Emma & Ben… Far From Home

4th – 7th April 2017

Our plans for Laos were thrown into disarray a week or so before we were due to arrive. Originally, we had intended to travel north from Chiang Mai by coach, crossing the border at Huay Xai, where we had hoped to complete the Gibbon Experience, a trekking and ziplining eco-tour that has achieved an almost legendary reputation amongst travellers. On the day we came to book the trip, a message was posted on the website saying that there had been a tragic accident the previous day (their first death since it opened in 1996) and all tours were suspended whilst an investigation took place. 

Emma had never really fancied it anyway, but we both quickly agreed that even if they started taking bookings again, we wouldn’t want to do the tour. Luckily, we hadn’t booked any accommodation or transport so we were free to change our plans. After some deliberation we decided to fly straight to Luang Prabang and skip the north-west part of Laos.

The weren’t many airlines that could fly us in to Luang Prabang, but the cheapest by far was Laos Airways. Despite being a company with something of a mixed reputation, we went with them. After we booked the ticket, we told a fellow traveller about our choice. Once he finished laughing, he recounted a tale he had heard about a hair-raising Lao Airways flight that finished with the passengers watching the pilot getting out and kissing the ground. However, although we were perhaps a little more apprehensive than normal for a flight, it went smoothly and the food was decent. 

Luang Prabang is a small town that has dozens of temples, French colonial era buildings, great bars, cafes and night markets. It has been a UNESCO protected World Heritage Site for around 20 years, and attracts a variety of traveller types. We really liked it; I actually think my mum would too.

On our first morning, we hired a tuk-tuk to take us to the Kuang Si Waterfall. On the way up to the waterfall, we passed the Bear Rescue Centre, which houses a number of Asiatic wild moon bears that have been rescued from poachers. The bears would normally end up transported to bile farms, where they would be caged before having needles routinely inserted into them in order to extract bile from their gall bladders, which is then sold for medicine in China. The bears that had been rescued had physical and psychological scars from their experiences, and we’re being kept in the sanctuary to give them a chance to live their lives in peace. 

Although animal welfare standards can vary greatly in Asia wildlife centres, the animals here were well looked after and the facilities decent, despite the fact they rely totally on donations from people passing through on the way to the waterfall. We gave a small amount of money and carried on to the waterfall.
The waterfall itself was quite beautiful. We climbed up to the top to check out the view before returning to the pools at the bottom and taking a dip in the turquoise waters. A kind way of describing our dip would be refreshing; really, it was just very cold.

We spent the afternoon exploring Luang Prabang, and in the evening went to see a show; it was a bit like a Lao version of Jackanory. There were two guys, a young guy, who would recount Lao folk tales in English. The other guy was very old (and looked like he could fall asleep at any moment). The old guy would occasionally play a rather strange instrument when prodded by the younger one. It sounds weird, but we both quite enjoyed it.

Our second full day in Luang Prabang began with a craft workshop. We went on a half day course at Ock Pop Tok, where silk garments are made by master weavers. 

We were shown the process from beginning to end; starting with the silkworms, before looking at how the dyes are made from natural substances and how the weavers use the looms to create their products. The course we choose to involved making the dyes and using them to make some souvenir scarves and placemats (neither of which would be very useful in Asia). 

Having made tie-dye t-shirts back in the late 90’s when they were all the rage, Em was familiar with the techniques used to create the patterns.

Before we left, we were invited to join the locals in a religious ceremony that was taking place ahead of the forthcoming Lao New Year. I don’t really know what was going on, but the ceremony seemed to involve blessing some bits of string that were in the middle of the room. These bits of string were then tied around the wrists of the congregation to bring them luck.

In the evening, we climbed up the aforementioned Mount Phu Si for a sunset. When we got there we found lots of other people had the same idea, and it was a bit cramped up on the hill. Although it would have been nicer if it was quiet, it’s hard to get annoyed with people who are just doing the same the thing as you and we still got some good photos.

The next day we got up early to be taken to Kasi, home of Uncle Tom’s Motorbike Tours. The reviews of this experience on Trip Advisor were incredible; I’d never seen anything like it. 177 reviews, all 5 star. Considering how pedantic people can be on the site, it seemed too good an opportunity to pass over.

Uncle Tom himself was something of an eccentric character. A Welshman with passing resemblance to Tom Jones, he is the kind of guy that has a joke ready for every occasion. And he bloody loved the fact he looked like Sir Tom. He fully embraced it; we found out after a while his real name was Steve but everyone calls him Tom, even his mum.

Tom had been riding bikes for years, and was an excellent teacher. He developed our understanding of the bikes up step by step, beginning with how the bike is operated, followed by turning corners and starting from a standing position. He always made sure we were comfortable with what we were doing and built our confidence steadily. 

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The first time we took the bikes on the road was quite a memorable experience; I really can see why people get hooked on it. The scenery was incredible; tall karst and rice paddies (what you imagine South East Asia to look like). Riding through the Laos villages, dodging cows and dogs, little kids would wave at us as we passed. 

In the evening we ate with a Lao family in the town. We had a few beers and Tom was good entertainment. He put on some tunes whilst we drank, including Tom Jones’ greatest hits (of course), Oasis and the Bee Gees. He also put on David Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’, singing along but changing every ‘Major Tom’ to ‘Uncle Tom’. 

“It still works with Uncle Tom!” he said. I wasn’t entirely sure. Encouraging us to sing along too, we were left with the choice of sitting in awkward silence whilst he belted it out or joining in. We chose the latter option, and sang our hearts out either him.

As the night passed people would drop in. Tom seemed to know everyone in the town. Being the only white man in the village afforded him something of a celebrity status. Later in the evening, some of the men from the family turned up on motorbikes and scooters (already drunk). They all seemed to like Tom, who would banter with them.

At the end of the night we said our goodbyes and Tom drove us back to our guest house which was just up the road.

The next day, we got to try ride the motorbikes off-road. Tom put me on his own bike (which confusingly had the gears the opposite way round to the bike I was on the previous day, but it was ok in the end) and got me to drive it through a river. It was hardly the Missisippi but I did enjoy it, and got very wet.

Overall, we really enjoyed the motorbike course, and it provided some of the most memorable experiences of our travels to date. Maybe I’ll become a real man a get one when I return to the UK… that’s if my wife will let me of course.
(Posted by Ben)