Laos Part I - Vientiane, Local Travel and Tham Lot Kong Lo

We just spent an amazing 11 days and nights in Laos and I warn you that this is gonna be a long story with many, many pictures (lots of text first though). I think I will break it up into at least three parts so hopefully that will make it somewhat manageable. This was my second trip to Laos, which is definitely my favorite country I have ever visited. I realize the Lao government is far from perfect so spare me the lectures all you political types – this isn’t my point. When you mix the laid back atmosphere, the wonderful people in the “Land of 1,000,000 Smiles” and the adventures we had (both trips – Thomas, we thought of you while lying in my favorite spot near the banks of the Mekong with wonderful food and Beer Lao), I don’t think this country can be beat.

My first trip to Laos we started in Vientiane (the capital) and headed north by plane, boat and van. This time we had the same starting point, but went south by local buses, jumbos and tuk-tuks. Before we get onto the stories, a few facts, figures and thoughts (props to LP as usual):

• Laos, with a population of only 6 million (think about that – Vietnam has close to 90 million people, Bangkok alone has over 10 million people), borders Thailand (west), Cambodia (south), Vietnam (east), China (north) and Myanmar (northwest). The Mekong River, which starts in China, flows for 1,865km through Laos, much of it along the border of Laos and Thailand.
• There are three main ethnic groups in Laos: Lao Loum, Lao Thoeng and Lao Soung. The Lao Loum include the ethnic Lao (about 50% of the population who live in the Mekong River valley and speak the Lao language) and the tribal Thai (another 10% to 20%, who also live along the river valleys, and distinguish themselves from one another by the predominant color of their clothing or geographic region – i.e. Black Thai, White Thai, Forest Thai, etc.). The Lao Thoeng (Upland Lao, 20% - 30% of the population) are tribal people who live in the mid-altitude mountain slopes and include the Khamu, Htin, and Katong (much more about the Katong later) tribes. Finally, the Lao Soung (High Lao, 10% - 20% of the population) are hill tribes that make their residences at altitudes greater than 1,000m above sea level. They include the Hmong (also known as Miao or Meo) and Mein tribes.
• The main religion is Buddhism, which accounts for about 60% of the Lao. The majority of the rest of the population believe in spirits, even though this is officially banned by the Lao government. Spirits are worshipped by the tribal people as well as some ethnic Lao. We’ll get into more detail on this later.
• Laos was colonized by the French, and along with Vietnam and Cambodia, made up “French Indochina.” In 1954, when the French were routed at Dien Bien Phi, and the Geneva accords split Vietnam in two, Laos was supposed to be a neutral country. Of course this didn’t happen with the Vietnamese supporting the Pathet Lao (Communists) and using Laos as a sanctuary and supply route (the Ho Chi Minh Trail), and the Americans pouring in aid to the Royal Lao Army (non-Communist). Of course it is a lot more complicated and convoluted than this – but basically Laos got pulled into the Vietnam War, and decimated because of it. Known as the “Secret War” (or “Dirty War”) the U.S., North Vietnamese and Chinese made Laos a battlefield from 1964 to 1973 – a battle that unbelievably most of the western world did not know about. This from the LP: “. . . the Ravens [a code name for U.S. pilots in Laos] and their native cohorts flew 1.5 times the number of air sorties flown in all of Vietnam. Totaling 580,944 sorties by 1973, the secret air force dropped an average of one planeload of bombs every eight minutes, 24 hours a day, for nine years! This cost U.S. taxpayers around $2 million per day. By the war’s end the bombing amounted to approximately 1.9 million metric tons in all, or over a half-ton for every man, woman and child living in Laos. This makes Laos the most heavily bombed nation, on a per capita basis, in the history of warfare.” A dirty secret indeed.
