Laos, Mekong River - Vientiane - A part working/part holiday finding timber for Cariad.

View Our Video Stay At Our Home Back to Extra Bits Find All Our Sailing Adventure Stories View The Map	Laos, Mekong River - Vientiane Finding Timber For Cariad We visited Laos on a part work/part holiday basis as Mike was intending to find and inspect the timber needed for Cariad’s planking. We flew directly to Luang Prabang on the mighty Mekong River and proceeded to find the worst accommodation left in the place as the whole town was booked out for New Years Eve!
		The next day we found a nice place opposite the river and enjoyed a few days wandering around. Luang Prabang has distinctive French architecture and food but has plenty of local history as well. There is the magnificent Xieng Thong Wat that stands proudly by the river that was built here in 1560.
	From the river, huge steps lead up to this place and there are several other similar buildings in the compound including one that is lined from floor to ceiling with mosaic wonders and still houses the royal funeral carriage. You could almost imagine the lavish celebrations when the royals decided to step out for a day! All along the river people have their crops arranged in terraces yet you can see the flood lines so one would presume they have to rebuild them every year!
		The food was great as was BeerLao and we tried some coffee wine and local whiskey. They hold markets every night and the streets are full of beautiful materials and handcrafts of all sorts, one of the nicest markets we have seen through Asia. We took a river cruise and the cool early morning mist was beautiful.

	This river is the lifeblood of so many yet shamefully it seems healthier than our own Murray River in Australia. We caught a bus south to Vang Vieng through gorgeous steep hill country and spent one night and day there once again admiring the scenery then headed to Vientiane for the timber hunt for Cariad. The bus we booked was VIP but we were told it was now full! So we ended up on a local bus complete with armed guard, locals and livestock!
		Vang Vieng is situated on a tributary of the Mekong and is a delightful place to relax for a time by a cool, fresh mountain stream. Mike traveled with Des about 250 km’s south of Vientiane then he stayed himself and ventured further into the bush on foot with an armed guard.
	The timber he saw there was perfect but things as they are meant that Cariad saw none of it. No real explanations were given, but money deposited was lost yet an adventure was had including Mike seeing his first King Cobra!
		Vientiane is a typical busy Asian town and has a grand feature reminiscent of the Arc de Triomphe which was apparently built from cement from the US intended for a new airport! It is called “Victory Monument!” We returned to Thailand over the friendship bridge and were glad to have had the opportunity to get a small glimpse of Laos in our travels.
	Map of Laos and Vientiane
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