Impressions

Once again, the highlight of the day was just sitting in the van and watching Laos go by. The people are so good looking, so healthy looking. Rick noted how 30 miles out into the middle of nowhere, a crowd of a dozen impoverished school children walking back to town were in perfectly pressed, perfectly clean school uniforms, hair done nicely, looking absolutely beautiful. From penniless families all, but there was always time to keep the kids looking right apparently.

Everyone was doing something to keep themselves occupied. The simplest little undertakings were done with flair and pride: The woodwork, the trim, the weeding of the gardens, the cleaning of the yard, the maintenance of the sheds and bins... all of it. I remember remarking how the Cambodians seemed to take more pride in the things they had than Thai people did. Lao people even more so, it seems.

Having now visited 3 of the 7 major populations in southeast Asia (the remaining being Vietnamese, Burmese, Malay, and Indonesian), so far the Thai people are running far behind their regional brethren in civic pride, community appearance, and maintenance of personal property.

I will say that it is kind of weird that the town of Ponsavan did not seem to be quite as interested in all of the things I just mentioned. Perhaps because of the wealth there: Perhaps in Asia, more wealth means less time spent on making one's environment pleasing to the eye. It certainly seems that in Southeast Asia, the more patently poor a place seems to be, the more I'd be willing to hang around and enjoy looking at everything.

The Ponsavan region itself was beautiful as well, although the deforestation is going to have to be addressed... and soon. Rick says that Ponsavan reminds him quite a bit of Montana. I've never been there, but he was quite certain. So that should give you an idea, if you know the place.

We were done with our touring by about 3:00 in the afternoon, and decided to check ourselves into a hotel closer to the center of town. Immediately thereafter, we walked into town and went to a Chinese restaurant. (Since Laos actually borders China, it is a distinct possibility that a Chinese restaurant may be just that.)

As per usual, we ordered 7 or 8 dishes, spending about $14 or $16 in the process. Ponsavan is as yet not really on the tourist map. Therefore, the business owners are not really "in tune" with how to handle Western tourists... what they want and expect in level of service, et cetera. Having 2 Lao girls as traveling companions helped Rick and me avoid most of the pitfalls that seemed to pop up, and we had a generally smooth experience, but if you have any frustration level other than "zero" (like Rick and me, to tell the truth), Ponsavan is going to find a way to raise your blood pressure.

Well, OK... I do have a frustration level.