Journey by boat to Luang Prabang: dos días con muy buena onda
A calm river flowing in between magnificently green mountains and valleys, only disturbed by a small wooden barge, slowly trotting down it. The little boat carrying about seventy excited travelers from all over the world as well as some local Laos people. I am one of those lucky few, enjoying these spectacular views and the company of some absolutely wonderful people from Spain and Argentina. I boarded the boat going from Huay Xai to Luang Prabang what now seems like ages ago but was really only one week ago. This one week was spent living life to the fullest with people who know how to enjoy good moments when they are presented to them.
The first people I met before even boarding the boat were two Argentinians, Federico and Santiago. Santiago was strumming his guitar while we were waiting to depart with Federico, happily singing along. I knew then that my trip wouldn't lack entertainment because of those two. Then we found out that our seats were together, a three person car seat just thrown in this rickety little boat. It turned out to be the best seats in the whole place . After a few hours into the trip I saw Rachel, who I briefly met when I was in Chiang Mai, she was from Mallorca. Although the trip itself was quite long, there was plenty of beautiful scenery to occupy you for hours and like I mentioned before; great company. After about ten hours on the boat, we arrived in Pak Beng, a tiny village right on the bank of Mae Kong river, with limited electricity supplies but the sweetest people. This was our stop for the night until getting back on the boat the following morning. Los Argentinos and I decided to look for a place together with a possibility of finding cheaper accommodation because of the higher number of people. Was soon as we stepped off the boat, we were all bombarded by the locals who wanted to get the most amount of people staying at their guesthouse. We chose one of them; a petite Lao woman with a bright smile, promising eyes and the best price. We were herded to a quite large house with white cement walls and red shingles about five minutes away from the pier. We got settled in a small double room and a mattress slapped right in between the two beds. We each had a bed, a fan overhead and a shower. Basics. After resting a bit from trotting around in the midday heat, the three musketeers headed out into town to find some food for dinner. Also to find the self-proclaimed 'the best and the only bar' in Pak Beng.
We had some delicious local food at a small restaurant right on the river. Since it was nighttime and raining, the view wasn't really there. As always, the food arrived at different times and the boys' food was there before mine and I didn't get mine until they were almost done with theirs. But the sweet Argentinos shared with poor little me while I was waiting so I didn't starve.
After dinner we took off up the road to find that elusive bar. On the way there we were offered marijuana and other drugs a few times by the locals and after refusing a few times, we ended up finding the other Spanish people who were on the boat with us. They were finishing their meals at another restaurant as well as enjoying some local flavor, Lao Lao, the very strong, clear, rice spirit made by the owners of the restaurant. After all the proper introductions with everyone, the Argentina boys and I were invited to sample the traditional spirit. Wow! It was strong and warmed up your belly right away. I actually prefer taking a shot of Lao Lao versus vodka. Lao Lao doesn't have the same bite, it's almost pleasant. And everyone who knows me knows that taking shots is not my favorite, I definitely prefer a mixed drink or a glass of wine. Some occasions though, Russian Standard comes in handy :)
So we were all having a great time at the restaurant, I was trying to understand all the different Spanish dialects at the table, which wasn't too easy. But nonetheless, the people seemed really nice so we all went on a team mission to find the best and only bar in Pak Beng. After walking about ten minutes in the direction away from the boat landing, we were directed down the street by a very petite and very pretty local girl, to where the bar was. Sara, the pretty young girl from Madrid, hopped on the motorcycle for a short ride to the bar with the local girl. When we all got there, it was remnant of partying in someone's living room and having some drinks while they played some music on YouTube. It was great though, we all laughed and danced after requesting songs that we wanted to hear. Being at that small living room bar was one of those moments when you feel like you step away from your physical self and float away to look at the moment in front of you, the moment around you. Those moments take your breath away and put a smile on your face when you remember them down the road.
By the time the bar was closing, we were all best friends and did not want to just go to sleep. So on the way back we tried to find some shops that were open to get some drinks but to disappointment, the whole town of Pak Beng was asleep. But luck was on our side when we walked up to the guesthouse where everyone else, besides the boys and I, were staying. There was a young local guy smoking a cigarette outside so we asked him if he knows of any places where we could buy some alcohol. He happily that his cousin lives right across the street and he has a shop. We all looked over to where he was pointing and all we saw was a dark building with a metal gate covering what looked like a shop. Before we had a chance to realize what was going on, the young man was crossing the street toward the dark house and calling someone on the phone. No one seemed to be picking up the phone so he started knocking on the metal window shutter and yelling something in Lao. We felt bad so we tried to tell him to not bother. But soon after he knocked, we heard some rattling sounds on the other side of the metal gate and couple seconds after, the gate opened shinning a bright light on all of us. The gates of heaven or maybe hell, the passageway to a complete oblivion by one dollar a bottle, Lion King Whisky. Needless to say, we got a couple bottles for the eight of us. After we all went to the porch of everyone else's guesthouse and just hung out there for a few hours. Good company, nice place and Whisky; a tried and true recipe for a great time. And it was a good time. Finally, at around 4am we called it a night and stumbled back to our guesthouse. We had a 9:30am departure for the boat, so a little bit of sleep was a smart idea.
Although the morning was filled with a headache, sleepy eyes and grumbly voices. When we got our things together, the guesthouse woman called us to come for breakfast. We were running a bit late but we made it to the boat. Although everyone was already on board, we made it just in time. The boat departed as soon as we stepped on it. Close call. We joined the rest of the Spanish people at the end of the boat and got comfortable for the second and the last day of our ten hour journey. Everyone was pretty tired and hungover from the celebrations the night before so there wasn't much chatter at first. However, after a couple hours of napping and lounging around, we were back to talking and singing, which was very common with the Españoles y Argentinos. I loved it!
There was also a local sixteen year old boy on the boat who was talking to Fernando, a vibrantly happy, friendly guy from Madrid. I ended up joining their conversation for a bit because I was curious to hear the local boy's English. It was quite good! After a few minutes of introductions I decided to step away from the conversation and read a bit of my newly acquired book, Shantaram. I swapped books with a lovely girl from Canada who I met in my guesthouse in Chiang Rai, Thailand. When I opened my book and was settling in to read, the local boy scooted over next to me and asked if I could read for him out loud because he wanted to know more English but he couldn't read it. So I began to read out loud, slowly, trying to pronounce the words very clearly for him to understand. Then we stopped every couple paragraphs and I asked him which parts he didn't understand so I could attempt to explain them to him. I really enjoyed it because I wanted to volunteer teaching English while in Thailand but that didn't work out. After about an hour, my mouth was so dry from reading out loud and also trying to overpower the sound of the boat engine with my own voice. I stopped for a break and from there, Fernando took over. I could relax now.
It rained on and off but it made the beautiful mountains we were surrounded with, look even more mysterious and majestic. The rest of the day was spent relaxing, chatting and getting to know our new bunch.
So Fernando from Spain and Mariana from Buenos Aires met while working at a fruit picking farm in New Zealand and from then on have been traveling together. The two are complete opposites but nonetheless make a lovely couple with a great vibe. Fernando, the type of person who can approach anyone and make them feel like they already know him. On the other hand, Mariana is beautiful, very put together city girl. Porteña, with specific ways of how she likes things yet still very friendly and kind. With Fernando's charisma and Mariana's classy appeal, they are truly a pleasure to be around. Then Miguel and Sara are both from Madrid and have been dating for eight years, I was actually there for their eighth year anniversary later on in the trip while in Viantiane. Those two are a pure joy to be around. Miguel, the seemingly composed, serious guy, who will say one thing out of nowhere and you will be laughing so hard you will cry. His sense of humor carried on with the four of us who headed South after the group split. And Sara, a beautiful, sweet, lively ball of fire and positive energy, is a perfect complement for Miguel. She spoke english very well, which was why i talked to her a bit more and got closer to. Individually as well as together, they are the type of people you envy but can't help but fall in love with! Then there is Raquel from Majorca, who I briefly met in Chiang Mai since we were in the same guesthouse and then saw on the boat at the beginning of the two day trip. A beautiful, charismatic yet reserved woman who has traveled the world many times and continues doing doing it, bringing superb energy with her anywhere she goes with dancing skills to match professional Flamenco and salsa dancers. Later on in the trip, Raquel and I end up being the last people to stick together out of the group and continue on traveling the same way down Laos. Last but not least, are my original buddies from the boat, Los Argentinos. Federico and Santiago, two good friends traveling Southeast Asia together. Que buena onda, as they would say, such great, charismatic guys! Santiago, a disarmingly charming, law student playing his guitar, singing and making people smile. His English was quite good so I would go to him for help when the Spanish being spoken around me would get to be too much. His views of the world and the rights and wrongs coincided with mine, so we had some nice discussions about life and such on the boat and on the rest of the journey. Federico, a hilariously sarcastic and wonderful teddy bear with a bright smile and a radiant soul. We got along right away from the moment we shared our triple portable car seat on the boat. He continued to brighten my days throughout the rest of our journey on the boat and on to Luang Prabang and Vang Vieng which was when our happy eight became a foursome heading south in Laos and the other four moving up to Vietnam. But that is part of another story and an end of the boat journey from Huay Xai to Luang Prabang. We were finally here!
