Laos: A Place to Stay

January 9, 2011

After a few days in a remote riverside village in Laos I am now reconnected to the rest of the world. So far I am really enjoying Laos and its slow pace, scenery and generally friendly people. Though I enjoyed Vietnam, Laos is a nice break after the tourist conveyor belt in Vietnam.

Unfortunately, the viruses on my memory cards prevented me from uploading pictures and to make matters worse I crashed the computer at the hotel! The owner was very accommodating and got it up and running again. I did notice she put up a sign saying “Do not plug in flashdrives or cameras!” My new card seems to be okay so I put a few pictures of the Sapa area as well as on the road to Dien Bien Phu at the bottom of this blog.

I’ve blocked out how long the bus ride was to Dien Bien Phu, but maybe around 10 hours. We made a rest stop and after some of us couldn’t find the bathroom we were directed down the path. To my horror and revulsion it was a backyard lawn turned into a massive toilet. Toilet paper and wet patches abounded. Privacy was nil – an illusion of privacy was had by trying to hide behind a small tree. I turned around and walked back, but then realized I would not make it the rest of the trip. I mustered my strength and headed back to the lawn and tried to hurry before more people walked back. Just as I finished a man came to do his business. Back on the bus…

Dien Bien Phu might sound familiar to history buffs. It is the location of the last major battle before the French pulled out of Vietnam. There is a monument commemorating the 1954 battle. This also marked an increase in US involvement in Vietnam. The city is actually quite nice and the people were very friendly and curious about us foreigners. The only foreigners who seem to come here come to cross the border into Laos and, like us, just stay for the night. One woman walking by me paused and rubbed my arm vigorously. The traditional dress of the area was colorful and many women wore a big bun on the top of their head. When they wore a motorbike helmet it just rested on the top of their head. J It was great because as curious as I was in their dress they were the same with us. After climbing hundreds of steps to the memorial and getting a sunset view of the city, Ben and I headed to dinner. We found a little restaurant that happened to have delicious food (it helps to choose the one that already has lots of locals in it!). I’ve included a picture of the owner, her kitchen and the food. We had tofu in a tomato sauce and a chicken noodle soup. We topped it off with an ice cream cone!

Our bus across the border left at 5:30am and just loading up was an adventure. The small bus is a Laos bus so the quality is already far worse than the Vietnamese tourist buses. Luggage and cargo (mostly rice I think) filled the roof and floorboards. The space between seats was tight so my knees just fit. An unfortunate 6 foot plus European had to sit sideways for the 10 hour ride with his legs across his girlfriend. As we drove along locals flagged down the driver and piled in. By the end people were sitting on the sacks and backpacks in the aisles. The border checkpoint took about 2 hours, but wasn’t as problematic as I suspected. We did have to pay extra fees to have our temperature checked and for overtime since it was the weekend (Sun., Jan. 2). There were three women from Spain who didn’t have American dollars or Laos kip so we loaned them some and they paid us back in kip when we arrived at our destination. This worked out for us because there were no ATMs to access until we arrived in Luang Prabang two days ago. We exchanged more dollars, but at an unfavorable rate. Anyway…

The condition of the roads immediately changed after we crossed the border. The Vietnam roads were largely well paved and smooth, but the Laos road was a cleared dirt road. We soon had to pause for a few minutes while a bulldozer cleared our path of a landslide. Fortunately, this was our only delay because we heard the bus the day before hit many landslides and were delayed hours. We also had no one vomiting on the ride so that was a major plus! So the ride was long and uncomfortable, but because I expected so much worse it really wasn’t too bad. The bus unloaded at the river at Muang Khua. We had to pay a small amount for a little boat to take us across (I have pictures, but left that memory card in the hotel room!). After much debating we found a room in a nice guesthouse on the river. To get to it we had to cross a RICKETY pedestrian bridge that went for about 100 yards. It was made of sheet metal and with every stop you heard clanging. Most of the time I couldn’t see where the metal was bolted down, I just saw the edges lifting up. Then they were two large holes in the bridge so it was fortunate I was looking down when I came upon them! The bridge was also up quite high so it isn’t for those nervous about heights. We later saw this bridge being used as the garbage dump. People just tossed the waste over the side.

Oh, the room at the guesthouse cost 30,000 kip – so my share was $1.75! My cheapest room yet! The dinner there was good, but after trying a dish I was told it was duck's blood soup (not the name they gave it). No wonder I didn't like it! That is the most unusual dish I've tried so far - at least that I know of. I just hope I haven't accidentally had dog. I did see dead dogs for sale in a market in Vietnam. They were all on their backs with their stiff legs sticking up! There are also live ones for sale too.

