Laos

Una vez cruzada la frontera entre Tailandia y Laos me disponia a coger ese barco, que no era un barco. Cinco minutos antes de montarme me dice una pareja de guiris que en una famosa guia de viajes pone que el "Speedboat" que yo iba a coger es "extremadamente peligroso". Yo pienso, "Bah, que exageracion, pero si hacen este recorrido todos los dias! No sera para tanto!". Muy aventurera yo...

Once I crossed the frontier between Thailand and Laos I was about to take that ship, that was not a ship. Five minutes before I get into it a couple told me that a famous travelling guide said that the "Speedboat" that I was about to take was "extremely dangerous". I though "Bah, I'm sure it's not that bad, they do it every day!". I'm very adventurous, you know?

En el mismo speedboat que yo iba un viejo japones con un catarrazo, una pareja de gays y un padre y su hija de 8 anios. Pense "Ves, no es para tanto".

There was a Japanese old man who had a big cold, a gay couple and a father and his 8 years daughter in my speedboat. I thought "You see, it's not such a big deal".

Cuando llego hasta el barco, no era un barco, era una canoa con motor. Me extranio que fuesemos a ir ahi nosotros 6, mas las maletas, mas el conductor, pero bueno. Montamos todos y nos dan un chaleco salvavidas y un casco... uyuyuy... un casco?... esto da respeto, la verdad... Pero bueno... Inmediatamente despues, hacen un poco de sitio y pretenden meter a un tio mas en el bote, un septimo, que era de Laos. Entonces el padre de la ninya se mosquea y dice que de eso nada, que no mas de 6. Yo le secundo y digo que es verdad, que ya esta bien y que es peligroso. El japones igual... Una hora discutiendo con el menda que manejaba el cotarro y no hubo forma. Al final tuve a un laosino al lao to el camino. El y sus dos cajas de carton de equipaje.

When I arrived to the ship it wasn't a ship, it was a canoe with motor. I was suprised thgat we were going to be 6 and our lugagges and the driver but... well. We all got into the "boat" and we are given a life vest and a helmet... oh oh... a helmet?... that's scary, isn't it?... But well... Inmediatly they made room for another person, a seventh guy from Laos. then the father gets pissed off and saiys that that's not going to happen, that not more than 6 persons. I agree with him and I say that he's right, that it's enought and that it's dangerous. Same for the Japanise old man... We sept one hour arguiong with the "boss" and no way. Finally I had a Laotian guy sitting next to me during all the travel. He and his two cardbopard luggage boxes.

Bueno, esto no es nada, aquello se pone en marcha y en diez segunos se pone el cacharro a velocidad absurda, seriously. Y se pone a botar y el conductor se pone a esquivar rocas del tamanyo de un punyo que salen del agua. El agua del Mekon es marron, asi que no se ve lo que hay debajo, solo lo que sobresale. Imaginate el miedo que me entro por el cuerpo. Ibamos cagando leches rio abajo, esquivando rocas y saltando a saco en los rapidos, que no eran pocos. Entonces entendi lo que me habian dicho antes los guiris. De vez en cuando miraba hacia atras y veia al padre abrazando a la ninya por el frio y por el miedo de que saliera volando. Yo miraba para delante y me partia de risa. Me reia de puro nervio. Tenia tanto miedo y sentia una impotencia tal, que lo unico que podia hacer era reirme.

Well, that was nothing, that thing started to move and in ten seconds it get' s ludicrous speed, seriously. And it starts jumping and dodging rocks of a fist size that appeared as we moved. Mekong's water is brown, so you can't see what is under it, only what sticks out. Imagine how scared I was. We were bombing along down the river, dodging rocks and jumping in the rapids, wich were a lot. Then I understood what that couple said. Sometimes I looked back and I saw the father embracing his daughter because of the cold and the fear of she flying away. I looked ahead and started laughing my head off. I laughed nbecause I was too nervous. I was so scared and I felt so helpless that the only thing I could do was laughing.

En fin, cuando ya llevabamos mas de una hora empece a acostumbrarme. A las dos horas y media paramos para comer y seguimos. Asi durante 6 horas. Cuando llegamos a Luang Prabang casi no me quedaba culo. Pero bueno, sobrevivi.

After an hour I started to get used to it. After two hours and a half we stopped for lunch and we carried on. 6 hours altogether. When we arrived to Luang Prabang I almost hadn't ass anymore. But I survived.

