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Lao People's Democratic Republic/Don Không Round the world trip 2008
1-21-08
Today we left Pakxe early and headed north using information we acquired from the internet by Mr. Pumpy and Bill Weir. Stopping only 62 kms, at the only guest house we know lies another 105 kms away, tonight’s guest house is off the highway, at the outskirts of the village. We settle in to endure the mid-afternoon heat, reading, writing and listening to our neighbors who love their music loud. To our surprise there is not a sink in the bathroom, a first! There is a shower and a bucket-fill western style toilet. Shaving, teeth brushing and washing up will take some creative thinking. Our room with fan and cold water and possibly dirty sheet was $4US. I say possibly dirty sheets because as we lounged on the porch a very young couple came in, took a room for a “quickie”, and after they left the owner checked the room but did not leave with bed clothes in hand. We immediately checked the sheet and pillow: clean! We put our Thermarests on the two inch bed pad. We will sleep well tonight. Our goal is to reach Savannakhet day after tomorrow.
We are back eating at roadside “peek in pots” where we usually get noodle soup with herbs, some meat and today glasses of ice water. What a treat! No restaurant at our guest house, so we will go back into town this evening to find dinner and maybe a beer or two.
A preliminary observation on the schools in Laos: they appear to be less important, less well cared for and poorly attended compared to those in Cambodia where there were many brightly painted, consistently in yellow with white trim and many, many children wearing uniforms riding bikes and motorbikes to and from. Laos is primarily an agricultural, farming society where education is not considered as important. We read that the literacy rate is the lowest of all Asian countries.
Laos has electricity. The sound of saws and planners is a constant as we pass through rural villages and towns. Laos is more prosperous with new buildings and homes popping up all over compared again to Cambodia.
January 22 Lao People's Democratic >
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January 19 Lao People's Democratic
Today we left Pakxe early and headed north using information we acquired from the internet by Mr. Pumpy and Bill Weir. Stopping only 62 kms, at the only guest house we know lies another 105 kms away, tonight’s guest house is off the highway, at the outskirts of the village. We settle in to endure the mid-afternoon heat, reading, writing and listening to our neighbors who love their music loud. To our surprise there is not a sink in the bathroom, a first! There is a shower and a bucket-fill western style toilet. Shaving, teeth brushing and washing up will take some creative thinking. Our room with fan and cold water and possibly dirty sheet was $4US. I say possibly dirty sheets because as we lounged on the porch a very young couple came in, took a room for a “quickie”, and after they left the owner checked the room but did not leave with bed clothes in hand. We immediately checked the sheet and pillow: clean! We put our Thermarests on the two inch bed pad. We will sleep well tonight. Our goal is to reach Savannakhet day after tomorrow.
We are back eating at roadside “peek in pots” where we usually get noodle soup with herbs, some meat and today glasses of ice water. What a treat! No restaurant at our guest house, so we will go back into town this evening to find dinner and maybe a beer or two.
A preliminary observation on the schools in Laos: they appear to be less important, less well cared for and poorly attended compared to those in Cambodia where there were many brightly painted, consistently in yellow with white trim and many, many children wearing uniforms riding bikes and motorbikes to and from. Laos is primarily an agricultural, farming society where education is not considered as important. We read that the literacy rate is the lowest of all Asian countries.
Laos has electricity. The sound of saws and planners is a constant as we pass through rural villages and towns. Laos is more prosperous with new buildings and homes popping up all over compared again to Cambodia.
