Back in the Four Thousand Island town, I just picked a random place to buy a bus ticket to vang Vieng, another tourist place rumored with some beautiful hikes. It would be around the middle of Laos and would be quite the bus ride, but I was determined to get there. There were a ton of shops to choose from, all having the exact small boards of bus prices. I just picked one at random and bought the ticket. I was taxied by boat across the river then just dropped on the dock and told to go to a building that has an open gate.
I walked along the muddy roads as some people stared and some waved. I realized maybe instead of allowing myself to be shooed off I should’ve asked more questions. I always let that happen, assuming when people didn’t tell me more details that meant where I’m supposed to go is obvious. It really wasn’t.
I ended up at a place that had a large open gate, and some seating areas with a tin roof over it. I assumed it was this place but there was no one around so I had no way of knowing where to go. It truly is moments like these where I desperately wish I had someone with me. I sat for a while but as it got closer to the time I was told and no one was around I began to panic that I was in the wrong place.
Though I wished I wasn’t, I was on a strict schedule so I had time to make it to Bangkok and back home for the start of school. I didn’t want to have to walk the miles back to the shore to find another hotel for the night if I was in the wrong place for the bus and missed it.
I saw a tourist go by with a large hiking bag and watched him walk further down the road. That was when I really started worrying that I was in the wrong place. Hours went by and some people showed up at the stop. I was way past my ticket time and kept swiveling my head, unsure if I should leave or try further down the road. Just as night was beginning to appear, an old beat up bus came skidding into the lot. I assumed it was my bus as I showed my ticket and rushed on though. I watched my bag get stuck in a locked side compartment before I stepped foot on the stairs.
I was relieved to see it go in a locked side door rather than under the bus as I was always worried someone would grab it and take off with it, on one of the many stops the bus makes. There was nothing valuable in that one but I didn’t want to lose the souvenirs I had collected for my younger sister back home.
As soon as I walked on, I saw the two blonde women chilling in their beds. They waved and I shook my head at myself. If I had asked them, I could have saved so much stress, panic, and the constant questioning if I were in the right place for hours by hanging out with them at whatever bus stop they were picked up from.
I hopped up into my bunk bed, where the bus slowly filled and a nice older lady hopped up and laid next to me. As the bus started and began to take off, this older lady saw me using my phone. I was reading a book I downloaded earlier on wifi to get myself sleepy enough to fall asleep on the bumpy roads. She laid her head on my shoulder and watched my endless scrolling. Before long, we were both fast asleep, as I thought how comedic this was, cuddling with this old lady on a bus somewhere in Laos.
When we arrived at our first major stop, the girls were heading into that city while I would be continuing on. I climbed out after being waved to and grabbed my bags. Soon I was walked over to a minivan and pointed at to take a seat as I shoved my bags in the small space between my legs and waited. Soon the van filled up and I figured we would leave soon. That was when the problem arose. A Laotian man walked over to me saying pay to go to Vang Vieng. I shook my head and said no, I paid already. He would not let up. I had paid for the trip all the way to Vang Vieng but clearly that was fake as this man demanded more.
With limited English, and when I say limited, I mean basically three words and my inability to speak Laotian, we were at a stand still. I spent thirty minutes saying no as he repeated yes to me. I barely had any cash on me already and there was no atm nearby at all, though I’m pretty sure if I got out then he would just quickly leave me there alone. I had to cave after a while of stubbornness and pay the extra money begrudgingly just to get a move on. I had basically none left to make it to the town so I prayed nothing else like this would happen and was majorly annoyed at this point. I felt I was always getting ripped off in countries I took buses or any transportation that were not planes.
I finally made it to Vang Vieng, where I was dropped off on the side of a road. I guess I expected more of the town as a lot of people said to stop in this place. This seemed to be a major party scene as they had a rafting and drinking trip down the river. A small part of me was interested but not fully as I wasn’t a big drinker. I settled into a slightly gross hostel (gross due to the partying which meant lots of throw up, spilled drinks, and trash thrown about between cleanings). I met some people, found out a lot of people had sex in the showers and overall had no idea what to do with myself.
I briefly met the group of guys I was sharing the hostel room with when I moved in. They had just gotten back from the drinking rafting trip and were funny to talk to with their drunken ramblings. I returned to my room later in the evening to grab some clothes. Just as I opened the door, I had five pairs of eyes staring, unblinking, and completely frozen in the middle of whatever the heck they had been doing. Two bunk beds were upside down, the mattresses were removed and standing up, as if the walls of a fort. One guy had underwear tied to his head and another seemed to be caught in the frame of the upside down bed. I calmly walked over to my untouched bed, grabbed some clothing from my bag and walked back out. Just as I shut the door, I heard them all resume as cheers broke out and the unmistakable screech of dragging furniture could be heard.
A few people told me a jungle party was happening tonight so I signed up and got ready as it got darker. I found some dinner at a local restaurant where an adorable young girl attempted to be my server. I was given a menu that I read over and flipped to find what they called a “happy menu” which had three things on it: an omelet, happy pizza, and cocaine.
That was pretty crazy to me but I was able to get some real food and ended up tipping the little girl for fun, as well as giving her some stickers I had in my bag. I heard Laos was originally a massive party and drug scene but had been working hard to crack down on these cases. Sure enough, there was a sting that happened to a group of guys who were ordering cocaine and other things while I was at dinner and were all arrested, which they were able to get out of after paying a huge fine.
I went to the jungle party which was a little empty but still fun. We were in a small forest with music, fire torches, and drinks. We danced for a while before they brought out the fun stuff. A man did a few cool fire dancing moves before they lit up a jump rope. I jumped a few times and then they lit a ring on fire. It was all fun to jump through the burning ring that singed the small hairs on my arms and felt like it was melting your skin for the few minutes it took to get through. It was fun and games until someone who was way too drunk tried to run through and ended up crashing into it. They were burnt quite badly and at that point I decided, with a good amount of other people, it was time to head back.
The next day I wanted to go on a cool viewpoint hike I had seen a picture of. I had the name of it but I couldn’t find anyone to go with me that morning. Everyone was signed up for the drinking event and really wasn’t there to do anything else so I walked around the town looking for a driver. I found an old man who had set up the bed of his truck with these wooden beams from each corner making a square with them all connected. Then he hooked a hammock to the ends and was just swinging back and forth. He asked me if I was okay or lost and I explained I was looking for a ride to the hike. He was very kind and ended up giving me a ride there, even though I was alone, for a much cheaper price than any other person. It was a cool drive as he described where we were and different things about each area.
When we got to the hike, he told me to take my time as he climbed into his hammock once again. He swung as I made my way up the grueling steep, slippery, and muddy rock side. The top was breathtaking, after a couple left I was alone to enjoy the view of the green valley below. Directly between the dark and light green patches was this ridgeline that was a complete knife’s edge followed by the walls of the valley made of sharp inclines of pure rock.
For some reason someone had set up a motorcycle at the top. I climbed on and got a few pictures at the bizarre view of this motorcycle balanced on a few rocks. I stayed for a while, enjoying the peace, deeply breathing, and a small, bright orange butterfly landed directly on my muddied up legs. It stayed for the whole time I sat cross legged on the wooden viewing platform.
There are always moments of shock when traveling. I know my younger self would already be in awe of all I’ve seen and done, all I’ve accomplished and lived through. I want to cry as I look around me, halfway across the world from home and actually doing it. All the years of dreaming and reading of far off lands were here. I was there, I was in the stories I read so much about. Nothing but hope and love for myself filled me as I made my way down the mountain and further into Northern Laos.