Conversations in Laos ....Vientiane to Luang Prabang

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It has been nearly a week since I took the twelve hour VIP bus ride from Chiang Mai to Udon Thani in Thailand. (about $20 USD) It is supposed to be a sleeper bus, and it is comfortable, but it is always difficult to sleep on the bus. A few days ago I took a twelve hour bus ride from Vientiane to Luang Prabang and tonight will get on another twelve hour bus to the Thai border in Chiang Khong. I will be arriving in Thailand just about exactly one week from the time I arrived in the Laos capital of Vientiane. (This will require two twelve hour bus trips to get to the Laos border and back to the Thai border....and then another seven hours or so from the border to Chiang Mai..lol)

I have been by myself during ninety percent of this trip but I want to talk about the interesting experiences and people I have met on the trip as there have been a slew of them starting with my bus ride to the Thai embassy last Friday morning. On this occasion I had a similar experience to most of my trip in Laos. It was the experience of being understood when speaking Thai and not understanding people from Laos when they speak in Laos. Understand that the languages are very similar so that we are mostly talking about the type of conversation that might occur between an American and a Scottish person, both with rich accents and freely used colloquialisms. Anyway, on this occasion I met a young lady on the local bus (a pickup with seats in the back and a roof) who struck up a conversation with me and introduced me to some of the Laos basics. I am at the point where I am just beginning to understand them a week later but I am leaving tomorrow.....lol

More interesting was her desire to meet with me. She told me she was going into the capital for shopping that day with friends. She lives on the border on the Laos side, about 20 minutes away. Before getting of the local bus, I acquired her phone number. When I called her later that day, she invited me to come visit her at home to see some of the local sights on the following day. Her mother got on the phone with me and offered to pick me up at my hotel in Vientiane. I spoke with both of them and tentatively agreed to do so the next day. I was really hoping to see my friend Ting who I studied with in Bangkok and who lived in Vientiane. I wasn't sure when that was going to happen and I had a bunch of freelance writing assignments to complete that weekend so the "tentative plan" with my new friend never happened. It all seemed rather bizzare, and a little frightening as well, but I figured it would be a good way to pick up some Laos language and cultural experience. I am always up for something new. But my friend Ting, who I met the next day, warned me it might be a trap. Who knows? A missed opportunity or not? Regardless it was probably the second most interesting thing that happened to me in Vientiane while I was waiting for my visa. Most of the time, I was sitting in a bar or cafe somewhere trying to finish my freelance writing assignments. They are a real drag and getting me nowhere. My excuse for not visiting her was this work as well.

Ting and I met up and had some drinks and snacks at a local bar on the Mekong. After throwing back a few drinks and having my share of Laos style papaya salad (called tam maak hung), he invited me to a friend's house where he and a young group of his friend's were hanging out. They drank around a table talking and eating a lot. It was a struggle for me to keep up with the conversation (and I couldn't really) but I stayed for a while. When they pulled out the fancy whiskey, after drinking many bottles of the ever present Beer Laos, they intended to get serious. I felt this was my queue to leave and Ting took me home in his vintage CIA era Mercedes. Conversation, except with Ting, was leading nowhere fast.

Ting currently works for an NGO for women's rights in Vientiane. Vientiane is a hub for NGOs and government in general. Without a lot of large scale business, jobs with NGOs are some of the best salaried outside of government service, successful entrepreneurship and a small number of professional jobs. Despite what seems to be a respectable job he told me that he longs to lead a more simple life with a farm someday. Perhaps he and his girlfriend Gra-die (means rabbit) will do that someday. There seem to be lots of opportunities on the outskirts of Vientiane (or elsewhere in Laos) for this sort of enterprise.

After four days in Vientiane, I took the bus to Luang Prabang where I sit now in a cafe along the Mekong. Luang Prabang has been a city of conversations and stories for me. All of them have presented opportunities and experiences which I will share with you here. My first experience was the long bus ride here. It was a great experience I hope never to repeat! Windy roads and mildly comfortable seating was eased by stunning mountain views and the very cute Laotian girl who used my shoulder as a pillow and smiled at me from time to time. My next experience occurred soon after I arrived. I was sitting at a restaurant near my guesthouse when I was approached by a young Laotian man who spoke English with confidence. He was clearly in the market for men and I tried to signal (perhaps hopelessly?) that I was not. But I figured what the hell, let's see what happens. He offered to take me across the river to a scenic spot along the river. Before I knew it, we were sitting overlooking the river in a private little spot and his hands were exploring my legs with careless regard. Somehow I managed to be relaxed, although very uncomfortable, during this entire exercise as I managed to tell him this just wasn't my thing. Other than that, he had some great stories that he related to me (for another blog....lol) and I left that situation (and Mr. Tockstar...as he called himself) behind me.

The next day, the staff at my guesthouse sat with me for a while teaching me some Laos language basics. It led to me helping them with their computer problems. Not that I am any expert but we managed to figure it out together. Later, while eating pizza in a local cafe, I learned more Laos and helped one of the young staff, an English major, rewrite his presentation for the following day. In return, he helped me write down (in Laos script.....which is much like Thai script) the names of some local foods I had tried.

At the local Yao center (a minority ethnic group in Laos and Southeast Asia), I met a pretty young Norwegian girl and we struck up a fun conversation while learning to print Yao money and admiring their ceremonial attire. She disappeared before I could invite her for coffee. No love for me in Luang Prabang.

