Hitchhking, Fresh Soy Milk, Laos Pros and Cons

Gong says that he's going to be very sad for the four days that we are gone. Last time Ramsey and So left for Canada Gong cried for several days.

We miss the first bus to Pakse (where we'll take another bus to Vientiane), so we end up waiting for another one at the cafe section of the "Dao" woman's store. Her grandson is up and about with toy gun in hand...his name is Rambo...they named him after the Stallone character - no joke.

Another bus comes along but it is jam packed horizontally and vertically, in a way only developing nation buses can be - Ramsey wants to take it, but So and I say no. As I see another pickup truck go by, I suggest to So and Ramsey that we hitchhike the 60km to Pakse. Ramsey looks doubtful and says that he's never done that in Laos before and he's never seen others do it. (He later amends this by saying that he has hitchhiked in another part of Laos, but that was about eight years ago). We try anyhow. A few trucks later, we find one that is going to Pakse and is willing to take us and we hop on the back. This is fun and we get a great open air view. The truck is flying and we end up passing most of the trucks that couldn't take us on, as well as that overcrowded bus. We are joyful. It begins to rain a bit, but a couple of tarps in the back help us out and the weather doesn't dampen our mood.

Scenes from the back of a truck as we hitch hike to Pakse.

In Pakse we offer the driver some money (60 000 kip - the cost of our bus fare) but he refuses despite our pressure. I am surprised because I know that money isn't the easiest thing to come by here.

While looking for a place to eat, we pass by this vendor selling deep fried goods as well as fresh hot soy milk (3000 kip). It is absolutely the best soy milk I've ever had. I go back to get another. This makes me wonder if fresh soy milk vending would be a good idea in Toronto. I mean, the soybeans are dirt cheap and the product you end up with doesn't have all the additives found in the store bought stuff. It's taste is pure and delicious. Hot fresh soy milk in the winter, and chilled with ice cubes in the summer. I think I have a winning idea...it's mine...don't you dare steal it!

Before the bus we eat at the Pizza Boy, a tourist geared restaurant that also has Asian food on the menu. Ramsey gets a cheese pizza. Now I'm not sure what following your dreams in Asia does to you, but over time, it might make you eat cheese pizza with soy sauce and catsup. I try it just in case it's good. It's not. Yuck.

The eleven hour ride from Pakse to Vientiane is made sweeter by the sleeping bus. This bus is used solely for long overnight trips and contains bunk beds (150 000 kip).

As the bus rocks back and forth I think about what it would be like to live in rural Laos and not just visit. Knowing that I am only on vacation for a short time, I have put aside my need for creature comforts (I have no choice really) and have looked at all the potential inconveniences as interesting and fun differences, but if I had to live here, certain things might really get to me in the long run and become deal breakers. For example:

1. Food. The amount of time it takes to find, prepare, make and eat food three times a day. There is no fridge, so meat and produce needs to be purchased or harvested from the school site daily.
2. Laundry. The amount of time it takes for laundry to dry in the rainy season is insane. Ramsey and So's cloths took five days to dry, and had to be washed twice more in the meantime to prevent mould.
3. Creepy crawlies. The ceaseless insects, (I must sleep with at least two or three hundred of them in the Library each night) itchiness and skin irritations.
4. Washing. Never being able to shower naked. Blah
5. VO2 max. The lack of aerobic exercise. Double Blah.

Then again, Ramsey's managed to overcome all these obstacles, along with the added challenge of being the only vegetarian in the school. He has to be more resourceful about getting his protein.

Things I like here and wish I could have in Toronto.

1. A landscape that inspires. Mountains at the edge of every horizon. It reminds me of a tropical Asian Vancouver.
2. Ironically, the amount of importance placed on food. The time devoted to the communal making and eating of food.
3. Peeing outdoors where ever I like.
4. A stream right outside my home.
5. A well!
6. Despite the complaint about the ants and mosquitoes. I love the dragonflies and butterflies everywhere.
7. Being able to make stuff out of raw materials using a machete and bamboo.
8. Living in nature and on land where you grow your food.
9. Knowing who grows my food. 100 mile diet assured.
10. Feeling more at the mercy of nature. A humbling and grounding feeling.
11. A giant family with numerous siblings, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews all living under the same roof. Just kidding! Family is good...but phew...there's a lot of family in tight quarters here sometimes.