Ive been in Laos now for about ten days so,again, I have some catching up to do. On the 27th of June, I said my goodbyes to the Ratliff family in chiang mai and boarded a bus and headed to the thai-lao border. I spent the night in a crusty hotel and had dinner with my fellow bus passengers. We woke up the following morning and headed across the river into laos where we'd hectically get our passports stamped and begin our adventure into laos. After getting our laos visas we boarded the 90 passenger boat full of sweaty passengers. At this point, I was beginning to get nervous as I couldn't find a seat and I knew I'd be spending two days on this wooden boat with these people. After finally managing to squeeze in a seat, the boat took off and I began to question my decision to take a two day boat journey into Laos. It would have been much faster and easier to take the bus, but I wanted the slower, more scenic route. So here I was, on a boat, in the middle of the Mekong river in the heart of Southeast Asia. I had a book in hand and my earphones ready but soon realized that none of these would be useful. My boat was so full of fun, interesting people! I made friends so quickly on that boat and soon realized that we were going to be sticking together for a while.
We landed in a village 6 hours down the river called Pak Beng where we spent the night. As soon as I got there I strapped on my tennis shoes and went for a run with my new Irish friend Colm. We then met a group from the boat for dinner and as the town shut down early, so did we. I woke up early the next morning and boarded the boat yet again and prepared myself for another full day journey. Again, it was a blast. We laughed, shared stories, and got to know each other all the while peering our heads out towards the Mekong, passing by green mountains and hill tribe villages. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I realized how fun the journey is and how much we miss when we only focus on the outcome. This slow moving boat ride was moving steadily towards a destination but the ride, I will never forget.
We made it to beautiful Luang Prabang. I feel like the word "magical" is used way too much but it's the only word that comes to mind when describing this place. It simply is, magical. It has a charm and grace that is untouchable and indescribable. The night market is one of the best and yet it is so laid back. The night food buffets- oh lawd I could go on about them for days. We'd pay a dollar and get bounties of fresh veggies and spices cooked up over a fire. It was magic.
I love this town and I love laos. I also love the people I'm traveling with and this makes all the difference in the world. We have stuck together like family and I've laughed more in the last few days than I have in a long time!
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