Laos

Around the beginning of September I headed into Laos from Thailand. Travelling north-east I arrived at a Thai border town called Chiang Kong, a small, quiet retreat on the western shores of the Mekong river. The Mekong basically traces the border between Thailand and Laos.

There is not much to the town except a small market and a few guest houses. It was a dramatic change from the hustle and hassles of Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and the beaches, and a good place to spend a few days reading and preparing for Laos. I managed to find one of the best rooms I stayed anywhere on my trip at a guesthouse called Chez Nam. The place was run by a French expat and his Thai wife. For 100 baht I had a huge room with a queensize bed and access to a hot shower. The meals were scant, but there were two good restaurants down the street.

The owner helped me arrange for a visa into Laos (1000 baht, I think) after which I had a quick lunch and crashed for about four hours. I needed the sleep to overcome some bug I was fighting off. That night I out for dinner and met this British expat who had been living and working in Thailand for about six years. He had some good advice on what to see and where to go in Laos.

I spent the following morning at the small market replenishing my supplies of film, toilet paper and other necessities. In the afternoon I sat at an outdoor cafe along the edge of the river talking with two Americans who had just come through Laos from China where they had been teaching English. The conditions sounded severe compared to those in Japan. Paul said the people in village had really suffered due to poor crops over the last few years. Angela said she nearly froze the previous winter due to shortages in fuel. Both said they enjoyed the experience, but they always felt confined about what they could say and do in the country.

After two days I took the short boat across to Laos and a small town called Huey Sai. It was again a very small town, quieter than Chiang Kong across the river. Things in Laos immediately appeared less developed, and less touched by tourism than Thailand.

There was not much to see in Huey Sai, but upon my arrival everyone took a curious interest in me. I did a lot of walking around and everywhere I went people would peer, then quickly turn their heads. It was actually quite amusing, as I caught the glances out of the corner of my eye. I stayed in one of only three hotels. I had another great room. It appeared to be recently renovated and had all the amenities of the place I had just left.

While in Huey Sai I had to make a few decisions about the direction of the rest of my trip. I could go north towards Muang Xai and into China for three or four weeks before heading to Myanmar, or I could head south down the Mekong and onto Cambodia. Either would have been a good option, but it would have been impossible to hit both countries. Since I felt China could be a trip on its own, and Cambodia was a much smaller country, I decided head south.

After one and a half days I took a boat down the river. I had planned on the two day slow boat ride to Luang Prabang. But for some reason the boat wasn't going. So instead I took a speed boat which got me to my destination in seven hours instead of 15, but at twice the price($28.00US). Imagine if you would, darting down a river at 70 km/h + while being scrunched in a canoe into a space big enough for a smurf. And then because there were eight of us, I the only foreigner, and only five helmets, guess who arrived in Luang Prabang with the fantastic rainwashed jeans and windburn. On the pro side the ride was wild and the scenery incredible.

The interesting thing about about Laos, its generally true in most of S. E. Asia, is that everyone lives on or near the water. Though we sped by the landscape very quickly, I could see individual houses and small communities scattered all down the river.

The trip itself, was a stop and go type of thing, a kind of river transit system. We would get up to speed, travel for about ten minutes, stop at a village, drop off, pick up, and then start again, in a zigzag pattern across the river. At one point we had 12 people in this small boat. We stopped for about an hour at Pakbeng around mid day. After some good food and numerous beer at a dockside food stand we piled in again and resumed our voyage.

I didn't realize until I got to the "cities" that Laos really has no cities, everything is rural. It also struck me how everyone was just "living the life as usual". The tourism bug hasn't hit this country, at least not like Thailand. People did not pester me to buy things or to take me on tours. I could go and see what I wanted, at my own pace. It was very relaxed. I did regret not taking the chance to jump off the boat at one of the smaller villages, and stay a day or two. If I did the trip again I definitely would. It would be a great way to learn more about the local cultures.

