The Lowkey Country

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Ahhh, the sweet sounds of smooth Lao jazz. Sure, this music blocked out any possible music from our iPods during the 10 hour ride to Vientienne, but it also drowned out the sounds of all the Lao passengers getting carsick. While our weak stomachs can't handle their water or some of their food, their stomachs evidently get awfully queasy in motorized transportation. Fortunately, the bus company was prepared with lots of pink baggies and orange-scented air freshner. They were also ready with a guard armed with a semi-automatic. Only then did we read in our "Lonely Planet" that the road we were traversing is regularly visited by bandits. Sometimes, it's better not to know.

Located between Thailand and Vietnam, two countries where everyone is trying to sell you something and "no" must be repeated 10 times or more, Laos has the reputation among travelers as the lowkey country. The hawkers and tuk tuk drivers ask only once, and even the ubiquitous opium dealers are polite. Laos is the kind of place where you simply find a table with a view and sit back with a good book (or trashy book depending on your hotel's book exchange selection) and a Beer Laos. Reputed as the best beer in Southeast Asia, Beer Laos must account for a significant percentage of Laos' meager economy. Its reputations says less about its own quality and more about the wretchness of the competition. Chang Beer is rumored to contain formaldehyde, and, frankly, we believe them.

Thailand may boast about its cuisine, but we've sampled some excellent Lao specialties, including the Lao barbecue - a combo grill and hotpot on which you cook your meal at the table. Last night, we ventured to one of the makeshift "restaurants" on the Mekong. Sitting at a table clustered around a portable stove and grill, Justin licked his fingers on pork spareribs and Chris took down a whole grilled fish that had been swimming in the river earlier that day.

People will go on and on about the charms of Laos, but we think people are just so exhausted by the terrible boat and bus rides that they can't help but linger. We're scrambling to get to Vietnam with enough time before our outgoing flight, but we too have succumbed to the pastime of French cafes by day and riverside bars at sunset. In between, we roam among the mix of Lao wats, French colonial remnants, and communist monuments.

Since the bus trip to Vietnam is legendary, and Justin's weak Western stomach isn't holding up after last night's adventurous meal, we're putting off the daunting trip one more day. Chris will just have to suffer, read another book, and drink another cup of coffee before the inevitable Nescafe reappears.

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Photos

View from the Bus
Who's pulling whom

Laos' Victory Arch
Meant to mimic Paris' Arc de Triomphe

Something, friend?
We've been offered opium more times than we can count, but yet these banners fly all over Vientienne