Onward to Laos

We decided to take the ten hour bus to Luang Prabang from Nan Thailand as the border crossing involving minibuses, buses, Songtheaws and boats was fraught with difficulties as there are no set times for anything and we would have to overnight in two towns. So less adventuresome, but more straightforward, the bus. This small bus took us along the windy road to Laos, over a mountain side, through Lao villages and often traveling over unpaved craggy roads that must be impassable with just a little rain. Minutes before we actually crossed the border Jack proceeded to vomit all over his lap. It was a surprise and we were unprepared. The driver’s attendant gave me a roll of toilet paper and a few plastic bags. I feel like cleaning up three cups of vomit the consistency of oatmeal with tissue should be some sort of master challenge on a game show. Add to that the pressure from the immigration police standing at your shoulder telling you to get off the bus and a shocked unwell twelve year old with snot running down his face holding a plastic bag of vomit…and you got a difficult task to complete. However, we made it and these stories of adversity only had color to our memories! Character right? A nice Thai couple that we met on the bus. Walked with us the mile into town at night when we got into LP. We are in Laos. Luang Prabang, a world Unesco site that was destroyed by Chinese mercenary armies in the late 1800s and only accepted French protection in 1888. The French brought Vietnamese immigrants to help rebuild Luang Prabang and the city became a popular escape for Parisians. Due to royalist alliances, Luang Prabang escaped ruin by the huge number of bombs dropped on Laos by the United States during the Vietnam war. The large French villas, once in disrepair are now revived and charging boutique prices with the influx of new money. The Luang Prabang airport only opened 13 years ago. Espresso and baguettes abound. Delicious baguette sandwiches for 10,000 kip, about $1.20. Add our favorite drink–blended ice,ginger,lime and mint and for $2.40 and you have a meal. I was here 20 years ago. It is very different now, motor bikes instead of bicycles, jeans instead of traditional skirts. More plastic garbage. However, still 33 temples packed into this small city! Monks robes hang to dry Old French Villa Laos is poorer, dirtier and rougher than Thailand. But along with this grime emerge old French villas next to large gold buddhas, amazing photo opportunities around every corner. We have observed in both Laos and Vietnam, countries with communist leadership, there is a tolerance for trash and rubble piles on the sidewalk and along the road. Our guess is maybe there less a sense of private responsibility as everything is owned collectively, or infrastructure and garbage collection are the government’s responsibility? Since we only scratch the surface in our understanding of the different places we visit we never really know. Filled with plastic bottles. Recycling I hope. Also, the capitalist drive to improve customer service and make money is literally asleep here, as shop keepers nap in their stores, often having to be wakened to buy something. The pace of service is very relaxed and slow. Tuk Tuk driver napping Sleeping soundly Often we have seven year olds waiting on us at restaurants and convenience stores. They are adept with a calculator and have thier basic english phrases down. This culture reminds me a little of Vietnam and I swear we hear “Chi Oi” amongst groups of women, or “hey you” in Vietnamese, but maybe we are imagining it. We have found a very inexpensive guest house along the river. It is an anomaly as lodging in this town is geared towards older tourists on group tour,new moneyed Chinese, and the prices reflect this. We are paying $24 a night for two rooms, however I feel like I am living in a Steinbeck novel. Cannery Row does come to mind. I think about cockroaches crawling over me at night and rats scurrying up the open drain in the bathroom. We have two adjoining rooms with doors that go out onto a balcony over the street. Our Guesthouse A saving grace is that although water stained and cracked, the ceilings are high and there is a window. Each room has carpet from the 1990s and threadbare sheets over single rock hard mattresses with heavy pillows that are weighed down by years of use. I am choosing to believe that everything is old and dingy, but clean? Recently? The outlets spark and lights flicker when you use them, but our doors go directly outside so escape from fire is quick. The bathroom is wet and smells sulfurous, the sink drains directly on the floor…however the shower water is warm, initially. Cork plays Jazz on his speaker and just having the music playing gives the place a sort of drug induced artist charm, one could even say Bohemian if you blur your vision by removing your glasses. Well after our first night’s sleep, no tell-tale bites. (I keep my fears and concerns to myself as the kids only complaint is that the WIFI is slow…which is the usual in all of Laos). I feel like this is a good test of my priviliged snobbery. However, two nights are adequate and tomorrow we move to a different guesthouse that we found along a quiet street near temples and our favorite restuarants. We worked out a discount and got the room down to $15 each a night and I am very happy to move there!