Laos - Sleepy hollow

First of all I’d like to thank all of you who have made comments about my blog, yes I have turned my spell checker off, but I hope that’s not deterring anybody from it, also I have been requested if the link to the blog can be passed on to other people, please go ahead the more the merrier.

I met with Souly from SEDA-Laos (www.SEDA-Laos.org) last night, a very committed and determined young lady. I now have a much better idea of what I’m getting involved with. The EWB member from Melbourne who has been the project leader on the RTC Biogas project will be arriving on Thursday along with another member of the team and we plan to meet later in the day and head up north to the site which is only 50 Km away on the Friday. As I understand it, it is not as straight forward as you might think being a NGO project there is plethora of paperwork and permits. A couple of days spare to take in the local sites and do some research, so this morning I thought I’d take Eddie out for a run and have a look at the local country side. There are not many roads in Laos (and no road signs out of the city) I thought I’d have a spin out to Muang Pakxan about 150 Km away along the Mekong Valley. It is one of the possible routes to Hanoi so I was keen to check out the road conditions. The local maps showing routes out of the city are useless and as I said before, there are virtually no signposts, having learnt lessons about asking directions leaving only the compass and gut feeling to go on. I headed off in what I believed was the right road which went under the Thai-Loa friendship bridge and skirts along the banks the Mekong. About 20 Km’s down the road it became clear that this was a bad decision, the road deteriorated quite dramatically (see photo), I stuck with it for about 5 Km to see if it would improve but it only got worse, the recent flooding tuning the red soil into patches of quagmire. Now along with the not camping thing I’m am not on an ‘off road’ trip either. I understand why people get the buzz from the off road thing and it would be a great adventure but Eddie at getting onto 450 Kg is not the machine I would be wanted to pick up on a regular basis. It was time to head back, and the contemplation of re organising my journey if this is the general standard of the Laos roads. A wrong turn turned out to fortuitous, not only did it put me on the road I wanted by accident but it gave me a chance to see Laos police corruption first hand. I was pulled over for a spot check and told I was to pay a 50000 kip ‘on the spot’ fine, the reason for the fine was unclear, I think it was just a generic ‘on the spot’ fine, I remembered to smile and apologies for my misdemeanour whatever it was, unfortunately I forgot the protocol of not overtly handing over the money and they were very keen to show me it has to be done discreetly. 50000 kip lighter (about $AUD6.50) I set off in the direction of Pakxan. I must admit I did not feel very comfortable on the road at this point. The road was narrow and had numerous lumbering trucks crawling along at 30 Km/h belching out acrid black smoke. The complications came from the other road users antics to get round these trucks which very much relied on you getting out of their way, the weapon of choice of the ‘well-heeled’ Laotian is the ‘Toyota Hilux’, apparently makes you invincible. The road was bumpy and undulated quite badly and there was the odd small pot hole but nothing suspension threatening. About 30 Km out of town I threw off the last remnants of the city traffic and pretty much had the road to myself. The route to Pakxan is a succession of small villages about 10 Km apart, these were a real eye opener. Only ½ hour journey but seemed to have stepped a good 50 years back in time. The overall impression was of a third world or as we correctly say a ‘developing country’. I am acutely aware of making mistakes on first impressions and trundling through on a motorbike only gives you a general feel for a town, village or a city.

But the living conditions could only described as primitive. There were many small towns and villages in Thailand who would be primitive compared to Europe, US or Australia, but this seemed to be taken to new heights (or depths). I must stress that although the conditions are primitive it is not poverty, I’m sure life in these small villages is hard and they would not have the access to healthcare and education we are privileged to have in the west but paradoxically everyone you see looks very healthy (active lifestyle and a proper diet would I’m sure be contributory factors). I rode for about an hour through a succession of these villages, the other thing I noticed was I was really off the tourist trail as I seemed to be the centre of attention for everyone in the village, which can be a bit unnerving at first but if I smiled and waved at anyone it was almost without fail returned with a big beaming smile and a wave or a thumbs up. It did seem that I was something of a celebrity, I was not the first furongse to travel this way but I think the bike was unique, this is a novel experience for me but I warmed to it quite quickly, the only time I’m the centre of attention in Australia is usually after somebody has yelled ‘officer arrest that man’.

The weather ahead looked like it was going to get rough so I thought I’d thought I’d grab a bite to eat and then head back. I’d gathered the information I needed that the roads were fine and there were plenty of small guest houses along the route, to continue to Pakxan would have been surplus especially as it looked like I would have to ride there and back in the rain. I stopped in the town of Ban Tabok which straddled a river. I filled up petrol & noodle soup and was instantly surrounded by a group of smiling, giggling kids. I was not to keen to give them any money, I was still struggling with a currency where anything below 1000 had no value whatsoever, and knew that I would have to give them all the same amount which I’m sure didn’t have also I could have a micro riot on my hands. To be fair they didn’t appear to be begging they were just happy to giggle amongst themselves and stare at this strange apparition that had descended on their town.

