Laos

My Laos travel summary:

Visited: December 1999

Duration of visit: 25 days

Capital city: Vientiane

Population: 5.3 million (1999)

Laos travel blog reading time: 12 minutes

• Cheerful children shouting Sabai-dee, Sabai-dee OK.
• Dusty main streets, delicious coconut shakes and amazing sunsets in Vientiane.
• Vang Vieng – from a small village to a crossroads of world culture.
• Biking to Hmong village andobserving simple life.
• Navigating Mekong River on a slow boat.
• Mix of Buddhist temples and French colonial architecture in Luang Prabang.

Once known as “The land of a million elephants”, in 1999, Laos finally found peace after centuries of conflict with its neighbors, France and the USA.

At the turn of the millennium, Laos opened to foreign visitors, offering a chance to explore its largely untouched beauty.

Laos was part of the Asian Big Tour from Australia, through Southeast Asia and China to India. During this 15-months long trip I visited most of the countries in the region and spent almost a month travelling around Laos.

I started my Laos travel adventure by crossing the Friendship Bridge into a country with 68 ethnic groups, a strong farming tradition, Buddhism as its main religion, and a long history of isolation.

If capital cities are usually centers of a nation’s wealth, history and beauty, Vientiane certainly lacks much of it. With Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese, French and Soviet influences, it is one of Indochina’s three classic cities, alongside Saigon and Phnom Penh.

With only 150,000 inhabitants in 1999, Vientiane could hardly be called a real metropolis. My face and mouth were covered in dirt whenever a car passed. The dust made walking the streets without a handkerchief or mask almost impossible.

Due to the lack of exciting places to visit or things to do, the Lao capital is rather uninteresting for classic sightseeing.

Old colonial buildings, Buddhist temples and central market impressed me less than the magnificent sunset over the Mekong River.

Watching the lazy, tanned Mekong River, I chilled out with a coconut shake and observed the hectic traffic. Despite its size, the world’s twelfth-longest and tenth-largest river remains almost untouched.

Before the Thailand-Laos Friendship Bridge opened in 1993, no bridge crossed the Mekong in Southeast Asia. Except for Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, there are still no major cities along the river.

Inspired by the Paris Arc de Triomphe, Patuxai was built with cement donated by the US government for a planned new airport. It took almost nine years to complete the monument dedicated to Lao fighters who died in the struggle for independence from France in 1953, while the airport plans remained in the drawers.

The most important national monument, Pha That Luang, symbolises Buddhist faith and Lao independence. Its gold-covered pointed tip resembles an avant-garde rocket. Built in the second half of the 16^th century, it was damaged by Siamese and Burmese armies 60 years later. French architects restored it in the 1930s.

My favorite place to visit was Buddha Park Xieng Khuan, a collection of Buddhist and Hindu sculptures, monuments and mosaics depicting yoga. Shaman-monk Luang Puu Bunleua Sulilata created this unique park, combining Hindu and Buddhist philosophy, mythology and parables into a harmonious composition.

The park features tall sculptures of Shiva, Vishnu, Buddha and other Hindu-Buddhist deities, alongside a 15-metre concrete ball with tunnels inside. Its three floors represent hell, earth and heaven.

During my Laos travel adventure in 1999, I noticed the first signs of entrepreneurship despite the soft communist system. The few internet cafés in half-ruined colonial buildings attracted mostly farangs (foreigners in Southeast Asia).

Dust, a cold drink and a keyboard brought me closer to home for a few moments.

“Your internet connection is very expensive!”

I complained to the young man collecting money for his boss. Just a week earlier, across the Mekong River in Thailand, I had paid twenty times less for the same service.

“LOL. There is Thailand, and here is Laos!”

The young entrepreneur knew very well that he worked in one of only two exclusive internet cafés in Laos.

It was unrealistic to expect cheap, modern internet access on every corner in a country where 80% worked in agriculture, fishing or forestry, 10% in the military and 10% were officially unemployed.

Laos is one of the world’s poorest countries, with little industry and most products imported from neighboring Thailand and China.

Many people spend hours each day collecting branches in nearby forests for cooking and keeping warm during cold winter nights.

Transport options at Vientiane bus station were limited, making a comfortable seat hard to find. Although Vang Vieng was only 160 kilometers away, the journey would take much longer than estimated two hours.

A conductor with hands full of worthless banknotes charges me 3,000 kips for the ride, just 0.35USD.

The highest banknote in Laos was worth 5,000 kips, just over 0.50USD.

