Lao or Laos?

On Friday, February 27, I took a short hop flight from Hanoi to Vientiane, the capitol of Laos. I can’t say I was sad to say goodbye to Vietnam, although I was growing accustomed to all the annoyances I have detailed in this blog. I had talked to many people about Laos, and spent the 2 previously days anxiously devouring my Lonely Planet (which had been neglected thus far), and so I was somewhat prepared for the “laid back” nature of this sleepy little country. Actually, it’s not that small – from the map it looks about the same size as Vietnam. But get this: while Vietnam has 83 million inhabitants, Laos has only 6 million. The difference in population is apparent in the capitol, where the sidewalks are empty, traffic is normal, and people are smiling. The ubiquitous horn sounds of Vietnam are a faint memory.

Vientiane is on the banks of the Mekong River, somewhat in the middle of Southeast Asia. While I spent the last month of Vietnam’s “winter” in the cooler center and north, the rest of Southeast Asia was heating up as the dry season intensified. March and April are the hottest months before the monsoons hit, and Vientiane is already a blast furnace. I will go trekking for a couple days in hopes of seeing wild elephants, but after that I am taking a bus straight to Luang Probang in the hope of finding cooler weather.

Besides the heat, I am in a bit of a crisis cash-wise. The only ATMs in Vientiane that work with international cards, were down all day on my first day in the country, which meant no money. Other than in Burma (which has no ATMs available to foreigners), in all my travels I have relied on ATMs to get local currency. Even if I had started out with a big wad of US dollars, after the last 3 months, they would have been gone. Luckily, I had 300 Thai bhat (about $9) leftover from Thailand, which got me a taxi from the airport and lunch. Thai currency works in Laos, as does the US dollar and the Lao kip. And also, luckily, many places take credit cards (unlike Burma), so I was able to eat in nicer places. Nonethless, it feels horrible and insecure to have my hands tied by being cashless and alone (no friends in Laos).