Laos by Boat, Bike, Buggy and Balloon
Wow!!! Love the footie pitch. Artificial, I presume.
Championship Plymouth Argyle 1 - 0 Hull City
Points 51; Position 21
Consolidated - Championship Next Season
Points 51; Position 21
Consolidated - Championship Next Season
Re: Photo Trip Report: Laos by Boat, Bike, Buggy and Balloon
We’d enjoyed the day in the buggies so much that we decided to rent a couple of dirt bikes and head back out into the valley. Bike rental is a little more expensive in Laos, but this is probably because they cost more to buy and the roads are worse! A KLX 150 cost 150,000 kip for the day (550 baht), we gassed up and headed west to a lookout point called Pha Ngern. The climb that followed was grueling to say the least but about an hour later we were rewarded with a stunning view. A further viewpoint involved another 400 meter climb but we democratically voted to head to blue lagoon 1 instead as it was 5 minutes ride away.
This lagoon is the busiest of the lot with Chinese buggy groups and bus loads crowding the place out so after a quick dip we headed to a local restaurant for lunch. From there it was back up the valley for some off-roading and to get some more photos as the sun started its afternoon descent before stopping at blue lagoon 2 again for a swim and cold beer. The roads and scenery reminded me of Burma and it was great being on a motorcycle again in rural countryside on empty tracks without lunatics in high powered pickup trucks trying to kill you every ten minutes!
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This lagoon is the busiest of the lot with Chinese buggy groups and bus loads crowding the place out so after a quick dip we headed to a local restaurant for lunch. From there it was back up the valley for some off-roading and to get some more photos as the sun started its afternoon descent before stopping at blue lagoon 2 again for a swim and cold beer. The roads and scenery reminded me of Burma and it was great being on a motorcycle again in rural countryside on empty tracks without lunatics in high powered pickup trucks trying to kill you every ten minutes!
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Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
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Re: Photo Trip Report: Laos by Boat, Bike, Buggy and Balloon
Does Mrs Buksida speak Lao, or was there enough Thai spoken to get by?
The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.
Re: Photo Trip Report: Laos by Boat, Bike, Buggy and Balloon
No, but I do! Where do you think the name 'buksida' comes from!
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
Re: Photo Trip Report: Laos by Boat, Bike, Buggy and Balloon
Since the tubing day was such an enjoyable one we decided to have another go for a last day in Vang Vieng. This time though it would be through a water cave which was one of the main attractions for the area. On the way we stopped at the ‘elephant cave’ which was one of the most underwhelming things I’ve seen so far. On to the cave then, with hundreds of Chinese tour groups it appeared. In what was more like a fluid conveyor belt we pulled ourselves into and through the semi submerged cave and were then ushered along the tour production line to a lunch spot by the river.
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More to follow ...
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
Re: Photo Trip Report: Laos by Boat, Bike, Buggy and Balloon
Our final night in Vang Vieng was spent at a riverside restaurant near an old wooden bridge that spans the river and attracts the selfie crowd. It was time to get on the road again.
To follow - Luang Prabang ...
To follow - Luang Prabang ...
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
Re: Photo Trip Report: Laos by Boat, Bike, Buggy and Balloon
I had my reservations about taking a minivan for the four hour journey north on hellish roads but there were few other options. Fortunately our driver was pretty good and took things at a safe pace which is extremely rare for an Asian minivan driver. The road snaked up into the mountains but the higher the elevation the thicker the haze appeared to be which was a shame as it obscured what would otherwise have been epic views. On arrival at Luang Prabang bus station we got stung for the first time on the trip and, as usual, it was a tuk tuk that overcharged us wanting 40k per person (almost 600 baht total) for the few kilometer hop to the hotel, naturally we told him where to go.