The first people I met before even boarding the boat were two Argentinians, Federico and Santiago. Santiago was strumming his guitar while we were waiting to depart with Federico, happily singing along. I knew then that my trip wouldn't lack entertainment because of those two. Then we found out that our seats were together, a three person car seat just thrown in this rickety little boat. It turned out to be the best seats in the whole place . After a few hours into the trip I saw Rachel, who I briefly met when I was in Chiang Mai, she was from Mallorca. Although the trip itself was quite long, there was plenty of beautiful scenery to occupy you for hours and like I mentioned before; great company. After about ten hours on the boat, we arrived in Pak Beng, a tiny village right on the bank of Mae Kong river, with limited electricity supplies but the sweetest people. This was our stop for the night until getting back on the boat the following morning. Los Argentinos and I decided to look for a place together with a possibility of finding cheaper accommodation because of the higher number of people. Was soon as we stepped off the boat, we were all bombarded by the locals who wanted to get the most amount of people staying at their guesthouse. We chose one of them; a petite Lao woman with a bright smile, promising eyes and the best price. We were herded to a quite large house with white cement walls and red shingles about five minutes away from the pier. We got settled in a small double room and a mattress slapped right in between the two beds. We each had a bed, a fan overhead and a shower. Basics. After resting a bit from trotting around in the midday heat, the three musketeers headed out into town to find some food for dinner. Also to find the self-proclaimed 'the best and the only bar' in Pak Beng.
We had some delicious local food at a small restaurant right on the river. Since it was nighttime and raining, the view wasn't really there. As always, the food arrived at different times and the boys' food was there before mine and I didn't get mine until they were almost done with theirs. But the sweet Argentinos shared with poor little me while I was waiting so I didn't starve.
After dinner we took off up the road to find that elusive bar. On the way there we were offered marijuana and other drugs a few times by the locals and after refusing a few times, we ended up finding the other Spanish people who were on the boat with us. They were finishing their meals at another restaurant as well as enjoying some local flavor, Lao Lao, the very strong, clear, rice spirit made by the owners of the restaurant. After all the proper introductions with everyone, the Argentina boys and I were invited to sample the traditional spirit. Wow! It was strong and warmed up your belly right away. I actually prefer taking a shot of Lao Lao versus vodka. Lao Lao doesn't have the same bite, it's almost pleasant. And everyone who knows me knows that taking shots is not my favorite, I definitely prefer a mixed drink or a glass of wine. Some occasions though, Russian Standard comes in handy :)
So we were all having a great time at the restaurant, I was trying to understand all the different Spanish dialects at the table, which wasn't too easy. But nonetheless, the people seemed really nice so we all went on a team mission to find the best and only bar in Pak Beng. After walking about ten minutes in the direction away from the boat landing, we were directed down the street by a very petite and very pretty local girl, to where the bar was. Sara, the pretty young girl from Madrid, hopped on the motorcycle for a short ride to the bar with the local girl. When we all got there, it was remnant of partying in someone's living room and having some drinks while they played some music on YouTube. It was great though, we all laughed and danced after requesting songs that we wanted to hear. Being at that small living room bar was one of those moments when you feel like you step away from your physical self and float away to look at the moment in front of you, the moment around you. Those moments take your breath away and put a smile on your face when you remember them down the road.
By the time the bar was closing, we were all best friends and did not want to just go to sleep. So on the way back we tried to find some shops that were open to get some drinks but to disappointment, the whole town of Pak Beng was asleep. But luck was on our side when we walked up to the guesthouse where everyone else, besides the boys and I, were staying. There was a young local guy smoking a cigarette outside so we asked him if he knows of any places where we could buy some alcohol. He happily that his cousin lives right across the street and he has a shop. We all looked over to where he was pointing and all we saw was a dark building with a metal gate covering what looked like a shop. Before we had a chance to realize what was going on, the young man was crossing the street toward the dark house and calling someone on the phone. No one seemed to be picking up the phone so he started knocking on the metal window shutter and yelling something in Lao. We felt bad so we tried to tell him to not bother. But soon after he knocked, we heard some rattling sounds on the other side of the metal gate and couple seconds after, the gate opened shinning a bright light on all of us. The gates of heaven or maybe hell, the passageway to a complete oblivion by one dollar a bottle, Lion King Whisky. Needless to say, we got a couple bottles for the eight of us. After we all went to the porch of everyone else's guesthouse and just hung out there for a few hours. Good company, nice place and Whisky; a tried and true recipe for a great time. And it was a good time. Finally, at around 4am we called it a night and stumbled back to our guesthouse. We had a 9:30am departure for the boat, so a little bit of sleep was a smart idea.
