At 10:30 my taxi pulled up to an arbitrary guest house somewhere in Vientiane, I walked up in a daze, the one hour of bench sleep is all I had had in the past day. As I headed for the reception desk I could care less about the price or condition of the accommodations, I needed one thing, a bed. Eight dollars and 4 flights of stairs later I arrived at room 406. I through my backpack to the floor, unlaced my boots and climbed into bed.
Six hours later I awoke feeling refreshed, so I decided to explore the capital city. Vientiane is somewhat developed yet quiet and desolate with few people roaming the streets. There is little French influence left, the architecture is rather simple and functional with the exception of the clusters of Buddhist temples that dot the landscape.
There is an all-encompassing feeling of calmness as the city moves to virtually no pace all. Just some people going somewhere with the occasional Buddhist monk passing by.
I made my way to the Mekong River and stopped at one of the many simple bamboo deck bars for my first Beer Lao (the national beer of Laos). I sat and watched the brown muddy waters flow by at the same pace of the city and after a few hours I returned to room 406 for the night.
The following morning I set out to find a restaurant with an English menu for a decent Western breakfast. I happened upon a place where a guy wearing a Yankees hat was enjoying some eggs and bacon.
"Hey is this place any good?", I asked.
"Yeah mate, it's not too bad. Are you American?"
"Yup, Are you British?"
"Originally from Liverpool, but I've been living in Thailand for the last 6 months. Before that I lived in New Jersey for 12 years"
Jay, was a musician/house painter who had lived in Belmar NJ with his then wife. Turns out the Yankees hat wasn't just a fashion statement, he was a fan. We sat and conversed over breakfast.
"Is it too early for a drink?" (it was now 11am)
"Nah, it's 5 o'clock somewhere in the world. Besides, I don't even know what day of the week it is. Let's go!"
Two hours and 4 Beer Lao's later, we were still bullshitting on the banks of the Mekong...
A day later and several Beer Lao's later, we were still bullshitting on the banks of the Mekong...
A week later and God knows how many Beer Lao's later, we were still bullshitting on the banks of the Mekong.
What had occurred in me, for the first time I can remember was calm complacency. For my entire life, I've always been relentlessly driven by what feels like a inner engine, of which I have no control over. From the moment I wake to the moment I think myself to sleep, it never quits, never. I have always strived to shut it down to quiet that inner voice that repeats, "I want, I want, I want". That's the rub however, you can't strive for calmness, the more you strive the less relaxed you are. But here in Laos, it just happened.
I was now living second to second completely satiated and in want of nothing, just being, no longer in a constant evolving state of becoming. I felt like I could have easily been in downtown Mogadishu and felt the same. I caught glimpse of a calendar and realized "Whoa, I've been here 7 days, better get moving, there's more things to see and do."
My trip was no longer about where to go or what to see or do, it was now just about doing. The places had become irrelevant. So I headed back to the internet cafe where I had posted my last blog update just the day before and I gave you the reader the ultimate decision on how my life would unfold. With a contribution of 38.5% you voted that I should head north into Laos and cross into Thailand. So I headed back to room 406 and packed my belongings, I would leave the very next morning.
That evening I met Jay for a last Beer Lao on the Mekong. En route, I stopped at a store for a snack where I met this tall hot blond Canadian girl. And damn I was smooth, but not smooth enough. I walked out and headed left, she headed right. For just once in my life I'd love to have the right words on the tip of my tongue at the right time like Tom Cruise in Top Gun. But instead I headed off to drink beer with Jay.
The next morning I went for breakfast. As I walked down the street I heard an Irish brogue yell out "Chris, Hey Chris mate!"
"Holy Shit! Trevor!"
Queue the wavy visuals, it's time for a flash back
On September 15th I walked out of "a little internet cafe/convenience store/barber shop" in Pushkar, India having just posted the entry "Welcome to India Hooooo-Leeeeee-COW!" and headed to the train station in Ajmer to catch the 3:00 to Jodhpur. A tall white guy walked by and I assumed he was in similar shoes so I struck up a conversation. His name was Trevor and he was from Ireland. We wound up staying at the same guest house and spent the next days kicking around Jodhpur. I left Trevor and cast him off back out into the universe from which he came prior to our paths crossing on that train platform in Ajmer. For reference, it was just hours before my encounter with Sham (as told in my post: High from Nepal).
FAST FORWARD
"Oh my God! How in the Hell? This is crazy", I said. We had breakfast and caught up on our individual happenings from the past 2 months:
ME: "...Yeah, they actually lopped the goat's head off right in front of me!"
TREVOR: "Where are you going next?"
ME:"I put a survey up on my blog and let the readers vote, they are sending me north to cross into Thailand."
TREVOR:"Cool, I'm heading in the same direction, wanna join me?"
So Trevor and I spent one more day in Vientiane and the following morning we caught the bus to Vang Vieng. After 4 hours of traversing the lush green valleys of central Laos, we pulled into the lazy village on the Nam Sung River.
"HEY CHRIS, WHAT IS THERE TO DO IN VANG VIENG?"
Glad you asked. The primary attraction in Vang Vieng is tubing. The Lao have made an art out of sitting your fat ass in an inner tube and floating effortlessly down a lazy stream. You pick up your tube in town then get dropped off a few miles upstream where you "drop in".
