Then
we were off to the town of Vang Vieng via a mini bus. The one thing that was an obvious difference
between Thailand and Laos was the slow pace of life that exists in Laos. This was evident by the minivan ride from
Vientiane to Vang Vieng. The ride was
slow as it passed through small villages, around windy corners and up some
steep hills. The ride took 3.5 hours to
cover a distance of 150 km. We finally arrived
in Vang Vieng, a town made famous by “tubing”.
“Tubing” involves renting a tractor inner tube, getting a ride 5 km. out
of town and then riding the inner tube down the river back to town. The next morning we brought along a good map
of the town and surrounding area and went for a run through the town and into
the countryside. We were attempting to
get to a cave, but unfortunately the gate leading to the entrance was closed,
so we were not able to enter.
A stop on the run at the Song River
Our
journey then continued with roller coaster minivan rides that lead us to the
northern Laos city of Luang Prabang. In
this city we toured some of the numerous temples and monasteries, took in a
night market, walked around and of course went for a run. The
next day got up early and went for a run along the Mekong River and through the
town of Luang Prabang (which is a UNESCO world heritage site).
Mekong River
Luang Prabang Architecture
We
then returned to our guesthouse and prepared for another long day riding a
minivan to the town of Phonsaven, Laos.
We came to Phonsaven to visit the Plan of Jars, as our last stop in
Laos. The next morning we headed off to
Plain of Jars with a map in hand. We ran
8 km. to the Plain of Jars and walked around the Plain of Jars Site 1. One unnerving part of the trip was the fact
that we had to be careful where we walked because not all of the site had been
cleared of unexploded ordinance (UXO) from the Vietnam War. It was very evident that there was a war, as there
was a man-made cave that was used for hiding during the war, bomb craters and
some blown-up jars.
A rice field along the route to the Plain of Jars
Laos and Vietnam flags along the route to the Plain of Jars
Plain of Jars Site 1
After visiting the
site we headed back ruuning into town (with a stop for some banana energy at a
roadside stall). The next morning we
boarded a bus at 6:00 am. bound for Vinh, Vietnam, 12 hours later we
arrived! Then, we had to get another
overnight bus headed to Hanoi, Vietnam. When
we finally arrived in Hanoi, we were greeted to a metropolis jammed packed with
millions of scooters. It was amazing to
see all the things that the Vietnamese
people were able to carry on scooters. I
saw five people on one scooter; I also witnessed large plants, cartons or eggs,
televisions and fans being carried. We
spent the day visiting Ho Chih Minh Mausoleum and wondering around the old
city.
Ho Chih Minh Mausoleum
The next day was spent visiting some more sights in Hanoi including the Hoa Lo Prision, some temples including the impressive Temple of Liderature. I woke up early the next morning to go for a run around the old city and Hoan Kiem Lake. It was surprising how many people were up at 6:30 am. doing different exercises such as walking, running, bicycling, dancing, meditation, badminton, etc.
Hoan Kiem Lake
After
my run, we were off on a two day tour of
Halong Bay (one of the 7 natural wonders of the world). When we arrived at Halong Bay we were greeted
by an amazingly beautiful sight, even more so than the pictures that I had
seen. We departed the port at the city
of Halong and we were off on our clockwise loop of the bay. The day was spent visiting a cave, climbing
to the top of an island viewpoint, swimming in the cold water and
kayaking. The next day we visited a peal
farm and then headed back to the port.
Immediately when we got back to Hanoi we headed to the “open tour” bus
pick-up point and we were off on the overnight sleeper bus to Hue.
Halong Bay
After a long overnight bus ride we arrived in Hue, Vietnam. Hue is a city rich in history, as it was the imperial capital of the Nguyen Dinesty between 1802 and 1945. We walked around the old part of the city and visited some of the palaces. I thought that this would be a great place for the a sprint race as I walked around the palaces and gardens. Maybe the next stop on the Park World Tour? The next morning I went for a run around town with a simple city map. I ran through the market (seen in picture), continued along the Perfurm River, along the city moat past some temples and then back to my guesthouse. Then it was time for a very quick shower before boarding a bus for Hoi An, Vietnam.
Three hours later we arrived in Hoi An. We walked around the UNESCO World Heritage
Site old town stopping at some old houses, museums and shops along the
way. It was a short visit in the town,
as we boarded yet another overnight bus bound for Nua Trang.
We spent a day at the beach relaxing in Nua Trang and then
that night we took our fifth overnight bus of the trip headed to our final
destination- Ho Chich Minh City, also known as Saigon. When we arrived in the city we found a place
to stay and then immediately booked a tour to the Cu Chi Tunnels. The tunnels are located about 50 km. north of
Saigon and were used as hiding places for thousands of Vietnamese during the
Vietnam War. It was a very interesting
place to say the least and cool because you actually got to crawl in some of
the tunnels.
Tunnel
The
next day and the final day of our trip we spent more time exploring the old
part of Saigon. We did some shopping for
some last minute souvenirs. Then that
night it was time to fly back to the “big mango”…Bangkok.
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How are those tunnels for an orienteering map ;-)
ReplyDeleteGreat photos