An hour and ten minutes after the border reopened we were cleared to proceed. Made the mistake of paying the visa fee with US Dollars including one twenty that had a small tear on one side. I knew they like new bills but this tear was so small I didn't notice it. Nothing would do but I exchange it for an unblemished one.
Noticed an all bamboo footbridge across a small river.
We stopped for a photo at the entrance to a new district.
We had hoped to get to the caves area that had been used by the Pathet Lao during the last ten years of the Vietnam War but the roads were much worse than we had expected plus the delay at the border prevented us from making our expected mileage (kilometer-age?)
So here we are in Vian Xai for the night. We checked in to a nice guest house with all handmade furniture, cleaned up and went out for dinner at 1930.
We'll try for the caves again tomorrow morning.
The Lao people are similar to the Vietnamese and hill people. Everyone seems happy and hard working. Maybe it's the other way around, they're happy because they are hard working.
In a way this country reminds me of our country in the forties and fifties. People working hard with little regard for earplugs, safety goggles and other safety equipment. Children helping out in the fields or caring for their younger siblings while both parents work. Many times we see children as young as six or seven taking care of water buffalo, cows, goats or other animals. Lots of hustle. Reminds me of Carl Sandberg's poem, Chicago.
One last note for today. Everyone in this part of the world calls this country "Lao" without the "s" apparently because the "s" was added by the French. The border crossing was labeled "Welcome to the People's Democratic Republic of Lao" so from now on I'll honor their preference and refer to it as Lao.
Noticed an all bamboo footbridge across a small river.
We stopped for a photo at the entrance to a new district.
We had hoped to get to the caves area that had been used by the Pathet Lao during the last ten years of the Vietnam War but the roads were much worse than we had expected plus the delay at the border prevented us from making our expected mileage (kilometer-age?)
So here we are in Vian Xai for the night. We checked in to a nice guest house with all handmade furniture, cleaned up and went out for dinner at 1930.
We'll try for the caves again tomorrow morning.
The Lao people are similar to the Vietnamese and hill people. Everyone seems happy and hard working. Maybe it's the other way around, they're happy because they are hard working.
In a way this country reminds me of our country in the forties and fifties. People working hard with little regard for earplugs, safety goggles and other safety equipment. Children helping out in the fields or caring for their younger siblings while both parents work. Many times we see children as young as six or seven taking care of water buffalo, cows, goats or other animals. Lots of hustle. Reminds me of Carl Sandberg's poem, Chicago.
One last note for today. Everyone in this part of the world calls this country "Lao" without the "s" apparently because the "s" was added by the French. The border crossing was labeled "Welcome to the People's Democratic Republic of Lao" so from now on I'll honor their preference and refer to it as Lao.
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