07 December 2008 - Home Again

Home Again
Sunday Morning - 07 December in Thailand

We are back from our latest adventure - 6 days in Laos. It was another great trip with many great memories and new friends in a beautiful as well as fascinating country - Lao People's Democratic Republic.

Oh yes - 1,513 new photos to review process and edit.

I had decided to take this trip to reunite with friends from Great Britain that I had met two years ago in Maehongson. They were going to be in Vientiane on November 30 to December 03 - about 50 miles north of our home in Udonthani. From there I wanted to go to Luang Prabang, a United Nation's World Heritage Site and one of the places listed in the book "1,000 Places To See Before You Die"

Unfortunately due to the political crisis in Thailand and the seizure of the Bangkok airports, my friends were forced to cancel the trip under advisement of the British government - the night before their scheduled departure.

Today's blog will deal with the first day of our trip - Monday 01 December.

We got up at 0500 to start out on our latest adventure. Once the sun rose, the day revealed itself as a perfect day to travel. It was cool - to me perfect but for Duang - cold. The morning temperature was around 60F. The sky was brilliant blue with only a hint of high altitude wispy clouds. There was only a slight breeze sufficient to keep the bugs away.

We left our Udonthani house at 0645 and arrived at the border with Laos at 0755.Crossing out of Thailand was no problem - show passport, submit completed "Departure Card", get picture taken, have passport stamped. After the border check, I paid 20 Baht ($0.61 USD) each for us to take the bus across the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge to the Laos border control point. Once at the checkpoint, Duang only had to show her Thai passport and fill out an entry card in English.

I had to get a "Visa On Arrival". The "Visa On Arrival" requires two forms to be filled out in English, submit a 2.5 cm by 3 cm (very small) passport photo and pay $35 USD.

While I was filling out the forms, a man was speaking to her and guiding us through the process. He was a driver from Laos. He offered to drive us to Vientiane. His price was fair especially when you consider his help in getting us through the crossing so I accepted. I was pleasantly surprised to see that his car was a fairly new Toyota van in good condition.

Laos is very much like Isaan in many respects. We were in the van no more than 5 minutes before Duang and he started talking up a storm to the point that he asked her why we didn't have any babies together and told her that we would have a beautiful baby between us. I can't imagine the reaction in the United States to a cabbie inquiring why his passengers didn't have any children - if he even had the nerve to ask.

Vientiane is unlike any capital city that I have been in before (Washington DC, London, Paris, Copenhagen, Brussels, Amsterdam, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Singapore, Beijing, and Lima). It has a population of only 201,000 people. I don't believe that there are more than 3 buildings over 6 stories tall. Udonthani is more cosmopolitan than Vientiane.

Our hotel was on the outside of the main city - it turned out to be 10 minute walk! Vientiane lacks an easily recognizable financial, commercial, government or city center. The main street, Th. Lan Xang, best resembles a center for the city. At one end of the wide boulevard, referred to by some people as "Champs Elysees of the East" is the Presidential Palace and at the other end is the Victory Monument -"Patuxai". In between the endpoints are banks, hotels, office buildings, restaurants, shop houses, street vendors, and commercial buildings more in a suburban setting rather than urban development.

Vientiane is quiet. People do not use their vehicle horns like Vietnam - Thank God! There are not many trucks and not many cars. The street traffic was more like that of a city in America with 30,000 people except for the number of bicycles and motor bikes.

On our 10 minute walk to Th. Lan Xang we passed the two main large markets for the city - "Talat Sao" (dry goods) and "Talat Thong Khan Kham" (fruits, vegetables, meats). A bus station also is located in the vicinity with the main post office across the street - as busy as it gets in Vientiane. Interesting. Stimulating, but not overwhelming. Very nice. Very relaxing.
Like everywhere else in SE Asia, the people have set up little restaurants on the sidewalks or placed blankets on the sidewalks to sell things.

