More Vang Vienne…
So it turns out this isn’t just a place for debauchery and unbridled hedonism. Take your feet or rent a bike for all of thirty or fourty KIP and go explore. Its what we had to do, having spent a day milling around in various bars and dancing, a day actually on the river and well, it was high time for some exercise. The area lends itself to exploration- cycling and walking and for those with nerves and muscles of steel climbing.With breathtaking routes along rivers and through local jungle, in the dry season it’s also pretty much bug free and very pleasant. We headed off to see a cave on some bikes and then went off along dust tracks to see small surrounding villages and communities. Unlike Vietnam and Thailand, the kids here actually go to school and the tourist trails of dollar bills haven’t lured them out into begging, however there is still a long way to go for them to ensure they avoid the trap of easy dollars and forego their culture and conserve their greatest assets; their smiles and the environment. We stopped for lunch and met a very interesting chap who had returned from a reasonably comfortable life in Canada. He had pretty decent English and we had the chance to finally find out a little more.
For a communist country the state interferes very little. The villages are largely all self governing and have to just pay rent on the land that is used, which means that villages are also allowed to sell the land to individuals on what sounded like a freehold basis which was very different to China… perhaps the result of IMF and World Bank development lending? The land he bought wasn’t far away from the village of Vang Vienne and he had some interesting plans. He felt the local communities would be able to help themselves better with English language skills, and he was building a community centre out of clay bricks where he could teach, it could be taught. Sadly none of the adults were coming for tuition so he was providing free tuition to children instead, using a white board in an open class room in the most scenic class room I have ever seen! I was very impressed with his plans, we spoke for a while. He had hoped for some outside help from gap year students and tourists but sadly with the little information in the village it wasn’t really forthcoming. We thought he was on the right track as he could do a lot more for the local area in the long term. So… if anyone is interested in helping him out.. perhaps as a volunteer or guidance in the UK or onsite let us know… or email him directly on bobfrich@hotmail.com, his name is Sengkeo Frichitthavong (Bob). We did not offer to help him with money but I think he’d be greatful for donations to help build the centre as he needs labour and concrete. Anyone need/want a project?
Our next moves are to head to Vietiene by kayak and bus, then cross the border to Thailand and catch a night train to Bangkok. (MT)
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