I Vientiane
Staying with Trim and Konnie and their children in their spacious high-ceilinged house tucked away down a little side street not far from the centre of town has provided a gentle introduction to Vientiane. In among the children’s activities and evenings catching up on family news, Lois and I have ventured out a couple of times on Trim and Konnie’s bikes to explore the city and the somnolent banks of the Mekong.
It is a bit like stepping back in time to the Phnom Penh I knew in the early 1990s (minus all the UNTAC Land Cruisers and blue-bereted peace keeping forces). The French influence seems even stronger here and the city comes across as a curious blend of French colonialism, democratic communism, animistic Buddhism, and 21st century backpacker tourism. The most striking and welcome side of this is the profusion of cafés serving wonderfully smooth Lao coffee with fresh-baked croissants or Vietnamese dumplings (whichever takes your fancy).
But what has most surprised me is how calm, gentle and clean the city is. It may be the only one of the world’s least developed countries situated in S.E. Asia, and still ranking very low on life expectancy and GDP, but there is very little in the way of overt poverty. Unlike so many Asian cities, Vientiane seems to have avoided the gross extremes of opulence and destitution dwelling side by side. We have not seen any areas of slum dwellings, no beggars have been wandering the streets or pestering us for change, no children tapping on your car windows as you wait at traffic lights. Is this socialism as it should work I wonder?
And, it seems too, to have avoided – so far – the frantic noisy chaos of cars, motorbikes pedestrians and trucks that characterise Bangkok, Delhi, Manila, or the technological efficiency and relentless drive of Hong Kong and Singapore. The residents may complain of the traffic, but it hs none of the clamour, noise and chaos of the rest of Asia.
So a gentle cycle ride beside the Mekong finishing off with a leisurely cappuccino makes for a wonderful way to spend a lazy afternoon.
