Ello Laos!
We crossed the Thai-Lao border pretty early on, at about 11am after 4 hours of peddling. We really arrived in our hostel in Laos only at 1pm, because it was hot and we weren't sure where we were going to try put up the night at. Anyhows, trust Jason to take a good pick. We are located at this hostel called Thawee Hostel. Clean and nice little rooms. Doesn't smell funky, has some character and most importantly has got sitting toilets. HAHA.
First impressions of Laos – DUSTY. Its kind of a regional feeling actually. Having been to Vietnam and Thailand prior to this, I just felt like these whole part of the world is really dusty. As I cycled from the border into Vientiane, my whole face was caked with dust and the white bandanna I had turned brown the moment I swotted my face with it.
Most of the roads here are undergoing works. And imagine my surprise when I found this relatively clean street, dust-free and all... Then I realised why it is so. Its along the stretch of Asian Development Bank and the other she-bang NGO organisations. No wonder it looked more orderly than usual and even dust free! Which goes to make me wonder all about where aid money goes to at times.
Still, the country seems very much intact despite its communist rule. Its English is surprisingly good and better than what I've seen at most places and the streets are somewhat more orderly. There is a good amount of Chinese influence over things here, no doubt thanks to their common political background and of course the trading around these parts.
In a rather short span of a couple of hours, I think I'm beginning to like Laos actually. There's a healthy amount of “old world charm”, kind of like Thailand in the 1990s when it was about to take off; and there is also a good amount of Westernisation for now – good cafe, wine and food culture going around. Its quite a hotspot with backpackers, ala Khao San Road of Bangkok in the 90s. Well, you should really come see it before it turns all modern like Bangkok!
Anyways, there is apparently a good amount of eco-tourism around. They've got lots of unspoilt sceneries and outdoor sports would do well here. There's rockclimbing, kayaking, river rafting and trekking. Prices aren't too bad if you've got friends with you as well. I did think about going kayaking tomorrow since its only USD 22 (around SGD35) for a day paddle around some rivers up north. The only thing is that there's not been a lot of rain, so the level of challenge just isn't there. I've done some level 1 and 2 whitewater rafting in Brunei, and it wasn't that fun. (This is despite the fact that my row is only 70% successful). I'm still trying to decide if its worth the price. Works out to be around $8.75 per hour (excluding transportation time). Well, at least it would be something different from cycling, despite the fact that I really don't like kayaking.
So the food around here... Checked it out. I've stopped being too fussy an eater and just eat whatever that comes served onto my plate. Just as long as its nothing exotic and its not made up of some animal's innards. Like I have mentioned earlier, its got a good cafe culture, thanks to all that foreign investments made into this place. A good sandwich would set you back around 16,000kip (SGD 2.66). Well, its not too costly for something decent to eat. A NORMAL sandwich costs around 7,000kip (SGD1.16), but you probably won't know what the heck you are eating (the bagette is pretty hard somehow).
Picked up a new skill from Jason today – how to wash a bicycle chain with petrol. It works wonders, I'd say. Goodbye to chain degreasers that are way too costly. I'm going to siphon petrol from my friends' cars! HAHA.
We're gonna stay put here for a couple of days to wait for packages to be dropped. So you'd be hearing from me for a bit :)
First impressions of Laos – DUSTY. Its kind of a regional feeling actually. Having been to Vietnam and Thailand prior to this, I just felt like these whole part of the world is really dusty. As I cycled from the border into Vientiane, my whole face was caked with dust and the white bandanna I had turned brown the moment I swotted my face with it.
Most of the roads here are undergoing works. And imagine my surprise when I found this relatively clean street, dust-free and all... Then I realised why it is so. Its along the stretch of Asian Development Bank and the other she-bang NGO organisations. No wonder it looked more orderly than usual and even dust free! Which goes to make me wonder all about where aid money goes to at times.
Still, the country seems very much intact despite its communist rule. Its English is surprisingly good and better than what I've seen at most places and the streets are somewhat more orderly. There is a good amount of Chinese influence over things here, no doubt thanks to their common political background and of course the trading around these parts.
In a rather short span of a couple of hours, I think I'm beginning to like Laos actually. There's a healthy amount of “old world charm”, kind of like Thailand in the 1990s when it was about to take off; and there is also a good amount of Westernisation for now – good cafe, wine and food culture going around. Its quite a hotspot with backpackers, ala Khao San Road of Bangkok in the 90s. Well, you should really come see it before it turns all modern like Bangkok!
Anyways, there is apparently a good amount of eco-tourism around. They've got lots of unspoilt sceneries and outdoor sports would do well here. There's rockclimbing, kayaking, river rafting and trekking. Prices aren't too bad if you've got friends with you as well. I did think about going kayaking tomorrow since its only USD 22 (around SGD35) for a day paddle around some rivers up north. The only thing is that there's not been a lot of rain, so the level of challenge just isn't there. I've done some level 1 and 2 whitewater rafting in Brunei, and it wasn't that fun. (This is despite the fact that my row is only 70% successful). I'm still trying to decide if its worth the price. Works out to be around $8.75 per hour (excluding transportation time). Well, at least it would be something different from cycling, despite the fact that I really don't like kayaking.
So the food around here... Checked it out. I've stopped being too fussy an eater and just eat whatever that comes served onto my plate. Just as long as its nothing exotic and its not made up of some animal's innards. Like I have mentioned earlier, its got a good cafe culture, thanks to all that foreign investments made into this place. A good sandwich would set you back around 16,000kip (SGD 2.66). Well, its not too costly for something decent to eat. A NORMAL sandwich costs around 7,000kip (SGD1.16), but you probably won't know what the heck you are eating (the bagette is pretty hard somehow).
Picked up a new skill from Jason today – how to wash a bicycle chain with petrol. It works wonders, I'd say. Goodbye to chain degreasers that are way too costly. I'm going to siphon petrol from my friends' cars! HAHA.
We're gonna stay put here for a couple of days to wait for packages to be dropped. So you'd be hearing from me for a bit :)
posted by me.lis.sa at 6:59 AM
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