Luang Prabang es preciosa. Fue declarada patrimonio de la humanidad por la UNESCO en 1998, creo. Tiene templos increibles, y eso que a estas alturas es dificil sorprenderme despues de tantisimos templos que he visto en este viaje. Hay muchisimos monjes y mucho movimiento de turismo ecologico y comercio justo.

Luang Prabang is very beautiful. It was declared Human Heritage by UNESCO in 1998, I think. It has incredible temples, even if it's hard to surprise me after all the temples I've already seen during this travel. There's a lot of monks, ecoturism and fair trade.

Nunca en mi vida he estado en un pais tan pobre como Laos. Al parecer, mas del 75% de la poblacion vive con menos de 2$ a dia. Ademas es el pais mas bombardeado de la historia. Supongo que todo eso fue durante la guerra de Indochina. Una vez mas los americanos "intentando ayudar(se)".

I've never seen in my life in a poorer country than Lao. Apparently, more than 75% of the population lives with less than 2$ per day. On the top, is the most bombed country of the world. I suppose during Indochine's war. Once again americans "trying to help (themselves)".

Despues de visitar todo, decidi coger un autobus a la capital, Vientiane. Luang Prabang es muy bonita pero muy turistica. Aqui las cosas son muy caras respecto al nivel de pobreza del pais. Supongo que la pasta de los turistas desgraciadamente no ayuda mucho al desarrollo del pais... Por lo menos no a alimentar a la gente de aqui. Por eso, todo lo que he comprado aqui lo he hecho en tiendas de comercio justo, pagando mas o menos el mismo precio que en los mercadillos.

After visiting everything I decided to take a bus to Vientian, the capital. Luang Prabang is very beautiful, but very turistic also. Somethings are very expensive respect to the poverty level of

the country. I supose that turist's money doesn't help very much to the country's developement... At least no to feed the people. That's why all I've bought here I did it in fair trade shops, paying more or less the same price that the one of the markets.

El autobus a Vientiane fue otra aventura. Visto que eran un monton de horas de viaje, decidi coger un autobus VIP (en serio, se llaman asi). Tardan dos horas menos, tienen servicio y llevan aire acondicionado. Bueno, pues menos mal... No quiero ni pensar como iran los de los otros autobuses. Bueno, si me lo imagino, llenos de laosinos que no pueden permitirse el VIP. Aquello pegaba mas botes que un cacharrito de la feria, era todo de hojalata y con mas anyos que el sol jajajaja. Dos tios fueron sentados en banquetas durante las 9 horas de viaje porque no habia mas asientos. Uno de ellos me di cuenta a mitad del camino que llevaba... una metralleta!

The bus to Vientiane was another adventure. Due to the long travel that I was about to make I decided to take an VIP bus (seriously, they call it like that). They take two hours less to arrive, have toilet and aircon. Well... afortunately... I can't imagine the other ones. Well, I can, full of Lao people who can't pay the VIP ones. That jumped a lot, it was all made of tin and very very old hahahahah. Two of the passangers were sitting on stools because there was any more seats. Halfway I realised that one of them had a submachine-gun!

Lo mas fuerte de todo fue toda la pobreza que vi por el camino. No hay casas, solo cabanyas, las carreteras (si hay y no es un camino de tierra) son del anyo catapun... y todos los ninyos jugando al borde de la carretera con la ropa destrozada y llenos de mierda. Es un pais super polvoriento. Todo es marron. Las mujeres curran como mulas. Las gente es increiblemente amable, solo les miras y ya te saludan "Sabaidee!".

The most impressive thing was all the poverty that I saw in my way. There was no houses, just cabins, the road (if itexist and isn't a dirt track) is veeeery ols too... and all the children are playing next to the road with their clothes in shreds and filthy. Is a very dusty country. Everything is brown. Women slave away. People is unbelievable kind, you look at them and they say "Sabaidee!".

Ahora estoy en la capital, Vientiane. Ayer hice un mini curso de tenyido y tejido tipico de Laos. Tejer es genial. Yo quiero una tejedora!

Now I'm at the capital, Vientiane. Yesterday I took a short course about typical Lao diying and weaving. Weaving is great. I want a weaver!
Manyiana vuelvo a Bangkok. Supongo que se acaba lo bueno, pero en fin, empieza otra cosa... Siempre es igual, cada vez que me muevo de sitio mas de un par de semanas siempre me da la sensacion de empezar de nuevo, de haber cambiado yo tambien... Por eso me encanta ;)Tomwrrow I'll come back to Bkk. I supose it's the end, but the beginning of something else... It's allways the same, everytime that I move more than two weeks I always think that I'm starting again, that I,ve changed too... That's why I love it ;)

Agur, yogur!