Day 161 – Luang Prabang to Phonsavan
The spew trail
Today we were able to enjoy an amazing breakfast at Downtown Backpackers Hostel 2. We then were picked up by a van, which continued to pick up a few more tourists. We were driven to the Southern Bus Stand. Here we were directed to another van, that was going to Phonsavan. There was some confusion with the seating but after a while we were on the road. The bus cost us 160,000 LAK / $25.98 AUD per person, which was booked yesterday.
Along the way, the van ride was comfortable. We stopped to pick up a Laotian who sounded and smelt drunk. He was sitting next to me, and started singing and making loud phone calls. Despite this, I fell asleep.
However, I was awoken to shouts of “STOP!” I honestly thought we ran someone over. It took me a while to realise that the drunk passenger had thrown up inside the van. He had tried to open the window, but it was locked, and then he had thrown up on the seat in front of him. Unfortunately, some spray was on me 🙁
Less than 5 minutes later, we stopped again at a designated stop. The van’s interior was wiped down. Here we met a guy who was covered from head to toe in a layer of thick dust. He was actually cycling from Luang Prabang to the capital Vientiane (~340km). He was hating life and I can imagine why. In short, don’t do what he did.
The same gentleman threw up another 2 times on the trip, due to the curving roads. Once we finally reached Phonsavan, we walked to Jennida Guesthouse and booked 2 nights of accommodation. It cost us 80,000 LAK / $12.99 AUD per night.
CRT TVs!!!
We checked out the MAG Visitor Centre on the main strip. MAG is an international organisation that helps clear unexploded bombs all around the globe. There are millions of theses in Laos, as it was heavily bombed by the USA during the Vietnam War, known as the Secret War in Laos. The story was quite similar to the situation in Cambodia.
After this, we found another 4 people, looking to do a tour of the Plain of Jars. We were able to get a very good price from a gentleman at a company called “Mini Van Station Company”. The price drops, as the group gets bigger so highly recommend making friends and shopping around.