The first two things I noticed about Luang Prabang were the prices for pretty much everything were a fair bit higher here and most of the signage was in Chinese. In fact Chinese was spoken as much as Lao here which took away my linguistic advantage. It is the Phuket of Laos, consequently everyone is out for a buck and being a UNESCO World Heritage Centre it virtually gives anyone license to fleece the tourists. If Thailand is losing western tourists they’re all here, the place was packed though predominantly French. I first visited LP in the late ninety’s when it was a rustic little ex-colonial village with bicycles being the predominant method of transport. Today it is a sprawling town with a vibrant tourist center that still retains some of that old world charm.
We decided to rent some bikes to make getting around easier but even they were a sting, the highest price quoted was 140k LAK (550 baht) a day to rent an auto scooter. Added to that pain was the fact that most rental places were Chinese and they insisted on keeping your passport as a deposit citing the fact that motorbikes are so expensive in Laos. Managed to get a couple of underpowered Honda Waves for 80k (300 baht) per day and we’d use them to ride out to the waterfall the following day.
Kuang Si waterfall is about an hour’s ride west of Luang Prabang, the road is pretty good for most of the way. This is probably the area’s top attraction and as expected was very busy, mostly younger farangs though, many wearing virtually nothing irrespective of local cultural etiquette. Entrance was a mere 20k (70 baht) which is a fraction of what Thailand would charge to see something similar. The falls are spectacular to say the least, even in dry season, with several tiers dropping into turquoise limestone pools that were swimmable if you could brave the temperature. On the road back we stopped at a little riverside restaurant that we assumed was a local spot, it turned out to be on the tourist trail and was soon packed with farangs.
More to follow ...
The first two things I noticed about Luang Prabang were the prices for pretty much everything were a fair bit higher here and most of the signage was in Chinese. In fact Chinese was spoken as much as Lao here which took away my linguistic advantage. It is the Phuket of Laos, consequently everyone is out for a buck and being a UNESCO World Heritage Centre it virtually gives anyone license to fleece the tourists. If Thailand is losing western tourists they’re all here, the place was packed though predominantly French. I first visited LP in the late ninety’s when it was a rustic little ex-colonial village with bicycles being the predominant method of transport. Today it is a sprawling town with a vibrant tourist center that still retains some of that old world charm.
We decided to rent some bikes to make getting around easier but even they were a sting, the highest price quoted was 140k LAK (550 baht) a day to rent an auto scooter. Added to that pain was the fact that most rental places were Chinese and they insisted on keeping your passport as a deposit citing the fact that motorbikes are so expensive in Laos. Managed to get a couple of underpowered Honda Waves for 80k (300 baht) per day and we’d use them to ride out to the waterfall the following day.
Kuang Si waterfall is about an hour’s ride west of Luang Prabang, the road is pretty good for most of the way. This is probably the area’s top attraction and as expected was very busy, mostly younger farangs though, many wearing virtually nothing irrespective of local cultural etiquette. Entrance was a mere 20k (70 baht) which is a fraction of what Thailand would charge to see something similar. The falls are spectacular to say the least, even in dry season, with several tiers dropping into turquoise limestone pools that were swimmable if you could brave the temperature. On the road back we stopped at a little riverside restaurant that we assumed was a local spot, it turned out to be on the tourist trail and was soon packed with farangs.
More to follow ...
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
Re: Photo Trip Report: Laos by Boat, Bike, Buggy and Balloon
Some incredible "postcard" photos there! Are the falls part of the Mekong, or a tributary?Kuang Si waterfall...………...
May you be in heaven half an hour before the devil know`s you`re dead!
Re: Photo Trip Report: Laos by Boat, Bike, Buggy and Balloon
Yep, it all flows into the mighty Mekong, these falls are about 3km away from it.
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
Re: Photo Trip Report: Laos by Boat, Bike, Buggy and Balloon
The evening was spent wandering around Luang Prabang’s night market which the better half enjoyed way more than the boys and I did. No end of handicrafts, souvenirs, lacquer ware, textiles, trinkets and t-shirts were on sale. An 'each as much as you like' vegetarian buffet in the food market was rammed with backpackers getting their fill on the cheap. I was beginning to feel that two decade age gap. (Disclaimer - I've screwed up this batch of photos for leaving the white balance set to luminescence!)
More to follow ...
More to follow ...
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson