"Less is more"
Објављено: 16.03.2019
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Hello everybody!
I'm checking in again directly from Laos, although to be honest, my last days here have already begun. I wrote to you that my next destination was the Loop in Thakhek. But before we hopped on the scooters, we made a short visit to Vientiane, the capital, not because it's so beautiful there, but honestly just so the drive wouldn't be too long. We took care of a few organizational things there, like applying for my Vietnam visa. It was quite an exciting situation because 10 minutes before I asked the hostel owner how it works, he said, "It's not possible." I argued for a moment because I've heard that from many others as well, but somehow he managed to unsettle me. So for a moment, I thought that because of my scatterbrainedness, everything was going wrong again and I wouldn't be able to go to Vietnam. But after doing some research, it turned out luckily that he had absolutely no idea and I can simply apply for my electronic visa. So once again, I had palpitations for no reason and a few minutes later, I had my visa application finished. So in March, I'm off to Vietnam! The next day, we took a bus to Thakhek, which stopped every few meters for a good 7 hours and picked up even more people, completely overcrowded. The motto here is not "Less is more", but "More is more." Because when all the seats are full, they just put small plastic chairs in the aisle, so you always had someone to cuddle with, as the aisle is generally very narrow. Honestly, I find it really impressive how they manage to squeeze so many people into the bus every time. Or even into the tuk-tuks. So later, there were eight of us in a tuk-tuk that was actually only meant for four people, plus our eight backpacks (so we felt like 16 people), and the tuk-tuk could still drive!!! Really, while I was sitting there squeezed in (on half a butt cheek), I always thought that the tuk-tuk would just give up, but somehow they are real masters here! Now we had the task of becoming real masters at scooter riding because the Loop was coming up soon. In itself, it shouldn't be a big problem for us, but I was a bit nervous because it was my first time riding a semi-manual scooter. This means that I have to shift gears myself, but without having to use the clutch. The first attempts were also very funny because I had a hard time shifting smoothly, so I was always rocking my body quite a lot. Fortunately, no one was sitting on the back of the scooter, so at least I was only being shaken by myself. But after a while, I got the hang of it and now I understand why everyone raves about it. Because by shifting with my foot, I feel like a motorcycle rock chick. The whole time, I think that I'm riding a really big motorcycle - actually a bit ridiculous since I'm only on a semi-manual scooter. But it's only the feeling that counts! So in my head, I was a real motorcycle riding master with the most amazing tricks for the next three days (actually, that only refers to shifting up and starting in second gear). Okay, wow, I've already talked more about the scooter itself than about the actual Loop. I don't have so much to tell about the Loop in general because in the end, we just drove around and enjoyed the landscape around us. And it was simply fantastic and really "changed" the further and longer we drove. So we spent the first night in Thalang, which is right next to a lake with trees sticking out. There we could even enjoy the sunset directly on a boat. It was pretty dreamy. Our next stop on the second day was the Konglor Cave (but we stayed in Khoun Kham). But the way there was somehow longer than expected, so we took a short break in Khoun Kham for now to leave all our stuff in some accommodation. Then we set off again and had to drive another hour to the Konglor Cave. The road there was a mix of beautiful and damn exhausting because at times the roads really resembled dirt tracks. But what challenged me the most were the bridges made of simple wooden planks because I was always afraid of falling down. So we arrived a bit later than planned and even paid for the parking ticket, only to hear two minutes later at the main entrance that we wouldn't be allowed in anymore. Because after 4 pm, no one is allowed in anymore (because it takes so long to see everything). And we were there 10 minutes before 4, so we didn't really understand the problem. Until at some point, I realized that in Europe, of course, we can go in until exactly 4, but here in Laos, it's more like "around 4". While I was laughing again because it was so typical, Debora was really upset and caused some stress. I felt a bit uncomfortable because she was about to insult him and asked him 10 times in a row if we couldn't go in after all. I just told her that the more we ask, the less likely he will let us in. Finally, I told him that we had already paid for the parking ticket and he was even so kind as to transfer the ticket for another day. After everything Debora had said to him, that was really nice of him and he didn't have to do it. While Debora sat angrily on the bench, I couldn't help but grin because it was so absurd once again. I really drove for over an hour just to hear that we were too late. Wonderful! The sight must have been pretty great too. Two people sitting on the bench; one totally offended and annoyed, while the other was laughing like crazy. All in all, I tried to distract Debora a bit because in the end, it's "just" a cave and the journey was really beautiful. We took a little break there and finally drove back just in time for the cows' bedtime. Because yes, every 100 meters, we encountered a huge herd of cows on the road, so we had to be careful and pass by slowly honking the horn. One cow was so startled by my honking that it even jumped a bit and turned extremely slowly towards me, but with such an offended look that I couldn't stop laughing. The look was so wonderful. As if she wanted to convey to me, "Hey!!! People (cows) are trying to relax here!!" So the return trip was quite funny for me because every time, I had fun scaring the cows with my horn (I know, a bit mean of me). Scaring