Outside of Bangkok, Thailand, Vientiane (Laos) is only the 2nd capital city that I have visited in Southeast Asia.. That being said - the contrast between these two cities are a difference of night and day. While Bangkok is a sprawling cosmopolitan city which throbs with life and activity, Vientiane, with an estimated population of about 500,000 inhabitants, has a small town feeling and is decidedly provincial in flavor. While not quite as laid back as Luang Prabang, the pace here is decidedly slow. While I was only in Vientiane three days, I would hasten to say that every day feels like a lazy Sunday. Unlike Bangkok, which is famous for its traffic jams and air pollution, there is relatively little traffic congestion here and the air is very breathable. Like Bangkok, there are a fair number of people riding motorbikes, but many of the people can be observed riding bicycles as well. In addition, Tuk-tuk drivers will solicit you for their service, but they are not quite as aggressive as their counterparts in Bangkok.

One thing that I love about Vientiane is that while they are many cafes and bakeries, there are no Starbucks on the scene. Of course, as Laos is a former French colony,
one can have some delicious Laotian coffee with fresh baguette and jam almost at any café. Every day is Sunday in Vientiane…it is that slow.

Bicycling around Luang Prabang at night, there is such a serene, tranquil ambiance about this small town-cum tourist mecca of about 30,0000 people or so, Even when passing thru the night market - a stretch of 200 meters of local merchants displaying their handcrafts and wares -there is a wonderful calm in the air. All the merchants were oh so polite and friendly. I have never been in small town of this size in my travels around the world that is so idyllic and peaceful.

Sounds a like little bit like Shangri-La, huh? Well on my last night in Luang Prabang, while bicycling back to my abode, Thongbay Guesthouse, I was the victim of a crass prank by two teenage boys. Out of the blue, I heard a loud scream/roar in my right ear. Startled and somewhat frightened, I looked over my shoulder and I saw two teenage boys bicycling the other direction. Laughing and snickering out loud, I guess they enjoyed the scaring the living daylights out of the great Hanumann. While they scurried away, I uttered a series of expletives and threats against their manhood. Naturally, they were too cowardly to return to the scene of their dastardly joke and face the wrath of Ling Yai (the Big Monkey)

While bicycling early this evening thru the very serene town of Luang Prabang, a local passed me by on bicycle and solicited me to buy some Opium. Funny thing - On back of his T-Shirt it read ‘Be Drug Free”. I guess he wasn’t practicing what he was preaching. Laughing to myself, I ignored him. Of course, he came back for a 2nd sales pitch and I pretended I did not know what he was talking about. This was the very first time that someone in this small town has solicited me for drugs.

Later on, I stopped at Jomo, a small upscale bakery-cafe for something to eat. The young waitress served me my cup of coffee and apple croissant to my table outside. Upon leaving, I left a small tip of 3000 Kip (about 30 cents) on the table for the young waitress, Hopping on my bicycle, she called out to me - ‘Sir, you forgot some of your money on the table” to which I replied, young lady, that is you tip. She smiled, ‘waied me” saying Kop Jai (Thank you) with a smile on her face. I guess she’s not used to getting any tips from farangs.

Most popular expression among the local vendors in the night bazaar is ‘Lucky for you” meaning it will bring you good luck if you buy something from them.

I am the Road Warrior - I am currently 32 days into my arduous 42-day odyssey of Thailand and Laos. To date, I have visited nine different locales in Thailand and two in Laos, having endured in the process, thirteen changes in hotels. My travel scorecard - In Thailand, I started in Bangkok; from there I traveled to Kanchanaburi, Sangkhlaburi (Western Thailand), Koh Chang (Eastern Thailand), Chiang Mai, Chiang Dao, the Yunnanese village of Mae Salong and Doi Tung (Northern Thailand) as well as Chiang Khong situated on the Laotian border overlooking the Mekong River. I have driven on the winding mountainous roads of Northern Thailand’s Golden Triangle, and have stopped at the famous town-tourist trap of Sop Ruak (more commonly known as the Golden Triangle) where the Mai and the magnificent Mekong Rivers converge and where Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet.

I have visited the much hyped up Royal Flora Ratchaphreuk (somewhat of a disappointment) and I have endured a 2 day journey on a dilapidated slow boat crammed with over 90 passengers and cargo on the Mekong River from the Thailand-Laos border to historic Luang Prabang.This UNESCO world heritage site is the former capital of Laos and is now a thriving tourist mecca.

