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As promised, here are some photos from my recent trip to Laos. I guess we can call this the food-themed post. If you ever make it to Vientiane, one pleasurable thing to do is to eat at one of the many outdoor restaurants lining the Mekong and watch the sun slip below the Thailand horizon across the river. It’s quite laid back, though you’re right next to the main road along the Mekong, Fa Ngum Road. Along here you’ll find the Inter (City) Hotel and the Bor Penn Yang rooftop bar, from where I took the first photo below. There’s also a lot of construction going on; apparently, the authorities are building some flood protection devices, as well as creating a new park in this area. The first photo shows some of this construction. This is near quitting time, so a few of the restaurants set up some of their seating on a portion of the construction area that won’t be used again until the next morning. As you can see, you can sit at a table or sit down on floor mats, Lao style.
The menus in these eateries are quite extensive, featuring Lao, Thai and some Western food. Here’s a shot of a variety of fresh food waiting to be used in some mouth-watering delight.
Nai is preparing to wolf down a plate of Mekong clams.
My favorite dish is grilled Mekong river fish. Here are a couple of the restaurant workers (sons of the owner, I think) grilling a variety of fish, prawns, meat, chicken and other goodies. Ahhh, cripes, I wish I were there right now, out of this cold weather, chowing down on grilled fish, stir fried rice and spicy papaya salad.
And, of course, the aforementioned sunset.
I’ll get some more photos up soon, but this week marks the beginning of my 4-week schedule from hell, so I’m not sure when I’ll be able to post again There will definitely be more later.
I’m just kind of hanging out in Vientiane right now. The SEA Games have finished, but Vientiane is still very crowded, especially with traffic. It’s quite difficult to cross some of the main streets at rush hour except at stoplights–I think the sleepy days of yore are at an end for the still-small city. I suppose that’s good news or bad news, depending on your point of view. Good news for local merchants but bad because of all the negative impacts of increased tourism. The Lao government is actively pushing for more tourism, but I hope they do it right and don’t import some of the problems that Thailand has, especially the sex industry, increased crime, etc.
About the only events of note lately are the snake hunt and the wedding of the title of this post. “Snake hunt?” you say. Yeah, someone spotted a snake at Nai’s house, so he and his sister, Nui, tracked it down to a junk pile nestled up against his house. They dismantled, carefully, the pile, while I supervised from the top of the outside stairs and kept an eye out for the intruder. They found it and ingloriously dispatched it with a bamboo pole and a hoe into its next life (or whatever). It was a thin, green thing, about a foot and a half long. I asked Nai if it was poisonous, but he didn’t seem to know. I sure wouldn’t want to find out the hard way.
Then, a friend of Nai’s had a wedding reception for his daughter, to which I was invited. I’ve met the fellow 3 or 4 times, and he’s a teacher in one of the local schools. Among the subjects he teaches is English, so we can communicate with each other pretty well. He also has an English teacher friend who was invited, but Nai said the guy had to work until 9 p.m. and wouldn’t turn up until then. Well, he turned up about 8:30, completely smashed. I talked to him a bit and what I could get out of him is that he decided to cancel his class because he started drinking earlier in the day and just kept imbibing. So much for professional integrity. Anyway, it was a good reception and I made some new Lao friends. I have some photos, but can’t get any of them posted at the moment. There isn’t much different from a typical U.S. reception–lots of dancing, drinking, eating and other merriment.
So, we’re either going to Vang Vieng or Nong Khai tomorrow, but we haven’t decided. It’s kinda like the Beatles sang on Abbey Road: “And oh, that magic feeling–nowhere to go.” More later.
I just called my friend Nai in Laos. The entire family was gathered around the TV, watching the opening ceremonies of the Southeast Asia games and they (and probably most of Laos) were very excited about the event. As far as I know, Laos has never hosted anything like this before, so the country has been quite proud that they’ve been selected as the host country. I hope to take in a few of the events when I head back there on Saturday. The Games run through the 17th or 18th, so I should have a good opportunity to do so. I’m sure Nai will be happy to watch some of the sports, especially his favorite, volleyball; he wouldn’t normally be able to afford a ticket, so I’ll buy. What the heck, I’ll buy tickets for the whole family! It’s probably a once-in-a-lifetime event for them, and I wouldn’t want them to miss out on the chance to attend if they want to and if I can get tickets.
Actually, some of the events are free–cycling, golf, billiards, and track and field are some of the freebies. The soccer games, badminton, swimming, boxing, volleyball and others aren’t, but they’re not all that expensive, at least not for the “rich” westerner.  Between 4-6 bucks. It should be a good time. Here’s a photo from 2005 showing Nai, a.k.a., Volleyball Slayer, trying to spike the ball. Notice the smiles and laughter from the spectators. (Click on the photo a couple of times for larger views.)
