Post by Laoupdate on Jan 27, 2005 6:29:02 GMT -5
WHERE is this country?’’ Mr Chauhan at counter No 5 asked. I was on my way to Cairo from Mumbai airport, and as is immigration officer nature, instead of checking my Egyptian visa, Chauhansaab was taken up by the Laosian visa in my passport.
Laos was one of the eight countries I’d be driving through as part of the 1st ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations)-India Car Rally. I tried to explain its geographical position with directions—‘‘Turn right from Myanmar into Thailand, and then left to get into Laos.’’ But despite indicators, the officer was no closer to clarity when we parted.
But those were precise directions, and exactly the way we drove into Laos from Nong Khai in Thailand last November.
For a country that once held the dubious distinction as the most bombed place on earth, Laos was pretty flat and green. Carpets of paddy, plenty of water bodies and almost acceptable roadways. In fact, if it weren’t for the people and their triangular hats, Laos could just as well have been a largish hamlet in south India. Our first Laosian stop was the capital Vientiane (pronounced Wieng Chan), which translates to Sandalwood City.
The ASEAN heads of state and PM Dr Manmohan Singh were meeting at the ITECC complex to further ASEAN-India ties while tucking into a buffet. We lined up for a ceremonial flag-off to the remainder of the rally that would snake through Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.
After the multilingual speeches, we left the tony ITECC for Pha That Luang—The Great Sacred Reliquary, LaosEgreatest national monument. Its official name Pha Chedi Lokajulamani means World Precious Sacred Stupa. Legend has it that Ashokan missionaries from India erected a reliquary stupa here to enclose the Buddha’s breastbone, some time in the 3rd century BC. When King Setthathirat moved his capital from Luang Prabhang to Vientiane in the 1500s, he constructed the Pha That Luang in its current form.
From there, the Laosian police led our 60-car convoy on a merry round through Vientiane. We passed the Patuxai or the victory monument—a construction reminiscent of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.
I’d have liked to spend a few more days here. But the next morning, by the time the clock struck five, we were off towards the Laos-Vietnam border.
The first thing that hits you when you enter Vietnam, that old US battleground, is the discipline. Even the cheering children lined up to greet us at the border were dressed in immaculate uniforms. Unfortunately we rolled into the border town of Hue after dark, so the only memories I have of the place is the lobby and rooms of the Century Riverside Hotel.
The next day, amidst a torrential downpour, we were in Nha Trang, a premier beach resort. Nestled against the South China Sea, Nha Trang’s beaches are long and pristine, and with a great bank of hotels, clubs and restaurants, well set up for tourism.
Of course the centre of Vietnam is Saigon. Since the new name of Ho Chi Minh City kills the romance, most locals still refer to it as Saigon. I think Saigon has the best dressed women in the world. They looked as though they never stepped out of their homes without putting on their best face. Slender and tall in traditional Ao Dai pantsuits, even the way they rode their mopeds had something delicate about it.
My passport says that I’ve been to Laos and Vietnam, but when you go through eight countries in 20 days, there’s no time to really experience any. But I will go back to those white beaches, golden stupas and rarefied girls one day.
Source: www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=62686#
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