Laos on Wheels

We were amazed at the incredibly slow pace of life in Laos. No one was in a hurry – people walked at a leisurely pace and drivers were content going at a speed that would make the speed limit in a US central business district look like the autobahn.

It was also stunningly quiet. We could actually sit on our balcony and hear nothing. People spoke so quietly that the “noise” of a bustling market never elevated beyond a barely audible hum. The dogs in town didn’t even bark, preferring to take a lazy nap anywhere they pleased – including the middle of a busy intersection! (Sure wish we would have gotten a photo of that!)

It took us about a nanosecond to embrace the Lao way. Here's Lydia enjoying a quiet and leisurely moment...and the rare treat of a soft drink:

Another thing that distinquished the Lao way of life from Hong Kong was the transportation options. There were no double decker buses, wreckless mini bus drivers, underground trains, or taxis. In fact, there were hardly any cars. The Lao way to is to get around is by tuk-tuk, bicycle, and motorbike. Wanting to be like the locals, we used all three of those methods!

Tuk-tuks were abundant. They weren’t as cheap as in Cambodia (nor was anything else in Laos, actually), but they were more spacious with seating for six:

We rented bicycles one day and rode all around the city. It was the first time that Lydia has ridden a bike: a) in a street and b) in a straight light for more than about 50 feet. She has to ride in circles in the courtyard at our apartment complex. Because we were preoccupied with that momentous event, we took no photos!

And, finally, what we would dare to do nowhere else we’ve visited in Asia – we rented motorbikes! Here are Lydia and me (before we put on helmets and relocated her to Dave's bike):
Here's the dynamic duo in motion:
I have to say that it was one of the most fun things we’ve ever done. Not because of the motorbikes themselves (though I can now kind of understand why when someone has a mid-life crisis, they might consider buying a Harley!), but because of where were able to go on them. It was fun to be able to get around such an exotic place without a guide or driver - I can't imagine trying to navigate a tuk-tuk driver through the places we went!

We road all around the city, in the back streets and down alleys:

Then we ventured to a small village outside of Luang Prabang that is known for its weaving. Along the way we saw some teenage girls holding buckets of water along the side of the road. As we approached, we could tell they were conferring with each other to decide if they should throw the water on us. With big grins on their faces, they heaved the water on us, giggled, and waved. (Turns out, this is a tradition that occurs only the week before the Lao New Year – which is when we happened to be there.) We thought it was funny and were prepared for their ambush on the way back!

In the small village, homes and villages were made from wood and corrugated metal:

On the front “porches” women worked away at their looms. When we stopped, people welcomed us in to take a look at what they were doing. It was fascinating!

Where women weren't at work, there were remnants of old weaving equipment left on the porch (I wondered if this is the local equivalent to having a neighbor park their car in the yard!):

We could tell that not many Western visitors travel to the little village by motorbike. We were as much as a spectacle to the villagers as they were to us. It was the one place we visited where our presence caused dogs to wake from their slumber and bark!

As tempting as it was to rent the motorbikes for another day, and as safe as we felt doing it, we decided to not push our luck.

We didn’t spend our whole trip getting around on wheeled vehicles. We spent almost an entire day on foot, hiking through rural and forested Laos. Scenes from our trek are up next!