Che-ing All Over

Che Guevara - Bumper Sticker and Icon of the People (who drive tuk tuks)

 

Transport in Laos - Getting around and carrying stuff

This post is especially for my nephews and niece who might find this interesting - Lachlan, Thomas, Finn, Alanah and maybe even Joel will enjoy it too.

Here's just SOME of the ways that Lao people get around and carry stuff. Although it's a pretty quiet place really, there are lots of cars and motorbikes and tuk tuks around - especially when you are trying to cross the road and it's raining and there's no gap in the traffic!

You can see these pictures more clearly if you click on them - they should open up as a larger image.
Hope you enjoy them!

Getting a lift home from work

All the vegie carts in the car park (cart park?) at the market

Traffic on one of the main road of Vientiane

My bus on its way home

 

A tuk tuk

Ewww, Pooh on his motorbike seat

A truck

An electric bus

Playing his DS while getting a lift with Mum

 

Monks on the way back to the temple

 

Bikes and Tuk tuks and cars

 

A tuk tuk truck

lots of tuk tuks

Tuk tuks can carry whatever you want them to

peak hour on the main road

 

 

A bike on a bus

Thailand for a day

Last Sunday we went to Thailand for the day. All three of us, Martin, Clara and I had to exit and re-enter Laos so our visas would tell the truth. So we made a day of it.

It was Martin's birthday so we planned a day of shopping and nice lunch. We started early, only to find it wasn't quite early enough. The 8am bus was fully booked. We waited for the next one.

20kms from the bus station in the centre of town is the Australian-built "Friendship Bridge" where you can drive across the Mekong. Here's a picture of the immigration checkpoint where we had to get off the bus, queue, fill in forms, pay some money, queue some more and get back on the bus.

Immigration - leaving Laos

 

Now I can't say I wasn't told

 

Then we crossed the Mekong into another country.

Welcome to Thailand

 

Am I just biased or does the grass seem greener on this side?

 

It kind of looks the same but it's different. The tuk tuks are prettier, the shopping centre is more modern and the shopping is cheaper.

Pretty Tuk Tuks

Modern, western-style shopping centre in Udonthani

Thailand even has Daddy Donut. Does it get any better?

We ate at a Korean BBQ restaurant that used a sushi train system. We cooked our food on mini barbies on our table. I'm not sure what I was supposed to do with the sliced mango though.

Korean BBQ train

 

Sushi and Korean BBQ for birthday lunch

 

So we shopped for a few things -I bought a hairdryer, shoes, handbag, I looked for clothes. I got fitted for a bra standing in the middle of a department store over my T-shirt in front of hundreds (or so it seemed). I spoke Thai and remembered words I haven't spoken in 15 years. I mixed some Lao in there by mistake but no one seemed to mind. Thais love a good laugh.

But the best find was a wool shop!  With real wool and knitting needles and crochet hooks! There was even a knitting class in progress. There were some mean looking cable knits in progress on that table. Outside it was a steamy 38 degrees - but that didn't stop those fast-flying needles. I chatted in Thai to the shop girl about cotton mixes and the price of wool and darning needles and it felt a little bit like home!

 

Wool! In Thailand

The knitting class in progress

 

Rushing home to the border crossing that evening we enjoyed a trip in this cute little vehicle:

Cute Thai Tuk Tuk

 

We got our visas, ran into a friend and travelled home in the back of a songteaw (little-truck thing with roof and seats in back). It was a big day, I was stuffed. But international travel can do that to you.