From what I've observed the Thai people are more outgoing than the Laotians, and more likely to smile and say "sa-wa-dee-kah", which is Thai for hello. The Laotian people appear to be more reserved and less likely to look you in the eyes and say "sa-bai-dee", which is Laotian for hello. Maybe they are too polite - a flaw shared by both Laotians and Canadians?
In the country-side yesterday I saw farmers and villagers living and working in some pretty basic conditions. People carried bundles of sticks on their backs, I suppose as fuel for fires. Farmers worked the rice fields wearing iconic straw hats shaped like cones. Women carried two straw baskets attached by rope to a wood stick that rested on their shoulders. There were many muddy roads, small one-room houses with corrugated steel roofs, and an abundant use of simple bamboo structures and platforms to keep people and goods off the muddy ground. Despite the modest houses, the wooden doors on the buildings were often ornately carved with various images. Of course every other person had a cell phone, which seems to be a basic necessity of life these days, no matter what your circumstances.
I wonder if I can gauge the development of a country more or less based on the locals' preferred mode of transportation. In this area motorcycles are abundant, as in Thailand, but I see more locals here in Laos on bicycles. I'll hazard to guess that as your income goes up, you start with a bicycle, then purchase a motorcycle, and then a car. I see very few cars around here in Laos.
It's curious that we hear western music everywhere. Even in the countryside the music is often emanating from 1980's or 1990's nostalgic music stations, but without the DJs. I have heard some traditional music, but infrequently. We always get a kick when we hear Canadian artists. On our first visit to a restaurant here in Luang Prabang we heard a long string of songs by Bryan Adams and Celine Dion. Did they know we were coming?
The people in town drive pretty slow, which is a good thing for pedestrians. I regularly see ladies riding their motorcycles at a relatively slow speed with an umbrella in one hand to shield them from the sun. Sometimes the parasol is held by a lady passenger riding side-saddle.
There are flags flying on many of the businesses in town, usually in pairs with the Laotian flag on one side and the communist party flag on the other. The party flag hosts a large hammer and sickle, usually in the middle of a red flag. It looks like the USSR flag but with a bigger hammer and sickle.
Last evening we made it to the night market for some outdoor dinner fare. Most of us went for baguette sandwiches with various fixings, which was a nice change of pace from our usual rice or noodle based meals. Just after we made it back to the hotel the skies opened up in an incredible torrential downpour that lasted for a couple of hours. It was a truly awesome display of nature, but I understand it's quite commonplace here, at least for this time of year. By the morning there were few signs of the rain. The roads and ditches appear to be well designed to handle the flow of water.
Here's Catheleen near the royal palace today. The site was closed for a two hour lunch so we missed our opportunity. Maybe we'll see it tomorrow.
In the country-side yesterday I saw farmers and villagers living and working in some pretty basic conditions. People carried bundles of sticks on their backs, I suppose as fuel for fires. Farmers worked the rice fields wearing iconic straw hats shaped like cones. Women carried two straw baskets attached by rope to a wood stick that rested on their shoulders. There were many muddy roads, small one-room houses with corrugated steel roofs, and an abundant use of simple bamboo structures and platforms to keep people and goods off the muddy ground. Despite the modest houses, the wooden doors on the buildings were often ornately carved with various images. Of course every other person had a cell phone, which seems to be a basic necessity of life these days, no matter what your circumstances.
I wonder if I can gauge the development of a country more or less based on the locals' preferred mode of transportation. In this area motorcycles are abundant, as in Thailand, but I see more locals here in Laos on bicycles. I'll hazard to guess that as your income goes up, you start with a bicycle, then purchase a motorcycle, and then a car. I see very few cars around here in Laos.
It's curious that we hear western music everywhere. Even in the countryside the music is often emanating from 1980's or 1990's nostalgic music stations, but without the DJs. I have heard some traditional music, but infrequently. We always get a kick when we hear Canadian artists. On our first visit to a restaurant here in Luang Prabang we heard a long string of songs by Bryan Adams and Celine Dion. Did they know we were coming?
The people in town drive pretty slow, which is a good thing for pedestrians. I regularly see ladies riding their motorcycles at a relatively slow speed with an umbrella in one hand to shield them from the sun. Sometimes the parasol is held by a lady passenger riding side-saddle.
There are flags flying on many of the businesses in town, usually in pairs with the Laotian flag on one side and the communist party flag on the other. The party flag hosts a large hammer and sickle, usually in the middle of a red flag. It looks like the USSR flag but with a bigger hammer and sickle.
Last evening we made it to the night market for some outdoor dinner fare. Most of us went for baguette sandwiches with various fixings, which was a nice change of pace from our usual rice or noodle based meals. Just after we made it back to the hotel the skies opened up in an incredible torrential downpour that lasted for a couple of hours. It was a truly awesome display of nature, but I understand it's quite commonplace here, at least for this time of year. By the morning there were few signs of the rain. The roads and ditches appear to be well designed to handle the flow of water.
Here's Catheleen near the royal palace today. The site was closed for a two hour lunch so we missed our opportunity. Maybe we'll see it tomorrow.
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