Next stop - Laos

Our last night in Thailand was low key. We picked up some take-out from the local markets and relaxed at the hotel. Elizabeth spent some time after dark flashing lights on the pond frogs and trying to spot the geckos in the trees that were so loud and sounded very odd. I spotted a gecko in the kitchen as we were getting ready for bed but I didn't want to cause a stir by mentioning it to anyone. I don't think the creature caused a ruckus during the night.

We had an early start from Koh Samui in the morning to catch our flight to Laos via Bangkok. The Koh Samui airport was small but scenic. My favourite part was the aquarium fish tank above the urinals in the washroom. The flight over was uneventful, although the duck for breakfast was an interesting choice for Bangkok Airways. I think I was the only one to try it.

In the afternoon we arrived at our hotel in Luang Prabang along the Mekong river, which snakes its way along the border with Vietnam for part of its course. Flying over the river on the way into the airport, it looked like a huge reservoir of chocolate milk. On our approach through the remaining clouds, the surrounding land was covered in treed hills, and John wondered where we could possibly land. I guess the Loatians found a piece of flat ground to put this former capital and, more recently, the airport.

Here's a quick history lesson of our new destination. Laos was a French colony starting in the late 1800's, changed hands many times during World War II, declared independence from the French in the 1950's after a war, was heavily bombed by the U.S. during the Vietnam war, became a communist country in the 1970's, opened up somewhat to a market economy the last couple of decades, but is still quite poor. We are in Luang Prabang because it was the capital of this area for many centuries and so has a lot of cultural heritage worth exploring, including some culinary highlights.

On our way through customs and immigration at the airport, we needed to purchase a visa that cost a certain amount per person, depending upon which country you were from. I was intrigued that Canadians were being charged more than any other country's citizens. We didn't have enough cash to pay the visa so I was asked to go outside the airport to find an ATM. I was surprised that the officials allowed me to leave the airport to get the money and then let me waltz back in through the security checks without anyone paying much attention. I wasn't quite sure how much Kip I needed, which is the Loatian currency, so I took out a couple million Kip. I thought this was a lot but it turned out to be only about $200 U.S. I don't think I've ever had so many bills in my wallet. So we paid the bill and ended this odd experience that resulted in a lighter and thinner wallet. How nice of them to relieve me of my overly thick stack of Kips. I wasn't about to do anything but comply and smile a lot.

It reminded me of the time we passed through the Siem Reap airport in Cambodia years ago. The official who was about to stamp our visa first asked us if we needed a taxi ride from his brother. I recall feeling it was a good idea to say yes to the taxi, and I then eagerly watched the stamp come down on our visa, sealing our entry into the country.