Savannakhet was truly the big sister city to Thakek, following the same grid road plan and decked with the same double-wide promenades and riverfront vendors as that dusty little by water. There are no less than two bus stations there, and a Chinese market of some repute, as we were to discover later. Riding a couple of bikes rented from the forlorn guesthouse we found, Savannakhet has the feel evoked by a Merchant/Ivory film glorifying the French colonial days in Africa, and even its name is oddly suggestive of some sweltering place other than SouthEast Asia. The one and two-story buildings seem to crouch below their wide, corrugated eaves, dripping sheaves of ancient paint like sweat to the dirt roads abutting them. It is a place that takes some time and a certain appreciation for things that move very slowly and make little sound. It is, like much of Lao itself, a shadow city, a study in decomposition and procrastination meant for nobody and edifying to few.
Archive for the ‘boating’ Category
Always Trust Mama
Posted in Laos, Mekong, boating, budget travel, tagged boat trip, cruise, fish, gerben van der zwan, lao, Laos, luang prabang, Mekong, micah, Micah Jayne, river, Savannakhet, Thakek, travel on February 22, 2009 | 1 Comment »
