Laos
For my previous posts on this adventure, click http://lynntowin.ca/thailand-and-laos, http://lynntowin.ca/bangkok, and http://lynntowin.ca/chiang-mai
What’s interesting about Laos?
Laos is one of only five communist countries in world today. The others are China, Cuba, Vietnam, and North Korea. Although the US waged a secret war against Laos during its war with Vietnam, with the intent to stop the spread of communism, Laos has been a one-party communist state since 1975.
During the war with Vietnam from 1964-1973, the US dropped over 2 million tons of bombs on Laos. 270 million bombs. A third of those bombs did not explode, and continue to take the lives or body parts of locals who come across them. Laos holds the record as most bombed country in the world.
How to get across the border to Laos
Before my trip, I purchased on online visa to Laos for 50 US$. The night before, our tour leader provided a border entry and departure card where we filled in very detailed information. Armed with these documents, we drove in the early morning to the nearby Thailand border. After leaving that checkpoint, we boarded a shuttle bus taking us across the Thai Laos Friendship Bridge, a “no man’s land”, to the Laos border crossing.
Tui, a tour guide from Laos, met us there. Nai, our Thai Intrepid tour leader, is still with us, but a Laotian guide is mandatory for any organized tour group. We had to leave our bags with him to go to the visa counter. There, the agents collected 50 baht (only a couple of $, but still!) for the privilege of using the visa I had already purchased online. Then we passed back to before the border point to collect our bags.
There was a money exchange at the border to get Laotian money, known as kip. It’s very difficult to exchange kips outside Laos. We all became millionaires! I exchanged 100 $US worth of thai baht for 2 million kip.
We got through the border experience fairly quickly, considering how disorganized it seemed. A couple of vans drove us a short distance to the river, where our boat waited. We had to walk down a steep rocky slope to get to the boat, so fortunately there were local guys there to carry our bags, for tips.
Mekong River
We boarded our transportation for the next two days. Locals pan for gold along the shores, while the water level is low in the dry season. They have small herds of water buffalo, black and the rare pink or albino.
Pak Beng
In the afternoon, we arrived at the town of Pak Beng, where we stopped for the night at a guesthouse.
Tui, our local guide, who was a monk for 18 years, led us on a walk around town. He showed us the temples, markets, and a dusty street with restaurants for tourists. However, when I saw the market delicacies of water buffalo skin, live toads in bags, and rats on skewers, I kind of lost my appetite. But the fresh fruit, especially the mangoes, is amazing.
Dinner on the rooftop of our newly built guesthouse, with a beer, cost less than 5 $US.
The bar named Happy Bar below us was rocking, but I had checked it out when we first arrived so I was happy on my shared deck.
Back on the Mekong
The next morning we rose early to get on the river again. It was foggy and cold on the boat, so we covered up with blankets. There is a sanctuary for old working elephants across the river, and we were lucky enough to see one coming down for a drink with his caretaker.
The Chinese are investing heavily in the infrastructure in Laos. This undoubtedly means they are taking over … or they already have. We could see the evidence of this along the Mekong River, where dams are being constructed. With the dams, the water level will permanently go up 25 meters, to the level that is reached in the rainy season. These river trips likely will no longer happen at that point, so I’m lucky to be on one now. Chinese workers are building the dams, and using hotels and restaurants owned by the Chinese.
Tui’s brother protested the dam construction. He was sent to jail for five years for this crime. He didn’t have to stay that long though, since his family sold a water buffalo to get him out.
Tui left Laos for bordering Myanmar when communism took over in 1975, afraid his homeland would become like Cambodia with its killing fields. The khmer rouge regime there executed over a million people in the late 1970’s. Anyone remotely linked to capitalism in Cambodia – educated, professional, urban – was targeted. Tui returned to Laos 20 years ago.
Pak Ou caves
We stopped at Pak Ou caves, where the Mekong meets the Ou river. Here there are two levels of limestone caves, holding over 2000 buddha statues. People use the caves for homes, schools, and worship.
We finally arrived near our Luang Prabang, our stop for the next three nights. The entire city is a world heritage site, so we have lots to see. That will be in my next post!
