21122010 - Pakse and thoughts so far in Laos.

Another epic 15 hour bus ride on a Lao bus and this time they had folk music blasting from 8pm till the nights and it was a real uphill battle to stay sane for the length of the trip. Had people vomiting on the aisle of the bus and onto boxes of goods. good thing my backpack was the first one in the luggage compartment. There isn't anything much to do in Pakse as it is more of a gateway for travellers heading down to champasak or 4000 islands. Replenished sleep lost on the bus and bought the local coffee.

common sights 

the mekong beside pakse

As i draw to the end of my time in Laos, i've realised that things are not as cheap as i've expected it to be. Many travelers feel the same way too. With a daily budget of about 30sgd, I’ve been averaging 20-25. reason being transport bites a considerable chunk of it as traveling within Laos is not filled with many options. Most of the time the tourists also unknowing pay a bit more than the locals do. To be honest as much as I loved the places I’ve been in this country so far, this practice is really annoying and leaves a bad taste in the mouth. Although it’s not those rip-you-off-till-you’re-almost-broke kind of money, they do add up and it’s not nice to see some of the locals’ lack of integrity.

Sure enough as a traveler we ought to expect ourselves being overcharged from time to time but to have to do it consistently doesn’t sit well for me. That is why I hate it when other travelers give in meekly and overpay despite knowing it. This gives the locals the impression that we are ok with paying more and it just encourages them to do it to the next group of people.

The same with children I met while cycling through the villages of Nong Khiaw where they run up to us and asked for pens, sweets and one dollar. Giving in to their doe eyed faces means you have a kind heart but at the same time is encourages the children to cultivate it into a bad habit and they become dependent and start to develop ‘begging’ tendencies. The best thing I believe you can give to the kids is your time. Be playful with them, entertain them in any way you can and at the end of the day you can still put a smile on their faces without a giveaway of candies and pens. Leave that chore to Santa Claus .