Kunming is beautiful and I had a wonderful time there. I walked around all day, every day just visiting some sights, but mainly I was 'people-watching'. Oh yes, my favourite thing to do! Chinese come in all sizes and shapes and they decorate themselves in the most crazy outfits. The park is generally the best place to go and in Kunming it was no different. Chinese go to the park to dance and sing and play music, and the atmosphere is just so nice. Of course they asked me a few times to join in, but I'm a big enough attraction as it is that I have no desire to hit the spotlight even more. But they're so sweet about it and they all let me take pictures, amazing!
I ended up staying in Kunming a little longer than I planned, because I had some bank-trouble. But after two days it was all sorted and I was ready to go. Not before saying goodbye to my 'posse' though. Hahaa! Despite the large number of young people in my Hostel I spent all my time hanging out with these 3 older gentlemen. All between 47 and 60 and all VERY experienced travelers. I had such a good time and the stories they had to tell... mindblowing! And I felt pretty honoured that they enjoyed my company just as much as I enjoyed theirs! And who knows... one day our paths might cross again!
And then finally it was time to go to Laos. Against some people's advice I booked a nightbus going straight from Kunming to Luang Prabang, the largest city in the north. They told me it would take 24 hours but it was a 'good bus'. Sleeper, which means I would have a bed. So I arrived in the busstation and of course had no idea where to go. Everything was in two languages, but it was Chinese and Laon. Have you tried reading Laon? That's even harder! So where to go? Fortunately the police, yes again the police, was so friendly and they sat me down, asked information all over the place and finally braught me to the right bus. Most people were already waiting and it was a nice crowd of older Chinese men and women, smoking their cigarettes and metal pipes, eating (of course, Chinese are always eating) and they were so friendly. I bought food for the long busride, but no drinks. So they sent me back to a shop outside the station. They talked to a security officer so he would let me back in by skipping a second security-check. They made it so easy for me. Haha! :-D And then off we went. I got up really early that morning so I would be able to sleep on the bus and so I did. We left at 6:30 pm and after the first stop around 8:00 pm I fell asleep. A stop at midnight gave me the chance to go to the bathroom... well, bathroom... I wouldn't exactly call it that. Let's say 'gave me the chance to pee'.
;-)
And then I didn't wake up anymore till 7:30 am when we were right before the border. A last 'clean-up-stop', changing some money, getting your passports out and off we went. It all went very smooth. The Chinese side is just a stamp and there were no difficulties. And then in Laos, I was a bit scared that my application might take up a lot of time and that the others might have to wait for me. Well, no! My Visa was issued in 10 minutes, I got my stamp even before some of the other passangers and since I had nothing to declare, I was ready to go. But not the bus! Because apparently some people were bringing in stuff to sell and 'gifts' for family, so customs took their time to get it all sorted. About 3 to 4 hours to be exact! And there I was, in the burning sun, after already 14 hours on a bus, waiting, not knowing why! Luckily I was not the only foreigner on the bus, a Canadian guy had joined us too and so at least I had someone to talk to. Finally it was time and we went back on the bus, for about 10 minutes. Because the driver had to eat and so we all had to wait again. So was it NOW time to go? Yes, the bus continued for about... 20 minutes?! And then the bus stopped along the road, in the middle of nowhere, and the drivers... well, they were nowhere to be seen. What? It was so hot at this time, mid-day, that I was just not able to stay in the bus. And so everybody was standing on one side of the bus, the shady side to get a bit of freshness. After 1 hour and 20 minutes we decided to walk a bit further down the road to check out if we could buy some cool drinks and of course right at that time, the drivers came back. Quickly we bought something and hopped back on the bus, this time for the finish!
The roads in Laos are not bad for Asia, but they're pretty wobbely and we were driving through the mountains, so that means a lot of 'up and down', 'right to left'... and then all of a sudden a big bang! What?! The bus stopped immediately and some people went outside to check what happened. We first thought it was a flat tire, but after 5 minutes everybody got back on the bus and we just started driving again. Nothing special then, hey? Haha! Well, this is Asia. Three hours later we arrived in Odoumxai and after stopping at the busstation, they went straight to a garage. Yes, we DID have a flat tire. It was the inner back tire. Apparently the bus can hold it without this tire (then why does it have it?), but now they stopped to fix it. Again... waiting!
In the end the busride took 28,5 hours and we arrived in Luang Prabang at 10 pm. The Canadian had nothing booked and neither did I, so we shared a tuktuk to the centre. A lot of places were full and so we ended up walking a fair bit up and down, with our backpacks, and unlike in China it is REALLY hot here in Laos. Finally we bargained a room for 15 euro and when we entered, we couldn't believe it. It is beautiful! A wooden house, wooden floors, aircon, tv, a super-kingsize bed and a large single bed. Matthew was a real gentleman and offered me the big bed! Wow, this was well worth the money!
