KABOOMY! We just landed in Vientiane, and we are liking the vibes here in Laos…sleepy, easygoing, warm, tranquillo.
Traveling to Laos is easy with a U.S. passport…we fly to Vientiane, we pay 35 USD for a 30-day tourist visa, and BOOM we are in. . .no fuss, no muss.
It is very chill here. . .we see the Lao flag and the political party flag everywhere–the Lao flag has two red bars and one blue bar with a white dot in the center of it–ok. . .the political party flag is red with a gold hammer and sickle in the center representing the fact that Laos is one of the only officially Communist countries remaining on the planet–wow.
Of course, it is impossible for us to ascertain what kind of communism they have here or what they really mean by calling themselves communist…but what we do know for certain is the following: there is one party here, the government is authoritarian–no opposition allowed…just follow the rules as outlined, and a person is good-to-go, I think.
We walk and ride around, and we don’t see any police cars anywhere…we do see a couple of cops at one point walking to a car with pistols jammed in their belts…no holsters, just pistols jammed into trouser belts…don’t get in trouble here, there are a lot more guys like this roaming around incognito, most definitely.
Nevertheless, this town, this country, appears to be open-for-business. There are coffee shops, restaurants, snack shops, bars, hotels, food shacks, markets, etc. EVERYWHERE. Commerce is happening all over the place. . .there are embassies all over the place–the U.S. embassy is, of course, HUGE and tightly monitored and guarded…monuments are open…streets are clean, super clean…traffic is plentiful…the mighty Mekong River flows along the edge of Vientiane…xmas and new year decorations are up…people smile at us and say ‘sabaidee’ (hello) to us everywhere…all is chill and nice and Buddhist and orderly. . .we like it here, we like it a lot.
So, our first impressions are good…and they keep getting better. I say come to Laos. . .come to Laos to chill out in the hills of Southeast Asia. . .it feels real good. Just be nice, say hello to everyone, eat some meals, drink some Lao beer or some delicious French wine–there are fine selections and bits of Frenchiness everywhere because this used to be part of French Indochina–and it’s ok. . .everyone is chill, and everyone appears to be doing their best to live cheerfully and keep moving forward…wherever forward will take them.
We read that this is the youngest country in Southeast Asia with an average age of somewhere around 21…all this youth wants to thrive in whatever way they can. . .come on over here some time and feel the niceness, spend some money, and help them continue to develop.
I send you relaxing vibes from Laos…feel them…they will help you nap real well today.
It’s lovely out there.
GlobeHug 