[Vientiane, 8/7/23] On my last morning in Vientiane, I left my room just after 5AM, so earlier than usual, to see that neighborhood one last time. Of course, I might just return there, soon enough even, so it may not have been for the “last time.” Still, we can’t assume we’ll see anything again, not during this great misadventure we didn’t sign up for.
Regarding Laos' bad roads, my Canadian friend who has spent decades in this country writes:
"More than 30 years international development assistance. There are 3 modern travel modes in Lao – air, high speed train, Vientiane Vang Vieng highway. That’s it.
"Roads are substandard everywhere with poor engineering and even worse construction. The jolting ride was navigating the potholes on Lao national highway. Potholes arise from poor compaction, substandard materials and no enforcement of load limits on heavy trucks chewing up the pavement. I could go on.
To be fair, Pakse is in the far south. You could have stopped a day or two in Thakek which is a nice little town too.
"Transportation – most lao are still grateful they don’t have to walk. Many can remember there were no paved roads and few unpaved roads 30 years ago. A bus was a truck chassis, usually Russian military, with a wooden frame and seats crammed with chickens and baskets of vegetables, hurtling down the laterite tracks ..."
I moved to Ensenada, Baja Norte, Mexico a little over three years ago. Foolishly I insisted upon taking the Greyhound south from Sacramento, California, to see the country side, I thought. I endured about 12 hours of tens of thousands of fast food signs passing by in the night on the interstate. Then arriving in San Diego and passing through one of the world's largest homeless encampments of the ubiquitous, drab blue tarps indicating the losers in the great American Dream con game I crossed through customs and boarded the much newer, cleaner Mexican ABC buses for the coastal route south. How I longed for the drabness of American interstates as the ABC bus careened down mountain cliff roads with the gloomy gray Pacific Ocean off to my right, about 50 stories down and Sonora desert Cacti on ragged hills to my left!
A better "ground view" was the Amtrak train ride from Sacramento to Seattle some years earlier. The Cascade mountains have not yet been "Americanized" with Arby's and Outback Steak houses.
Aug 10, 2023·edited Aug 10, 2023Liked by Linh Dinh
Mexico has increased the financial requirements of their visas by quite a bit. Consequently, do you find that there is a big difference between the newer expats and the ones who came when requirements were lower? I lived in Mexico 10 years ago for one year and found that the type of expats who had arrived in the last 5 years or so were very different from the earlier ones. The earlier ones were more eclectic, more likely to be working class and less likely to be PC. The new ones were mainly middle class and very staunch SJW especially the women.
Thank you for your comment, Al DuClur. I'll try to be brief; I just learned today that Mr. Dinh has a limit on the length of comments here. I lived in Ensanada just 100 miles south of San Diego for just over a year. I was given an entry permit (when I showed my passport) for six months at the border; as far as I know it was renewable indefinably. No Visa requirement. No questions .asked. I returned to the states mostly because I felt very isolated and lonely down there (and I'm an introvert who rarely needs to talk to people). I speak fair Spanish but I felt like I was being shunned because I was a Gringo. One day I got in a nasty row with my apartment manager, that was the last straw and I left.
I really did not feel welcome in Mexico. The only people who treated me nicely where the baristas at the coffee shop I frequented and whom I tipped well. Maybe it's just me. I'm not the most charismatic guy. But I really felt a sort of simmering hostility toward gringos. Having said that, I met more young Mexican women who would flirt with me then women who would even acknowledge me for the 37 years I lived in Sacramento, CA. In CA I was a working-class loser with no money; in Mexico I guess I was sort of an exotic who could tip well because the rent was so cheap.
To try to address your question: I meet essentially no United States people in Ensenada. It's not really a tourist destination for Americans.
Thomas, sorry Mexico didn't work out for you but at least you gave it a shot. I found some fake friendliness among the Mexicans in Puebla. They are known by Mexicans as the least friendly Mexicans so I didn't know if it was just that. However, I found them preferable to the gringas who were under the sway of an american woman who was full Social Justice Warrior.
I came away from Mexico with very little respect for Mexican culture and no respect for the modern, female led gringo culture.
I far prefer Eastern Asian culture: The people are more honest and dependable and have a greater sense of responsibility. It is also a lot safer.
I love the picture of the young girl in the blue dress. People in Laos are so attractive....and hardly any are obese like here in Sacramento! And thanks so much for the entertaining travelogue! Hope your health continues to improve.
"On Rue Samsenthai, I paused to view, again, a temple to Tran Hung Dao. Vietnam’s greatest military hero, he defeated the Mongols twice in the 13th century, so is considered a deity. Even in a foreign capital, he’s worshipped by uprooted Vietnamese 723 years after his death, which can only mean Viets are that grounded. That’s how you survive."
In Canada, the greatest historical event was the 1972 Canada-USSR Hockey "Summit" Series.
It does not ground the citizens of Canada at all; so that is what I guess is the reflection of the reality that Canada will not survive.
Hi everyone,
Regarding Laos' bad roads, my Canadian friend who has spent decades in this country writes:
"More than 30 years international development assistance. There are 3 modern travel modes in Lao – air, high speed train, Vientiane Vang Vieng highway. That’s it.
