Tuesday, March 15, 2005
every day is like sunday
Now I am not one to moan - and usually Pete and I like to keep our postings peachy keen (our grandmothers read them afterall), but there are a few things about Laos I NEED to get off my chest...
First everything happens super slowly, next most things are shut, finally nobody seems to want to sell us anything or even care we exist for that matter! It's far too low key (strange - those are words I thought I would never utter.) In fact (and this is my main complaint), I've had far to much time to think about rejoining the workforce while here! Or as Pete would say "I'm committing career suicide for this..." (usually heard while waiting for 20 minutes for the guy in some cafe to wake up from his nap and bring us a menu). Anyway, enough of that - I've got to have something good to say for myself (at least it's hot and sunny in March and I've had lots of time to catch up the backgammon score).
We've been on the move south through Vientiane (the capital) and now in Savannahket, making our way gradually to Cambodia. In true Lao form there really isn't anything to do in either of these places, unless you're really desperate - then you could try going to the war museums. Now I know that the war was supposed to be hush hush (at least from the American point of view), but surely that has now passed... apparently not. First the museum in Vientiane was shut. In Savannahket the museum only looked shut - on closer inspection it was open, but virtually derelict and containing only photos of National Hero Mr. Kaysone (anyone know who that is?). I guess the museums shouldn't have surprised me - it is Laos afterall.
In the next few days, in an effort to get off the beaten track (and no doubt find there is even less to do) we're heading away from the internet - hopefully with more luck than last time when we lasted a grand total of 12 hours before deciding to retreat! This time the football doesn't seem to be on TV so I reckon we might make it.
First everything happens super slowly, next most things are shut, finally nobody seems to want to sell us anything or even care we exist for that matter! It's far too low key (strange - those are words I thought I would never utter.) In fact (and this is my main complaint), I've had far to much time to think about rejoining the workforce while here! Or as Pete would say "I'm committing career suicide for this..." (usually heard while waiting for 20 minutes for the guy in some cafe to wake up from his nap and bring us a menu). Anyway, enough of that - I've got to have something good to say for myself (at least it's hot and sunny in March and I've had lots of time to catch up the backgammon score).
We've been on the move south through Vientiane (the capital) and now in Savannahket, making our way gradually to Cambodia. In true Lao form there really isn't anything to do in either of these places, unless you're really desperate - then you could try going to the war museums. Now I know that the war was supposed to be hush hush (at least from the American point of view), but surely that has now passed... apparently not. First the museum in Vientiane was shut. In Savannahket the museum only looked shut - on closer inspection it was open, but virtually derelict and containing only photos of National Hero Mr. Kaysone (anyone know who that is?). I guess the museums shouldn't have surprised me - it is Laos afterall.
In the next few days, in an effort to get off the beaten track (and no doubt find there is even less to do) we're heading away from the internet - hopefully with more luck than last time when we lasted a grand total of 12 hours before deciding to retreat! This time the football doesn't seem to be on TV so I reckon we might make it.