The village was warmer than Sapa, but I couldn’t get the hot water in the shared bathroom to work. A few of us did go swimming in the river after we saw a bunch of kids playing around – and adults bathing. The water was definitely refreshing! The next morning Ben and I hopped on a boat to Muang Ngoi Neua. These wooden boats are low riders that are only about 3 ½ feet wide. Again, the drivers want to maximize their profit so they squeeze as many in as possible. The scenery is so gorgeous and I love being on the water so the four hour ride was lovely. Muang Ngoi is only accessible by boat and has dirt roads for pedestrians, but you see no wheeled transportation. It is a common tourist stop for this area, but the village still keeps its charm and is a good base for exploration. The boat dropped us at the foot of a long length of concrete stairs and we plodded up with our bags. Throughout the day, especially in the morning, you see the locals hauling supplies up. Beer Lao was a common good coming up the way. The locals and tourists enjoy it.

Ben and I found a bungalow on the river that had wonderful views, quick access to the beach down the hill, and a hammock. Unfortunately, our light broke half way through our stay of four nights so we relied on our headlamps. Even before that we couldn’t charge anything or use the hairdryer (once again the air was cold at night). The shower was the coldest I’ve had. There was no hot water at all and with the weather being on the chilly side the water was frigged. And with the air also cool it just made you gasp. Some people just relied on the river to bathe.

We did swim quite a bit in the river and had fun doing some gymnastics and yoga poses on the opposite beach. Ben trained seriously in gymnastics as a kid so can far beat my crooked cartwheels. I also loved the stars that scattered across the sky. It's rare I get to see so many stars since I've been living in big cities for so long. Another reason to leave NYC... :)

The first full day in Muang Ngoi, Ben and I rented a traditional wooden paddle boat. The kayaks were about $35 to rent so we went for the $5 boat! The village hasn’t quite realized how to price their tours and rentals – actually all of Laos seems to be this way. To have a guide take you on a five hour hike to the top of the nearby mountain cost about $30 a person. Other treks were expensive. Some of the things you can easily do on your own so the price just makes it an easy no. The hike to the top of the mountain was tricky – I’ll explain more later – but even in the US I wouldn’t pay that. If the prices were more reasonable they would have lots of people signing up for tours and rentals, but instead very few people do. Not good business sense.

The response of one tour operator to a tourist who commented on the high price was that he would pay that in his country. There seems to be a bit of distortion of what people are willing to pay in the US and how often they would be willing to pay that amount. Also, most travelers coming through here are budget travelers so this idea we have boundless amounts of money is off the mark. Many travelers chose SE Asia to traveler in because money does go further. At this stage in their economic development having western prices doesn’t fit and most tourists won’t go for it. There is some bitterness on the part of the locals. I heard it once in Vietnam too. When I was traveling with my French friends, one asked at the ticket booth if there was a discount for students and asked why not. The young woman started angrily saying how we have money and can come to her country, but she will never be able to go to ours. Her pent up bitterness came out and that’s what the tourist in Muang Ngoi also heard. I can understand this because all they see are foreigners traveling, spending money and having fun. And most will never be able to travel overseas. Even if they have the money for the trip, the US, at least, would likely refuse a visa. It is a difficult divide.

Back to the paddle boat ride… The boat moved much slower in the water than a kayak and the narrow paddles didn’t help. But it was a gorgeous trip and the calm and quiet of the river made it worth it. Along the way we met a group of three who motored to an area to collect seaweed (riverweed?). It is long and stringy – and edible. After about 2 ½ hours we came to the closest village north of ours. We walked around the village and had fun watching the kids play a game where they spin wooden tops and try to knock each other’s out. I was shocked at how many kids and babies there were – more than adults it seemed! We tried to walk to the next village, but didn’t make it and we needed to head back so we didn’t have to paddle in the dark. It would have been nice if we had brought our luggage and done a homestay here because it was much more off the beaten path. The current was in our favor on the way back so we got in just before dark after paddling for 1 ½ hours. I definitely got a good workout and my bum was quite bruised from the narrow wooden slat for a seat. :)

After the long paddle food was in order. Most of our meals were had at a restaurant overlooking the river. It was cheaper than most and very good. I still miss the breakfast baguettes of scrambled eggs ($1.25). They also had some nice vegetable curries. Pumpkin is common on the menus of the cooler regions so I've been delighting in that.

