Madame Sassypants in the Capitol
Trip Start
Mar 21, 2005
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66
354
Trip End
Ongoing
Vientiane,
Lao Peoples Dem Rep
Thursday, January 5, 2006
Over a cup of herbal tea, I joked with the large and friendly Lao manager woman of the joint: Madame Sassypants. The basil, lemongrass, lime, mint, and rosemary tincture in the steambath beckoned me inside as I joined folks from around the world in a small room with steam from a boiler downstairs piped from below. I relaxed: "Calgon take me away" (or something like that).
I continued the hedonistic lifestyle and went back to the Mekong River banks for another barbecue Mekong fish, stuffed with lemongrass, sticky rice, and a Beerlao
01 Vientienne Downtown
. A dark Thailand, with its shiny lights was visible over the darkness of the river as I "talked" with one of the Lao women working the grill. She spoke in Lao and I spoke it English and between us we understood nothing but understood something at the same time.I thought of time and how here in Lao time flows differently. Who would think that three days later I would see a broken clock tell the time correctly with its three hands, as it does only for two seconds a day: "Slow and low that is the tempo, let yourself go..."
But at the same time, time has flown quickly and the 15-day visa for Laos reached its expiration date. Earlier today, Lu and I had extended our visas another fifteen days before heading in separate pathways.
My path took me to a French-style cafe called Cafe where I sat on the balcony overlooking a main boulevard, drinking Lao coffee with milk and sugar and enjoying a croissant with cheese and ham. How imaginative to call a cafe Cafe. That reminds me of the bar called Bar in New Haven, Connecticut. The waitresses were teasing the only waiter because he was shy as tuk-tuks parked outside, waiting to carry travelers to their destination
A Gold Jeweler
. The Communist Hammer-and Sickle and Lao National Flags flew over the front door of the cafe, which reminded me of the colonial past, its communist-led emancipation, current patriotism amidst smiles and peace, and future development as a member of ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the "NAFTA" of this region.
Does any organization not have fancy acronym these days?
Fancy trucks and vehicles passed my balcony on the boulevard with their logos stuck on the front doors: UNESCO, UNDP, UNICEF, and more. A warm fuzzy feeling arose in my belly when I remembered the days of walking door to door with the little orange UNICEF collection box: all those dimes and quarter, now used to purchase the most expensive imported vehicles in Laos. I seem to remember hungry, dirty children on the box, not a SUV. But I digress, so back to ASEAN.
ASEAN does not promise peace in this volatile region, but at least it hopes for peace and will help stabilize the region through economic development and international cooperation. Across the darkness of the Mekong, in Thailand, however, the glittery lights seemed incongruous to the undeveloped state of Laos; there was still a long way to go.
Or was there? Depends on how you define progress, advancement, or success, or if you define them at all.
Breakfast with Elderly Women
All these thoughts were not even crossing my mind as I received an hour-long Lao massage after two trips to the steamroom and two cups of herbal tea and some more joking with Madame Sassypants.
But earlier, I did notice that all the French buildings surrounding the French embassy were in decay and thought that at one time the French flag did fly over this cafe, or similar cafes that catered to the expatriates.
After my cup of coffee, I walked through the market, eating some Lao soup there; walked the streets; and toured a couple of temples and stupas. In one temple, bats and bees were in charge, as hives hid safely under one of the Sravasti Buddha statues, symbolic of the infinite nature of Buddha...and more. Bats hung from underneath the roof of the temple, chattering noisily. The bees and bats fit like a hand into the Buddhist temple glove of Laos.
The massage ended, although in Lao time it seemed to last almost forever yet so short at the same time.