more cows means more fun. Unfortunately, no cow looked so outraged again, but I still had fun. On that evening, we were really exhausted because we had been riding the scooters for a total of 6 to 7 hours. So I was already falling asleep due to the cows' bedtime bells and quickly went to bed in the hostel. The next day, the "only" thing on the agenda was the return trip to Thakhek, which is quite long. Because in theory, we could drive in a roundabout way on the highway, but everyone advises against it because it's not particularly beautiful. So we just drove the whole way back, which means we didn't see anything new. Actually, we had a stretch of 216 km ahead of us, which doesn't sound like much. But because of the heat and the curves and whatnot, the 200 km took significantly longer than in Germany (which is somehow clear). And this return trip was really incredibly exhausting. So we took breaks here and there, which put us behind schedule and unfortunately, we had to drive the last hour in the dark. But thanks to that, we were lucky to see a beautiful sunset. Unfortunately, my visor was a bit dark, so I had to lift it up for the last hour, which meant that I got flies in my face every two seconds and had to hold my head up awkwardly because the visor could only be lifted halfway. Yeah, so we arrived in Thakhek at around 7 pm, exhausted and with a slight neck strain, and just threw ourselves into bed completely worn out. I hadn't been feeling well all day, but I thought it was just because of the exertion. But unfortunately, no. The sitting and everything was unbearable, and I didn't know why. Sitting was so painful in my tailbone (probably also from riding the scooter for the past three days) that I was really afraid of getting sciatica or something. Everything made me so restless inside, which normally doesn't bother me at all. So I found the Laotian music on the bus just terrible because for an hour, the same song played over and over again. And I can tell you that this music is really um... different. The singers sing and speak at the same time, with a completely wrong rhythm in the background, and all the songs always sound out of tune. I really wonder what they're singing about. Anyway, that was torture for me, even though it's actually not so bad. We eventually arrived in Pakse (and I was relieved to find out that I could get up without sciatica) and I was so tired and weak that I didn't hesitate to take a tuk-tuk with Debora. Luckily, my hostel was a dream for a backpacker because there was free water/bananas, the beds were huge, they even had two towels, two pillows, a huge fluffy blanket, and a curtain (which sounds funny somehow, describing this as the highest luxury here - because at home, it was always "normal"). I felt like I was in a hotel after all the other simple accommodations. The hostel owner was also just lovely and offered me tea first. And when I explained to her that I wasn't feeling well, she even carried my bag upstairs and filled up my water bottle. So I spent two whole days in bed with a fever. But thanks to Mom's secret remedies, it really was only two days. Maybe my body just needed a break because the past few weeks in Laos, we were always on the go, seeing things, or sitting on a bus or a scooter all day. Maybe it was all just a bit too much. So in Pakse, I didn't see much except for my super great bed and the next day, when I felt better, a waterfall. Pretty funny somehow: one day, I spend the whole day sleeping and feverish in bed, while the next day, I can happily splash around in a waterfall. Since I was sick for the two days before and didn't have a chance to let my clumsiness run free, my morning started again in a very special way as soon as I felt better. Because ladies and gentlemen, I really just completely fell on the Laotian sidewalk. Oh, I laughed so much. I just wanted to avoid a group of women and stepped so unfavorably on the sidewalk that I simply fell forward onto my stomach with my arms outstretched. Even my bottle flew away epically. Oh God, I even experienced an embarrassing situation in Pakse and completely embarrassed myself again. The best part was actually that I was lying on the ground and could only laugh while the Laotian women tried to ask me in English if everything was okay. I think they were more shocked than I was. Yeah, so I was already lying on the ground (actually freshly showered) in the dirt in the morning and once again, I had a new story for my travel diary and for you. My last stop was the 4000 Islands in the far south of Laos. I don't really have anything particularly special to report from there because for me, there wasn't much going on. You can't really do much there except live the day without stress and just take a break. I really needed this break (as my body also signaled to me by getting sick). It's really crazy because in the next few days, I'll be closing off Laos already and going to Vietnam. So far, Laos has really been my favorite country and it's very difficult to explain why. Because it's not like, for example, southern Thailand, where everything always looked like it does in catalogs. The pictures here in Laos are not super spectacular and always have a slight brown filter, but I'm still so fascinated by this country. Maybe precisely because it's not typical and "catalog-beautiful". It's so beautiful to me because everything is so authentic and simply natural. So you just have to get used to walking next to cows on the street most of the time or always be prepared for a fat pet pig to run in front of your scooter. The people are so warm-hearted, I haven't experienced that to this extent in all of Southeast Asia. A bus driver even stopped in the middle of the city just for us and let us out because it was shorter to walk to the hostel from there than from the official bus stop. Above all, they're incredibly interested. So I actually had a little small talk with the locals about all sorts of things every time, but not because they wanted money, but because they were genuinely interested. Wow, I'm so enthusiastic about Laos that I can only recommend everyone to travel here before it's too late and completely taken over by China.
