If the word "coffee" is mentioned, hardly anyone thinks of Laos. Yet this country grows its own coffee, although you can't compare it with countries like Brazil or Colombia. Most plantations are on the Bolaven Plateau, which offers due to the altitude the most favourable conditions. The coffee is quite good, in Vientiane one can find a decent number of coffee shops or cafes which serve it either the italian way or filtered... I liked both ways of preparation...
Unfortunately Laos has a lot in common with most coffee-producing countries. The best quality is exported or almost exclusively being served in the expensive hotels and restaurants, while the rest of the population has to be content with instant coffee. So asking for a coffee in food stalls or cheaper restaurants, even more when you're not in Vientiane, you're likely to face an experience that is not really overwhelming... to be polite...
A person like me who can stand many hours without eating, but suffers real hardship if he don't get a coffee in the morning, has a hard time in a good part of the country...
lunes, 9 de abril de 2007
The Bolaven Plateau
I spent some days in an almost unreal tranquility. Well, maybe not unreal, but the silence was extraordinary. The Bolaven Plateau is an elevated plain in southern Laos, a little bit out of the way for most travellers. From Pakse it's a two and a half hour bus ride to get to Tad Lo, a tiny village in a beautiful setting, even in the dry season. Three waterfalls within 20 minutes walking distance, countryside (though dry at this time of the year) and some more smaller villages. A couple of lodges and guest houses, centered close to one waterfall. A nice terrain for walking, bathing in the ponds (dry season!), reading or just watching time go by...
That maybe doesn't sound overwhelming, but what attracts people to come here is the silence. The number of cars passing through the village is practically irrelevant (Tad Lo is about 2 kms from the main road), scooters (small motorcycles) are a common means of transport, but as most roads are not paved, they simply have to go slow...
It's dark at 7 pm, and then anything that would mean some kind of noise, ceases. With the exception of the cicadas, which for a while maintain their extraordinary chirping ( they are very small for the noise they produce). So in the evenings I sat either at the tables of the guest house, talking with fellow travellers, or on the "veranda" of the cabin I had rented (30000 Kip\ 3 US-dollars) to read and relax...
It would have been perfect if there weren't dogs... during the day they laze in the shadow (the Bolaven plateau is at night a bit colder due to it's altitude, but it is still hot during the day), they try to get something to eat and besides that nothing else... which means that they're awake at night. They are actually very friendly and not very big - every well-nourished European cat would wage a fight with them - but at night only one of them needs to hear some strange noise, a chicken coughing, a cicada turning around in it's well-earned sleep, and then the hell is being raised... one starts barking, the others join almost immediately, it extends from one hut to the next, from one village to the next, at least so it seemed... after a while they seem to notice that there's nothing going on, the barking dies down slowly...
Yet in spite of the dogs the Bolaven Plateau is well worth a visit. Quite a few people hire a scooter in Pakse (between 7 and 10 dollars per day) and cruise around for several days... a nice option, because you are simply more independent, and distances are not that vast...
That maybe doesn't sound overwhelming, but what attracts people to come here is the silence. The number of cars passing through the village is practically irrelevant (Tad Lo is about 2 kms from the main road), scooters (small motorcycles) are a common means of transport, but as most roads are not paved, they simply have to go slow...
It's dark at 7 pm, and then anything that would mean some kind of noise, ceases. With the exception of the cicadas, which for a while maintain their extraordinary chirping ( they are very small for the noise they produce). So in the evenings I sat either at the tables of the guest house, talking with fellow travellers, or on the "veranda" of the cabin I had rented (30000 Kip\ 3 US-dollars) to read and relax...
It would have been perfect if there weren't dogs... during the day they laze in the shadow (the Bolaven plateau is at night a bit colder due to it's altitude, but it is still hot during the day), they try to get something to eat and besides that nothing else... which means that they're awake at night. They are actually very friendly and not very big - every well-nourished European cat would wage a fight with them - but at night only one of them needs to hear some strange noise, a chicken coughing, a cicada turning around in it's well-earned sleep, and then the hell is being raised... one starts barking, the others join almost immediately, it extends from one hut to the next, from one village to the next, at least so it seemed... after a while they seem to notice that there's nothing going on, the barking dies down slowly...