• The main war-related problem today is all of the Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) left behind from over 100 years of warfare. There are still an estimated 60 casualties a year from UXO, 40% of them happening to children. Several groups are working to clear Laos of UXO, but it is a slow process. While at least one of the groups is financed by the UN (which means financed by the U.S.) we have yet to step forward and really help. I think it is a shame that we have only spent $1 million (it may be more – this is all I could find) in the cleanup of UXO, while we spent $2 million a day for nine years bombing Laos. And where are the U.S. led groups cleaning up UXO? Honestly, don’t we owe Laos that? One argument against our involvement that boils my blood is that we shouldn’t give any money to Laos, because it shows support for their brutal government (see below). How cleaning up UXO that affects villagers (including children) supports the government of Laos beats me. But it is a convenient excuse and makes a nice sound bite.
• The Lao People’s Democratic Republic is a communist run government (as you may know, or have guessed from the name) with no shortage of dirty secrets themselves. Although nowhere near as brutal a regime as it was in its first years after the war, don’t fool yourself into thinking there is much freedom in Laos. There seems to be a power struggle within the government between those who want to follow the Vietnamese example, and those who want to pursue a Lao policy, whatever that may be. There has also been unrest and discontent from the Lao people with their government that still maintains that no non-Communist Party Member will ever have a part in government. On October 26, 1999 members of the Lao Students Movement for Democracy organized a demonstration in front of the Presidential Palace in Vientiane. They were met by police and quickly arrested/dispersed. Five student organizers were arrested and remain in jail today.
• The local currency is kip and is traded at about 10,000 kip to $1. You can pretty much use kip, Thai baht or U.S dollars in Laos. In fact it is good to have a little of all three – or at least kip and one of the other two. Usually kip is used for everyday small transactions, and baht or U.S dollars for more expensive items, including hotels. The highest kip note is 20,000, so basically their largest note is $2. It is a lot easier to carry around a few dollars or baht than a pocketful of kip.
• More than a few people question the safety in Laos. While there are still some “incidents” caused by the Hmong minority tribe (who were trained by the CIA and fought with the Royal Lao Army in the war), Laos is a very safe country for travelers. There is currently a warning on traveling by road on Route 13 from Vientiane to Luang Prabang (in the north) due to Hmong activity, and there have been deadly incidents on this road in the last five years (mostly to Lao citizens, but also some tourists). This is the road that we (Thomas, Jacob and I) traveled on my last trip here, and there were soldiers on the road at different intervals. While we were there this time we heard that the road was being closed to all traffic during the Lao New Year, and that many troops had been moved into the area (we were heading south, so this did not affect us). As crazy as it seems, the government is still hunting the Hmong (and the Hmong have a resistance movement) more than 30 years after the war.

