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YawgLaus
Feb 7, 2012, 2:09:09 AM2/7/12
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http://theindependent.ca/2012/02/06/love-and-hate-in-laos/
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Love and hate in Laos
Laos was not at all what we expected
By: Sherrie McCarthy Feb 6, 2012
0
Sherrie McCarthy
Chasing Summer tracks a young Newfoundlander travelling the world on
her motorcycle...
Laos is often billed as Southeast Asia’s forgotten land. Perhaps that
may have applied ten years ago but it is time for the guidebooks to
update their tag line for Laos. Laos is neither forgotten nor easy to
forget. It is a country of outstanding beauty and maddening
contradictions. Which undoubtedly explains the teeming number of
tourists.
The secret is out and Laos seems to struggle with how to react to the
influx of cash-flinging visitors. I swung from mad love (as we
motorcycled through mountain tops that looked like they were created
by a brilliant tourist board let loose with Photoshop) to insane fear
(as a transport truck would come barreling around a corner at 80 km/h
on a pothole-riddled dirt mountain road). In such situations your only
option was to swerve into a ditch and hope the mountains – as rugged,
green and amazing as they are – were not your last visions of earth.
Although as far as last glimpses go, little tops Northern Laos.
Laos is neither forgotten nor easy to forget. It is a country of
outstanding beauty and maddening contradictions.
Our arrival in Laos was bittersweet. We were sad to be leave Cambodia
and yet Laos was a country high on my must-see list. The border
crossing did not go as easily as planned. Both Cambodia and Laos gave
us the shakedown in requests for “stamp money.” This is not a large
amount of money: both sides wanted two U.S. dollars per person to be
allowed out of Cambodia, and then the same on the Laos side to enter.
This doesn’t include the cost of a visa on arrival – that was another
$42 dollars for myself as a Canadian. The German got away with $30.
Yes: this was, and is, flat-out bribery. I find this infuriating. Part
of me thinks that the amount isn’t really that high, that the country
is among the poorest in the world and that these workers are paid less
per month than what I make per day. Therefore I shouldn’t quibble over
a few dollars. I am, after all, traveling the world by motorcycle and
taking a year off of work in the process. Who am I to begrudge a few
dollars?
The other part of me stomps her foot in anger and says that this kind
of behavior is just not fair and is a sign of bigger problems in the
country that need to be addressed and should not be encouraged.
Moving on…
The anger of the border crossing fell away however as we began our
ride towards Pakxe. It is easy to forgive the border guards as you
wind your way past temples and giant golden Buddhas on mountain tops.
Hordes of school children of all ages skipped along the side of the
road in their uniforms on their way home. School buses are a luxury
reserved for wealthy places and Laos is not a wealthy country. We
would also gawk at some of their houses – houses which consisted of
huts on stilts – yet it was not the huts that made us gawk so much as
the satellite dishes that were parked outside them on the lawns. When
we needed gas it was sold in old coke bottles as often as it was sold
in gas stations.
Yet riding into Vientiane or Luang Prabang was like riding into
another country. The temples remained but now instead of plain soup,
noodle soup or soup with a few pieces of mystery meat, you could order
anything that struck your fancy: from Korean and Japanese delicacies
to German bakeries and American fast food joints. Here it was hard to
see where the idea of Laos as a forgotten country could ever have
originated. Forgotten by who? It appeared there was not a single
nation that was not represented, including all ages and income
brackets (from the backpacking gap-year student to the packaged tour
retiree).
Fake fees and fake ID’s
The police had also taken a page out of their friend the border
patrol’s notebook, and every time we took the bikes out we were
stopped on any number of fake charges. These charges involved a “real”
fee and an “easy” fee. The easy fee was one that we could pay directly
to the officers, and of course it would be lower than the “real” fee.
