LAOS

Zelo zgodaj smo spakirali in se odpravili proti reki Mekong za preckanje meje.
No moje preckanje meje se je valda mal ZAKOMPLICIRALO... - SAM DA MI KEJ POLEPSA DAN, PA SM SRECNA!!!! :D...









Za vstop v Laos moras pridobit zig Tajske carine. Pri meni se je carinik malo zgubljal, ker je moral locevati zlepljene papirje.... Valda sem se mu na veliko opravicevala in mu objasnila, da je to posledica Songkran festivala-vodnega festivala. Dobim potni list, se vkrcamo v barcico in preckam mejo. Pridobim viso za Laos (to je blo se najbl easy) in se postavim v vrsto za zig za vstop v Laos. Valda.... spet se carinik ubada z zlepljenimi listi in me vprasa, ce imam mogoce se en potni list.... Ne me jugat. 'Sorry nimam, zakaj?' On meni, da ne najde Tajskega ziga... Valda uni Tajski stor mi je pozabu dat zig. In brez Tajskega ziga ne mores vstopit v Laos. Spet moram placat barcico v obe smeri in spet me cajt base (ladja, ki nas je popeljala proti centru Laosa je odplula v roku slabe ure). No sej v 'Loneliju' je pisalo, da preverimo, ce smo dobili zig pred vstopom v Laos...... 'sam ne... meni se to ne more zgodit'. Spet preckam reko, letim na Tajsko carino... uni me cudno gleda in res ugotovi, da je pozabu dat zig. Ti Tajci, vidjo belko s cucami, pa so ze zmedeni (hm, hm, hm... tajke skor da nimajo cuc) :D

In valda Tanja ne more bit tiho... dobim zig in potni list in preden grem, mu u stosu prjavim: 'Si mi dolzn pivo, ker sm mogla 2x placat barcico?!?' Preden preckam reko, se letim na WC. Vsi popotniki so ze na drugi strani. Jaz iz WC-ja in vidi ti tega Tajskega carinika - prileti za mano in mi turi 20 Bahtov v roke... in pravi: 'Tu imas za barcico' Ne mors verjet... sm se sam hecala, da mi je dolzn pivo (vsi se lahko kdaj zmotmo)... no pa sm mela placane pol poti.

LUANG PRABANG - CENTRALNI LAOS

Ze na Tajskem sem srecala dve Nemki, Evo in Aleks, in Americana Skee, s katerimi sem prezivela prvi teden Laosa. Po preckanju meje smo se vkrcali v barko, ki nas je popeljala po reki Mekong do zelo turisticnega mesta Luang Phrabang.

Just a few days before leaving Thailand I have met 2 German girls: Eva & Alex and American guy Skee. I have spent 10 wonderful days with them. After crosing the river to Laos we took a slow boat to the city Luang Prabang (center of Laos).

Ker je potovanje trajalo 2 dni, je bil vmesni postanek/nocitev v izjemno majhni vasici, kjer smo nasli sobo s pogledom na reko Mekong.

Because the trip as 2 days... so we stopped in mini village to stay over night. We found a room wiht a view over the Mekong river.

Ob 22.30 v vasi ostanejo brez elektrike, nismo se pustili pregnati v postelje in smo pozno v noc vztrajali ob zvezdah in svecah. Lastniki so nam pripravili nekaj domacih tradicionalnih jedi in ponudili tradicionalno pijaco - domace rizevo zganje - Lao Lao (pijaca znacilna za Laos). Jst recem SNOPC = SNOPC, pa ne glede na to kje ga pijes in iz cesa je. Vem, da se pivci snopca ne boste strinjali z mano... sam tok jst recem, vi pa ga kr pijte.
Nekateri so zakinkali in dejansko prespali kar na verandi.... drugi smo preganjali cas ob fotkanju s svecami.

The village has the electricity only between 18.00 and 22.30 in the night. But of course that did not bother us and the evening continued in the night with candels and night stars. The owners prepared us some traditional food and offered traditional drink - home made rice spirit - called Lao Lao. I say SNAPS = SNAPS - no matter where you drink it and of what is made. I know that most 'snaps lovers' disagree with me.... but that is what I think. Some of them fel asleep on the porch... the others spent time with taking photoes by the candels.

Po dveh dneh prispeli v Luang Phrabang. Mesto očara marsikaterega popotnika in turista, ponuja kar nekaj znamenitosti, predvsem pa je zanimiva arhitektura - majhne hiske v francoskem stilu... Ogledali smo si templja Wat Xieng Thong in Wat Wisunlat, slednji ponuja enkraten razgled nad mestom.

After 2 days we finally arrived in Luang Prabang. The city impresses every traveller and turist... Night market, architecture of the old citiy is interesting - small houses in french style.... there are some sights to see: the tempel Wat Xien Thong and Wat Wisunlat, the last one offers nice view over the city.

Seveda smo morali raziskati nocno zivljenje Laosa in po obisku nocnega kluba ugotovili, da so Laosani pravi zaspanci. Zurka se zakljucuje ze ob polnoci, ko smo mi sele zares zaceli zurat. Odvecno energijo smo porabili za fotkanje v mini taxiju t.i. TUK-TUK (bolje receno motorincku s kolibo zadaj).

