| March 10, 2001 For luck (or atonement) we made a quick visit to Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum and paid respects to the glass coffin containing his embalmed body. It was a forced somber affair with armed gaurds ready and willing to escort you out for talking. We then rushed to the airport for the short flight to Laos. Capital of one of the world's poorest countries, Vientiane is still shockingly small, and less developed than the average small town at home. Governed by a communist regime since 1975, there are grand, opulent "public" buildings on dirt roads next to shacks. With the collapse of the former Soviet Union, Laos lost its financial support and consequently had to allow a limited market economy (note: there was no corresponding political reform). While initially succesful, Laos was hard hit by the Asian financial crisis of the late 90's. The effects are primarily limited to the ruling elites and technocrats. 85% of Laotians are in rural areas where they live as self-sufficient farmers and fishermen. Most are without electricity, hospitals, or running water. Laos has earned significant buzz as one of the last "unspoilt" places. With a rich landscape, incredibly friendly people, and many hilltribes, tourism is increasing exponentially. Our favorite first day experience was buying local currency. The primary denomination of the kip is the 1,000 note while the largest is a 5,000. With the exchange rate at 8,300 to the dollar, the bank provides shopping bags to carry the stacks of cash. Hotel - $7, Food - $17, Trans - $204, Random (Exit Fee - $20, Internet - $2, Visa - $120, Beauty - $5) Total - $526 |
| March 11, 2001 We bused a few hours north to Vang Viang, a town that has sprung up as a friendly, adventurous, backpackers stop As we would find in much of Laos, our guidebook information was almost useless as it quickly becomes out of date. New guesthouses, restaurants, and destinations open daily. It is definitely best to talk to recent travellers (Thanks, Timm). Even in the rain, Vang Viang was natuarally beautiful, set against a green forest, karsts and the Nam Xong River. |
| March 12, 2001 We signed up for a caving and tubing tour guided by Mr. Keo, the self-titled and undisputed "Trek King" of Vang Vien. We took a sputtering tuk tuk out of town into the picturesque countryside. The fields were dotted with limestone karsts and surrounded by jungle. Mr. Keo led us into the muddy fields showing all the plants and explaining their traditional medicinal vaules. Next, we crossed the river on a shaky bamboo bridge into a village to see daily life. The big event was a long, candelit trek into a cave. Mr. Keo sang to the caves and railed against the communists to us. at the end, we went for a dark swim in the shilly, underground stream. We finally warmed up with a few rounds of Lao wine. Our group, 4 English, 2 Japanese, 1 Dutch and 1 other American, had gotten along well and now famously. Against better judgement (it was raining and cold) we decided to still go tubing on the Nam Xong river. There was just enough current to keep us moving downstream when Mr. Keo failed to pick us up. We had a fun walk back through town in our bathing suits and inner tubes. We completed a great day by meeting the group again for dinner and stories. Hotel - $5, Food - $12, Random (Trek - $10) Total - $27 |
| March 13 With hindsight, it was obviously a bad idea to take literally all of our clothes to the cheapest laundry in town (i.e. hand wash and air dry) when it has been and still is raining. Our clothes retained that funky "worn for five days straight" travel aroma with a new infusion of a musty, wet-dog smell (for authenticity, the clothes are still wet, too). We decided to travel anyway and rushed for the last two seats to Luang Prabang. It was a winding, climbing and nauseating seven hour ride. With all of the windows completely fogged, we looked inside for entertainiment. It didn't take long. My neighbor said, "Is that a leech?" Yes! It was fat and slowly crawling down the aisle. Everyone checked themselves, but the French guy behind us was the unlucky winner. Luang Prabang is Laos' premier touristy town. It is pretty with colonial architecture and cobblestone alleys. Here also is the convergence of the Mekong and Nam Ou rivers. We enjoyed all of its modern comforts. Hotel - $7, Food - $10, Trans - $10, Random (Laundry - $3, Internet - $1) Total - $31 |
| March 14, 2001 With rain for steady company, we visited Luang Prabang's many wats. Wat Kiang Thong was the most ornate with teak wood and gold leaf. Inside it had gruesome, golden depictions of Buddhist hell including liars hung by their tongues and murderers boiling in giant cauldrons. Outside, many smaller buildings were decorated with colored mirrored mosaics. Monks (wearing yellow, orange, or saffron colored robes) are everywhere in Laos, a reflection of Buddhism as the national religion and the country's poverty. Many poor families can't support all of their children so they will send their boys to become novices. (They also benefit greatly from the education they receive). I had pictured monks to have lives of sacrifice, prayer, etc. However, here in Laos, it is not uncomoon (due to generous given) to see monks smoking cigarettes, chatting on cellphones, listening to walkmans, and surfing the web. For dinner, we treated ourselves to a highly recommended, "tablecloth" evening. Our guidebook lavished praise on the owner/cook who is "the daughter of the last chef to the Lao Royal Family". Maybe she was on holiday. Anyway, there was an entertaining traditional Lao dance and music to enjoy. Hotel - $7, Food - $23, Museum - $4, Random (Camera - $6, Internet - $2) Total - $43 |
| March 15, 2001 Today's report includes more rain. Among our trips out for shopping and eating. We visited the Royal Palace Museum. The palace is now a museum because when the communists seized power in 1975, they exiled the king and royal family to a remote cave where all subsequently died of hunger and exposure. The Lao governement now blames the unhappy spirits of the dead royals for its recent economic crisis and last year held an exorcism ceremory at the former palace. Based on the latest financial date, it doesn't appreared to have worked. Hotel - $7, Food - $15, Museum - $3, Random (Internet - $3) Total - $28 |
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