Homeward Bound

Well, today was sadly home time.

The video above was our moto ride back from Kuang Si Falls, one of the best places on the planet. This is the journey along the river front at Luang Prabang, where I spent many happy meanderings and shared a few beers with my backpacker buddies Jonas and Remy. Ruairí and Martine were right, it's a fabulous town, and I could easily have spent longer. In fact, Laos is possibly the friendlies, most incredible country I've ever seen. Certainly the hottest.

We went for a last meal, and a last drink, before turning in. We still had the bikes until 10am, so we got up early, headed for breakfast at a local café - where I also popped in to book my flight home - then took them for one last spin. Jonas & Remy needed to book their bus tickets north for the next morning, so we took the opportunity for one final escapade on the way back from the bus station.

We ended up at a small shrine in a secluded backstreet by the Mekong, which required a little off-roading.

(click to enlarge)

We just sat by the river, watching the boats go up and down and eating tamarind which I found on the ground. I really didn't want to get back on the bike, knowing it would be my final moto ride in Laos.

Got back to the hotel, finished packing and sat in Remy's room chatting until my tuk tuk pick-up at 11:30. It was really hard to leave. We'd only known each other a couple of days, but I'd had so much fun with these fabulous guys. They're so at home with meeting people and then parting company - the way of the nomad - but I wasn't quite ready. I was knackered, and sleep deprived, but I would gladly have followed them up country had time permitted. It's been the most fun I've had in ages.

Instead, I climbed aboard the tuk tuk and headed to Luang Prabang airport, where I sat in air conditioned comfort until take-off at 13:30. It had cost me around 270,000 kip (£20) and around 16 hours by bus to get there, yet it took less than an hour to fly home to Vientiane.

Luang Prabang Airport

The ticket was roughly £57 including the hotel pick-up. Considering I was looking at £600 just to see the Plain of Jars from Vientiane, I had managed to tour northern Laos on the back of Remy's motorbike, and get home again, for around £250, including meals, accommodation and extras. Probably a bit less than that.

When we landed in Vientiane I managed to find a tuk tuk driver in the car park and talk him down from 80,000 kip to 60,000 to drive me home. My years of bartering practise in Rwanda weren't wasted. He dropped me off right outside the gate, taking the Mekong River Road along which I cycle into town with Ruairí and Martine.

I arrived home on a major high to find M&R in bed, suffering a nasty stomach bug. Apparently they've been really ill whilst I've been away, but they're on the mend now. We had a lot of catching up to do. I told them all about my trip and the wonderful people I'd met, and they showed me pictures of the black scorpions that had appeared in their garden since the first rains arrived!

Hmm. Think we'll all be wearing shoes from now on.

Talking of rain, about an hour after I arrived, the heavens opened. The monsoon rains following me down from the north. It was deliciously cool in comparison to the intense heat when I left.

It has been a brilliant, mad and wonderful trip. So glad I went. There was a moment at the top of the waterfall at Kuang Si where I just stopped still and thought 'Wow! I'm in Laos.' 

Only a few days left now before I leave for Kenya. Lot of blogging to catch up on. 

Everything you need after an exhausting road trip.
Welcome home!