Laos

[Coss]

As some of y'all know: my Lao journey has been 15 or so years in the making, interrupted by a 7 year hiatus, to deal with a stroke and cancer.

Now that it looks like I'm out of the woods, I'd like to share a photo of what we've been up to, often organising the project remotely.

I'd normally not share, private-sh stuff online, but the chances of anyone driving by or Google seeing this in situ, are remote, and I'm getting too old to worry.

So here's a pick of the house. Large circle is a folder up table, MLG is the figure, stray cat at right.

Lotsa lights because thievery is common.

 

[bust]

Noice 👍

[Coss]

Lao Itecc food hall, wall to wall eye candy.   Several giving me the glad eye, I’m old and fat, have they no taste or sense?

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You hansum man. I go with you?

[Coss]

We finally got the train to Luang Prabang, 2 hrs makes it a quick jaunt.

I wondered at first about the airport style security, then I realised, a 160km/h bullet train needs a little safety, otherwise it'd be full of watermelons, chickens and pigs...

Luang Prabang has changed, but the essence is the same, just one night, a quick trip to the water falls (unchanged) and we were back the next day.

On the Chinese tourists - overall, it was nice to see older folk, enjoying their hard won holiday, with a reasonable amount of decorum. There were a few older women, fighting to gain access to the square foot of floor in front of me, as I was walking on to it, my rugby elbows and shoulder, got a little action

At the water fall there were an even dozen, 20-ish Chinese girls, in white lace faerie wedding gowns, along with three males, taking group photos. I wonder how many of those will go home pregnant.

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MLG brought all the way from NZ, a nice bottle of Red.

Because nothing says Hi-So like sipping a bottle of NZ Cab Sav at the Luang Prabang Night Market food court.

The amusing bit is, the three of them only drank half the bottle. I prefer Beer Lao in the heat.

Returning to Vientiane on the China-Lao bullet train "EMU" (for electric multiple unit), the security, refused the half empty wine and set it aside.

"Hang on a minute" says MLG and rushes off the to nearby drink stall, returning with three empty plastic cups.

She and her two mates, go back out through security, with the wine and have a quick quaffing outside, returning through security with no problems or effort.

Three mildly buzzed Lao folk for the 2 hour journey

 

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Never waste a good Cab Sav. Un-Kiwi even if in a foreign land 🍷

[Coss]

Yep, she's turned out to be a good'un.

[Coss]

I am pleasantly surprised that Google maps is now working in Vientiane, allowing me to get around to places I only partially remember.

except ::

I followed the map guidance on the phone and turned into oncoming traffic. Fortunately every thing is 15km/h  so easily rectified.

Turned onto the river front road, all the direction arrows against me! - but all the locals driving against the arrows too!

Transpires they had a magnificent electric bus scheme, all set up, with lanes marked out and arrows everywhere, and even the busses ready.  For what ever reason it's not instituted... Maybe there's another vertical runway being made out of the funding.

But that means, road markings that every one ignores.  Many great lanes, that have no busses in them. I suggested that maybe they could make those lanes motorcycle only, thereby easing the congestion? As it happens, all the traffic, cars bikes and trucks use them, when they feel like it, but not as a matter of course.

Ahhhh.... good to be back

[Coss]

Spent the day fishing at a friend's, neighbour woman's, fish pond, in the boon docks.

Tilapia and catfish, each one caught, summarily dispatched and grilled, covered in salt over charcoal.

Reminds me of the time I spent in Surin (the NE one) with #2 wife's family, next to the little rubber plantation and rice fields that didn't make it into the divorce settlement.

 

 

[Coss]

This next, as I'm energised about it, currently. ::

We've engaged friends of the family to make 3 kitchen cabinets and a counter, using the expensive hardwood I got from the army (posted about this a long time ago I think).

Spent time negotiating- how hard it would be to use our wood, and other tangential "but and if" loopholes inserted, everything measured, including our pile of wood, price agreed.  Luverly.

Take wood away, two weeks estimated delivery and installation.

A week later, but there's not enough wood!  OK, don't make one of the cabinets. So now the job is 2 kitchen cabinets and a counter.

Price remains the same.

Wood is is hard to work with,  delivery slips to 4 weeks - this will be after we've returned to NZ.

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On the one hand I know we're being diddled, on the other hand, I've come to understand, that a certain amount of slippage is endemic here.

I also understand that the family member who often arranges such things for us, is almost certainly slightly richer, after every encounter.

My western outrage, is calmed, by knowing that all the hassle and such, that I would face, if I did it my way, is removed.

So it's a little like having a moderately expensive "fixer" cloaked in "look how difficult and pricy this all is..."

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Old man will calm down soon.

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Also there's so little money here, that I have to remember that everyone, will try and get extra and undeserved bites of it as it goes past.