Well-dressed thug >> Travel: Laos, Myanmar, Thailand 39

Nov 14: Night, Pakse

I have finally finished my shower. My first attempt to clean up was after our full-day excursion to Wat Phou in Champasak. That was shortly after 5 pm. It is now 10 pm.

To Wat Phou

The journey to Wat Phou was enjoyable. Our merry band of six women and a lone male settled comfortably in the minivan rented from Lankam Guesthouse, where Wendy and her friends were staying. Our driver was the strong, silent type, conversing with an occasional word, grunt or look at Matt, designated our communication conduit by virtue of his gender and his seat next to our driver.

So, congenial company and light-hearted conversation along boring stretches helped to pass the time. A sample:
Surada (Matt's wife): "He dipped his food in horse's blood! Vietnamese delicacy. Got sick after eating!"
Alex: "We stayed at the Royal Peacock in Keong Saik Street."
CL: "This was once a red-light district in Singapore."
Wendy: "Have some of these. Don't know what they are, some kind of fruit."
Annie and CL (eyeing fruit and plucking one from the bush under our noses): "Er, thanks!"

Our journey to Champasak got really interesting at the river crossing, as we were munching the unknown fruit (like a kind of crunchy berry). The fruits, still attached to their twig-like branches full of leaves, was supplied by our taciturn driver, who had left our vehicle for a smoke and bought the bushful of fruits from hawkers nearby. By the river bed, some locals were selling fish, so fresh they were still swimming in their cages, half-submerged in the river.

We waited for our turn to cross, then our minivan rode onto the vehicle ferry, which was mostly made up of broad wooden planks nailed together to lay across the curved, hollowed out, bellies of three tugboats secured side by side. Placidly, we made it to the other side of the river without incident, enjoying a light breeze through our opened windows.

We reached the summit of the temple complex after climbing a series of uneven, narrow and steep stairs. The nimble locals, most wearing sandals or slippers, certainly put Annie and I to shame.

Wat Phou would have been a lot more atmospheric if not for the noisy labourers. We visited when the labourers had stopped for lunch. Some had eaten and were singing (nice!), some appeared to be playing games (noisy!) and some were gambling (in a sanctuary still in use!). When they started work at about 1.20 pm, the human noise was replaced by the drone and whine of machines.

Shower, interrupted

We got back from Wat Phou at about 5 pm. The four ladies and guy wanted coffee more than a shower, so they went to the cafe first. Wendy told us this was a new French cafe they had discovered. After agreeing to meet the gang for coffee, we hurried back to our guesthouse to shower off the dust and sweat.

In our room, we found there was no running water. One of the women housekeepers indicated that water should come on at 6 pm. So out of the guesthouse again, to join Wendy and friends.

But, we could not find the cafe. After walking around the part of town where the cafe was supposed to be found, we gave up and headed back to our guesthouse, where, hopefully, a cool refreshing shower awaited.

Unfortunately, six o'clock came and went. And still no water.

At 6.20 pm, we went downstairs to look for help. The man behind the counter got up and went to inspect the taps in our room. Several twists and turns of the faucet yielded no water. Man and tap faced off, in a silent battle of wills. The tap stubbornly stayed dry. Finally, the man said the water would come at 8 pm.

We gave up and went for dinner. We walked to May Kham, where we had a very tasty dinner the previous night. And we met our fellow diner, a 30-ish Dutch woman, again.

Since food was served leisurely, we started chatting across our tables. We recommended the piquant duck. Our Dutch friend told us that this was her second trip to Laos. We all agreed that Laos was a country that grew on us the longer we stayed. When our appetiser, spiced meat rolls, arrived, served by the cheerful lady owner herself, we passed the plate to our friend and she graciously took a small piece. We continued to talk.

Then, our main courses arrived. Duck (again) and vegetables for us and duck for her. Eating alone in a restuarant like this usually meant being stuck with one dish because even the smallest portion was more than enough for one person. Of course, we had to eat the duck with plain rice, just the staple to mop up all that delicious gravy. We got down to the very serious business of inhaling our food and conversation ceased for the duration.

After the meal, we started chatting again and the lady owner was happy to leave us alone after serving us a complimentary plate of fruits. Staff swung by occasionally to make sure our glasses of plain water or Chinese tea were topped up.

An hour later, at about 9 pm, a group of rowdy men and women came in. The women, well made up and in heels, clung to the arms of several men, who were dressed in long-sleeved shirts and tailored trousers. They talked loudly, smoked and brandished decks of cards.

The atmosphere darkened.

Until then, the lady owner was very relaxed and friendly. Now, restaurant staff rushed higgledy-piggledy, at the beck and call of the group. The harried lady owner directed her workers to set up tables for the group to smoke, drink and gamble.

Suddenly, one of the men plonked down at the Dutch woman's table and started speaking loudly and suggestively to her in English. This was the rancous leader of the group, a swaggering middle-aged man with tanned leathery skin.

She ignored him. He ignored us. Then he banged the table and laughed. We decided to leave. The lady owner looked relieved, quickly gave us our bill and sent us on our way.

This is the first time in our visit that we see such loutish behaviour. What makes it most unpleasant is the fear and anxiety we sense in the lady boss and her staff, even as they scamper to cater to the group's demands.

Annie and I walked back to our guesthouse in a sombre mood. When we found water flowing from our taps again, we cheered up somewhat. I got into the shower and had just finished washing my hair and face when the water ran out!

We left our room and found out from fellow guests that our floor (second storey and top floor) had no water again. We thought there was no water because there was not enough pressure to carry the water all the way upstairs. The staff could only stand and grin.

Finally, Annie and I used the bathroom downstairs. It was very nice to clean up after a sweaty, dusty day.

Budget (for two in kip and USD)

Room >> K60,000
Breakfast >> K15,000
Lunch >> K8,000
Minivan >> K100,000 (K350,000 @K50,000 each)
Entry (Wat Phou) >> K10,000
Drinks >> K10,000
Dinner >> K64,000

Next... Tug of war