We arrived just after 5.00 PM. in Luang Prabang. I literally stumbled out of the boat and wobbled up the pier. Avoiding the taxi stand I made my way to the main road to flag down a samlor (the Laotian version of a motorized tricycle). The driver took me into town and dropped me off at the Viengkeo hotel for 1000 kip ($0.90US). The hotel, recommended by the Lonely Planet, was unfortunately booked up. I stayed, instead, out back in a dormitory type structure. The small, basic cubicle came complete with a locking bureau, a bed table, fan, and mosquito net for only 3000 kip a day.

Luang Prabang, the site of the original Lao kingdom in the 14th century, had remained an independant kingdom until French arrived in the latter 1800s. Today, the Royal Palace and several temples mark what's left of the town's cultural heritage. Children play in and around the wats, seemingly oblivious of their remarkable history.

I spent about four days in Luang Prabang. There was plenty to do and see in and around the town. The Pak Ou caves, famous for the 100's of Buddha images found inside, are just a short boat ride up the river. One afternoon a samlor driver offered to drive me up to the cascading waterfalls, a remarkable series of falls which stretch a kilometre up into the hills and wash over everything on their path. I was able to negotiate a reasonable price by allowing him to bring his sons along.

On the third day, while walking through Wisunalat Wat, one of the original temples built in the area 500 years ago, I ran into a Chinese cultural delegation. There were about five members in the group, all dressed in miltary greens. They were being shown around by a Laotian official. After about five minutes one of the delegation wandered over to talk to me. Speaking very good English, he explained that they were in the country to take inventory of historical sites and artifacts. I thought this was quite interesting. When I asked him why he said it was "very important to his country". I did not pursue it further. I ran into the group several times the following day, and found them again on my flight down to Vientiane.

Vientiane was smaller than I expected for being the capital city of Laos. Then again it reflected the feel of the country --- very provincial. I stayed in a small guesthouse, the Vannasihn, which I'd highly recommend. It is difficult to find inexpensive accommodations in Vientiane, but a room with a fan was about $10.00US here. There were some fantastic restaurants in the city. The first night I ate pizza at a small Italian place. The second night I had French cuisine, and the third night Indian.

Vietiane felt very "busy". Everyone seemed to be doing something, there wasn't much sitting around. Everyone seemed to be coming or going somewhere. Though there were many tourists in the city, and things to see, I would probably classify Vientiane more as a "working" city, than a tourist centre. Having said that, there are many things to see. There is a great miniature of the Arc de Triomphe(Patuxai), which was built in 1969 with U.S. cement earmarked for a new airport. Also several wats, and Pha That Luang, a stupa of both religious and national signifigance to the people are also worth a visit.

Cycling is a great way to get around the city since everything is spread out. However, everyday I rented a bike it fell apart. So be careful and test it out first.You can usually rent one for a few dollars. Though you see many mountain bikes around, most rentals are limited to the traditional Chinese style.

The Laotian people though shy, are very friendly. On Sunday I found groups of young people swarming the avenues and sites. In these groups they are very conversational. I spent an hour talking with about six kids. whose English was remarkably good. They were all in high school and were very curious about Canada. One girl even had a brother who lived in Vancouver. She was hoping to visit him some day, maybe even go to school there. We sat out on the grass in front of Pataxai for a while. They treated me to a snacks and a drink, and I gave them some of my pins and a few postcards of Canada. After exchanging addresses and a few pictures we were off in different directions.

After four days, in Vietiane I went to make arrangements to fly to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. I visited the Cambodian embassy and had no problem arranging a visa in one day. However, I did not have any American dollars and I ran into trouble paying for the visa. The application had been processed and my visa stamped when I can to pick it up. I ended up having to leave my camera as collateral so that I could take my passport to go cash a traveller's cheque.

The following day I left Laos. All in all, I wish I had given it a bit more time. I didn't realize until I'd left that all of the excitement was in the country, along the river, and in the villages. It definately deserves another trip.