Another day we, along with three other travelers, tried to hike to the top of the mountain I mentioned before. Unfortunately, there are lots of animal trails and hunting trails that lead nowhere and we never could find the right trail. So after a few hours Ben and I changed plans and walked to a cave and a village. The cave is massive and our path ended at a nice pool of clear water. Villagers hid in this cave during Nixon’s bombings. This area was part of the Ho Chi Minh Trail so he secretly bombed it. I later met a man who as a baby hid in a cave during these attacks. He, of course, spoke horribly of Nixon, but then jokingly teased me that I was related to him. I included a picture from the village and you can see how basic the conditions are, but the villages always seem to have a satellite dish. The world over people want their TV!

You can see from the pictures that again we just missed the fields being harvested so the lushness is gone for now.

Our final full day we asked the captain of the regular morning boat that heads south to drop us off at a nearby village. From there villagers nicely pointed us in the direction of the waterfall. We came to a fork in the path with a sign regarding the waterfall that said, “Turn right 20 minutes.” Now does that mean turn right now and the waterfall is in 20 minutes or do we turn right in 20 minutes? Well, we decided to take the left fork. When we came to streams we had to walk through and other turns without signs I figured we took the wrong direction, but Ben wasn’t ready to turn around yet. I didn’t mind though because the walk was so nice. After about 30 minutes we finally saw people. Since the farms don’t need attention right now most are in the village. We asked about the waterfall (“tat”) and they smiled and pointed us back where we had come from. So we walked back through the fields and streams – fortunately without leeches (Ben had one a previous day) – and took the right turn. After another hour – not 20 minutes like the sign said – we came to the waterfall. It had several levels and beautiful cascades. The main waterfall wasn’t extremely high, but it formed a nice pool to swim in. I lasted about 10 seconds in the cold water. We had the whole area to ourselves – it was great not to have it be a “tourist site.”

To return to Muang Ngoi we hitchhiked, not something I usually do, but on the river it’s common. This is also one thing I wouldn’t have done if I had been along, but traveling with another person gives you strength in numbers. The first boat that stopped for us wanted 50,000 kip! We had paid 20,000 kip to get to the village so said no. The next boat came within a few minutes and they only asked 20,000 kip. So we piled in and squeezed ourselves between them and the BeerLao. This is when I met the man who hid in a cave during the bombings. They were friendly and offered us BeerLao and fruit. We all stopped at Muang Ngoi and Ben and I headed to our favorite restaurant and just relaxed for a few hours. It was a wonderful day – as all the days here were.

Running low on kip and camera battery strength we bought boat tickets to Luang Prabang – seven hours down river. We were really squeezed in and I didn’t much mind – even the splashes when we went through little rapids – until we had an hour to go. Then I was getting antsy and my legs were sore! In Luang Prabang we wandered until finding a decently priced guesthouse with hot water!

The small city has a long history that is seen through the royal palace and temples. I’ve only visited the main temple so far, but many are scattered around. We also took a tuk tuk (little truck taxi) to a waterfall that was spectacular. It was very touristy, but I think the most beautiful one I’ve ever seen. The water was the color of the Caribbean in places and had lovely cascading falls and pools. We were able to have some good swims – still cold though. A lower pool had a rope swing and you could jump off a high fall into the pool below, but I was too cold from swimming before to go in. Ben – always up for adventure and cold water – had fun though.

Last night we found a nice outside eatery that seemed popular with the locals. It was Lao BBQ that you could make soup with. The metal piece put over the coals had the dome for the meat and a trough around the circumference where you added water and the vegetables. It was delicious and the owner was very kind. Between the two of us we only had 41,000 and the BBQ was 40,000. So we told the man we couldn’t order drinks. He still brought us over some water! So, of course, he got the extra 1,000 kip. :)

One experience I don't seem to have when I'm walking by myself is having drugs offered to me - marijuana and opium. But when I'm walking with a man the sellers come out of the shadows (literally) and mumble under their breathe, "you want some opium." Very sketchy!

There is a huge night market that is fun to walk and immensely tempting! The only money I spent here though was to have a patch put on some pants that ripped. That set me back $1.25.

January 12, 2011

What an ordeal trying to upload the blog - thanks for your patience. :) Either computers stopped working, stores closed or I had to download antivirus software that took forever and then the place closed. But now this computer is virus free and it's in the AM so I should finally manage to post this (did I just jinx myself!). The upside is that I have now been able to upload the pics from Muang Khua (Not, that memory card is still really damaged - ugh). But the first pictures are from the last day in Luang Prabang. I also get to update you on the last few days which included temple visits, feeding monks, and more long bus rides.