Every couple of thousand feet there is a bar, each with zip-lines, rope swings even giant slides. They have mud volley ball... basically tubing Vang Vieng is a hedonistic ritual that closely resembles spring break in Cancun.
At the end of the day you exit the river, if you are still conscious (Some Swedes woke up 2 hours down stream, in their tubes and had to take a taxi back) eat dinner then head to the Bucket Bar (named for the buckets of mixed drinks they serve) to share your battle scars and war stories from the days events. (That picture of me on the zip-line ended with a belly-flop from 15 feet up. I thought I collapsed a lung!)
Trevor and I found a good spot at the Bucket Bar and as the tinny sounding techno blasted through inadequately small speakers I scanned the crowd. Wait a second, there in the corner, NO WAY!!!! "Holy Shit! Dan!"
Forget the wavy visuals and flash backs. Dan is this kid from Manchester who stayed in the room next to me when I arrived in Kathmandu back in September. I don't know what kinds of games the universe was playing with me, but this was getting weird. I felt as if Laos was some cosmic vortex that linked the universe. The following morning as I walked out of my guest house, a couple I stayed in Chitwan National Park with (see post: High from Nepal) was checking in! What the hell is going on I thought, is this fate, kismet, God. And if so why does it keep bringing me dudes? "Hey God/kismet/universe how about that hot Canadian chick from the store in Vientiane? Do ya think you can send her back my way?"
After spending a few days in the vortex of the universe Trevor and I headed north to Luang Prabang a beautiful little city and world heritage site on the Mekong River. The first guest house we stopped at had a good room for cheap so we took it. As we checked in wouldn't you know, the hot Canadian chick from the store in Vientiane walked passed, she (Joanne) was staying at the same place! This shit is bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S! Oh, I know what you are going ask....no comment.
Trevor and I woke up early the next morning to watch the procession of the monks.
The townspeople line the streets and give the monks alms to feed them for the day. Every morning a procession of saffron clad monks makes their way on this 1KM long walk for their food. It kinda looked like trick-or-treating. People wearing orange costumes, carrying a bag and other people dropping treats into them.
From there we hiked some local waterfalls
and did some kayaking before we headed north to the Thai border.
The trip to the border took us 2 days on a slow boat traveling up the Mekong River from Luang Prabang to Huay Xai, stopping for one night in Pekbang. As we made our way upstream on the Mekong, once again images from the movie Apocalypse Now formed in my mind. I heard Ride of the Valkyries by Wagner playing in my head as I imagined Martin Sheen motoring past on a boat. While I didn't see Martin Sheen, I did catch some amazing views as we passed through gorgous green valleys and passed remote hill tribe villages.
We finally made it to the border and in the morning we crossed into Thailand at Chiang Khong. Trevor and I stopped for a nice Western breakfast before boarding a bus to Chiang Rai where we parted ways, after 2 weeks of traveling together. He headed out on a 36-hour bus ride down to Kuala Lumpur and I was alone once again left by myself to follow the flow of the universe. But I wouldn't be alone for long...
NOW AS PROMISED Q&A!
You asked them so I'll answer them:
Q: How do you keep your underwear clean? Do you keep it clean?
A: Laundry services are readily available almost everywhere I've been, and for cheap. Some times it entails a washing machine, other times I think they slap my clothes against rocks in the river. In extreme cases I carry camping detergent. Add a cut-in-half racquet ball and you've got a universal drain stopper.
Q: Can you always find bottled water?
A: Yes, for the most part. In cases where I can't I have a hand pumping water purifier and water treatment drops. I needed the pump so infrequently, I sent it home with Andrea to lighten my load.
Q: Have any of the foods made you throw up just by the thought of what you are eating?
A: No, I have a no dodgy food policy. When in doubt I've lived for days on bananas and boiled water (tea)
Q: I don't suppose you were able to vote by absentee ballot in the Presidential election here? Are they talking about it?
A: Sadly, while I did request an absentee ballot, I didn't realize that moving home prior to doing so would kick off a mountain of red-tape and paperwork that would make it impossible for the County Clerk to process and issue my ballot in time. As for world opinion, everyone is talking about it, from the moment I arrived in South Africa until this moment as I type this sentence. When I identify myself as American, typically the first topic is Barack Obama or George W Bush. Once in a while the first question asked is to confirm whether the claims rap stars make in their lyrics are true (i.e. "Does 50 Cent really go laughing all the way to the bank?" To which I reply, "Yes, yes he does. And if you are lucky, every once in a while on a Wednesday afternoon around 1-1:30, you can go to THE bank, in New York and see him get out of his limo laughing, carrying bags of cash with dollar signs on them.)
Q:Have you met any nice girls? You know the kind your mother would approve of?
A: While I am not familiar with my mother's taste in women, I have met many nice girls. I meet many like-minded women I would easily date, if we lived in the same place. However, the road lifestyle is more of the 2 ships passing in the night type so you never really get the chance to date. Don't try reading between lines here, "that" isn't what I am insinuating (get your mind out of the gutter!) Sometimes it's just a really good 3 hour conversation while visiting a museum before you have to catch a train to the next city and she has to catch the bus to oblivion.
Q: Are you getting laid?
A: No, not at the current moment. I lack the flexibility to do so while I type.
Q: I love the blog, how long does it take to write an entry?
A: While I collect ideas, notes and photos almost constantly, it can take quite a while when I actually sit down to write. It takes most of the day, sometimes 2 sittings across multiple days.
