16.07.2004

Vang Vieng

Posted by justin

Laos is stunning. Lush green forests and the bursting, brown Nam Song river rushing past massive jutting stone cliffs covered in thick vines and trees and every living, buzzing, crawling thing you can think of.

This little town of 25 000 people exists almost solely to cater for the backpacker crowd on their way between Luang Prabang and Vientiane. The main streets glow like Las Vegas - yellow neon guesthouse signs and traveller-cafes competing to see who can wrap the most fairy-lights around to attract business.

The shoes-off, pillows-and-low-table dining seem to be the trend here. Never-ending DVD screenings of the latest pirated movies entertain the mass of English, American, and Israeli travellers. Even some Australians from time to time.

We've been away from the traveller scene for awhile so it's actually good fun to just hang out and go tubing down the river, stopping in at impromptu bamboo bars for a drink and a breather before heading back into town to catch up with whoever and go wherever. For the jaded traveller I can see how this place could seem a travesty of tourism, but there's only so much cultural immersion you can take before you just want to chill out with some other westerners.

We spent yesterday riding round on push-bikes, checking out the local caves, and swimming in a little lagoon fed by a mass of water that flows out of the ancient rock tunnels from the cliffs above.

We meant to spend a day here but like almost everyone round town we'll end up spending 4 or 5 days. Laos really feels like the road less travelled - not as much as when Danielle was here five years ago but the people still retain a sleepy demeanour where the rampant entrepreneurial spirit is yet to take hold. No "shoe shine number one you buy you like very good you look buy now why not good for you". You literally have to encourage them to get up and engage in some good old-fashioned capitalist activity. Apparently the saying goes that the Thais grow the rice, the Vietnamese watch the rice grow, and the Laotians listen to it grow. They really are very chilled and happy people.

All the recent travel warnings regarding the road to the north of here seem so removed from the reality of life here. Being the third-largest opium producers in the world the Government has been cracking down on local production with the encouragement of the US, so bombings and attacks on buses happen from time-to-time from those who are benefiting less.

Perspective was gained yesterday in an internet cafe when an Englishman announced someone had been eaten by a shark in Australia a few days ago. A hush fell over the majority of English emailers, who are usually on their way to Sydney, until I piped up to mention that so far I had survived. You also get a better grip when you share an overnight train to Hanoi with some Israeli girls fresh from 2 years of mandatory military service, and according to the prevailing neo-conservatives in power in the US and AUS we should permanently be in fear because the next terrorist activity could be at your place!

Some travelling friends - Dan and Nicki - bought a copy of Fahrenheit 911 which we put on in one of those traveller cafes last night. Packed it to the rafters - and one of Moore's main messages is that we're all getting manipulated by fear - so fear is something we've decided to eject from our range of emotions. Life is just here to be experienced regardless, right?

We'll head up Route 13 in the next day or so to Luang Prabang, and in about a week we should cross the northern border to Thailand. Wish we could spend more time in Laos but ATM's are non-existent!

We've got a lot of pics to send and emails to respond to but internet is very slloooooowwww here so we'll be pretty www-sedate till Thailand.