Of course we needed to explore the night life in Laos.... after visiting the night club we found out that Lao pepole are 'asleep'. The party is ending at midnight, when we just started to party... The rest of the energy was spent for photo shooting in mini taxi - named TUK-TUK (better to say motorbike with hovel at the back).

Po 'naporni' noci smo se 'sestavljali' na čudovitih slapovih Kuang Si. Se bolj zanimivo je bilo pred odhodom nabiranje folka po mestu... namrec sofer 'tuk-tuk-a' ni hotel odriniti, dokler ni napolnil kolibice. Torej, da bi cimprej odrinili smo mu pomagali in se ob voznji po mestu drli: 'Tuk-tuk waterfalls, tuk-tuk waterfalls' in v manj kot 5 min nas je bila skupinica 12-ih ljudi pripravljeni na osvezitve!!! Na vrhu slapov je modrozelena laguna v kateri smo se ohladili, saj je vlažnost v zraku tukaj zelo visoka. Tudi Budisticni Monki so se prisli osvezit.... in presenetljivo.... niso se upirali pogovorom in fotkanju z nami. Prave face.

After 'hard' night we went to refresh ourselves in wonderfull Waterfalls Kuang SI. But before leaving, was interesting collecting people in the city... The 'tuk-tuk' driver didn't want to leave until he would fill his little hovel. So to leave as soon as possible we helped him and while driving through the city we screamed: 'Tuk-tuk waterfalls, tuk-tuk waterfalls'. In less than 5 min we were 12 pepole on tuk-tuk ready to go on waterfalls. At the toop there is blue-green lagoon where we take a refreshing bath. Also Budist Monks came for refreshement.... and surprising they did not mind talking and taking photoes with us.
 

VZHOD LAOSA/EAST OF LAOS

Na poti iz centralnega Laosa na vzhod sem spoznala simpaticno Lauro (principessa iz Italije) in Luisa iz Spanije - totalne face. Ta predel je precej hribovit, nenaseljen, kar je pomenilo, da tu skozi na vzhod Laosa pelje samo 1 avtobus/dan... torej sredi dneva smo nepredvideno koncali v vasici sredi hribov (bogu za hrbtom), kjer smo cakali na edini bus, ki je peljal tu skozi ob polnoci. Imeli smo ogromno casa da smo raziskali tradicionalno zivljenje odmaknjene vasice,....

On the way from central Laos to the East I met Laura (principessa) from Italy and Luis from Spain-fun people... This part is very mountainous and rural, which means that there is only one bus in a day that passes through. We ended in a small village waiting for the only bus until midnight... we had plenty of time to experience the traditonal life in rural village.....

...nic elektrike, kar pomeni lusenje riza na roke in susenje mesa na soncu (ni hladilnika),/no electricity, no fridge (pilling rice by hands, drying meat on sun)...

...ni ledu (sam topla coca-cola)... sola narejena iz bambusa,... /no ice (only warm Coke), school made of baboo without windows and with next 'thought'...










....je pa reka za osvezitev in pranje perila :) Vsi se kopajo vec ali manj obleceni... sploh pa deklice in zenske, torej bele europejke v kopalkah smo bile prava atrakcija otroke... so kr pozabli na reko in slaufe (fotka pove vse).
...and river for swimming and washing your clothes :) Everybody are dressed while bathing, especially girls and women... so white european girls in swiming suit was real attraction for kids... suddenly they forgot all the joy of the river and tubing (photo shows everything).











Po 12-ih urah voznje z busom smo koncno prispeli v neturisticno oddaljeno mesto - SAM NEUA. Naslednji dan smo obiskali sosednjo vasico Vieng Xai - vasico z 400 jamami, kjer je med Vietnamsko vojno 10 let operirala Laoska vojska in kjer so ziveli domacini. Lahko smo videli sobe, kuhinjo, gledalisko dvorano in kraterje okoli jam, ki so jih povzrocile bombe. Brrrr. After 12 hours of bus ride we finally arrived in very distant town without any turists - SAM NEUA. Next day we visited Vieng Xai - village with 400 caves where army headquarter operated and local pepole were leaving for 10 years while Vietnam's war. We could see rooms, kitchen, theater hall and bomb carters around the limestone hills with caves. Very impresive.










Ob povratku v centralni Laos smo se ustavili v mestu Phonsavan - mesto s skrivnostnimi kamnitimi posodami razlicne velikosti. Posode so vec kot 2000 let stare. Zakaj so jih uporabljali, bo najverjetneje za vedno ostala skrivnost, predvidevajo da so bile uporabljene za zbiranje vode.
On our way back to central Laos we stopped in Phonsavan - town with misterious places of jars around. The jars different sizes made of stone are more than 2000 years old. Why they were used will always remain the secret. It is supposed that they were used for collecting the water...










Tegale pajkca si pa le poblize poglejte.../You shall see this spider closer...