I have survived the noxious cigarette smoke from inconsiderate European tourists in restaurants and on the slow boat journey on the Mekong River to Luang Prabang. I have endured a debilitating flare up of my tendonitis during Royal Flora Expo, braved an attack by some irate wasps in Koh Chang and I have survived being thrown off a bicycle in Chiang Dao, landing chest first on the highway, knocking the wind out of me and bruising my ribs in the process. In addition, I have been thrown off a bamboo raft into the mini-rapids of a fast moving river near Sangkhlaburi due to the reckless navigating of my Thai oarsman. As an aside, even more frightening was when my right leg went right through a big gap between two bamboos. Of Course, I was laughing all the way 55555

It’s been quite an adventure for me so far and I must admit to battling a severe case of travel fatigue. Thank G_D, I have a chance to relax my weary self for the next couple days in a nicely appointed bungalow overlooking the Nam Khan River in Luang Prabang. Despite the travel weariness and battle scars, I have enjoyed every minute of my journey. Travel is a very enriching process - I have met so many wonderful people along the way including fellow travelers as well as many gracious, warm-hearted Thais and Laotians, who are some of the most hospitable people in this world.

Up Next - Vientiane, the capital of Laos, my first venture into Isaan country in Thailand and back to Bangkok, where it all began (and where the journey ends on Dec. 20).

STOP THE PRESSES…Commencing on Nov 7th, the supremely talented and insightful co-author of Calypso Island Chronicles will be embarking on a 42-day odyssey to Thailand and Laos. Departing on a redeye flight at 12:10AM from San Francisco on EVA, the Taiwanese flag carrier, my air itinerary includes a connection in Taipei before finally touching down at 11:00AM on Nov. 8 in Bangkok, Thailand’s vibrant and exciting cosmopolitan city. Lasting over 17 hours in the air, it is going to be a very long journey but the payoff will be very rewarding.

Needless to say, I am really looking forward to this trip. As usual, I will be visiting some of my old haunts including Koh Chang, my favorite beach resort in Thailand in addition to touring the region known as the Golden Triangle in Northern Thailand. This will be 3rd trip to the Golden Triangle, a very mountainous and rural area with wonderful countryside scenes and home to many ethnic hilltribe communities. For the most part, I will be staying in Mae Salong, a picturesque Yunnanese village at about 3000 feet above sea level surrounded by miles of tea plantations. I will also be returning to Doi Tung located on the other side of the mountain from Mae Salong. Doi Tung is the site of two magnificent botanical attractions - the Mae Fah Luang Botanical Garden and Arboretum - and was the small community where the King’s Mother, one of the most revered people in recent Thai History, spent the final years of her glorious life.

Whenever I travel to Thailand, I always explore some new locales in order to learn more about the country and culture. This time around, I will journey to the quiet mountain village of Sangkhlaburi, a long and arduous 6-hour bus ride from Bangkok, breaking up the journey with a couple of days in Kanchanaburi, site of the famous Bridge over River Kwai. Overlooking a small lake with jungle clad hills in the background, Sangkhlaburi will be the perfect place to chill out! In addition, when I exit Laos sometime in mid December, I will spend a couple of days in Isaan, a word which refers to the provinces in the Northeastern region of Thailand as well as one of the country’s largest ethnic groups. This will be the first time that I will have ventured to this part of Thailand - I will be staying in Udon Thani, the largest city and commercial hub of Isaan.

I will also be venturing into Laos, Thailand’s neighbor to the northeast. Crossing the border at the small town of Chiang Kong, I will be boarding a slow boat for a two-day journey down the Mekong River to the fascinating provincial city of Luang Prabang, a UNESCO world heritage site and Laos’s original capital. The slow boat is definitely a poor man’s cruise - the boat itself is rather a primitive affair but I will manage as I consider myself a relatively hardy traveler. From what I have read in many travel guides and on the Internet, Luang Prabang oozes with old world charm and ambiance and is a real traveler’s mecca. People from all over the world come here to enjoy the tranquility and sleepy pace of this small, enchanted city serenely situated in a mountain valley. Of all the places that I will be visiting on this odyssey, Luang Prabang has to be the one place that I am ‘most jacked up about”. All told, I will be spending nine days in Laos including five days in Luang Prabang and three days in Vientiane. Famous for it’s fresh baguettes, aromatic Laotian coffee and leisurely paced lifestyle, Vientiane is the capital city of Laos.

Factoid: Laos is the 10th poorest country in the world and the government is ‘communist”. Laos gained notoriety during the Vietnam War era as being the” bombed out” country on this planet. All bars and nightclubs close down at 11:00PM.

Of course, many of who have been following Calypso Island Chronicles over the last couple of months, have seen me touting unabashedly the Royal Flora Expo, Thailand’s International Horticultural Exposition, which is being staged in the northern city of Chiang Mai from Nov 1, 2006-Jan. 31, 2007. Attending this royal horticultural extravaganza is at the very core of ‘my grand adventure”.

The final leg of my journey will be in Bangkok - This intrepid old traveler is definitely going to party and let it all hang out those final three nights! They say that “One night in Bangkok will makes a hard man humble; I can hear the devil walking next to me”. (from the famous song, “One Night in Bangkok” by Murray Head).

I will be keeping an online dairy of this 42-day odyssey and posting it to Calypso Island Chronicles. I am inviting each and every one of you to follow my journey. To do so, you can subscribe (free) to the RSS feed of this blog, and you will be notified whenever I make a new post. Don’t miss out on this once in a lifetime adventure! Wish you were there…