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Published: August 28th 2006
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gateway to indochina
on the way across the mekong and into laos it was a drizzly, gray morning as the bus from chiang mai dropped us off in the little riverside town of chiang khong, at the northwestern border of thailand. after a five minute tuk-tuk ride from the bus station, i found myself at the port office, waiting with a handful of other travelers for our visa's to be processed so that we could be paddled across the infamous mekong river and into the neighboring county of laos. after about an hour's wait (it was sunday after all), we carefully trudged down the slippery slope, visa's in hand, to the waiting wooden boats. on our way we all passed under a wooden signpost that read: "Gate to Indo-China". miraculously, the piles of backpacks and bags all fit into a skinny wooden dug out canoe (still afloat..but just barely) and we quickly found ourselves gliding across the muddy waters to the shores of Laos. as i later learned - in its strictest sense, 'Indochina' technically represents the area "east of India" (laos & cambodia) and "south of china" (vietnam) - or the former southeast asian french colonies. in its looser, more modern day usage, it also can include other southeast asian countries such
making our way down to the boats
home away from home for the 2 day journey down to louang phabang as thailand, malaysia, and burma.
my first night in laos, or the "land of a million elephants", was spent in the small, rural port village of houayxai. houayxai is very well-versed in its role as the launching point for the two-day mekong boat trips that transport western tourists down to the old colonial capital of louang phabang. houayxai's two or three carmel-colored dirt streets are lined with guesthouses touting $2 or $3 a night rooms and a variety of small restaurants and small market stands offering baguette sandwiches, water, cold drinks, cigarettes, and a smattering of cookies and chips. With the majority of Loas's 6 million people supporting themselves through subsistence agriculture, most of the country is made up of rural farmland and lush, green rolling mountains. small rural villages and ethnic tribes are sprinkled around, each with their share of "farm-yard" and dung producing livestock and thatched wooden houses on stilts or shacks covered with corrugated tin roofs - shared characteristics of the developing world. laos has just recently opened its doors to tourism (1995?), and although there are many established travel amenities, organized sight-seeing and treks, and a fair share of guesthouses and restaurants to service this
new economic channel, its also rumored to have pledged not to become the next "thailand" and aims to keep things as authentic as possible. i truly hope they remain true to this pledge.
houayxai (along with many other small rural villages) is nestled on the shores of the mighty mekong river - the 750m. lifeline for asia's rice paddies, stage for some of the most brutal fighting in the Vietnam-American War, and location for several of south-east asia's most important cities. the mekong's snake like meandering, begins in china and travels down between thailand and laos, into cambodia, and then empties out over 4,000 islands through the vietnam delta. our journey would take two-days, stopping for a night at the village of pakbeng, and arriving in the late afternoon to louang phabang. the long tail wooden boat was packed with fellow travelers - many french, spanish, and european (very few, if any, americans) the days were very peaceful with lots of time to chat with other passengers, get caught up on a novel, gaze out across the chocolaty waters to watch the green landscapes and mountainous backdrops drift by, or watch with curiosity - the passing of another longboat
or small canoe being paddled by local fisherman or a few cute kids.
during our over-night stop in pakbeng, i took a long walk down the one main road, away from the few initial blocks of touristy accommodations and into the authentic heart of the village. i passed several vegetable and fish markets where women were manning tabletops full of asian fruits, bananas, carrots, cabbage and other vegetables. family members were bidding time in front of small storefronts, lounging under the shade of a tin roof or thatch overhang, herding cows or chickens down the road, or busy with other daily chores and upkeep. life was seemingly very simple here, with needs focused on daily food, water, and accommodation.
a small group of shoeless children in worn clothing were playing a passionate game of football (soccer) in the street, while two toddlers were fixated over the transport of their toy trucks. both trucks were creatively made out of cut plastic containers (i think originally gasoline quarts), wood branches for axles, and bottle tops for wheels. each truck had a string as a pulley and both were loading up with rocks, obviously responsible for important transport maneuvers down the
road.
on day two we arrived in the charming riverside village of louang phabang. probably the most picturesque of laos cities, louang prabang is filled with elaborate wats, french colonial architecture, studious crimson robed monks, and national heritage and history. welcoming guesthouses, restaurants, and cafes line the leafy streets and the gold leafed winged roofs of the many buddhist temples can be seen poking up through the treetops.
louang phabang was once the old capital of laos (now moved to vientienne) and retains much of the historical relics, national culture, and aesthetic and warm colonial environment. laos was granted independence from france in 1949 and subsequently has established the laos people's democratic republic (socialist republic communist state). while still struggling economically, many teens and young adults have left their rural villages and come into the city centers to continue schooling, learn english, and look for job opportunities. some of this is being fueled by the growth of the tourist industry, however, many that i spoke with wanted to eventually return to their families and villages, bringing back the skills they had learned by becoming teachers or doctors or applying other skills or trades that they had learned.
the mighty chocolate river
sun shining through sprinkling day showers i also had the pleasure of being invited to a day long local baby christening, which took place at a riverside restaurant overlooking the mekong. the baby boy was one month old, the typical age for the christening celebration which consisted of a lot of food, a lot of music, a lot of dancing...and a lot of lao beer! the beer is served in small mugs filled with ice that get passed around and around the tables. you are not allowed to "sip" and there is no pacing oneself, since the glass needs to be 'passed' to the next party-goer and is a constant 'your turn-my turn' custom. this turns a couple of beers into endless rounds of beer ''shooters''. let's just say that i was finally convinced to get up and join the festivities out on the dance floor. thankfully, the traditional lao dance moves look more like a slow Hawaiian hula than the more intricate steps of the salsa or tango, so it was fairly easy to pick up and blend in (despite the fact that i was the only westerner there and about a foot taller than most...;-) the baby slept the entire party underneath a little
netted bassinet inside the house.
despite several opportunities to explore the countryside on treks and organized tours, i was running short on time, so left that exploration to my return trip and continued the journey by bus down to vang vien (small town known for the river rafting activities and picturesque mountain terrain) and into the low-key capital of vientianne. not too much to report from this part of the journey, except for a few additional wat tours and Buddhist statue-viewing. however, in vientienne i did stumble upon what is now ranked up there with one of my 'favorite temples'. a divergence from the colorfully gilded and sparkling versions (think i am just about watted out at this point!), this temple was almost entirely made of monochromatic stone which i found to be a nice change, giving off a reserved but stoic air.
from vientienne, my next stop was vietnam. just 24 quick hours on the "VIP" bus (complete with your "own personal seat" and routine bathroom stops) and into the historic city of hanoi. stay tuned!
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rick
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gotta see the dance
can you combine this dance with the one your learned in patagonia? sounds like a great journey.