Jeffrey’s Journey

I’m thinking that in a few days I’ll be headed back to Bangkok (I really dread going back to Bangkok now).

Laos has been an unforgettable experience. Laos was humbling and I was left with a sense of awe at the same time. The country is stunning; it’s only lately that Laos opened it’s borders to tourism, so it’s probably easier to leap over the tourist cushion now, but inevitably the main cities will turn into a Disneyland version of Laos, where locals get ready to put on a parade for the fresh batch of incoming tourists. I’m glad I came when I did.

I can’t say enough about the people in this country as well. They seem to have this calm and honesty about them. These are the same people who have every right in my book to be bitter, tired, and angry because of their turbulent history, but from what I could see, they are the opposite. There are many smiles in this town, many hellos, many warm feelings.

There are also three people who I will always be linked to my Laos experience. I’ve been traveling around Laos with Jeremy, a lawyer from NY, and Steve and Luke, two guys that just finished 3 years in Japan doing JET. Jeremy was my roomie most of the time. At first, I was hesitant to room with I person I barely knew, sometimes you just gotta have faith in humanity and believe not everyone will rape you, remove your kidneys when you’re sleeping, or steal from you. And with chance, sometimes you’ll get bit in the ass, but I’ve come to believe that most times, that chance will pay off like hitting your number on the roulette table. Jeremy was a cool dude.

It was refreshing hanging with these guys. Normally, when a group of guys get together the conversation will almost always end in the thorough discussion of sports, cars, how much you want to bang a certain chick, or referring to their penis’ as another member of the discussion. But these guys were funny, worldly, sensitive, cultural, and eye-opening.

And lastly, but certainly not the least important aspect of Laos, is the food. Oh yeah. Almost every meal was accompanied by Beer Laos, a great, crisp tasting beer. There was one restaurant where we visited at least 5 times because the noodles were extraordinary, and our visits got to a point where the owner remembered us because we were the fat foreigners who ordered two plates per person. The first bite of the food and the sky opens up and you know your life is fucken good at this moment.

I love Laos.

For a few days now, I’ve been in Luang Prabang, the ancient capitol of Laos. The city is beautiful, situated where the Mekong River and the Nam Khan River meet. The French colonial architecture is everywhere and this whole country is absolutely stunning.

A few days ago, I just took the most breathtaking road trip of my life. I rented a Ford Ranger with the three guys I met at the Laos border and drove about 8 hours to Luang Prabang. We rode through Laos’ pristine mountains which could be best described as a photographer’s wet dream. The mountains are pristine and untouched. As you drive further into the mountains, they become topped with fog. Along the road, there are miles and miles of rice patties on end, often with one farmer working on the crops with a single straw and wood shack in the middle of the field. We were driving through the stuff postcards and national geographic is made of.

After a few hours of driving, the Hmong Villages start to appear. Most of these villages are scattered on curvy mountain roads, no more than 20 “buildings” per village. Their houses are made of wood and dried vegetation, all beautifully braded into walls and doors. The houses are built on stilts, which is really an amazing sight because some of the houses are literally hanging off the cliffs. In these villages, we saw goats, cows, chickens, naked babies playing in mud, and even a child grabbing a live rodent by the tail, trying to sell it to passer bys.

Once in awhile we also passed men dressed in military uniforms holding AK-47s, staring at us intently. Some even tried to signal us to stop, but they looked like off-duty officers trying to take advantage of some stupid foreign kids (if they were officers at all) so we decided to ignore their signals and kept going. Believe it or not, we even saw boys no more than 12 years old, carrying these AK-47’s around.

On our trip, we picked up a family who was carrying bags of stuff that looked like potatoes or taro. There was a little girl, about 8 or 9, carrying a bag as well. Seeing how far they had to walk and feeling how heaving their sacks were when we helped them throw it in the back of our car, you really have no choice but to let your heart break and realize how much of a lucky bastard you’ve really been all your life. Later in the trip, we also picked up a guy who hitchhiked on the back of our pickup for about 100 kilometers.

This country is absolutely beautiful, and I hope it stays that way. However, I’m unfortunately convinced that this is wishful thinking as I already see the ill-effects tourism seeping in the cities and eroding away the peaceful way of life.

The country is also beautiful in a completely different but even more enchanting way: the people. The people here are extremely poor, but they are happy. I don’t know what it is, but they seem happier than most people I know and we are always welcomed with a smile, or a sa-ba-di (hello) as we pass by. There’s no hassles or difficulty, just beautiful, beautiful smiles along the Mekong.

I made it to Laos. I’ve been hanging out with an English guy and two Americans I met while crossing the border. So far, it’s been pretty fun.

Vientiane is the capitol of Laos, but it’s not the type of capitol you’re picturing. You might be picturing a city with skyscrapers and new buildings and highways. Nope. It’s actually really funny, because this city resembles a mega-village rather than a capitol.

Laos is a poor country that’s suffered through a pretty unstable history. It’s technically a democracy but it also has a communist government (don’t ask me how that works). When you walk through the streets, you can see the French influence. Certain blocks somewhat resemble the architecture in New Orleans. But like I said, it’s a poor country and there are potholes in the major streets the size of soccer balls (and that deep as well). Sometimes, you have to watch where you step on the sidewalk because their sewer system is often exposed from cracked sidewalks; It’s as if there are septic-tank tourist traps all over the place. But with all that said, it’s an awesome place to spend a few days. Why?

a) The food is GOOD. Through sharing borders with neighbors as well as being ruled for the better half of their recent historical memory, their cuisine has definitely been influenced, for the better. Lovely French, Vietnamese, Chinese, Indian food. Don’t plan on losing any weight here because it’s also cheap.

b) You don’t get hassled like you do in other places. People will still try to sell their items, but you don’t feel so much like prey here. And when you’ve been in the middle of countless cross-hairs of vendors, tuk tuk drivers, and hawkers, this is incredibly refreshing. You can actually walk down the street in peace!

I think I’ll stay a day or two here and make my way North. Sorry, no photos yet because I forgot my charger.