Laos PDR

Gordon Hazzard
April 2nd 2006

I have come to believe that the collective national pastime for aging women in Laos is to aimlessly wander along mountain roads with large bundles of firewood strapped to their backs. These women roam everywhere with scarves on their heads and weathered faces, occasionally giving me a grin as I pass by. When I was on the move, whatever forms of transport I happened to be on weaved from side to side on the narrow mountain roads to dodge these women, in addition to the herds of boney cattle and water buffalo that were often being prodded along the road by switch-wielding villagers. I rarely passed anything with a motor on the roads in northern Laos.

Bus travel in Laos could get a bit eerie though. On one trip, an ‘armed escort’ (that is to say a young guy with an AK-47) sat next to the driver as a precaution against the notorious ‘road pirates’ that had conducted fatal raids in remote areas of northern Laos in 2003-04. The government has since declared the region secure, and the sight of PDR soldiers patrolling the road was commonplace. Halfway through the trip the kid put down his gun to distribute candy

Saddle Up
This fella was my ride through some remote village areas in the Mondulkiri Province of Cambodia. He took a liking to blowing his nose on me.

to the passengers. Thankfully I made it to all my destinations having only to suffer the effects of the awful Laotian pop music that is blasted on buses throughout this country.

Laos is a thinly populated communist country that is home to misty mountains, terraced rice fields and virgin forests. The scenery is rugged, the land is pristine, and the country’s climate in the north is reflective of its altitude and proximity to China. I actually had to wear a sweater, pants and hat to keep warm in the hills. Laos is one of the poorest countries in the world, and as in Cambodia, the lifestyle of the people in the countryside probably hasn’t changed much in hundreds of years.

I stuck to a simple itinerary in Laos. First I visited the Si Phan Don in the south where the Mekong River fans out and creates thousands of marshy beach-like islands. Sampan boats lazily glide by, as do wading water buffalo with birds standing on their backs. I then went north to Vientiane and Luang Prabang, both of which are charming cities that have retained their French colonial ambiance. The prehistoric archaeological sight containing hundreds of giant stone

Laos Countryside
Vieng Xai region

containers known as the ‘Plain of Jars’ came next. While most of northern Laos is heavily forested, the Plain of Jars remains open and without many trees as a result of the heavy bombing and the use of ‘agent orange’ in the area during the Vietnam War. My final stop was at the Pathet Lao caves in Vieng Xai where the Laotian communists organized their revolution and survived the Vietnam War. The area contains hundreds of caves replete with meeting rooms, basic hospitals and old Soviet oxygen machines. From Vieng Xai I entered Vietnam at a remote border crossing. The Vietnamese officials there examined my passport for ten minutes, asked me lots of questions, gave me a brief history lesson on the relationship between the US and Vietnam over the past 30 years and then searched my bags.

Playmates

This baby boy and baby monkey couldn't leave each other alone and took turns initiating the play. Luang Prabang - Laos

The Dreaded Dust

Chim Chiminey Chim Chiminey Chim Chim Charoo...what a day in Cambodia's dry season does to you.

Washday
Washday

Vieng Xai, Laos

Laos Countryside

Eastern Cambodia

I think this guy is up to some home improvements with his bamboo. Photo taken from elephant back.

The Class

Kampong Cham - Cambodia

Cambodian Gas Station

This is actually a step above most. Usually they are just a collection of bottles full of petrol on a shelf.

Downtown Ban Lung, Cambodia

Cambodian Public Transportation

My ride to Sen Monorom: screaming pigs (each cage on the bottom had about a dozen crammed in), fish, way too fast, rain and dust, and a lot more people on than you see here

The Tonle Srepok - Eastern Cambodia