As I expected, Laos was a sigh of relief compared to bustling and in-your-face Hanoi. The people's demeanor, culture, and even manner of speaking is relaxed and kind. Motorbike taxis have been replaced by tuk tuks, dong by kip (or US dollars or Thai bat, whichever you prefer), and things are generally smaller and less developed. Like Vietnam, there is little sense of poverty or hunger, and the younger locals are often eager to practice their English. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to distinguish between a friendly local who wants to practice their English and someone who just wants your money in exchange for a service or good. I really enjoy interactions of the former sort, and I wonder if I have more or fewer of them as a lone traveler.
So yeah, now that I've moved on from the super hosts I had in my previous stops, it's very different being by myself. This is the first time I've ever traveled alone, and it's a little weird. It's nice to be able to do whatever I want and to feel no pressures from anyone else, but there are also drawbacks like lack of companionship and support, and sometimes just feeling a little strange as a lone tourist. Tourists in pairs or groups are normal. But this is the the experience I wanted, and I'm just trying to take it for what it is. I'm becoming more comfortable with it each day.
On my third day in Vientiane, I would have preferred not to be alone at the beginning of what would become one of the best days of my trip so far. The previous day, I had visited a tour company and, somewhat on a whim and last-minute, I signed up for a day trip of kayaking and cycling. Outside my hotel at 7am, a tuk tuk driver shouted to me "caiakeeng" and made a strange motion with his arms. I was used to having my guard up for the tuk tuk drivers outside my hotel (yes, even though Laos is quite laid back, there are still somewhat aggressive tuk tuk drivers), so it took me a moment to realize that he was telling me he was picking me up to go on my kayaking trip. I showed him the receipt the tour company had given me, and we were on our way.
A few minutes later, we arrived at the Vientiane bus station, hectic with the morning commute. The tuk tuk driver took took my receipt, gave me another small receipt with scrawl on it, and motioned for me to follow him in a slow run through the outdoor bus area. I had no idea whether I was going to meet a group of people to go kayaking with or what, but it turned out he was looking for a bus to put me on that was going in the right direction. I learned from Laura that this is how the budget travel companies work: they outsource both the transportation and the activity, so you end up getting passed on to different guides throughout your trip. My tuk tuk driver found the right bus, gave the bus assistant a few bills, told him a few words while motioning to me, and then told me to get on the bus.
The bus turned out to be public transportation, on which there were a few other tourists but mostly locals, and the back of the bus filled with sacks of various things. It was a comfortable enough ride on the full bus, and about two hours later the bus driver pulled over and motioned to me to get off. He pointed to the side of the road. I was a little concerned as I realized I was being left off by a bridge on the edge of a very small village, but felt a little better when I saw a dilapidated kayaking and adventure tour sign. A woman came out of the nearby building, I showed her my slip of paper, she called someone on her cell phone, and then gave me the phone. The broken English I heard explained that, since it was just me and I had booked the trip late, there was no guide to meet me, but that I should just get in the kayak and start paddling down river, but not too fast, as a guide would meet me before the "big rapids". I was given a small dry bag for my stuff and was led to a kayak by the side of the river.
And then I was in the middle of this rather wide river, feeling like I was passing under the bridge on the river Kwai. I was a little more concerned now, and thought how it would be nice to have someone with me.
About an hour of slow paddling and some small rapids that might have been the rapids I was supposed to wait at, I saw "STOP HERE" painted in large letters on a rock just before some big-sounding rapids, and a Lao person waiting there who turned out to be my non-English-speaking guide. He pulled my kayak to the bank, and then motioned for me to follow him over the rocks to view the rapids. Once in sight of the rapids, he checked my face for signs of horror, and then quite clearly motioned with his hands that I was to paddle through the middle of the rapids, and not close to the rocks on either side. We returned to my kayak, and he made sure all my stuff was in the dry bag and that the dry bag was attached to the boat. I was comforted by the fact that the rapids weren't that long, so even if my kayak tipped, it would be a short ride, unlike the last time I went white water rafting the summer I worked at Microsoft and almost died when I fell out of the boat at the beginning of a really long, strong rapid.
It turned out to be a blast, as I got refreshingly soaked and filled most of my kayak with water, which my guide promptly emptied for me when I returned to shore. My guide went ahead in his long wooden motorized boat, and it was a peaceful hour and a half more of kayaking down river to the Nam Lik Eco-Village.
I tentatively tied my kayak up to the dock and walked up wooden steps to the building by the river, and was gracefully welcomed by a few Lao men, including my guide from before, and a Caucasian, hippy-looking jungle man. I felt like I had stepped into "The Heart of Darkness". They gave me the usual formal Lao greeting of "sebadee" while clasping hands and bowing slightly, like the monks in Taiwan.
Jungle Richard turned out to be a fantastic character, originally from France, but has lived for over a decade in various parts of SE Asia, studying plants and animals. I enjoyed by myself a simple but delicious meal that Richard prepared, had great conversation with a French family staying at Richard's bungalows for a few days (they later gave me their address and invited Jess and me to visit and stay with them), and then went for a bicycle ride into two very rural villages nearby. Before I left, Richard gave me a fascinating tour of his tanks of collected fish, spiders, frogs, snakes, and turtles. He explained that he works with the local villages to help them be environmentally sensitive with their land, and also has children from the village come to learn about the nature in their environment from him.
Then it was a slow hour truck ride past small villages and rice fields to the nearest major road, where my guide flagged down a passing "jumbo" (large tuk tuk) as my ride back to Vientiane.
The rest of my three and a half days in Vientiane were relatively quiet and uneventful, with visits to their Arch de Triumph replica and the large temple complex, wandering around the small city, and having a "Beerlao" at the local bowling alley and pool hall.
Next stop: a half hour flight to Louang Phrabang, a UNESCO Heritage Listed town that comes highly recommended by Dennis and Charlie.
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