It's February, i'm in Luang Prabang, the old capital of the Lao Kingdom, and i'm planning to stay here until the 5th of March to avoid the Chinese New Year celebration, where everything stop to work because everyone is on vacation, and last for few weeks, in China, Taiwan but also Vietnam (my next step).
I ended up here around 2 weeks ago, (wow the time fly even when you travel) after a long hitchhike of two days, with a transition night on Phou Khoun, a small montain town in the middle of the way that connect Van Vieng to Luang Prabang.
Arrived in the city, on a late afternoon, after a short stop for a supper we decided to check the average price for a place to stay that night, and after few (expensive) Guest Houses we decided to give up and started to looking for a place to camp.
Luckily, we stopped in the Sanctuary Hotel, to ask if they knew some campsites in the Town, and here the French manager Henry came helping us with a great tip.
"The bad new is: there are no campsites in the city but only outside. The good new is : i might have a good suggestion for you guys for a place where you can camp for tonight"He suggested us to camp in a spot, down to the beach who faces the river, listening his indication we found a place and we camped there for the night.
The short story is that we planned to stay 4 days looking if we could find a place where exchange our help for food and accommodation, and of these 4 days, we spent 3 camping, in a a place like Luang Prabang, that can be described as an icon of tourism, where everywhere you go, you can read the word "Guesthouse".
After these 4 days thanks again to Henry (god bless this man) we had a place to stay, and my travel buddy Zoe, ended up helping in the Sanctuary Hotel for the Chinese New Year, and i could find a kindergarten where i could help as english teacher. ( but about this i will tell in another post)
Lao's Kindergarten
The post in fact was about how last night i was finally able to use Couch Surfing also in Laos.
As you can see on the right side of the blog, Couch Surfing is one of the website that i think you must know (if you're a traveller).
Actually i'm quite a fresh member of this awesome website, who gives to you the opportunity of an exchange of hospitality.
Practically if you have an extra room or a couch where a traveller can crash during his trip, you could easily be a perfect host.
As Couch Surfing based its concept on a culture exchange, where the host open his/her house to someone who came to visit his/her country.
The host should also be able to shares the favourite spots or gives some tips about the city, or sharing local food and others things like these that i just mentioned.
The "surfers" on the other side will try to contribute with an host's cultural enrichment, through his/her culture or travelling experience, and sometimes this experience, can ended up in a strong friendship, that can take both involved in a future trip together, or the "surfers" in the future will change his cloth becoming the host of his/her CS(Couch Surfing) friends.
Inle Lake (Myanmar) on the boat with "surfers" and nuns
As i started to travel solo, i founded Couch Surfing a bridge to meet local people, (that is at the base of my Voyage), even without been hosted, i had meal, shared drinks, chatted while people where showing me around their city, and i always had beautiful experiences, especially in Myanmar where i've been hosted in a Meditation Centre/ Community, called Thabarwa.
There i had the opportunity to live in contact with Burmese, monks, nuns, and i have to thanks for all of this to Calvin (and to the website of course).
The experience i had in Myanmar was really deeply meaningful, i traveled around the country joining a trip through various monasteries, with other surfers, some of these changed my way of travelling, others were my travelling buddies for a while, and everyone will always be a great friend who i will enjoy to meet or host in the future.
If i think back of those moments, I can easily say that i never had in my life the opportunity to share days with so many interesting people all together.
On the "sliding truck" with Jon and Ben, 2 awesome CS travellers
Then, the things is, Couch Surfing it always been my "buddy" during this trip started in Japan, and went through Taiwan, Hong Kong, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia but since few days ago with the small exception of Laos.
Yeah while i was traveling through Laos i've been hosted by local, by some people who picked me up while hitchhiking but nothing about Couch Surfing.
So once i've been settled up for a while, i decided to meet up some travellers who were passing through Luang Prabang, then i changed my settings on my CS profile, i put the old Lao's capital as place where i was living, saying i was keen to meeting up, but unluckily (as i'm been hosted as well here) i couldn't host.
Moo, a Lao guy who hosted us few days in his place with an awesome view on the Mekong river where he has his own fish farm
After few days, Tomas, a guy from Prague who were travelling with his friend, contacted me asking to meet up one of those days, when they where in Luang Prabang.
Glad to hear this, we arranged to meet up, and after one night were an unexpected storm hit the city, we delayed to the day after.
As always, Couch Surfing gave me the opportunity to meet up with nice people, with who i was able to exchange travelling stories, while we were sharing a meal during our stay in the same foreigner city, and and with the hope that one day while i will travel in their city, i will have the opportunity to meet them again.
Luang Pabang and the 2 "surfers" from Prague
So i can end the story saying "Thanks Couch Surfing"!!!
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