"Roads are substandard everywhere with poor engineering and even worse construction. The jolting ride was navigating the potholes on Lao national highway. Potholes arise from poor compaction, substandard materials and no enforcement of load limits on heavy trucks chewing up the pavement. I could go on.
To be fair, Pakse is in the far south. You could have stopped a day or two in Thakek which is a nice little town too.
"Transportation – most lao are still grateful they don’t have to walk. Many can remember there were no paved roads and few unpaved roads 30 years ago. A bus was a truck chassis, usually Russian military, with a wooden frame and seats crammed with chickens and baskets of vegetables, hurtling down the laterite tracks ..."
Linh
P.S. Go here for two photos of Lao transportation circa 1995: http://linhdinhphotos.blogspot.com/2023/08/regarding-laos-bad-roads-my-canadian.html
"I [too] like to be on the ground for the views."
I moved to Ensenada, Baja Norte, Mexico a little over three years ago. Foolishly I insisted upon taking the Greyhound south from Sacramento, California, to see the country side, I thought. I endured about 12 hours of tens of thousands of fast food signs passing by in the night on the interstate. Then arriving in San Diego and passing through one of the world's largest homeless encampments of the ubiquitous, drab blue tarps indicating the losers in the great American Dream con game I crossed through customs and boarded the much newer, cleaner Mexican ABC buses for the coastal route south. How I longed for the drabness of American interstates as the ABC bus careened down mountain cliff roads with the gloomy gray Pacific Ocean off to my right, about 50 stories down and Sonora desert Cacti on ragged hills to my left!
A better "ground view" was the Amtrak train ride from Sacramento to Seattle some years earlier. The Cascade mountains have not yet been "Americanized" with Arby's and Outback Steak houses.
Mexico has increased the financial requirements of their visas by quite a bit. Consequently, do you find that there is a big difference between the newer expats and the ones who came when requirements were lower? I lived in Mexico 10 years ago for one year and found that the type of expats who had arrived in the last 5 years or so were very different from the earlier ones. The earlier ones were more eclectic, more likely to be working class and less likely to be PC. The new ones were mainly middle class and very staunch SJW especially the women.
Thank you for your comment, Al DuClur. I'll try to be brief; I just learned today that Mr. Dinh has a limit on the length of comments here. I lived in Ensanada just 100 miles south of San Diego for just over a year. I was given an entry permit (when I showed my passport) for six months at the border; as far as I know it was renewable indefinably. No Visa requirement. No questions .asked. I returned to the states mostly because I felt very isolated and lonely down there (and I'm an introvert who rarely needs to talk to people). I speak fair Spanish but I felt like I was being shunned because I was a Gringo. One day I got in a nasty row with my apartment manager, that was the last straw and I left.
I really did not feel welcome in Mexico. The only people who treated me nicely where the baristas at the coffee shop I frequented and whom I tipped well. Maybe it's just me. I'm not the most charismatic guy. But I really felt a sort of simmering hostility toward gringos. Having said that, I met more young Mexican women who would flirt with me then women who would even acknowledge me for the 37 years I lived in Sacramento, CA. In CA I was a working-class loser with no money; in Mexico I guess I was sort of an exotic who could tip well because the rent was so cheap.
To try to address your question: I meet essentially no United States people in Ensenada. It's not really a tourist destination for Americans.
"I just learned today that Mr. Dihn has a limit on the length of comments here. "
Hi Thomas,
I had no idea there was such a limit. Do say as much as you want, but chop it up into several comments!
Linh
Thank you, Mr. Dinh! That's very kind. I tend to ramble so I'll try to be conscious of that and avoid it.
Thomas, sorry Mexico didn't work out for you but at least you gave it a shot. I found some fake friendliness among the Mexicans in Puebla. They are known by Mexicans as the least friendly Mexicans so I didn't know if it was just that. However, I found them preferable to the gringas who were under the sway of an american woman who was full Social Justice Warrior.
I came away from Mexico with very little respect for Mexican culture and no respect for the modern, female led gringo culture.
I far prefer Eastern Asian culture: The people are more honest and dependable and have a greater sense of responsibility. It is also a lot safer.
I love the picture of the young girl in the blue dress. People in Laos are so attractive....and hardly any are obese like here in Sacramento! And thanks so much for the entertaining travelogue! Hope your health continues to improve.
Evocative writing augmented by your illustrative photos makes a difficult trip a joy to read.
"On Rue Samsenthai, I paused to view, again, a temple to Tran Hung Dao. Vietnam’s greatest military hero, he defeated the Mongols twice in the 13th century, so is considered a deity. Even in a foreign capital, he’s worshipped by uprooted Vietnamese 723 years after his death, which can only mean Viets are that grounded. That’s how you survive."
In Canada, the greatest historical event was the 1972 Canada-USSR Hockey "Summit" Series.
It does not ground the citizens of Canada at all; so that is what I guess is the reflection of the reality that Canada will not survive.
Laos seems a lot more normal than life in most of the West.
adventurism can be hard