Hospital

I'm in a hospital in Bkk being treated for an infection from my fall in Laos. I expect to be in the hosp a day or two. I'll give you all the details when I emerge.

Hello, Sabatee!

The greetings from children are one of the joys of being off the beaten track. Seeing a Caucasian, and perhaps an old one, is a novelty. So they wave, smile and call out; Hello or Sabatee, the Lao version.
I have yet to figure out the tuk-tuk world. Yesterday leaving my guest house in Vientiane I walked out on the street and agreed with a driver on a price. When I returned with my luggage I was directed to a different tuk-tuk. I figured out it was better suited for the long trip to the depot. Last evening I made arrangements for today's ride to the caves. This morning a different driver showed up.

Well then, Things happen!

This morning I wandered over to the huge new hotel next door. Marble and teak, it'd match up with the Hyatt or Hilton in Mpls. {If you build it will they come? It's on a beautiful spot on the banks of the Mekong. But who is coming to dusty Tha Khek?} I treated myself to breakfast and wandered out to do some e-mail. At the inter net cafe I felt for my wallet, with my credit and cash card, and it was gone. Picked pocket was impossible because I hadn't been withing 5 feet of anyone. I always carry my wallet in my front pocket to be more safe. The only thing I could have done was leave it on the table. Not to worry, after all this is Laos. I walked back expecting the staff, all six who served me, to smile and wave my wallet. My face fell when they said they had not seen it. They remember seeing me put the change back in it. The manager appeared who's English was good. He said that it was all on video tape and he'd have someone review it. I didn't find much comfort in that because the staff would have found it if it was there. He invited me to a seat on a bar stool. I sat down on my wallet. I'd inadvertently put it in the back pocket I normally carry it in at home! I gave the staff a good tip.
The tuk tuk driver picked me up at 9:30, as arranged yesterday, to visit the karst mountain caves outside of town. We stopped for a subway, baguette, at a local stand. The first cave was near town. We hiked up the steps high into the huge limestone cave filled with statuary and prayer flags. Then we were on to the second one which was farther. We hiked back through some woods and as we entered the cave we had to cross a small creek. I slipped on a wet rock, you may have felt the tremor when I landed. My right knee and left shin were gashed. That tuk tuk really flew as he took me to the hospital. They walked me into the emergency room, flopped my on a gurney, and stitched me up...no Novocaine, thank you, no "this will hurt a little" (of course he didn't speak English) these Lao are not sissies. I don't know what the man was, who stitched me up, intern? technician? Then he led me out to a ward and sat me on a bed. That's when the doctor showed up. Perhaps in his 50's his English was good. He checked on my Tetanus (current), gave me an antibiotic shot, antibiotic pills for five days, pain pills for five days, told me to limit my walking(for pain), said to take out the stitches in thee days and charged me $10. for it all. So after I post this I'm headed back to the Hotel to sit on the porch and watch the Mekong. Survival is imminent! What'd you do today?

Tha Khek, Laos

There was no chicken on the bus this time but the 25 inch TV boosted to the roof was followed by a refrigerator. Once all of the bus seats filled up the plastic stools came out and lined the aisle. This time the victim of motion sickness was across the aisle and not in front of me. I also managed to avoid the Betel Nut chewing grandma. The 200+ kilometer bus ticket cost $7.
Was I impressed, when the 11:00 bus left the station at 10:59. We drove a block, stopped and were swamped by food sellers. Fifteen minutes later we were underway again. It's been said that one does not live by bread alone but I'll tell you those two, 12 inch Baguettes (fifty cents) saved my life on the five hour trip. Thanks, France, for bequeathing Baguettes to Laos. About 2 miles down the road we stopped again...this time for fuel...and then we were off.
About two hours into the trip the bus pulled to the side of the road for a pee and smoke stop. Who needs a rest area? The road was good. At 4pm we rolled into the bus stop near Tha Khek.
Hot and tired I was ready to freshen up a bit when I got to my room and the power went off. Thinking I'd make use of the time, I found the local inter net cafe where, of course there was no power either. After a nice 10 min chat with a chap from Poland the power returned. This e-mail cafe makes my tractor garage look like something out of Martha Stewart!
There are many signs of development along the road, inc. the beginnings of a golf course near Vientiane, new houses , etc. There is also much reforestation being done. The road parallels the east bank of the Mekong, sometimes near and others far from the river. Bougainvillea is in bloom. I saw many more goats today than I remember from before.
I'm staying in the same guest house I did last time. It fronts on the river and is the former French Police Station. It's either gone down hill in five years or my standards have gone up. Probably a bit of both. Nakon Phnom, Thailand, is the city across the rive where I went last time to do e-mail and Laos would not readmit me.
Dinner time!

