Laos

Trip Start Oct 14, 2007
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Trip End Dec 04, 2007


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Flag of Lao Peoples Dem Rep  ,
Thursday, October 25, 2007

24/10 - leaving Siem Reap, Cambodia and flying to Vientiane, Laos. The plane is small and I am reminded that the Lonely Planet guide states that Lao airlines is not recommended! Anyway, after one stop in Pakse for refuelling we arrive safely. The friendly taxi driver takes us to a number of hotels before we settle for one mainly due to being sick of looking. Some of the recommended hotels are booked out. Later we discover that we have arrived in the middle of the annual Dragon Boat Festival. The room is comfortable and clean with a bed big enough for 4! With separate bathroom, cable TV, air conditioning and fridge we can't complain about $15 a night.
Vientiane retains quite a lot of its French history - names of roads, baguettes, patissiries and crepes to name a few.
We quickly learn sabai dee as a greeting - the language seems a little more accessible than Khmer.
We are fortunate to have arrived at this time as Vientiane has little to offer. The Dragon Boat Festival has brought in tourists from everywhere - the majority appear to be laotian though- still not a great many Westerners it would appear. The boat racing is quite a sight. Dragon boats are long and sleek. There are 50 oars seated people in each boat with two more standing on the stern. My guess is the 2 on the stern act as tacticians and rudders. The festval really cranks up in the evening with families enjoying the sideshows, stalls, concerts and many different food offerings. People line the Mekong River cheering on the dragon boats whilst drinking Beerlao and sharing meals. We are a little envious that we can't seem to order meals that look quite as delicious or varied. "I'll have what they're having" might be the way to go but could also be a bit risky. Offal and deep fried crickets and mealworms are local delicacies! Nevertheless we enjoy some of the biggest prawns we have ever seen along with the traditional green papaya salad which is hot enough to ensure another bottle of beerlao. I wondered whether it was a local prank just to watch the tourists' reaction!
After several days in Vientane we are now at the airport awaiting our twice delayed flight to Luang Prabang. Apparently the weather conditions there are not good. According to my reading the pilots do not have navigation equipment and rely on sight. I will be glad to arrive there safely some time today!
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