Sa-bai-dee, for the final time. I could write 12 postcards from Laos but will limit it to three. And this final one will have just some random snippets.
Lifted from my journal:
Kev gets his traditional on-the-road haircut...and his ears cleaned as an extra service!
Loved the fruit shakes available for 5,000 kip (60 cents)!!!
Why would anyone eat on the main drag when the Mekong cafes were nicer & cheaper?!
Adventurous Kev orders Water Buffalo Hide Crackling and cracks a tooth eating it! Walks into pole and gets a scar on forehead (more hammer & sickle shaped than lightning bolt.)
Hot water from a rainforest showerhead. Worth the extra money. Who needs a TV anyway? (although Miss Marple dubbed in Chinese was marginally entertaining.)
Power and Phone lines are above ground--about 12-15 feet above ground on poles. Looks like 1907 anywhere else.
Recurring theme of trip: Forget or drop Hilary's food orders in restaurants.
Laotians were always clean & presentable. Expected the same from visitors.
No matter how decrepit the home or deep set into the rice paddy the hut, they all had a satellite dish.
National pedestrian curfew of 10 p.m. Also, no ironing or making porno movies in your hotel room. Duly noted.
"Friends" episodes run endlessly in TV bars in backpacker haven, Vang Vieng. Ugh.
Spent a morning watching the clouds dance with the mountains.
Geckos are our friends. They eat mosquitoes.
I really dislike pay toilets. A red letter day was when I pee'd for free...usually on my shoes in some bush.
Transvestites well tolerated and not few in number.
French, English and Manglish spoken/written here. Lao works, also.
Canadians pay the highest visa fee ($41) What did Canada ever do to Laos? All visas are paid in US currency only. Won't take their own money for them.
Morning and evening markets are definitely worthwhile. Bargaining is expected but without aggression.
The southern part of Laos is uber-laidback. The dogs don't bark and even the motor scooters can't be bothered to make much noise or go very fast.
Easy to see why expats stay and visitors return. If you're in the area, put Laos on your list -even if just passing through.
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