Motorbike Sir?

Everyone told me that there wasn’t much going on in Vientiane. I knew that there had to be something happening. A few nights ago I located a pub that was showing a Manchester – Arsenal game, so I popped in for a few drinks. I got talking to a local Lao guy named Kern, who quickly introduced me to his friends. They were all fairly well-off Laotions – Kern worked for the Ministry of Justice, his friend Ton was a medical student. I had a great time with them, so I met them again the next night for drinks.
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So I’m here chillin in Vientiane with not a whole lot on the agenda. Yesterday I read a whole book. Today I just checked out the national museum.

I found the museum very interesting, but I spent a lot of the time on the archeological and ancient peoples exhibits and not enough on the more modern historical period, so since I have nothing to do tomorrow, I’m going to go back. The written descriptions all illustrate the glorious victory of the Communist uprising. For instance, in the Vietnam period, there is an exhibit of guns, and under them are phrases like:

A carbine used to shoot down an Imperialist American F4 by (insert Lao name here), a farmer from (insert province/town). (I am not sure if a rifle can take down a fighter jet. If anyone can provide an answer, please do.)

———

So I have been reflecting a lot on the past 6 or 7 weeks that I have been traveling, and thought I would give you all an idea of what my life is like here on the road and river. Here is a few thoughts:

Time
For one, it is hard to keep track of what day it is. The other day, I decided to ask a girl at a bar in Vang Vien, “What day is it?”
She replied, “Friday.”
“Friday! I would have guessed Wednesday at best!” I shouted.

I couldn’t believe it, Friday! Must have lost track of time somewhere in Luang Prabang. Anyways, in the words of Towelie, “I have no idea what’s going on right now.”

———–

It is really nice being away from the media-saturated United States. It’s nice not having information saturating all of your waking moments. It is especially nice not hearing much of the garbage media that tends to emerge during elections. I already know which way I am going to vote, and it isn’t something I want to be around for. And If I want to hear something, I can always find a Bangkok Post or a TV that has BBC world on it.

——

Gear

Here is a rough list of some things that I have found sweet (like ninjas) on this trip:

I bought these new pants (with zip off legs) that I have worn every day except when I was swimming. They are by Ex-Officio and have bug repellent built into them (supposed to last 25 washings), are pretty airy, dry fast, and can take some serious abuse before starting to smell. They have a quasi-hidden zippered pocket that I keep my passport and money essentials, and keep spending cash in the other pocket. I might go to a seamstress or tailor and have another one of the pockets added, just so crap doesn’t fall out.

A Packtowel, which is pretty small, dries ultra-quick, and is antibacterial or something.

A compressible Dry bag. Mine are not completely waterproof, but it came in handy when I floated down the river, kept things pretty dry, and I used a few ziplock backs just to be sure. I have 2 of them, one for dirty clothes and one for clean, but I wish I had one that was mesh for the dirty/wet things, and one for the clean stuff I want to keep dry. I think this situation can be remedied by a trip to the market. But in general, stuff sacks are essential to keeping shit organized. I know exactly where something. I also got one of those shoe bags, you can put your muddy shoes in there without them getting everything else dirty.

I bought this great raincoat before I left, but I have only used it once. That one time I did use it, I forgot it in this Scottish girl’s bag, couldn’t find her for two days, and once I did find it, I left it with this Irish guy. So it has actually turned out to be a big hassle. I don’t think you really need one if you are just a traveler, but I think it will come in handy when I start teaching. If it does rain and you are outside, you just get wet. It is kind of nice, I enjoy getting wet now.

Also by Ex-Officio are these great pairs of underwear. They keep your nether-regions cool, and are also anti microbial or something. They don’t smell too much either, but are pretty pricy at $25 a pair. I only have two pairs. I think it would be nice to have a third.

The Ipod is pretty sweet, and my luxury item but it was a shame I couldn’t share the music with others. So I bought these small, bootleg Chinese speakers that run off a 9V battery. They sound alright, and were only $5.

Footwear: I have some nice hiking shoes that hold up pretty well in the jungle, but I usually never wear them in towns. I have a pair of Reef flip flops that are fine for everything (even exploring a cave). Didn’t the Vietcong regulars wear flip flops? I can see the benefits of a sport sandal, but I hate putting them on and off.

For a pack I am using a Gegory Reality. Not sure of the size but isn’t too big. Has a nice large zipper access on the back so you don’t have to dig in through the top. I also have a Mountainsmith shoulder bag that you can attach to your waist. It is actually pretty comfortable and it is easy to access your goods. I could just as easily be fine with a backpack.

If you are trying to save money for a trip of this magnitude, anything you want can be found in Bangkok for significantly cheaper prices. I bought a big memory card for less than I would have paid back home. Don’t expect too much out of things though. For instance, the cheap lighters are crap and fail at the slightest hint of abuse.

That’s all I got for now. If anyone has any questions about some of these things, give me a shout.

Neil

Laos is great. I just spent 3 days in this small town called Vang Vien about halfway between Luang Prabang and the capital, Vientiane. Vang Vien itself has little to offer; the main drag is made up of pizza joints and ... [Continue reading this entry]

Greetings from Laos. I apologize for the lack of entries as of late, but it is hard to work up some motivation here in Laos. Life seems to move very slow here. It also takes a long time to get ... [Continue reading this entry]