Pretty much all of my classes have finished the semester and I’ve got most of my administrative duties completed, so the next couple of days I’ll be packing and preparing to go. I’ll be leaving here on Friday night on the 11:10 p.m. (and only) bus to Incheon Airport near Seoul. I’ll get there about 4:30 or 5:00 in the morning and then wait around for my 10:30 a.m. flight to Hanoi. That flight arrives at the Noi Bai Airport around 1:30 p.m. and then I have another 3 1/2 hour wait until the 5 o’clock flight to Vientiane. Long night and day, but for the most part I love traveling and hanging around airports.
Incheon is one of the best airports in the world, but Noi Bai leaves a bit to be desired. However, the last time I was there, a lot of construction was going on in the transit area–it looked like a lot of new shops or restaurants were going to be opening, so I’m certainly curious about what developments have taken place. You all will be the first ones to know, since I’ll probably write a post from one of the restaurants there that has internet service. More later.
Noi Bai Restaurant from last December
Except for quite a bit of haze, it was a beautiful day in Yeosu, so I took the motorbike out for one of my infrequent rides, another one along the coast. I’m extremely careful about riding the ‘bike–I don’t want to emulate my friend Nai in Laos, A.K.A., Mr. Accident-Prone. The back roads along the sea are very wide and have very light traffic, so there’s not a big problem with other vehicles. Also, I’m quite wary of any other obstacles, like potholes, wet spots, and other potential disasters-in-waiting. Here are a few photos of my ride today and I’ll post some more soon.
The first one is of what I call Sindeok Beach East. I posted a couple photos of this area on Sept. 27th from one side of the small peninsula that juts out into the sea. This is a smaller, more beautiful beach (in my opinion) that is just a short scramble over the rocks. Along the left side of the photo, near the top, you can see one of the buildings on the other part of the beach.
East Sindeok Beach
A kilometer or so farther along the coast road is the very small fishing village of Soji, if my memory serves me correctly, and if I read the sign, in Korean, correctly. Very lovely, peaceful area only a few kilometers outside of the city.
Soji Fishing Village
I’ll try to get some more shots posted in the next few days, and I hope to get out to a few other areas, so stay tuned. More later.
P.S. Happy Birthday to my mom. Getting younger every day.
Ahhhh, it’s that time of the year when we English teachers get a week off: no more classes until the 26th. I’m going to Seoul sometime next week to stock up on stuff that I can’t get in Yeosu, but other than that I’m just gonna hang out here, hopefully take a lot of photos and definitely take in the Yankee post-season games.
I hate to even mention that the Yanks are playing well: I’m afraid I’ll put a jinx on them. I just finished watching the first game against the Angels and they looked great. As I said earlier in the season, they seem like a special team, with a group chemistry not unlike that of the great Yankee teams of the late 90s. I hope they can go all the way to take their 27th World Series title.
Well, motorbike guy has done it again. The 4th or 5th time in a couple of years. Yup, my Laos friend Nai had ANOTHER accident riding his unworthy steed. He’s in the hospital in Vientiane after suffering a back and face injury while wrecking on his way to the market in his village. He told me that it had been raining and the road conditions were bad, which I can believe, having traveled on the slippery, muddy, pothole-laden road that runs through his village. It’s almost inevitable that you’re going to lose your balance in these conditions. He did. He has paid the price again. I phoned him today and he’s recuperating in the hospital in Vientiane. I told him that the next time I return to Laos, I’m going to take the ‘bike and toss it in the Mekong. Sheesh.
The weather in Yeosu is definitely starting to remind me that winter is not that far away, with the nights turning chilly, the wind kicking up and the leaves on the trees putting on their autumn show. We’ve actually had gorgeous weather during the day lately–sharp blue skies and mild temperatures. But the nights, and the trees, have been telling a different tale. It’s definitely fall.
This evening sure feels like a harbinger of my least favorite season, so I’m making a big batch of chili. I cut up some spicy, green, Korean chili peppers earlier to add to my somewhat culturally mixed concoction, but I made the mistake of rubbing my eyelid with my hand. For about 10 minutes I thought the burn was going to go straight through to my eyeball! 
Tip: Wash hands after preparing chili peppers.
