It really is pointing out the obvious to say that there are a lot of changes in 15 years but also plenty of things stay the same. Here are a few observations from the Lawrence few days in the capital of Lao's Bolikhamxay Province.
Inflation has arrived big style. While the value of the Lao Kip to the pound has stayed relatively the same as previously (around 13000 to 1) prices of every day goods have not. A bowl of noodle soup was 5000kip in 1998 and is now anywhere up to 25000. Iced coffee was around 3000 per dose and is now around 10000 and the bus fare from Vientiane to Pakxan has increased from 5000 to 30000.
At the same time as the increase in inflation the number of cars has also increased. Whereas the car, usually in the form of a government Toyota Hi-lux was something to aspire to now anyone who is anyone has their own, often very new vehicle. Not satisfied by a basic model three litre big wheelers are not uncommon and Hyundai elantras are the run around of choice. It has left me thinking where all those portions of £20000 plus have come from? Equally thought-provoking was a walk past the student bike park at the High School this afternoon. Motorbikes out-numbered bicycles by around 9 to 1. Where has all the money come from?
Traffic lights have arrived at the crossroads between the main north-south road and the port to Pakxan New Town road. These new things are even complete with countdown timers which let you know how many seconds you have to wait until you can go. I can't stand these embellishments as you can either feel your life ticking by as you wait for the change or the rubber wearing off your shoes as you press the accelerator that bit harder to try to get across in those last few seconds.
The Lawrence favourite iced-coffee shop has vanished from the junction of the Nam Xan and Mekong Rivers. According to my well-placed source an edict from the Lao Government was issued stating that such establishments were to be removed from river banks. The cafe owners were duly moved. Since then one restaurant returned, but sadly does not serve iced coffee. Imagine mine and Lexi's pleasure then this afternoon as we strolled around the town asking for iced coffee in various places only to be told "Go 500 metres up the road." Knowing that you should always treat such instructions with extreme caution we proceeded with the hope of chilled sustenance receding faster than my hair line. Surprisingly the instruction proved to be 100% accurate and we were greeted by the grinning face of iced-coffee-lady who proceeded to make her much missed brew with her crafts-person like skill. The resulting drinks were excellent. Ok so it was a modern bungalow and the view was of a pharmacy and not a delightful river but at least the coffee was good.
Confusions. There have clearly been a few more foreigners living in Pakxan since us and trying their hand at speaking fledgling Lao. That has meant that people have become a bit more tolerant of slight inaccuracies in pronunciation. However it was still frustrating this evening when I ordered 'goy paa' (a blend of chopped fish, onions, chillis etc) and the waitress just looked at me with a complete lack of comprehension. A Lao friend then repeated the order, without appearing to make any significant change to the way the dish was said and she understood immediately. This particular restaurant seemed to have confusions as its one of its USPs give that it had painted the gents' loos in pink and ladies' in blue. It is also worth avoiding too on the grounds of cost as it charged far too much for its food and beer.
Generosity. Everyone who we have visited and spent time with here has been extremely welcoming and generous. We had dinner with one of Lexi's former students and her husband last night and as well as feeding us very well they also gave Lexi a new Lao skirt and have offered us a lift to Vientiane tomorrow (Friday) as they are going there too. They also arrived with a freshly cooked pot of sticky rice and eggs for our breakfast this morning. Following that we had lunch at the very pretty Manivanh's Garden restaurant next to a nearby lake with one of my former students and the received a very warm welcome from the family of a deceased former student of mine.
All in I leave Pakxan with mixed feelings. Confusion about some matters, particularly the rapid growth in car numbers, but with the warm feeling of seeing old and good friends.