You can tell: I'm raving quite a bit. However, I'm also really looking forward to Vietnam because everyone who has been there also raves about it. But my journey there will be a little adventure, and I'm really curious if everything will work out. Because I want to start in the north, in Hanoi, which means I have a longer bus ride ahead of me. First of all, I'll be on a 12-hour bus ride from Pakse back to Vientiane. And the next day, I have to take a 24-hour bus to Hanoi! So I'll be spending 1.5 days on the bus. Yippee!! You may wonder why I don't just fly, but the prices are really insanely expensive, and somehow, I'm also looking forward to such a long bus experience. Maybe I secretly adopted the Laotian motto because I'm a little Laos fan: More is more! Now, it's not long at all until I set foot on German soil again, and I'm really looking forward to being home. And at the same time, I'm enjoying everything here even more because I'm slowly realizing that I don't have much time left here. So my dear ones, the time is coming soon, and until then, don't forget the Laotian motto. Of course, most of the time, less is more, but sometimes, more is simply more. Feel loved!
I'm checking in again directly from Laos, although to be honest, my last days here have already begun. I wrote to you that my next destination was the Loop in Thakhek. But before we hopped on the scooters, we made a short visit to Vientiane, the capital, not because it's so beautiful there, but honestly just so the drive wouldn't be too long. We took care of a few organizational things there, like applying for my Vietnam visa. It was quite an exciting situation because 10 minutes before I asked the hostel owner how it works, he said, "It's not possible." I argued for a moment because I've heard that from many others as well, but somehow he managed to unsettle me. So for a moment, I thought that because of my scatterbrainedness, everything was going wrong again and I wouldn't be able to go to Vietnam. But after doing some research, it turned out luckily that he had absolutely no idea and I can simply apply for my electronic visa. So once again, I had palpitations for no reason and a few minutes later, I had my visa application finished. So in March, I'm off to Vietnam! The next day, we took a bus to Thakhek, which stopped every few meters for a good 7 hours and picked up even more people, completely overcrowded. The motto here is not "Less is more", but "More is more." Because when all the seats are full, they just put small plastic chairs in the aisle, so you always had someone to cuddle with, as the aisle is generally very narrow. Honestly, I find it really impressive how they manage to squeeze so many people into the bus every time. Or even into the tuk-tuks. So later, there were eight of us in a tuk-tuk that was actually only meant for four people, plus our eight backpacks (so we felt like 16 people), and the tuk-tuk could still drive!!! Really, while I was sitting there squeezed in (on half a butt cheek), I always thought that the tuk-tuk would just give up, but somehow they are real masters here! Now we had the task of becoming real masters at scooter riding because the Loop was coming up soon. In itself, it shouldn't be a big problem for us, but I was a bit nervous because it was my first time riding a semi-manual scooter. This means that I have to shift gears myself, but without having to use the clutch. The first attempts were also very funny because I had a hard time shifting smoothly, so I was always rocking my body quite a lot. Fortunately, no one was sitting on the back of the scooter, so at least I was only being shaken by myself. But after a while, I got the hang of it and now I understand why everyone raves about it. Because by shifting with my foot, I feel like a motorcycle rock chick. The whole time, I think that I'm riding a really big motorcycle - actually a bit ridiculous since I'm only on a semi-manual scooter. But it's only the feeling that counts! So in my head, I was a real motorcycle riding master with the most amazing tricks for the next three days (actually, that only refers to shifting up and starting in second gear). Okay, wow, I've already talked more about the scooter itself than about the actual Loop. I don't have so much to tell about the Loop in general because in the end, we just drove around and enjoyed the landscape around us. And it was simply fantastic and really "changed" the further and longer we drove. So we spent the first night in Thalang, which is right next to a lake with trees sticking out. There we could even enjoy the sunset directly on a boat. It was pretty dreamy. Our next stop on the second day was the Konglor Cave (but we stayed in Khoun Kham). But the way there was somehow longer than expected, so we took a short break in Khoun Kham for now to leave all our stuff in some accommodation. Then we set off again and had to drive