Luang Prabang Part 1: The Background

Part One: The Background

#1: Why Luang Prabang?

There is no definite reason as to why, but let me give a glimpse to my situation: I only had a short break for travels and I also had a limited budget. So, this limits my areas for consideration to Southeast Asian countries of close proximity from Singapore.

I was initially inspired by this article detailing travels from Singapore to Korea by land and originally planned to follow this route (until Vietnam, not all the way to the North). Upon planning, however, I realised that it was going to be real rushed. I wouldn't want my holidays to be spent running here and there, chasing after buses and trains. My daily life is already full of timings and deadlines and this was supposed to be a break from all that. Also, it would burn a big hole in my wallet. But I already had this itch to cross land borders, so upon further research, I found out more about the Malaysia-Thailand border crossing and the Thailand-Laos border between Ubon Ratchattani and Pakse. And that was when Laos came into the  picture.

Laos, I know Laos. It is a landlocked country and a member of ASEAN. I know it has a capital city called Vientiane and I have watched Anthony Bourdain's visit to the mystical Plain of Jars on tv. And then, my know-it-all confidence dropped. I know nothing else about this northern neighbour. Who are the people? What is their language? How does their food taste like? And that was when I began to be almost obsessed about going to Laos. I researched on the different ways to get in, the culture, the tourist attractions... you know, normal touristy stuff. At this point, I had already narrowed my trip to a flight from Singapore to Ubon Ratchattani via Bangkok and crossing overland into Pakse. But then again, due to my limited time, this would only let me stay in Pakse for one measly night. The trip felt forced, rushed and not worth it. And then I came across an article on AirAsia's launch of their new route from Kuala Lumpur to Luang Prabang. It was the promotional opening fares, the schedules were to my advantage so I booked my secret solo trip instantaneously ! It was almost bought on impulse. And when I received my itinerary, I gave myself a pat on the back and was glad to have finally gotten some balls. And then I started to worry. (By the way, my parents have no idea until now)

#2: Trip details

I was in Laos for a very short period of time from the 23rd to the 25th of December 2016. I was on a budget and only had hand carry bags so nothing too heavy. It was a pretty light trip!

Initially,I wanted to be possessed by the spirit of spontaneity and adventure and knock from door to door of guesthouses in the city to find a place to stay but I ended up playing it safe and booking a guesthouse online. I figured that it would be a peak season and I wouldn't want to be homeless on my first solo (secret) adventure!

Stayed at Mekong Sunset Guesthouse. I made the booking via booking.com which is very convenient for those without credit cards (like me) as they have places like mine who reserve rooms and you make cash payment upfront when checking in!

I had a list of places to go to on my notebook and I had a rough itinerary of where to go on the day of my stay. But I kept reiterating to myself that it was a ROUGH plan. This was mainly for budgeting purposes and I wouldn't want to be stuck there not knowing what to do or where to go>> a waste of limited time! But my main must-go attraction that I HAD to go to no matter what or else I wouldn't forgive myself was Kuang Si waterfalls and am I glad I got that ticked off my list!

My messy scribbles on my to-visit options!

#3: Things I brought

I packed light. I didn't bring jeans, jackets or collared shirts. I wore a pair of shorts with a spare in my bag. And 3 shirts in total. Travel sized toiletries, band-aids, wet tissues, umbrella (totally useless during my stay). A bunch of chargers and adaptors and I rented a portable wifi egg that was my lifeline during my trip. A MUST HAVE. LIKE IT WAS REALLY A GIFT FROM GOD AND I FELT SO BLESSED TO HAVE IT.

Rented this portable wifi device from y5buddy and it was a life saver! Connection was good! Even on top of the Kuang Si waterfalls! And yes, very convenient for those without credit cards > they accept cash payment!

#4: Final words
It might seem like a reckless, obnoxious trip but it's nothing like that at all. I am passed the rebellious stage of my life and this trip kind of just happened on impulse.

So this marks the end of Part one! Cheers!