Advertisement
Published: February 17th 2009
Edit Blog Post
9/2/09
After the spinning drive from Phonsavanh to Luang Prabang(@320m). I decided to spend the rest of my visa day here.
Wat wat wat and what wat? Just too many that I really had no idea which wat was which wat. I didn't remembered there was entrance fee for most of the temple unless those outstanding wat. But this year seem like they put up ticket booth for many temples, not even allowed to hangout in the courtyard if you didn't buy ticket. "please buy ticket if you want to look at the temple" one sign indicated ,so I need to turned my head the other direction when I walked pass the trail while touring on the other side of the Mekhong. Still came the called from the kids guards "ticket, ticket". "I didn't look" I call back!
Not much changing after 1 year, still could recognized most of the street, but the night market had been relocated to the main street, which created a more lively scene after dark. This year I saw a computer game room hidden in a small lane, I saw mobilized snack on tri-cycle, chinese style rice soup in the morning for breakfast, I also
saw a new bodywork gymnastic club, but along the NamKham river seem like businesses were running down, as I saw many post written "house for rent" on a shut door! Anyway...business definitely were tough, everywhere sell the same thing and provided the same services, you needed to be smart to be able to out run the others in the competition. I hadn't saw that many sad looking pulled long faces with lifeless eyes in the last 3 weeks, was it telling me something?
Also new was kids in gang style walked the street to sell thing like what you would seen in Saigon. Why they didn't join the temple? Poor families used to put their childs under the roof of the temple, not only they could get foods, also got the chance for education, maybe these kids couldn't stand only 1 meal a day. But now the temple to the novice seem more like a school, only they wore an uniform in orange colour, when you walked inside the temple area, just like walking in a boarding school's yard, only it was under the label of buddhism. the way when they talk to you were very India style. What is
the fundamental idea of buddhism? Inside my simple mind I think it should be "nothingness ", to eliminated the longing and desire I guess. so...was the novices were being learned and practiced in the buddhism idea? For me, it would only created an unrealistic image, just like the "alms" thing in LPB. You encouraged tourists to participate, kneel inline with the offering crowds in the morning hour, so tourist could get their own pictures taken and of course...the photo of those orange objects! shop and vendors provided standard offering staffs which you could get the refund if left over. That was just a show LPB had put up for tourist, no wondered people clicking fiercely, some even aggressively without any manner.
Weekend would getting more busy as there were many Thai group came for short trip nowadays. You could heard and then saw plane flying over every 5 minute during the day. The town was full of all sort of people in all dress codes, Marley's style armed with guitar, hippies yuppies or zippies and they all seem happy! Walked on the riverside this morning I saw this sign "UNBELIEVABLE! BeerLao only 7500kip, big bottle! Day and night", unbelievable haha!
Walked back up the main road near the museum I saw the "FREE" sign written in red on the entrance of a temple , how ironical it was! Was it? it was rather unusual in Luang Prabang, the heritage-ket city!
Note
Exchange rate:
1 USD = 8450 Kip
1 Euro = 10600 Kip
1 Yuan = 1240 Kip
Internet 100 kip/min
Bus to Kunming(China) leave daily at 7am from the BeiXing Guesthouse next to the stadium, which is not far from the bus station.
To Oudomxay 60 yuan
To Mengla 100 yuan
To Kunming 200 yuan
Actually you could walk to the North bus station from LPB town center within 30 minutes. Just cross the bamboo bridge to the handicraft village, then from the village walk right out through any path will get you to the main road where the bus station is nearby.
10/2/09
Wrapping up my Lao trip. Not very satisfied in searching for market and tribal scenes. Compared with last year, this Lao is still the Lao I saw last year, although still got some change. Just looked at the area from the Boten border down, the tiny settlement became
bigger and bigger just in one month. more buildings had been erected and seem like more is to come, as I saw the bulldozer had already carpeted out a huge piece of land on the hillside. This Lao wasn't walking in tortoise pace anymore.
The increasing investment from abroad also change the Lao lifestyle. Heard there will be a big casino in Hoyxai on the Mekhong. Anyway... with more population and less farming land. Locals got less skill and contacts than the invaders, yes there were most opportunities but only for so few people, those were working with border trading and tourism. As it was in SamNeua and Phonsavanh that I noticed, most of the nice big houses had a big bus parked in the courtyard. For most of the tribal area still struggled for life as thing got more expensive. Back to the general comment from all Chinese I met in Lao, "they are so lazy"! No, I don't think so, it was just their lifestyle, no material needed, no commercial consumer goods needed, they had their land, grew little already enough for the family, then why they do more? Beside...they didn't know how to grow other vegetation. I
think the problem was the government, they should teach and help them in agricultural product, if there would be conduit to help them link to buyer, I think they will do more with the land if it can sell. But now much more outsider came, brought up or leased the land, living standard went up as materialism arrived, TV, computer and mobile phone, just look at all the advertising banners in every villages "mobile for teen", everyone wanted a phone, thank for the cheap and defected phone from China. With the even worse living condition and environment for the villagers, the bank-notes never enough. and it doesn't seem like getting better. Look at the distribution, Chinese occupied the north, The Thai in the south, and the Malay and Viet in the middle. An interesting wild-goose fantasy, perhaps in many decades later Lao will be in 3 parts. So far this world only could split a country in 2, north and south, you could name few of these countries, would it work?
People are the main issue in Lao travel I guess. You always heard travelers expressed that feeling, how good and again how nice are the Lao people. I mean
they are still great but with economic growth, living standard hike, never could got enough, people needed and wanted more, so whenever a small chance they would took it if it could get more money while in business. Luckily I still encountered many decent people making their living by doing business honestly. Like the woman who selling fried rice-roll stuffed with mushroom and mincemeat in Talat Thin, the delicious snack like the one in Phonsali last year which I couldn't find any in Yunnan. I went over to ate one last time before leaving this country. A big roll like this only for 1000 kip, locals came to eat and they paid the same. I like to eat there, ordered 2 after 2 when the rolled freshing fried from the pan while watching her little daughter helping to prepared the sauce. See...nothing could be more contented than filled with good food and around with comfortable people! Oh...perhaps even better to top up with a good cold beer. So I walked to a nearby shop by the market. "how much is beer Lao" I asked. "8..."half way she turned and saw me than the woman swallowed the word and "sip-punt" she
said. I excused myself and left and told myself, "I am already contented ".
Note
Bus Oudomxai to Mohan 35000kip
Advertisement
Tot: 0.168s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 8; qc: 61; dbt: 0.1101s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb