| Laos 2006 - Phu Khoun to Vientiane |
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| South of Luang Prabang the road rises up into mountain views and becomes precarious and gorgeous. Every time I've passed through here I have really wanted to stop and see it more slowly. So this time we walked/hitchhiked up to the top of the pass, stayed overnight, and walked down the other side next day. Above you can see one of the dramatic limestone mountains as we head back down to the valley toward Kasi and Vang Vieng. |
| This woman started following us and when we said we were walking down the mountain she was shocked and kept laughing. I think no outsider in a blue moon ever walks around here except jumping out of a minivan to take a leak. |
| We stayed overnight at the town of Phu Koun. It sits at the top of the pass at 1400 metres and has been a strategic location for many many years. It has two very basic guesthouses which see very little business. |
| We walked all day long until our feet were dead, through small villages with thatched huts and mostly sad-faced kids. Many of them were totally shocked to see a white guy and some of them cried and ran away, or were swept away by their fearful mothers. Maybe they though I was a missionary. It's not all that remote though, just that farangs don't walk it. |
| When the day got late we stopped at this village right on the border to Vientiane Province and after checking out the village and sitting by the road for a while we got a ride. Very few cars or trucks, or even motorbikes come down this road so getting a ride is difficult. This is because most people cannot afford a vehicle. This stretch of road - Route 13 between Phu Koun and Kasi - has also been the scene of quite a bit of Hmong rebel violence, with several vehicles stopped and people robbed and/or killed, including two tourists killed in 2004. The local authorities state they have rounded up most of the bad guys though and decalre it safe. Having a big army camp in the hills nearby helps, although most of the soldiers we enountered carrying AK-47s were about 17 years old. |
| Vang Vieng litterally means Palace City, but I have never seen a palace and it hardly qualifies as a city. As I have documented before on various visits since 1997, the setting is gorgeous here, with many tall limestone cliffs and tranquil streams. The town, however, is a concrete jungle of torn-up pavements and loud construction. Sad what has happend here due to tourism. Just enjoy the river scenery outside the town. |
| While the sun is setting beautifully by the river, most people are in the town sitting around watching TV shows. It is possible to stand in the street and hear three different episodes of "Friends" or watch any of a number of loud hollywood movies with exploding cars and pounding gunfire. Either the bars and restaurants of Vang Vieng have mis-read the market or young travellers have reached new levels of shallowness. I can understand after travelling in SE Asia for a couple months, you might like to switch off a bit with a movie, but if so I would just get a room with a TV and watch there - don't destroy such a beautiful place by supporting this kind of "TV-Bar" scene. |
| We went back on the road south and got a free ride with this songthaew (pickup) full of company employees going to Vientiane. It was a great way to go until one of the guys pulled out this shrew-like animal that we had seen in many of the hilltribe markets. They tortured it all the way and just before we arrived they tightened the cord around its neck and strangled it to death. That made them smile and cheer - to torture, and slowly kill an animal. It's a common attitude in Laos. |
| Back to Buddha Park (Again!) about 10km out of Vientiane. I've been here a bunch of times, but I was playing tour guide so it has be done. But guess what - the little food kiosk in the park, where I've always had my noodles in the past, now has a big TV and they play big loud violent Hollywood movies. It seems to be catching on. Very sad indeed. |
| In the city at it's most familiar landmark Patuxai, aka the Victory Gate. I have to admit that I was a bit bored this time, having been several times already, but I was showing Tee around and she liked it. However, I was excited about the next part of the trip - the south, and it proved to be the high point of this trip for me. |