another hour to the Konglor Cave. The road there was a mix of beautiful and damn exhausting because at times the roads really resembled dirt tracks. But what challenged me the most were the bridges made of simple wooden planks because I was always afraid of falling down. So we arrived a bit later than planned and even paid for the parking ticket, only to hear two minutes later at the main entrance that we wouldn't be allowed in anymore. Because after 4 pm, no one is allowed in anymore (because it takes so long to see everything). And we were there 10 minutes before 4, so we didn't really understand the problem. Until at some point, I realized that in Europe, of course, we can go in until exactly 4, but here in Laos, it's more like "around 4". While I was laughing again because it was so typical, Debora was really upset and caused some stress. I felt a bit uncomfortable because she was about to insult him and asked him 10 times in a row if we couldn't go in after all. I just told her that the more we ask, the less likely he will let us in. Finally, I told him that we had already paid for the parking ticket and he was even so kind as to transfer the ticket for another day. After everything Debora had said to him, that was really nice of him and he didn't have to do it. While Debora sat angrily on the bench, I couldn't help but grin because it was so absurd once again. I really drove for over an hour just to hear that we were too late. Wonderful! The sight must have been pretty great too. Two people sitting on the bench; one totally offended and annoyed, while the other was laughing like crazy. All in all, I tried to distract Debora a bit because in the end, it's "just" a cave and the journey was really beautiful. We took a little break there and finally drove back just in time for the cows' bedtime. Because yes, every 100 meters, we encountered a huge herd of cows on the road, so we had to be careful and pass by slowly honking the horn. One cow was so startled by my honking that it even jumped a bit and turned extremely slowly towards me, but with such an offended look that I couldn't stop laughing. The look was so wonderful. As if she wanted to convey to me, "Hey!!! People (cows) are trying to relax here!!" So the return trip was quite funny for me because every time, I had fun scaring the cows with my horn (I know, a bit mean of me). Scaring more cows means more fun. Unfortunately, no cow looked so outraged again, but I still had fun. On that evening, we were really exhausted because we had been riding the scooters for a total of 6 to 7 hours. So I was already falling asleep due to the cows' bedtime bells and quickly went to bed in the hostel. The next day, the "only" thing on the agenda was the return trip to Thakhek, which is quite long. Because in theory, we could drive in a roundabout way on the highway, but everyone advises against it because it's not particularly beautiful. So we just drove the whole way back, which means we didn't see anything new. Actually, we had a stretch of 216 km ahead of us, which doesn't sound like much. But because of the heat and the curves and whatnot, the 200 km took significantly longer than in Germany (which is somehow clear). And this return trip was really incredibly exhausting. So we took breaks here and there, which put us behind schedule and unfortunately, we had to drive the last hour in the dark. But thanks to that, we were lucky to see a beautiful sunset. Unfortunately, my visor was a bit dark, so I had to lift it up for the last hour, which meant that I got flies in my face every two seconds and had to hold my head up awkwardly because the visor could only be lifted halfway. Yeah, so we arrived in Thakhek at around 7 pm, exhausted and with a slight neck strain, and just threw ourselves into bed completely worn out. I hadn't been feeling well all day, but I thought it was just because of the exertion. But unfortunately, no. The sitting and everything was unbearable, and I didn't know why. Sitting was so painful in my tailbone (probably also from riding the scooter for the past three days) that I was really afraid of getting sciatica or something. Everything made me so restless inside, which normally doesn't bother me at all. So I found the Laotian music on the bus just terrible because for an hour, the same song played over and over again. And I can tell you that this music is really um... different. The singers sing and speak at the same time, with a completely wrong rhythm in the background, and all the songs always sound out of tune. I really wonder what they're singing about. Anyway, that was torture for me, even though it's actually not so bad. We eventually arrived in Pakse (and I was relieved to find out that I could get up without sciatica) and I was so tired and weak that I didn't hesitate to take a tuk-tuk with Debora. Luckily, my hostel was a dream for a backpacker because there was