Sleepy Savannakhet

Located only about 140km from the Vietnam border, the 7 hour bumpy dirt road bus to Savannakhet would certainly have anyone confused about its actual distance away. Upon arrival this lazy town gives a whole new East Asian vibe when no one is attacking you for tuk tuk rides and accommodations or trying to sell you random unwanted items. It was almost like being in the twilight zone.

Walking around in the night finding a street sign or place to sleep actually was quite hard but several local people freely offered to help me, not even trying to scam me to go somewhere else but just genuinely assisting me and making calls around to local hostels. Friendly outgoing people?  No one aiming for my money?  One strange place indeed!

The next day would prove to be the longest laziest day ever. I set out to the local museum which showcased a few random items including articles from the US Secret war, but after reading every plaque and label I was finished in under 10 minutes. Next I figured I’d try the dinosaur museum which displayed a few sets of bones discovered in the region and the friendly curator showed me the dusty bones piled on shelves in the back room yet to go on display, but again it all took about 10 minutes.

On to Wat Sinyaphum next, located along the Mekong River, hardly gave me a positive impression of Buddhist life in Laos. Monks of all ages sat around in their bright orange prisoner colored robes while the youth listened to their I-pods and lounged around. Outside the temple workers were carefully painting a parking lot full of Buddhist statues with their fake golden exterior.

Within an hour I had seen the entire town and its few offerings. With nearly 12 hours to kill I went to the  road coming from the church and sat on one of the many empty benches in the sun watching children fly homemade plastic bag kites in the dusty, otherwise empty streets. The highlight of my day was watching the other foreigners trapped in this town board the VIP bus to Vientiane while I nestled in between 2 bags of mangoes on the local bus to take me somewhere with a pulse.