Haute Cuisine in Laos

I've finally found a spare few minutes to catch everyone up on our travels. Apologizing is futile as I don't imagine anyone's lives are hanging on our updates - plus, a lapse in blogs is sure to happen again!

I sit in an internet cafe in Vientiane, Laos, digesting yet another fabulous meal from Joma, this absolutely fantastic cafe with locations in both Luang Prabang and Vientiane, owned by (who better?) a Canadian couple. Mmm... to be able to eat this well every day!

The Canadian dollar is now worth $1.10 US... Unbelievable. A bit of a bonus for us as we can use $US in Laos and Vietnam! Not that we have any on us... but we get a nice exchange rate when we use our credit cards - which balances out the 3.5% service charge we get hit with each time! Sometimes it can't be avoided though... in Laos the only ATM service available is for cash advances on a credit card!

Despite the lack of advancement in some areas, Laos has been a pleasant surprise and comfortable experience overall. We are enjoying our last few hours in Laos, as we're flying to Hanoi, Vietnam early this evening. Laos cities in brief: clean, friendly and well-developed. There is quite a bit of visible affluence in the cities of Luang Prabang and Vientiane (never mind the spelling or pronounciation as consistency in these areas is unknown in Asia!) - we've actually seen a Lexus and a Nissan Murano... unexpected! The food has been excellent in Laos. I'm not sure we've fallen in love with the traditional food... That's not to say we don't enjoy it but have had so many other options we haven't been forced to try many of the obscure sounding dishes! They do love their spice though, which I keep rediscovering as I realize I've once again forgotten to request 'Not Spicy'... There is a strong French influence here, so we've been treated to cafes, real cheese, and proper bread! Mmm, what heaven to be served warm, buttered baguettes before our meal!!

We didn't make our way into the rural areas of Laos, which is home to the majority of the population, but we did see a great deal of it from our two day boat ride along the Mekong River - not as romantic as it sounds! - and our bus ride from Luang Prabang to Vientiane (the ride that almost made us wish we were back on the boat!). Our two day boat ride was 70 travellers packed on this very old, dirty, BASIC wooden boat, sitting on tiny, narrow, hard wooden benches... It rained much of the way so at times our view was obliterated by the big plastic sheets acting as windows. Thankfully it wasn't an overnight boat and we stayed for the night in a small port town called Pak Beng, in a decent guesthouse that ran out of both electricity and water at around 9 pm... I should mention we selected the two-day 'slow boat' for its relative safety vs. the 'fast boat', which only takes one day but is known to regularly sink!

The morning we were boarding the slow boat we met another couple, Ashley and Alex, like-minded travelling companions with whom we've travelled through Laos and intend to do the same in Vietnam. Alex is Canadian, and Ashley is from Bermuda, but has been studying at Queens for the past few years.

The boat journey ends in Luang Prabang, a quaint town catering to tourists. We really enjoyed ourselves there, biking around and checking out the sights, shopping, and treating ourselves to the famous Southeast Asian massages (Not that kind!! This isn't Bangkok, folks...). In my admittedly limited experience, I have concluded the traditional Laos massage is a far more painful experience than its Thai counterpart. As I lay on my stomach, clenching my pillow as if my life depended on it, and to prevent myself from shouting out in painful agony, I wondered how bruised my body would be the next day. Effective? Therapeutic? Perhaps... but relaxing it was most certainly not! At $4 an hour though, one moves on with little regret.

The bus ride to Vientiane, the capital city, took us through the mountains on some very twisty-turny roads. It was touted as a Special VIP bus... Movies, On-board washroom, lunch... the works! The 'movies' was in fact a Lao karaoke DVD, looping through three songs (five? I really couldn't tell as all videos only used two settings). The washroom was a black-lit box, with a super elevated toilet and the obligatory bucket of water for the standard scoop 'n flush. Remember the twisty roads I mentioned above? Yes, well, I had issues staying in my seat at times, so imagine trying to use the toilet! I cracked my head on the ceiling three times, nearly went headfirst into both the door and the mirror (which was above the sink, behind the elevated toilet... completely inaccessible). With water splashing everywhere, it was a proud feat to make it out of there relatively dry.

That's Laos in short. Speaking of short, we're running out of Lao Kip (their currency) so I should sign off now. Perhaps next time I'll fill you in on my wonderful trekking experience in Thailand... or, it'll have to wait to be shared over drinks upon our return!

- Trish -