We had created fake copies of our license specifically for times like
these. This allowed us to argue with the police but in the end we
could also say “fine” and ride away. We know people who used their
library cards or old video store memberships. In the end the healthy
way to see it is as a game: whoever has the most time wins, either by
being on the receiving end or keeping what they have. In our case we
won every time, as we had plenty of it. Time wasted on us meant the
loss of other, more easily collected, bribes.
Time wasted on us meant the loss of other, more easily collected,
bribes.
And yet once we were out of the cities and on Route 13 we were back on
paradise road. At one point in time this road was not recommended as
it came with a warning about bandits, but now it is only dangerous due
to the road conditions and the other drivers. It was on this highway
that we had the best camping spot of the entire trip. We stopped at a
restaurant that overlooked craggy peaks and asked if we could pitch a
tent to spend the night there, since we were so in love with the view.
“Of course!” came the reply, with a warm and welcoming smile.
Laos for me was a reminder that motorcycle travel is not a vacation
but an adventure. This reminder was a harsh one at times, after the
beaches of Thailand and the overwhelming friendliness of Cambodia. My
memories of the country are a curious mix of amazing sights, kindness,
anger, wonderful people and corruption that I had never experienced
quite that way before that point. Travel is not always easy: it can
bring up some uncomfortable feelings as culture clashes and
homesickness raise their head and as you become aware of issues of
your own privilege. And yet, it is this very pushing of my comfort
level that often drives me to travel; to become aware that where there
is bad there is also good and to appreciate how wonderful home can
also be. Made wonderful by simple things like being able to turn on
the tap and drink the water, or not shudder at the sight of a uniform.
Search for:
Love and hate in Laos
Laos was not at all what we expected
By: Sherrie McCarthy Feb 6, 2012
0
Sherrie McCarthy
Chasing Summer tracks a young Newfoundlander travelling the world on
her motorcycle...
Laos is often billed as Southeast Asia’s forgotten land. Perhaps that
may have applied ten years ago but it is time for the guidebooks to
update their tag line for Laos. Laos is neither forgotten nor easy to
forget. It is a country of outstanding beauty and maddening
contradictions. Which undoubtedly explains the teeming number of
tourists.
The secret is out and Laos seems to struggle with how to react to the
influx of cash-flinging visitors. I swung from mad love (as we
motorcycled through mountain tops that looked like they were created
by a brilliant tourist board let loose with Photoshop) to insane fear
(as a transport truck would come barreling around a corner at 80 km/h
on a pothole-riddled dirt mountain road). In such situations your only
option was to swerve into a ditch and hope the mountains – as rugged,
green and amazing as they are – were not your last visions of earth.
Although as far as last glimpses go, little tops Northern Laos.
Laos is neither forgotten nor easy to forget. It is a country of
outstanding beauty and maddening contradictions.
Our arrival in Laos was bittersweet. We were sad to be leave Cambodia
and yet Laos was a country high on my must-see list. The border
crossing did not go as easily as planned. Both Cambodia and Laos gave
us the shakedown in requests for “stamp money.” This is not a large
amount of money: both sides wanted two U.S. dollars per person to be
allowed out of Cambodia, and then the same on the Laos side to enter.
This doesn’t include the cost of a visa on arrival – that was another
$42 dollars for myself as a Canadian. The German got away with $30.
Yes: this was, and is, flat-out bribery. I find this infuriating. Part
of me thinks that the amount isn’t really that high, that the country
is among the poorest in the world and that these workers are paid less
per month than what I make per day. Therefore I shouldn’t quibble over
a few dollars. I am, after all, traveling the world by motorcycle and
taking a year off of work in the process. Who am I to begrudge a few
dollars?
The other part of me stomps her foot in anger and says that this kind
of behavior is just not fair and is a sign of bigger problems in the
country that need to be addressed and should not be encouraged.
Moving on…
The anger of the border crossing fell away however as we began our
ride towards Pakxe. It is easy to forgive the border guards as you
wind your way past temples and giant golden Buddhas on mountain tops.
