Careerbreak -: Sabaidee (greetings) from Laidback Laos

All we kept hearing prior to visiting Laos was how laidback it was - the people, the cities, the mood. And the rumors appear to be true. We spent a week in Vientiane, the country’s capitol, with some amazing friends (kawp jai deh, Karen and Miles!) who showed us the easiness of Lao living.

One of our Vientiane roommates, Mr. Brown.

On the first night there, we were greeted with statements such as: “I haven’t brushed my hair in a year or used an alarm clock.” “I haven’t worn lace-up shoes in a year.” “I haven’t worn long pants in a year.” “Once you come here, you may never leave (Hotel California-esque?!?).” This last comment was actually made by several people hailing from different countries. There is also a wonderful massage culture here, which we took to heart. We managed to find time in our schedules to get a massage every couple days. Thankfully, they were nothing like our blind massage experience. It is not difficult to understand why there appears to be a robust expat community in Laos, given the low cost of living, the small town feel, and the slow-paced lifestyle offered.

Lazy afternoon in Vientiane

Everyday we were in Vientiane we had to remind ourselves that it was a country’s capitol and not just some small Laotian town (population approx. 210,000; Laos population approx. 6 million). It was slow-paced and quiet; most restaurants and shops seemed to close their doors around 9pm, even on the weekends. The streets were quiet both on the sidewalk and in the street, especially compared to those in Vietnam’s cities. The river walk was great in the evenings with all the Vientiane folks out and about with their families and friends.

Sunset on the Mekong, Vientiane

Again, we visited an Arc d’Triomphe that was called by the sign a “concrete monstrosity”. From the top we could see the most traffic the city had to offer which couldn’t even compare to the bustling of Hanoi. We visited the National Museum that started with the dinosaurs and ended with the 80’s. There are many wats in the city which serve as general gathering places for picnics and celebrations in addition to their religious purpose.

The Arc in Vientiane

There are more cars on the road than motorbikes here in Laos. After being in Vietnam for a month, we aren’t sure where to walk or how to cross the street now. It appears the cars have the right of way, but since there isn’t much traffic we have remained relatively safe despite perhaps a few incorrect pedestrian assumptions. Because the roads are less hectic, we felt comfortable renting a motorcycle – Phil went for a bigger gun and got a 500cc engine – to traverse the northern route from Vientiane to Luang Prabang.

Our Laotian transport

So far so good. No butt blisters as of yet although I do require frequent stops to stretch my legs and un-numb my caboose. We have avoided running dogs, children playing, vehicles passing in multiple directions and cattle roaming. I have always idealized motorcycle touring since reading “Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance” as a kid and later watching “The motorcycle diaries”. So here we are in Laos creating our version, southeast Asian style, in a somewhat thoughtful and not too dangerous way – I think…

Cuties met while on the road

The food has been fantastic; Laotian people know how to spice their food. Yum! Green papaya salads, tom yum soup, Luang Prabang sausage with jeow/cheow aka “dipping sauce”, pad thai, laab/laap, fresh spring rolls, fatty crepe-like pancake street food things…

We’ve been in Vang Vien for the past few days now and have enjoyed tubing down the river (weird to be tubing in Laos), kayaking (we capsized within the first thirty minutes), and meandering through a cave with spiders the size of my hand (ok, their bodies were thumb-sized but their legs went for days and it wasn’t sexy).