Back in Vientiane

Back in Vientiane, this time until we both leave together next year. The weather is actually breezy and cool and I am feeling very lucky to be gazing out my window at the mango trees and coconut palms. We spent a long weekend in Bangkok and did some hardcore shopping. I don’t think that I have ever shopped so much in my entire life! It was quite exciting though, because everything in Thailand fits me – even the shoes! – unlike in Australia where the lowest size tends to fall off. I have been to Bangkok many times before, but never really during a time when shopping was appropriate. I was either backpacking or attending a conference, and the big malls seemed frivolous and uninteresting. However, this time, I came prepared to shop and surprised myself by enjoying the experience (by and large). Now, I think that I am done for another 5 to 10 years… I will get the rest of my clothes made here by the local tailors.
We flew home yesterday via Udon Thani – a town in Thailand near the Lao border – where we waited a couple of hours for some friends to fly in, so that we could catch a ride back to Lao in their borrowed car. While we were waiting, we were shocked by how many couples there were at the airport that comprised of Western men and Thai women. Some of these couples looked perfectly happy and unremarkable. However, lots of the Western men were a good 50 years older than their Thai wives. Quite a number were also extremely domineering – ordering their wives about as though they were small children or a junior employee – it was all a bit distressing.
I realise that there are plenty of happy couples where differences of age or cultural background are not an issue. However, I always find it a bit hard to imagine that this could be the case when a guy is several times older than his wife (I have yet to see this in the other direction). These women were younger than me, while the guys were older than my grandfathers. What does a 18-20 year old have in common with someone in their 70s or 80s? Interestingly, when our friends arrived, they said that they too had noticed this phenomenon in Udon Thani and speculated that it might have something to do with the fact that it was once used as a base during the American war in Vietnam (and Laos).
It was interesting driving across the border. The first time I came to Laos, I came across the Friendship Bridge, but I haven’t done so since. It is weird to realise how close Vientiane is to Thailand, when it really feels so cut off on a day-to-day level. Once we arrived home, we went straight to Vong’s – a restaurant around the corner, which is just excellent – and had his amazing Morning Glory with garlic (Pakbong in Lao, I think?). Time seemed to melt and I really felt as though I had never left.
I went out this afternoon to buy some food at the local market – just a baguette and some salad stuff – and my return caught the attention of the kids over the road who insisted on popping over for a visit. The four of them – a one-year-old, 8 year old, 10 year old and a teenage boy – piled into our living room and started to flick through the magazines before asking permission to turn on the television. Then they tried to chat to me in Lao, to which I generally had to reply “I don’t understand, sorry”, over and over again. After a while, they declared that they were hungry and set about trying to raid the kitchen. There isn’t a lot of food in our house, so I made them little sandwiches with the stuff I had just bought at the market. They also wanted some of the pepsi in the fridge, but I had to try to explain that it wasn’t mine to give… it was all a bit awkward. The teenager then set about washing the pile of dishes in our sink (apparently built up over the weekend by our housemates) and when he had finished asked again about the pepsi. Again I tried to explain that it wasn’t mine and this time they seemed to understand. Raid over, they then went home.