My last full day in Luang Prabang was leisurely one - except for the 5am wake up to feed the monks. Strange right - but you do. Monks come streaming out of temples in their bright orange wraps and accept offerings - mostly of sticky rice. They were half an hour late - if they were my students they would be signing "the late book." I wasn't planning on feeding them myself because as a foreigner and non-Buddhist I didn't want to offend. But while Ben and I were waiting there seemed to be so few people and I didn't want the monks to go hungry. So I bought a small basket of sticky rice and waited - ridiculously anxious. There were several local women and men who also joined the line and then the monks came. I was hurriedly trying to separate the rice - sticky of course - and some monks got a huge clump and others a pinch. Fortunately, it worked out that I had a little left for the last monk. And this was so because about three monks in a row went by me without taking rice. Did they not want the foreigners rice or were they lagging behind the monk ahead and needed to catch up?

It turns out that monks come by four times (and there are different places in town where you can make the offerings), but there were at least two different groups. The monks were of all ages and seemed to walk in that order and rank of level they've achieved. It's hard for me to imagine being 10 years old and becoming a monk - or nun. I didn't buy more rice, but just watched these "feedings." One woman offered to sell me more and I said no thank you that I had just given the monks some. She said thank you so I guess she thought it good that I made the offerings. I was the only tourist that did - the others took photos. Hopefully this means the monks didn't mind me making offerings either. When the ritual began the sky was still dark, but by the time it ended about an hour later the sun had risen enough to get a few blurry photos and a video. After the offerings were made the monks returned to their temples and began morning chores. While the monks did their chores I went back to bed! This is when the leisurely day began.

Eventually I did go to visit the oldest temple in Luang Prabang - built in the 16th century. It is a lovely temple that has several buildings and again, monks reside here. Gold paint is clearly a popular design choice. After eating more sandwiches, I rented a bicycle and Ben ran to a temple on a hill we had seen from a high point in central Luang Prabang. It was nice small "golden stupa" with some nice carved reliefs on the outside. I'm sure the inside was nice too, but we got there 30 minutes after it closed. I did see some monks climbing trees as part of their chores and bathing. On the ride back we stopped at a trendy hotel bar that overlooked the river. They had a happy hour special of two for one, but I think the trick was that there was no alcohol in the daiquiris. Oh well, I still had to balance on my bike.

An errand I squeezed into the day was to the Big Brother Mouse store. It's a non-profit locally started and run to tackle the problems of illiteracy. They encourage travelers to give the families, especially the children, at the homestays books and pens rather than money and candy. It seems like a great initiative and I love that Laotians started it. You can see a picture of me with the mouse and books I bought.

For dinner we paid $1.20 for a plateful of vegetarian food from a street market buffet. It was a good sampling of Laos food. I've seen more eggplant served here then Vietnam and I'm loving it. We also met some travelers that were fun and informative about our next destination - Luang Nam Tha.

Yesterday morning we set out with a frazzled and humorous minivan driver for the northern town of Luang Nam Tha. It was a 10 hour trip in all with lots of potholes and bumps. There was a young couple from England on the bus and we had fun chatting with them and ended up enjoying a yummy Indian dinner together upon arrival. Another rider was a traveler from China who gave us great amusement because he seemed to have a tiny bladder. Every quick stop we made he jumped out of the front seat and right there undid his trousers. His dress was old school - very Indiana Jones, which was fun. He was friendly, but spoke no English so we just exchanged smiles.

Driving through Laos you can see that it is much poorer than Vietnam and Indonesia. The poverty seems more widespread and severe. I've only seen a few modern looking homes. Most of the homes we passed yesterday are made of bamboo it seems.

We're going to look into trekking options here, but rain comes and goes so some trips have to turn back. There is also a "Gibbon Experience" with ziplining through canopy and sleeping up in tree houses. It books fast and is pricey so it might not happen, but it would definitely be an awesome, unique experience. Thailand apparently has a day option that is similar so we'll see.

Soon I'll be heading south again and I'm dreaming of warm beaches. I'm chilly now because my clothing is limited and heater are hard to find, but it's really on probably the 50s. For instance, I'm typing in my hotel lobby and there is no heat, but the real problem is that they have all the doors open. So I have a cold breeze going across my bare legs and hands. Why are the doors open?! Despite this, I'm just glad to be missing the crazy storms in NYC right now.