Laos Encounters

I want to back track and talk about an interesting person I met.  I was walking around the COPE center and learning about UXO's(Un-Exploded Ordinances) and what it is that COPE does.  If you don't know you should look it up.  It is a center that gives prosthetic legs and arms to victims of UXO's.  While I was walking around I couldn't help but hear the beach boys being played from a computer.  A western man was introducing a young Lao man to the Beach Boys.  It was my song "California Girls."  So I clearly had to go over and say hello.  As I walked up I became aware that the Lao man did not have hands, and was blind.  I introduced myself and hung out while they played music.  Then I wandered off to give them time alone.  Then I went back and talked to this man.

His name was Peter Kim, he is my brother's age.  I felt like I had been kicked in the chest when I thought of that.  What if something like this happened to my brother?  What if I lived in a country where my brother wasn't safe walking around, what if he could come across unexploded bombs?  How would that change how I live my life?  Peter seemed pretty optimistic about his life.  He was a break dancer.  He showed me a clip, and then teased me that I didn't believe him.  Which I totally did.  Now as I sit here remembering him, I am sad that I copied his e-mail down incorrectly.  I wish I could wish him happy birthday.  If by some reason he managed to find this, Happy Late Birthday man!  You changed my life!

Scary times in Changsha

I have learned a valuable less, that I never want to forget.  Chinese people are not all smiles, they never let their aggression out.  So when they get drunk sometimes they are mean.  And over the top.

Teresa and I had gone over to Jerreau's house.  We were sitting and there was a knock on the door.  We were expecting more people.  So he opened the door and saw 3 random Chinese people.  He was afraid they might try something, he didn't know them so he shut the door.  Jerreau has two doors, an outer "Steel" door that has bars and a lighter inner door.  So he opened the inner door and shut it.  The men started yelling and beating against the door.  They were kicking the steel door.  We were panicking and Teresa called the police, as Jerreau called his liaison to call the front desk.  The men broke the lock off the steel door and bent 3 of the bars.  Then they wandered off.

Michaela knocked on the door shortly there after, after securing who it was we ushered her in.  She said she saw three drunk chinese guys.  Then the police came and did a report, and said they would block the doors downstairs so the guys couldn't leave.  It was an unsettling evening.  We will see what happens.  Jerreau gets a new steel door tomorrow, hopefully one that is more solid!

Laos: All in Due Time

Fishing the Mekong (Vientiane, Laos) (mine Copyright me)

Things in Laos move at their own pace.  You can't rush them, there is no reason to get frustrated.  Life just is.  Take it or leave it.  Laos hasn't been corrupted by over-tourism.  But it is well on it's way.  There are many beautiful stops, I was only able to stop at two of them.  Vientiane, the capital, and Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage site.  Both I highly recommend.  Laos is the perfect place to relax.  Assuming you miss Vang Vieng.

I took the overnight train from Bangkok to Nong Kai.  That was fairly pleasant, there was a bed.  It never really got dark, which was ok because my tummy was unhappy with me!  We arrived in the morning.  I hopped on a tuk tuk with two travelers.  60 baht total to the friendship bridge.  He tried to drop us off at a place that did Visa's.  I said. "No thank you, we want to go to the bridge."  And he took us there, a bit grudgingly.  20 baht later I was across the Mekong and at the border. $36 dollars later and a swanky pink visa was stamped in my passport.  I went through with two teacher who lived in Vientiane.  They negotiated our price, we took a Song-Theay (sp?). 

Which is basically a truck with a covered back that is high enough to allow people to sit.  They put two benches in and call it public transport.  Then I was in Vientiane, being harrased by tuk-tuk drivers.  I followed the directions given to me.  Paused to take a picture of something and was yelled at by someone in uniform.  (Turns out the US embassy was right there, oops).  I kept walking, stopped for breakfast.  Fruit smoothie, baguette with butter and jam, hot tea.  I was so happy and surprised how well the woman spoke English.  I then walked around looking for a hostel or guest house.  I was told 200,000 kip at one place (Which is $25).  I kept walking and headed to a place recommend in the lonely planet.  Their prices were off, their book is 2 years old and was pretty much off.  50,000 kipp (about $6) for a dorm room.  The priciest I have paid yet, but the beds were warm, clean, and had a top and bottom sheet!  I could see 3 temples from the window.  I was down the block from the park pictured above.  The park was right on the Mekong.  Watching sunset there was so peaceful.  Watching the locals walk around, do aerobics in the park, children playing and riding bicycles.  Everything is so relaxed.  There was a night market but I avoided it.  The "Lady, you buy" of the Cambodians still ringing in my ears.  But later when I shopped, I found the Lao people to be much more willing to let you browse at your leisure.  I walked around, went swimming and read the first day.  I visited the "arc of triumph" for Vientiane, the famous Wat.  Although in the beginning of my trip I eagerly sought out wats, I now found that I was tired of them.  They all look the same after a while.  Then back to the hostel, where I played cards with 4 Australians.  I taught them hearts, they taught me drinking games.  We played with many people, and they went off to continue drinking and causing problems.  The law against gathering past 11:30pm definitely made the hostel quiet.  Later that 2nd night, as I packed to head to Vang Vieng.  I met my roommates and we talked.  Then, I broke out in a fever.  I shivered all night, canceled my bus the next day.  The guest house was trying to get me to change it so I wouldn't lose the money.  Something about my feverish look must have convinced them to drop it.  There is something about a fever in a tropical area that makes me really, really nervous!  After feeling sorry for myself I went to the doctor, and was seen quickly.  The English was amazing.  Better than in Changsha.  (I did go to the international clinic to be fair.)  They weren't concerned it was Dengue or Malaria.  It was just food poisoning.  Probably from the street bought Lap I ate.  Lap being a meat salad with spices, mint and cilantro (delicious although I will never be able to eat it again).  So I stayed two extra days and relaxed.  Vientiane is perfect for relaxing!  So a few days later I flew to Luang Prabang.  Skipping over Vang Vieng.

Vang Vieng's claim to fame is being a place to party, get drunk, do drugs and tube.  Tubing is where you rent a tube, get some alcohol and float down the river.  Many people die there from mixing alcohol and tubing or from trying the dangerous rope swings and jumps.  A man had died only 2 days prior to my canceling of my trip.  Tales of the buses whipping around on these bumpy jungle roads.  The man who said his mini-bus hit a scooter cemented in my mind that maybe I didn't want to bus it.  Also when you travel in Laos 6 hours could mean 12.  Plan accordingly!!  But my flight from Vientiane to Luang Prabang was cushy.  I was sweating when I saw the puddle jumper with propellers.  But that left to some place I have never heard of and a sweet giant Air bus pulled up.  The flight was 20 minutes.  But they gave us chips, water and I had more leg room than first class on Air Asia!

Luang Prabang was beautiful!  The whole town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  It is tourist heavy.  ATMs, Guest Houses and Travel Agents are everywhere.  The beautiful palace turned into the National Museum was wonderful.  It was simple for a king, the size of a large house.  But the throne room was decked out with red walls, with mirror mosaic designs.  I was unable to take photos inside the museum but it was beautiful.

A temple in Luang Prabang (similar to the Throne room)

I stayed at the SpicyLao the first night, and left the next day.  Paying 60,000 at a guest house for my own room and the quiet that comes with it.  It was fantastic.  My favorite part was the waterfall I visited.  It was a pleasant climb and a pleasant swim.  I will return there some day to eat my weight in French Pastries!  But one morning I woke up and there was no power for the entire city.  Did this slow down the city.  Nope.. they kept moving along in easy Lao time.