Eye Contact

While walking about I like to make eye contact with the people I meet. Most of the Asians will meet my gaze and when I smile their faces light up like a great morning sunrise. Very often they will then greet me. Perhaps 1 in 100 Caucasians will look me in the eye and if I smile they look away. What do you suppose this means? The Asians are amused by the lettuce in my teeth?
I sent my week's laundry out via the guest house where I'm staying. It was returned clean, pressed and folded. A few moments later there was a knock on my door. A young man stood there with a pen and a five dollar bill that had been found in my pockets. Perhaps that's part of the reason I love SE Asia.

Yes, Lisa........

Yes, Lisa, the knock off of the Arc d'Triomphe, still stands prominently in Vientiane. Called Patuxay, it was built in 1962, allegedly with funds the US gave Laos to build an airport. The grounds around it have been developed into a lovely park since I was here five years ago. Bucharest has one , too.
Long dresses still prevail in Laos. Women wear the beautiful woven skirts. Here in the center of town western styles are seen more.
Asian traffic maneuvers: A driver wanting to make a left turn onto a street with steady oncoming traffic executes a creeping wedge. By gradually pulling onto the street far enough that the traffic detours around behind them they are able to complete the turn. Tricky to remember right and left. Thailand drives on the left and Laos drives on the right. Which reminds me of the time the Swede's switched their country from driving on the left to driving on the right. The Swede's are a cautious people so they decided to ease into the change by having all trucks make the switch a week before cars did. Did you know that there is an Scandinavian bakery in Vientiane. The founder perhaps got out of Sweden before the traffic switch!

Good Evening from Laos

I treated myself to a lunch of Laab, the Laotian national dish like hamburger and french fries to Americans. The first time I ate Laab I mistook the long green veggie for a green bean. It turned out to be a pepper. Laab's hot to begin with........ It's served with sticky rice which is eaten with the fingers.
Found out that the chicken bus south leaves every hour on the hour. Gives me lots of choices and no concern about missing it.
Central Vientiane, where I'm staying, has become very touristy. I see as many Caucasians on the street as Asian. There many shops and services that cater to tourists. Still don't see many Americans and I hear a wide variety of languages...many of which are European. It'll be good to spend some days in the non-tourist country side.

Good Morning from Laos

Many of the buildings of Vientiane were built by the French when Laos was a colony. Some of them are well kept but many show much mildew and mouldering, effects of the tropical climate. I find it an attractive place with the more traditional Lao architecture mixed with the French. I see some signs of development in the neighborhood since I was here five years ago. I'm sitting in the same inter net cafe today and I can't tell that the inter net service is any faster than it was then.
It's time I do a quiz. In fact I'll ask a couple of questions. What is the name of the reclusive leader of the Pathet Lao during the revolution that overthrew the Royal Lao government? How many bombing runs a day did the US average over Laos during the Vietnam war? A cup of coffee to anyone who can either question. (Kathy B., the answer is in the book I loaned you before your trip last fall.)
The sun's coming out....cloudy this a.m., perhaps lower 70's so the natives have their coats on.

Laos Now

The little MA 60 turboprop got us to Wattay Airport, Vientiane and dropped us on the tarmack about 100 yds. from the airport. A brief brush with Laos officialdom and $35. (it cost the Indian woman $40 and the Swede $31) and I had my visa. The taxi ($6 American) dropped me at the guest house I stayed in five years ago. Gone from next door is the resturant with fish swimming in tanks for customers choosing, and in it's place, stands a bookstore, which I hope is a good sign about the situation of Laos. I was assigned the same room I had last time.
I wandered the two blocks down to the Mekong and discovered that there is still spandex on the Mekong. There under the fluroscent lights the women still do aerobics. The river is very low, a sand bar reachs about a mile and with just a small ribbon of water on the Thai side. My dreams of having a Beer Lao and watching the sun set over the Mekong were squelched by the clouds.
Going from Bkk to Vientienne is liking going from a buzz saw to a feather duster. Bkk is city of some 10 million or more and Vientienne is about one hundred thousand. Natives here are greatly amused by foreigners who spend great sums of money to get here then rush about while the locals practice the fine art of going slowly and savoring the moment.
Now I'm going to wander out and find myself some dinner....probably on the banks of the Mekong.
One random thought; Do European farmers pitch manure with their forks upside down?

