This year for my week off at Chinese New Year, I went to Laos, which was somewhere I had never really imagined going before. I didn't know much about the country before I went but had heard great things from other friends who had been there, and it seemed to be a good year to go before things start to become overwhelmed with tourism. Laos is developed enough now in the tourism industry (as of 1995) to have some comforts, like clean hotels and restaurants but is still finding it's own two feet. I felt much more privileged and wealthy and separated as a tourist in Laos, as there were very few Laotian people dining with us or doing the same things. Many times when I travel there are national travelers as well, but that was not the case in this very poor country.
The first thing that struck me about Laos was how it didn't really seem to have it's own character or identity. It has been colonized by the French, influenced by Thailand and Vietnam, and is full of so many ethnic minority groups (the Hmong and Khmer people especially), that it is still a country trying to find it's identity. There was some French influence as seen in the architecture, language on public signs, and fresh baked baguettes (as is in Vietnam), and all of the wats and temples reminded me of Thailand. The countryside looked a little like Cambodia and also parts of China where I've been, with sharp limestone cliffs jutting out over a winding river. The food was equally blended, which was a great surprise... my ideal menu was found in Laos...curries, Thai food and Vietnamese food (with fresh pastries and baguettes for breakfast).
Laos is a quiet country as it holds the sparsest population in Asia. The capital city, Vientiane, only has 300,000 people and we could cross the busiest of streets without problem. Laos is also one of the poorest countries in the world; very little infrastructure has been developed and it hosts very few, if any, factories as it's a landlocked country. It's also one of the most heavily bombed countries in history. I had read that the US dropped more tonnage of bombs on the Eastern provinces of Laos than were dropped on the entirety of Europe during World War 2. It was also heavily affected by the Vietnam war. The people were gentle and quiet and calm, and the pace of life in Laos moves slowly. The people that I did talk to where very aware of their country's poverty and are fighting to encourage more tourism and trade, to become more public in the eye of the global world. The government of Laos is still communist. Unlike Vietnam and China, however, the communist influence was hardly noticed or felt; I saw very few police force or billboards reminding people to be patriotic.
We had a week in Laos and took quite a few modes of transportation to get there. We flew from Hong Kong to Bangkok and the next morning flew from Bangkok to Udan Thani, in Northern Thailand. From there, we got on a bus to cross the border and stayed a night in Vientiane. There, we met up with my friend Michelle's former colleagues, who are both working for NGO's in Vientiane. They took us around the city and brought us to a local, traditional, Lao restaurant. It was interesting to hear them talk about how things have changed in the five years since they've been there. Women are no longer wearing traditional dress, but shorts and t-shirts, and they said there are far more cars and motorbikes on the road now (although the roads were still very quiet, in my opinion).
The next day we flew to Luang Prabang, in Northern Laos. It was absolutely beautiful and a wonderful contrast to Hong Kong in terms of weather, pace of life, scenery, and overall relaxation! It was warm and sunny during the day, but arid, and it was cool and clear at night, so we could watch the sunset and look at the stars every night, which is hard to come by in HK. In Luang Prabang, we went kayaking, went to a waterfall, saw some wats (temples) and just generally spent time relaxing and wandering around the town. Several rivers converge near the town, including the Mekong. We could have all spent more time in this sleepy backpacker's town. After a few days we hired a driver and drove down to Vang Vieng. The town of VV isn't much to boast about, but the scenery was breathtaking...limestone cliffs and winding rivers. Apparently, Lonely Planet has put VV on the map as a party town, which was evident...not our style of partying, but interesting to note, nonetheless. You could ask for a "happy menu" at many of the restaurants, and we could hear the thump of the outdoor music outside of our hotel, all hours of the night. After a couple of nights there, we took bus back to Vientiane and then a bus to Nong Khai, in Thailand where we caught an overnight train back to Bangkok.
This was one of my best trips yet. I always think that half a trip is the place you visit itself and half of a trip are the people you're with, the conversations you have, the people you meet, and the things you can't plan for. The latter was what made Laos an especially good trip. We ate to our heart's content and stumbled upon some amazing restaurants and places, drank cheap and good Beer Lao, played a lot of games and cards, and really got to know one another well. I think my side was sore from laughing every night. We just simply had such a good time together and never bickered or disagreed. (Well, aside from the last day in Bangkok after our already 36 hours of traveling!) I never expected to go to Laos in my life, and now it's a place I would like to return to, anytime.