Yet in spite of the dogs the Bolaven Plateau is well worth a visit. Quite a few people hire a scooter in Pakse (between 7 and 10 dollars per day) and cruise around for several days... a nice option, because you are simply more independent, and distances are not that vast...
martes, 3 de abril de 2007
Heading south
Tonight I'm heading south, taking an overnight bus to Pakse. From there I'll continue right away to the Bolaven plateau, somewhere between Saravan, Sekong and Paksong. I've been writing quite a lot in the last days... this will cease now, because in this region internet access will be very scarce. Some people call south-eastern Laos "the wild east", because it simply is less devellopped, less touristy... maybe more interesting, though...
Vientiane is really nice to relax for some days and to enjoy the atmosphere of this laid-back "capital city". But I don't need to mention that Laos consists of much more...
One last note: Laos is pronounced "Lao", and this was the original name. The "s" was added by the French is not pronounced...
Vientiane is really nice to relax for some days and to enjoy the atmosphere of this laid-back "capital city". But I don't need to mention that Laos consists of much more...
One last note: Laos is pronounced "Lao", and this was the original name. The "s" was added by the French is not pronounced...
Croissants and cameras
What have these things to do with each other? Well, not much, I just don't want to start too many posts...
It's nothing precisely Asian, but I enjoy them every morning: fresh, crispy croissants. A legacy from colonial times, you can find them not only in the pure tourist restaurants. Together with a tasty Laotian coffee it's a great breakfast. Yes, Laos grows its own coffee... I'm heading south now and I guess I will tell more about this topic later...
Concerning the croissants: in almost 2 years in Barcelona I haven't come across tasty croissants... what are they doing there and what could be a solution to this disgrace? Work camps in Laotian or Vietnamese bakeries for every Spanish baker? Quite costly, I know, but maybe it would be worth it...
I was asked to publish some photos... well, I took two cameras along, but both of them are not digital. I had to find out that the one I got repaired in Barcelona, still don't work... So there's only one left, which I need to use for the black and white-films of the planned reportages.
I was looking around a bit, but Vientiane isn't Bangkok. Looking at my budget, I simply couldn't afford paying 200 US-$ for a fairly decent digital camera. Yet I stumbled upon a solution: in one store I found something which ressembles a camera, uses 200 ASA color negative film and is about the most primitive thing I have seen in my life... but I paid only 25 $ for it... so I'm going to give it a try... it just takes a while, because first I have to shoot the film, later get it devellopped and scanned on CD. Then I have to find someone to show my how to place the pictures in internet... I admit, I'm not really up to date concerning some simple everyday-things of the year 2007...
So expect some photos in about 2 or 3 weeks... if this so-called camera functions...
It's nothing precisely Asian, but I enjoy them every morning: fresh, crispy croissants. A legacy from colonial times, you can find them not only in the pure tourist restaurants. Together with a tasty Laotian coffee it's a great breakfast. Yes, Laos grows its own coffee... I'm heading south now and I guess I will tell more about this topic later...
Concerning the croissants: in almost 2 years in Barcelona I haven't come across tasty croissants... what are they doing there and what could be a solution to this disgrace? Work camps in Laotian or Vietnamese bakeries for every Spanish baker? Quite costly, I know, but maybe it would be worth it...
I was asked to publish some photos... well, I took two cameras along, but both of them are not digital. I had to find out that the one I got repaired in Barcelona, still don't work... So there's only one left, which I need to use for the black and white-films of the planned reportages.
I was looking around a bit, but Vientiane isn't Bangkok. Looking at my budget, I simply couldn't afford paying 200 US-$ for a fairly decent digital camera. Yet I stumbled upon a solution: in one store I found something which ressembles a camera, uses 200 ASA color negative film and is about the most primitive thing I have seen in my life... but I paid only 25 $ for it... so I'm going to give it a try... it just takes a while, because first I have to shoot the film, later get it devellopped and scanned on CD. Then I have to find someone to show my how to place the pictures in internet... I admit, I'm not really up to date concerning some simple everyday-things of the year 2007...
So expect some photos in about 2 or 3 weeks... if this so-called camera functions...
Books
For those who can't travel themselves, there are some books available which describe in a magnificent and atmospheric way life in Indochina, at one time or another...
An all-time classic: Graham Greene's "The quiet american", a novel set in Saigon around 1950 during the first Indochina war. It's been translated into probably every major language (including catalá), so there's definitely no excuse if someone doesn't know it.
