Vangvieng, Luang Prabang, Slow boat - Laos

Bright colorful lights, loud music coming from everywhere and overpowering each other, dirty streets, groups of young people going out in the evening and people trying to sell you a taxi ride. I had arrived back in civilization and was a little overwhelmed by all the impressions of Vangvieng. But I also enjoyed the benefits of the city with a flowing shower and a bed. I went to a river that originated from a mountain and could swim upstream through the dark cave passages. Armed with my headlamp, I swam through the darkness and tried to memorize the turns, while listening to the sound of water splashing and bats and cutting my limbs on the sharp rocks.

In the evening, I flew with a motor paraglider over the mountains and rivers of Vangvieng while the sun disappeared like a red fireball in the distance behind the mountains of Thailand, coloring the sky in a gentle orange tone. The vehicle looked like what I imagined people in the golden twenties would envision as the transportation of the future. It ultimately consisted of only a seat, a huge propeller behind the backrest, and a large paragliding canopy. The mountains, which were as sharp as the cave rocks, made it impossible to climb them. However, from above, you could see circular valleys in the mountains where vegetation developed and flourished completely isolated from human influence and land animals - simply a beautiful sight. After that, I met two French people who frequently overtook me on the motorcycle route and had a very funny dinner with them.

In the morning, the next activity awaited me, which I had been dreaming of since I was a child and was finally coming true. I watched the sunrise in probably the coolest vehicle that can be moved arbitrarily on only one axis, and that axis is not horizontal, but vertical. When the sound of the flames from the gas hose shot out to move the hot air balloon upwards, I got goosebumps all over my body. It is a vehicle that gives you so little control over its motion, probably like no other. During the day, we also went to several lagoons and floated in the lapis lazuli shimmering water until darkness brought us to the next bar. There, we played a bit of pool and met a really nice Belgian guy with whom I immediately knew that we were on the same wavelength and there was a mutual fascination and respect.

The next morning, I hitchhiked further north to Luang Prabang, which I had been dreaming of since I was a child and was finally coming true. I hitchhiked further north to Luang Prabang, and I was incredibly lucky because two older German gentlemen took me the entire way and we asked each other many questions throughout the day. I thought about the differences in traveling in the past compared to today. In Luang Prabang, the next morning, I met an Australian guy whom I briefly met during a climbing excursion but didn't really talk to. We quickly found out that we shared the same enthusiasm for sports and nutrition, both physically and mentally, and decided to spend the day together and visit a large waterfall complex. A 22-year-old Californian, Chris, asked if he could join us, and we also invited an Austrian traveler. I was actually convinced that I would spend this day alone and came to terms with it, but it turned out to be one of the most beautiful days of my six-month journey. We visited the stair-shaped waterfall, which was probably one of the most beautiful I had seen so far, swam there, and followed it to the main waterfall, which, together with the many small ones, created a scene that resembled the afterlife in heaven. After that, the plan was only to eat something small and maybe go to the night market later if we felt like it. However, we ended up talking for so long at the snack that after three hours we went straight to the night market, where we continued eating and talking, so in total, we had dinner for 7 hours and laughed as much as I had maybe never done before. I admired Chris for his career, his way of thinking, his attitudes, thoughts, self-assurance, and craziness. I saw myself in many philosophical thoughts in him and we shared such a similar worldview and joy that we felt like long-term friends during this one day. He had the funniest stories and experiences and no inhibitions in sharing them, just like all of us that evening. It was glorious! I hope to meet the go-go dancing physics student again when he moves to Europe for his doctoral thesis on electron accelerators in Switzerland.

In most countries I have been to now, the last days have usually been the most beautiful, and this is also true here. I left Laos on a slow boat, which would take me two days upstream on the Mekong River to the Thai border. Before I boarded the 30-meter-long canoe, I saw two friendly and good-looking backpackers who gave me a certain tingling in my stomach just by their presence. Since I knew that we would be trapped together on this boat for the next two days and there weren't many other people around, I gathered my courage and asked them if they wanted to play a round of 'Who am I?'. After the round, we got into a conversation that lasted for hours, where I mainly talked to the Canadian girl, Jess, and had to concentrate on the content of the conversation because I was blinded by her good looks, charisma, and lust for life. We spent the day on the boat, together with a newly graduated German gynecologist, playing games and talking about travel and our dreams and fears. In the evening, I actually wanted to sleep in my hammock at the stopover and go out to eat with the others, but Jess suggested that I sleep with them in the hostel since they had an extra bed. I didn't need to be told twice and settled in with them, then went for my obligatory jog. When I came back, her friend was already asleep, and we talked for a long time, trying to keep our laughter down so as not to wake her up. We realized that we were getting closer not only on a personal level but also physically. During dinner, we all talked about our best and worst kisses and laughed about the stories I told about people who seemed like they wanted to eat my face or the corn kernel that a starving pigeon aggressively tried to pick up. We concluded that there are simply people with whom you immediately notice whether you are on the same wavelength or not. Jess and I quickly realized that we were exactly on the same wavelength and slowly fell asleep around 2 a.m.

The second day was mainly about catching up on sleep on the boat, playing more games, sitting on the railing and enjoying the landscape, and feeding the chickens in the bow. I even got to steer the ship for twenty minutes, although the captain still gave me about 80% of the course. In the evening, we crossed the Thai border and were confronted with the largest and funniest language barrier and miscommunication I had experienced up until that point. Jess and I chatted again for a little longer and then lay down in a field to watch the stars, where we were lucky enough to see two shooting stars. After getting systemic itching from the insects, we headed towards bed.

Right now, I am sitting on the bus to Chiang Mai with the two of them and I would love to just look at Jess all the time and admire her appearance. We will probably spend the next three days together, and during the day, I have signed up for a Thai massage course. I am trying to find the balance between being infatuated and being in love, and I am simply excited to see what the coming days will bring. I am enjoying the tingling in my stomach, her presence, and somehow also the uncertainty that comes with it :)