Now I'm still in Luang Prabang. Matthew moved on, but I'm still fully enjoying my super-kingsize bed and my super hot shower... It's so beautiful here and so relaxed that I can't seem to be bothered moving! I do the sights, one every day ( temples, caves, museums)... and then I do... "nothing", for the rest of the day. I go swimming in the lagoon or go to the pool of this really fancy hotel (that only costs me 2 euro), go for a massage or sit around in some cafe-backyard reading a book... In fact, I'm already late for meeting the 'girls'! Yep, there's three Australian women in my Guest House, all my age and all enjoying the slow pace of Luang Prabang just as much as me. So I have to go, we're meeting for drinks! ;-))
I ended up staying in Kunming a little longer than I planned, because I had some bank-trouble. But after two days it was all sorted and I was ready to go. Not before saying goodbye to my 'posse' though. Hahaa! Despite the large number of young people in my Hostel I spent all my time hanging out with these 3 older gentlemen. All between 47 and 60 and all VERY experienced travelers. I had such a good time and the stories they had to tell... mindblowing! And I felt pretty honoured that they enjoyed my company just as much as I enjoyed theirs! And who knows... one day our paths might cross again!
And then finally it was time to go to Laos. Against some people's advice I booked a nightbus going straight from Kunming to Luang Prabang, the largest city in the north. They told me it would take 24 hours but it was a 'good bus'. Sleeper, which means I would have a bed. So I arrived in the busstation and of course had no idea where to go. Everything was in two languages, but it was Chinese and Laon. Have you tried reading Laon? That's even harder! So where to go? Fortunately the police, yes again the police, was so friendly and they sat me down, asked information all over the place and finally braught me to the right bus. Most people were already waiting and it was a nice crowd of older Chinese men and women, smoking their cigarettes and metal pipes, eating (of course, Chinese are always eating) and they were so friendly. I bought food for the long busride, but no drinks. So they sent me back to a shop outside the station. They talked to a security officer so he would let me back in by skipping a second security-check. They made it so easy for me. Haha! :-D And then off we went. I got up really early that morning so I would be able to sleep on the bus and so I did. We left at 6:30 pm and after the first stop around 8:00 pm I fell asleep. A stop at midnight gave me the chance to go to the bathroom... well, bathroom... I wouldn't exactly call it that. Let's say 'gave me the chance to pee'.
;-)
And then I didn't wake up anymore till 7:30 am when we were right before the border. A last 'clean-up-stop', changing some money, getting your passports out and off we went. It all went very smooth. The Chinese side is just a stamp and there were no difficulties. And then in Laos, I was a bit scared that my application might take up a lot of time and that the others might have to wait for me. Well, no! My Visa was issued in 10 minutes, I got my stamp even before some of the other passangers and since I had nothing to declare, I was ready to go. But not the bus! Because apparently some people were bringing in stuff to sell and 'gifts' for family, so customs took their time to get it all sorted. About 3 to 4 hours to be exact! And there I was, in the burning sun, after already 14 hours on a bus, waiting, not knowing why! Luckily I was not the only foreigner on the bus, a Canadian guy had joined us too and so at least I had someone to talk to. Finally it was time and we went back on the bus, for about 10 minutes. Because the driver had to eat and so we all had to wait again. So was it NOW time to go? Yes, the bus continued for about... 20 minutes?! And then the bus stopped along the road, in the middle of nowhere, and the drivers... well, they were nowhere to be seen. What? It was so hot at this time, mid-day, that I was just not able to stay in the bus. And so everybody was standing on one side of the bus, the shady side to get a bit of freshness. After 1 hour and 20 minutes we decided to walk a bit further down the road to check out if we could buy some cool drinks and of course right at that time, the drivers came back. Quickly we bought something and hopped back on the bus, this time for the finish!
The roads in Laos are not bad for Asia, but they're pretty wobbely and we were driving through the mountains, so that means a lot of 'up and down', 'right to left'... and then all of a sudden a big bang! What?! The bus stopped immediately and some people went outside to check what happened. We first thought it was a flat tire, but after 5 minutes everybody got back on the bus and we just started driving again. Nothing special then, hey? Haha! Well, this is Asia. Three hours later we arrived in Odoumxai and after stopping at the busstation, they went straight to a garage. Yes, we DID have a flat tire. It was the inner back tire. Apparently the bus can hold it without this tire (then why does it have it?), but now they stopped to fix it. Again... waiting!
In the end the busride took 28,5 hours and we arrived in Luang Prabang at 10 pm. The Canadian had nothing booked and neither did I, so we shared a tuktuk to the centre. A lot of places were full and so we ended up walking a fair bit up and down, with our backpacks, and unlike in China it is REALLY hot here in Laos. Finally we bargained a room for 15 euro and when we entered, we couldn't believe it. It is beautiful! A wooden house, wooden floors, aircon, tv, a super-kingsize bed and a large single bed. Matthew was a real gentleman and offered me the big bed! Wow, this was well worth the money!
Now I'm still in Luang Prabang. Matthew moved on, but I'm still fully enjoying my super-kingsize bed and my super hot shower... It's so beautiful here and so relaxed that I can't seem to be bothered moving! I do the sights, one every day ( temples, caves, museums)... and then I do... "nothing", for the rest of the day. I go swimming in the lagoon or go to the pool of this really fancy hotel (that only costs me 2 euro), go for a massage or sit around in some cafe-backyard reading a book... In fact, I'm already late for meeting the 'girls'! Yep, there's three Australian women in my Guest House, all my age and all enjoying the slow pace of Luang Prabang just as much as me. So I have to go, we're meeting for drinks! ;-))
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