There seem to be many tourists here as young people from all over the Western world flock here, but I have heard a number of "sad" stories as well. As always, there are many tuk-tuk and boat pilots (for adventure trips along the Mekong) that complain about having no tourists. There do seem to be less of them here than in Thailand but it is still really a small town here. Perhaps the most depressing was with a young monk I met while going up to the top of the local temple with a scenic view of the city. Temples receive many of the poorest locals and provide them with education and housing. (The story was related mostly in Thai with some Laos words thrown in) This young man, about 18, told a sad story of losing his mother when he was ten (just like me!) and having a father who left him behind for the city to make a new life for himself. His father thought the temple, at age 14, would be the best place for him to go. He told me he was learning english, outside the temple, and needed money to keep paying his teacher. I wasn't sure whether he was asking for money or not (??) but before I had to make any decisions a friend of mine from Chiang Mai interrupted our conversation. I never saw the young man after that. It was yet another one of those conversations in these parts disguised as an opportunity. ( But I always ask myself in the end how much I really know. The main problem is that you need to stick around to see it through. I believe that matters most.)

My last conversation before boarding the bus from Luang Prabang to the Laos/Thai border was with a young student at the bookstore where I ate lunch and got online. He was studying finance and asking where I thought all the investment in Laos would lead. It was a long conversation with lots questions. More hotels it seems. For him, he was worried but he told me that if he could get $5 million US all would be just fine. Wouldn't we all!! A concerned citizen of Laos with very familiar goals to many Americans. It was an entertaining conversation. I will definitely visit with him again should I return as he knows a lot about goings on there.....(like the recent Southeast Asian Film Festival there....he knows the guy who organized it)

Another conversation was with a young Laotian man who teaches engraving (on paper) and distributes local books (for learning English) to young Lao students. He is currently studying English at a local university and has a library for local Laos students learning English. He wanted me to reserve a space for a class today learning engraving. He makes some beautiful designs on paper inspired by what he has seen in many of the local temples. I wasn't ready to commit and now I am regretting it. I would have been able to bring home whatever I produced. Oh well!! It is pretty much my only regret for the trip. I have seen some beautiful scenery along the river, explored local markets and enjoyed a number of local museums that deal with Laos ethnic groups. Luang Prabang is such a nice town and what you might imagine a classic Southeast Asian city to be like. As such I should talk a little about it before finishing this blog.

Luang Prabang is the most charming of cities for tourists as it is small and still feels that way. Quaint guesthouses, small hotels and bars/cafes line the banks of the Mekong. The commercialism is rampant but mostly with a sense of good taste. (You will certainly find your share of annoyances!) For example, many temples can be found throughout the city and you can witness monks out getting alms early every morning as people line the streets with handfuls of rice in their hands. However, I find the local people selling rice to you (to give to the monks) quite annoying. Many local foods and local handicrafts (mostly handmade by one of the many ethnic minorities in Laos) are on offer.

Chiang Mai is the closest I can compare to it but Luang Prabang is a lot smaller and more isolated. This means that it "feels" local here (even if it is not). There are many local artisans and lots of students from various parts of the countryside working in the tourist industry. (Like the staff at my hotel and many at some of the restaurants where I have eaten). These young kids manage to survive on a $100 or less per month while they often attend school. This is not bad money in the countryside but in the city it is less than a week's stay in many of the city's guesthouses. But for a tourist, this city is a paradise.........the mountains and the river offer up adventure and scenic beauty while the city offers up diverse ethnic diversity and simple natural beauty. The city is designed to showoff local culture and natural beauty to the tourist. Sustainable tourism (eco-tourism) and organic farming initiatives also have potential to take off here. For those tourist cities of its kind, Luang Prabang does as good a job as any. From what I have seen, it has many attributes that can be emulated elsewhere.

I will soon be on my way to the Thai countryside in Chiang Kham to continue helping Tate with some interviews for his documentary. I will return to the boxing camp I visited last month to interview some of the young boys training there and to talk with some of the people involved in organizing the boxing camp. It promises to be interesting and a good chance to enrich the story Tate has been building so far.

A POSTSCRIPT HERE: The most ironic part of this trip was the conversation I never had. It was with the beautiful young Laotian girl who sat next to me on the bus from Vientiane to Luang Prabang. My shoulder was often a pillow (or rest) for her as our bus jostled through winding mountain rounds moving from side-to-side. We exchanged a few pleasant smiles and she passively tolerated my photo snapping along much of the journey. It was pleasant but oh how I tried to think of something to say and couldn't.....the best I could offer was Sabaay Dee (the Lao greeting) and that was as far as I got......sigh

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Photos

Getting a Laos visa
Back to school.......gotta love government bureaucracy......lol

On the Mekong
On the beach here.....the water levels are very low now

my first meal in Laos
Pizza with Laap or Koi on it (minced pork salad with lots of spicy chilies and citrusy herbs)

Success
My main goal achieved....a Thai visa

Lemongrass Martini
Made with crushed lemongrass.....refreshing. A nice conversation with the Laos bartender in Lao-Thai-ese

Bread!!!
Breads in Laos are good!!!

Talaat Sao
The main market/mall in Vientiane

Sandwiches!!
On the way to between Luang Prabang and Chiang Khong in Thailand these ladies prepared these sandwiches for us for about a one dollar apiece. Behind them is a view of the mountains to die for.

The local architecture
A lot of homes look like this in the mountainous areas....

Untamed nature
The thirteen hour bus ride is hell but sprinkled with lots of beauty like this along the way

More than an Icon?
These two flags are still all over the place.....Laos/Russia. Homes, businesses and hotels have them hanging auspiciously.

Comments

[elah]

[e-mail]
looks like phils.

[ZJB]

I think so.....many places in southeast asia look like this....but in Laos there are so many places like this in the mountains. the roads are bad and people still follow many traditional ways :)