Silk Scarves and the Laos Walmart

My approach to the day today was simple: exploration and relaxation. Those were my two guidelines for the day and I must admit I was quite successful. Work ended at a reasonable hour today and after I headed home I changed quickly out of my work attire and into my regular clothes. Continuing with our plan of exploring the back alleys and small shops of downtown Vientiane, Zenia, Saem and I rode our bikes to Fruit Heaven for a little smoothie goodness and then set out on foot to explore.

I can now say with absolute certainty that the only way to explore Vientiane is on foot. People on motorbikes zoom through the city as if they are in a race and those on bicycles must concentrate fiercely on the road to avoid being a casualty of those motorbike drivers. As you whip down the roads, unable to look right or left at the streets and shops, you miss the heart of Vientiane. The only way to see it all is to hop off your mode of transportation and take to the city streets on foot. Knowing this was the case, the three of us did just that.

While drinking delicious watermelon and lemon smoothies, we meandered our way down the road, stopping at any shops that looked good to us. We spent time exploring a silk shop (where we purchased some amazing silk scarves) and two bookstores (at my insistence). Unfortunately, my book loving tendencies ran rampant and I succumbed to a burning desire for books, purchasing two books here, a Terry Pratchett and Bill Bryson. :) It couldn’t be helped! They were each under $10 and were in beautiful condition. *sigh* As I write this I am disgusted with myself. I came to SE Asia and am now dragging home two heavy books I could buy in the states (for a higher price though). I really am an addict.

We continued on our journey once I was dragged out of book-love stupor and we turned down another alley, which led us to a large, brightly lit building. The sight took us by complete surprise as we had become accustomed to the small Mom-and-Pop establishments that liter the streets of SE Asia. In front of us stood a large, multi-storied building that looked similar to any large, cheap Walmart/K-Mart/Target type store you would find in the US. While this was not what we had some downtown to find, we couldn’t resist the pull of the store and our burning desire to see what was inside. Well…it is the Laos Walmart! This is the store no one will tell you about! It was full of everything you would want to buy including groceries, bedding, silverwear, bags, etc. It was amazing and we stood in shock and awe at the array of items available, no longer priced at the exorbitant costs of $3, now only $1.50! It was a revelation that the Lao people do have such a store and felt pretty good. They had tried to hide their Walmart and claimed to be above such things as “superstores,” but we had found it! *evil laugh*

After we left the store it was quite late at night so we headed to our dinner destination, an Indian restaurant called The Taj Mahal. We sat at a small table, surrounded by a surprising number of brown people (Indians). The food took a while to appear (we’re now used to receiving our food in under 10 minutes as is the Asian way), but it was worth the wait. Saem and I requested Zenia order for us and this turned out to be the best practice. The restaurant, a building that opened in the front, but with a closed room in back where we were seated, was covered in bollywood posters, most of which I recognized due to my extreme love of bollywood films. :) We ate family style, ordering dishes for the table and loading up our plates, picking up the food with our naan, and enjoying every bite.

I rode home in perfect contentment, full of good Indian food and happy at my relaxing evening of exploration.

A Few More Observations on SE Asian Culture:
1. It is a perfectly acceptable practice to drive on the wrong side of the road. If the road has a barrier between your lanes that does not allow you to turn where you need to turn, simply drive on the wrong side of the road (on the wrong side of the barrier!) and turn where you will. Don’t worry…others will swerve for you.
2. SE Asians have no filter. It’s amazing. Whatever they are thinking, they will say. For example, if you are a slightly overweight individual, it would not be uncommon for a local to come up, poke you in the stomach, and tell you you’re fat. Store owners will even run you out of their shops if they think you are too big (it happened to a friend in Chiang Mai), insisting that no clothes there would fit you and you must go somewhere else. This candid behavior is not reserved for the falang, but enjoyed by everyone. So when coming to SE Asia, you might want to slim down a bit, because you’re going to be called fat otherwise!
3. The people here think it is hilarious that we don’t understand their language. One girl in the office (I’m not sure what her name is yet) keeps coming up to me, speaking in Lao and then asking, “Do you understand?” My reply of “No.” sends her into gales of laughter, as if she expected it to change overnight. Evidently, my ignorance is a constant source of amusement. I’m not sure how long she will continue this practice (it has been two weeks so far), but as long as it keeps her amused and she later switches to English for the rest of our conversation (she speaks excellent English) we will get along well.
4. There are an astonishing number of falang in Vientiane. It is incredible, but as you walk down the streets of the city, you will pass what feels like hundreds of falant everywhere, tourists, workers for NGOs (there are a LOT of NGOs in Laos), and expats. It seems you can’t take a step here without stumbling over a falang. And if you think about it, I am one of those falang!