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May 06, 2006
Lazy Days in Laos
It’s amazing how much expectations can change when you are traveling. Seeing cockroaches in a restaurant at home may make me question the cleanliness of an establishment, but seeing a rat scurrying across the floor of the restaurant in Pak Beng hardly phased me. The owner reassured us that the rat wouldn’t bite, and we headed in for a meal. The small river village had been described to us as a “complete crap hole†by those we met that had done the boat trip from the Thai border to Luang Prabang prior to us, but we didn’t find it o be too bad. The sunset over the Mekong was impressive, and after seven hours sitting on a hard wooden bench, all I needed was a place to lay my head.
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Slow boat to Luang Prabang |
Prior to visiting Laos, I really knew nothing about the country or its history. In the fourteenth century much of the region was conquered by the warlord Fa Ngum, who gave the region the fitting name Lan Xang (Land of a Million Elephants). The kingdom didn’t last and in the eighteenth century it came under the rule of the Siamese, who in turn handed it over to the French, and the boundaries of Laos were drawn up. Following World War II, Laos gained independence, but twenty years of chaos followed. Seeking to squash the North Vietnamese presence, the United States waged a secret war, in direct violation of the Geneva Accord, and began carpet bombing Laos between 1964-1973. During this time approximately 1.9 million metric tones of bombs were dropped on the country, over half a ton for every man, woman, and child in Laos. The desire to rid Laos of communists failed, and within two years of the US’ withdrawal, the communists had taken over, and Laos remains today a communist country.
River travel is a way of life in Laos and after the rainy season, the level of the river swells making travel much easier, but at the height of the dry season, navigation can be a bit tricky. We were convinced our captain was drunk as he snaked us back and forth across the river in what seemed to be a random fashion, but we soon realized that the water level was so low that a constant change of direction was necessary to avoid the shallow patches. He was doing a great job until one such zigzag brought us too close to a shallow patch. Before he could change our course, the grinding of motor on the rocks echoed through the boat. People started to panic and the sudden movement within the boat caused it to surge from side to side. At one point I was sure we were going to tip, and just as I was encouraging Sinead to get close to the window for a good jumping point, the captain managed to right to boat and everything calmed down. Trying to save face, a couple of the guys claimed that they were just on their feet to help balance the boat. I made no such claims …I was completely freaked out. The next day was another all day affair on the boat, but this time we managed to get on a slightly more comfortable boat that even included a vendor selling the exceptional Beer Laos, essential for a long day of river travel.
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Laos country side |
Luang Prabang was one of the most pleasant cities we’ve visited in South East Asia. Surrounded by mountains, it sits at the confluence of two rivers making it picture perfect. It’s mix of historic Buddhist temples and French colonial architecture has earned it a nod from UNESCO and time can easily be passed aimlessly wandering the town. The night market was about the most relaxed we’ve come across. Lining the street are stalls of textiles and crafts illuminated by a single bulb, with each vendor sitting on the ground with their merchandise, chatting with their friends and uninterested in the tourists that walk by. It isn’t until active interest is shown in anything that they enter into sale mode, but even then it is in a very laid back manner -. a change from the markets elsewhere. As we walked through the market, the internal weather detection of the locals kicked in and suddenly everyone was frantically packing up their wares. We were a bit confused as to what the rush was, but sure enough lightning soon rolled in and the heavy rains followed. It seems that people here just know when it is going to rain.
We decided that one long boat trip wasn’t enough and joined our new friends Chris, Lindsey, and Nick on what promised to be one of the most scenic river trips in Laos. In a boat that should hold no more than eight, nineteen people and one curious chicken crammed in for what was supposed to be a six hour journey. Again the low water level made the journey difficult as our overloaded boat constantly scraped the bottom and only an hour after leaving, suffered its first breakdown. Everyone unloaded from the boat to stretch their legs as the furrowed browed captain applied his screwdriver to the engine. These unscheduled stops would continue for the rest of the journey. In one section the river level was so low, that all but eight people had to get out and walk while the lighter boat went on ahead. With only a couple hours of daylight left, the engine puttered and died once again, but this time we had ran out of gas. While the frustrated group of passengers waited on the shore, contemplating the best spot to set up camp, our captain hitched a ride with a fisherman and luckily returned not too long after with a jerry can filled one fifth full of gas. We were skeptical, but it proved to be enough to make it the final distance, and nine hours after we set out, we arrived at Nong Khiaw.