Ok, whew. Anyone still reading? If you want more about the U.S. involvement in Laos, a wonderful book on the subject is “Shooting at the Moon” by Roger Warner. It is a fairly balanced (and eye-opening) telling of our involvement in Laos (especially with the Hmong).

Vientiane and My Spot Along the Mekong
It is quite easy to get into Laos. You do need a visa, but you can get it upon arrival. As usual, Margaret and I squeezed as much time as we could out of the vacation – leaving Thursday night after she was done teaching and coming home the Sunday after on the last flight out. And it was another vacation where you feel like you need a vacation when you get back! Of course many of you might point out that is exactly what I have! True, but not for Margaret – she is a trooper. We originally were thinking of taking an overnight train to the border of Thailand and Laos down south and then work our way up through Laos – but by the time we got on the ball all the trains were sold out as it was a big vacation weekend for Thai/Lao New Year. So our only good option ended up being flying in and out of Vientiane – which worked out just as well, and we got to hang in my favorite spot twice.

We arrived in Vientiane late Thursday night and had to wait in line to get our visas before heading through immigration. And for some reason, visas were radically different prices for different countries. My visa was $35, but Margaret’s was $43. I guess those Canadians have a reputation that proceeds them! I was thinking it must be some sort of “Axl” tax just in case they cause a riot. Our first order of business was to find a hotel, and it wasn’t as easy as we hoped. We told our cab driver to takes us to the Mali Namphu Guesthouse, but unfortunately it was full (we got to stay there later). Then we checked out a couple other guesthouses, but they were either too shabby or too expensive – until we ended up at the Day Inn (not Day’s Inn), a cute little place. A tad pricey for Laos, but it was certainly nice. One of the hotel’s rules stated that the hotel “closes at 11:30pm.” And they are serious. You can still get in after that, but you have to ring a bell and wake up the employee sleeping in a tent in the lobby. All establishments have to close in Laos at 11:30pm, with the exception of a couple of bars/nightclubs. I don’t know why these places can stay open (bribes?) – but I guess they are kind of like the bars in every neighborhood in Chicago that have the 5am liquor licenses. But for the most part, nightlife is done in Laos at 11:30pm. The government is currently trying to make this closing time earlier, citing the "frivolous" Lao youth. In fact, it seems as if the bar that we partied at until the wee hours of the morning last time I was here has been closed. Thomas, I hope it wasn’t because of us!

The next morning we had coffee and breakfast at this cute little place, Nam Phu Coffeehouse. And one of my favorite things about Laos – the breakfast of the strong Lao coffee (they add condensed milk) and baguettes with cheese – ok that part of the French influence is alright with me. This was our day to just relax and explore Vientiane. It is an amazing city – maybe the quietist capital city in the world – so laid back and full of friendly people. Almost everyone you see will make eye contact, smile or nod and say Sabaai Dii (“Sah Bah Dee”). It is my favorite hello (the Burmese “Min Gala Bah” is a close second). And I really can’t stress enough how friendly and full of smiles Laos people are. Almost everyone will greet you with Sah Bah Dee or Hello – and they seem tickled when you can say it back. I have always found this so crazy and interesting. We go to a foreign country and learn a couple phrases and people seem impressed and will laugh and acknowledge you. But the next time you see foreigners in the U.S. knowing only a little bit of English, check out the reaction of people around.

The next stop was one of my favorite places in the world: the banks of the Mekong in Vientiane. There are little vendors set up everywhere and you can grab a table or a spot on the ground – and it is so relaxing – I absolutely adore it. I had told Margaret about this, but words don’t do it justice.

Notice that the water is really low as it is just before the rainy season starts. So people walked out to the river.Also - across the river is Thailand (really) so maybe these guys are the border patrol.But after some great food (I don’t know what it is, but they make the BEST fried rice here) and some Beer Lao (the national beverage, where you will see everywhere – and it is marketed everywhere – the Beer Lao symbol seems to be on everything) Margaret was in agreement with me. I have to be careful, because it isn’t for everyone – and I’m sure there are many people who would think I was certifiably nuts to have this as one of my favorite places in the world – but it is.

We walked around Vientiane in the afternoon – not hitting many monuments, just walking the streets. We saw an art gallery, got a foot scrub, got another coffee and ended up at the Talat Sao, the largest market in Vientiane. And they just have tons of stuff – and Margaret sharpened up her bargaining skills buying a few things, including two baseball caps for $3. There doesn’t seem to be many traditional Lao things at the markets, but man is there a lot of stuff. We were mesmerized by all the produce as you can tell. The clean-up crews seem a little young for the most part.On our way back to the Day Inn, we walked by the National University of Laos for Medicine and Science. This should give you a good idea of the poor education system in Laos. Our last stop of the afternoon was at a beerhouse for some more Beer Lao and relaxing. And Margaret took the best picture ever – check out the cat, as it is in the same pose as the Beer Lao symbol. I mean this is prize-worthy! The last time I was in Laos, we had a guide, Ole, for our trek north. We have stayed in contact, and we were able to meet up for a few drinks at a restaurant called Khop Chai Deu (“thank you” in Lao). Another one of my favorite phrases that we used all the time – either “Khop Jai” or “Khop Jai Lai Lai” (thank you very much). It is so catchy and fun I am still saying it back here in Thailand by accident. We were supposed to meet for dinner, but by the time Ole and his friend made it, it was drinking time. It turns out that the company Ole worked for has closed, so he is a freelance guide now. We talked about our trip from almost two years ago – and had lots of laughs remembering all the (mis)adventures. And Ole is still Ole. He says he goes to the clubs too often now that it is the low season – and that his mom keeps bugging him that if he continues to do so he will run out of money before the tourist season arrives! Too funny. Note that Ole is in the black t-shirt.After a few beers, Margaret and I head back to the Day Inn, as we have to be up the next day before 5am (Ole and his friend head to the clubs).

