“Back you go to Thailand” ordered the military uniformed Immigration officer. We had just been denied entry to Laos by the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic at the border on the Mekong River, Lao side of the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge. “All we had done” was to request that Lao visas be put in our Principal passports, rather than in our Concurrent passports [we have both, on special application, to assist our uncertain journey]. The Immigration officer had insisted that the visas go in the Concurrent passports.
Lao Peoples Democratic Republic 1: MTL 0! We ‘surrendered‘, of course, as there was no acceptable alternative. Welcome to Laos, and the real world, I thought. And to just a (very mild) taste, probably, of what will greet us perhaps in China and certainly in Central Asia in a month or so. We got our Carnet processed, eventually (after a long Customs lunch break), purchased 3rd party insurance and thankfully entered the country.
Driving on the right hand side of the road for the first time in decades, we carefully made our way (we hoped …) to Vientiane, the capital (it is slightly off putting however when trying to ask locals in what direction their capital is (when about 20km away), only to be greeted by blank stares (we were badly mispronouncing Vientiane (pr. Vien-shan))). I was looking forward to seeing this city (as well as to Laos more broadly) and was not to be disappointed. Hamish, who spent 3 months in SE Asia last year, said he enjoyed his stay in Laos more than that in the other countries.
The French stamp of Vientiane’s colonial past is felt strongly. From the delightful naming of streets (eg Rue Hengbounnay), and Government departments (Enterprise Des Postes Lao) to the welcome ready availability of baguettes, good (Lao) coffee and croissants, the French influence is dominant over other legacies. Colourful umbrellas shade café tables from intense tropical sun, while fresh fruit displays and colourful table cloths add to the Continental feel of the city. Cyclists, slow traffic, numerous easy spending (Western) tourists on the streets and a very laid back style complete the image of a city generally relaxed.. However many of the people we see, nominally working, (in hotels, cafes and restaurants, driving open sided three wheeled micro-buses powered by converted motor bikes (sawngthaew) appear very under-employed, spending much of their time sitting around, watching daytime TV, or sleeping. Sawngthaew drivers sling a small hammock in the back of their vehicles for sleeping in during the day. The off season?
Driving north to Vang Vieng, if is clear unfortunately that ‘the Princess’ (of bad roads) is back! Potholes have re-appeared in not quite Indon intensity, but still of concern, Also back are our animal friends wandering at will over the road - oxen, cows, chickens, pigs, dogs, goats, ducks and occasionally horses etc. all mix it with trucks, cars, motor bikes, push bikes and the occasional hand cart and farm tractor. It has been raining for days and here and there water flows strongly over the road or occasionally the road is flooded. Lakes have formed beside the road and many people use an unusual net to try to fish with. From a light hand pole is suspended crossed hoops (of bamboo?) bent to stretch tight a rectangular net, perhaps 3m on side. They dip the net into the muddy water a while and then lift it out to see what is caught, if anything.
Vang Vieng is a town whose sole purpose, it seems, is to serve young people in their quest for a brief taste of adventure - caving, rock climbing, kayaking (to ‘Vientiane in one day‘, offers one company (good paddling, I say considering it’s 160km away by road!)), rafting, and of course, ‘tubing’ (floating down the San Song or Mekong River on a truck tube). Will and Lauren chose the last, (telling me after that they had had a great time, floating from bar to bar, being pulled in off the water by use of a rope thrown to them at each point). Their tubes, left at water’s edge at one bar are stolen, meaning a deposit is forfeited (60,000kip/AUD9 each). I go caving (OK, OK, I walked into a tourist cave) called Tham Jang, apparently used to hunker down against marauding Chinese from Yunnan province a couple of centuries ago. They had stopped their hunkering down now but it was kind of impressive: huge stalactites glistening in the bare electric light, but constantly dripping. A window (opening) exposes the spectacular karst country surrounding. We stay in AUD6 bungalows and have cheap Beerlao at night with, unusually for us, our mainly Western meals. One café (Aussie Bar) is owned by an Australian (met a (Lao) woman, Steve explained, and stayed …). Still raining …
One morning I watch a Vang Vieng construction site - WorkSafe would not be impressed. There are no handrails at edges of upper floors; scaffold comprises rope tied bamboo or similar, or a nailed together hotchpotch of timber. Straight branches cut from trees are used to support beam and slab formwork; concrete is hand mixed, handed up and bucketed in while steel reinforcement is sold in ‘shops’ alongside food sellers and internet cafes. Here reinforcement lies on the ground in piles, in long lengths bent unto a U shape to fit more easily - to be cut and bent on site. In shops selling fan belts alongside hair shampoo, nails for timber are sold loose, and weighed out for each customer. On site, cement bags are hoisted by a worker hauling a rope running over a pulley wheel suspended at an upper floor slab. Someone grabs it at an unprotected slab edge …
I briefly watch another site, later in the day - it is now raining heavily but work continues unchecked. Concrete is machine batched here (on site) but for ‘the pour’, is hoisted by hand by rope and pulley, two small buckets at a time. Vibration (of the wet concrete) is by shaking the reinforcement. Sand for mortar is sieved by hand to remove larger stones. This takes three people (one at each end of the sieve, one shovelling sand onto the sieve). It is a very slow process. Productivity appears to be an unknown concept.
Next stop Luang Prabang, and one day soon, China.
[Photos: Vang Vieng building worker constructing beam formwork (3 stories up); Oxen and cattle mix it with traffic, in karst country nr. Vang Vieng. The farmer is not tubing; Vientiane: a man pushes a hand cart, baguettes in a café in the background]
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