Laos - Day 6

Vang Vien - Luang Prabang




Up early to buy our tickets for the trip back to Luang Prabang, it was another longing glance across the beautiful surrounds we found ourselves among at our guesthouse. Just stunning.

On our way back from breakfast we saw a group of monks getting on a bus - it was Buddha's birthday, so there were many loading onto the mini bus.



Then it was time to head to catch ouir own bus. We all piled into the bus we were assigned and it was then that we saw the most incredible creature who we dubbed Sensei, a japanese or
korean guy with the most incredible chiselled features and rocking a hippie/funky style that had all of us girls staring incessantly. I'd seen him the night before, he'd been staying at our guesthouse.

We were hoping he caught our bus, but alas he didn't. But he provided much entertainment the entire trip back, especially when all the mini buses would stop off at restaurants and we'd Sensei spot.

We pretty much stopped at the same places on the way back, but this time I took some photos of the area, which was cool. It really is a brilliant bus ride - and so cheap. Less than $US 10. It's brilliant.











By the time we all reached the bus depot in Luang Prabang, Sensei must have "sensed" us all staring at him. And at one point broke out into a smile, and it had a little hint of being rather chuffed and embarrassed at the same time. Classic. We all swooned. Oh sensei, he caught all of our hearts. How we all hoped we'd run into him again in Luang Prabang.

The trip back was a lot quicker this time, so we arrived back in Luang Prabang. The guy from our guesthouse was haggling for takers at the bus depot, and he saw us straight away. He grabbed us a tuk tuk and in we piled - and he followed us back to the guesthouse.



Settled back into our guesthouse and went market shopping then had the most incredible Laotian dinner at a beautiful restaurant. Everything was just perfect.



A few gorgeous trinket sellers kept coming in and harassing us to buy something, and while we didn't want anything, the little laughs and jokes with the kids was fun.

It's strange, no matter where I've gone in SE Asia, the child sellers on the streets all pull the same kind of tricks, and talk to you with the same English/American twang in a sing song, sometimes whining, manner "why you not buy from meeeeeeee"... and when you tell them you've already bought the same thing their immediate response is "but you did not buy from meeeeee". It really makes you wonder how the same style and intonations has spread across Asia - Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Laos. They all obviously think it works. And it must for them to keep it up.

It does break your heart though, kids so young hustling on the streets when they should be in school or at home. But you know that the locals keep an eye out for them.

Returned to the Hive for some more drinks tonight. Once again it was pumping, and once again it shut at around 11pm. Oh well, met some cool Europeans and an Aussie girl, and at least we slept a bit so we were fresh for the next day! :)

It's amazing when you travel along the backpacker route - you see the same faces all the way. There were stax of people we met in Vang Vien. whether it was at a bar or on the river, that we saw in Luang Prabang. It makes meeting people very easy - and the vibe is always open and friendly, making it lots of fun.