Local Travel – Crammed in a Local Bus and Picking the Right Jumbo
Local travel in Laos is much better than it used to be, as many roads are now paved and in quite good shape. However, that doesn’t mean that travel in Laos is easy or what we are used to at all. We were on our way to see the Tham Lot Kong Lo limestone cave that is basically in the middle of nowhere. So we had to take a bus from Vientiane towards Lak Sao and get off at Ban Na Hin. From there we could catch another bus or take a Jumbo (basically a pickup truck with covered seating in the back) to Sala Hin Boun (our guesthouse). We had instructions from the guesthouse, but it still seemed like we were flying by the seat of our pants. We had to catch a 6am bus, so we were up at 4:45am as we were supposed to have a taxi at 5:15am to the bus station. Of course when we get down to the lobby the guy at the desk tells us the taxi is taking a couple to the airport and will take us when he gets back. I tell him this won’t work (I think the couple basically just took our taxi – possession being 9/10s of the law) so he orders us another one. It turns out the bus station is only about 10 minutes away (not the half an hour they told us) so it turns out to not be a problem.

The bus station is quite small and modest. When our taxi driver pulls in he yells at a few people and then pulls up to a bus and tells us this is the one to Lak Sao (I tried really hard not to write about this. Really, I did. But when I saw the picture I couldn't stop myself. I hate tennis shoes. I think they look terrible on anyone. I really hate them. They should be for the gym, running, etc. But one shouldn't wear them out casually and certainly never be photographed in them. And yes, I realize this is coming from a guy who once wore socks with sandals - in my defense I spent a semester in Stockholm. However, I only took one pair of boots to Thailand with me and they got trashed in Myanmar. It was no problem until the Laos trip, as I figured I would need more than sandals - and I was right. But anyway - I used my "tennies" - and a shiver just went down my spine as I typed that - for travel days too b/c I couldn't fit them in my pack. So enjoy any pix of me in tennis shoes throughout this blog, b/c you won't see it again). Now this is a local bus – no AC and one that will stop every time a person wants on or off. The VIP buses that have AC and make few stops only run on big city to big city routes, so is not even an option for us on this trip. The bus “porter” takes our bags and takes them inside the bus. Every bus (and Jumbo) has a driver and a porter – who packs bags, collects money and gets people and their bags on and off the bus – he also directs people where to sit and stand when the bus gets full. It is quite a job. When we get on the bus it is almost full – as the last 1/3 of the bus is completely packed with stuff and not people. So we get the last seat available where the people end and the stuff begins. It seems like a good spot – but it isn’t.

We had expected the heat to be brutal, as it certainly was in Bangkok. But it was pretty reasonable the whole time we were there (note that we were somewhat north of Bangkok at all times in Laos) – it was actually cool out today – so the no AC didn’t even really matter. As long as the bus was going and we had a breeze even I was comfortable. If you are on the route that the bus takes, you are golden – you don’t even have to go to the bus station – just wait by the road and the bus will stop to get you. This leads to what I think is absolutely laugh out loud funny. The bus pulls out of the station, goes maybe three bus lengths and stops to pick up some passengers waiting. Just unreal. I mean was walking for 45 seconds really too much to ask? Too funny. At some stops vendors will get on the bus selling food and drink. The bus will go very slowly through town, and the vendors will get off the bus at the end of town. At other stops, vendors will just surround the bus and transactions are made through the windows.

