Nov 19: Afternoon, Vientiane
It has become very hot again. We do not feel like leaving Laos, so we are staying another day.
We have also moved back to Peter's Dragon Lodge, after one day in a swankier hotel. For one thing, Peter and staff are less smarmy. And Peter lets us have the pick of rooms available.
When we complained about slightly danky bathrooms, he listened sympathetically and offered another room. We did not tell him, like many typically uneffusive Singaporeans, but we appreciated his unobstrusive care and concern. When we left for Pakse on the night bus, a few nights ago, he sat with us in his lobby cafe until it was time for us to leave. (As far as we know, it is uncommon, at least until recently, to travel along Lao highways at night because of poor roads, fear of landslides and bandits.)
Once we moved back into his guesthouse, he wasted no time in asking us about the new bus service. Peter was gathering information so he could pass useful bits on to other travellers staying with him. I was loitering in the lobby when I saw a flyer about Tum Tum Cheng on the noticeboard.
Noticing my interest, Peter asked us about the Luang Prabang guesthouse and wondered if he should recommend it to his lodgers. He also asked us about Elisabeth, who ran the guesthouse with her Lao husband. We heard from other lodgers that he was an accomplished dancer of some repute in the country.
We told Peter that we met Elisabeth only once and she was calm and soft-spoken, even when we wanted to bargain for a lower price for our room! It was most difficult to banter about money with such a dignified lady! Our room was spacious, the bathroom was bright and clean and the staff was friendly without being intrusive. The price, though, was a steep US$25 for an upstairs double.Lonely Planet to the rescue
Yesterday, we went to the Buddha Park, located on the outskirts of Vientiane. In the morning, we walked to the station near the Talat Sao (market) for the one-hour bus ride to the park.
The minibus was already packed when we boarded at the Vientiane terminal, but it was a happy bus. People made way and made room for each other while chatting and snacking merrily.
Then, a tanned-looking man, lips and nails painted blue-black, hair dusted with white flakes, ears pierced by dangling earrings, come on board with a dirty bag across his shoulders. In his right hand, he carried a metal box. It looked like an old car battery. This, he shoved under one of the seats. Then he moved to stand in the corner where I sat. Annie stood next to me.
The girls seating behind us stopped talking.
The bus was crowded. I saw the man leaning against a generously endowed middle-age woman. The woman quietly shifted away. When he swayed close to me, the white flakes from his hair drifted like snow on to my arm.
Unhappy already, I made exaggerated, sweeping, gestures in his direction, flickling the white stuff off my arm. As the packed bus jogged along, more flakes rained down and I become became more and more fed-up. The guy was now swaying and leaning against several people, including Annie. When I looked up at her, I saw my friend ready to do violence.
The silence behind continued. Even those immediately in front of us had fallen quiet.
Luckily, several people hopped off at the next stop. With no excuse to squeeze against the ladies, the man moved a little forward, to the space next to the seat in front of mine. That was the end of the matter, I thought. The three girls behind appeared to relax marginally.
Then, it happened again.
He moved back to his favourite corner. This time, we knew for sure he was leaning and rubbing deliberately against the women because the bus was not as packed as before.
Annie told the man off in English and he moved away from her after staring at her. The other passengers suddenly realised that the two women in the corner were foreigners, even if they looked like locals.
Out of luck with Annie, he decided to try with me. Before he could lean his bum on my shoulder, I whipped out my trusty Lonely Planet: Laos, planted the tome flat on his bum and pushed him away. Startled, he moved backwards and the two of us told him loudly not to touch us.
This spectacle was finally enough to jolt the other watchful men into action. Two of them turned to the man and spoke quietly to him. They looked very stern and disapproving. Then, they stood in front of us and the girls in the back row, maintaining a very respectable gap even when the bus bumped along a rough patch.
The weird man finally moved to the front of the bus. He alighted soon after. The girls were still quiet, but by the time the bus reached their stop at the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge, they were cheerfully chatting again.
We, like the girls, did not allow that man to spoil our trip to the Buddha Park. We nearly missed our stop, though.
It was a good thing I saw the sign for the park and stood up frantically. By then, there were only four passengers (including us) left, so the driver realised immediately that we wanted to alight.
We were enthralled by the very interesting sculptures in the Buddha Park. Not only did the works appear to represent a melting pot of religious expression, some of the sculptures were so huge that we could walk in, up or through them!
Who said size did not matter?
Almost as intriguing was the sight of monks of all ages strolling happily around the park. Admiring the sculptures, posing for photos and just walking around, these oranged-robed monks added splashes of vibrant colour against the stone-grey monuments.
After our excursion, we took the bus, this time without incident, back to Vientiane. The view of the Friendship Bridge from our bus was an impressive one. But, it was getting very hot and we could not wait to get into the shade back in Vientiane.
The heat had wilted our appetite so we opted for a lunch of spring rolls. Done Vietnamese style, they came with lots of vegetables. It was very messy but so much fun to eat them! And most yummy!
Budget (for two in kip and USD)
Room >> US$15
Breakfast >> K14,000
Lunch >> K16,000
Drink >> K3,000
Dinner >> K18,000
Supper >> K2,000
Next... Who's the man? Who's the woman?
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