Day 5- Bus trip from Luang Prabang to Vientiane

Today was a long 12 hour bus trip through the Laos mountians to the capital Vientiane. We took the time to get a few highlights from the group so far. Any students who missed out when the laptop battery ran out will be posting soon we promise.

The elephant rides were just awesome and probably one of the coolest things I’ve ever experienced, especially being asked to sit on the elephant’s neck for half of the ride to view the Laos highland scenery.

Sam Campbell

The endless road to Vientiane, 10 hour bus trip is just too much. But the views you see, the places you go make everything worthwhile.  Definitely opened my eyes, what they have is so little. We should be very grateful.  

Rheanna Lotter

The bus trip even though it has been fairly boring we have got to see a lot of the countryside, the huts, the different ways that the people live and the mountains have been gorgeous. The elephant rides were amazing and will be something that none of us will ever forget. The views from the elephants neck was incredible and it felt almost surreal.  The waterfall at Luang Prabang in Laos was gorgeous, the water was so blue and clear and even though it was a bit chilly it was still a great experience; as was the Mekong River cruise at sunset, the countries unique scenery made it that much more special. One of the funniest things to happen on the trip was when Mr. Cox got his shoe taken off his foot by a local to get repaired. I’m not going to lie I miss Australian food.

Sassie Economos

All i can say is the dreaded bus trip, although it has gone pretty quick because we’ve all been sleeping , we’re all so warn out from  all the activities and early morning starts, the elephant rides were really special some of us got to ride on the elephants necks, everything has been such a good experience so far, looking forward to the rest of the trip !

Maddison Feld

Basically all I can say is how amazing this trip has been so far, I’ve had such a good time and we’ve all had to take in so much but it has really opened our eyes and realised how lucky we truly are. Its incredible how well the people here do with what little they have and having the opportunity to come over here and see this makes me so grateful. The highlights for me would have to be the elephant rides, the waterfalls and the boat ride at sunset along the Mekong River.

Shannon Payne

On this trip we have ridden elephants, spent money, eaten strange things, gone to dinner with locals, almost been run over by many, MANY motorbikes, and all in all had a great time. We have discovered that planes and buses suck after spending more than four hours on them, but we have been saved from that by having good company around. This trip has been pretty  great but I wish teleportation had already been invented by now so that we didn’t have to do the whole plane/bus thing.

Kyla Allison

The most amazing thing I have experienced this trip so far would have been riding elephants, especially when the little man decided to hop off the neck and let me and then Sam take turns on the elephants neck. The most hilarious experience this trip so far would have been at a hotel when we had a spa bath and Gareth decided to have one, moments after it filled I heard screaming as he tried to turn on the spa jets and a black substance came out of the jets. He ended up catching the gunk and continued his bath, afterwards he forgot about and then attempted to dry himself with the gunk towel... more screams were heard. But this has been an all around amazing trip in general especially due to hilarious pole dancing tour guides.  

Kitty Orr

So  I’m pretty sure anyone would have done the same thing if they found black gunk in their bath.. apart from that small disaster, the trip has been fantastic. The culture is completely different over here and it makes such a change from ours. Definitely my favourite part of the trip would be the HUGE feast we had with Mr. Son. Mr. Son is a work colleague of Sophie’s dad and he took a bunch of us out to dinner in Vietnam. He took us to this amazing restaurant which was massive. He bought us every single food under the sun and we almost managed to eat everything. It was nice to be with him because it makes a change from the normal tourist activities we do. As much as i love all the places and things we have visited I love to submerge myself in the culture of places i visit and do more normal local things. Having said that, everything we have done is incredible, especially the Villages we trekked to in the middle of nowhere. Singthong is the greastest tour guide I have ever seen.

Gareth Mewes.

So far, the trip has been incredible.  Amazing scenery, great food, and awesome cities. We’ve experienced bustling downtown Hanoi, where hundreds of motorbikes fight for  their place on the road. Crossing these roads was certainly an experience in itself. We have seen the body of Ho Chi Minh, and the massive monuments to him. The huge feast in Hanoi  with Mr. Son was incredible, Sophie has some cool friends! After Vietnam we travelled to Luang Prabang, in Laos. Laos has definitely been my favourite country so far. We have rode Elephants, trekked to a lao mountain tribe, and shopped at the night markets (which are in the shadow of a massive buddist temple, which towers over Luang Prabang). Our lao tour guide is very funny,  the best guide ive ever had. So right now we’re on a 12 hour bus trip through the mountains of Laos.  It can be boring at times, but the incredible scenery helps to ease the boredom!

