It was the worst of times: 14 hours on a night bus with no reclining chair. But then again it was the best of times: those 14 hours were 14 hours away from Bangkok and into Laos.
We were heading to Laos’ capital city, Ventiane – the place I’d heard nothing but good things about. And we were leaving Bangkok, where sadly the sleaze machine of tourism starts to grate after just a couple of days.
Bangkok: gaudy, sweaty, busy, noisy, crazy
In contrast the city of Ventiane is soothing. Just as hot as Thailand’s megapolis, but tiny: just 200,000 residents to Bangkok’s many millions. Wide tree-lined avenues and tiny air-conned coffee shops do much to diffuse the considerable heat, while the European feel and smiley people make ferangs (Europeans) feel far more welcome than in the Thai capital.
In the first few hours we noticed a few things about Laos:
1. Self-name fever. Whether it’s Small Country Syndrome or the impact of communist rule everything is called Laos this or Laos that. Beer Laos – drink of choice – is made by the Laos Beer Company, as is the main bottled water. Most guesthouses are Laos something. Building materials are made by Laos Cement Inc and Laos Piping Inc. The main swimming pool is the ‘Laos National Federation Swimming Pool’ – even the bowling alley is Lao Bowling Centre.
2. Sense of humour. Despite the relentless self promotion everywhere, the Laos seem humble and modest. A sign on one of their main tourist attractions Patuxai (the concrete arch) reads: ‘Never completed due to the country’s turbulent history, from a closer distance it looks much less impressive, like a monster of concrete.’
3. Huge amount of development. Laos is a country flying to keep up with the rest of the world. The capital boasts a huge nummber of NGOs and development agencies: various UN agencies (anti-drugs, pro-children, pro-environment, among them), and other organisations devoted to literacy, eco-tourism and foreign aid (much of this French or American).
4. Kind people. Friendly, smiling, eager to help – one man even got up from reading the paper in the park to fix my bike chain for me. Spot anyone doing that in Lumpini, or Hyde for that matter? I don’t think so.
5. Full of sex tourists. No – number 5 is not a positive one. We were shocked to see how many people come to Ventiane for young girls and boys and those ‘somewhere in between’ (our hotel terrace was an unfortunate meeting place for ‘nightcrawlers’). Jamie was even propositioned by one young man at 11am, while that evening an older Australian man we’d been chatting to unawares asked us suddenly to pick his whore for the evening out of a line up of teenage girls. We ran swiftly.
I think I must be naive but I just don’t understand how anyone could put their sexual pleasure above the lives of others; I couldn’t get any pleasure at all knowing what my selfishness was doing to these poor girls who are dragged into Ventiane from the villages and are scared beyond belief.
I didn’t want this blog to end negatively. Ventiane is a beautiful, friendly city and a joy to walk or cycle (more on that later) around. I just hope that the rapid development of an educational infrastructure in rural parts of the country will enable the next generation of girls (and boys) of Laos to have a brighter future.
Ventiane: smaller, quieter, gentler...happier?
