Along the Banana Pancake Trail
The Banana Pancake Trail is an unofficial backpacking route through SE Asia, named for the banana pancakes that are served at the hostels and guesthouses along the way. The traditional path typically goes from Thailand to Laos to Vietnam to Cambodia, and then back into Thailand. Hayden and I have both essentially done this route before, but we skipped Laos on our previous trips. So on this trip we did a quick re-visit to Thailand and Vietnam and added on a new stop to Laos!
7-Eleven is King
Upon landing in Bangkok and checking into our hostel, we dropped our bags, and immediately went to 7-Eleven. For those who don’t know, 7-Eleven in Asia is not the same 7-Eleven as we have in the states. In Asia, it’s a magical store filled with everything you may need, including endless tasty treats. There is fresh sushi, delicious sandwiches, chicken & rice dishes, fun candy, skincare products, packages of perfect fruit, and so much more. And it’s all so cheap! We would struggle to hit the credit card minimum of $6. Because of this, Hayden and I spent far too much time, eating far too many meals in 7-Elevens during our time in Thailand.
We spent a few days in Bangkok before heading down south to Krabi, to spend some time exploring the Thai islands. Krabi sits on the Andaman Sea and is the stereotypical Thailand beach destination with limestone karsts jutting out from the bright blue water, dotted with colorful longtail boats. It’s absolutely beautiful and we booked a hotel for $20/night (that bumps up to $400/night in high season!) and used it as a home base to explore.
We spent our days taking longtail boats over to different islands, swimming in the crystal clear water, hiking up to view points, and eating far too much 7-Eleven.
Khao Sok National Park
Hayden and I have spent a lot of time on this trip (and our life in general) debating which places to visit when one of us has been and the other has not. Khao Sok National Park in Thailand was one such place, as I had visited in 2017 but Hayden had not been to. We decided that it was so pretty, it was worth the trip back and it did not disappoint.
Khao Sok National Park was created when the Rajjaprabha Dam was built in 1987, damming the Khlong Saeng River to create Cheow Lan Lake. Known as the “Ha Long Bay of Thailand,” Khao Sok National Park has beautiful limestone karsts, covered in dense jungle, surrounded by the vibrant turquoise lake. Today, you can either take a day boat tour on the lake or opt to stay the night in an overwater hut. Hayden and I went with the day tour as we were getting a bit tight on time.
We cruised across the lake with perfect weather, soaking in the insane scenery. Our tour took us through a cave and also on a little jungle trek before we stopped at a floating camp for lunch. After lunch, we swam in the lake until it was time to head back.
Missed Connections in Vietnam
Back in 2017, before Hayden and I knew each other, we were both traveling in Vietnam at the same exact time. He was traveling north to south and I was traveling south to north—we learned that we probably crossed paths somewhere just south of Hoi An. So we were very excited to come back to a country we both loved and could have almost met each other 9 years ago. It also happened to be the 30th country that we've traveled to together!
After a bit of a snafu with our visas, we only had a few days in Vietnam. We planned to essentially spend our entire time in Ha Long Bay—a UNESCO site that is famous for its emerald waters and endless limestone islands scattered throughout. It is absolutely gorgeous and we decided to splurge, booking a luxury 3 day cruise.
Prior to the cruise, since we are technically backpackers, we stayed in a $7/night hostel. I woke up in the middle of the night to what sounded like a mouse (I refuse to entertain the thought that it could have been a rat) scattering through the walls and under my bed. Upon waking up the next morning, I learned that the mouse had eaten a hole through my backpack. And with that, we walked out of our ratty hostel and onto our luxury cruise, where we were greeted with chilled towels and a glass of champagne.
The cruise was amazing and a welcome reprieve from weeks of backpacker-style travel. We were upgraded to their second best suite and were in general spoiled for 3 days. Normally you're chasing one specific look-out point or view, but with Ha Long Bay you’re immersed in it.
We enjoyed our days relaxing on the boat, soaking in the views, eating delicious food, and kayaking through the limestone islands. I almost shed a tear when we had to debark the boat and get dropped back off at our $7/night hostel.
Chasing Waterfalls in Laos
Laos has long been on my radar and it did not disappoint. A landlocked country, Laos sits right in between Thailand and Vietnam. It’s gorgeous, covered in mountains, and the people are incredibly nice. It’s also somehow even cheaper than Thailand and Vietnam, with a delicious meal costing us a whopping $2.
We kicked off our trip in Luang Prabang, a town in the north that is actually a UNESCO heritage site and is known for its ancient temples and beautiful waterfalls. While we did not explore any temples, we did visit their waterfalls, specifically Kuang Si Falls. We thankfully did minimal research on these waterfalls and blindly set out, only knowing that it was the main attraction in town. The reason that I'm thankful we did minimal research is because it’s so rare to be completely surprised by an attraction these days. Usually, I’ll do research on attractions and destinations, therefore seeing plenty of pictures and video of each spot before we get there. This by no means ruins it, but does take a bit of the magic away. However, for Kuang Si Falls we went in totally blind and it was spectacular.
They were multi-tiered limestone falls with bright turquoise water and it truly looked like something out of a fantasy movie. The pictures don’t do it justice, the main waterfall is about 200ft tall! It's truly one of the most beautiful waterfalls we've ever seen.
Tipsy Tubing
Our second and last stop in Laos was to Vang Vieng. This little town had previously built up quite a reputation. From about 2008 - 2012 it was a major party town, known for its insane tipsy tubing down the Nam Song River. Hundreds of backpackers would come and tube down the river, stopping at bars along the way that all had dangerously made slides, swings, and zip-lines. In 2011 it was reported that over 27 tourists died on the river (obviously heavy drinking & drugs combined with anything on the water is a recipe for disaster) and the Laos government finally shut the craziness down in 2012 due to pressure from other countries.
They continued to operate tipsy tubing in a slightly less dangerous way (no more slides/swings/etc.) until COVID, when they quietly rebranded as an adventure destination. Today, they still have tipsy tubing but in a much more laid-back scale. So Hayden and I set out tipsy tubing, now regulated with guides, maybe 40 people total, and 3 designated bar stops.
Since we tube the river at home with beverages all the time, we were of course professionals. The river is absolutely gorgeous, the weather was HOT, and the river was cold—so it was the perfect way to spend an afternoon. We especially enjoyed the reaction of all the Europeans when we they learned we have “tipsy tubing” at home in America.
