March 1: Everybody loves Laos

Really, it's true, ask any traveller through Southeast Asia and it seems
they agree that Laos is becoming one of the favored destinations. It's easy
and fairly cheap to get around (a bus that takes you half-way down the
country costs about $7), food is cheap, accommodation is (OK sometimes)
cheap, people are friendly and there is enough novel about the country and
beautiful in its geography that it doesn't have that toured-out feel yet.

From Luang Prabang I headed south, deciding to visit every major city on the
Mekong. That meant skipping Vang Vieng, the first town south of LP, where
tons of backpackers head. But that was OK because it's where tons of
backpackers head. It's become known as "chill out" town because it's in a
beautiful setting and pot is easy to get. Most people spend a few days there
exploring the countryside, riding bikes, floating down the adjacent river in
an inner tube, drinking happy shakes and saying "hey, man" a lot. Skip.
Skip. Skip.

Instead, I went first to Vientiane, Laos's capital, which garners love-it or
hate-it responses. I was in the latter category because it was hot as hell
and I couldn't find a decent air-conditioned room that was anywhere near my
price range. Even the fan-room I found charged me $7 for the night! But
Vientiane is the place to extend visas, which I did, since I had spent more
time than I had planned to in Luang Prabang.

After two nights there, I went south to Thakhek, Savannakhet and then Pakxe.
The first two cities were a little depressing. New buildings stand
side-by-side with old, run down, French colonial buildings that are often
derelict. Wood and tin shacks barely stand next to concrete houses of the
wealthy. The colonial balustrades remind me of a southern plantation but for
the birthday cake colors of bright blue on the balcony and yellow and gold
on the Doric columns. And the heat! Ohmigod! If you have to stop for 30
seconds to tie a shoe, for example, you look for the nearest shade; as if
standing in one spot for too long, you'll fry up like an ant under a
magnifying glass. I can see the headline: "Rogue tourist burnt to a cinder.
Jewish mother horrified that her daughter was cremated."

Both these cities used to have thriving tourist industries during the French
period but, over time, Thailand, which runs on the other side of the Mekong
all the way down the Laos border, has become the place to  be. So in both
Thakhek and Savannakhet there are completely empty buildings or ones that
looked like they might have been beautiful once, taken over by small food
shops and local restaurants. In Thakhek, there is a huge hotel on the river
road that must have over 200 rooms. It is completely empty and forgotten.
Yet, only two years ago, it was operational and even mentioned as a
destination in guidebooks. In Savannakhet, the "town square" in front of the
one Church looks like it might have been alive with visitors and worshippers
at one time. Now, the square is littered with garbage and broken walls,
there are squatters in tin shacks and I almost walked right past the church
because I didn't notice it was there.

In Thakhek I went looking for a bank in the direction the hotel manager had
pointed saying, "five minutes." I soon realized that the "five minutes" he
told me would have been how long it took to drive and, after about a
kilometre in 1000-degree heat, I finally collapsed into the air conditioned
building. Waiting for my turn at the money exchange counter, I could feel
sweat dripping down my back. I waited for a woman at the back of the bank to
finish a phone call and come help me. From the minute she turned to come out
to the counter, I could tell she hated me, because I had obviously forced
her to leave the cooler recesses of her money cave and now she was obligated
to come to the front to deal with the sweaty, blotchy-faced tourist, who was
going to get melanoma because the 30+ special sport sunscreen she had so
conscientiously applied had dripped off her face within five minutes of
leaving the hotel. The teller counted out my money and, with pursed lips,
nodded curtly and strode off. No gratuitous smiling here!

Outside of Thakhek, the countryside is worth a visit and I took a tour to
local caves in the area. I hired a tuk-tuk driver for the entire morning for
$10 (business being very slow) and he took me to and through the caves.
Flashlights were needed and it was great to get out of the heat into the
cool rock.

In Savannakhet I spent two nights again, just enough time to walk around the
city. The road by the Mekong wasn't that interesting during the day but at
night there are tiny food stalls that set up all along it with little tables
for drinks and meals right on the sand. Each one has a little light and the
string of them along the river is really nice.

Further south was Pakxe. Many tourists head directly from Vientiane to Pakxe
because it is the jumping off point by bus to Wat Phou, the most important
temple of the Angkor period outside of Siem Reap. (If you've been to Angkor,
this won't seem that special but since I hadn't been to Cambodia yet, I
liked the day trip.) Also from Pakxe you can take a bus down to Si Phan Don
(lit. 4,000 islands) which I'll get to in a later entry.

Next up, though: In which Baila does a stupid thing with her visa and has to
pay through the nose for it.