Laos: Rivertime Ecolodge, Vientiane

Laos itinerary
Wednesday 18th July arrival around 5pm at the Rivertime Ecolodge, 30km outside of Vientiane
Thursday 26th July: Vientiane- Luang Prabang
Tuesday 31st July: Luang Prabang- Vientiane
Thursday 2nd August: Vientiane- Kuala Lumpur

First stop: Rivertime Ecolodge, Vientiane
We were picked up at the airport in a truck. Seb and the boys jumped in the back to ride to the lodge. The weather was much warmer than Kunming, clear sky though it rains now and again for a few minutes and the sun appears again. As we drove through the capital city of Laos, it struck me how much calmer people were, more patient with each other even if “they go mad behind the wheel” but nothing like in China. There were a lot of trucks and that surprised me too until we got to the lodge. The main roads have tarmac, the other roads, though they would not necessarily qualify as country paths are all dirt roads! Trucks make a lot of sense in this country especially in the rainy season.

Upon arriving at the lodge, it looked just like on the website (rivertimelaos.com): huts built in the jungle along the river; the floating restaurant is moored just along the bank and as night descended on us, the view was absolutely magnificent. Such beauty and peace! We were going to stay here a week and it was going to be a week of “R&R” as Leo says (and by that, read rest and relax). The lodge, being out of the way in the country, offers a number of activities: pool (built on the floating restaurant; you swim in the river water with the current but it is all enclosed so safe and fun!); biking, kayaking, rice farming, that kind of thing. So, we have been enjoying the bikes and riding to the next villages etc… but mainly we have rested and relaxed! It is lovely to just be.

In no particular order: reflections, facts, impressions, reactions, thoughts…

Vientiane airport

Vientiane airport is a pretty good indicator of the country. For a capital airport, it looks more like a regional (not by Chinese standards, having said that!) airport. The officers are so laid back, that would be the first indicator of the famous “Lao way” and “Lao time”.

Lao time: not a myth!

People here are very relaxed. And yes, we are on holiday, but we could still be busy! The weather and attitude help to just take a step back, and watch life go by.

Surrounding the lodge

Although the lodge is a mere 30km outside Vientiane, you are in a completely different world: dirt roads and the earth is rich and red which means when a truck passes you by, you are covered in red dust (no need for make-up here!); villages all around where everyone has a rice field at the back of their house for their own consumption as well as for a bit of trading; calves and chickens roaming freely on the road, all lean and small just like the people; every house has a front shop and sells eggs, cabbage, drinks (there seems to be the same choice everywhere and that comprises of Pepsi, 7-Up, water, Beerlao and a few more orange and green drinks), a few packets of what would equate to crisps of sweets dangling from the ceiling; some people will cook food such as Pho or papaya salad and as you sit down they serve you whatever they have (since we have no Lao between us, we just go with the flow).

The Hmong market

We asked the owner of the lodge where the market was and he indicated about 3kms away. We’ve been to many markets in many places and countries: small villages in France or England, in China, Vietnam, Thailand etc… but this one was surprising on several accounts. First of all, its size: a small quadrant with a few tables in the centre where on the left people cook and on the right, vegetables are sold. This is surrounded by stalls selling clothes and stuff and that is it. The “main road” leading to the market bears a few shops on either side where you can buy the basics. There is definitely no extra here. It touched me how little there is to sell. But it matches what we have witnessed so far: people live off the land mainly and sell whatever surplus they have. The choice for anything is limited.

We are in the countryside and it is a developing country. Five years in China, where food is abundant in quantity and choice, skewed our perspective on other countries in South-East Asia. Laos must be one of the poorer ones but the people seem content.

Staying in the jungle

The walls are alive, all the time. It is of course more prominent and definitely strange, though not scary, at night. The key is to not wake up. If you do, you might be awhile before you fall back to sleep as your attention will be diverted by a range of noises from dropping, scurrying, screeching, screaming, singing, scampering to the wind dancing in the leaves. Quite a spectacular entertainment really!

Sickness

And yes, one of us had to be sick with an unhappy stomach and this time, it was me. I figured, however, that just like in China, people get sick and also get better so I went and bought some orange pills that I will now call magic pills since not only my stomach is right as rain but I have no name for them! All good!


Transports

The country counts 3kms of train track from Vientiane to Thailand. And that is all! So, you can bus or fly. Initially, we were going to take the bus to Luang Prabang but a 12 to 14-hour bus journey was less than enchanting. Laos has regular domestic flights and that is what we’re going to do, fly there and back. We may not be true backpackers and that’s ok.


And here's the link for the pictures below:
file://localhost/Users/angeliquegougeon/Documents/Picasa%20HTML%20Exports/Laos,%20Rivertime,%20Vientiane,%20July%202012/index.html