Departing Bkk

Bkk traffic spends hours everyday in gridlock. There is an elevated sky train and a new subway (which is rather limited) but most traffic travels on the streets. It's tempting, and hair raising, to take motor cycle taxis because they are not restrained by the rules of cars, etc. The motor cycles weave though traffic, both moving and standing, zip through parking lots and alleys, taking fifteen minutes to do what a car would take an hour. Besides that, they are half the price and provide a great adrenalin rush. Who needs a roller coaster?
Breakfast at the hotel is included is the room price. It's buffet style. This morning it included; fried eggs, fried potatoes, toast, buns, cereal, soy milk, fresh fruit, rice, soft boiled rice(like a gruel), fried rice, fried noodles, curry chicken(very good), sweet and sour chicken, fresh fruit juices(Mango is the best), coffee, tea and other items I've forgotten.
I've only run into one American, yet,and that was in the taxi line when I first arrived. He's from Mississippi and has retired in Thailand. He has to renew his visa annually.
If all goes as planned my next post should be from Laos.

Here's the deal

Readers of my blog know by now that I'm in Bkk. What some of you know and others may not are my plans. Tomorrow I fly via Lao Air to Vientiane the capital of Laos. From there I plan to take a bus south and east on the Laos side of the Mekong river. This is a trip that I began in 2003 and was prematurely interrupted when, after crossing into Thailand to use the inter-net, I was denied re-admittance to Laos. My intention is to get off the tourist trail and see some other things. I'll eventually work my way back to Bkk by bus.
On Feb. 4, I begin three weeks of volunteer time with the International Foundation for Research Expeditions (IRFE). The first week will be given to cultural and language studies and then I'm to spend two weeks in a co-ed, temple, elementary school (K-6) teaching? English. You'll hear more about this all as it unfolds.
There was a power outage last night from 1:30-3:30 am. I don't know if was more than the hotel. There were several flickers during the 2hrs but the hotel is large and every room has it's own a/c. Tough to start all those compressors at once.
Weather report: mid 90s every day, 80 every night.

Sights

A woman watering stray dogs on the sidewalk. A fresh orchid on a plate of fried egg rolls. Motorcycle taxi drivers playing checkers with bottle caps on cardboard. An old woman reading a young woman's fortune with cards as they sit on the sidewalk. A four year old girl playing computer games.

Exotic or????????

Life teems on the streets of Bkk, much in contrast with Golden Valley when the temperature is below zero. I find it fascinating, amusing and exotic. The streets choked with traffic; cars, buses, bikes, motorcycles, Tuk Tuks, all sorts of motorcycle contrivances carrying cargo, push carts of sellers of fruit, vegetables, clothes and all sorts of commodities. Side walks are crowded with sellers' stalls making foot traffic difficult and banging tall person's heads with the umbrellas. Everything imaginable is sold; food many Thai eat on the street...more like snacks than regular meals, clothing, nick knacks, kitchen wear, shoes, hardwear...it's better than a circus. Yesterday I was reveling in the difference from my everyday life, for that is why I travel, to experience the difference. While I was enthralled with the scene I became aware of a tinny pounding. Then I saw an elderly women flattening cans to support herself and then it struck me; vibrant? exotic? Yes. But these were real humans living their lives and for many if is a life of pain and struggle.

A large high rise building is going up next to my hotel. Work began at daylight, 7am, and they were still working at dark, 7pm.

Politics In the land of smiles

Riding in the taxi from the airport last night I asked the driver his opinion of Taksin, the prime minister who was deposed by a military junta a year ago. True to form he reflected the prevailing opinion of city folk that Taksin was corrupt. After he had expounded on that for awhile he shifted the topic to American politics. He was very fascinated with the possibility of a female American president. That has been repeated from every Thai who has engaged me in conversation. Not so much interest in Obama but I've never encountered anything like the interest in Hillary. Of course Bill was very popular here. In the past seldom did any Thai engage me about politics.

In my quest for an airline ticket to Vientiane on Friday I engaged a Tuk Tuk, the three wheel taxi. Cheaper you know....though I forgot about the heat and smog. Bkk is really trying....all car taxis run on natural gas, but the have a ways to go on the buses. My ticket on Lao Arline cost $200. one way. When asked how I'd like to pay for it I said "credit card". "That will be 3% more". Conveniently they had an ATM on the premises. I'm planing to take the chicken bus back to Bkk through Laos....that should cost me about $12.

More from the Traveling Curmudgeon later.

Bangkok at Last!

Hi,

I'm adjusting to the 95 degree temp. Tough duty but someone must. Between planes in Tokyo (13hrs there) I was watching Japanese TV, sumo wrestling. Fascinating to watch those behemoths go at it. After one match the winner took his bows and marched triumphantly out of the ring. As he departed he spotted a tiny girl offering a 'high five'. He changed his course and accepted her 'high five' before disappearing into the dressing room.

After landing in Bkk I collected my baggage and headed out to the taxi stand. A woman approached me, "Where you going?" I told her and she said: "Taxi 900 baht ($30.)" I said "No Thanks." The metered taxi cost $450. Ya then....pays to be careful.

More to come from the Traveling Curmudgeon!