Day: 292
Temp: a humid 27 degrees
Known thousands of years ago as the land of a million elephants (Lan Xang) Laos’s small farming based population after 300 years of war with the USA, France, Siam, China, Annam and Myanmar (Burma), is finally enjoying peace and opening up its many wonders to tourists like me from all over the globe. Synonymous as being the most underdeveloped and most mysterious of all three former French Indochina states, Laos has transformed itself in the last two decades both economically and politically. Since 1989 free markets and private investment have been the norm. While Vietnam is quickly industrialising to support its expanding workforce, Cambodia stabilises itself after its Pol Pot nightmare and Thailand darts into the 21st century with a limping tourism trade. Laos seems happy enough to remain in the shadows of its neighbours while slowly developing one of the most stable, low-profile economic and political systems in the region.
Laos’s landmass is marginally bigger than that of former Great Britan and is dominated by rivers and mountains. The highlight of the country is probably the famous Mekong River that bisects the land. Starting 4350km from the sea, 5000m up on the Tibetean Plateau, the Mekong River is known as Lancang Jiang (Turbulent River) in China, Mae Nam Khong in Thailand, Mynamer and Laos, Tonle Thom (Great Water) in Cambodia and Cuu Long (Nine Dragons) in Vietnam. The Mekong River valley and its fertile floodplains form the country’s primary agricultural zones as well, including virtually all the country’s wet-rice lands. The two largest valley sections surround Vientiane and Savannaket, the two major population centres. The Mekong and its tributaries are also an important source of fish, one of the staple foods of the nation. Mountains cover over 70% of the country. The main range is the Annamite Chain, a rugged mountain range with peaks averaging 1500m to 2500m in height. The large, northern half of Laos is made up almost entirely of broken, steep-sloped mountainous ranges. The highest being found in Xieng Khuang Province, including Phu Bia, the country’s highest peak at 2820m.
So here I am in a cabin-bed on a night train from Bangkok to the Laos border with a modest amount of research done. The train is basic but comfortable. It kicked off at 8pm and should get me there by 6am and cost one-way 5500 real or approx. 550 bat which is 10 euros.
The dogs are sleeping soundly by the looks of them and are all packed up on mosquito repellent and clean water, and last but not least, have their winter woollies ready for the cold and wind in the highlands. So far we are not sure of what way we are going hunting in Laos. Playing as we see, crossing as we come is playing a blinder so we’ll sail straight down that mantra river once more and pray to the God’s for their blessings. Getting a 30US, 1 month visa at the border shouldn’t be too difficult. So far from everyone we have talked to that has been there they have said that the city of Luang Prabang (all unanimously say to omit the capital Vientiane) with its famous night market, high concentration of wat temples heavily populated by the expanding monk populace, roaring waterfalls and floating pubs is the place to relax and soak up the atmosphere of this special country. One told us of a story of a place were you can hire a black blow-up ring tube and float slowly down a brown water tributary. On either side of the river stretching over a 10km period at 1km intervals are pubs that shout at you while you’re floating languidly by sticking out a huge bamboo cane at you into an attempt to get you to grab onto it and get pulled onto land. Ingenious advertisement. Once inside their elevated humble tin can pub you can buy a reputedly excellent Laos beer, watch the river serpentine and haphazardly meander by, park your black tube free of charge and seemingly very cheaply, with a toothless smile, order an excellent grass and/or opium joint rolled for you to smoke on your way down the river to the next stop. Sounds interesting and will have to look into when we get there. Brutos started running around in circles, attracting (in the middle of Khao San street in Bangkok) a lot of attention barking when he heard the story. God knows what he’ll do when he gets up there.
