ViengKham

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"130000 kip to SamNeua", I then asked how much to ViengTong, the answer from inside the box was 110000. "What!" I spat out. There was almost 160km in between the 2 places, what a rip off, so I paid the 25000 kip and stop at ViengKham instead yesterday. A small village spread from both side of the highway with the river run parallel on the left. Although there was a bus station, but it doesn't seem like operate anymore, although there was a post and telecom office, but it doesn't seem like operate anymore(later find out because of weekend), and although there was a market hall, but was miserable quite, "no business here" a chinese merchant said, but then why you came here...I really want to asked. The bus dropped me off in front of the Viengkham guesthouse, the only accommodation in town, a simple wooden house, rather basic but ok. Although I could kept on with the bus to Viengtong, but the driver demanded 60000 and wouldn't go down to the normal fare, which should be 40000 even I willing to pay 50000, so...perhap I would spend a day in Viengkham to see what they has offer, no hurry!
River is where the action in Laos, immediately I heard the screaming, what was that? Then I saw the white splash in the middle of the river, a man bouncing in the water like a mad monkey while screaming, you don't need to tell me how cold the water was. But seem like this guy was a weak one like me, as there were many human figures standing in the water. Life on shore wasn't quiet neither, of cause... kids running around, old man building a new boat, some are fixing fishing net. And some families began mark the land by bamboo fencing to grow vegetable further inland by the village. Although I hadn't seen any passenger boat traffic like in Nongkhio, but bamboo rafts were used for shipping rice from upper farmland through rapid stream. The village live mostly Laotan people, and seem like every house has a loom, you could see the women weaving and spinning all the time, and amazing to see most of them created a different pattern on the cloth, and a great sign to see many young girl were handling the loom, a sign of continuity.
The SamNeua bus speed pass the guesthouse without any signal this afternoon , it was almost through the bridge when I chased out from the guesthouse, only saw the trail of dust in the air. Shitttt! Although I wasn't in any hurry, but watching your bus left without you was a huge punch on the belly! It ruined my mood for more than an hour. Then a Lao guy show up, ViengXai he introduced himself. Said he is teaching in the Hmong village. "volunteer" he said. The incident 2 days ago in NongKhio came right back to me, when I walked in the Hadxao village, a young man came out from a hut and told me the same story, said he study in university in LP, he will be teaching here for 2 month, then go back to LP. "but I will come back after, because I really love to teach", also said he spend his own money to buy books and pens to childern in the school, and the hut he was staying cost him 20000/day rent. then he took me to a school, empty classroom, but he explained Friday afternoon had no class. I might trust him more if he wasn't trying too hard to tell me how poor and difficult the students in the class, 20 something student, poor, no nothing, no book to learn, and 5 of them are orphan "parent dead" he told me, stay with relative but no food, "I gave them money for food, they are crying everytime when I left" he kept on wrote out figure of how much for a book and pen on the blackboard while explained how I could help. "if you pity me, please help us with some money" he tried.
I gave no response then he began to talk about how much he want to be a teacher and how much he want to keep on study if he had money "I want to study until age 45", no idea why he suddenly told me this. Anyway...I lost patient and told him I admired and appreciated what he was doing here, maybe I will help him by letting some organization know about his situation. But he still tried the if you pity me's line again when I said my farewell. I fell so uncomfortable when I walked out of the village because I had refused someone begging. was I being heartless? Then today this young man had a pretty similar story. And he was staying in this guesthouse, everyone seem to knew him. So I asked him the question that bothered me, "why you come to teach here?" he said he saw a piece of news in newspaper, government encourage young people go to help teaching in rural area, but government had no budget to pay for teacher, so to help the future of the next generation, go to teach in hill area so and so, and my vision of a sunshine young man was in front of me when he said "I was a monk in LP, never went to school, I learn my english in the temple, I save up some money by people donation, when I read this news. I decided to teach English in the village, I will go back to LP next month as I had no more money, but I will come back because I love to teach", about why this village, he said his home town also in Viengkham area, about 70km from here, he just walk into that Hmong village and offered his help, anyone wanted to learn English can come to his class. I asked him if he could take me to his school tomorrow to understand more, perhaps I could help and he promised. Then he said he hadn't had lunch yet(almost 4pm)and do I want to come with him as he knew a riverside restaurant, "very nice, not far, only 3km" it sound good so I said I might want a cafe lao. Then he drove me with his motorbike. See...if looking back, there are many questioning points, a poor monk came here only 1 month but now already had full hair, own a motorbike, pay 20000/day for rent, really love to teach english..., anyways...he said to me he had no money for food before we took off, and can I pay for the bill later. I didn't know why I let this went on, to be honest, if the same thing happened to me in Vietnam, I had already excused myself and walk away. Perhaps because of the same incident that I sorry about in Nongkhio, and his story at that moment sound acceptable, and also my strange superstition... if I would miss my bus, mean there should be some other thing waiting for me. It could be the visit to the Hmong village I guess. And also this is Laos, the land of friendly people, and in this out of the way village, I am off gaurd. There was an english menu, and he wanted a beer, and ordered fish and beef for us to share. I mean, I thought he hadn't had any good meal for long time, and beside, it wasn't that expansive compared with tourist area, and I ate it too. if the worse happened, I will take it the fee for my guiding tour to a Hmong village. Anyways...during the meal I reflected to him that if in the future he ask another traveler to buy him food, people would have second thought about his intention if he ordered like that, perhaps that what stop him order the second beer lao(he drank up the bottle really fast), still he asked for Milo for desert! On the driving back, I refused him when he said he want his bike to fill up gasoline. I began to feel like a fool. Again he stop infront of someone house and talk with a guy there, the only 2 words I pick up was "tonight 6 o'clock". Back to the guesthouse he was busy to making phone call and got change, came to me afterward he said one of his student caught an accident "he is dying" he said, and he need to go to the village right away. He totally forgot about my visit to his school, not even a word of regret about not able to take me there. Instead, he told the owner to help me to fetch down the midnight bus tonight if I wanted to go. He want me to leave then. Look at my watch, almost 6 o'clock. I still don't know what to believed, but I wasn't happy about all these. Was it there a group of people working on scam like this in Laos, will try to investigate with others travelers in the future. But what made me sad was to see the image of Laos, the friendliness and honesty of the people degrading. For me, what impressed me about traveling in Laos are the people. Without this lable, Laos would never be the same. compared it with last year. I hadn't encounter any scam, over priced or cheating in small town or village. But this year, only 5 days so far, they all charged you minimum 8000/noodle soup in the street, and I heard a local said it was only for 5000. Walk around in Nongkhio you will find childern asking for candid or pen, and together with this english teacher thing. I don't want to made a judgment so fast, with more than 2 weeks to go in the less tourist area, I might able to learn more. Although the Sabaidee Lao got some magic spell, but still...it soon will use up my quota for tolerance and sympathy.
Big bus to SamNeua arrived about 1 am, but it was full and with many standing passengers already, although it really charge 40000kip for ViengTong, but I went right back to bed.

Note
Bus from Luang Prabang to SamNeua(the same bus you get on in NongKhio) only 110000 kip

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