After dropping catastrophic amounts of rain on the Philippines, Typhoon Ketsana is now crossing Viet Nam and heading into Laos. I talked to Nai earlier tonight and he seemed quite worried about the possible high wind and heavy rains making their way into his village outside Vientiane. He said that “boss my country” (meaning his country’s top official, more than likely) talked on television earlier to warn the people to take precautions. I’ve been keeping an eye on a few weather radar sites, and, so far, it appears the main bulk of the storm is going to pass well south of the capital, although it could still dump heavy rainfall on Laos. Nai can be quite the drama queen, so I hope his and his countrymen’s fears don’t come to pass. I’ll let everyone know what happened when I’m next able to get through to him. More later.
I made it back to Yeosu in good shape, not too much the worse for wear, though it took me a few days to recuperate. My best intention of keeping up a running commentary of my time in Laos and Thailand fell short of the mark (again).
I never did make it to Bangkok, for one reason or the other. The train strike lasted only a few days, but after staying more than a couple of days in Nong Khai, Thailand, time ran short, so I spent the last part of my trip in Laos.
On further reflection about Vang Vieng, though there weren’t nearly as many tourists there as in December, it was still like being in a huge fraternity or high school party. There were a very large number of backpacker-type travelers between the ages of 18-22 (estimate). Most seemed to party hard into the wee hours or take the float-and-get-blasted trip down the Nam Song river. One night, Nai decided to go to one of the island bars and have a few beers. I could hear the music blasting from our guesthouse room, and it didn’t stop until 3 a.m. Nai told me later that the Lao police visited all the bars still open at that time and ordered them to shut down, due to the late hour and all the noise. Good for them! I’m sure Vang Vieng used to be a peaceful, sleepy village, but no more. Construction of new guesthouses is rampant, as usual, and I’m sure the place will become even more of a party town for youngsters in the future. I’ll be rethinking about visiting there again. It’s just not that enjoyable, for me at least.
Back here in Yeosu, we had a LOT of rain yesterday, well over a couple inches, I would guess. It’s rainy season here, too, and it’s supposed to rain off and on into the weekend. It’s kind of nice, but I’m sure it will get old quickly and I’ll be yearning for the sun soon. I’m not worried about the wet weather cutting into my jogging time, though; I cut my foot a bit on a sharp edge in a hotel shower, and, while it’s nothing remotely serious, it’s just enough of an injury that I won’t be able to run for a little while. Hopefully, I’ll be back up to speed by the weekend or early next week.
I’ll try to get some photos posted soon, but I won’t promise anything. My schedule right now is pretty light, but the university begins holding English classes for young, promising local students next week, so I’ll start getting some extra hours in then. I’m also part of a team of teachers writing a textbook for a new university class starting in September that will focus on English for Tourism in Yeosu. More hours = more pay.  More later.
I’m enjoying a few days in Vang Vieng, a lovely, but usually tourist-packed town north of Vientiane. Being that it’s low season now, the number of visitors here is quite a few less than in December, the last time I was here. There hasn’t been any rain, but it’s been mostly cloudy and humid. Nai and I might go tubing on the Nam Song tomorrow or perhaps take a hike up to the Buddha cave.
There’s not really too much happening here, and I was planning on going to Bangkok near the end of the week. However, I read today that the trains have all been stopped due to a nationwide strike of railway workers, and it seems like it’s another nail in the coffin of the Thailand tourism sector. Visitor numbers are down drastically and the industry is begging the government to do something. Chief causes for the huge dropoff are the takeover of the airport last year by protestors and continuing political turmoil, high prices, bad economy, and the perception that tourists are being treated less than cordially by many Thais working in the service sector. So it goes. More later.
Just outside the Inter City Hotel in Vientiane, along the Mekong, I noticed that there was a lot of new construction, with dirt piled up along the river bank. I asked Nai what it was all about, but he wasn’t sure. We asked a cashier in one of the markets and he told us it was a new levee to protect the city from the type of flooding that occurred last summer. Good idea. Nai blames the flooding on the upstream dams that China has built, which some claim has altered the seasonal flow of the river. I certainly hope they don’t get the high water they had last year. Nai’s family farm doesn’t need another incident like that.
It looks like the strife in Bangkok is escalating, with reports that tear gas was used by the army to clear out protestors blocking some of the major intersections. To top things off, Apr. 13-15 is Songkran, Thailand’s New Year and one of its major holiday periods.
Laos also celebrates Songkran. I talked to Nai last night, and he has been hired to sing at one of the parties being held there today. This one is being sponsored by his brother’s construction company. I asked him to be careful, because many people are injured or killed in drunk-driving accidents this time of year, and knowing Nai’s penchant for getting into motorbike accidents, I am obviously worried. He told me “I cannot drink beer tomorrow. I sing a song for party.” Good. Keep it that way, Mr. Accident Prone. :satisfied:
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