It is very difficult to believe that this is a Communist state. I can just imagine someone in the USA laying a blanket on the side walk upon which they sell any kind of thing. What about a restaurant on the sidewalk? What permits and licenses are required for a person to cook hot dogs and sell them on the streets of the USA? Business License. Health Permit. Tax ID. Insurance Certificate. Not to mention additional documentation if you have an employee. Makes me wonder who is really freer. Perhaps with the recession in the USA and a new administration, the government will do less (i.e. deregulate) to encourage the people's entrepreneurial creativity and energy that is so apparent even in the "Communist" countries that I have visited - Laos, China, and Vietnam.

I did get quite a chuckle when I read some Lao government information - they proudly proclaimed Laos to be a democracy with one party. Creative thinking - no doubt. But I am not sure that it matters all that much if the people are free to have their motor bike repair shop, restaurant, barber shop, mini-market, shoe store, beauty salon, tailor shop, taxi driver, tour guide service, car rental, motorbike rental, digital photo service, insurance agency, building supply shop, fruit stand, basket business, cement business, ...

I had read in the guide book about people approaching you to buy drugs in Laos. Sure enough it happened to me. I guess as a sign of the times and in consideration of my age, I was not offered to buy opium, hashish, amphetamines, marijuana, Ecstasy, or heroin. The local shady drug dealer came up to me and spoke in Lao while flashing me a small box of Pfizer's Viagra in his palm. I laughed and politely and proudly told him in "No" in Thai and mimicked that I had no need for it. I asked Duang to translate and affirm in Lao so that he would leave us alone. She did and we parted company - all three of us laughing and smiling. So I guess I need to add to the aforementioned list of private businesses - "drug dealing"

I did find out that people do not own the land - the government does and they rent the land from the government. Perhaps it will soon be the same in the USA with the mortgage and banking crisis and ensuing bailout, assistance or whatever the government decides to call their program(s). I wonder if it matters all that much if you pay mortgage to a bank or rent to a government? It does seem to blur the distinction between "Democracy" (Democracy with more than one party" and "Communist" (Democracy with one party). I think that it is important that we understand that they dynamics are changing and it isn't necessarily the "Communists" becoming "freer".

With US and other governments becoming involved in bailouts of industries and institutions, economies are becoming less free and more managed with government involvement while Communist and former Communist states are embracing more aspects and benefits of free economies.

Anyhow - back to the first day of the trip.

The streets of Vientiane are wide and paved. On the outskirts of the city there are dirt roads off of the paved main roads. Some of the city streets are lined with trees and you get a feeling and flavor of the old French Indochina.

We walked to Victory Monument and got involved in a lengthy conversation with the street photographers. Whoops - there's another private business that I failed to mention earlier. The photographers were interested in my camera equipment. We talked about cameras and photography using a mixture of English and Duang's translation into Lao.

Some of the men spoke a little English and were eager to practice some of what they had learned. It was a free and interesting exchange of information and experiences. Of course I was asked how much I had paid for the camera and lens. I taught them about EBAY, where I had bought all my stuff second hand. Given the entrepreneurial talents of the people I fully expect some type of Lao knockoff of EBAY in the next 6 months.

In no time at all, they were asking why we did not have any babies together and telling us that the baby would be very pretty if we did have one. Duang told him that she could not have any children because her tubes had been tied. I told them that we keep on trying. That moved the subject of the conversation on to less personal matters.

We encountered many babies along the route and we stopped to talk to just about all of them. The babies all smiled and laughed. The parents were all very pleasant and appreciative of the attention that we gave their children.

The Lao people are very charming and friendly. Of course this is facilitated for me with Duang's command of the Lao language. I have written before about the people of Isaan being a cultural minority called "Lao Loum" (Lowland Lao). The people of Vientiane are the same cultural group.

Other cultural groups in Laos are called "Lao Thoeng" (Upland Lao) and "Lao Soung" - (??? Lao - that's right - High Lao).

On the way back towards our hotel, we decided to get some tourist information. It was lunchtime so we had to wait 30 minutes for the office to reopen. We came upon a sidewalk food vendor, a cart of woven baskets, and a man who was selling woven baskets that were strung at the end of a bamboo strap across his shoulders. The two basket sellers were busy buying their lunch from and flirting with the food seller. I started photographing them along with the many students and ofice workers that were casually walking along the Th. Lan Xang boulevard.