Although the morning was filled with a headache, sleepy eyes and grumbly voices. When we got our things together, the guesthouse woman called us to come for breakfast. We were running a bit late but we made it to the boat. Although everyone was already on board, we made it just in time. The boat departed as soon as we stepped on it. Close call. We joined the rest of the Spanish people at the end of the boat and got comfortable for the second and the last day of our ten hour journey. Everyone was pretty tired and hungover from the celebrations the night before so there wasn't much chatter at first. However, after a couple hours of napping and lounging around, we were back to talking and singing, which was very common with the Españoles y Argentinos. I loved it!
There was also a local sixteen year old boy on the boat who was talking to Fernando, a vibrantly happy, friendly guy from Madrid. I ended up joining their conversation for a bit because I was curious to hear the local boy's English. It was quite good! After a few minutes of introductions I decided to step away from the conversation and read a bit of my newly acquired book, Shantaram. I swapped books with a lovely girl from Canada who I met in my guesthouse in Chiang Rai, Thailand. When I opened my book and was settling in to read, the local boy scooted over next to me and asked if I could read for him out loud because he wanted to know more English but he couldn't read it. So I began to read out loud, slowly, trying to pronounce the words very clearly for him to understand. Then we stopped every couple paragraphs and I asked him which parts he didn't understand so I could attempt to explain them to him. I really enjoyed it because I wanted to volunteer teaching English while in Thailand but that didn't work out. After about an hour, my mouth was so dry from reading out loud and also trying to overpower the sound of the boat engine with my own voice. I stopped for a break and from there, Fernando took over. I could relax now.
It rained on and off but it made the beautiful mountains we were surrounded with, look even more mysterious and majestic. The rest of the day was spent relaxing, chatting and getting to know our new bunch.
So Fernando from Spain and Mariana from Buenos Aires met while working at a fruit picking farm in New Zealand and from then on have been traveling together. The two are complete opposites but nonetheless make a lovely couple with a great vibe. Fernando, the type of person who can approach anyone and make them feel like they already know him. On the other hand, Mariana is beautiful, very put together city girl. Porteña, with specific ways of how she likes things yet still very friendly and kind. With Fernando's charisma and Mariana's classy appeal, they are truly a pleasure to be around. Then Miguel and Sara are both from Madrid and have been dating for eight years, I was actually there for their eighth year anniversary later on in the trip while in Viantiane. Those two are a pure joy to be around. Miguel, the seemingly composed, serious guy, who will say one thing out of nowhere and you will be laughing so hard you will cry. His sense of humor carried on with the four of us who headed South after the group split. And Sara, a beautiful, sweet, lively ball of fire and positive energy, is a perfect complement for Miguel. She spoke english very well, which was why i talked to her a bit more and got closer to. Individually as well as together, they are the type of people you envy but can't help but fall in love with! Then there is Raquel from Majorca, who I briefly met in Chiang Mai since we were in the same guesthouse and then saw on the boat at the beginning of the two day trip. A beautiful, charismatic yet reserved woman who has traveled the world many times and continues doing doing it, bringing superb energy with her anywhere she goes with dancing skills to match professional Flamenco and salsa dancers. Later on in the trip, Raquel and I end up being the last people to stick together out of the group and continue on traveling the same way down Laos. Last but not least, are my original buddies from the boat, Los Argentinos. Federico and Santiago, two good friends traveling Southeast Asia together. Que buena onda, as they would say, such great, charismatic guys! Santiago, a disarmingly charming, law student playing his guitar, singing and making people smile. His English was quite good so I would go to him for help when the Spanish being spoken around me would get to be too much. His views of the world and the rights and wrongs coincided with mine, so we had some nice discussions about life and such on the boat and on the rest of the journey. Federico, a hilariously sarcastic and wonderful teddy bear with a bright smile and a radiant soul. We got along right away from the moment we shared our triple portable car seat on the boat. He continued to brighten my days throughout the rest of our journey on the boat and on to Luang Prabang and Vang Vieng which was when our happy eight became a foursome heading south in Laos and the other four moving up to Vietnam. But that is part of another story and an end of the boat journey from Huay Xai to Luang Prabang. We were finally here!
Comments
Post a Comment