Exchanging 100USD was one of the more exciting things to during my Laos travel adventure. I immediately became a millionaire!

Tourists use high-value kip notes, while locals pay with piles of almost worthless 500- and 1,000-kip bills. Instead of wallets, people use plastic bags to carry bundles of cash. Counting money is a skill every adult in Laos seems to master – a kind of national sport.

After six hours, we finally covered 160 kilometers and reached Vang Vieng, a hidden gem that was becoming a popular travel destination. Cheap guesthouses, Lao-European restaurants and unspoiled nature were transforming this once-backward village into a crossroads of cultures.

“My bulldozer! I worked here before!”

The owner of a small hotel told me about his previous job in broken English.

Until ten months earlier, he had worked for a French road construction company, operating a large bulldozer. Although he charged less than 2.00USD per night, it was enough to live comfortably.

Every morning, he placed a large tape recorder in the guesthouse courtyard and played Bob Marley’s music at full volume.

“I like music, not a bulldozer!”

Many Vang Vieng residents have benefited from tourism without succumbing to the negative influences of money. They remain humble and gracious, working together as partners rather than competitors.

Let’s hope this harmony continues and the area remains pleasant for visitors and locals alike.

Although I didn’t find any particular places to visit or things to do in the area, I enjoyed the atmosphere of Vang Vieng. My Laos travel adventure was probably more about experiencing everyday life and meeting local people than visiting famous landmarks and sights.

I rented a bicycle and escaped the bustling village, where boisterous Israelis and overindulgent Americans seemed to outnumber the locals.

Children waved excitedly and shouted, “Sabai-dee, Sabai-dee, OK!” meaning “Hello, good day” in Lao.

As I crossed a creek, a dirty boy in torn clothes guided me along a path, overgrown with lush vegetation.

“Hmong village! Five minutes!”

I almost gave up after kilometers without signs of life. Then I came across a herd of cows and reached a small village surrounded by rice fields and hills.

Two boys bordering school age took courage and approached me shyly. Their sparkling smiles and the reactions of the simply dressed villagers made me think that few foreigners had visited their village.

An older woman offered me a small footstool while her eight children, several grandchildren and her husband surrounded me.

They showed me their poverty-stricken home, where the whole family slept, cooked and played in the hut’s only room.

Nearby bushes served as a toilet, while the stream was used for washing and bathing. An old bicycle tire brought the children as much joy as a computer game does in our world. With a slingshot and a bag of stones, they hunted birds or played dangerous games.

We exchanged a few words, but a real conversation was impossible. I offered them the food and drinks I carried, which they happily accepted.

“Goodbye farangs!” …

… and their life returned to normal.

Laos carries a tragic chapter of history that remained hidden for years.

The United States bombed Laos to disrupt North Vietnamese supply routes and weaken communist forces during the Vietnam War. Between 1964 and 1973, American bombing in eastern Laos caused huge casualties and forced most of the local population to flee, although the conflict was less bloody than in Vietnam or Cambodia.

The unmarked city of Long Tieng grew into Laos’s second-largest city around a US military base, with one of the world’s busiest airports.

For nine years, American planes took off every eight minutes, day and night, to bomb Pathet Lao shelters. Military rules prohibited bombing Buddhist shrines within 500 meters in Vietnam and 1,000 meters in Cambodia, but imposed no such restrictions in Laos.

In nine years, American planes dropped over 600 kilograms of bombs per every citizen of Laos. Eastern part was also sprayed with 800,000 liters of herbicides.

Laos has thus become the most bombed country per capita in history.

Ironically, the bombing failed to suppress the communist movement, which took power in 1975 and still ruled during my Laos travel adventure in 1999.

Our bus to Luang Prabang was packed with backpackers from around the world, and the fare suited our budgets. Who could blame Lao people, after suffering such injustice, for making extra money from wealthy foreigners?

The first Lao kingdom was founded in Luang Prabang in 1353. Its independence ended in 1975 when a communist movement (Pathet Lao) took power. The royal family died in captivity a few years later.

Known as the Jewel in Laos’s Crown, Luang Prabang has preserved its traditions and charm, with a feeling of having escaped modernization. Its exceptional architectural and artistic heritage combines traditional Lao architecture with colonial influences from the 18^th and 19^th centuries.

Most buildings are wooden structures that blend harmoniously with nature. Sacred Mount Phousi stands at the heart of the historic peninsula, between the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers.

