Hoof Hearted in Vientiane, Laos

Vientiane is the capital city of Laos, a small country in southeast Asia.  It was a fourteen hour train ride to get there from Bangkok, Thailand. I haven't much experience in train travel so I was quite looking forward to the overnight "sleeper" train.  I have always heard that its quite lulling to be rocked asleep by the gentle sway of a rail car.  I suppose that would be true if your bed is layed out east to west on a north bound train. Unfortunately this sleeper car had beds laid out north to south so when the train swayed from side to side your body tries to exit the bed.  Although theres really nothing but darkness to see at night, I was able to look out and determine that this was probably the slowest moving "express" in the history of rail transportation.  The train takes you all the way to the border town of Nong Khai, then its a short commuter train over the Mekong River via the Friendship Bridge connecting the two countries. 

The toilets are something out of a horror film if you should need to sit down.  I used the bathroom on the sleeper train in the daylight of the new morning while the train had to come to a stop in some country town.  As I stood there doing my business I couldn't help to notice that the toilet had no plumbing so to speak and actually I could see the pavement beneath the train that I was now currently peeing on. I say pavement because the restroom of that car was parked right over a street. I turned and realized that the window was open, yes this was a street, and there was a few cars and nearly a dozen motorcycles waiting for the train to move and the gate arm to go back up. Obviously if I could see them, they must be able to see me and I am currently peeing on the street right in front of them (awkward!). That's when the train started moving, super slowly as it started up again. As it moved I am drawing this wet line across the road right in front of this traffic that's waiting for the train to pass. It was somewhat embarrassing but also I had the strong urge to shout out the window "I Dare You to CROSS THIS LINE!" ... I didn't do it, but I wanted to.

I hit the dinning car around 8am and found it full of westerners, mostly stinky eurotrash backpackers drinking whisky and brandy for breakfast. The loudest of which was a guy that looked like an older and much more weathered Russel Brandt. About as thin as a toothpick with crazy hair and rock star wanna be rings and chains, he had his shirt unbuttoned down low and was getting louder and louder with every shot of booze.  His lady friend wore leopard print hot pants that were struggling to contain her girth and black lace stockings that couldn't quite reach the short shorts that her ass seemed to be inhaling. Her top was a modest black lace bra covered by a white fish net half shirt.  I downed my flavorless triple price breakfast and headed back to my sleeper.

I didn't mind that the train was four hours late, I was still early for hotel check in. Even the connecting commuter train was late as we were waiting for drunken Russel Brandt to figure out how to stamp his passport out of the Thai immigration booth all the while making a huge scene.  After the commuter train ride and on the Laos side of the river, Russel tries goes thru the wrong line twice then tries to pay his visa on arrival fee with 1/3 British pound, 1/3 Thai baht and 1/3 IOU.  He was terribly upset that no one would let him venture off into the country in search of an ATM machine.  He sat on his impossibly gigantic suitcase, situated right under a public sign reading "NO SMOKING, $2000 FINE" and lit his cigarette.

Vientiane is a pleasant little city. In my opinion its more like a town as you can walk or bicycle to most of the inner city attractions.  The Salama Boutique Hotel has a nice feel to it and the room was small but very clean and comfortable.

Outside was a view of a one of the many temples around the city. I am always amazed in how much detail goes into the artwork on these temples. As neighbors, I can tell you that the monks next door were very quiet and the temple seemed very peaceful.  At five am the monks from all these temples will come out in a procession down the street to collect alms.  I didn't wake up to see this but its pictured in several photos and postcards around the city.

Even on a saturday night I found the city to be quite sleepy.  Cars and motorcycles crawl by in second gear, and there is a general lazy feeling about. People are cheerful and friendly.  A lot of art and artistic design can found around Laos, the country was once occupied by the French and after they were eventually run out by the Vietnamese, some of their influences were left behind. A few of them being: Driving on the Right side of the road,streets that are nice and wide with round abouts and traffic flow that seems to make sense (virtually an impossible idea for most of this region) and a seeming abundance of fresh breads for sale on the streets. French architecture can be found mixed with Asian and some of the older homes and buildings seem very out of place to me here in south east Asia.

I took a picture of this old french style house and from the same place I turned 180 degrees and took a picture of this Asian stupa.

On one of the main streets you will find this giant arch which resembles the arch de triumph in France.  It looks like the french arch but it is covered in Asian detail.  The sign at then entrance to the stairway up was less then flattering. Maybe its just a bad translation but it seems as if the city of Vientiane is not really to impressed with this french monument they have been stuck with.

A view of the ceiling from the ground level

Lots of stairs to climb but views to be had from three different levels

Vientiane offers a nice morning market near here and a night market near the river, both make for pleasant walking.  I see that most everything for sale here is exactly the same stuff as in northern Thai. The people speak Lao of course but over half of them also speak Thai. I see Thai television, hear Thai music, and see Thai influence throughout the language. In Lao you would say "Sabai dee" to say "hello".  In Thai Sabai dee means "feel good".  For some reason when I hear them say it, it seems comparable to an Aussie saying "good day" instead of hello.  The language is same but the meaning is different. The one thing and possibly the best thing that is different between Laos and Thai is the beer. Beer Lao is excellent and it is hugely popular here in Vientiane. Its hard to look in any one direction without seeing the company name "BeerLao". I had a few great meals in Vientiane and each one of them was accompanied by a Beer Lao or two. 

