Yes, I have been on the road...and river again, and met up with the usual cast of the weird, the wonderful and those who should not really be allowed out on their own.
The GH Receptionist offered me drugs and a lady;but I don't think they were included in the all-in price of $5 a night, so I declined,
Later on the same day I told a waiter that I had been the only falang on the boat, to which his response was, "Oh my Buddha !", which is an expletive I have not heard before.
But the boat back was pretty full of backpackers.....yes, yes, here we go again on one of my diatribes. A group of about 10 of them clung together for psychological support and spent all 7 hours of an incredibly beautiful boat trip with their heads down playing cards. They were having a good time, but it seems an awful long way to travel for a game of cards. I wonder why they bother. But as Jane Austen wrote, "One half of the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other."
Another group of 5 tried to re-organise the Lao passengers so that they could all sit together...ah, bless. Apart from being so sad that they cannot travel without the safety net of other falangs around them all the time,their sheer naivety in thinking that the Lao people are 'organisable' was quite touching. The Laos said "Yes, yes" to all the request to move, but didn't.' Yes' here meaning somewhere between 'maybe' and 'no', but always said with a smile.
Happily there was also the statutory batty American. This time a lady. She assured me that she could read my aura and that she was followed everywhere by angels. She was only a little disconcerted by my saying that whilst I would be happy to be preceded by angels, having them following me around all the time sounded quite tiresome. She had the last word, of course, as psychics always can, by advising me that I was currently surrounded by bad spirits. She did not advise me on how to send them on their way, so any advice on that point would be welcome. Maybe she just meant the backpackers?
The local swimming pool here has closed. Some of the more upmarket hotels have small pools, but this was quite a popular independent one which the owners had spent quite a bit publicising. But a serious crime had been committed. The owner had only got a tourist visa, so the police were called in to close it down. One might have thought ( if one did not know better ) that the police had better things to do with their time, but it seems that depriving the city of one of its attractions for tourists and locals was higher on their agenda than dealing with drug dealers or drunk drivers, or even having a quiet word with 8 year old boys driving 250cc motorbikes ( without a helmet, of course). On the issue of crash helmets, one of my students was about to drive off on his motorbike not wearing a helmet. I said. "haven't you got a helmet?" "Oh, yes", he said "I keep it at home"; wrong question I suppose.
The attitude here to the Thai floods is interesting. Officially, people people rightly feel great sympathy. But there is deeper sense that maybe its 'payback' time for Thailand. The theft by Thailand of so many Lao holy relics seems to be a very raw nerve ending for some people. The theft of some major items was accompanied by biblical type prophecy of floods and pestilence falling on those responsible, and this is now being noted by some. But Laos has not escaped the floods entirely. Some farms in the south have been totally flooded and the entire year's crops destroyed. This is especially serious for rice and other seed crops, as it means that effectively next year's has been wiped out too, with no seeds for planting. The weather continues to be dry and cooler, though still very hot by late morning. My own crops suffered in my absence and I am not sure how many of them will recover from a week with no water.
I was up at 5 am yesterday to give alms and visit the temple. The sight of all that sticky rice so early in the day, especially after a late night was distinctly unappetising. And by 6.30pm I was thinking of going to bed.
The state of the Lao economy continues to puzzle me. I saw some land yesterday which had been sold for $300 a metre. That is (see above) almost a year's earnings for many people, and you cannot do much with just one metre. Inflation is high...somewhere between 5% and 10%, but you get 3% interest on a current bank account and up to 13% from a 2 year notice account. One might think that people would be queuing to put money here; well, maybe they are but I guess the queue will be moving very slowly.
Finally, also on the subject of money, I must pay tribute to 2 little kids who just called round with quite an imaginative scam. I will explain.
Rubbish "collection" here is paid for on a weekly basis. A lady calls round and demands 10,000kip (say $1.20, or 85pence) and in return gives you a ticket or receipt. That is, in the local context, a scandalous amount of money given the level of service.( for example, I pay, say, 15,000 kip a week for water, and a little more, but usually less than 20,000 for electricity. )
The "collection", to give it its due, is twice a week......ohhh eat your heart out in UK for that !
But you have to carry your rubbish to one of several appointed sites in the village; they do not do door-door. Also, because of poverty, nothing gets thrown out that might have any possible economic use (like plastic bottles or cans),so the amount is relatively small. And in terms of the service, maybe 20% of the collection is left strewn on the road, with the result that on Tuesdays and Fridays after the rubbish lorry has been through, the whole village looks like a tip. I often wonder what would happen if I refused to buy a ticket and explain that, like many people apparently, I prefer to dump my rubbish in the hedgerows or the river, or burn it in front of my next door neighbour's house (as my next door neighbours do).
But back to the kids, they arrived and presented me with a very shop soiled and dirty ticket, which had clearly seen better days. Maybe they found it in the rubbish? Obviously, the village falang is a well known idiot who can be parted from his money quite easily. But I sent them next door; though I don't suppose that they knew that, or would have followed my advice if they did
This week I was in fact,going to discuss the notion of a falang, but I think that is enough rubbish for one week, and so you have something to look forward to next week now.
Alan
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