The Royal Palace, 32 original Buddhist temples and diverse architecture make Luang Prabang Laos’s highlight and the most outstanding destination.

In 1995, Luang Prabang was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List and described as the best-preserved city in Southeast Asia.

Luang Prabang may once have been special, but during my Laos travel adventure in 1999, it seemed somehow neglected. After taking power in 1975, Pathet Lao leaders focused on communist principles rather than preserving the country’s rich temple and Buddhist heritage.

I was impressed by Wat Xieng Thong and Wat Mai Suwannaphumaham, with their layered roofs and gilded decorations. Both survived the destruction of Luang Prabang in 1887.

The former Royal Palace is now a museum with restored rooms, royal objects and Buddha statues. Gifts from other countries are divided into capitalist and socialist donor groups.

What struck me most was the symbolic gift from a former US president: a Lao flag reportedly taken to the Moon by Apollo astronauts in the name of world peace. A piece of the lunar surface is also attached.

The irony is striking: after bombing Laos for nine years, the Americans promoted world peace.

At dawn, Buddhist monks in simple orange robes walked barefoot through residential neighborhoods in a peaceful ritual. Groups of twenty to thirty monks, led by older ones, received offerings from devoted locals.

Residents prepared freshly cooked sticky rice (khao niao), removed their shoes and sat on bamboo mats, waiting for the monks to pass. Each monk received a lump of rice in his basket, which they are only allowed to eat in the morning.

It was one of the most touching moments of my Laos travel journey, allowing me to witness the presence and importance of Buddhism in everyday life.

For many travelers, Luang Prabang is the northernmost point of Laos, but for me, the real adventure had just begun. Anyone who has seen speedboats on the Mekong River knows how dangerous they can be.

The modified car engines at the rear of these fragile, six-person boats sound like Formula One cars. Passengers wear helmets and life jackets, squeezed onto small seats for hours while the pilot tries to avoid rocks and waves.

I sometimes make reckless choices without properly considering the risks. However, the risk of an accident on a Mekong speedboat was simply too high, and reports of accidents were frightening.

I swapped the water Formula One for a slow boat taking a day and a half to crawl upstream along a muddy river.

The engine was still loud for normal conversation. I retreated to the roof to watch life along the magnificent river. Simple bamboo huts stood in scattered villages. Electricity seemed decades away, and road connections to major towns were unlikely anytime soon.

I felt as if time had stopped completely.

“Laos, poor country!” were the words I heard. “But good people!” I replied to the captain as we moored our boat along the riverbank.

The sun has set behind the hill. It was too risky to navigate the Mekong river at night.

There were no hotels anywhere nearby that night. The locals prepared mattresses in one of their houses. Women cooked dinner, while men offered me opium. I accepted a simple bed and a freshly cooked meal but politely declined to smoke opium.

Besides raising domestic animals, the locals mainly earned their living from rice and opium production. Beautiful poppies are grown both for personal use and for sale, but opium could also be used as a means of exchange instead of money.

Life in Laos would be impossible without rice. It is usually cooked in special bamboo baskets until it becomes sticky. Prepared this way and salted, it tastes delicious.

I shaped khao niao, or sticky rice, into small balls and put them into my mouth while they were still warm. Simple and delicious.

We reached our final destination, the tiny settlement of Pakbeng, around noon. The view of the Mekong River, surrounded by dense rainforest, made up for the lack of comfort.

As usual, there were no landmarks, historic places to visit or particularly exciting things to do. However, the village had a nice atmosphere for observing local life and playing with the children.

Electricity was available only in the evening, supplied by noisy petrol generators or batteries. The generators were so loud that they overpowered children’s cries and made my room floor vibrate.

The room’s ceiling light had no individual switch. It was positioned so that it also illuminated the neighboring room.

I went to bed early, when the generators stopped and silence finally fell over the village.

Without spectacular architecture, rich national parks, glittering museums or modern infrastructure, Laos enchanted me with its incredibly diverse cultures living together in one country, thanks to a combination of historical circumstances.

1999 was the perfect time to visit, as Laos had only recently opened to foreign visitors.

Many areas remained untouched, tourist infrastructure was just beginning to develop, and people were happy to welcome foreigners. Falang (foreigners) were a sign that the country was safe.

“The country is its people!” is perhaps the best way to describe Laos. I hope Laos stays this way, and let the madness of Western civilization pass by, at least for a while!

Sabai-dee, Sabai-dee OK Laos!