My original plan had been to arrive in Luang Prabang at 6:00am, my favorite time to arrive as it would be early morning during daylight with plenty of time to wander around and find a place to sleep before the night.
Just like all of the other transportation in Laos, that was not quite true as I got dumped miles from the city center on the side of the road at 2:00am. Clearly this was the normal stop as there were a few men sitting in taxis on the side of the stop just sleeping. They sat up as the bus pulled in and luckily there was another foreigner getting off just then. We split a taxi, both a little unsure of where we were going but decided on the center of town.
I planned to stop and eat to get a little wifi and find a hostel, but that was out of the question at this time. Luckily this city had a much more calm and small town feel so I felt a little better being out at night alone. Once dropped off I walked in circles around the blocks trying to stay awake and figure out what to do. I eventually found what looked to be a small store during the day, with a picnic table to the side in the front. There was a bright light over the table and that made me feel better as I settled on the seat and laid my head down on my arms to rest. Unfortunately only an hour in, I heard people on motorbikes drive by. There were some men who stopped and asked if I was okay and all set. In a small panic I forced my voice to come out strong as I simply said I’m all set and waiting on a bus currently. My boyfriend forgot something at the hostel but was on his way back. I firmly said they could leave when they tried to sit down and they hopped on their bikes to go away.
Thoroughly shaken up at the prospect they would come back soon and realize I was lying, I immediately grabbed my stuff and made sure they were definitely gone before starting with a slight jog down the streets. I remembered a fancy looking hotel that had a security guard sitting out front in a booth. I quickly made my way there, zig zagging some streets to make sure no one was watching. It was there that I found I may be safer to actually blend in with the darkness. There was a super dark area by some steps to the side of the hotel but still quite close to the guard.
I quickly buried myself in the darkness, finding out that what scared me as a child became my best friend in that moment. My thought process was that I prayed the security guard would come if I screamed, thinking I was possibly a person staying at the hotel and therefore his responsibility. After a bit of waiting and laying curled with my bags I fell asleep.
It was a fitful sleep and my body seemed to sense the danger and stress I was feeling, as I woke up every thirty minutes to look at my surroundings to ensure I was safe. Every little noise woke me but that rising orange globe gave me a relief I’d never felt before. I was starting to understand what people meant when they said you only truly feel alive when you feel that you’re in life threatening danger.
That’s the thing though, who knows if those men truly were worried or if they had bad intentions. No one will know and I’m sure as heck glad I’ll never find out, but I tend to air towards the side of caution and wanted to get out of there. In my experience, nothing great happens after midnight.
My morning involved some kind restaurant owners helping me with the WiFi situation and a map to find a hostel, then wandering the charming town. It was such a beautiful and peaceful place with amazing night markets that I could have stayed much longer than I was able to.
I took a tour to these amazing waterfalls, meeting a guy who was traveling solo and was on the tour as well. We ran around and swam in the falls before finding a small path up the side of the largest waterfall there. We climbed and climbed until we reached a small pool at the top. There was one other group of guys also who risked the climb. We were at the top of the largest waterfall and swimming in this pool that went right up to the edge. My new friend and I had so much fun getting up to the edge and swimming around laughing and taking pictures on my phone.
Soon we had to leave the beauty and decided it would be so much fun to head to a bar, often something I don’t do alone. The bar was super cool with this jungle video playing in the background and cushions spread along the floor, allowing you to enjoy meeting other people instead of being isolated at separate tables. I had a fun night but it was my time to leave and head to Thailand the next day.