free water/bananas, the beds were huge, they even had two towels, two pillows, a huge fluffy blanket, and a curtain (which sounds funny somehow, describing this as the highest luxury here - because at home, it was always "normal"). I felt like I was in a hotel after all the other simple accommodations. The hostel owner was also just lovely and offered me tea first. And when I explained to her that I wasn't feeling well, she even carried my bag upstairs and filled up my water bottle. So I spent two whole days in bed with a fever. But thanks to Mom's secret remedies, it really was only two days. Maybe my body just needed a break because the past few weeks in Laos, we were always on the go, seeing things, or sitting on a bus or a scooter all day. Maybe it was all just a bit too much. So in Pakse, I didn't see much except for my super great bed and the next day, when I felt better, a waterfall. Pretty funny somehow: one day, I spend the whole day sleeping and feverish in bed, while the next day, I can happily splash around in a waterfall. Since I was sick for the two days before and didn't have a chance to let my clumsiness run free, my morning started again in a very special way as soon as I felt better. Because ladies and gentlemen, I really just completely fell on the Laotian sidewalk. Oh, I laughed so much. I just wanted to avoid a group of women and stepped so unfavorably on the sidewalk that I simply fell forward onto my stomach with my arms outstretched. Even my bottle flew away epically. Oh God, I even experienced an embarrassing situation in Pakse and completely embarrassed myself again. The best part was actually that I was lying on the ground and could only laugh while the Laotian women tried to ask me in English if everything was okay. I think they were more shocked than I was. Yeah, so I was already lying on the ground (actually freshly showered) in the dirt in the morning and once again, I had a new story for my travel diary and for you. My last stop was the 4000 Islands in the far south of Laos. I don't really have anything particularly special to report from there because for me, there wasn't much going on. You can't really do much there except live the day without stress and just take a break. I really needed this break (as my body also signaled to me by getting sick). It's really crazy because in the next few days, I'll be closing off Laos already and going to Vietnam. So far, Laos has really been my favorite country and it's very difficult to explain why. Because it's not like, for example, southern Thailand, where everything always looked like it does in catalogs. The pictures here in Laos are not super spectacular and always have a slight brown filter, but I'm still so fascinated by this country. Maybe precisely because it's not typical and "catalog-beautiful". It's so beautiful to me because everything is so authentic and simply natural. So you just have to get used to walking next to cows on the street most of the time or always be prepared for a fat pet pig to run in front of your scooter. The people are so warm-hearted, I haven't experienced that to this extent in all of Southeast Asia. A bus driver even stopped in the middle of the city just for us and let us out because it was shorter to walk to the hostel from there than from the official bus stop. Above all, they're incredibly interested. So I actually had a little small talk with the locals about all sorts of things every time, but not because they wanted money, but because they were genuinely interested. Wow, I'm so enthusiastic about Laos that I can only recommend everyone to travel here before it's too late and completely taken over by China.
You can tell: I'm raving quite a bit. However, I'm also really looking forward to Vietnam because everyone who has been there also raves about it. But my journey there will be a little adventure, and I'm really curious if everything will work out. Because I want to start in the north, in Hanoi, which means I have a longer bus ride ahead of me. First of all, I'll be on a 12-hour bus ride from Pakse back to Vientiane. And the next day, I have to take a 24-hour bus to Hanoi! So I'll be spending 1.5 days on the bus. Yippee!! You may wonder why I don't just fly, but the prices are really insanely expensive, and somehow, I'm also looking forward to such a long bus experience. Maybe I secretly adopted the Laotian motto because I'm a little Laos fan: More is more! Now, it's not long at all until I set foot on German soil again, and I'm really looking forward to being home. And at the same time, I'm enjoying everything here even more because I'm slowly realizing that I don't have much time left here. So my dear ones, the time is coming soon, and until then, don't forget the Laotian motto. Of course, most of the time, less is more, but sometimes, more is simply more. Feel loved!
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