Daniel Hauptberger

 The trip so far has been an incredible experience. We spent our first night in the Vietnamese city of  Hanoi in the north of the country and spent our first day there touring the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the Hoa Lo Prison (Hanoi Hilton) and in the afternoon exploring the old district of the city. The next day we flew to Luang Prabang in Laos and went to see and swim at the Kuangsi Waterfalls. In the afternoon we climbed Mount Phousi in the centre of Luang Prabang before going to the the night markets on the main street. The day after that we went to the elephant park and rode elephants down the river and trekked to a local hill tribe village to get a glimpse of their way of life. That night we took a boat down the Mekong river and had dinner and watched a traditional dance before going to the night markets for one last time. This morning we gave offerings to the monks and embarked on a 12 hour bus trip to the countries capital city Vientiane.

  Jake Macdonald

The long plane trips and waits in airports have been entirely worth the amazing views and experience of the trip so far. The eight hour plane trip, and one hour transfer flight to Vietnam’s city of Hanoi, which was strung with fairylights upon arrival, left a lasting impression of the city. We toured the city, seeing the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum and gardens, as well as many other sites. From Hanoi to Laos was a short flight, and the weather was a great contrast from the cold city to the heat in Laos. We have visited temples, waterfalls, and rode elephants, gone on a “light” trek, gone to the night markets and given offerings to the local monks. We’re currently on a bus, ¾ of the way through the 12 hour bus trip.

Rosie Campbell

Most of us didn’t even realise it was Friday this morning – I’ve done more in five days, one of them spent in transport, than I have all Summer holidays back home. Between dodging traffic in Hanoi, visiting Ho Chi Minh, riding elephants – Hamung for Rosie and I, donating books to a village library for the children and haggling at the local markets, we’ve learnt a lot about the culture and even each other. We should arrive in Vientiane in three hours, 8:00 pm our time, midnight yours.

Sophie Williams

The trip so far... So far on this trip I have been enjoying every moment and taking every opportunity to do something new. Before coming on this trip I was expecting to just be visiting temple after temple and be bored 8 hours every day, now it’s become difficult for the teachers to send me to bed because I want to run back out to the night markets in Luang Prabang. Running through crazy traffic wearing my intense face has been exciting and also jumping on the back of an elephant and riding through a river thrilling but scary. I must say the long trips on buses and planes have been ordinary.

Mitchell Curley

Where to start... there have been so many great moments on this trip it’s hard to find a starting point. We first arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam. The traffic was so busy it was interesting to see their way of life. Hanoi was different and interesting but not my favourite place compared to Laung Prabang, Laos. The people are so friendly and the lifestyle is completely different from our own. Although everyone has so little they are all so happy  and are lucky because of the environment. Every morning people wake up and give offerings to the local monks, ride elephants as their job and do other amazing things like just live in a village away from everything and build houses and buildings from bamboo. I would love to come back and visit for sure, if anything this trip has inspired me to travel and experience the rest of the world.

Rachael Waine

Wholeheartedly I feel like I have been placed on an extreme sports adventure, or perhaps, not even sport so much as extreme everything! So far the damage includes being run over by criminals, getting caught in the traffic when walking, elephant racing, ridiculously high climbing, dangerous (not to mention long) bus adventures, being offered raw chicken  by silly Kabe, eating snails and being attacked by cats. Not to mention the more subtle experiences of ‘exhilirating’ showers, terrible coffee, and being forced to wear socks with sandals by a wonderful Vietnamese man.  Although, in saying so, every small or large experience I have gained on the trip has been just another factor contributing to my appreciation of this beautiful place. The lifestyle is amazing, the culture is incredible and everything has completely knocked me off my feet. I’m feeling more and more comfortable everyday and although I miss home, I don’t think I am ever going to be ready to leave.

Sophie Ellis

Houdie.

 I hope Jordan,  Schea,  Eddddieeee and Ed are reading this.  Am loving it here, it’s crazy but missing BMX. Hope you aren’t too much better than me. It’s so different here. It feels good not to be smoking, I have the clearest head I’ve have had in years. So keen to get back and ride. See you soon.

Peanut