Laos, April 11th to April 14th, 2023.
Vientiane
Drive to Luang Prabang
Entry into Laos
The entry into Laos from Thailand was relatively easy. Together with the Dutch woman, we took a taxi (tuk-tuk) to the Thai border crossing where we received an exit stamp.
Heat in Vientiane
We were not prepared for what awaited us in Vientiane. I don't know when or if I had ever experienced such heat before. It feels like the hottest day of the year in Germany, in a poorly insulated attic apartment. All day long. Google says it feels like 45 degrees Celsius. 🤯 And even at night, it barely cools down. In addition to the heat, there is also smog here in Laos. Despite the sun always being veiled, it is unbelievably hot. I can hardly describe it.
My brain no longer functions as usual. I regularly forget things within 3 seconds. Multitasking is no longer possible for me. (By the way, it took me 10 minutes to remember the word "multitasking"). Moreover, Karli and I get stressed much more quickly. We argue several times without any apparent reason.
In Laos, Vientiane, we completely changed our choice of food. In Thailand, we enjoyed the simple food of the locals in local stalls and street vendors. Here in Vientiane, however, we switched back to "upscale" restaurants (which would be considered normal restaurants by German standards). Why the switch? Those are the only places where you can find air-conditioned rooms. That's it, no further arguments needed.
Of course, such a restaurant comes at a price. A burger here can cost you 99,000 Kip. That really hits the wallet. 💰 ... ... Just kidding. 99,000 Kip is a little over 5 euros (as of May 2023). In Thailand, we would have paid around 10 euros for a burger like that. This is partly because Thailand is generally more expensive, and the second reason is a bit more complex. I feel like you can read Laos' history from these prices. Laos, like Vietnam, was a French colony. As a result, Western food has been known and more widely spread in Laos for much longer than in Thailand. On the other hand, Thailand was one of the few countries that were never occupied. In Thailand, a simple meal at a street food stall costs 1 to 2 euros (40-80 Baht). The freshly prepared noodle soups and rice dishes were delicious. For Western food in a restaurant, like burgers or spaghetti, it was more like 10 euros, with no upper limit, of course. So, more like German prices. In Laos, we paid about the same for simple meals as we did in Thailand. However, you can already get good Western food for around 5 euros (as of 2023). Hence, my theory is that Western food is already more deeply rooted in the culture... whether that's positive or negative requires its own discussion.
Here's my record of one of the days in Vientiane:
"Today, we wanted to do a lot. This morning, we decided to travel to the next city on Friday. That means we have to get train tickets at the main train station and see as much of the city as possible! After all, Vientiane is the capital of Laos...
5 hours later: I give up. No train tickets. Barely seen anything of the city. It's just too hot. 20 minutes outside, and I can feel that my body can't take it anymore. In addition to the heat, diarrhea is also affecting my body.
Life lesson - I can be annoyed about it (like the last three hours). But it won't make it any better. It doesn't change what happened. So now, I have two options - I can continue to be annoyed, which will undoubtedly ruin my evening and make the whole day a waste. Or the second option, I accept the circumstances. I forgive myself. It's good and important to have goals. But if things turn out differently, then they just do."
In the end, we left Vientiane after only three days. I can't tell you much about the city. But we had some great encounters with other travelers at the hostel.
Laos
At this point, I would like to tell you a bit more about Laos so that you can have a rough impression of the country. I always thought that all countries in Asia are more or less the same. I realized for the first time in Laos that this is not the case. Laos and Thailand are very similar in terms of culture. However, Laos is much poorer than Thailand. One way to grasp the difference between Thailand and Laos is by looking at the average life expectancy in years.
Average Life Expectancy in Years:
Germany: 81 years
Thailand: 80 years
Laos: 69 years
World average: 72 years
I found it very remarkable that Thais have a similar life expectancy to Germans, while Laotians have a whopping 11 years less. I cannot provide confirmed information about the factors contributing to this significant difference, but I would like to give a brief impression of Laos. There is only one highway in Laos, which was built by China, and Laos has incurred a significant debt to China as a result. Moreover, the majority of roads in the rest of the country are not even paved. Most people here rely on agriculture. Owning private vehicles, whether cars, scooters, or bicycles, is the exception. Fifteen percent of Laotians are illiterate (as of 2015, Wikipedia).
As a foreigner, you tend to have limited exposure to all of this because you usually travel from one city to another. To illustrate this, imagine a tourist in Germany who visits Berlin and Munich. However, that won't give them an idea of what a small village in the Westerwald region looks like. Or rather, only a few tourists would be interested in visiting a small village somewhere in Germany.
Beer infusion in the sauna bus - the journey to Luang Prabang
Traveling
Traveling in Southeast Asia is quite easy. In most hostels, you can arrange transfers to other cities directly. The minivans even pick you up right from the hostel. It's an all-inclusive package. Alternatively, you can also book tickets online. In tourist areas, there are travel agencies, or you can go directly to the train or bus station to get your tickets. The latter option is usually the cheapest. However, not all of the mentioned options are available at all times.
In Vientiane, we initially wanted to get a train ticket directly at the train station. We didn't manage to do that because the train station is located far outside the city, and public buses only run there three times a day. So, we changed our plan and booked a bus through our accommodation. One of our roommates pointed out that the offer from the hostel for Laos was disproportionately expensive. But I can't do it anymore. It's too hot. I just want to buy a simple and comfortable option with money. I don't have the energy to search for the bus station anymore. And if the transfer is expensive, it probably means it's also convenient.
Consequently, I was very positive before departure in the morning, "I'm looking forward to the nice cool bus/minivan, and maybe I can even sleep, so we arrive in Luang Prabang well-rested and can enjoy the Laotian holiday tonight." However, the expectations for the journey quickly dwindled. They went from "please let us arrive today - not gassed and only 'medium rare'. That's totally sufficient" 🤣
So, we were picked up in the morning by a minivan, but it didn't take us directly to our destination. Instead, we were driven to the public bus station and put on a local bus. Da-dumbz. The illusion of a comfortable ride burst like a soap bubble.
📷 You can find more great pictures in the photo album.
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