This beer is wonderful! I brought some back home with me. The combination of ingredients used for Beer Lao is truly unique, with hand picked varieties of rice, spring water from the Himalayas, French malted barley and German yeast to name a few. I know I will now be looking for BeerLao in stores here in Thailand. You can find it here but the neighborhood stores won't have it. In Thai the big beer is Singha, also a very good beer but no where near as good as BeerLao. BeerLao comes in regular, light, dark and now there is BeerLao Gold, an extremely smooth beer that is currently my top favorite.  I had dinner at a popular restaurant called Khop Chai Deu which means "thank you very much" in Lao.  A good mix of westerners and locals mingled very nicely here with live music and good eats.  Though there is not a lot to do in this sleepy little city, I would like to come back here again someday, maybe with a good book and several bottles of BeerLao.

Some pictures around Vientiane

I walked over to take a look at the great Mekong river but it looks like it has mostly dried up!

A quick check on the map shows that this big sand bar is indeed supposed to be here.

This is the second time this year I have found myself in a communist country and could not really see the communism. I am not exactly sure what I am looking for, maybe I am a bit ignorant. I'd rather call it inexperienced.  When I think of a communist country I think of images of men marching in stiff formation out in the public and oppressed people and general unhappiness.  I am not trying to be a fan of communism by any means, but I will say that this trip to Laos and my last trip into Vietnam showed nothing of the communism that I have imagined. Pretty normal life, people working, eating, drinking, partying and playing. I see happy people and normal life with many freedoms. Maybe I have to do my homework a little bit more and learn what communist lifestyle really is.  I'll stick to my freedom, but these guys don't seem to have so bad either.  I look forward to returning to Laos someday. Next time I will explore further in the northern country where it is very quiet no doubt. Not that this city wasn't quiet, at only 200,000 people living in Vientiane, the electric wiring looks busier then the streets below do.

Back home to Bangkok, it will be good to be home. I'm glad to have another new adventure in a new place. This time even getting there was a first for me. From my house to Vientiene involved a two taxi's, a sky-train, a subway, and two big rail trains. On the trip home I actually took 3 rail trains in a row, another first for me.

I considered calling this story "Hoof Hearted at the Ass Station" but I thought I would give you guys a break from my unsanitary sense of humor, for a change.

Thank you Vientiane ! I'll be back for more of your incredible BeerLao !

Magical Milestone

It was a Daddy's Moment. Picture your own hand,  from your own perspective, letting go of the bicycle when your little girl takes her first pedals without knowing that you have let go.  It's a grand moment for us fathers. My one and only child was overseas on vacation when she decided to take her very first steps.  I was proud of her yet remorse that I had missed this moment. Several small milestones have passed like this because she is a regular international traveler, and I spend most of my awake time working. Of course even if she would have been home, I could have missed it just as easily working 12 -14 hour shifts on my job.

One afternoon I was headed to work on my overnight shift when a drunk driver came at me head on while crossing a very narrow single lane bridge.  He came launching over the crest of the bridge and crossed into my lane, threatening to hit me head on in just a matter of moments. Being on a narrow bridge with not even a sidewalk to swerve on to, I realized that this was the end. Its fucking over. I didn't freak out and scream or yell, I just remember the deepest sinking feeling in my gut and muttering "aww shit."
Just like people say, your life will pass before your eyes before you go, my mind did just that. I thought of too many things to try to recall, but interestingly enough one of the things that I pictured was a view of my hand leaving the back of the bicycle when my daughter took her first solo pedals.   It was just imagination since that event had never happened. In seconds I would be impaled head on by a speeding bmw and this is what I think of ? A milestone that I would never get to experience. 

That drunk in the bmw some how drifted back towards his own lane just in the nick of time, I don't know how our side mirrors didn't meet in an explosion of glass. I survived, unscathed, heart beating like mad and the hair on my entire body standing on end. I remember being severely angry all the way to work. I wanted to hurt that person. That person that nearly ended my life before I had the chance to experience those magical milestones that a parent cherishes with their child. 

Fast forward two years later to today. Today I let go of that bicycle and watched my child pedal off on her own, fully unaware that daddy was no longer holding her up.  It was the best moment ever. The neighbors were out and smiling, and kids were cheering my daughter and running along side and I had a smile from ear to ear.  I thought of that drunk driver, back on the Sellwood Bridge in Portland Oregon, who almost deprived me of this moment and a single tear did manage escape. I'm so glad I got to see all of her excitement and emotion when she was riding by herself. I am so proud of her. It means more to me then she will ever know, more then anyone will ever know.  I wouldn't have missed this moment for the world and thankfully, I didn't.