The Proper Attire

In other parts of the world, fashion trends come from the usual sources: celebrities, fashion magazines, film, and of course designers. Here in South East Asia the fashion trends are a lot less refined. Here your attire mainly has to do with where in Asia you were last. Which is why, as you meet up with your fellow backpacker on the trail, you can easily decipher exactly where these vagabonds have been, just by checking out their apparel.

After a while you look around and realize that everyone is essentially wearing the same outfits. It is a little reminiscent of high school. But instead of Ugg boots and Abercrombie and Fitch, the South East Asian uniform is the t-shirt. The cheesier and more touristy the better.

If you have been to Thailand you for sure own a "Beer Chang" or "Singha" t-shirt. If you have been to Indonesia you most likely have something that says "Bali" on it. If you are a traveler that has journeyed to Vietnam you pick up some type of top that has the Vietnamese flag on it, or says "Good Morning, Vietnam" after the American film about the Vietnam War. The list goes on and on.

Well, here in Laos there is one shirt that every self-respecting back packer cannot live with out. That is the singlet that says : "Tubing in the Vang Vieng, Laos". Everywhere you turn you see travelers of all shapes and sizes reping this t-shirt. It is the holy grail of travel tees in South East Asia. Therefore being the fashion plate that I am, I was on a mission to get this necessary garment.

Vang Vieng is a small town in the North-West of the country that draws in the backpacking scene because of its beautiful river the Nam Song. Here you rent a tube and flow from a high point on the river down to Vang Vieng, stopping periodically at the copious amounts of bars along the river banks. At these river side bars they have set up rope swings, zip-lines, a water slide and other water attractions for you to enjoy, and for you to watch others drunkenly make fools of themselves on.

We spent three days swimming and tubing, jumping off the rope swings, getting rowdy and having a grand old time. It is beautiful scenery down by the Nam Song river and Vang Vieng is a complete blast of a town. But most importantly I am no longer a social outcast at the hostels and guesthouses we arrive at, I have the ultimate cheesy t-shirt: "Tubing in the Vang Vieng", Laos. Making my mama proud.

Go speed racer!

the monk who put my mind at ease.









Getting to Luang Prabang was an unforgetable journey. In South East Asia the one thing you can always depend on is the unexpected. Adventure always creeps up on you when you least expect it. We had decided to take a boat to Lao from Thailand in order to enjoy the breath taking scenery on the Mekong River. When you go by boat to Laos you have two options: the speed boat or the slow boat. We bought a ticket in Thailand for the "speed boat" naively thinking that this was the more rational choice because you arrive in Luang Prabang in seven short hours opposed to the "slow boat" which takes two excruciating days. Now the term "speed boat" conjures up the blissful image of a small but sturdy ski boat that you take out on the river, or lake every summer. Rooz and I thought we were making a wise decision, believing that the "slow boat " was some kinda tourist trap for families and old people. How naive we were....




Here in Laos the "speed boat" is a wooden canoe with a Toyota motor haphazardly strapped to the back, that is filled to capacity with people, luggage and random animals (fish, muskrats, the usual) that the driver decides to transport for a fee down the river. When this "speed boat" pulled up Rooz joked "there is our boat!" chuckle, chuckle. Then the driver motioned us to get in. The blood drained from my face, "Oh freaking A, that is the speed boat!" We rode for seven hours in the blistering sun wearing old deteriorating life jackets and helmets (as if these safety precautions were supposed to ease our worry) bumping up and down on the hard wooden seats. Fifteen minutes into the ride, Rooz screams to me over the deafening motor, "This is why everyone takes the slow boat!" Live and learn. Our only consolation was that our boat had a Buddhist monk riding with us. The whole time I just kept saying, "the boat is not gonna flip over, there is a monk on board!" Seven hours later we arrived in Luang Prabang, my knees and shoulders looked like slabs of red meat thanks to the lack of shade and my throat was so dry from the wind I thought I was going to die. Still we had made it to Laos wiser and stronger, and more thankful to that Buddhist monk, for the comfort he provided, than he could ever know. Hello Laos, good bye speed boat.

Our second day in Luang Prabang (the cutest little city colonialism ever created) we hopped in a pick up truck taxi and headed to the luscious waterfalls twenty five km outside of the town. We swam in the turquoise water and got pelted by amazing waterfalls. We even jumped off rocks with monks, who are ubiquitous here, in serene Laos. It was so picture perfect, I had to keep pinching myself. Good times.