The next day I headed in the opposite direction towards the world heritage site of Louangphrabang, this is about 200 Km so was impossible to get there and back in a day, so a similar sort of plan to yesterday was in order, ride until I find something interesting and then turn back, the town of Phon Hong looked like a good spot for refuel and feed so that was my plan. This may sound a bit of an odd way of doing things but it suites my journey the best. If there were more roads I’d take a different way back plus the fact that Laos is a totally new experience for me so there is something new and different around every corner. I have found a short ride then with a few stops, buy some fruit, attempt to converse with the locals and take in the surrounds rather than covering long distances have been more rewarding. The difference in the villages and townships was quite marked from yesterday’s journey, there certainly seemed to be more affluent, there were a smattering of houses which looked like people with money and a number of fairly new looking factories. Numerous signs pointed to construction works and building projects, so clearly money was coming into the area in some form. There was a little more traffic although the road conditions were about the same, a lot more Toyota Hilux’s ‘ metallic silver being the colour of choice, there were so many of these I was beginning to think it was the same one, certainly the driver seemed to be on a mission to hit something with as much impact as possible. I got to Phon Hong and refuelled, and thought I’d get a noodle soup to eat. In the centre of town there was a small market which I thought was worth a check out and to buy some fruit, I’m not normally a fan of markets but this was defiantly in the bizarre and exotic, I could have spent hours their sampling all the weird and wonderful foods they had of offer. I was accosted by a young lady with a small barrow with a strange selection of goods, including digital watches. I mentioned previously that I was in need of watch so I thought a bit of haggling might be fun. Now before haggling it is important to a. understand the currency and b. understand the language. The currency as I’ve said I still have a problem with, parting with 100,000 of anything seems excessive but it will only get you bowl of soup, the notes don’t have the value clearly marked and in some cases, as with the 20000 have different numbers of them. Also the Thai language and therefore I am taking an educated guess the Laotian language has different words for 1,000, 10,000, 100,000 and 1,000,000. Not a problem in Thailand where the numbers are realistic but when every single transaction is 6 or 7 figures it becomes a bit of a handful. Very important points in the haggling game, needless to say I think I got a raw deal from this very smooth operator who is destined for big things, I paid over $AUD15 for a watch I could have got for less than $10 in Springvale. Hey I’m not complaining $5 for the experience is worth it and I now have a watch which is bang on time twice a day. On my journey back into Vientiane I stopped to take pictures of the new national stadium under construction, by far the largest civic construction project ever undertaken in Laos. This should give you an idea of this remarkable country, there is nothing spectacular to look at,( I haven't been to Laungphrabang yet) there are the numerous temples as there are all over the Buddhist world, all beautiful and ornate in their own right, but unremarkable when put into context. It is a sleepy backwater of the Asian subcontinent but with a vibrancy and appeal which is distinctly Laotian.

Thought for the day.

Before setting off on my trip much vaunting was made of the perils of such a journey. This journey was supposed to be an adventure and with all adventures there is an element of danger and a good deal of inconvenience. If you can’t accept that you might as well stay at home or go on a cruise. The dangers can be spilt easily into two, there are the road hazards and there are people hazards. Riding a motorbike anywhere is potentially dangerous; the thrill of the ride is its main attraction. There are parts of Melbourne, particularly around St. Kilda where you do feel you are taking your life in your hands. Riding round Bangkok and Chiang Mai is just plain hairy, however on reflection the speeds are pretty low so unless it is a freakish accident, a dink would most likely be limited to superficial damage to the bike and the odd bruise. The open roads offer new dangers with stray fauna which in Laos tend to be either dogs, cattle, water buffalo or goats, of which the dogs are the most dangerous, you would tend to slow down if there is a heard of buffalo near the road, they are big and stupid but would normally be facing the direction of the road before stepping onto it, the goats you would only find in the surrounds and in the villages, as you would generally slow down going through a village even if it is just to have a look, you would be able to brake in time. The dogs could run out from anywhere and there are quite a few out in the countryside. There are a few pot holes but nothing so far that could be a real problem, riding within the limits of the machine, the limits of your ability and the limits of the road conditions are the wise words indeed.

The people problems are the most unpredictable, I have not been anywhere that I felt threatened in anyway, and on the contrary everyone I have met has been friendly and courteous and has been enthralled by the futile attempts of a furongse to speak their language.

Being a furongse, especially on a large motorcycle, you are an oddity and therefore by default something of a potential target for any loon in the vicinity, also it wouldn’t take a genius to figure you are probably carrying more money than they could earn in a month, even if you are not you would certainly give that impression. To conclude the ‘people danger’ is no worse than in the west in fact there are good arguments that would suggest that it is a good deal less, it is the fact you stand out raises your profile. Following basic safety procedures and instinctively being aware that you are the centre of somebody’s attention and its potential hazards are just common sense.

What I have found from the people I have met on my trip is that even living in what are essentially several notches down the standard of living ladder, their welcome is always warm, the smiles are genuine and the laughter spontaneous. Perhaps with all the luxury trappings with become accustomed to in our lifestyles we have forgotten the basics, perhaps these Laotian villagers can teach us something.

1. Stop for a cold drink

2. Cattle Hazzard

3. Next year I'll be bigger than Ratners

4. Nipping down to the shops

5. Cow in transit

6. Bizzare Bizzare

7. The New National Stadium

8. Vientiane Victory monument 1

9. Vientiane Victory monument 2

10. Caution kitchenware in transit

11. Fruit & Veg

12. Fruit & Veg

13. The Town of Ban Thebok

14. The new trike

15. Lunch audiance

16. Fresh Bacon

17. The Wrong road

18. Lunch break

19 Lunch break