Since arriving in Laos two weeks ago, Adam and I have been hard at work, seeing much of what is to be seen in this beautiful country known as the "land of a thousand elephants and the white parasol." We're only in the country for three weeks, so we've had an accelerated travel schedule, moving from town to town every couple days. Given Laos' lack of a well run transportation system, the process has been exhausting as most travel days start at 6:00 am with Adam and I arriving at something that resembles a bus station, and ending around 5:00 pm, when we finally arrive to our destination.
One particular journey that proved to be especially grueling occurred last week, when we decided to explore North-Eastern Laos on Route 7 which, although notorious for being a very tough trip, is one of the most beautiful and less frequented road trips in all of Laos. Our journey started in Luang Prabang, where we boarded a slow boat taxi to the river town of Nong Khiaw, and didn't end for another three days of busrides, with stops along the way. Those three days were a test of our patience....day-long boat rides are one thing, but sitting on the back of a pick up truck for two days in the freezing cold (and I mean cold! My feet were completely numb for an hour after disembarking one time) while sharing a seat with a 75 lb. rice sack, and even one time having to hike 7 km to get to the next village (yes, we were left abandoned on the side of the road) are a whole different story. Needless to say, we made it to our final destination on Route 7, Phonsavan, saw some incredibly beautiful mountain ranges and valleys along the way, and were provided with non-stop entertainment from our fellow passengers. Let me just say that people in Laos don't travel lightly, bringing what must be a good amount of their belongings on these journeys. In addition to large suitcases, we also found people boarding with giant rice sacks filled with rice and various mysterious objects (one even containing a crying puppy, which was too much to handle!), rifles and machetes, car engines, animals of all varieties, kitchens, crates of beer, and of course the occasional motorcycle. Regardless of how crowded these buses and trucks would get, there was always room to fit just one more person and their requisite packages in to the already crammed area.
We still have another week, and a number of additional bus trips, to go in Laos, so who knows what else we might end up seeing along the way.