Duang decided to look at the baskets on the bamboo strap. She got involved in a long, involved, and at times humorous negotiation with the vendor. After 25 minutes she was unable to cut a deal with the vendor. His buddy who had been watching and listening the entire process quickly made a deal with her and sold her 4 off of his cart. The other vendor was not upset but seemed disappointed. He had tried to involve me in the negotiations earlier but I had told him that he had to deal with Duang and to get her to agree. He came to me and offered to sell me two baskets with lids for 250 baht ($7.15 USD). He had earlier offered them to Duang for 375 baht ($10.71 USD). I looked at Duang for guidance and she assured me it was a good deal. I agreed and paid the man. I then told him in Thai and pantomine that "See man and woman talk talk for 25 minutes and have no deal. Man and man talk 2 minutes have good deal" We all had a good laugh and part happy. As they so often say in SE Asia "Good for you. Good for me." I honestly think that Duang had worn him down. We saw the vendors three more times over the next two days that we were in Vientiane. We always had a chuckle with the men about Duang being a robber without a gun and that the Police were looking for her because she had robbed them.

Later in the day we walked to the Black Stupa (That Dam). In the old days it was believed to protect Vientiane from invaders. After the Thai attacked and stole the reverred Emerald Buddha in the 1830's the people of Vientiane were not impressed with the stupa. It has not been maintained and now is in a state of semi ruin - all the gold gone leaving midew blackened cement and exposed underlying bricks.

By this time Duang was hungry so we stopped at a place next to the Black Stupa. I call it "place" because it is more appropriate than to call it a restaurant. On the left side was a one chair barber shop with two plastic waiting chairs and a bed against the wall in the corner. In front of the barber shop on the edge of the street was a small food cart where food was being prepped and cooked on a small charcoal grill. Off to the side were the family's living quarters. In front of the living quarters was a concrete paved courtyard with a plastic table and four plastic chairs. In amongst this conglomeration was a precocious 3 year old riding a small bicycle with training wheels and four very small young kittens.

We sat at the table awaiting Duang's food and immediately caught the attention of the little girl. She was darling so I started to photograph her.I showed her the pictures which only encouraged her more. She decided to have me photograph her with one of the kittens.
Unfortunately for the kitten, the little girl didn't understand how to hold it properly - suspending it in the air with one hand wrapped around its throat.

Duang enjoyed here meal of chicken feet and pauk pauk along with chicken rice. Luckily I was not hungry - or I would not admit that I was.

The little girl was very concerned that I was not eating. She motioned for me to eat some of Duang's food and asked Duang why I was not eating. She told Duang that I should eat. She appeared genuinely concerned about my health and not trying to increase food sales.

Duang ate while I was occupied photographing the little pixie. After I showed her the pictures she would point to the various people around the area for me to show them the photos. She was pleased and enjoying modeling and posing.

Duang could not eat all the food so she shared her meal with the little girl. The girl had not mastered the use of chopsticks so watching her eat was entertaining. It also made for some interesting photos.

When it was time for us to leave, the little girl asked us to come see her again the next day. We said that we would.

From the Black Stupa we walked to the Presidential Palace which was very pretty in the waning sunlight of a beautiful Fall day. We took a side street and came upon a corner barber shop - 3 chairs plus waiting chairs. Two small twin boys were getting their haircut. They were squirming in the chair constantly. We stopped to watch. In no time at all I was engaged in conversation with the boy's father - initially in English and then in French.

While we were talking, Duang was observing the barber in action and picking up some haircutting tips for the next time that she cuts my hair. Hopefully my next cut won't end up being a Patet Lao or Communist cadre style. The look is so passe now.

Duang's new shoes were hurting her so we asked the man where we could buy sandals. The shoe store was one half block to the left. New rubber flip flops - $5.25 USD - VISA or Mastercard not required although the price was listed in US dollars, Lao Kip, and Thai Baht. Duang was hurting so she didn't even bargain.

We had a very busy day with a great deal of walking and were exhausted. We returned to the hotel by 16:00. After dinner and a beer, it was to bed by 20:00 - under the mosquito net that was suspended over the bed.

I had a great night's sleep. I claimed that it was from all the walking but Duang said it was from the Beer Lao - mine and most of her's.