TUBING -VANG VIENG
'Juzno-evropsko' sopotnisko ekipo sem prepricala, da se ustavimo v mestu Vang Vieng.... nic posebnega, sploh pa ne v stilu Laosa, ampak 'tubing' - slauf party pa res ne smem zamudit. Takoj ko smo prispeli smo se nalozili v tuk-tuk z slaufi na strehi... odpeljali so nas 3 km navzgor proti reki in ze smo se frisali in pluli po reki nazaj proti mestu. Na poti je kar nekaj barckov, kjer lahko okrepcas zelodcke, malo zasportas, zapleses, v glavnem cel zur.... Bolj malo fotk - fotic zal ne zna plavat!!!!
I convinced 'South-europe team' to stop in town Vang Vieng... nothing special, especially nothing in Laos style, but I deffinetly can not miss 'tubing'. As soon as we arrived we jumped in tuk-tuk with tubes on the roof.... they took us 3 km towards the river and jump into refreshing river. On the way back there are some bars, where you can take some food, jump into the water with sliding down te rope, play some sport and dance on dance music... you can spend whole day on the river if you want to.


















VIENTIANE - GLAVNO MESTO LAOSA

Je ze bil cas da raziscemo glavno mesto Laosa - VIENTIANE. Vientiane se po videzu zelo razlikuje od ostalih glavnih mest po svetu. V njem ni stanovanjskih blokov, neboticnikov in ni plocnikov... ocarljivi pogledi na Mekong, sopek templjev, "avenije" ki se stikajo pri "koloseju" v stilu pariskega... eden najbolj odstekanih soping centrov (ponujajo vse mozne izdelke en cez druzga)... policaji na nujnih vožnjah na mopedu in s piscalkami v ustih namesto siren... razlicni lokalni nocni klubi in bordeli... Kljub vsemu, je Vientiene glavno mesto drzžave in tako se tudi obnasa ceprav malo bolj po laosko. V primerjavi z severom, je strom tu ves dan.

Time to explore the capital city - VIENTIAENE. Vientiane looks very differently then the other capital cities around the world. There are no block of flats, no skyscrapers an pavements, it is steady city without any texas. Comparing to the North of Laos, the electricity here is all day.

PHA THAT LUANG

Svetlikajoce-zlati tempelj - nacionani simbol, ki ga lahko opazis ze kilometer stran.

This shining golden temple is Laos’s national symbol.

PATUXAY - spomenik padlim v boju za neodvisnost republike proti Francozom... ponuja enkraten razgled nad mestom.

Monument dedicated to fought in war of independence against France.

WAT SI SAKET - najstarejsi in najvecji tempel v Vientiane, ki je ohranil prvotno obliko z ogromno kamnitimi kipci.

Vientiene's oldest large tempel surviving in its original shape with stone stupas.

BUDDHA PARK - zelo prijeten parkec s skrivnostnimi kipci budisticnih in hinduisticnih podob. Ogled parka in popoldanski cvek (bolje receno filozofiranje) z Lauro ob reki Mekong, je polepsal zvok dveh akusticnih kitar in bobnov iz restavracije.

Very nice park wiht misterious budist and hindu sculptures. The visit was even more pleasant because of The music of acustic guitars and drums from the restaurant by the Mekong river.

SOUTH LAOS - 4000 ISLANDS

Pocasi proti jugu... Savanakhet in Pakse... Iz mesta Pakse sem 3 dni z motorinom raziskovala bliznji nacinalni park Bolaven Plateau... in 'domorodce'.
Slowly towards south... Savanakhet and Pakse... From Pakse I went with motorbike for 3 days to explore nearest national park Bolaven Plateau and 'aborigines'.

Takole pa zraste kavica, ki jo vsako jutro radi srknemo... Laozani pripravijo odlicno kavo z mlekom... in seveda z ogromno ledu.

Coffee that we like to drink it every morning is planted like this.... In Laos you can get tasty cofee with milk.... and of course a lot of ice.

Tik pred preckanjem meje v Camobodio je se ena obvezna postojanka na reki Mekong - SI PHAN DON (4000 OTOKOV). Na 14 km siroki reki se prepletajo sipine, kanali, slapovi, ceri in otocki... Otocke polne rizevih polj okrasujejo palmova drevesa. Razigrani otroci v reki, pridelovalci riza, ribici in zenske, ki perejo perilo popestrijo popoldansko voznjo s kolesom po otocku. Je postojanka, kjer ni veliko za pocet, je pa zame bil najbolj relaxing plaz. Popotniki take plaze zelo hitro izvohamo, tako da je tu veliko poceni hostlov, restavracij in barckov za uzivat.

There is one more 'must place' before crossing the boarder to Cambodia - SI PHAN DON (4000 IRELANDS). Here the Mekong river fans out forming network of channels, rocks, sandbars and islets 14 km wide. The islets full of rice fields are decorated by palm trees. The round-island cycle through rice fields was diversified by kids playing in the river, farmers, fishermans and women that were wasing clother in the river. There is not a lot to do here, but for me was one of the most relaxing place in Laos. Of course backpackers find places like this very fast, so here are many chip guesthouses, restaurants and bars to enjoy.