10
November, Vang Vieng
Mountain Riverview Guest House 100,000LAK
While
there are many youngsters in town, Vang Vieng seems to attract an interesting
array of older foreigners too. We met a Brit who shattered both legs in a terrible
paragliding accident in South Africa some years ago. He has chosen to make Asia
his home. As he makes a living via the net and is therefore more mobile
workwise than he is physically, he moves from place to place spending a few
weeks at a time in towns that take his fancy. We met a Norwegian who owns two
guest houses in Vang Vieng, one attached to a restaurant. When he can, he
leases both enterprises out for the season, splitting the income with the
lessees, and taking a holiday elsewhere with his wife. He was very laid-back,
telling us how his adult son had come to visit, had tried the local mushrooms,
and had fallen asleep in the street where he spent the entire night. He told
this story merely to illustrate the fact that there is little crime in Laos. We
met a Belgian aged 62 whose 21 year old Lao lover had earlier in the day given
birth to their daughter. He has two adult daughters in Belgium aged 22 and 25
and a 90 year old mum, none of whom know yet about his new family. He is
planning to go back shortly and show them the photos he showed us. Apparently
the entire Lao family congregated in his house for the birth, building a fire
on the floor and playing cards all day to raise funds for the baby. He was so
pumped with adrenaline that he told us all these intimate details while we were
waiting to pay our dinner bill.
View from our Vang Vieng hotel room
View from our Vang Vieng hotel room
View from our Vang Vieng hotel room
View from our Vang Vieng hotel room
View from our Vang Vieng hotel room