Over the river and through the woods to Vientiane we go

It seems like we’ve been in Thailand a long time. About three months, actually. This long trip has pulled us along, however, into yet another new land: the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, a.k.a. Laos.

It’s remarkable to think that on Day 180 of the trip (!) Masayo and I are entering only our third country of the trip (not counting brief dips into Myanmar and Cambodia to renew visas). But the capital of Laos, the small-town city of Vientiane, lies just across the Mekong River that forms the great arcing border between Thailand and Laos.

We got there in style too; a rickety overnight train from Bangkok up through the Isaan region to the Thai town of Nong Khai, then a short bus over the Friendship Bridge that connects the two countries, then a Lao tuk-tuk a few kilometers to Vientiane itself.

Sleeping our way to Nong Khai

The overnight train made us dirty, tired, and excited to be moving; there are no nice sleeper berths or anything so Masayo and I slept slumping in our bench seats, trying to be as comfortable as possible and clutching our bags to keep them secure. I took my basal shot in the evening right in my seat, into my stomach, trying to be as discreet as possible. I think I got away with it.

Everyone else was sleeping too and in the morning we pulled into Nong Khai station. From there it was a tuk-tuk into the heart of Nong Khai for breakfast before crossing the border. We found a cafe that caters to foreigners, and I began to notice a curious feeling in Nong Khai.

The town is Thailand all right, but has the distinct feeling of being on the edge. Nong Khai is the last town in a far-flung corner of the Land of Smiles, a few narrow little streets, quiet and uneventful, with the usual dusty buildings, bored tuk-tuk drivers loitering in groups, and identical little restaurants and bars with red plastic chairs and cheap rice or noodle dishes. And, most of all, there is a big empty expanse to the north that is the wide, muddy Mekong River. Beyond the opaque, slow-moving, light-brown liquid chocolate lies the flat-looking tree-lined landscape of Laos, Thailand’s poorer and more obscure neighbor.

We wanted to change some money over the Lao kip, and had been led to believe that that would be better done here in Thailand. So we trudged along to the Mut Mee Guesthouse, right on the river down a long back alley where the two Western employees at the reception window changed our money for us.

At least as exciting was a small book shop along the alley, where we found a copy of the Lonely Planet guide to Laos. I love being on a trip so drawn out that we just buy guidebooks along the way. I’m ambivalent about using guidebooks at all, but they do suggest the occasional thing we might otherwise miss. This one was an actual official copy, not a cheap bootleg reprint. So, no missing sections or smudged ink.

Here we go: into Laos!

And then it was time to do the deed: cross the border and check out Laos. Of course, we had no paperwork or permission so after getting to the border post by tuk-tuk from Nong Khai we had to get Lao travel visas in our passports. Fortunately there was no problem; I love these laid-back Southeast Asian countries that just let you in and don’t give you much hassle. There’s something to be said for low-stress bureaucracy.

Border-crossers take a bus over the Friendship Bridge because it’s so long to the Laos side. We got on board and watched the muddy waters of the Mekong pass by below us as the large tourist bus made its way over a bridge that is a relatively recent gift from Australia. I love that spirit of international cooperation. Don’t it make you all warm-like inside?

Once on solid ground in Laos we found a tuk-tuk that was about to drive down the road twenty minutes to the middle of Vientiane. A Japanese tourist was also waiting on the tuk-tuk; her name was Akiko and she was backpacking solo. Since Masayo is Japanese and I lived there we all had something to talk about.

Our first up-close experience with Laos, as the three of us (plus the driver) rode along paved roads from the border to Vientiane, suggested a country not that different from Thailand. At least not in this part.

Vientiane, however, is rather unlike any other capital city I’ve seen: there are no big buildings – that is, no skyscrapers and no sprawl. No highways and parking garages, no towering office buildings or businesspeople striding purposefully around talking on cell phones and hailing taxis.

Vientiane is just like a small Thai town: people walking around shopping in groups of two or three, the tuk-tuk and motorbike drivers in their vests, available but not too concerned about getting customers. The women wore beautiful colorful skirts that were pulled tightly around their legs and reached the ground – tasteful and lovely. There is a slight international atmosphere to the city if you look closely enough: many buildings are in a French colonial style, since this indeed used to be a French colony. In the main town square (a comparatively tiny place, dominated by a nice fountain that wasn’t actually turned on) there is a Scandinavian bakery. Alongside the Lao national flag and Communist sickle-and-hammer flags are the occasional flags of other countries. It feels like a place that accepts international help but has its own thing going on as well.

Masayo and I walked a couple of streets over from the main square and found a little hotel called MOIC Guesthouse and checked in. Just like I like: a large, basic square room: quiet, functional, and cheap. Only 100,000 kip a night! (Sounds exorbitant; it’s just over $10.) It had been a long night on the Thai train and a busy morning crossing the border. We spent the rest of the day strolling around Vientiane, taking in our new surroundings and dreaming up vague plans of what exactly to do and where to go in Laos.

I don’t know how many days we have here in Laos. The “Duration of Stay” section of my visa was left blank. The sky’s the limit – and there are no skyscrapers to block the view!

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