Right now I'm reading "La nuit de dragon" by Norman Lewis, an english journalist who travelled Indochina in the 1950s. The original title is "A dragon apparent", and it's a collection of smaller and larger reportages, written in a vivid and very descriptive way. I don't know whether it's available in other languages. From the same author was published a book about his travels to Burma, don't know the title right now, if one's interested, just feed your search engine with the author's name.
Many years ago I read "Borderlines" by Charles Nichols, a collection of shorter stories about his travels to Thailand... easy and pleasant reading...
It was definitely one of the last true adventures on this planet: in 1985/86 the swedish journalist Bertil Lindner crossed in 18 months northern Burma, starting in India, in Naga Land, and travelling through the lands of ethnic minorities until crossing the Chinese border. The written testimony is "Land of Jade - A journey through insurgent Burma". I must admit, it requires probably some interest in Burma's past and present... but if someone got just that, this is a book not to miss (before I left, I saw a new edition in Altair, Barcelona's travel bookstore).
These are just a very few recommendations, but all of these books are easy literature and definitely worth reading...
An all-time classic: Graham Greene's "The quiet american", a novel set in Saigon around 1950 during the first Indochina war. It's been translated into probably every major language (including catalá), so there's definitely no excuse if someone doesn't know it.
Right now I'm reading "La nuit de dragon" by Norman Lewis, an english journalist who travelled Indochina in the 1950s. The original title is "A dragon apparent", and it's a collection of smaller and larger reportages, written in a vivid and very descriptive way. I don't know whether it's available in other languages. From the same author was published a book about his travels to Burma, don't know the title right now, if one's interested, just feed your search engine with the author's name.
Many years ago I read "Borderlines" by Charles Nichols, a collection of shorter stories about his travels to Thailand... easy and pleasant reading...
It was definitely one of the last true adventures on this planet: in 1985/86 the swedish journalist Bertil Lindner crossed in 18 months northern Burma, starting in India, in Naga Land, and travelling through the lands of ethnic minorities until crossing the Chinese border. The written testimony is "Land of Jade - A journey through insurgent Burma". I must admit, it requires probably some interest in Burma's past and present... but if someone got just that, this is a book not to miss (before I left, I saw a new edition in Altair, Barcelona's travel bookstore).
These are just a very few recommendations, but all of these books are easy literature and definitely worth reading...
lunes, 2 de abril de 2007
Saturday night in Vientiane
A full moon is shining over Vientiane. I leave the river area to stroll through the darker streets and alleyways. Although it's saturday night, it's incredibly quiet. People sitting on their porches, talking in low voices, the continuous sounds of what could be crickets or cicadas, the rustling of leaves of palm and banana trees in the evening breeze, smells of charcoal fires and barbecued meat in the ubiquitous food kitchens... I'm only a few blocks away from the "center"...
When turning around a corner, I get to a night market: again rows of food stalls, the sweet sounds of Asian pop music from a shack selling CDs, a few tables where clothes and kitchenware is being sold... but in spite of all the people tranquility is still like floating in the air..
Slowly I head back, taking as many turns as possible through unlighted alleyways... I'm not too eager to get to the mainstreet with its continuous flow of cars, scooters and tuk-tuks, and yet this flow of vehicles, people and noises is so far away from the habitual frenzy of Barcelona... so why not getting another Lao beer before going back to the guest house?
When turning around a corner, I get to a night market: again rows of food stalls, the sweet sounds of Asian pop music from a shack selling CDs, a few tables where clothes and kitchenware is being sold... but in spite of all the people tranquility is still like floating in the air..
Slowly I head back, taking as many turns as possible through unlighted alleyways... I'm not too eager to get to the mainstreet with its continuous flow of cars, scooters and tuk-tuks, and yet this flow of vehicles, people and noises is so far away from the habitual frenzy of Barcelona... so why not getting another Lao beer before going back to the guest house?
Translation
A little help for all those who don't speak spanish ...
I already wrote more than what would fit on one page. At the bottom of each page you find several links: "entradas antiguas" means going back one page to the older posts, "página principal" to return to the page with the actual posts...
Any more questions or complaints? Just write me a "comentario" ...
I already wrote more than what would fit on one page. At the bottom of each page you find several links: "entradas antiguas" means going back one page to the older posts, "página principal" to return to the page with the actual posts...
Any more questions or complaints? Just write me a "comentario" ...
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