Well G’day folks,
I’d thought I’d start a bit of a blog of our life here in Laos in case any of you are interested. Seems like there will be plenty of things to write about as we see more of this changing country.
After catching a night train up from Bangkok and spending 2 hours at the border crossing we finally made it to Vientiane, our home at least until Christmas, and the capital of this country which we will call home for the coming 4-6 months. Driving in to the city in the back of a tuk-tuk, you’d hardly know you were in a city – this place could easily lay claim to being the sleepiest capital in the world! Immediately the lazy, cruisy vibe comes through – unlike Thailand, no-one hassles us for tuk-tuks, taxis or ping pong shooting sex shows! As we sit down overlooking the Mighty Mekong river and savour a glass of Beerlao, a filthy rag-clothed mother with snotty nosed baby in her arm comes into the restaurant and begs for some dollars, you are further reminded that this ain’t the developed Thailand on the opposite bank of the river.
But things here are quite different from 2 years ago when we cruised through here on our travels. Shops, small businesses, advertisements, restaurants, bars, cafes, are everywhere being built. This country is booming!! The free market here is loud and clear. As we sat down at a newly opened cocktail bar on the footpath, an Aussie Expat next to us (called Hercules!) told us that businesses like this one were opening everyday! And this town is chocabloc full of Aussies, most of them engineers working for companies hoping to take advantage of new mining opportunities. The natural resources here present massive business opportunities - this truly is one of the least exploited countries left on earth ( I think 75% is still forested), but things will change very quickly over the next ten years as it all gets ripped down and dug up!
With all this growth going on it’s hard to believe that they still call this communism! But subtle reminders of the regime are still clearly evident. Direct on arrival when paying for a visa a sign clearly states that holders of Chinese, Vietnamese and Cuban passports all pay half price for their visa. Hercules also informed us that big brother China had the construction rights to every major development project on Lao soil for the next forty years! Not a bad deal! We also met matty, the Aussie who edits the only English speaking newspaper in the country. He’s got the job of presenting news as balanced as possible without treading on the government’s toes. After sinking another Beerlao in a pub with live music, we were told to drink up and get out - the 11.30pm government curfew was being enforced! The owner, clearly apologetic for breaking up the dance and karaoke party, obviously wants no grief from the military clad authority occasionally spotted on the street - the ones we’ve seen looked like small teenagers and each had automatic weapons slung over the shoulder!!
But all in all after two days here, it seems like a sweet place to live and work. All the aid and company workers who live here means that all the things we like from the west are nicely mixed in with the best stuff the locals have to offer, such as cheap cheap tasty Lao food and cheap cheap Lao massages! If boredom ever hits we have the only bowling alley, swimming pool, cinema and shopping centre in the country right here in Vientiane! We have the Scandinavian bakery, the Swedish Woodfire Pizza and bread shop. Around the corner is the only fitness centre in Laos – a day pass is $6 which includes a 1hr massage! Insane!
And it seems slotting in to the networks here is pretty easy! Hash house harriers run here twice a week! We’re starting a Lao language course on Monday, private tutor, two weeks intensive so chatting to the locals should be a bit easier soon. After meeting with our new mate Herc on Sunday, we decided to rent an apartment in his building. Prices here are pretty steep for rental accomadation, particularly considering we could only be in this city till Christmas. But we have a pretty sweet pad, and think it’s a good deal, we move in on Wednesday. We’ll be living with Herc, and Matty, the journo. Now gotta find myself a cheap guitar to fill our new house with sound! See ya later and hope all is well with everyone! I will begin my work on Wednesday as my boss arrives, and Anja currently is searching for a job or volunteer thing somehere in the country. She won’t find it too had I don’t think, as this country is overflowing with Ngo’s who could use a helping hand.
luvya's all
Chris and Anja
I’d thought I’d start a bit of a blog of our life here in Laos in case any of you are interested. Seems like there will be plenty of things to write about as we see more of this changing country.
After catching a night train up from Bangkok and spending 2 hours at the border crossing we finally made it to Vientiane, our home at least until Christmas, and the capital of this country which we will call home for the coming 4-6 months. Driving in to the city in the back of a tuk-tuk, you’d hardly know you were in a city – this place could easily lay claim to being the sleepiest capital in the world! Immediately the lazy, cruisy vibe comes through – unlike Thailand, no-one hassles us for tuk-tuks, taxis or ping pong shooting sex shows! As we sit down overlooking the Mighty Mekong river and savour a glass of Beerlao, a filthy rag-clothed mother with snotty nosed baby in her arm comes into the restaurant and begs for some dollars, you are further reminded that this ain’t the developed Thailand on the opposite bank of the river.
But things here are quite different from 2 years ago when we cruised through here on our travels. Shops, small businesses, advertisements, restaurants, bars, cafes, are everywhere being built. This country is booming!! The free market here is loud and clear. As we sat down at a newly opened cocktail bar on the footpath, an Aussie Expat next to us (called Hercules!) told us that businesses like this one were opening everyday! And this town is chocabloc full of Aussies, most of them engineers working for companies hoping to take advantage of new mining opportunities. The natural resources here present massive business opportunities - this truly is one of the least exploited countries left on earth ( I think 75% is still forested), but things will change very quickly over the next ten years as it all gets ripped down and dug up!
With all this growth going on it’s hard to believe that they still call this communism! But subtle reminders of the regime are still clearly evident. Direct on arrival when paying for a visa a sign clearly states that holders of Chinese, Vietnamese and Cuban passports all pay half price for their visa. Hercules also informed us that big brother China had the construction rights to every major development project on Lao soil for the next forty years! Not a bad deal! We also met matty, the Aussie who edits the only English speaking newspaper in the country. He’s got the job of presenting news as balanced as possible without treading on the government’s toes. After sinking another Beerlao in a pub with live music, we were told to drink up and get out - the 11.30pm government curfew was being enforced! The owner, clearly apologetic for breaking up the dance and karaoke party, obviously wants no grief from the military clad authority occasionally spotted on the street - the ones we’ve seen looked like small teenagers and each had automatic weapons slung over the shoulder!!
But all in all after two days here, it seems like a sweet place to live and work. All the aid and company workers who live here means that all the things we like from the west are nicely mixed in with the best stuff the locals have to offer, such as cheap cheap tasty Lao food and cheap cheap Lao massages! If boredom ever hits we have the only bowling alley, swimming pool, cinema and shopping centre in the country right here in Vientiane! We have the Scandinavian bakery, the Swedish Woodfire Pizza and bread shop. Around the corner is the only fitness centre in Laos – a day pass is $6 which includes a 1hr massage! Insane!
And it seems slotting in to the networks here is pretty easy! Hash house harriers run here twice a week! We’re starting a Lao language course on Monday, private tutor, two weeks intensive so chatting to the locals should be a bit easier soon. After meeting with our new mate Herc on Sunday, we decided to rent an apartment in his building. Prices here are pretty steep for rental accomadation, particularly considering we could only be in this city till Christmas. But we have a pretty sweet pad, and think it’s a good deal, we move in on Wednesday. We’ll be living with Herc, and Matty, the journo. Now gotta find myself a cheap guitar to fill our new house with sound! See ya later and hope all is well with everyone! I will begin my work on Wednesday as my boss arrives, and Anja currently is searching for a job or volunteer thing somehere in the country. She won’t find it too had I don’t think, as this country is overflowing with Ngo’s who could use a helping hand.
luvya's all
Chris and Anja
