Greetings from the capital of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Vientianne! No, I did not cycle up here Road Runner style. I had to fly out of Thailand to do, what is more commonly known to the local backpacker as: a ‘visa-run’. Given that I entered the Land of Smiles via land (train) I was given a 2 week visa, as opposed to the regular 30day visa acquired upon arrival by plane.
Leaving the bike and equipment in Bangkok, I boarded the flight to Vientianne a couple of days ago. Having heard a lot of things about Luang Prabang, a city located in the north of Loas, I had hoped to catch an overnight bus from Vientianne the same day. The bus station was my first port of call upon arrival, a dusty open square with a few dishevelled looking buses parked, and being loaded with motorcycles, caged ducks, mannequin torso’s, and huge sacks. Brief visions and memories of Boliva floated back to mind, rendering this space vaguely familiar.
After buying a ticket for the overnight bus, I tuk-tuked my way into town; discovering a small, cosy and tranquil capital…and a cluster of mouth watering patisserie’s! After treating myself to a Pain au chocolat et pistachio, I wondered along the Mekong riverfront- a wild, muddy and not tended-to waterfront- a scenery which was truly refreshing. Heading back to the bus station, just in time to board the bus; I overheard rumours of a bridge having collapsed that morning on the road to Luang Prabang…
Thinking nothing much of this news, the bus pulled out of the station. As we left the city behind us, beautiful lush scenery took over; the air cooled down (which stopped my skin from ‘peeling’ off the plastic seat everytime I moved); the sun shone its last golden rays before giving way to a beautifully star-lit sky. Once again, memories of nights spent star-gazing in South America drifted in. The bus pulled over about 2hrs into the journey for a pit stop; everyone hopped out and went about their business in the surrounding darkness. It took me a while to avoid bumping into people and finding my own quiet spot away from the headlights! Back on board and 10mins later, the bus pulled up again; this time behind a queue of trucks and buses… Indeed the bridge on the only road up to Luang Prabang had collapsed that morning, and all traffic was at a stand still!
It was understood that we were going to spend the night on the bus and wait until an alternative method of crossing the river was put into place for (rumours had it…) 8a.m. the following morning. Curious to see the damage, I walked alongside the frozen traffic; small, interspersed bars where a huge amount of beer Lao was being consumed; and was disappointed to discover a police barrage which obstructed the site. With nothing much else to do, and still nursing a bit of a rusty hangover from the previous night, I figured I may as well get some sleep.
No progress was sensed the following morning as rumours continued to state different times of re-opening, so I figured I may as well head back to Vientianne and make the most of getting to know the capital. With my bag in hand, I jumped ship and hitchhiked my way back into town where I’m now gently easing into the piping hot, capital’s way of life!