Hordes of school children of all ages skipped along the side of the
road in their uniforms on their way home. School buses are a luxury
reserved for wealthy places and Laos is not a wealthy country. We
would also gawk at some of their houses – houses which consisted of
huts on stilts – yet it was not the huts that made us gawk so much as
the satellite dishes that were parked outside them on the lawns. When
we needed gas it was sold in old coke bottles as often as it was sold
in gas stations.
Yet riding into Vientiane or Luang Prabang was like riding into
another country. The temples remained but now instead of plain soup,
noodle soup or soup with a few pieces of mystery meat, you could order
anything that struck your fancy: from Korean and Japanese delicacies
to German bakeries and American fast food joints. Here it was hard to
see where the idea of Laos as a forgotten country could ever have
originated. Forgotten by who? It appeared there was not a single
nation that was not represented, including all ages and income
brackets (from the backpacking gap-year student to the packaged tour
retiree).
Fake fees and fake ID’s
The police had also taken a page out of their friend the border
patrol’s notebook, and every time we took the bikes out we were
stopped on any number of fake charges. These charges involved a “real”
fee and an “easy” fee. The easy fee was one that we could pay directly
to the officers, and of course it would be lower than the “real” fee.
We had created fake copies of our license specifically for times like
these. This allowed us to argue with the police but in the end we
could also say “fine” and ride away. We know people who used their
library cards or old video store memberships. In the end the healthy
way to see it is as a game: whoever has the most time wins, either by
being on the receiving end or keeping what they have. In our case we
won every time, as we had plenty of it. Time wasted on us meant the
loss of other, more easily collected, bribes.
Time wasted on us meant the loss of other, more easily collected,
bribes.
And yet once we were out of the cities and on Route 13 we were back on
paradise road. At one point in time this road was not recommended as
it came with a warning about bandits, but now it is only dangerous due
to the road conditions and the other drivers. It was on this highway
that we had the best camping spot of the entire trip. We stopped at a
restaurant that overlooked craggy peaks and asked if we could pitch a
tent to spend the night there, since we were so in love with the view.
“Of course!” came the reply, with a warm and welcoming smile.
Laos for me was a reminder that motorcycle travel is not a vacation
but an adventure. This reminder was a harsh one at times, after the
beaches of Thailand and the overwhelming friendliness of Cambodia. My
memories of the country are a curious mix of amazing sights, kindness,
anger, wonderful people and corruption that I had never experienced
quite that way before that point. Travel is not always easy: it can
bring up some uncomfortable feelings as culture clashes and
homesickness raise their head and as you become aware of issues of
your own privilege. And yet, it is this very pushing of my comfort
level that often drives me to travel; to become aware that where there
is bad there is also good and to appreciate how wonderful home can
also be. Made wonderful by simple things like being able to turn on
the tap and drink the water, or not shudder at the sight of a uniform.
Noogqejqawg
Feb 7, 2012, 6:38:33 PM2/7/12
to
It is good to read an outsider's view every once in a while.
Thanks for posting
nqq
Thanks for posting
nqq
yoojyim
Feb 7, 2012, 9:36:46 PM2/7/12
to
Thanks for posting...wonder if this White person reported this to the
Lao Tourism authority.
Lao Tourism authority.
All4One
Feb 8, 2012, 10:23:00 AM2/8/12
to
like their thugs that run the country...NO LAWS, NO SHAME, NO
LIFE....i am not surprised. Ask mr.thanouxay, he knows best..he and
his comrades even encourages them leeches to conduct themsevles in
that manner to foriegners!!!! A while back, I told a story about a
friend who went to Laos and the border official extorted money from
them simply becuase they were Hmong American.
Frankly, it's not about the money as this woman said...it's the RUDE
and UNFAIR treatment that these officials play on the tourists and
what's even more sick was the fact that these officials get away with
it. Thier superiors encourages them to act that way...NO SHAME
whatsoever! What a SICK, lawless society??????
jim
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