The bus stops time and time again and it starts to get really crowded. We were out of seats when we began, and now we are almost out of standing room in the aisles. And they really pack them in – there almost isn’t a situation where they couldn’t get someone else on the bus. Of course this is super dangerous in the event of an accident, but I think the only way the driver and staff make money. They don’t seem to worry about timing, but more about how many people they can cram into the bus. At one stop they get this guy with these huge bags – and they bring them inside the bus and stack them in the aisle right by our seats, and I am thinking – great now we are stuck. But then they move them from the floor and stack them on all the other stuff behind us. Whew I think. But then I see why. They are loading a motorbike in the bus! And of course it goes in the aisle right next to us. Unreal. So anytime we had to get out of the bus we had to climb over the motorbike! The pictures don't really do justice to how crowded it was, but what can I do?The bus ride to Ban Na Hin was a little over 4 hours (three hours south to the junction and then an hour east), so it wasn’t too bad – and they actually made bathroom stops. One of them was just at this field – and while I was taking a whiz I was wondering if all the buses always stop here and if this was just a field of urine. It still makes me chuckle. When we got to Ban Na Hin (just a tiny little village with a market) we were the only ones to get off and we had to crawl over the motorcycle and then basically step from arm rest to arm rest to get out as the aisle was full of people standing. And on the way out you bump into just about everyone, but it is just a part of life here – there are no mean or annoyed stares. Local transportation in Laos is wonderful for working on one’s patience!

As soon as we get off the bus in Ban Na Hin there are a couple of jumbos waiting. One of them is completely full, and the other is completely empty. So I figure we should get in the empty one and not be cramped. But I wasn’t thinking – the full one takes off and our driver jumps in, drives about 50 feet and points us to a place to go eat lunch. He is going to wait to fill up his jumbo! And I am thinking this will take hours, but it really turned out for the best. We got a chance to eat with two of the cutest girls and check out the little town. And our jumbo was ready to go in about 45 minutes – and it wasn’t jam-packed. The ride to our guesthouse, Sala Hin Boun (which is by the tiny town of Phon Nyaeng) takes about an hour on the jumbo – and it is a relaxing, if dusty (dirt roads) ride. But it is much better than we were expecting. The LP had written that there were plans to improve the road, but at that time it could take up to four hours to get there and during the wet season the roads were impassable and you had to take a boat. Lucky for us, it was the dry season and the road was greatly improved! I’ll take one hour over four any day. Near the beginning of the trip a group of three people came up to the jumbo and gave us flowers for the celebration (read on), and I got to do a shot of Lao Lao (Lao Whiskey – very strong) with this dude. The road is still under construction – there are many areas we had to detour off the road – so soon the travel will be even easier, which is good and bad. Right now not many people go here, because it isn’t easy to get to. The easier it gets, the more people will go. Oh and just some pricing for you to consider. Our taxi from the hotel to the bus station was $10. Now this was rip-off booking at the hotel and getting a taxi before 6am pricing. The bus was $6.00 apiece (again I’m sure foreigner prices) and the jumbo was $2.50 each (definitely foreigner prices). So it was $10 for the first 5km, and $17 for the next 300km. Nice.

Sala Hin Boun, the Amazing Kong Lor Cave and Partying with Lao Students
Sala Hin Boun is the only guesthouse in the area. I am sure this will change as the roads improve and more travelers head this way. The other option for travelers is to stay in one of the villages around – as the villagers will take you in overnight for a small fee. We decided to stay at Sala Hin Boun since we had plans to do some trekking later, where we would stay overnight in villages. And Sala Hin Boun was really nice, although very expensive (for Lao standards). It was so quiet and relaxing – basically wooden cabins overlooking the Nam (River) Hin Bun. There were 5 other people staying there, but they had arrived the night before, were at the caves when we arrived and left the next day. So we basically had the place to ourselves. We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the villages – your typical Lao villages – pretty poor and isolated. And everyone we saw (most of them going by on jumbos and tractors) waved, smiled and yelled “Sah Bah Dee!” I don’t think too many people walk the dusty roads, because everyone looked at us like we were crazy. And it was quite dusty, as you can see below. We got back to our guesthouse and had some Beer Lao while relaxing and playing cards. Then we had dinner (with some more Beer Lao) – and the food at Sala Hin Boun was excellent. The cabins had no AC, but were pretty nice and it was cool at night. And the stars were amazing – it was so clear and the stars so visible – it made it even more peaceful. After the day of travel we were tired, and went to sleep early. I think we were in bed, under the mosquito net by 8:30pm. If you are a person who loves sleeping in the pitch black dark (as I am), then it was perfect. I slept like a log.

