Luang Prabang & the Mekong River

Our destination after Chiang Mai was Laos. We headed north on a bus for about seven hours (stopping to see the White Temple) to the border town of Chiang Khong on the Mekong River. We stayed in a nice hostel run by a very energetic Thai man. The next day his sister would help us get into Laos.

There was no bridge into Laos. We had to cross the border in this boat.

USD $35 and 45 minutes after landing in Laos, we had our visas processed and were ready to see more of SE Asia's least developed nation. Our next destination was Luang Prabang, Laos' second largest city with a long imperial history. To get there we took a slow boat down the Mekong River (a two day journey).

Four 'slow boats' docked on the Mekong. These boats are much faster than their name suggests.

The Mekong

I think we met more Americans on the boat to Luang Prabang than in Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore combined.

A Lao village on the Mekong

LUANG PRABANG

We arrived in LP in the evening, along with seven other slow boats (about 35 people per boat). Finding a hostel to stay the night took most of our energy.

Sunset behind a wat

Laos is a very traditional culture that has only recently become a tourist destination. This has created somewhat of a clash between traditional and tourist culture. In Luang Prabang there is a curfew enforced at midnight to ensure the buddhist monks will be well rested for receiving alms at 6 am.

A friendly reminder of the laws in Laos

Tourists, please refrain from blinding the monks by exposing your pasty white skin

Luang Prabang was a beautiful city. Modern Laos was created when the French merged three kingdoms, one of which had its imperial capital in Luang Prabang. During the colonial era, LP was an important city in French Indochina. Most of the architecture in the city reflects these two periods. No modern towers spoil the views in this city.

A Lao wat

Typical buildings in LP

A building in the national museum complex of Luang Prabang

Chiang Mai: Jungle Trek

While in Chiang Mai we signed up for a two day trek through the jungles outside the city. Our trek group had three Aussies, three English, and three Germans. As usual, we were the only Americans.

After a two hour tuk tuk ride out of the city, we stopped to have lunch (pad thai) and ride some elephants. Three to an elephant. Two on a platform on the back, one on the head. I was on the head. Here is a video.

After our elephant ride, we struck out on foot through the jungle. We hiked for about three hours, stopping only to slide down a waterfall on the way.

just like six flags

in the words of our british companions, the water was 'fresh'

At the end of our hike we arrived at a hilltop village where we stayed the night. The villagers were not Thai, but Lahu people. The Lahu were originally from Myanmar (Burma at the time), but fled to Thailand about 50 years ago to escape the country's unrest. They were not welcomed by Thailand as refugees, but rather had to hide in remote hills to avoid deportation by the Thai government. To subsist in the remote hills they turned to opium production. More recently the Thai government has worked with the Lahu to end their dependence on drug production. Today, tourism (jungle treks) makes up the majority of the Lahu's income.

Our hilltop home

A Lahu woman

sunset

dinner was amazing (and not pad thai!)

We were told sunrise would be at 5:30 am. I got up at 5:20. This picture was taken at 7:04 am.

After breakfast we began our hike back to Chiang Mai. We only made a few stops along the way.

Waterfall break

7 Eleven really is everywhere

Our hike ended at a river where rafts, helmets, and life jackets waited for us. White water rafting took us to the conclusion of our trek: lunch (pad thai).

the white water was fresh

Chiang Mai: Wats

We decided to take a plane from Phuket to Chiang Mai (a bus would have taken over 24 hours). The first thing I noticed when we arrived was that the prices in Chiang Mai are far lower than in Phuket. Also Chiang Mai caters more to backpackers than tourists.

Chiang Mai is the mountainous and forested north of Thailand. The city has a rich Buddhist heritage which is evident in the many wats (buddhist temples) that dot the city. There are over thirty wats within the city walls. 

OUR LOCAL WAT

Here are pictures of our neighborhood wat. Just a run of the mill temple, nothing spectacular here.

A side entrance of the wat

Buddha statues on the wat's alter

One of the many paintings on the walls

You cant have a wat without a few dragons

DOI SUTHEP WAT

The most impressive wat is the Doi Suthep Wat which sits on a hilltop overlooking the city. It is ranked by the lonely planet as the number one attraction in Thailand. Thus far I would agree.

The central tower in the wat complex

EVERYTHING here is gold

THE WHITE TEMPLE

When we left Chiang Mai for Laos, we stopped in neighboring Chiang Rai to see the White Temple. Construction of this wat began in 1997 and is slated to continue until 2070. Although it is far from complete, it was very impressive.

So white...bring your sunglasses

The bridge to the main building, but what's that under the bridge...

...oh, just countless hands reaching up at you, some holding heads...

Buddha

so white

more buddha

more...heads?

Phuket

To get from Penang to Phuket we took a 12 hour overnight bus. It was easy on the wallet but I would not recommend it. It is nearly impossible to sleep in a bus seat. The border crossing from Malaysia to Thailand was easy and fast. For Americans and most other western travelers, entering into Thailand by ground entitles you a free 15 day visa (30 days if you enter by air).

We arrived in Phuket's Patong Beach at 5 am, in time to see the sorry remains of the nighttime festivities. Phuket is among the top international party destinations. It's somewhat like Las Vegas with a beach and without the casinos (although there is plenty of gambling at the nightly Muay Thai boxing matches). The streets are filled with bars and nightclubs, however most of the action takes place on Bangla Road which closes to traffic every evening to accommodate a sea of party-goers.

A large night club at the intersection of Rat U Thit and Bangla roads

Typical night club on Bangla Rd

Ladyboys, Thailand's third gender

Bangla Rd during the day

The Tuk Tuk is the classic Thai mode of transportation. In Phuket they blast club music and have flashing colored lights in the cabin.

Our hostel was far from the action in a quieter part of Patong. We were a five minute walk from Patong Beach and a fifteen minute walk from Bangla Rd.

Our home for three nights

Our hostel was in the 'little Tel Aviv' neighborhood of Phuket. Why am I always living next to a Chabad house?

During the  day there are four activities that you can take part in at Patong Beach: eating, shopping, getting a massage, and beach-going. The shopping is very expensive and so is the food, however we managed to find cheap places serving great Thai food. Massage parlors are everywhere. A five minute walk down any street in Phuket and you will hear massaaagge??! at least a dozen times. You will also be asked to 'have a look, my friend' at every storefront and get several offers for 'a custom tailored armani suit' on the same five minute walk. The beach is no escape from annoying salespeople who walk up and down the beach looking for customers.

Hands down the best Pad Thai I've ever had

massaaagge??!

its that good

Tom Yam Pla Meuk, a spicy squid soup

my friend, have a look at my angry birds tee shirts

all drinks should come in pineapples...

...or coconuts

Thai seafood salad. I went a little too hard on the chili peppers.

Patong Beach

If you're coming to Thailand to see Thai culture, you wont find it in Phuket. The island of Phuket is a tropical city of tourists. Surprisingly we did not meet any Americans while in Phuket. Shopkeepers often guessed our nationality as we walked buy to lure us into their stores. Australian? German? Swedish? Almost never were we asked if we were American. Of the tourist population in Phuket, the overwhelming majority were Russians. So much so that many signs and pamphlets were exclusively in Russian (although English was still the langua franca).

That's not Thai...where are we again?

Little Moscow

Ask the waiter if you'd like to see a Thai menu

We ate at a Russian restaurant. I got the Okroshka. Cold soup worked well with the 90 degee weather.