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Friendly kids swim after our boat |
Annoyances and delays aside, the scenery lived up to expectations. Our captain steered us through the lush jungle, palms springing up along the banks and vast limestone cliffs towering overhead. Villages embedded in the greenery appeared every so often and the river was full of life. Fisherman crouched on the ends of rickety wooden boats casting their nets while the children splashed and played in the water and water buffalo wallowed happily in the shallows. As our boat passed all the kids would frantically wave, while some would show off with a dramatic leap off the nearest rock. It was such an enchanting sight that it made us temporarily forget about the agonizing state of our bodies.
We headed to Nong Khiaw with the intention of doing some trekking, but the intense heat persuaded us to spend the days not doing much of anything. The heat soon subsided giving way to torrential showers, but our positions on the balcony were firmly established and our intense bouts of card playing were not interrupted. The living was easy and the company was good, but we soon figured it was time to move on, before our visas ran out. Laos seems to be that type of place where it is easy to just do nothing and still not miss out on seeing the country.
Vang Vieng draws in busloads of backpackers with its beautiful scenery, cheap accommodation, and easily available supplies of opium and marijuana. The center of town seems to have sprung up from a backpackers’ paint-by-numbers. The usual internet cafes, guesthouses, travel agencies, and restaurants line the main street, but the new addition to the mix are the TV bars. These bars play back to back episodes of Friends, The Simpsons, and Family Guy from open to close. Every day. From the street several different episodes can be heard, while zombie like travelers lounge on the cushions staring straight ahead. The popularity of these bars may have something to do with the “Happy Pizzas and “Happy Shakes†served throughout town, in which you can probably guess the main ingredient. Not exactly our scene, but stepping away from the dusty center, it is an entirely different atmosphere. Our guesthouse overlooked the river and the limestone mountains that line the horizon. Here we could relax for $3 per night without the sound of Ross, Rachael, or the others pestering us.
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Trying my best not to belly flop |
The most popular activity in Vang Vieng is spending the day floating down the river on an inner tube. Now this isn’t just any ordinary float down the river. Makeshift bars of all shapes and sizes line the river banks offering up ice cold Beer Laos. The tranquility of the river is only interrupted by calls of “Beer Laos! Beer Laos!â€. If the tuber is interested, a long bamboo pole is thrown out and the tuber is dragged in to get the beer, otherwise you just float on by. Some “bars†are as basic as a boat floating in the middle of the river, while others are setup along the banks with music blaring and free rope swings to those that buy beer. One such bar had the most ridiculous rope swing I have ever seen. It starts from a platform thirty feet off the water, reached by an uneven wooden ladder that shakes with each step. Once at the top, the only option is to hang on tight and try and let go in the right spot, and right body position. We had a warm up at a previous bar where the swing wasn’t quit so high, but Sinead’s face plant unfortunately won the contest for the worst entry. After watching me go a few times on the high swing, she worked up her courage and executed it perfectly. Others weren’t quite so lucky however, and one girl managed to slip and knock her head on her knee, requiring a trip to the local hospital to get stitches. It’s a good idea that this swing is early on in the trip, as an increase in river beers probably wouldn’t be conducive to the high trapeze.
Many people we met in Laos intended to stay for a couple days and weeks later hadn’t moved on. It is the type of place where one of the biggest attractions is the opportunity to do very little, but still feel as if you are experiencing a part of the country. It would have been easier to stay longer, but we had to get back on the move to meet Craig and Karli in Cambodia.
Posted by brett at May 6, 2006 02:09 AM