Day 1: Transit to the heart of darkness

The day started way too damn early, up before dawn. It finished with a good meal, fine company, some booze, and with an extra hour thanks to these time zone things.

The first leg, PER > SNG, was generally uneventful. L did the booking, so it was business class, but an older airplane so not super shiny and swish. Still, I could recline the seat, and got some okay food, but for business class I’ve certainly had more attentive staff. At Changi we had to get passport pics for our Laos visas on arrival, and tried to score some Changi $$$ but due to the Byzantine bureaucracy the computer said no, something about codesharing flights or other nonsense.

Then it was SNG > VTE, where business class equals a comfy chair and a solid meal. Still better than a not so comfy chair and regular airline food. On arrival we got shuffled into the transit lounge, via a quick screening (for what, who knows, given this took place right after getting off the plane). VTE has a dinky little transit lounge, reminded me a little of a primary school tuck shop where the food is all on one table and glad wrapped.

Then a very short VTE > LPQ, back on the same plane but not screened this time. Laos has some stunning scenery to be seen from the air, sharp mountains, deep valleys, just a crazy and beautiful landscape (aside from the haze hanging over everything right now). Luang Prabang is one of the prettiest terminals to see, a little pagoda and part of the walk to customs is along a balcony where there’s real air. TRAVELLER TIP: it’s pretty easy to get a visa on arrival, just an extra form, a passport pic, and a fist full of USD. If you have dual citizenship, it’s $5 cheaper to be AU/NZ ($31) than UK/USA ($36) (though only $21USD for Vietnamese citizens).

Luang Prabang is pretty, a little quiet, and quite laid back. There’s the usual SE Asian traffic chaos, scooters and vans and bicycles, but no one gets impatient (I am yet to hear a single/moped horn). The old city is crammed between two rivers, and is four long streets and a bunch of little perpendicular alleys and streets. The architecture is mixed — our hotel is vaguely colonial (though lacking the slow moving ceiling fan that’s a staple in all relevant movies). We had a wander through the night market, which can get a little crowded and a lot of the stalls appear to be selling all the same stuff. A visit to an ATM and I was a millionaire (the Laotian Kip is about 6300 to the AUD).

Dinner was right next door to our hotel, Bamboo something. Had some wonderful crispy fried local weeds with peanut and lemongrass, a rice paper roll version (with quite potent dried Laotian chillies), and a wonderful beef and noodles dish. All very tasty, and washed down with some LaoBeer dark lager, also pretty tasty. We got talking with the French couple at the next table, and got some good tips (and possibly shamed them for not missing French cheese). It finished with a couple of complementary shots of Lao “whisky”, a distilled fermented rice spirit that is subtly sweet and smooth.

So far, I like Laos.