The next morning we were up around 8am for a leisurely breakfast before heading off to see the cave (I also had a little incident with the toilet, but I’ll spare you the gory, gory details). We made all our arrangements with the guesthouse, which made it a little more expensive, but much more convenient. So we had our own boat (with driver) to take us up the Nam Hin Bun to the cave entrance, where we would get another boat with guides to take us through the cave. Our trip up the river was great relaxing fun.

The water was very low, so we had to get out of the boat and walk many times, but it was no big deal. And our driver was incredible – so many times I would think that we would have to get out, and somehow he got us through this tiny amount of water – he knew all the places to go. We only had one breakdown, when the engine faltered and our driver broke the rope trying to start it again. But he didn't have much problem fixing that. And seeing all the village life go by as we motored slowly up the river was amazing. And of course all the villagers were smiling and quite interested in us, especially the kids (almost all of who wai-ed and said Sah Bah Dee or Hello!). We got to the village at the beginning of the cave, and could hear quite a bit of partying going on. There was a big festival for the cave the day before, and some people were still partying today. Our driver dropped us off with two guides and another boat. I guess I should explain why we wanted to take a boat through a cave. The Tham Lot Kong Lo (everyone calls it the Kong Lor cave) is a 7km long limestone cave which the Nam Hin Boun flows through. It is quite amazing to go through – completely dark except for your torches. It is 100m wide in some places and pretty cramped in others. The same goes for the height – sometimes up to almost 100m. It really is quite something, although not many pictures came out as it was so dark.

We got in our new boat and they basically took us across the river and we got out to walk into the cave, as the guides had to get the boat up the rapids. We ran into a few people (all Lao) going through the cave, and this one guy who wanted our picture – and took like 5 snaps of us – he was too funny. I guess we aren’t the only ones looking for pix! And like I said, once you got into the cave it was damn dark.The trip through the cave took about an hour and a half on the way up, including a stop to walk around and check out some areas of the cave. Again the water level was so low that we had to get out and walk a number of times, and it was a bit scary as it was so dark. At one point some bats did a fly by on us. It was really an amazing ride. When we got out of the cave, we boated up to a local village for lunch. Although it wasn't really a village - just sort of a lunch place by the river. The villages were a couple of kms away - and we didn't have time to hike to them. They did wish us a good trip though.Then we turned around and went downstream back through the cave. Again – just a cool ride, and a bit faster going downstream. We didn’t see many boats on the way up, but we saw tons of Lao tourists coming up the river in the cave as we were heading back. I guess the festival is a busy time. When we got back through the cave we decided to check out the local village a little bit, as we could hear some music playing and could tell people were partying. It wasn’t the villagers though; it was a group of Lao students and professors that had come up for the festival. They were on a raised platform just hanging out, singing karaoke, drinking Beer Lao and eating some good food. As soon as they saw us their ring-leader motioned for us to join them – I had to dance a bit with him – so funny. And then we joined them for some food and drink. I just love the random experiences when you are traveling. The group was so nice and most of them spoke a little bit of English so we could converse a bit. When we were leaving, we got to meet their main professor, and he wanted a picture with Margaret – although I think he was a little surprised at Margaret’s fake kiss to him!The trip back to Sala Hin Boun on the river was pure relaxation – and going downstream we didn’t have to get out and walk as much. After a day of exploring, riding back on the boat with the sun blazing and the breeze cooling, it was almost impossible not to sleep. But the scenery and local villagers kept us awake. It was such a fun day. When we got back we basically repeated the evening before: cards and Beer Lao; dinner and Beer Lao; and sleep.

Stay tuned for Part II - as we venture on to Savannakhet and a three day trek to some Katong villages in the Dong Phu Vieng Natural Protected Area. And I will warn you now, it is going to be much longer than Part I!